Stirring up a huge amount of dust, the group of knights rode their horses through the vast jungle.
Leading them in the front was Knight Ronald.
As they continued, the sun high above began to slowly descend towards the west, marking the passage of time.
A knight from the group sped up his horse and got closer to Ronald, enough to have a conversation with him.
"Sir, it's getting late. Are you sure we need to hunt that thing in the night?" he asked.
"Not to mention, because it's nighttime, there may be other terrifying creatures lurking in the shadows. How about we call it a day?" he suggested again, trying to persuade Ronald to give up the hunt.
In response, Ronald glanced toward the west, looking at the setting sun. After a moment, he halted and made his horse turn around, facing the group of knights.
"From here on, I will be going alone. You all can return to the sanctuary," he commanded.
"But, sir, we cannot do that. How could we go without you?" said the knight who had approached Ronald before, his face filled with hesitation.
"It's my order, so you don't have to worry about facing punishment for abandoning the leader. So go," replied Ronald.
Turning his horse around, he prepared to leave, ending their conversation.
Seeing this, some knights from the group had awkward expressions. They were in a dire situation, deciding whether to return to the sanctuary or go with Knight Ronald.
If they chose to go with Knight Ronald, there might be a chance to gain recognition and an opportunity. However, on the other hand, there was also a danger of death. The terrors of the night were well-known to them. Not to mention, they were in a dense forest, and just the thought of terrifying creatures lurking in the dark sent shivers down their spines. The urge for survival made the decision to retreat more favorable.
"If you're going, sir, I'm coming with you." At that moment, breaking the mess of thoughts, the knight in the front moved forward, riding his horse toward Ronald.
"You don't have to force yourself, Lilliam. I won't blame you even if you retreat."
Ronald looked back toward the knight. "I don't need to mention how dangerous the night forest is, right?" he warned. "Think before you make a decision."
"I've thought it through, sir, and this is the decision I've come to," Lilliam persisted.
"Very well, it's your choice, let's go." Ronald tightened his grip on the horse's reins. "The rest of you, retreat toward the sanctuary."
He commanded as he urged the horse to start running.
"Lilliam, are you sure?" After Ronald had left, a knight from the group who seemed to be a friend of the knight Lilliam asked him.
"Yes, you don't have to worry about me. Hurry up and go. I have to catch up with Sir." Lilliam replied pleasantly to his friend and nudged his horse, urging it to run. And with that, the group of knights divided.
"Let's go." Seeing Ronald and Lilliam vanishing among the trees, a knight from the group comand. Taking the lead, he rode his horse back toward the sanctuary.
"Do I need to make some preparations, sir?" Lilliam asked as he caught up to Ronald with enough speed.
"Do you have an affinity with fire magic?" asked Ronald.
"No, sir."
"Then we'll need to gather some branches and logs. But let's speed up; we have to get as close as possible to it before the sun goes down," Ronald replied.
"Hyah!" He pulled his horse, and immediately, the horse increased its speed. Lilliam did the same, and thus, they continued their ride.
After some time, they came to an area that looked exactly like the place they had seen before. Trees broken down everywhere, animal corpses lying all around. Just as before, all of animals were missing a huge part of their bodies.
Ronald dismounted his horse and knelt in front of one of the animals. He touched its body and examined it.
"Still hot. It might be close to us, but the problem is direction. It's probably hiding " he said after examining it.
"Sir," called Lilliam with a somewhat puzzled tone as he had gone past Ronald and a bit farther into the damaged area.
"What is it?" Ronald asked, standing up. His expression also changed upon seeing the questionable look on Lilliam's face.
He quickly mounted his horse and rode it toward him.
"Look, sir." After he arrived, Lilliam pointed in a direction.
In a little bit further away from them, in an area with a few large trees, a figure appeared within their vision.
"It's a man, Is it?" Ronald questioned.
At that moment, the whole area became bathed in an orange hue as the sun began to set. Ronald and Lilliam looked to the west where only half of the sun was still visible.
"Go and fetch some branches and build up a fire," Ronald commanded Lilliam.
"I'll go and check out that direction," he said as he rode toward the area where the figure had appeared.
"Hmm, I can't see him clearly," Ronald muttered to himself.
"What's one doing in this forest at this hour?"
"Is it a trap?" He furrowed his brow in suspicion.
He got a bit closer to the figure's direction, closing the distance between himself and the man.
"If Lilliam is here, we can dash toward it, whether it's a trap or not,too bad I left him" he said with a sigh.
"I'm right here, sir," but at that moment, the voice of Lilliam emerged from behind.
"What the..." Ronald's body jumped slightly. "What are you doing here? Didn't I tell you to build a fireplace for us?" he exclaimed.
"you did, sir. But I have everything prepared in this bag: there's a fire scroll, some food, and a comfy blanket." Lilliam replied with a smiling face.