Eldric's days passed with occasional meet-ups with the kids. True to his agreement with Drekson, he remained in the forest and began adapting to his new life.
He focused on practicing basic glyphs, such as producing fire and slowing the spoilage of food—simple but vital skills for his survival. For now, these were the most practical applications of the knowledge he had gained.
Eldric decided to keep this knowledge to himself. While the kids weren't hostile, he knew that revealing his ability to use magic or secret knowledge could change their behavior toward him. Based on his experiences, he could deduce as much.
"They're kind," he thought, "but I trust myself and my instincts more."
After washing up and eating breakfast, Eldric stepped out of the shed, the cool morning air refreshing against his skin. Yesterday, he'd asked Gui to meet him at their usual spot, and now it was time to follow through.
From a distance, he spotted the three kids waiting for him, their familiar chatter carrying through the quiet forest. However, his brows furrowed as he noticed two unfamiliar teenage boys standing with them.
"Ah, big brother!" the trio called out, waving enthusiastically as Eldric approached.
Gui, always quick to pick up on moods, noticed the slight annoyance flickering across Eldric's expression. Before Eldric could say a word, Gui stepped forward to explain.
"These boys are acquaintances of ours," Gui said hurriedly, glancing nervously at the newcomers. "Would it be fine if they could join us for today's herb gathering?"
Eldric's eyes flicked between the two new faces, catching the subtle way they sized him up. He remained silent, his expression neutral but watchful.
"This is Hobart," Gui said, pointing to the brunette, "and this is Tib."
"So it's true."
The boy named Hobart spoke first, his tone carrying a faint edge. His sharp gaze lingered on Eldric as he crossed his arms.
"So that's the outsider everyone's talking about. You're really hanging out with him?"
Gui's face crunched at Hobart's comment, but he didn't say anything.
Hobart crossed his arms, raising his chin toward Eldric. "Hey, outsiders should know their place."
He then turned to Gui, his tone condescending. "Just because he helped you with gathering herbs doesn't mean you have to act all friendly with him."
Eldric almost rolled his eyes. Why did Gui have to bring such troublesome kids along? They could have had a peaceful morning without this nonsense.
Hobart, seemingly pleased with himself, started to continue his rant when Eldric cut him off mid-sentence.
"Hey, brat," Eldric said flatly.
Hobart snapped his glare toward him. "What did you just call me?"
"You can go home if you're uncomfortable with me." Eldric ignored the question entirely, his tone dismissive.
"You—" Hobart's voice rose, but Eldric cut him off again.
"Don't worry," he added with a faint smirk, "our feelings are mutual."
A short silence fell over the group. Hobart glared at Eldric, his cheeks flushing with frustration.
Finally, he turned to Tib. "Let's get going," he muttered, stomping ahead.
Tib, a blonde boy with an equally smug demeanor, followed close behind, throwing a glance over his shoulder before disappearing into the brush with Hobart.
Eldric shrugged, his irritation ebbing as the boys walked off. He didn't have the patience to deal with impudent kids this early in the morning.
"I'm sorry about this, big brother," Gui said, his voice filled with regret. "Their parents are close friends of ours. Yesterday, my parents were bragging about how we keep on gathering so many useful herbs and earned enough money. Their parents must have heard and asked if their kids could join us today."
Eldric waved a hand dismissively. "I don't mind. We need to focus on gathering herbs, so let's just ignore them."
He hoped the rest of the gathering would go smoothly, but peace was short-lived.
"Hey, Hobart! What are you doing?!" Gui's voice rang out, sharp with anger.
Eldric turned to see Hobart pushing Anilla aside to snatch the herbs she was picking.
"What?" Hobart said casually, as if nothing had happened.
"That was supposed to be ours!" protested Anilla, her small frame trembling with indignation.
"Oh?" Hobart taunted, holding up the herbs with a smirk. "I saw them too and grabbed them first. Right, Tib?"
Tib grinned smugly. "Yeah, I saw it too."
"Better luck next time, Anilla," Hobart sneered, his smirk widening as he walked away with the herbs.
A similar incident occurred with Merdin while Gui was focused on gathering other plants.
Eldric, who had been observing the situation from a distance, sighed quietly. Considering the attitudes of Hobart and Tib earlier, he'd already expected something like this.
He ignored the petty antics, continuing to collect useful plants until his storage bag was nearly full. Those two brats only dared to bully the seven-year-olds—they wouldn't dare try anything with him or Gui.
After a while, Eldric called, "Anilla."
The young girl stomped over, her cheeks puffed up in anger. Eldric stifled a chuckle at her expression but kept his tone calm.
He knelt to her level and whispered something, pointing toward a cluster of random plants nearby.
"Eh? Are you sure that's okay, big brother?" she asked, blinking confused.
"Why wouldn't it be?" Eldric replied, crossing his arms with an amused smile. "Go on, do as I said."
Anilla hesitated but eventually nodded, heading toward the plants he'd indicated.
Predictably, before she could reach them, Tib darted in and snatched them up with a smug grin. She glared at him, but Tib only chuckled.
She tried again, moving to another plant Eldric had pointed out, but once more, Tib was faster, grabbing it before she could.
This time, Eldric called Merdin over, leaning down to whisper the same instructions to him. The little boy didn't question it, simply nodding and heading toward the next set of plants Eldric had pointed out.
Eldric watched with calm patience as the pattern repeated itself for the next hour.
By the time Hobart and Tib had filled their storage bags to the brim, their smirks had turned to satisfied grins.
"This should be enough for today," Hobart said, hefting his bag over his shoulder. "Let's head to the market and sell these."
Without a single word of thanks to them, the two teenage boys turned and walked off, their laughter fading as they disappeared into the distance.
"Agh! I'm so mad!" Anilla stomped her foot, kicking a stray pebble that skittered across the ground.
"They kept stealing what was ours!" Merdin snapped, his small hands balled into fists.
"Big brother Eldric, that was supposed to be our harvest!" Anilla said, her voice sharp as she glared in the direction the boys had gone.
Gui remained silent, his lips pressed into a thin line as he adjusted his herb pouch. He glanced at Anilla, then at Merdin, avoiding Eldric's gaze.
Eldric crouched down and patted Anilla's head.
"We'll just gather more herbs, right? At least now we don't have to deal with them anymore," he said evenly.
"But the herbs!" Anilla's voice rose as she stamped her foot again.
Eldric shrugged and straightened up. "They're not worth worrying about. Look—there are still plenty of good plants left."
He gestured toward the underbrush, pointing out a cluster of useful herbs nearby. Anilla hesitated, glancing at the spot before nodding reluctantly.
Eldric turned to Gui, raising an eyebrow. Without a word, Gui slung his bag over his shoulder and began picking herbs, his movements quicker and more focused than before.
The group fell into rhythm, the earlier tension fading as they worked. Eldric's calm guidance set the pace, drawing Anilla and Merdin's attention back to the task at hand.
*******
"Here!" Hobart declared as he slammed a bag of herbs onto the merchant's table at the village market.
The old man adjusted his spectacles, inspecting the contents with a practiced eye. After a moment, he nodded. "Hooh! These are the same quality herbs those three kids brought in yesterday. Is it getting easier to gather these lately?"
Hobart and Tib exchanged smug smiles, standing a little straighter as they waited for their payment.
The merchant placed five Stacks Silver on the table, carefully setting the bag of herbs aside.
Encouraged, Hobart and Tib set down two more bags.
"And how much for these?" Hobart asked confidently.
The old man raised an eyebrow, leaning closer to peer inside the second and third bags. After a moment, he looked up at the boys, his expression unreadable.
"Are you asking me to burn these?" the merchant asked, his tone deadpan as he pushed the bags back toward them.
"Huh?" Hobart blinked, confused. "Aren't you going to buy these herbs?"
The old man burst out laughing, slapping his knee. Tib's face flushed red, and Hobart's confidence wavered.
"When did wild grass become herbs? Are you joking? Try selling these to the stables—they might need extra feed."
"Are you sure?" Hobart asked, his voice tinged with unease. "Maybe you should double-check?"
The old man raised a bushy eyebrow. "Listen, kid. Are you questioning my expertise in herbs when you can't even tell wild grass apart from the real thing?"
Hobart's jaw clenched as the murmurs of nearby villagers reached his ears. Heat crawled up his neck, and he snatched the coins off the table. Without a word, he grabbed Tib by the arm and stormed away, ignoring the chuckles of amused onlookers.
Later…
The trio arrived at the same stall, Gui carrying several neatly packed bags. He set them down in front of the old merchant.
"Gramps, these are the herbs we gathered today," Gui said, stepping back to give the old man space to inspect the bags.
The merchant adjusted his spectacles again, his eyes lighting up as he opened the first bag. "Oho! You kids have quite the knack for finding good herbs. These are excellent quality!"
Gui rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. "Someone helped us identify them. Honestly, we didn't even know they were useful before."
The old man chuckled, his voice booming over the market's noise. "Oh? I'd love to meet this helpful person someday. Not everyone knows their way around plants. The two kids who came by earlier brought me wild grasses—two whole bags of it! What do they expect me to do with that, start a bonfire?"
Anilla and Merdin exchanged a glance, stifling their laughter.
"Two kids?" Anilla asked innocently.
"Yeah," the old man said, nodding toward Gui. "They are about his age, a brunette. The other was a blonde. They walked off looking quite proud of themselves, but all they had was useless grass."
The old man laughed heartily, and Anilla and Merdin couldn't hold back their giggles.
Gui frowned, confused. "What's so funny?"
The two younger kids didn't answer. Instead, they shared a memory in perfect unison.
"Kid, pick those plants over there."
"Eh? Are you sure that's okay, big brother?"
"Why wouldn't it be?" Eldric replied with a calm smile, crossing his arms. "Go on and do as I said."
"Big brother is the best!" Anilla and Merdin chimed together.
Gui stared at them, his confusion deepening. "What's going on here?"
The younger pair only grinned knowingly, leaving Gui scratching his head as the merchant finalized their payment.
The next day in the forest…
"Hey, you shameless lot!"
Eldric and the three kids turned toward the voice, their gathering of fruits and vegetables interrupted by a shout cutting through the quiet forest. Hobart and Tib were approaching, with the former's glare shifting between them.
"How dare you trick us!" he accused.
Gui instinctively positioned himself in front of the younger kids. "Hey, Hobart, watch what you're saying," he said firmly.
Eldric, standing a bit further back, observed the scene with a faint look of irritation.
"Don't play dumb! You made us pick wild grasses!" Hobart spat, his tone heated.
Anilla stifled a laugh, covering her mouth quickly. "Hahaha! So Gramps was talking about them," she said, unable to resist.
"You!" Hobart's glare snapped toward her.
"Hey, brat, what's your problem?" Eldric's calm, indifferent voice broke the rising tension. He stepped forward casually, positioning himself beside Gui.
Hobart turned his glare on Eldric, but there was a flicker of hesitation in his eyes. Something about Eldric's presence unsettled him.
"Outsiders shouldn't get involved here!" Hobart snapped, though his tone lacked conviction.
"Oh?" Eldric raised an eyebrow, his tone light but sharp. "But I'm the one who told the kids to gather those wild grasses for fun. Didn't think you'd be the ones to grab them. That's on you."
"Pfft!" Anilla and Merdin couldn't contain their laughter, though they quickly tried to hide it.
Hobart's face flushed red as he clenched his fists. "You!"
"Don't just call me 'You,'" Eldric said, feigning disappointment. "I'm older than you two. Call me 'big brother.' It's only polite."
"Who would call you that!" Hobart and Tib snapped in unison, their voices rising.
Without waiting for a reply, they turned and stormed off, their frustration palpable.
Eldric watched them leave, shaking his head. "Tsk. I asked them to call me 'big brother,' and they just walked off."
He turned back to the trio, only to find them staring at him with wide, admiring eyes.
"What?" Eldric asked, frowning slightly.
"Big brother Eldric, you're the best!" Anilla and Merdin said in unison, their faces lighting up.
Gui scratched the back of his head awkwardly.
Eldric stared at them with an expression. "What on earth is wrong with you three?"
Later…
Hobart led the way through the forest, his steps brisk and determined. Tib trailed behind, glancing nervously at the surrounding trees.
"Hobart, this area's restricted," Tib said cautiously, lowering his voice as they neared the marked warning signs. "We shouldn't be here."
Hobart stopped briefly, pointing to a patch of greenery ahead. "Do you see those herbs? We'll grab them and leave. It's not a big deal."
"But—" Tib hesitated, his worry evident, but Hobart didn't wait for a response.
"Do you want us to go back empty-handed?" Hobart challenged, taking a step forward. Tib sighed, reluctantly following.
"See?" Hobart said, crouching near a patch of plants. "These are the same herbs we sold to Gramps yesterday. Let's take them."
The duo pulled out their storage bags, quickly gathering the plants without paying attention to their surroundings.
A short while later…
Crunch.
The faint sound of a snapped twig broke the stillness. Hobart paused, glancing over his shoulder, but the forest seemed undisturbed. Tib's nervous glance followed, yet neither noticed the looming shadow creeping closer