In the northern forest, the sunlight struggled hard to pierce through the dense foliage. Towering trees grew closely together, their branches and leaves interlocking high above, creating a natural canopy that rendered the atmosphere below dim and damp.
The footsteps of Alrain, Davin, and Arion crunched softly upon the ground covered in an abundance of dry leaves and broken twigs. Around them, the silence felt incredibly thick. This forest was exceedingly quiet, as if rejecting the presence of foreign beings. Only the buzzing of forest insects and the occasional chirping of birds from afar greeted their sense of hearing.
Although the atmosphere around them appeared peaceful with no signs of monster threats, the three youths did not lower their guard in the slightest. They remained focused on the exploration mission ordered by their husband. Especially Alrain. Within his mind, a storm was raging.
Alrain desperately wanted to destroy anything related to Dalvanel. Every time he stepped deeper into the forest area, his memories were unconsciously dragged backward. He did not want to, and would never allow, the horrifying tragedy that occurred in his previous life to repeat itself in his current one.
The feeling of sorrow, the suffocating despair, and the metallic stench of blood from the deaths of everyone he witnessed in that era, slowly echoed back into his mind.
Without the youth realizing it, his body responded to that past trauma. His swinging hands slowly clenched tighter, his jaw set, his teeth ground together to hold back the surge of emotions, and his eyes narrowed sharply, glaring at the dark shadows among the trees as if his greatest enemy were hiding there.
Davin, who was walking alongside him, accidentally turned his head and looked at Alrain's face. The brownish-white-haired youth's steps faltered for a fraction of a millisecond. He was instantly taken aback seeing the drastic change in the second spouse's facial expression. There was a murderous aura and profound sorrow radiating simultaneously from his family member.
"Alrain, what's wrong?" Davin called out in a soft tone, yet firm enough to pull the green-haired youth back to his senses.
The question that broke the silence immediately shattered all the dark illusions in Alrain's head. The youth's stiff expression instantly thawed. He turned his head to his left spontaneously, looking at Davin who was staring at him with a face full of questions.
Hearing that remark, Arion also spontaneously turned his head to the left. He looked toward Alrain with unhidden worry.
Is he recalling the dark moments of that era again? Arion thought anxiously.
"I completely understand your feelings right now, Alrain." Davin said again, his voice lowering as he tried to calm the emotions, anger, and vengeance churning within the youth's chest.
He gently patted Alrain's shoulder. "But for now, let us focus our minds on completing what our husband has ordered. You don't want that tragedy to repeat itself, do you?"
The question that had just slipped from Davin's mouth in his last sentence acted like an anchor, pulling Alrain's sanity back.
The green-haired youth slowly loosened his clenched fists, then let out a long, heavy sigh. He closed his eyes for a moment, trying to calm all the turbulent emotions within him, before opening his eyes again with a much calmer gaze.
Davin was right. Uncontrollable anger would yield no results.
There was no other desire left in this world for Alrain but to destroy the ambitions of Dalvanel, someone who pursued immortality by sacrificing the lives of many innocent people.
"Yes... you're right, Davin." Alrain replied, his tone returning to its usual calmness. He had successfully regained control over his emotions. "I'm sorry for losing my focus earlier. No matter the method, if we find signs of a hidden cave in this northern forest, we must destroy it!"
Davin and Arion smiled in relief in unison upon hearing what Alrain had just said.
The three youths refocused on their objective. They continued walking through the area of towering trees, combing through every corner of the wild vegetation with its exceedingly dense foliage.
However, after they had constantly explored the forest for almost a full hour, their steps simultaneously came to a halt.
In front of them stood seven adult men. They all held weapons and immediately formed a semicircle, blocking the path of the three of them.
Despite being intercepted by a group of armed men with hardened expressions, neither Alrain, Davin, nor Arion showed the slightest trace of fear.
"Who are you?" Alrain asked in a very calm tone, his eyes staring seriously at everyone before him. "Why did you suddenly appear and halt our steps?"
Hearing the question thrown out without the slightest hint of dread, a burly man, wearing leather armor with a large sword on his back, stepped forward from his group.
"It's we who should be asking the three of you, Young Men!" the burly man shouted back. His voice echoed among the trees. His eyes glared sharply at the three youths before him, quite surprised by their arrival. "What are you actually doing inside this highly dangerous forest? This is no place for playing around! Go back to your homes, now!"
Alrain did not budge an inch from his position.
"We're not playing around. We are merely executing the orders given to us." Alrain answered, still maintaining his relaxed demeanor. "The three of us were given a mission to search for several types of herbal plants deep within this forest."
Then, the green-haired youth slowly took a single step forward, making several people in the group reflexively tighten their grip on their weapons.
"Now it's your turn to answer my question!" Alrain stated firmly, his aura slowly seeping out. "Who are you and what are you doing inside this forest?"
Witnessing the absolute calmness clearly depicted on the face of the green-haired youth before him, the burly man simply fell silent for a few moments. His feelings were suddenly a mixed bag, between feeling worried for the safety of the three youths, yet also surprised by their courage in shouting back at him.
"The seven of us are A-rank adventurers specially ordered by the central guild to investigate the anomalies in this forest!" the man answered straightforwardly, intentionally mentioning their highest rank to provide a deterrent effect. "The three of you, turn back immediately and leave this place before the situation becomes truly dangerous and uncontrollable. You could die if you keep walking."
Knowing the fact that the group of fierce men before them was a lineup of adventurers and not Dalvanel's followers or a group of bandits, the three of them slightly lowered their offensive vigilance toward the seven men.
Alrain smiled faintly.
"Thank you for the warning, but you don't need to worry about us." he said casually, though keeping his gaze fixed on the seven men in front of him. "Even if we were to get trapped in a dangerous situation, I'm still capable of protecting myself as well as the two of them."
The unexpected answer that slipped from the green-haired youth's mouth instantly made the seven veteran adventurers widen their eyes.
Are you serious?! What kind of self-confidence is that? the burly man thought, his facial expression a mix of shock and utter disbelief. Has this young man gone mad? This forest is currently highly dangerous even for adventurers, let alone for civilians who are only looking for herbal plants!
"Please just continue with your investigation." Alrain said again, his calm voice successfully snapping the adventurers out of their daze. "We must resume our exploration right away and complete our mission so as not to disappoint him."
The burly man gritted his teeth. He felt that his good warning was completely unappreciated by the youth in front of him. He gripped the hilt of his sword, not to attack, but to project intimidation.
"I'm sorry, Young Man." the man replied, his expression now turning extremely serious. He thrust the tip of his sword into the ground. "As the adventurers assigned here, we have the authority. And we still will not allow stubborn civilians like you to enter this forest any further!"