Soon, the steward came to an area that had a bit of quiet peace compared to the other areas of the sanctuary. He continued walking and came close to a door that had a touch of luxury to it. Standing in front of it, he took a moment to arrange his clothes because they got messed up while he ran here.
After it was done, he took a swift breath and knocked on the door.
"Come in," an answer came from the inside without delay.
The steward opened the door and stepped inside.
Inside the room, there was an atmosphere of cleanliness and order. Compared to Elder Khanel's room, the steward felt a more pleasant environment here.
As he looked around the room, he couldn't locate where Elder Wendor was.
"Keep coming, I'm in here," a voice came from another room that was connected to the one he was in.
The steward walked toward the other room and entered it.
This room was clearly the opposite of the previous one. It was filled with all kinds of tools and equipment. In some spots, there were cages with animals, and in other places, rare types of materials that amazed the steward. Having come from a knowledgeable lineage, the steward had a good understanding of valuable things on this continent. And If his knowledge served him right, most of the items in this room were incredibly rare and valuable.
There were animals rumored to have vanished from the world, rare gems that could fetch the highest bids at an auction, and books filled with knowledge about the wonders of magic.
Filled with an unbelievable sight, the steward momentarily forgot his purpose for visiting.
"Ahem."
At that moment, breaking the steward's reverie, Elder Wendor made a grumbling sound from his throat.
As a result, the steward returned to his senses and walked toward Elder Wendor, who was sitting on a bench in the center of the room. In one of his hands, he held a large bird with unique skin that gave it the appearance of being made out of fire.
And At the moment, Elder Wendor was patting its head.
"Don't get any clumsy ideas, young boy," Wendor said as he looked at the steward approaching.
Hearing what he said, the young steward gave a shy smile in response.
"So, what brings you here?" Wendor asked, putting aside useless talk and getting straight to the point.
"To inform a message about the absolute ones, Elder."
"About the absolute ones?" Wendor expression changed.
"Tell me, what is it?" he asked.
"Elder, the absolute ones are exploring the sanctuary, and there seems to be no one to accompany them. So I brought the news to you because I thought this might be useful" the steward replied.
"Really?" Elder Wendor stopped the petting and extended his hand, causing the bird to fly away.
"Not even Khanel's with them?" he asked as he stood up.
"No, Elder."
"I heard that Elder Khanel is busy with a task assigned by the absolute ones, so he won't be there," the steward replied, trying to make the situation appear more opportunistic to Wendor.
"Unfortunately, I can't accompany them either."
Wendor's response left the steward in shock.
"But why, Elder? This is a clear opportunity for you to get closer to the absolute beings," the steward urged.
"I know, I know, it's an opportunity, but I'm currently engaged in a task that requires my attention more than ever, and it's also an order from the absolute ones," Wendor replied.
"By the way, did you see Ronald anywhere?" he asked.
"Knight Ronald? I haven't seen him since this morning, Elder."
"If it's not too much trouble, could you look around for him?" Wendor requested.
"Of course, Elder."
The young steward nodded and left to find Ronald.
After the steward's departure, Wendor sat down again and picked up a feather that had fallen from the bird, examining it.
"Now, where did this brat go?" he muttered.
***
"Kawk."
With a sound, a little black bird suddenly flew up from the branch of a huge tree, and below the tree.
"Sir, it appears it has gone this way," a knight clad in silver-colored armor said as he observed footprints on the ground, larger than his fist.
"Hm, let's head that way, then."
Behind him was Knight Ronald, clad in golden-colored armor and mounted on a white horse.
Following the knight's lead, he began to ride his horse in the direction, with another group of knights clad in armor similar to the first knight following behind.
As they moved, he urged the horse, increasing their speed.
Ronald continued his ride for a long time, and his horse, without the slightest misstep, kept up its speed. After a long time, he came to a halt.
"You told the truth, Lilliam, it is indeed in this direction."
The trees in this area were all uprooted, and there were many dead animal bodies strewn around.
"Uh"
Seeing the scenery, some in the group were visibly shaken.
"Sir, are we going forward?" one of the knights asked.
"We've come all this way; it would be a shame to give up now."
Saying this, Ronald urged his horse to move forward, and the others followed.
As they proceeded, they observed that the dead animal bodies were still oozing blood, indicating that it hadn't been much time since their deaths.
"It's because it wounded; it needs to fill up its stomach to store enough energy to regenerate its damaged parts," Ronald explained while looking at one of the dead animals.
"Let's hurry up; we can't let it cause any more destruction." He spurred his horse on again.
"Yes, sir," the other knights agreed. As they rode, one of the knights in the rear took a closer look at one of the animal bodies on the ground and was frightened. The animal had an average-sized body, but what scared him was the missing abdomen. Its stomach was gone, leaving a large bite mark in the area where it should have been.