Whispering Forest

Tris Province sat in the southeastern corner of the Empire's territory. Six hundred years ago, Louis the Great had risen to prominence from the then-Duchy of Tris. With exceptional military talent and the strength of a powerful magician, he united 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 duchies had not been a matter of chance: his homeland, Tris Province, was a famed grain-producing region in the south, rich in resources and tucked away in a corner, so he did not need to split his forces to face enemies.

Indeed, the province bordered the Sea of Oblivion to the south and the Thorn Empire to the east, with the Whispering Forest lying between them. There were no enemies at sea, and the same was true of the Whispering Forest.

The Whispering Forest was almost as large as Tris Province itself. Deep in the forest, a small yellow flower called the Lost Flower bloomed all year round. Its pollen had a powerful hallucinogenic effect. Anyone who breathed in its fragrance would become confused and might never find their way out of the forest.

Lost Flowers were now extremely rare along the forest's edge due to human activity. But venture a little farther in, and you could still start hearing things—as if a strange voice were chattering endlessly in your ear. Experienced hunters knew that when this happened, it was time to turn back.

That was how the Whispering Forest got its name.

That was what the seven-member trial team had read in the description of their trial mission before setting out. The locals who lived on the forest's edge, however, did not agree.

"Harpy live in the forest. They sing and lure children deep inside. Nina, make sure you don't wander too far from Grandpa." Old Hunter Joey fed a piece of roasted mutton to his granddaughter.

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

"Do Harpy eat people?" Nina was only five, and the familiar story still frightened her.

"Harpy don't eat people. They just want someone to play with. But they'll make you play with them for years and years. By the time Nina comes back, Grandpa will be dead..."

Nina burst into tears.

"Harpy must be pretty, right?" Lucia couldn't stand Joey scaring Nina like that, though she knew it might be an effective way to keep a child from getting lost.

"Of course they're pretty."

"You've seen one?" Wesley leaned to one side, resting an elbow behind his waist.

"I've never seen one. Even people who have seen them don't remember, because Harpy have magic that makes people forget."

"Then how do you know they're pretty? I bet they're ugly things no one wants, so they have to trick people into keeping them company."

Lucia glared at Wesley. He shrugged innocently.

By the light of the bonfire, Donald was reading a book about the Meditation Method. He had borrowed it from Mr. Victor before leaving. Richard called Kelly, who was sitting beside Donald, and practiced his swordsmanship with her in a clearing nearby. Kelly was no match for him, so the practice left him unsatisfied, but he was too embarrassed to ask Roger to spar. Roger was discussing something with Fiona, who seemed to be complaining about the conditions there again. Richard didn't understand. They had meat to eat and tents to sleep in. What was there to complain about?

It was the trial team's third day in the Whispering Forest. They hadn't run into a single one of the rumored bandits, but under Hunter Joey's direction, they had worked together to catch the culprit that had drawn the bandits here: a Tree Rat.

Half a year ago, a Wood Mage passing through the Whispering Forest had discovered by chance that Tree Rat Hides, which hunters stripped off and casually discarded, were excellent materials for making high-level Wood Element Magic Arrays. From that day on, the Tree Rats, which had lived peacefully in this forest for thousands of years, had not known a single day's peace. Hunters who heard the news chased them relentlessly, and they fled for their lives. By now, most of the survivors who had escaped the slaughter had fled deep into the forest, and as their numbers dwindled, Tree Rat Hides had soared to an astonishing price.

This wave of rat hunting had naturally attracted gangs of bandits with keen noses. From then on, hunters chased Tree Rats, bandits chased hunters, and in the end, most of the wealth fell into the bandits' hands instead.

The Tree Rat Hide now hung in the most conspicuous spot in the middle of the camp. After three full days of trekking through the forest, everyone agreed with Wesley's suggestion to rest and wait for the bandits to take the bait.

Donald agreed with Wesley's plan, though he thought the Tree Rat Hide hanging high like a flag made the bait far too obvious. The bandits it attracted would have to be pretty stupid.

As it turned out, the bandits were not only stupid but impatient. They came that very night.

Since entering the forest, Roger and Fiona had kept watch on the first night. Wesley and Lucia were supposed to take the second, but Lucia thought Donald, Richard, and Kelly were too weak in a fight, so she assigned Wesley, Richard, and Kelly to the watch instead. That meant tonight, naturally, fell to Lucia and Donald.

Late at night, beyond the reach of the bonfire's light, the darkness seemed almost solid. From within it came the occasional growl of a beast, seeming both far away and right beside them.

Everyone in the tents had fallen fast asleep. Even the genius young mage who was a Magic Apprentice felt a little afraid. The boy beside her gazed at the flames, his expression calm, as if he were pondering something serious. What was he thinking?

"What are you thinking about?"

"Huh?" Donald turned abruptly. Aside from studying the Meditation Method, he had spent every moment these past few days practicing how to construct the Six Yuan Fireball spell. He was getting more and more proficient.

"I heard your hometown is on Lant Island?"

"That's right. It's a small island in the south of the province. Farther south lies the Sea of Oblivion."

"Could you tell me about Lant Island?"

"It's an unremarkable little island. The climate is pleasant, the scenery is beautiful, and the people are almost too simple-minded. Time seems to stand still there..."

"Is it really that nice?"

"Heh, maybe it isn't quite that nice. But who can describe their hometown objectively?" As he spoke, Donald added a few more logs to the fire.

"I'm curious about Lant Island."

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

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

"Looks like Wesley's had a big influence on me." Donald laughed, then imitated Wesley's expression and said, "The dark night gave me these black eyes, but I use them to search for the light."

"Is that your poem?"

"Oh, no. It was written by a poet on another island."

"Actually...I'm more curious about you..." Lucia worked up the courage to finish her sentence, then didn't dare look at his expression.

"Then you'll be even more disappointed."

Lucia fell silent for a while, then said softly, "You're not brave enough."

After an even longer silence, Donald finally replied, "It's often hard to tell courage from recklessness."

Then several brave bandits recklessly appeared before them.