Moving Forward in the Fog

That adventurer who insisted Hubert was the problem took a sudden step forward. The adventurer, still hooded, stepped back, dodging his fist, but was then roughly grabbed by the hood by the first adventurer's accomplice. "What are you so smug about? Don't provoke us!"

Grabbed, the adventurer reacted instantly. Then, hearing those words, without pausing, he grinned. Instead of the reaction one would expect when threatened, he slammed backward, his shoulder hitting the other's chest. Before the other could react, he delivered a kick to the knee. The adventurer pulled his cloak back with a casual motion, then unceremoniously flung the person away. The other adventurer, about the same height as him, was sent flying backward, crashing onto an already dilapidated and wobbly table, which immediately overturned, splitting into pieces.

The onlookers fell silent, keenly feeling the strength of this adventurer. Fatenai was particularly astonished, as she saw the adventurer's hood pulled off, revealing a somewhat weathered face beneath.

"Wickel?!" The adventurer who had initially worn the hood looked exactly like Wickel. Fatenai exclaimed in shock.

But as soon as she said it, her surprise turned to a sudden change of mind. Her suspicious nature noticed that this adventurer didn't have Wickel's signature taciturn personality. Instead, he was quite warm in his interactions, which was completely different from Wickel.

Moreover, Wickel was already dead.

"Huh? You know me?" To Fatenai's surprise, this "Wickel" looked at her with astonishment, which made her mind go blank – she couldn't even convince herself.

The adventurers exchanged glances, and Helise and Hubert also wore expressions of surprise and confusion, not knowing exactly what was happening.

"Wickel Auston?" Fatenai hesitated for a moment and tentatively asked.

"Huh, it seems you really do know me?" In the Kingdom of Luther, there were many people with the same name. When unsure if it was someone they knew, they would distinguish by surname. But Fatenai had intended to "clear up a misunderstanding," yet the misunderstanding seemed to be deepening.

What was going on? Fatenai didn't know what to say for a moment, hesitating in place.

She clearly remembered burying Wickel's body near the stone platform...

"What are you all focusing on... Damn it, Wickel Auston?!" The troublesome adventurer broke the stalemate, exclaiming.

Wickel shifted his gaze back to the adventurer, a hint of disdain on his face. He grinned and stepped onto the chair in front of him. "Yes, it's me. Don't you believe it?"

After what just happened, no one would believe the authenticity of this Wickel.

"Wickel from Willondon? He's actually appearing in Helurando at this time..."

"Willondon? The land of heroes? That's quite surprising."

"This is truly a major event for Helurando..."

Wickel's fame was greater than Fatenai had imagined. But she didn't have time to ponder these reputations at the moment. She stared intently at Wickel, trying to discern something from his face.

Wickel Auston was indeed the name of the Forest Hunter who had died saving her, but now another man was using it. He had a completely different personality but the same appearance – and he didn't seem to recognize Fatenai.

"No, no, no, I believe you wholeheartedly now. Are you with them?" the adventurer asked, still somewhat unwilling to give up.

"Of course, we are," another voice chimed in. It was an old man's voice. His appearance became clear as the adventurers parted the way – white long hair and a gray robe with silver patterns embroidered on the collar. The most striking feature was the wooden staff in his hand. "I believe these children wouldn't do anything troublesome."

This was a mage.

"Mr. Forresten!" Helise looked at him with surprise.

Fatenai didn't know this mage, but she felt this might be the reason the two young mages wanted to come here. Looking at Hubert's expression, it had clearly softened considerably, indicating he also trusted Forresten greatly.

"Forresten of Willondon... My goodness, what day is it today?!"

"It's Forresten of Starlight now. I haven't seen him in years."

"Two adventurers from Willondon. It seems Monbach is in for some trouble today..."

"Forresten is known for his kindness..."

"Hey, Forresten." Wickel also showed a surprised expression as he walked up to Forresten, facing him. "Your gray robe is still as ugly as ever, like a grey otter from the Eisole Forest."

"Are you really going to take that old cloak to your grave?" Forresten said, extending his hand slightly, his staff tapping his shoulder.

They stared at each other, and no one around made a sound.

After a few seconds, they both burst into laughter and clapped each other on the shoulder.

"Old friend, you've returned from Borett. I've been waiting for you for a long time. Without you, Rose Month has been much more troublesome," Forresten said as he and Wickel walked side-by-side towards a corner, completely ignoring the surrounding adventurers.

Fatenai stood aside, watching them walk towards the corner. She pulled her hood down a bit further, her eyes catching sight of Monbach and her friends running away quickly, disappearing through the entrance.

Willondon. She had heard of that title not long ago, but she hadn't heard of the place name. It seemed to hold significant meaning for adventurers now.

Only... Fatenai silently stood in a corner where she was hard to notice, observing the every move of the adventurers around her. Her brown eyes were very lively, yet lacked the pure clarity of a child. She tried to capture everything around her.

But in reality, her mind was on Wickel. Unconsciously, her eyes gradually became unfocused, as if lost in thought.

"Hello, little girl." Fatenai, lost in thought, was suddenly awakened. She looked to the side in a daze and saw Forresten looking at her. The old man's face was full of wrinkles, and the friendliness in his eyes was unconcealed.

Fatenai glanced at the others again. Helise's face seemed to hold a hint of anticipation, while Wickel's eyes held some curiosity.

"Hello," Fatenai replied, not overly enthusiastic but polite.

"I heard the children say you live alone in the Eisole Forest. I can hardly imagine it," Forresten said. "Are you also a Forest Hunter?"

Fatenai certainly didn't believe Helise and Hubert were this Forresten's biological grandchildren. Coupled with the whispers of the onlookers earlier, she felt he might be a highly respected teacher from an academy. Indeed, it seemed so. The Eye of Connection showed that although there was no strong accumulation of magic around the mage, the magic around him moved with his actions.

"Theoretically, yes. I heard Mr. Wickel is also a Forest Hunter?" Fatenai looked up at Wickel.

"Eh? That's right," Wickel said, surprised that Fatenai had suddenly shifted her focus to him.

"Then where is your cabin? I assume it might be in the Eisole Forest?" Fatenai asked.

"I don't have a fixed cabin. I often travel around the Carmel area. You can consider me a wanderer. I return to the Eisole Forest in Rose Month to help Forresten," Wickel replied.

"You really don't live in the Eisole Forest?" Fatenai couldn't help but say.

"Really." Wickel smiled gently, his expression open and hearty, softening the weathered lines on his face. If he were truly the Wickel Fatenai knew, she would have found it impossible. "It seems you have a friend who resembles me?"

Fatenai abandoned her previous thought and said, "No, I must have mistaken you. It has nothing to do with you."

"How indifferent," Wickel chuckled, showing no hint of blame towards Fatenai. He turned to Forresten and remarked, "However, a Forest Hunter so young is rare. I would have thought he was a mage."

These two adventurers had easily accepted Fatenai's youth. Even though no one could discern her age from her appearance, they didn't seem to care that her identity sounded full of doubt.

Forresten, not feeling neglected, added, "A young Forest Hunter is truly remarkable. If he were a mage, the academies would surely not miss him."

So they've already figured out I can't use magic... Fatenai felt a sense of helplessness. Watching the two strike up a conversation again, she felt she had no place there anymore.

She couldn't chime in on anything related to magic, even though her current summoner was a powerful mage...

It was then she realized Merlin was gone. The tavern had returned to its initial "calm," the boisterous noise just as it had been before.

"Arthur, I'm outside." At that moment, Fatenai suddenly heard Merlin's voice – it sounded right beside her ear, and no one else heard it.

"What are you doing outside?" Fatenai looked around, thought for a moment, and then, unable to hold back her question, spoke in a hushed voice.

"I'm looking for a medicine that will allow you to use magic," Merlin replied.

This answer left Fatenai somewhat stunned.

"I don't think you need to do this." Fatenai considered it, but ultimately didn't use Arthur's name to refute him. In the tales of King Arthur, Merlin was always the sole powerful mage; the knights were merely warriors who wielded swords.

"Training is necessary until you can pull the sword from the stone," Merlin said. "And this is the path you've chosen, so I believe I should offer some assistance."

Fatenai was speechless. Suddenly, she noticed Forresten's conversation.

"Since you are also here, let's go investigate together. We still have enough time," Forresten said, looking at Helise and Hubert. At the same time, Fatenai felt as though she was included in his words.