This lake is called Shichirin for a reason.

At the princes words, everyone stared at the lake with stern eyes.

Surely, there must be a reason for this foul-smelling, poisonous lake.

Still, Id never heard of a selfish poison whose contents change depending on the person. Well, I suppose anything is possible in a fantasy world, right?

Are we going to clean up this lake?

I couldnt help but laugh at Ceres words.

It would be next to impossible to clean this lake. As I found out when I joined the unit, Victors soldiers tend to be very intelligent people.

It would be a miracle equivalent to bringing a dead person back to life if we could make the water in this lake clear.

No, we have to find the source of this lake down here.

The Expedition team is now a diving team?

What are you talking about?

Victor frowned at my inane words.

I want to dive in the clear, Beautiful Ocean, but I refuse to dive in this quagmire.

It wasnt a punishment. In the first place, I doubt that I would be able to find any clues even if I dived in there.

What exactly is the source of the lake?

Jurd asks, turning his pure eyes to Victor.

Im not completely sure, but Ive heard its there. The lake is pale and dirty, but its transparent, so its possible to find it.

So, there were people who dived in the past Brave men.

Why do you want the source of that lake?

This time I ask respectfully.

Victor smiled, a child-like expression on his face.

Its a condition of becoming the King.

Saying this in a high-pitched voice, he took off his jacket. He rolls up his sleeves and looks as if he is about to jump into the water at any moment.

Come to think of it, Victor was the second prince. That long-haired brother was the first prince.

Victor appeared to be more action-oriented than he was. I hadnt been in that castle long, but Id never seen Victors brother.

I wondered if he was a recluse. I know it was selfish of me, but he seemed to be a bit more mature.

Lets dive!

At the princes words, everyone started taking off their clothes at once, Captain Marius and Jurd taking off their tops; Ceres and I just took off one of our jackets, as did the prince.

We definitely couldnt be naked on the top half of our bodies. I could only hope that the water wouldnt make the cloth see through. It was a rather thick fabric, so Im comfortable in that area If it was thicker, it would hold a lot of water and increase the chance of death.

I wondered if the prince had considered the possibility of his own death. It would be as though he was there to die if the entire lake was poisonous to begin with..

Oh, prince, dont get ahead of yourself just yet.

Oh?

Victor looks doubtful at my words.

Are you on a suicidal mission? Do you want to die before becoming the King?

What are you talking about?

Youre about to enter a poisonous environment. I also got caught up in the princes mood, but if you think about it calmly, wouldnt it be dangerous?

Oh, kid, you finally got scared, then?

Victor said in a somewhat happy voice.

I doubt you were the one who stood up to that Lion.

Captain Marius entered the conversation from the side.

There was a clear difference in the fatality rate between plunging into this poisoned lake and fighting a lion.

If you dont drink it, you aint gonna die.

I wonder if the prince of this country has anything to fear.

What about them?

I pointed vigorously at the three grandfathers.

Pointing fingers would not be nice, but it was ok because I was not a young lady right now

If an old man dives in a lake like this, hell die.

Definitely.

But wont the second-in-command dive too?

I glanced toward Vice Admiral Neil.

He made no move as everyone took off their jackets or stripped down to their tops. He just watched us get ready.

Why dont you leave at least one of us here?

Oh, Ill do it then.

You dive.

Before I could finish, Victor said to me in a slightly harsh tone.

I guess I didnt have a choice. I needed to hang in there. Make up your mind, Alicia.

If I die, I will curse the prince as well.

Victor laughed gently at my comments before speaking up, while the troops all stared at me as if to say something about what I was saying to the prince.

Dont worry, even if I die, youll still be alive.

It sounded like he was telling me to go into the lake with confidence because I was the one who saw it coming. That was what his eyes were telling me.

It couldnt be helped. Ill be the first one to plunge into this rotten lake.

I took a quick breath and stood in front of the lake.

Dont worry, I heard that if you open your eyes, the poison will not enter your body through your eyes. Oh, but it will get in through your nose.

I heard Victors soothing voice from behind me. I turn around quickly.

Have some people already been here?

Yeah. Theres no way Im getting in without experimenting to see if I can get in. Soldiers are pawns.

When he said it so openly and without hesitation, I couldnt say anything back to him.

Victor was more cold-blooded than I thought. No, I guess it was better for a king to be this cold-blooded.

Besides, I wondered how many people have died here. It was surprising that the prince had the courage to dive into that rotting lake.

If it were me, I would never willingly dive into it.

I took a big gulp of air, closed my mouth, tightened my nose, and plunged into the gray liquid with all my might.