Isekai Journey Of The Magic Archer

[Eon's POV: ]

"Prince Charles is here? What is he doing here in the forbidden forest?" Grandpa was confused, but he was not the only one.

Everyone at the dinner table was confused right now, except Anna.

"Big brother? Who's this person you're talking about? Are they important?" She knew about the emperor and the empresses but she had not met the first prince so she did not know much about this person.

"He's the elder brother of Prince Claud. Do you remember the pretty empress that came to my birthday the last time? It's the elder son of that person." Rein told her a little about the person in question, and the others added in as well.

"He's one of the few <SSS> class adventurers that leads a party of the same rank and possesses some of the highest contributions within the association.

He's a greatsword user and he possesses a unique skill that allows him to restrict the use of any skill of the other party.

He is the leader of one of the best adventurer parties in the world and they have gone around almost every place in the world. Seems like the forbidden forest was the only place left for them." Great Aunt Mime was pretty surprised to hear someone like him was here.

None of us had met the person personally but he was present at the great conference a while ago.

He wasn't with the emperor's party but he was with his own party. I remember his concern about the presence of the demonic cultists however his interest in my technology was equally deep.

'It seemed like he was asking questions on behalf of someone else though so he might also have been influenced by someone else.'

Whatever the case, there was something unique about that person and I wanted to meet him personally if it was possible. Sadly, I never really got the chance to do that.

And yet, he was in the great forest right now…

"He's an important figure that should not die in a place like this, not when there is danger lurking around the world." Grandpa was pretty concerned about all this.

They knew we were in a complicated situation right now since we could not save them in our current situation.

They were pretty far away from us and going to them alone would require many weeks.

Bringing them here was not going to be easy either so if we wanted to save them, we would need something more.

'But then again, did we really have to save them?'

They were adventurers and they came here knowing the risks. They must have made preparations before coming here… they were strong professionals who knew what they were doing.

Stepping foot here meant they had prepared themselves for all possible outcomes. Plus, it seemed like they were here for something specific and not for free exploration.

"Eon, you know the forest better than us. Don't you know how we could help them in any manner?" Grandpa was concerned about this person for more than one reason.

Not only was he the eldest of the princes of Roxanna, but he was also a pillar in the society with a great following.

There were many who looked up to him and the kind of things he had done for human society were simply beyond the contribution of knights like them.

"We can help them, grandpa. But I'm not going to let anyone go to them." We were in the central area of the forest right now while they were in the northern area pretty far from here.

The forest was unequal so the southern part was further from the center than the northern part, but still, the middle area was pretty far from the ends.

"It's not possible to help them directly, but we might be able to guide them safely to the northern gate.

It's not going to be easy for them to convince the gatekeepers of the north, but it would be better than roaming the forest aimlessly."

Of the six gates that exist in the forbidden forest, four are on the four cardinal ends. The center gate is here, while there exists a hidden exit that we don't know about.

Still, of the four cardinal exits, the northern one is situated in the area of druids, the guardians of the forest.

"Thankfully they aren't in the west or south…"

If they were in the western end, they would stand no chance of getting out since the Ice elves that dominate the region do not like any outsider stepping foot on their land.

If they were in the east, they would have been fighting against the fire species that are too shy to interact with anyone.

They would not have been able to handle the heat of the region itself and might have died due to the harsh conditions over there.

In the southern area… well, it's a blessing that they aren't in the south. We don't know much about the southern part, but the gate over there is not something we can access even if we wanted to anyway.

It's simply a good thing that they are in the north since at least being there will give them a chance to prove themselves.

The Druid race might be spirit beings and difficult to deal with, but they are still not unreasonable. If the prince proves himself, he might just have a chance to learn new things from the spirit beings and exit the forest.

"But it would still not be an easy thing."

Thinking back, I've never really gone and seen the gates myself. Every time it's simply through the artifacts, in the memory fragments of my master, or in the books.

She has told me about the gates and how I might be able to get past them if the need arises, but to get to those places is a task a little too difficult for us to achieve in our current situation.

I'm afraid to move further from the center with Anna with me, much less going to the faraway northern end. There are so many challenges in the path that I don't even want to mention how dangerous they might be.

We might actually have to face challenges that we might not be prepared for, so we aren't going there personally. Though, if it's simply guiding the party to the gate, then I guess something can be done.

"I think there's no need for complicated processes. We can simply use the artificial creations to help them-." Zoe's suggestion was good, but…

"What if they find out about the artificial creations and get curious about their origin? What if they desire to find out more about the creations?" Grandpa cut her off midway when he said that.

And he was right as well. We cannot risk it with artificial creations. If they somehow access the network they are working on and track this place, there will be a lot more complications.

"Drones aren't an option. If anything, we will have to use Celes' clones and skill to guide them." Through Celes' disguised clones we might be able to guide them in a discreet manner.

With Rayray's skill supporting Celes, there shouldn't be any problems. However, if some complication arises and Celes' clones die, I don't know what I will be doing.

'I don't want that to happen…'

We will have to be pretty careful if we don't want that, but the matter remains the same: it isn't easy.

"Umm… are they in danger, big brother? Can I help with anything?" She asked with a concerned look while hugging her elephant friend who had shrunk down a little.

Anna was worried about them even though she did not know much about them at all.

She understood they were important people and harm to them would not be a good thing for any of us, so she worried about those individuals.

"No, little one. It's fine. They are strong people so I don't think you have to worry about them." Zoe patted her head while I patted her back from the other side with a warm smile.

It was a fact that this party could take on any challenge thrown at them. They had fought some of the toughest opponents any adventurer had ever come across and overcome the difficult challenges.

The forest and monsters themselves might not be as challenging to them as the high-density Mana environment of the forest or the dangerous plants that are present there.

However, if they were careful, they could surely navigate through the forest and at least survive with a good amount of resources.

'But then again, the forest is a nightmare for those who aren't careful.'

The only way to get out of the forest is through the six gates. Without them, it is impossible to get out of this place and you'd wander around it eternally until you are done living your life.

"They are strong. They will find a way out if we help them a little."

If we guide them a little and they do well, they should get out of the forest on their own in a few months. There will be an upheaval when they get out as well though, since it would be the first known instance of someone coming back from the great forest.

'It'll be a big thing…'

The attention of the world will be shifted to them, and that might just be a good chance to deal with the demonic cultists.

"So, are we all on the same page?" We have a bigger thing to look after so worrying about this matter wasn't necessary.

We won't be crossing paths so there's no need to worry about them, but still… we will be interacting indirectly.

'And since they are here anyway, I don't want to miss the chance to know more about the great Vulcan.'

The first prince is a unique person.

And so are all the renowned party members of the great Anti-skill swordsman.