Helise stepped out of the cave. In the boundless darkness, she could see only a few scattered stars and the forest, reduced to black shapes smeared across her vision. Without the warmth of a fire, a gust of wind sent a chill spreading from her face through her body. Helise tightened her woolen cloak and hurried toward the horses. A few days earlier, Wickel had somehow found this white creature.
Several brown cloth bags hung from the horse, meant for carrying fruit gathered along the way.
Helise looked at the bags, lost in thought. She had just taken a few fruits out when her movements came to a halt. She let the cold wind slip through the gap in her woolen cloak.
She shivered and sneezed. When she happened to look up, she caught sight of an indistinct figure.
Helise paused. Without a word, she pulled her cloak a little tighter, then turned and went back into the cave with the fruit in her arms.
When she returned to the cave, the warmth made it easier to breathe. Looking ahead, she saw Ed sitting near Fatenai. They weren't speaking, but their expressions suggested they were getting along fairly well.
That surprised Helise. A look of astonishment flashed across her eyes for an instant, though she didn't notice it herself. Fatenai did.
"Sorry to keep you waiting," Helise greeted them.
Fatenai said nothing, merely nodding at Helise. She thanked her when Helise offered her some fruit. She was perfectly polite, while Ed, whose behavior was usually so graceful, refused Helise's offer without a word.
What surprised Fatenai most was that Helise seemed used to his attitude. She curled her lips into a smile, then sat down beside Fatenai and picked up a fruit to eat.
Fatenai looked at the yellow fruit. Its skin was a little scratched, but it tasted sweet—much better than the tasteless rations.
Unfortunately, there weren't many fruits like these left in the forest, whether it was Rose Month or not.
"It's getting colder and colder. I really miss the fireplaces back at the university." Helise seemed to know that, too. Compared to their current surroundings, life at the university had been wonderful. She sighed, wiped her mouth after finishing her fruit, then rubbed her hands together by the fire. "Are you cold, Lonai?"
Fatenai's swordsmanship lessons had included training in the snow. In truth, this was meant to prepare her to defend herself if she were ever attacked in cold weather. But it had also helped her build up a resistance to the cold, even though she looked so frail. "I'm not cold right now."
"An interesting constitution. Is it because you've trained a lot?" Ed asked.
Ed sat on a rock, but his posture made it seem as if he were seated on a leather sofa in some ancient library. A book wrapped in blue velvet rested on his knees, and one long, slender hand lay lightly on its yellowed pages, which were covered in dense writing.
As he asked the question, he wasn't actually looking at Fatenai. His upper eyelids drooped slightly, and his eyelashes hid most of his deep blue eyes. Only a faint glimmer of blue showed through, making him look like an elegant, studious boy.
But Fatenai had no desire to humor him. Just as she was about to turn her head and pretend she hadn't heard, while he wasn't paying attention, she saw him looking at her with smiling eyes that were impossible to read. So, somewhat unwillingly, Fatenai replied, "It's a basic skill."
"Your parents must have been very strict," Ed remarked, then lowered his head to read again.
Ed knew all too well that he came from the Wisdom Family. Clearly, his comment was aimed not at the Forest Hunter, but at his own noble background.
Fatenai felt a surge of irritation. Of the few secrets she had, Ed knew the most important one.
"Likewise. I heard you come from a noble family..." Unable to help herself, Fatenai tried to retort.
But Helise, sitting beside her, leaned over and covered her mouth. Fatenai looked at her in surprise, then instinctively grabbed Helise's wrist and pulled her hand away. Though she seemed delicate, she was astonishingly strong just then—although Helise might simply not have been resisting.
The cave fell silent, save for the crackling fire. Fatenai was baffled. She also suddenly realized that Starlight University was a school for commoner mages. If Ed came from a noble family, how had he become the headmaster's pupil? This realization made it impossible for her to keep quiet.
No one could make out Ed's expression. The firelight turned his sickly pale face a ruddy red, but Fatenai could feel waves of cold radiating from him.
Suddenly, Fatenai felt Helise's hand trembling in her palm. Helise's face had gone pale, too.
Was Helise afraid?
Frowning, Fatenai had never seen Helise like this before. Without thinking, she stood up and placed herself more or less between Helise and Ed.
The air seemed to grow heavy, as if filled with lead.
"That's right. But you probably don't know—I'm the university's informant." After a long silence, Ed finally spoke, slowly. He raised his head and met Fatenai's gaze. His honesty made him seem like nothing more than a pitiful boy.
"You..." Fatenai was taken aback.
"Lonai, don't say any more... Come with me and let's see where Wickel went," Helise interrupted, stopping Fatenai from asking further. As she spoke, she stood and reached back to take Fatenai by the wrist, trying to pull her out of the cave.
Fatenai was confused, but kept her composure. She let Helise lead her out of the cave, though beneath her calm exterior, her thoughts were in turmoil.
Helise walked fast, and in only a few steps they were almost out of the cave.
One step, two steps, three...
"Wait a moment." Ed suddenly called after them just as they were about to leave. Fatenai saw Helise's body tremble.
"Ed, she didn't mean it..." Helise stiffly turned around and tried to pull Fatenai behind her, but she couldn't muster the strength.
Ed saw them and smiled. His gentle smile made him look like a boy basking in the sunlight, leaving Helise momentarily stunned. Then she watched him slowly take off his coat, walk over, and drape it over Fatenai, who regarded him warily. "It's cold outside. Make sure you stay warm."
Fatenai was immediately surrounded by the faint scent of herbs. With her back to Helise, she couldn't help frowning at Ed, her eyes full of protest and suspicion.
Just hearing his name made her sick. Was he deliberately trying to make her uncomfortable?
"Don't be so cold, Lonai. It doesn't make you look cute at all," Ed said with another smile. The cold wind blowing in through the cave entrance made him cough twice, adding to his frail appearance. "I really... like you."
Fatenai narrowed her eyes. She didn't believe him at all.
"Oh my God... I feel like I can't breathe." After hurrying Fatenai through the forest for a while, Helise stopped in front of a beech tree and let go of her. She braced a hand against the trunk and panted heavily. "What did Ed just say? He likes you? That's unbelievable!"
"It is unbelievable." Fatenai's face remained expressionless. She meant that Ed would have such a perverse sense of humor. Unfortunately, there was nothing she could do about it. Ed had leverage over her, and until she was capable of getting rid of him, it was better not to call his bluff.
Fatenai waited until Helise had recovered before asking, "Are you afraid of him?"
Although Fatenai thought "terrifying" suited Ed perfectly, she wanted to know what lay behind it. For example... this supposed informant, and "Wickel's death," along with the Eye of Simorely left in her hands.
If Ed's goal wasn't the Eye of Simorely, why had he let Wickel die? And what connection was there between that other Wickel, who had close ties to Ed's teacher, Forresten, and the Wickel who had died?
"Almost everyone is afraid of him." Helise trusted Fatenai completely, and that meant she only hesitated briefly before speaking frankly. "He's from the Ansendil Family, but his mother died in the family's power struggles. I heard he joined the university because of her."
"What does that have to do with people being afraid of him?" Fatenai asked, frowning.
Morton, who had tried to kill her earlier, and the people around him had all thought Ed was still part of the Ansendil Family.
"That boy... can wield extremely powerful Mana, but a human body can't withstand such immense control. If he loses control, he might kill people indiscriminately." Merlin's voice came from the forest. Still wearing his ascetic's robe, he walked slowly toward Fatenai.
Helise was startled. Fatenai briefly explained, and only then did Helise relax. "He's a friend of mine."
"That's right... And his emotions are very unstable," Helise said, still shaken.
To Helise, Fatenai's remarks about Ed's background had clearly displeased him, and could very well bring trouble upon them. So she didn't really believe his claim that he "liked" Fatenai.
"All right." Fatenai had her answer. It hadn't cleared up all her doubts, but it was better than nothing. She turned her attention to Merlin. "Where have you been? We're going to find someone. Do you want to come with us?"
As far as she could tell, Merlin, who was capable of moving around quite freely, only appeared in front of her now and then before vanishing into some corner.
"Someone is going to harm you, Arthur," Merlin said.
Fatenai fell silent for a moment, but Helise was the one who reacted. "Who? Someone from the Ansendil Family?"
"The Holy See," Merlin replied slowly.
Before you continue