Sterne's life was saved by a coin. 

Three years have passed and she was at last allowed by Duke Nachtwald to participate in subjugation missions to put all her training to use. 

After a round of crying and begging, finally, she managed to convince the family to let her enter when she reached twelve. For the past years, Sterne concentrated on helping to improve the fief handing out crafting recipes to help prop up their finances. This time, she is determined to focus on her strength and the easiest way to go about it is to explore their great neighbour, Sleeping Forest. Understanding what kind of danger the whole kingdom faces is also one of her goals, the other is to gather rare plants vitally important for concocting primordial elixirs. If only she hadn't slipped and injured a foot.

It truly was a blessing that for hundreds of years Aurum has stayed safe considering the potential of this forest to topple the kingdom in a short amount of time. The monsters living here not only numbered in hundreds of thousands but possibly millions. Ten times larger than the whole of Aurum combined.   

Yesterday… 

"Damn me, she could really hold her own," Dorn exclaimed the moment he saw Sterne and her party fighting a herd of monsters. 

She had smiled, thinking he was complimenting her skills. Their face-off with a herd of B-rank Stone Deers and an A-rank Crystal Doe is about to come to a bloody end. Her nose flared as her intake of breath got rough. They pushed forward the plain for about an hour and a half until finally finding the alpha doe that leads the herd. The group finished it before she could snort for reinforcement. 

An ordinary alpha doe would snort warning her herd of the dangers and make them disperse but this one aggressively entered battle mode. Different from Stone Deers, this Crystal Doe's hooves create powerful tremors on the ground that can throw an adult person for several meters. The attack was also easy to avoid if one had the knack for reading its subtle movements and timing. 

The first wave caught them unaware and threw them far back. If it weren't for the kind knight who caught her, Sterne would have ended above the tree. Frustrated at her unseemly performance despite her brothers' reminders, she was more determined to put it down. Before lunging once again, Sterne keenly awaited its movement and signalled the knights to evade, thus when the Crystal Doe was about to stomp her hooves the squad jumped up ahead before the vibration reached their feet. 

They successfully avoided being catapulted several meters up. unfortunately, the move only agitated the monster and it began rampaging on the ground. The herd fought aggressively but in the end, they were easily exterminated. The Crystal Doe's majesty dwindled as despair from seeing its herd whittled down took over. In its last struggle, it aimed for the weakest member of their squad, towards Sterne. 

The doe rushed fiercely in her direction aiming its sharp antlers at the helpless girl. 

The spectators on the side appeared unruffled by her predicament. Dorn in particular leaned on the trunk enjoying the scene. 

Sterne held her sword tighter and delivered a deadly blow. The monster's look of despair was quite shocking when she realized she chose the wrong target and was about to be killed. One wounded stone deer from the herd came to her rescue but he sadly fell on Sterne's blade as well.

"Oi~ Steeeeerne!" The one hollering at the top of his lungs was Dorn as he and the squad of Obsidian returned from scouting. He was waving so enthusiastically that it looked as if his arms would fly off. 

Unfortunately, his passionate greeting was welcomed by the Obsidian's formidable frowns. 

"I saw it, it was--"

"Quit screaming you shameless mutt. The lady is not deaf!!!" Freiin shot from the left to his side, her dark blonde hair flying and gave him a merciless dropkick. 

The poor boy was buried face-first on the ground.

"Aiy! What's wrong?"  

Freiin let out a frustrated sigh, "It's a well-deserved punishment, milady. Rules had to be beaten into him to make him remember."

Poor Dorn, she thought and gave the other a sympathetic look. "It's alright, you don't have to be so hard on yourselves since we are outside."

Freiin had to disagree, "It was because we are outside that we had to follow the protocols precisely. As your retainers, we mustn't disgrace your person by not addressing our lady honourably."

Sterne listened with a blank look and tears gushing out of her heart. Where did that playful Freiin go? Give her back! 

She suddenly wondered what kind of training they have been doing these past few years turning her two childhood friends stiffer than woodblocks. Dorn may appear to have not improved much on the surface but within him, she knows a lot has changed. His gaze and movements have a certain degree of rigid iciness to it, like a cold glint of a blade quietly awaiting its prey.  

In short, a standard military man's aura. 

Groans of approval resound from the front and behind. Sterne cannot help but feel a little helpless, although she appreciates their growth and devotion she still couldn't help feeling a bit lonely. Ever since everyone started formally taking training from special masters they have begun treating her like an employer.

...or so she thought. 

"Hm, a Crystal Doe, eh? That's one nasty opponent." Dorn murmured, inspecting the corpse carefully. On its neck is a long thin cut almost seamless and clean but also deep enough to sever the artery was the reason for its death. 

"Not bad. An A-rank at your first formal mission." He clapped while looking at her bloodied self for a good while. 

Sterne flicked her sword, put it back on the sheath and wiped her sweat. "Hehe, with this I can officially call myself an apprentice."

"And I say milady, I never thought I'd see the day you'd look so spiffy in them knightly uniform." 

The compliment made her blush. "D-Does it suit me?" 

Dorn nodded laughingly, "Black makes an Obsidian!"

"Black indeed makes an Obsidian." Freiin agreed with a smile on her face. The others echoed then proceeded to congratulate her for successfully killing her first A-rank.  

The cheery mood had little effect on the bystanders who came along to try their luck in the forest.

"I can't believe they can still act carefreely in this kind of place." 

"That's the kingdom's finest for you…" 

"I heard the nearby Freedom Federation, the adventurers' country used to look down on Aurum for its flashy knights and such before but after hearing Duke Nachtwald conquering the third layer of the Sleeping Forest they shut their mouths and stopped taunting."

"You know Freedom Federation doesn't put much importance on nobility, they are a free country and they detest autocratic rules. Knights who hailed from wealthy and influential households were about as useless as a woman's corset when facing monsters. But the Obsidian's Lord Commander and his men earned their respect." 

While others discuss enthusiastically, there are also those who just observe quietly. 

Today's mission has ended without problems as well. Sterne hoped it could continue like this until their goal was finished. Sitting on a boulder she drank lemonade to refresh herself after finishing the kill. The alpha gave them a hard time with all that stomping. It was their third day in the forest, the other knights resting on the grassy patch also took this short break to refresh themselves and save energy for the next task ahead. 

Captain Legrand, the leader of their squad, came to talk to her, "Milady, the terrain ahead will rapidly change. The moorland appears to be flat but there are plenty of sinkholes leading to underground caverns. To avoid accidents we needed to only walk on the marked path and avoid straying off." 

Sterne gulped the remaining drink and nodded, "Thank you, captain, I will keep that in mind. When are we moving out?"

"By tomorrow at first sunlight when everyone else has rested. There is an area close by that appears to be safe. How about we camp there for tonight?"

She looked around the clearing and agreed. There is a stream not far from them and a widespread of grass not needing to be cleared. They had a long day today, everyone also needed to recharge.

"Lady Sterne, you were great today as well!" A knight greeted with a thumb up. 

Not so long ago, their lady was just holding sticks and beating up low-level slimes and vaulting bunnies. Years passed in a blink and she can already stand toe to toe with them.  

"You know it wasn't just me, everyone else did a fine job." 

"But that one-strike kill was absolutely majestic."

"Yeah! As expected of Sir Ahmose's direct pupil." 

She blushed again and nearly squirmed on her seat. She wished they hadn't mentioned that, now that they did she recalled how she almost fell embarrassingly on her butt and got trampled on several times. Under normal circumstances, her momentary loss of attention could cost her life so now she is quietly contemplating it. 

"Aiy, you don't have to make such a long face. You did great. Much better than I did when I was tossed out here for a week." It was what Dorn had said when he walked over to sit beside her. "By the way, what are we having for dinner? I'm famished so I hurried up here to have a decent meal." 

"If you don't mind our latest kill. Although I feel bad about my performance, I admit I just can't let go of their meat."

The knights chuckled hearing her conflicted mumbles. 

Their squad were not the only one who came to visit the forest during this season. When the Nachtwald duchy opened its land for visitors people from all over the kingdom gradually came. Aside from merchants and the apprenticing knights, several adventurers also signed up to explore the Sleeping Forest. 

Not far from where they camp, a group of apprentices had been quietly watching them. 

"Those people with the little girl, they're officers from Obsidian, aren't they?"

"You'd know it by just looking when they are sticking out like sore thumbs like that." A guy cleaning his sword muttered. 

"Hells, I thought it was only a rumour but it was true they train children in this place!"

His companion quickly grabbed his mouth, "Oi, lower your damn voice. You don't want to get into their bad side."

"I wasn't badmouthing them. It's true." The youngest among their team is at most a child. 

Someone clicked his tongue. "Those are magical gears and magic weapons. You can't tell by merely looking."

"Oh, you appraised it?" 

"I sure did." The guy with the skill said. He mostly saw the equipment but he couldn't assess their combat level due to it being higher than his. 

Just then they were startled by the hearty laughter from the other side. The Obsidian seemed to be talking about something very amusing over there, some people couldn't rein in their curiosity and looked over. 

"This…" A man muttered and hurriedly looked away. 

Sterne held her head with her palm while looking at the cleaned monster meat laid on leaves. Then her eyes went to the men, their expectant faces made her suspect that these grown-up men did not come here to exercise but for barbecue instead.

"We have prepared the fire, milady." Captain Legrand said respectfully. 

Dorn flashed beside her and dangled a familiar satchel in front of her, "We also brought the seasonings."

See? They even carefully packed the seasoning she had forgotten to bring when they left the barrier. What more there is to say?

"Let's have a barbecue then." She said helplessly amidst the cheers of fifty-something hungry old men.  

"Milady, you don't really have to agree. You're spoiling them." Freiin whispered. 

"It's fine once in a while, days like this are rare, especially out here." 

Well, the lady has a point. 

"Food!!!" 

Yes, yes, food. Can we calm down now?

Everyone is yet to clean themselves and still sporting sprays of blood on their bodies. It was fortunate that no one was around, Freiin could only imagine how they would appear to people when they are seen laughing. She didn't have to wonder how much mental damage it would inflict to the faint-hearted. Dropping in fright and running away screaming would be an understatement. 

The sun is about to set now. The men began pitching the tents while the others guarded the periphery. 

When Sterne turned to them, the spectacular sight of bloody knights burned her eyes. Sadly, her current appearance was no better with blood on her breastplate and vambraces. That stone deer startled her so much she switched stabbing the alpha doe into slicing the stone deer's neck instead of giving her an instant red shower.

I stink so bad, I need a bath.

The knights thought she did her job gracefully. If they knew how nervous she felt her soul almost vacated her mortal body, they would surely laugh their teeth off. 

"Please refresh yourself with this, milady."

From behind, the suave Captain Legrand handed her a towel.  

"Thank you, captain." Sterne happily grabbed the towel and pressed it on her face. Since the blood has dried it started to itch and smell. 

"Such words are wasted on me. I'm only doing my duty." He said with a faint smile. 

Aren't you a shy one?

"Miss Freiin already prepared your bath, leave the cooking to us for the meantime and clean yourself, milady." 

Sterne did not hesitate and took on the offer. A small open bath behind the campground was erected using earth magic. Standing outside the entrance was Freiin holding clean towels and a change of clothing. 

"You worked hard today as well, milady." She said.  

Aiy, she did. This is the first formal bath she would have after entering Sleeping Forest. 

Sterne discarded her soiled clothes on the basket, untied her waist-length wavy hair and began cleaning herself with soap and a soft cloth. The water was heated just right to drive away the chill. After cleaning the blood and grime from her body she went for a brief soak in scented arm water. 

The view of Sleeping Forest is a wondrous sight similar to a fairyland drawn in tapestries. The closest area to the barrier by a few kilometres is a grassy plain and valley with patches of thick shrubbery, ancient trees who knew how many hundreds of years existed. The sight is soothing enough for a picnic.

But according to the Obsidian Knights, it only appears so from where they are at. Advancing further one would discover that there is a steep drop, like a vast platform separating the safer first layer to what's beyond. 

Below the cliff is a serpentine river leading to the depths of the second layer of the forest which has more mystifying sceneries of long mountain ranges, thick overgrown forest with the rarest herbs that accumulated for hundreds and hundreds of years, unfortunately, that is also where S-rank and highly intelligent monsters reside. 

Despite the dangers, the view from above is nevertheless breathtaking.

The multicoloured limestone mountains reaching up the sea of mist and clouds roused Sterne's, childish heart. It gives an impression of being in a different country rather than being in a forest.

When her short bath finished, she went back to the camp to make the long-awaited barbecue. Similarly, everyone also took their time to clean themselves up. There might not be enough chances in the next few days after all. 

And since Emilia remained in the estate, Freiin and Dorn served as the lady's companion while she was out but in times when the lady is grinding to increase experience, the two join a small party of apprentices and help them improve their ranks as well. Night settled in quietly. The next day, Freiin and Dorn resumed their duties and bid Sterne's team farewell. 

Today, Captain Legrand will lead them to the moorland to hunt for bleak lambs, monsters with the same level of danger as stone deers. And if they're lucky, they might stumble upon the moorland viper. Another A-rank monster was about five meters tall. Sterne fought another bloody battle with a bunch of sheep spitting out ice daggers, she suffered a few cuts and bruises but the viper she had been looking forward to did not even show its tail.

At noon, Dorn and Freiin returned with only the Obsidian.

"Where are those five apprentices with you?" Captain asked Dorn when he did not see their companions.

"Huh?" Dorn looked puzzled. "I was also about to ask you the same question. Half an hour ago, those men said that they will wait for your team's arrival at the hills on the west side of the moor."

Captain furrowed his eyebrows. "We just finished subjugating the herd of bleak lambs in that area, none of the five apprentices appeared."

Dorn fell into contemplation for a moment.

"Don't worry, those five are at least intermediate Swordmasters. If it is only around here in the first layer, there will be no problem unless they move further inside…" 

The knights decided to wait for fifteen minutes more but not even a shadow of those people emerged. The sun is at its highest peak, they will not get lost at least.

"Milady, we suggest you rest in the nearest outpost while some of us will try searching for those fools, see if we can drag them back before nightfall."

Captain Legrand's expression was solemn, he dared not show the slightest dissatisfaction in front of Sterne. Lord Commander trusted the safety of the young lady in his hands, it was his honour teaching her the fundamentals of subjugation that not even her brothers were able to due to them being busy with the academy. 

Yet unknowingly, those pests managed to derail the plan. 

He didn't have good opinions about those five troublemakers. Before entering Sleeping Forest they were strictly briefed about the rules and dangers inside. They seem to have understood, they even appeared to be taking it to heart yet here they are, nowhere in sight! 

Goodness, even a twelve-year-old girl has a much better understanding than them. 

"I will escort you back first," the captain said. Subtly, he made a signal to the rest of the knights.

Freiin and Dorn nodded to each other and dispersed. 

"From which Order are those five from?" She asked as they started on the path out. 

"The Iron Bulls of das Vieh territory. A small barony in the southwest but thrives on livestock raising." Captain Legran answered enthusiastically. 

A small fief but has its knights. In Aurum, lords of the countryside commonly do not have their private soldiers and are only dependent on the dispatch the royal capital provides. Based on what the captain said, das Vieh must be rich to be able to sustain local militia and influential enough to enter Obsidian for a short course of training. 

The ten knights and one girl followed the path they used to enter the forest while chatting avidly. It can't be helped since an accident might happen if they leave those people alone. The nearest outpost is about a half day's walk from where they are located, an hour with a mount but all their horses were left in the wall. The choir of birds singing coupled with the rustling of leaves added to the jovial mood when suddenly, as they were crossing the side of the valley the soil loosened dragging the little lady ten meters below.

"Lady Sterne!" Captain Legrand called out.

His whole body turned ice cold. When he saw the little lady's last expression as she plunged to the gorge his heart fell to the pit of his stomach.

"I'm alright!" The voice called back. 

Upon hearing her voice, his heart that fell settled back momentarily. "S-Stay where you are, wait until we get to you." 

Easier said than done, Stern smiled wryly. While they were above she did not notice anything amiss, the ground was stable and firm, well until someone activated magic and loosened the soil dragging her down.

The Herald's Eye saw the small light under her feet. Unfortunately, it caught her by surprise. It was too late to jump. Looks like someone wanted to purposely separate her from the knights. But why? To kill her? She never sowed enmity inside Nachtwald. 

The Obsidian is like brothers and sisters. The townsfolk are simple people but they do not hold grudges for long. She tried to recall if there was anyone she ever offended. There is the baker's son whom she accidentally pulled the trousers off, and a junior knight who ate her failed cookie he started frothing on the mouth the Healer uncle Ben has to administer poison antidote. After those incidents, those two people only had to take a glimpse of her and would run in different directions, based on those reactions they couldn't hold grudges and seek revenge.

After checking her body for any injuries and found none, she stood up. The fall did not hurt because the vines overheard helped to break the momentum, plus the thick cushion of moss below.

The place she fell in consisted of tall shrubberies, a wide array of flora, with many colourful mosses clinging to thick trunks of old trees and rocks. She felt like she was inside a wide enclosed world completely detached from everything outside. And although it was enclosed, there was still sufficient light allowing her to comprehend her surroundings. 

This is still the first layer, right? She wondered while taking a step bit by bit.

Captain Legrand did mention the hidden caverns below the moor. This must be one of those. She just did not expect it to be on another scale. 

A few feet from her, a shiny object glistened. Sterne happily walked towards it and ducked down to pick the item a mere a second before three steel arrows whizzed like malevolent shooting stars puncturing the tree in front of her.