Chapter 141 : A Journey Destined for Nothing

“So…” Lisa’s green eyes sparkled with curiosity. “Why do you want to go to the other side of the forest? I heard that’s where the demon territory is.”

Milly paused. Lisa had asked this before, and Milly had given a vague answer. She thought Lisa had just been making conversation.

But bringing it up again, and mentioning the demon territory, meant she was digging deeper.

“There are just some things I need to see for myself, to confirm.”

A vague answer, similar to before. It wasn’t a lie. She was going there to confirm her suspicions about the truth of this world.

If Lisa wanted to dig deeper, Milly had nothing more to say. From the moment she started running, her goal had been singular: find the demon territory and prove her theory.

“But I heard that no one has ever crossed this forest. Those who venture into the core never return.”

Milly had heard similar things from Tifna. But Tifna had only said that adventurers got lost in the core, not that no one had ever come back alive.

Was Lisa saying this as herself, or was someone else giving her a hint?

Milly sipped her soup, feigning nonchalance.

“No one has crossed it. Is it because no one can, or because those who could simply haven’t tried?”

“Eh?”

Lisa rested her chin on her hand, thinking. Then she shook her head. “It’s just what I heard. Merchants and adventurers from Starlight City sometimes stop by the village. I heard it from them.”

Speaking as Lisa, she probably couldn’t give any useful information. But Milly was curious about one thing. If humans couldn’t cross the forest to the demon territory, what about the demons on the other side?

Although she hadn’t seen any demons other than herself and Stacy, she had heard rumors in the dungeon. Some demons tried to infiltrate Starlight City, and if caught, they were taken to the Church for purification.

Except for her, no demon had ever been publicly judged. Whether it was her, or the knights she had met, the news of demons being purified was all hearsay.

As for whether demons existed, Milly believed they did. After all, people couldn’t imagine something they didn’t know. And the Church’s higher-ups, led by the old fool, must have seen other demons besides her. But how those demons appeared was another question.

If her theory was correct, then whether a demon territory existed on the other side of the forest was uncertain.

“I’ve heard rumors in Starlight City too. They say the Church captures demons and purifies them with holy water.”

“ Since they can’t cross from here, the demons on the other side must have a way to cross over. But the number of people who can come over at a time must be limited, preventing a large-scale invasion.”

“As the border between the two territories, this vast forest might be a natural barrier, blocking travel between the two sides. Otherwise, if the demons invaded every other day, or if the humans led by Lisa and Milly went over to start a war with the demons, it might end up in mutual destruction.”

“So, if humans and demons went to war, who would have the last laugh?”

“I heard that no one has ever seen a demon cross over from the other side of the forest.”

Lisa’s answer sent a shockwave through Milly. If she had heard it from anyone else, she might have dismissed it. But she knew who was behind Lisa. Whether she was speaking from Lisa’s perspective or using Lisa’s mouth to speak her own thoughts was hard to judge.

But combined with her own theory, Milly chose to believe that this was Stacy speaking through Lisa.

The forest was a true natural barrier, completely blocking travel between the two sides.

If there were no other routes, then the demons appearing in Starlight City must have spawned out of thin air.

“If they can’t go this way, then the demons in Starlight City probably just appeared out of thin air. In that case, the Church doesn’t need to make such a big deal out of it.”

“I heard they came around from somewhere else. There’s a canyon on the other side that’s the only passage. The demons probably sneak in from there.”

A canyon?

Besides the vast forest connecting them, there might be a canyon acting as a passage between the two races.

This fit with what she had seen underground with Tifna. Tifna had said that many of her elders were stationed on the border, defending against demon attacks.

Going to the canyon now wasn’t a good option. For one, she might not have enough time. For another, it was a heavily guarded border. Breaking through wouldn’t be easy. Unless that woman decided to stop acting and just blast her way through.

There was no need for that. Milly downed the rest of her cold soup. Although no one had crossed the forest to the other side, that record was about to be broken.

Milly would cross it, reach the demon territory on the other side, and prove her theory about the truth of this world.

“Pack up. We’re moving.”

“Eh? Are we really going to cross the whole forest? But I heard that no one who enters the core comes out alive.”

Milly didn’t answer. She just started packing up the tent, showing Lisa that once she was done, they would continue toward the heart of the forest.

Lisa sat there, watching the small figure bustling about. A complex emotion flickered in her eyes.

She knew exactly what lay on the other side of the forest. But knowing that was useless to her.

But for Milly, she had her own ideas. That was why she was so determined to go to the other side, to find a demon territory that didn’t exist.

If Lisa told her, Milly wouldn’t believe her. She would just be more determined to cross the forest.

With Milly’s stubborn nature, she would only give up after seeing it with her own eyes.

Knowing this was a journey destined for nothing, she looked at the busy figure in the distance. As long as Milly decided to keep going, she would follow her, accompanying her on the rest of the journey.

Unknowingly, she had begun to crave these moments together.