The outskirts of the Shadow Forest were completely different from what Bell had imagined.
Sunlight filtered through the gaps in the leaves, and the ground was covered with soft moss. The air was filled with the fresh scent of earth and flowers.
A few furry creatures poked their heads out from the bushes.
With round bodies and eyes like black beans, they looked like oversized hamsters.
Tia's eyes instantly lit up.
“So cute!”
She rushed over and scooped one of them up.
The “hamster” struggled for a moment before settling down in her arms, letting out a soft “squeak.”
“Senior Tia,” Bell said as he walked over. “That's a magic beast.”
“I know.” Tia held the furball, rubbing her cheek against its head. “But it's so soft.”
Antinoia pushed up her glasses.
“The magic beasts on the outskirts of the forest are very low in aggression.”
Her voice was calm.
“Hunters usually come here for game.”
Kyle crouched down and reached out to poke another “hamster.”
The little thing immediately flipped over, feet in the air, revealing its fluffy white belly.
“This thing has zero survival instincts.”
Leon stood to the side, expressionless.
“A waste of time.”
Bell looked around.
The trees were dense, but there was plenty of space between them. There weren't many weeds on the ground, making for a clear view.
It didn't look like a dangerous place at all.
“Have you never been here before, Senior?”
Bell turned to look at Tia.
Tia shook her head.
“It's more accurate to say that almost no one from the magic academy is willing to come here.”
Antinoia picked up the conversation.
“Most of the students at the academy are noble young masters.”
She pushed up her glasses.
“They only come to the academy to gain a bit of prestige. Even if they really lack something, they just buy it at the black market or a shop.”
She paused.
“No one is reckless enough to risk their lives like this.”
Kyle scratched his head.
“Speaking of which... Bell, why are you doing something so desperate?”
Antinoia leaned in.
Her gaze fell on Bell's face.
“Yeah, why?”
Bell's throat tightened slightly.
He could tell Antinoia about the Mithril.
After all, she was the one who taught him Soul Construction.
But Kyle and Leon were here.
It wasn't convenient to speak openly.
“I need money.”
Bell's voice was very calm.
“A lot of money.”
Antinoia stared at him for a few seconds.
“Fine.”
She didn't press further.
Turning around, she began walking toward the depths of the forest.
“Let's go.”
The five of them continued forward.
The deeper they went, the denser the trees became.
The canopy blocked the sunlight, and the light on the ground grew dim.
The smell in the air changed as well.
The fresh scent of flowers and grass vanished, replaced by a damp, rotting odor.
Tia, still holding the “hamster,” slowed her pace.
“It's... a bit scary here.”
Kyle patted her shoulder.
“Don't worry, don't worry, everything will be fine.”
Bell's gaze swept across the surroundings.
Claw marks began to appear on the tree trunks.
Deep claw marks.
As if some large creature had scratched them.
Leon stopped walking.
He crouched down and reached out to touch the soil on the ground.
“There are footprints.”
Bell walked over.
On the ground, a string of clear claw prints stretched into the distance.
Each print was as large as an adult's palm.
“Shadow wolf?”
Leon nodded.
“Most likely.”
The five of them followed the footprints.
They walked for about half an hour.
The footprints disappeared.
Bell stopped and looked around.
The trees were even denser now, making it almost impossible to see the sky.
The ground was covered in withered leaves that made a “crunching” sound when stepped on.
“I can't find them anymore.”
Kyle scratched his head.
“This forest is way too big.”
Antinoia looked at the sky.
Through the gaps in the leaves, a small patch of gray sky was visible.
“It's getting dark.”
She turned to look at Bell.
“Let's look again tomorrow. Let's head back to the city first. It'll be dangerous if the nocturnal magic beasts come out.”
Bell nodded.
“Alright.”
Kyle let out a sigh of relief.
“Let's head back then.”
He turned around and started walking in the direction they had come from.
After a few steps, he stopped.
“Eh?”
He looked back.
“Which way was the path we came from?”
Bell froze for a moment.
He looked around.
All the trees looked more or less the same.
The withered leaves on the ground had been trampled by them, making it impossible to tell the direction.
“Leon.”
Bell looked at Leon.
Leon's expression was a bit grim.
“Don't look at me.”
Kyle's gaze fell on Bell.
“Bell, do you remember?”
Bell was silent for a few seconds.
“I don't.”
Kyle's face fell.
“Then... Senior Tia?”
Tia's face turned beet red.
“I—I—I—I—I don't know!”
Her voice even cracked.
Antinoia held her forehead and sighed.
“Honestly.”
There was a hint of helplessness in her voice.
“Without me, you'd all be wiped out.”
She turned and started walking in a certain direction.
“Follow me.”
Bell let out a sigh of relief.
“Fortunately, we have Senior Antinoia.”
Kyle nodded repeatedly.
“Yeah, yeah.”
Tia said softly.
“We really should keep track of the path from now on.”
Leon said nothing.
The five of them followed behind Antinoia.
They walked for about twenty minutes.
The trees around them began to thin out.
Bell felt a sense of relief.
“We're almost there, right?”
There was excitement in Kyle's voice.
“Man, this forest really is huge.”
Tia, still holding the “hamster,” nodded.
“Yeah, yeah.”
After a few more minutes of walking.
The trees ahead suddenly vanished.
A vast clearing appeared before their eyes.
In the center of the clearing was a massive cave.
Scattered around the cave were countless white bones.
The air was thick with a heavy smell of blood.
Kyle's face changed instantly.
“Eh?”
His voice was trembling.
“Isn't that a shadow wolf den?”
The five of them turned in unison to look at Antinoia.
Antinoia pushed up her glasses.
Her face still held that same composed expression.
“Sorry.”
Her voice was very calm.
“I seem to have remembered wrong.”
Bell's mouth twitched.
Kyle's jaw dropped.
Tia, still holding the “hamster,” froze.
Leon's hand slowly moved to his sword hilt.
...
Meanwhile, inside the Royal Capital.
Cecilia looked down at her hands.
“If only this body weren't so weak...”
Her voice was very soft, like she was talking to herself.
Cecilia slowly wrapped her arms around herself.
“Bell... when will you finally remember...”
She closed her eyes.
Images that shouldn't exist flickered in her mind.
“Your love for me.”
A smile curved on Cecilia's lips.
The smile was sweet and pure.
But tears slid from the corners of her eyes.
“You loved me so much.”
Her voice carried a hint of a tremor.
“Why this time...”
Why, in this life, did Bell prefer to team up with others rather than be with her?
Cecilia's fingers curled inward.
Her nails dug into her palms.
“Did I do something wrong?”
She opened her eyes.
Those obsidian-like eyes were filled with confusion and pain.
“Or rather...”
Her voice suddenly turned cold.
“Is it those people's fault?”
She stood up.
She walked to the window.
The moonlight illuminated her pale face.
“If they weren't around...”
Her finger pressed against the glass.
“Bell would only look at me.”
“He would belong only to me.”
A layer of white mist slowly formed on the glass.
It was the mark of her breath.
Cecilia lifted her hand and wrote a name in the white mist.
Bell.
“Wait for me.”
Her voice was very light.
“Wait for me to get stronger.”
“Wait for you to remember the things between us.”
“Then we can be together forever.”
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