Chapter 368: The Mana Trees

After Karol created the stairs from the underground chamber, Ryan and his group advanced until they finally reached the surface.

Once everyone was outside in the daylight, Karol used her magic again to seal the entrance, leaving the ground looking as if there had never been a hole there.

When Ryan looked around to evaluate the area they had arrived at, he noticed the place was completely deserted. At least there were no demons near their position, except for some wild animals, birds moving among the treetops, and a vast grove stretching out in front of them.

Karol took a few steps forward onto the grass and raised a hand to her brow as she surveyed the massive grove stretching across the terrain.

"Wow, this place has a lot of mana trees," Karol commented, surprised by the enormous amount of resources right before their eyes.

Beatrice, who was a few steps away checking their surroundings, glanced at the forest without surprise, having grown accustomed to the landscapes of this continent.

"Karol, it’s common in this territory. Don’t be surprised by it," Beatrice replied calmly.

"Even so, I didn’t expect there to be so many, Beatrice," the mage answered without taking her eyes off the numerous white trunks.

While her companions observed the landscape, Beatrice approached some trees near the edge of the clearing and crouched down to examine the ground.

"But there are footprints of at least three demons, and they’re recent," Beatrice warned as she turned from her spot to look directly at Ryan.

Ryan remained calm upon hearing his companion’s discovery, remembering the conditions of the agreement they had made days ago in his castle with the emissaries.

"Remember what Aedan said. They won’t oppose us gathering what we need; however, they will keep an eye on us. It’s likely they are scouts," Ryan explained serenely.

Beatrice nodded, understanding the situation, and stood up again, staying alert in case anyone appeared among the trees.

Ryan set the matter aside for a moment and walked over to one of the trees to examine the material closely. Although the bark of these trees was white and emitted a faint aura of mana around them, what caught his attention the most was in the upper branches.

Their leaves were still green and quite large, but they looked almost transparent against the bright sky. The color was translucent, almost transparent, so much so that for a moment their shape and texture reminded him of jellyfish from his old world.

Before he could reach out to touch the bark, Lise looked up at the clouds and drew everyone’s attention.

"It seems we already know who those footprints belonged to," Lise said, pointing her index finger straight at the sky.

Off in the distance, three dragons were flying toward the grove. They were still quite far from their position, but their colors could already be clearly distinguished in the air: one red, one yellow, and a black one flying in the center.

Chloe took a half step back, going on high alert, and narrowed her eyes, trying to analyze them as they approached the forest.

"But those dragons don’t give off as much power as Miss Lise," Chloe commented, noticing the huge difference in the magical presence of those creatures.

"Naturally. Those dragons aren’t like me; they are ordinary," Lise replied, crossing her arms over her chest, showing a slight superiority over those common beasts.

Although Ryan didn’t give much importance to the matter of the differences between dragons, upon focusing his sight better on the heights, he realized who was riding them.

Flanking the sides were two women holding the reins of their mounts, while in the center traveled a young boy—probably the same age as Beatrice’s brother—riding the black dragon.

After about two minutes of waiting, the three dragons descended through the treetops and landed, kicking up a gust of wind in a clearing in the middle of the grove.

The two women dismounted first, leaping agilely forward. Their dresses were long and elegant, settling softly as their feet touched the ground.

Both had long blonde hair, but one wore hers straight and tied in a ponytail, while the other had wavy hair styled in a more striking manner.

Observing them closely, Ryan immediately identified them as Principality-rank demons, and the small demon dismounting the central dragon as a Legion-rank.

"You there, who are you?" the young demon asked loudly as he took a step forward; even though the boy was only a Legion-rank, his highly elegant attire denoted status within the nation.

Lise sighed in obvious annoyance at the child’s tone and took a step forward to answer on behalf of the group. She turned slightly to the side, looking at them from the corner of her eye with her arms crossed.

"We are here as agreed with Demon King Rohan. We came to harvest mana trees. You should already be informed," the dragoness answered bluntly.

"Yes, we are aware, but we wanted to make sure," the woman with the ponytail said as she looked curiously at everyone present without breaking her stride.

The boy stopped behind his escorts and observed the people gathered before him with a hint of doubt.

"Leonor, Katerine, are these people really the emissaries from Kowarre?" the boy asked, directing his gaze toward his two companions.

"Yes, Lord Ash, there is no doubt about that. Although I can’t recognize the rest, that woman is the wind dragon, Lise," the other woman with wavy hair commented, pointing at Ryan’s subordinate.

’So, that brat is another son of Rohan,’ Ryan thought silently upon hearing the name and confirming his relation to the royal family of Ignis.

The young red-haired demon, Ash, took several steps forward with an air of grandeur. He walked right past the dragoness, planted himself directly in front of Chloe, looking her up and down carefully, and then glanced at Ryan out of the corner of his eye.

"If Katerine says so, it must be true, but why are you bringing simple humans into my territory?" the boy questioned with disdain.

That contemptuous word made Beatrice, Irina, and Lise tense up, their patience nearly reaching its limit. The air around the three women turned heavy in an instant as they readied themselves to act against the disrespect toward their leader.

"Huh? What’s wrong?" the young demon commented, taking a half-step back as he noticed the strong presence emanating from the three women.

Seeing the danger he had put himself in, Leonor quickly appeared beside the young demon, grabbing his shoulder and yanking him backward in a leap to get him to safety.

"What are you doing, you idiot?" Ash complained, annoyed at having been shoved like that in front of strangers.

"Lord Ash, Lord Ash, please calm down. That person isn’t a simple human; he is Demon King Ryan," Leonor whispered urgently, leaning in close to him.