It was a success. With the Silverwolves and White Foxes gone, everyone can finally relax, knowing that the Forest of Magic is a much safer place now.
Tonight, I'm accompanied by Maria and Arnold. We're going to check on the situation of the Forest of Magic, since the heavy rain finally went away just an hour ago. We're doing this, not only because we're curious, but also recently, the existence of the Silverwolves and White Foxes were confirmed.
That's right. Silverwolves and White Foxes, two of the strongest beasts that humanity has ever known, were rumored to be living in the Forest of Magic. It was only recently confirmed that the rumors were true. Apparently, someone scouted out the Forest of Magic about three weeks ago, and managed to leave alive even after seeing the Silverwolves and White Foxes.
As for the identity of this mysterious person... Well, nobody actually knows who it is. The people, who were in charge of this whole operation, kept the person's identity a secret from everyone. But, I'm curious. Who is this person, capable of approaching the Silverwolves and White Foxes, without being detected?
"I want to know who this mysterious person is. And I will challenge this person to a duel if I ever manage to find out his or her identity." I said, as I followed behind Maria, who's walking alongside Arnold.
"Oh come on, Sen... Really? Do you only think about fighting and nothing else?" Maria said, as she facepalms and turns around to face me, while walking backwards. Arnold simply remains silent and listens to the conversation, like usual.
"Of course, the mysterious person isn't the only thing I'm thinking about! More importantly, I never got a chance to fight a Silverwolf or a White Fox myself! And now that the operation is successful, that means they're all dead. There's no more of them around for me to fight."
"Oh my goodness... You don't get the point, do you?"
What? Why do you sound like you're expecting something else from me, Maria? This is how I usually am, during the 15 years we've known each other.
"You two, be more serious about this, can you? You're already 19 years old and you still act like this... Also, there's craters literally everywhere on the way to the Forest of Magic now, so please watch where you're walking..."
And like always, Arnold changes the subject whenever our conversation is similar to this.
We avoid the craters and make our way towards the Forest of Magic. I'm still somewhat upset that I never got to fight a Silverwolf or a White Fox, though. I've been wanting to fight one, during the last four years that I've known about them. I guess it can't be helped...
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"I knew that the destruction is insane, but for it to be of this scale... What kind of frightening magic did both sides end up using?"
After five minutes of walking, we arrived at the Forest of Magic. Or, at least, what used to be a part of the forest. The terrain has been completely destroyed, and about a quarter of the forest is gone.
Maria seems somewhat curious and excited about all this magic related stuff, though. "See, Maria, you're the same as me, aren't you?"
"Nope! I'm completely different from you, Sen!" Maria pouts and puffs up her cheeks, clearly annoyed by what I said.
Anyway, about the forest. There's nothing to see here, except for the destruction caused by a huge battle earlier. I don't know what they did, but the humans were able to emerge victorious, somehow. They must have made a lot of preparations just to win against the Silverwolves and White Foxes.
Then again, if I remember correctly, there weren't many Silverwolves and White Foxes to begin with. There were only 60 of them, but there were thousands of humans and three weeks of preparations, just to win against this small group. The Silverwolves and White Foxes are really strong, as expected...
"Just be glad that the three of us weren't a part of this operation. We're only here because we wanted to. Now, let's do what we came here to do, and leave immediately." Arnold says so, but then we realized that there's nothing much to see here.
"That's right... We're just here to see the state of the Forest of Magic, but there's... too little to see here. I guess we should head back now?" Maria is already taking the lead and walking back to Lindis.
...Hm? What is that thing over there? I see something at the other side of all this destruction.
"Maria, Arnold, are you two seeing that thing as well? Or is it just me?"
""...What?""
I point towards the direction of the thing, which is directly towards south. So it's not just me, Maria and Arnold are seeing it too.
"... Let's check it out." Arnold takes the lead and we followed behind him. But, as I got closer and closer, somehow I feel like I've seen that thing before?
...
As we got to the thing, it's actually a beastkin. She's a fox, I think? She has long hair that covers her back, furry fox ears and a tail, which are all somewhat silver in colour. She's also wearing some weird clothes with white and grey colours, which I've never seem before.
She stinks from the smell of blood, so I'm guessing that all the red stuff, that her clothes, hair and fur are soaked in, is also blood. She's sleeping in a sideways position, with her hands stretched out in front of her, which makes her look like she was hugging something as she fell asleep. The three of us stood next to the girl, looking at her for a few seconds, at a loss for words.
"A girl? And she's a beastkin? Why is this girl sleeping here by herself?" Arnold is the first one to speak.
"More importantly, why is she covered in blood! Is she just sleeping, or is she already...!" Maria says as she checks the girl for injuries on her head, hands, and legs. "It looks like she's just unconscious... Thank goodness..."
Why does this girl look so familiar? I don't think I've seen her before, but it feels like I have. Who is this girl?
"Let's bring her back with us. When she wakes up later, we'll get her to explain her situation to us."
"I'll carry her back to Lindis. You two guys lead the way."
"Are you sure, Maria? I can carry her instead-"
"-I'm fine! She's really light, so I can carry her. Besides, you need your hands to wield your sword, but I don't need my hands to use magic."
"How is that related to-"
"-Anyway! We should get her treated at Lindis quickly!"
While we're returning to Lindis, I still haven't said anything. This girl just looks too familar, and I've definitely seen her before, somewhere. Like, to the point where I feel like I would have fought against her before. But nothing comes to my mind, and it's slightly frustrating to think about.
Well, whatever. Her safety takes priority for now. There's no point thinking about minor stuff like that now. Let's get her back to Lindis quickly.