Naming the Unscrupulous

"There's really a swamp!" Helise exclaimed.

The five adventurers walked through Eisole Forest and soon arrived at a swamp. The markers at the edge of the swamp were not very obvious, perhaps due to the rain. The accumulated water made the ground more muddy, turning the swamp into a dangerous place in a sense.

Fatenai followed them forward. Forresten no longer walked with Wickel, but instead moved to the very front. He raised the staff in his hand and began a melodious chant that sounded like a ballad. While the other two mages looked entranced, showing their absorption, Fatenai couldn't understand a single word of it.

The chant stopped abruptly. Forresten's conclusion was as sudden as his beginning. If Fatenai hadn't clearly seen with her Eye of Connection that the magic had changed its circulation during Forresten's chant, forming a "new" piece of land on the swamp, then to those who couldn't see clearly, nothing would have happened.

"Let's go forward. Don't worry, the Principal has established a new path," Helise said to Fatenai, assuming she didn't know.

Fatenai nodded and stepped onto the swamp. A transparent ripple spread out from where she landed, dissipating into the forest and disappearing.

"I've never heard of mages having academies. Don't mages just naturally use magic?" Fatenai murmured thoughtfully.

"Not at all," Helise chuckled at Fatenai's naivety. "Many people can use magic, but most of them don't realize they have this ability, let alone how to use it to help themselves. Our academy is for finding these people and helping them use this ability."

"Starlight has existed for hundreds of years, continuously cultivating outstanding mages," Wickel couldn't help but say. Forresten's smile deepened upon hearing this.

Fatenai mused, "That's truly impressive. Are all of you mages?"

"Of course, this is an academy for mages," Helise replied.

Fatenai fell silent. She walked step by step on the path paved with magic, her expressionless, pale face hiding emotions no one could decipher.

"Ah, that looks like a red berry! It's so fortunate to still see unblackened fruit at this time!" After a short walk, they heard Helise's exclamation. Helise's eyes were fixed on a red berry in the grass. Its appearance was truly unexpected, even with just a hint of red hidden among the overlapping leaves. She was about to walk over and pick it.

"Wait," Fatenai couldn't help but say.

"Don't worry, Forresten and I are here," Wickel said, sensing the caution in Fatenai's tone. He seemed relaxed, as the outer areas of Eisole Forest were well-trodden by adventurers and rarely presented major problems.

"Why would there be red berries during the Month of Trekking?" Fatenai retorted, then moved forward. "Helise, put it down!"

Helise hadn't thought much of it, but as her hand was about to touch the red color, "it" suddenly moved.

The red in the small bush suddenly flashed, and with a rustling sound, it revealed its true form. A Berserk Boar's eyes glowed with that same red. It stared intently at Helise, bloodstains still smeared on its tusks.

"Damn it, why is there a boar in this area? Helise, get back!" Wickel, seemingly the quickest to react, drew his sword. Its silver gleam lit up the darkness.

Helise's face turned pale. She trembled slightly as Wickel shouted, muttering a few syllables subconsciously as she stumbled back two steps in panic. The boar sensed her change and immediately lunged!

"Ah—!" Helise screamed. But the next scene was unexpected. She widened her eyes to see a slender figure dart forward, colliding with the boar's tusks.

Blood spread from her abdomen. Fatenai was in so much pain she felt like she would pass out. If she had been in front of the boar, she might have been impaled by now.

The boar took a step back, its tusks dislodged. Fatenai gritted her teeth, kneeling on the ground with her sword, trembling all over.

"Fatenai..." Helise's voice was lost and trembling, but she quickly regained her composure, stepping forward to support Fatenai. She raised her hand as if to chant, her expression shifting from bewilderment to anger in an instant.

Wickel had already strode forward and thrust his sword. The boar, about to launch a more powerful attack, was heavily wounded by the force. Wickel's sword showed the extent of his strength. As the boar wailed, he pulled out his sword, swung his arm expressionlessly, and cut the boar in half!

Even though Fatenai's vision was darkening from the pain, she could feel the power. If Wickel's opponent had been her instead of the boar, he probably would have only needed one sword stroke to deal with her.

"Take a deep breath. Let me look at your wound first," Wickel said with a serious expression, hurrying over and crouching in front of Fatenai, his sword placed by his feet.

Fatenai clutched her wound, her hands stained red with blood.

"Your Excellency, can you cast a healing spell?!" Helise, at a loss, turned anxiously to Forresten.

Forresten also hurried over, frowning.

The contradiction of scarce magic power meant that people could use magic but couldn't rely on it entirely. Fatenai's wound was not large, but it wasn't small either.

Fatenai knew that healing spells in this world could only be used by those who could wield magic. If one couldn't even gather magic, then healing spells would have no effect.

"Cough... behind you..." Fatenai slightly lifted her head, looking at them as they approached, and slowly spoke.

Bang—!

A pack of wolves suddenly burst from the bushes. Their blood-red eyes and mouths full of sharp fangs, growls escaping their throats. Dozens of them emerged in single file, their roars creating a sense of awe.

Wickel frowned. The moment the wolves lunged, he kicked his sword off the ground. He couldn't face the ferocity of the wolf pack bare-handed. As he turned to carry Fatenai to safety, he was shocked and angered to find that the wolves' target was Fatenai. Helpless, she was grabbed by a wolf's mouth and carried forward, across the swamp.

Fatenai felt her eyelids grow heavy. Even as she was being carried forward, the sound of rushing wind and curses filled her ears... was that Wickel?

Those two were so alike...

She thought this, and then fell asleep.

A tall building.

Midwinter, under the dark sky of the Rose Month, the wind howled across the plains. The last vestiges of scattered leaves, their remaining vitality, were crushed by the wind and pressed fiercely to the ground.

On the building, the ivy climbing upwards along the relief had turned into black, withered vines, as if frozen in a moment of solidified time. They now reached the window with the thick glass. Outside was bleak and desolate, while inside, people bustled about.

Where was she?

The chaos of the previous moment extended into this one, leaving her disoriented. Her mind was filled with a single, seemingly unanswerable question, and she felt enveloped by a warm chill. How strange, why would she feel like this?

She struggled to open her heavy eyelids. As her vision cleared, she saw an incredibly beautiful face. Although the woman was pale and extremely weak, her platinum blonde hair shone with luster, and her eyes sparkled like a night sky full of stars.

"My darling..." the woman's weak voice was still captivating. She leaned down, and a gentle fragrance emanated from her hair. Fatenai felt herself sinking into it. "Why... why did you have to be a girl..."

She woke up with a start.

"You're awake, Arthur." A voice sounded by her ear.

Slowly opening her eyes—lifting her somewhat heavy eyelids was incredibly difficult. As the image before her gradually cleared, she saw the night and the forest. With a slight sluggishness, she turned her head and discovered Merlin by her side, tending a bonfire. He turned his face to look at her.

In fact, his face was devoid of any expression.

"How long was I asleep?" Fatenai slowly sat up, her voice a little hoarse. As she spoke, she rubbed her hair, as if trying to wake herself up more.

"About a day," Merlin replied. "Your wounds need to be treated."

Fatenai froze. As her senses returned, she finally noticed the pain in her abdomen—even though the wound was heavily bandaged, it was impossible to ignore when she moved.

"Did you treat my wounds?" Fatenai asked.

"Yes, but you won't be able to go on any more adventures for now," Merlin told her, then handed her a few fruits.

"Thank you," Fatenai took them and took a bite. "When will those people catch up to me?"

As Merlin's beautiful eyes looked at Fatenai, the light within them flickered: "I've diverted their attention. They'll need another half a day to reach here."

Fatenai nodded. After finishing the fruit, she stood up. Her movement was a bit too sudden, and it pulled at her wound. She gasped, nearly falling again, but managed to steady herself on her own. She staggered into the forest.

"Is this your choice, Arthur?" Merlin stood up and, with a gentle wave of his sleeve, extinguished the flames.

"I am not Arthur," Fatenai said to Merlin after a moment of silence, then continued walking into the forest. "And I won't have any noble chivalry. I'm grateful for what you've done for me, but you know my methods aren't exactly honorable—if you feel uncomfortable, you're free to leave."

Fatenai's figure slowly disappeared into the forest, cold sweat trickling down her forehead.