The sound of hooves pounding against the muddy ground echoed in the silence of the rain, which poured down on the four passengers, cold and relentless. Trees lining up at both sides of the narrow path weren't enough to block the wind, and the tiny rays of sunlight scaping the thick clouds could barely illuminate the road.
"Hey, aren't you going to tell us where we are heading?"
Stuck to Ian's back, Alaric, who had suddenly claimed incapable of horseback riding and asked to be helped, whispered in a voice audible to all.
"The Perennial Forest."
"Uhh?"
As a vast land with a considerable population, the Empire had varying types of natural environments including but not limited to jungles of different sizes, high mountains, and deep seas. The Perennial Forest was one of the major jungles that surrounded The Everflowing River, the widest river on the continent which passed through many countries. It was home to many species and was the core of countless myths and legends.
"Why there?"
"Because I want to."
"Eh..."
First, they ran away from the convoy, then went to The Resistance's hideout, and now, they are traveling to a jungle all of a sudden. Despite having agreed to tag along no matter what the goal was, this strange choice of destination left Alaric baffled and confused.
'Perennial Forest is home to many species, not just animals but also non-human intellectual beings.'
Such as those called the inhabitants of nature, elves.
'As well as Elementals.'
The creatures born out of life, the spirits of nature.
'It would be great if Rosalyn could also tag along and see the situation there, but there is no time for that.'
Things would get chaotic soon. If he wanted to achieve his goals, he couldn't waste any time.
"It seems like it'll rain for a long while. Let's exit the main route and rest in a nearby city until the downpour stops."
No one objected to Ian's suggestion and thus, the group shifted their course at a crossroad and walked out of the woods, entering a fairly large city not too far away. The inn was built near the city entrance and the price was cheap enough. The group of four ordered food after renting a room, waiting at the cafeteria for their dinner to be served.
"Now that we are going to venture into the jungle, we need to prepare our equipment in advance. We can't go just like this. We need proper clothes such as rainy coats, equipment, tents, and a sufficient amount of food. It's better to have enough of everything before we begin than to be left hungry and helpless in the middle of the journey."
The one to open the topic was Eleen, the only person who seemed to be in the right state of mind among the group.
"You are right, Miss Eleen. We need to prepare everything in advance." Ian paused for a brief second, "But may I first ask what's your reason for following us?"
"Uh?" The woman arched her brows. "Why not? I have nothing else to do."
"...Just because you have nothing else to do?"
Ian raised his arms while Alaric cleared the table of his books, making space for the trails of the food that the waiter was placing down in front of them. The pleasant scent washed away all their exhaustion, forcing them to dive in as fast as possible.
"The journey might be a dangerous one, Miss Eleen. It's better if you think more about your resolve before deciding on how to take action."
A smile crept its way up to the doctor's face, making her already pretty face look even gentler.
"If it's dangerous, then you need a doctor to look after your health. Aren't I the most needed member?"
It was true that a doctor was most needed in the group, especially when they were going into a forest filled with unknown kinds of danger. She was a suitable member of the group and would definitely prove helpful; she was in many ways more suitable for this journey than the useless Alaric Poqlen. However, the problem wasn't her worth but her motivation.
"So you're tagging along out of goodwill?"
"Hmm... no, not that. I'm just curious about various things, about you and about the truth, about the serial disappearance case, and about The Resistance. I'm a mercenary; I've long decided to live a free life and follow whatever my heart tells me to, and this is what I want to do for now."
The woman's eyes were bright and tone unwavering, sincere at the face and honest in the heart.
"Plus, I'm a doctor. To carry out a mission, I need to team up with others. Alone, I'm pretty much useless. I've been traveling with Raven for a long time, but he's suddenly decided to join another person. It'll be hard on me to find another trustable mercenary and continue my career, you see. This is the best option for me at the moment."
Her words made sense. There wasn't a reason for her to lie or hide the truth either, so Ian decided to accept things as they were spoken and brush off the topic.
"Then can you prepare a list of the things we need to purchase?"
"Sure thing!" Eleen then paused, "But do we have the money to"
"...."
"...."
"...."
Four pairs of eyes stared at each other, silent. After a brief exchange of looks, three shifted their heads to one side, looking at the golden-haired youth busy chewing on his food.
"Hmm?" Alaric shrank back at the sudden attention.
"Master Alaric, aren't you a noble? You should have a considerable sum of money on you."
"Mmm..." Alaric coughed as his wandering eyes landed on his friend, "I-I didn't take any when I was running away..."
He lowered his head in avoidance of the disappointed gazes as soon.
"It's alright. We are mercenaries; we can earn enough by taking missions on our way to the jungle."
They needed to pass through many cities on their way before entering the jungle, so many opportunities would arise for them to earn money. They could accept missions from the guild or requests from the various organizations in each city. With Kieran in their group, there would be no problem taking care of most of the missions.
"Hmm..."
"Right."
By that, the conversation came to an end, everyone focused on their food, and the table became silent. Travelers kept coming and going, keeping the inn busy all the while the group of four was having their dinner. From time to time, they could hear the conversations of the others.
"I'm telling the truth, but nobody believes me! I saw it myself! Those monsters were this big!"
A man's excited cry from the cornering table caught the group's attention.
"I've heard of it as well, but thought they were just bluffing."
"No! No way! It was real!"
"How come? Monster breakouts shouldn't appear without a prior notice... At least, not within The Empire!"
"I know right? What were those priests doing? Shouldn't they inform the forces once they sense the approach of the monsters?"
The heated conversation escalated way too fast, going from describing the size and horror of the monsters to blaming and cursing the incapable saints. Ian pulled down his hood a little bit more before getting up and approaching the boss of the inn to pay the price of their meal, completely disregarding the gazes of his three fellow travelers on his back.
- - - - - - -
The sun had just risen and the chirping of the birds filled the air. Even at such an early hour in the morning, the inn was as crowded as ever.
Gathered in front of the notice bar, the group that had rested well during the night looked through the papers, searching for an appropriate mission for them to accept.
"In need of some maids to clean up a mansion? Will they accept male servants as well? I can go!"
"Shut up."
"Okay."
[Notice!]
[Missing Cat]
[My little baby Bernard has gone missing since last week and we can't find him anywhere. It's a black cat with white dots on it, a kitten the size of a fist. Please return it to the bellow address if you come across him, I'll make sure to reward you handsomely.]
"What about this?"
Alaric tapped on the picture plastered on the notice, looking at Ian waiting for his response.
"This isn't bad, but we don't have much time to look for a missing kitten."
"Hmm..."
There wasn't anything worthy of attention in the notice bar. This place was a small city after all and there wouldn't be many missions or requests for them to choose from.
"Let's move on for now. We have some money at hand and can earn some when reaching a bigger city or a mercenary guild contact point. We don't have to-"
-MAAAAAAASTERRRR!!!
Ian's words were cut off by a loud, childish shout.
-Bernard! Bernard the kitten! I've seen him!
-What?
"Hm? Is something the matter?"
Ian disregarded the other's questioning gazes and looked down at his feet where a baby wolf was wiggling about.
-I played tag with him last night! I saw him! I'm sure! I know where he is!
-....You did what with whom and when?
-.....
The tiny wolf froze, shrank back, and shut its mouth, head lowered and tail drooped.
-I-I... M-master look-
Ian shifted his gaze up and looked around, huffing under his breath while folding his arms.
-Lior.
-Y-yes!
The baby walked away from Ian's feet and hid behind the young master's, clinging to his pants.
-Weren't you sleeping with me last night?
-Y-yes!
-And you sneaked out? You were pretending to be asleep, huh, yeah I see, I see, very interesting, Mister Lior!
Ian spun on his wheels and strode over to the exit. The other three people watched him in bafflement, exchanged looks, and began to follow him closely.
-U-uh... Master... I'm sorry...
-Show the way.
-Yes!
Lior ran ahead, waving its tail at Ian excitedly.
-We'll talk about it at a later time.
-Uh...
The tail sank down to the ground as well as the child's twitching ears.
-Sorry...
"I remembered I might've seen the kitten somewhere."
"Eh? Really?"
-Master please don't ignore me...
"Yeah, I think I saw him last night? Let's just take a look."
-Master...
Alaric ran down closer to him and took a look around. His expression shifted once he took notice of Ian's face.
"...Why do you look so mad?"
"Uh? Do I? You might be mistaken, ahaha!"
-M-master!
The child pleaded, his voice quaking and tears welling up in his eyes.
-He was around here...
After a few minutes of walking, a small garden came into view. Tall trees and massive bushes covered the whole place, messy and unkempt. The garden was filled with every kind of flower and tree, but it seemed that no one had tended to them for many years.
"Isn't this the mansion that needed to be cleared up?" Eleen circled around herself as she looked around at the old building.
"The addresses match, so I guess it's the place..." Alaric followed her around, peeking and poking at different stuff on his way. "But it was written that the mansion has been abandoned for years. Isn't it dangerous to be here?"
To Alaric, the whole place looked like a scene out of a horror story.
"Raven is with us so there won't be any problems."
"Can his sword slice ghosts as well?"
"I'm not sure. If he can't, then we can throw him at the ghosts and run."
"....U-uh..."
The young noble's shoulders tensed even more than before.
"But how did you come across this place last night?"
"Uh..." At Alaric's question, Ian tilted his head to one side, "I dreamt of it."
"...."
An answer that was definitely a lie meant that the person didn't want to respond. Understanding it, the other three asked nothing more.
-So... You sneaked out of the bedroom and came to a place like this... Hmmm, interesting.
-M-mister I'm sorry! I was curious! I'm sorry!
-And it's not your first time either.
-Hic! I won't repeat it again! Sniff! Masterrr!
"Is this him?"
With a swift move, Ian knelt down beside a bush and reached out his hand. Once he retreated it, a tiny kitten, covered by dry leaves and stained with dirt, was dangling from his fingers.
"Grrrr!!"
-It's him! It's him! Bernard!
The kitten was right at the center of a garden that hadn't been tended to for years, which belonged to an old and creepy mansion. That must be why no one could find it for a week because they felt uncomfortable visiting this place.
"Oooohh! It looks very identical to the picture on the notice!"
"A-a kitten!"
Eleen cheered while Alaric ran, almost jumped, to Ian's side.
"Can I pet it? Can I pet it? Uuuwuu cute!"
"....Hah!"
The black-haired youth's scuff didn't stop the young master from hugging and snuggling with the dirty kitten. The due only glared at each other for a second before turning away.
'....Seriously... What am I going to do with this bunch of children...?'
Ian was getting a headache only thinking about the future.