As time passed, the dust in the atmosphere slowly disappeared. As it dissipated, the sight of Ronald and the ogre became clear to the onlookers.
Pulling back his sword, Ronald sheathed it.
"Is it dead?" said Raven as he got closer to the ogre's body.
Thud! He kicked it, but it didn't move an inch.
Lilliam also approached and began to examine the ogre's body.
"There you are," he suddenly exclaimed when he found his sword still stuck in its body.
Putting his hand on the hilt, he tried to pull it out, but it was a struggle.
"Here, let me help," seeing Lilliam's struggle, Raven stepped forward. He put his hand on the sword and with a firm swing, he pulled it free from the dead body, causing a wave of green blood to flow from the spot where it had been lodged.
"take it "
"Thank you." With a bow, Lilliam took the sword from his hand.
"How about we stay here tonight? If we try to go back in this darkness, who knows which monastery we might meet next?" Raven said to Ronald.
It was already some time past since the moon rose, and the whole forest is giving off an eerie aura from it.
Ronald, who was at the moment looking at the forest, felt the eeriness more than he thought.
"How creepy," he muttered.
"Lilliam, you heard him. Go and fetch some branches for a fireplace," he said, turning to Lilliam.
"Yes, sir-rh" Raven answered as usual, but his words got stuck when he looked toward the forest.
" but it's already dark in there. Aren't I in trouble if I go like this?" he muttered, looking at Ronald.
" you'll be fine; you've got your sword, don't you?" Ronald replied casually.
"But, sir," Lilliam tried to argue, but...
"Hurry up. We can't stay the whole night like this. It's getting cold out here," Raven urged.
"As you command, sir." Seeing no way out, Lilliam finally yielded and took his steps toward the forest.
"What are you planning to do with this body?" Raven asked as he looked toward the dead ogre.
"For now, it's useless for anything," Ronald said, gazing at the body.
"But once its flesh decays and only the bones remain, then it might be useful."
"What are you going to do with ogre bones?" Raven questioned.
"There's some use to them," replied Ronald in short, refusing to answer more than that.
"After I return to the sanctuary, I might be busy with my work in there, so if you have free time, can you come and gather the remaining bones from this?" he asked Raven.
"Are you sure these things are going to remain in the same place? Won't there be other animals that feast on them?" said Raven.
"Don't worry, there might be beasts that feast on flesh, but there isn't one that feasts on bones, at least as far as I know," Ronald uttered.
"If you say so," Raven agreed.
Soon, Lilliam came back with a bunch of tree branches and logs. With that, they built a fireplace. Gathering around it, the three of them leaned on the ground and soon succumbed to sleep.
"I think it's time we go back too."
Unbeknownst to the three of them, far above them in the forest, two strangers have been watching.
These two individuals have been observing them from the beginning, from the moment Ronald and Lilliam parted from the group, until the moment the three of them fell asleep.
"I remember seeing the one with the golden armor, but I don't have any memory of the other two," said Leviathan, looking toward them.
"They are all from our sanctuary. I saw two of them in the grand hall, and the other one might also be from our forces," replied Incarus.
They both looked at the three below sleeping around the fire.
"But if it weren't for you, I don't think they had a chance of defeating that ogre," Leviathan uttered.
"Quite the opposite, well, maybe the knight with the silver armor had no chance, but I think the golden one is more than capable of what he showed on the outside," explained Incarus.
"How come?"
"Just my instinct," He replied with a quick answer.
"Let's go. We took more time than we planned for watching them," said Incarus as he turned around and flew back toward the sanctuary.
Turning around, Leviathan also readied to fly back toward the sanctuary, but just before he did, he took a glance toward the three of them.
Among the three, the one with the golden armor got up slowly at that moment. Without making any sound to be noticed by anyone, he silently walked toward the forest, leaving the two individuals who were still sleeping.
"Hmm," Leviathan hummed, but he did not care about it much and flew back, following Incarus.
Piercing through the wind at their high speed, the two of them soon saw the sight of the sanctuary.
Slowing down, Incarus waited until Leviathan got near him.
"Are we landing on the outside?" Leviathan asked as he got closer.
"Not necessary."
Grabing onto his shoulder, Incarus looked toward the sanctuary, and the crown on his head began to glow.
Hiss!
With a trembling of air around them, the two of them vanished from their spot.
"Found it."
In a solitary place in the forest, Ronald is standing while looking toward a field of white-colored flowers.
These flowers spread across the ground, dominating the whole area and preventing any other plants from growing. Their white color seems to synchronize with the moonlight. From their leaves, small white fibers fall like a delicate waterfall to the ground. This phenomenon is so subtle and small, adding extra beauty to it.
Due to the large quantity of these flowers in Ronald's view, these moonlit flowers with their delicate, descending fibers are breathtakingly beautiful.
And from time to time, tiny amounts of that airy fabric whoosh upward from some spots, spreading into the upper air.
Ronald took a deep breath and, without getting too close, quickly bent forward, grabbing one of the flowers and pulling it back as he stood up again.
With the flower in his hand, he turned around and ran, while a huge amount of that delicate white fabric-like air spread upward from the field of flowers, filling the entire area.
Once he was at a safe distance, Ronald took out a luxurious-looking bag, placed the flower inside, and sealed the bag shut.
Then, he exhaled his breath and continued breathing.
The reason for this is because these flowers might be beautiful, but the harm they can cause if they grow near a village or city is considerable. If not for their necessity in his special weapon, Ronald wouldn't even want to get close to these flowers.
"One is more than enough." Tapping the bag, he hung it around his wrist and hurried his steps back to the fireplace.