Chapter 11

Meals Are Mana, Rice Is a Snack
Even on the day my brother went to the royal capital, my studies and physical training continued as usual. After completing everything, I came to the greenhouse with Atre. Things had been a bit hectic lately, but now that life was back to normal, I wanted to take it easy.

"Atre, you eat the same meals as us, but is it enough? Is there anything you want?" I asked while stroking Atre, who had climbed onto my lap as I sat on the sofa.

"My real food is your mana. That’s why we live deep in the Great Forest, where there’s a lot of mana. Fruits and rice are more like snacks, I guess."

"But I haven’t given you any of my mana. If that's the case, could you leave the forest and even go to the royal capital?"

"I’m fine because I absorb the mana that overflows from your body. As long as I'm with you, it's fun, and I'll follow you anywhere."

"My mana overflows from my body? No one’s ever pointed that out before."

"But everyone says you seem to have a lot of mana, right? They probably say that because they can sense it seeping out from your body."

"I see. Thanks for telling me. After my magic evaluation at age eight, I'll start magic lessons. If I use up all my mana, would that be a problem for you?"

"I’d be fine for a few days even if I couldn’t get any mana from you, and I could also eat magic stones."

"You eat magic stones? Should I start giving them to you now and then?"

"When I was in the Great Forest, I ate them regularly to increase my mana. But your mana is tastier and makes me feel more energized, so I don’t need them."

"Do other magic beasts eat magic stones to enhance their mana too?"

"Yeah. The magic beasts in the Great Forest are stronger than those in other regions because of the abundance of mana."

I didn’t know that.
I should share this with Father and the others.
Oh, right—I also need to ask about what happened to Atre’s parents. I had completely forgotten that Captain Kyle asked me to look into it.

According to Atre, a White Dragon had settled in the Great Forest.
That disrupted the forest’s ecosystem, and when Atre’s mother told it to leave, she was overpowered and killed. In the past, dragons would sometimes come to the forest, but they had never settled there before.

If a dragon makes its home there, the mana in the forest will become even denser, making the magic beasts more likely to go berserk.
That’s a huge problem. It’s a matter of life and death for our family. I have to report this immediately.

"This is serious! Atre told me something terrible is happening in the Great Forest!" I cried as I rushed into Father’s study, holding Atre in my arms.

"Hardt, check who is present before you speak. Now, what’s happening in the Great Forest?"

In the study, besides Father, Mother, and the butler Henry, there was also a bespectacled man I didn’t recognize. Since it seemed okay for him to hear, I relayed what Atre had told me.

"A White Dragon has settled in the forest? And on top of that, magic beasts are becoming more aggressive because of it… We need to take immediate action and recall everyone inside the forest to assess the situation. Henry, summon the Knight Commander and the Guildmaster of the Adventurers' Guild at once. Fritz, I’m sorry, but I need you to stay here instead of leaving."

Henry quickly left the room.
When I turned my gaze to the unfamiliar bespectacled man, Father introduced him.

"Hardt, this is Fritz Arcland, the Chief of our Mage Division."

"It’s a pleasure to meet you, Young master Hardt."

"The pleasure is mine. I apologize for interrupting your conversation. I was so focused on the urgency of the situation that I wasn’t aware of my surroundings."

"I understand. This is a matter I should be aware of as well. However, if you had barged in while I was speaking with someone who shouldn’t hear this, it could have been a disaster. Be more careful in the future."

"I will be more mindful from now on."

Father then asked Atre if the magic beasts were already becoming more aggressive. According to Atre, the White Dragon had been living in the forest for about a year, and recently, the mana in the forest’s depths (the central area) had become significantly denser.

At first, the increase in mana wasn’t a concern. But recently, the concentration had been rising so rapidly that the magic beasts couldn’t adapt, causing some of them to go berserk. When Atre’s mother tried negotiating with the White Dragon, it wouldn’t listen. When she was brushed aside, she was injured by its claws.

She managed to escape to the shallows to avoid being attacked by other magic beasts drawn to the scent of her blood but ultimately succumbed to her wounds.

After hearing this, Father and the others told me they would handle the matter and that I could return to my room.

That evening, after dinner, our family gathered in the living room to discuss future measures for dealing with the Great Forest.
Previously, each party entering the middle section of the forest had about ten members, but now they would increase that to around twenty.

The time spent in the forest would also be reduced. Instead of staying inside for about ten days, they would limit it to about seven days and monitor the situation.
Additionally, they planned to reinforce magic defenses and fortify strongholds.

"I’m glad you asked Atre. If we hadn’t known about this, the damage could have been far worse."

"I was supposed to ask on Captain Kyle’s behalf, but I completely forgot. I apologize for the delay."

"So, this was a request from Kyle? I should have realized the situation myself and questioned Atre about it. As for the White Dragon, we won’t take any action for now. There haven’t been any direct damages, and we lack the means to defeat it. However, we must prepare for potential dangers."

Brother Gerald muttered, "A White Dragon, huh? I’d like to see it, but if it’s deep in the Great Forest, that’s not happening."

"If a Fenrir was effortlessly swatted aside and fatally wounded by just the dragon’s claws, we should avoid getting close. If it comes this way, the devastation would be immeasurable. Gerald, you should stay in the shallows for now and avoid going into the middle section," Father warned.

"Understood. I’m not sure how severe the magic beast aggression has become, but I can’t afford to be a liability."