Aria appeared highly anxious as their eyes met. The proximity was so close that Sir Cedric's warm breath gently brushed against Aria's flushed cheeks.
To Aria's surprise, Sir Cedric broke into a tight smile while extending one of his hands. He touched Aria's forehead with his large palm. "I just want to make sure your body temperature has returned to normal."
"What do you mean?" Aria asked, her forehead creased in confusion as she also touched her own forehead. She wondered why her current abilities seemed to malfunction. Was it because of her proximity to this man? Previously, she had never encountered any difficulties in reading people's thoughts or predicting events, even when facing a warwolf.
"So, you don't remember what happened last night?" Sir Cedric asked again, flipping the almost burnt fish.
Aria attempted to regain her powers. She closed her eyes, focused her thoughts, but to no avail. She couldn't use her abilities at all. "What's wrong?" Aria's mind was in complete disarray.
"Last night, you had a fever. Your body temperature was extremely high. You were delirious, and..." Sir Cedric felt awkward, hesitating to continue his explanation, as Aria would likely be embarrassed by the events of last night.
"And... what?" Aria asked, feeling impatient and eager to hear the rest of Sir Cedric's story. She just hoped that she wasn't the one who initiated all those embarrassing incidents.
Sir Cedric smiled tightly while pursing his lips. "Never mind. What's important is, nothing happened between you and me last night. I was merely helping you warm up. Now, go ahead and eat this." Sir Cedric handed over a large, cooked fish.
Aria accepted it with embarrassment.
At least, she felt relieved that nothing had happened between them. Despite her repeated attempts to focus and remember the events of the previous night, Aria couldn't conjure any images in her mind. "This is really strange," Aria mumbled.
"What's wrong?" Sir Cedric, who happened to be sitting next to her, asked.
"Oh, nothing. The fish tastes strange," Aria replied, forcing a smile.
They continued their journey south, where earlier, in the middle of the road, they had unintentionally spotted numerous wolf tracks heading in that direction. Sir Cedric and Aria purposely took a path that led them slightly into the woods, avoiding the road to steer clear of the wolf pack.
They walked for a considerable time, passing through lush trees, protruding dry branches, as well as marshes and sucking mud.
Suddenly, from the opposite direction, they heard the sound of approaching footsteps, which sounded lively yet relaxed. "Wait!" said Sir Cedric, signaling Aria behind him to stop.
Cautiously, Sir Cedric bent down and entered the underbrush amidst the dense trees. Several men were walking side by side. From a distance, Sir Cedric could tell that they were a group of warwolves, as they had a trident symbol on the back of their right hands.
It was truly surprising. Even from a distance of 10 meters, Sir Cedric could still hear their conversation.
Unaware of Sir Cedric and Aria's presence, the men ahead continued chatting, "Did I hear correctly that the arrogant king wants to collaborate with the loser guy?"
"Hahaha," echoed joyful laughter from the five wolf-human hybrids. It was unclear whom they meant by the "arrogant king," but Sir Cedric truly felt that he was the one referred to as the "loser."
"But we mustn't let our guard down. The guy you called a loser has now risen and seems to possess newfound strength. Proof is, he managed to defeat the entire pack of warwolves living in the marshes a few nights ago."
"Oh, really? I think that was just a coincidence. Anyway, in everyone's eyes, Cedric is still a loser. He's not an opponent we should fear!" One of the warwolves clenched his fists. Unfortunately, Sir Cedric couldn't see his face clearly because the wolf-man stood with his back to him.
Hearing his name mentioned, Sir Cedric's blood started to boil. However, he tried to restrain himself. Unfortunately, when Aria attempted to approach Sir Cedric, she accidentally stepped on a dry twig, causing a crackling sound to reach the ears of the warwolves.
Swiftly, the five warwolves transformed into full-fledged wolves and sniffed in all directions to investigate.
"Over other!" one of the taller and larger warwolves shouted.
The four of them sprinted lightning-fast in the direction indicated by the warwolf with the brightly red trident tattoo on one of his hands. Their synchronized roars filled the air.
On the other side, Aria ran fast while pulling Sir Cedric's hand. However, suddenly, her steps felt heavy because Sir Cedric had come to a halt. His gaze seemed different to Aria. "That's enough! I'm tired of running from them. This only reinforces what they say about my attitude. I have to face them!"
Aria knew that there was truth in Sir Cedric's words. However, she thought that now might not the right time to confront all those warwolves. She really didn't want to put Sir Cedric in a bad mood. On the other hand, she was also worried that he might feel like a loser.
Overwhelmed by confusion, Aria felt resigned. But she also prepared for all the possible bad situations they might encounter.
For a moment, they saw glimpses of the creatures running closer. Sir Cedric drew his sword, while Aria, standing behind the stern-faced man, closed her eyes and began chanting a spell to protect them from the psychic powers possessed by the warwolf.
It was truly confusing when the pack of warwolves was almost within reach, they abruptly turned and left.
Aria and Sir Cedric exchanged puzzled glances. But suddenly, Aria's body collapsed to the ground. She felt like she had used up all her strength. "What's wrong with me? This is really strange," thought Aria as she struggled to get up. Her body felt weak, even though she had only used part of her power to neutralize the enemy's magic.
Sir Cedric was deeply concerned. He carried Aria on his back and quickly left the area. He didn't want to take the risk of staying there for long. Perhaps Aria was right; it might not be the right time to fight against that pack of warwolves.
For some reason, Sir Cedric felt that there was something odd about the warwolves' gazes. It was as if there were unresolved feelings of vengeance. Mayada was right; he needed to investigate this issue further. He mustn't misinterpret the purpose of this attack.
The sky appeared clear, and the scorching sun's rays penetrated the white curtains, reaching Aria's face. The girl slowly opened her eyes. She found herself in an unfamiliar place, a simple room with neatly arranged white stone ornaments on the walls.
She sat up slowly, then reached for the robe beside her. Her head ached, so it took some time to adjust to her surroundings. "What's happening to me? Why do I keep losing consciousness lately?" Aria tried to think about what she might have done wrong.
The wooden door creaked open, revealing an old man with a long beard, a hunched back, and a long scar on his face. The man carried a tray filled with a concoction. "Thank goodness you're awake," the old man greeted.
"Where am I?" Aria asked.
The old man paused for a moment, gazing at Aria, then smiled, placing the tray with a bowl of potion on a nearby surface, and left the room.
The soothing voice only piqued the girl's curiosity. Slowly, she opened the door, searching for Sir Cedric's whereabouts. The noise from outside distracted her attention.
Outside, on a large rock in the middle of a river, stood a tall figure with only one foot, bare-chested. In his right hand, he held a long sword with a quivering tip.
Quietly, Aria observed Sir Cedric from the doorway. Her thoughts instantly drifted, imagining how she still admired the man, just like the first time they met.
Her focus wavered when she heard a husky comment next to her. "He does indeed look very handsome and commanding."
Aria's face flushed. She felt embarrassed when the old man's wife managed to guess what was going on in her head.
"But your path is very winding and complex," the old woman said. Aria glanced at the elderly woman with a questioning look. Somehow, she didn't feel comfortable with her fate being revealed so soon. That was something she truly despised – knowing something bad about her destiny ahead of time.
"You need to be more patient and support all his efforts," the old woman said, offering a small smile. Aria, feeling playful, asked, "Will we be united?" It took great courage to ask that question.
The old lady mumbled, then shifted to sit on the porch. Aria felt awkward and embarrassed. Still, she never took her eyes off Sir Cedric, who had just finished his martial arts training with the old man.
Quietly, Aria glanced at the old woman. "Uh, I'm sorry, ma'am. Regarding my earlier question, perhaps it's best not to discuss it further." Now Aria could only lower her head and stare at her white foot.
"You are indeed destined to be together. But, as I mentioned earlier, your journey is quite winding. You must be patient and support everything he does," the old woman paused in her speech, her gaze fixed straight ahead, as she took a deep breath. "How is Mayada?"
Aria was surprised to hear the old woman ask that. She became nervous, uncertain about the answer she would give. As far as Aria knew, Mayada never mentioned anyone else who knew about the village of Minerva, let alone about Mayada. 'Who is this old woman?' Aria wondered.