Whispering Forest

Tris Province was the southeastern corner of the empire. Six hundred years ago, Louis the Great had burst onto the scene from what was then the Duchy of Tris. With his exceptional military talent and the strength of a powerful mage, he unified dozens of small duchies west of the Thorn Empire and east of the Silver Sparrow Federation, founding the vast Feymont Empire. Historians claimed that Louis the Great's unification of the states was no accident; his homeland, Tris Province, was a renowned grain-producing region in the south, rich in resources and tucked away in a corner, sparing him the need to divide his forces against enemies.

Indeed, the province bordered the Sea of Oblivion to the south and the Thorn Empire to the east at the Whispering Forest. There were no enemies at sea, and even less so in the Whispering Forest.

The Whispering Forest was nearly as vast as all of Tris Province. Deep within the forest, a small yellow flower called the Lost Flower bloomed year-round. Its pollen had a powerful hallucinogenic effect; once inhaled, one's mind would become confused, and they might never find their way out of the forest.

At the forest's edge, due to human activity, the Lost Flower had become extremely rare. But if one ventured even slightly deeper, they would still experience auditory hallucinations, as if a strange voice were chattering incessantly in their ears. When this happened, experienced hunters knew it was time to turn back.

That was how the Whispering Forest got its name.

This was what the seven-member trial team read in the trial mission instructions before setting out. The local residents living at the forest's edge didn't agree with that explanation.

"A harpy lives in the forest. The harpy sings and lures children deep into the woods. Nina, don't you ever wander too far from Grandpa." The old hunter, Joey, fed a piece of roasted lamb into his granddaughter's mouth.

Joey was the guide hired by Donald and his group. He had hunted in this area his whole life and was rich in experience. The antelope roasting over the fire was one he had caught that afternoon. Three years ago, Nina's father had died of illness, and her mother had remarried. Since then, the grandfather and granddaughter had been relying on each other.

"Do harpies eat people?" Nina was only five years old, and this story she often heard still held great power over her.

"Harpies don't eat people; they're looking for someone to play with them. But they'll make you play with them for many years. By the time Nina comes back, Grandpa will be dead..."

Nina burst into tears.

"Are harpies very beautiful?" Lucia couldn't stand Joey scaring Nina like this, even though she knew it might be a good way to keep the child from getting lost.

"Of course they're beautiful."

"Have you seen one?" Wesley leaned sideways, propping his elbow behind his back.

"I've never seen one. Even if someone had, they wouldn't remember. Harpies have magic that makes people forget."

"Then how do you know she's beautiful? I think she must be an ugly nobody no one wants, which is why she has to trick people into keeping her company."

Lucia shot Wesley a glare. He shrugged, making an innocent face.

Donald was reading a book on meditation methods by the campfire. He had borrowed it from Mr. Victor before leaving. Richard called Kelly, who had been sitting beside Donald, and practiced swordsmanship with her in an open space nearby. Kelly was no match for him, which made the practice unsatisfying, but he was too embarrassed to invite Roger. Roger and Fiona were discussing something; Fiona seemed to be constantly complaining about the environment. Richard didn't understand—there was meat to eat and a tent to sleep in, what was there to complain about?

Today was the third day the trial team had been in the Whispering Forest. They hadn't encountered a single bandit from the rumors, but under Hunter Joey's direction, they had worked together to capture the culprit that had drawn the bandits here: a tree rat.

Six months ago, a Wood Mage passing through the Whispering Forest had accidentally discovered that tree rat hide, discarded by hunters after skinning, was an excellent material for crafting high-level Wood Magic Arrays. From that day on, the tree rats, who had lived peacefully in this forest for ten thousand years, never knew a moment's peace again. Hunters, hearing the news, chased them in a frantic scramble to escape. By now, most of the survivors who had evaded capture had fled deep into the forest, and the price of tree rat hide had soared to staggering heights as production dropped.

This wave of rat-hunting frenzy naturally attracted the sharp-nosed bandit gangs. From then on, hunters chased tree rats, bandits chased hunters, and in the end, most of the wealth fell into the hands of the bandits.

Now, that tree rat hide was hanging in the most conspicuous spot in the center of the camp. After trekking through the forest for three full days, everyone agreed with Wesley's plan to wait at their ease for the bandits to take the bait.

Donald agreed with Wesley's suggestion, but he felt that the tree rat hide, hung high like a banner, was too obvious as a lure. How stupid would the bandits have to be to fall for it?

But as it turned out, the bandits were not only stupid but also impatient. That very night, they came.

Since entering the forest, the first night had been watched by Roger and Fiona. The second night should have been Wesley and Lucia, but Lucia thought the remaining three—Donald, Richard, and Kelly—were too weak in combat, so she arranged for Wesley to stand watch with Richard and Kelly. So tonight, naturally, it was Lucia and Donald's turn.

Late at night, in the places beyond the firelight, the darkness seemed almost to solidify. From within that solid darkness, the low growls of beasts came from time to time, sounding both far away and right next to them.

The people in the tents had already fallen into deep sleep. The genius magic girl, a Magic Apprentice, was now a little scared. The young man beside her stared at the flames, his gaze calm, as if pondering a serious question. What was he thinking?

"What are you thinking about?"

"Huh?" Donald turned his head abruptly. These past few days, aside from studying the Meditation Method, he had been constantly practicing constructing that Six Yuan Fireball spell, and he was getting more and more proficient.

"I heard your hometown is Lant Island?"

"Yes, a small island south of the province. Further south is the Sea of Oblivion."

"Can you tell me about Lant Island?"

"An unremarkable little island. The climate is pleasant, the scenery is beautiful, the residents are overly simple, and time there seems to stand still..."

"Is it really that good?"

"Heh, maybe not that good, but who can describe their hometown objectively?" Donald said, adding a few more sticks of wood to the fire.

"I'm very curious about Lant Island."

"You'd probably be disappointed if you went."

"...Donald, I think you're more like a poet than Wesley..."

"It seems Wesley has rubbed off on me a lot." Donald laughed, then mimicked Wesley's expression and said, "The dark night gave me black eyes, yet I use them to seek the light."

"Is that your poem?"

"Oh, no, it's from a poet on another island."

"Actually... I'm more curious about you..." Lucia mustered the courage to say this, not daring to look at his expression.

"Then you'll be even more disappointed."

Lucia was silent for a moment, then said slowly, "You're not brave enough."

After an even longer silence, Donald replied, "Bravery and recklessness are often hard to tell apart."

Then, several brave bandits recklessly appeared before the two of them.