The Dreaded Man

Helise emerged from the cave, only to see a few sparse stars in the boundless night and the forest transformed into black blocks of color, smeared across her vision. Without the warmth of a fire, a gust of wind blew, and a chilling sensation spread from her face to her body. Helise tightened the wool cloak around herself and hurried towards the horses. A few days prior, Wickel had somehow found this white creature.

Several brown cloth bags for the fruits collected along the way were hanging from the horse.

Helise looked at the bags, and as if remembering something, she had just taken out a few fruits from a bag when her actions froze. She let the cold wind seep into the opening of her wool cloak.

She shivered, sneezed, and inadvertently looked up, catching a glimpse of a blurry human figure.

Helise paused, said nothing, pulled her cloak tighter, and then, clutching the fruits, turned back into the cave.

Upon returning to the cave, the warm air made Helise breathe much more smoothly. She looked ahead and saw Ed sitting near Fatenai. Although they weren't speaking, their expressions suggested they were getting along well.

This surprised Helise somewhat. A flicker of astonishment flashed in her eyes, unnoticed by herself, but caught by Fatenai.

"Sorry to keep you waiting," Helise greeted them.

Fatenai said nothing, nodded at Helise, and thanked her when offered the fruits. She was very polite, whereas Ed, usually elegant, refused Helise's kindness and even remained silent.

What Fatenai found quite strange was that Helise seemed accustomed to his attitude. She curved her lips into a smile, then sat down beside her and picked up a fruit to eat.

Fatenai looked at the yellow fruit. Its skin had some scratches, but it was sweet to the taste, much better than the bland rations.

Unfortunately, such fruits were becoming rare in the forest, regardless of whether it was the Rose Month.

"The weather is getting colder, I really miss the fireplaces at the university," Helise said, likely aware of this. Compared to their current environment, university life was incredibly wonderful. She sighed, wiped her mouth after finishing the fruit, and rubbed her hands by the fire. "Lonai, are you cold?"

Fatenai's swordsmanship training included exercises in the snow. Although this was actually to prevent assassins from taking advantage of the cold weather, it had helped Fatenai build resistance to the cold, even though she appeared frail. "I'm not cold now."

"A very interesting constitution. Is it because you train a lot?" Ed asked.

Ed sat on a rock, but his posture was as if he were seated on a leather sofa in some ancient library, with a book wrapped in blue velvet resting on his lap. One of his long-fingered hands gently rested on the yellowed pages, filled with dense text.

As he asked this, he wasn't actually looking at Fatenai. He slightly lowered his eyelids, his eyelashes obscuring most of his azure eyes, leaving only a faint glimpse of the flowing blue. He looked like an elegant and studious youth.

But Fatenai had no intention of paying him any mind. Just as she was about to turn away, pretending not to hear him, she found him looking at her with eyes that held a smile and an inscrutable depth. So, reluctantly, Fatenai replied, "These are basic skills."

"Then your parents must be very strict," Ed remarked, then lowered his head to read again.

Ed was well aware of his origins from the Wisdom Family. This comment was clearly not directed at the Forest Hunter, but at his noble status.

This made Fatenai somewhat exasperated. Ed knew one of her few secrets, and it was the most important one.

"Likewise, I heard you come from a noble family…" Fatenai couldn't help but retort.

However, Helise beside her leaned over and covered her mouth. She looked at Fatenai with some surprise. Fatenai instinctively grabbed Helise's wrist and pulled her away. Despite her seemingly delicate appearance, she possessed astonishing strength, though it was likely because Helise wasn't exerting herself.

Silence fell, broken only by the crackling of the fire. Fatenai was filled with confusion. She suddenly thought that Starlight University was a commoner's magic school. Since Ed was from a noble family, how could he become the principal's disciple? This realization made her unable to remain silent.

At this moment, no one could discern Ed's expression. The firelight cast a reddish glow on his sickly pale face, but Fatenai could feel a chilling aura emanating from him.

Suddenly, Fatenai felt Helise's hand in hers trembling. Helise's face had also turned quite pale.

Was Helise afraid?

Frowning, Fatenai had never seen Helise like this before. Without thinking, she stood up, subtly positioning herself between Helise and Ed.

The air felt heavy, as if filled with lead, gradually becoming more oppressive.

"Indeed," Ed finally spoke after a long silence. He looked up, meeting Fatenai's gaze, his honesty making him seem like a pitiable boy. "But you probably don't know, I'm an insider at the university."

"You…" Fatenai was taken aback.

"Lonai, don't say anything more… Let's go see where Wickel is," Helise interrupted Fatenai, stopping her from asking further questions. As she spoke, she stood up and reached back to grab Fatenai's wrist, intending to pull her out of the cave.

Fatenai found it inexplicable but remained composed, allowing Helise to pull her out of the cave. Despite her outward calm, her mind was in utter chaos.

Helise walked quickly, almost out of the cave in a few steps.

One step, two steps, three steps…

"Wait a moment," Ed suddenly called out to them. Just as they were about to leave the cave, Fatenai saw Helise's body tremble.

"Ed, she didn't mean to…" Helise stiffly turned her head, trying to pull Fatenai behind her, but lacked the strength.

Seeing this, Ed smiled. His gentle smile made him look like a youth bathed in sunlight, which stunned Helise. Then, she saw him slowly take off his coat and walk over, draping it over the wary Fatenai. "It's very cold outside, be sure to keep warm."

Fatenai was immediately enveloped in a faint scent of herbs. With her back to Helise, she couldn't help but frown at Ed, as if filled with doubt, her eyes conveying protest.

Just thinking of his name made her feel disgusted. Was he deliberately trying to make her uncomfortable?

"Don't be so cold, Lonai. You don't look cute at all like that," Ed smiled at her again. As he was closer to the cave entrance, the cold wind blew in, causing him to cough a couple of times, adding to his frailty. "I… I like you very much."

Fatenai narrowed her eyes, completely disbelieving him.

=================================

"Oh my god… I feel like I can't breathe," Helise said in the forest. After hurrying Fatenai along for some distance, she stopped at a beech tree and released Fatenai's hand, leaning on the tree and gasping for air. "What did Ed just say? He likes you? That's incredible!"

"Indeed, incredible," Fatenai replied expressionlessly, referring to Ed's peculiar taste for cruelty. Unfortunately, she could do nothing about it. Ed held her leverage, and until she had the power to deal with him, it was best not to expose his words.

After Fatenai watched Helise recover, she asked, "Are you very afraid of him?"

Although Fatenai felt the impression of being "terrifying" was very fitting for Ed, she wanted to know what had happened behind the scenes, such as… the so-called insider, and "Wickel's death," along with the Eye of Simorely left in her possession.

If Ed's goal wasn't the Eye of Simorely, why did Wickel have to die? And what was the connection between the other Wickel, who was closely related to Ed's teacher Forresten, and the deceased Wickel?

"Almost everyone fears him," Helise said, trusting Fatenai completely. This trust meant that after a slight hesitation, she confided in Fatenai. "He is from the Ansendil Family, but his mother died in a family feud. It's said that his reason for joining the university is related to his mother."

"How does that relate to you being afraid of him?" Fatenai asked, frowning.

Morton, who had tried to kill her before, and the people around him, all believed Ed still belonged to the Ansendil Family.

"That young man... can wield immense magic, but a human body cannot withstand such powerful manipulation. If he loses control, he'll kill people indiscriminately." Merlin's voice rang out from the forest. He was still wearing that ascetic's robe as he slowly walked towards Fatenai.

Helise looked surprised. Fatenai offered a brief explanation, which put Helise at ease. "He's my friend."

"That's right... and his emotions are extremely unstable," Helise said, still shaken.

To Helise, the background information Fatenai had shared about Ed had clearly displeased the other party, potentially putting them in danger. Therefore, she didn't truly believe the claim of "liking" him.

"Alright." Fatenai got her answer. Although it didn't resolve all her doubts, it was better than nothing. At that moment, she noticed Merlin. "Where have you been? We need to find someone. Do you want to come with us?"

In her opinion, Merlin, who possessed considerable mobility, only appeared before her occasionally before disappearing into some corner shortly after.

Merlin said, "Someone intends to harm you, Arthur."

Fatenai fell silent for a moment. Helise, however, became agitated. "Who? Someone from the Ansendil Family?"

"The Holy See," Merlin said slowly.