Meanwhile, the wired couple was nowhere to be found among the group, while the saint group was closer to their destination."We're almost there," Aria said, pointing to the island emerging from the muddy river."Finally, a land without mud! I'm so exhausted from constantly using mana like this," Ella said, looking at her legs with the mana coating wobbling. And her feet had some stains. She then glanced at Aria. "Is there a water source?"Aria nodded, smiling to reassure her. "There's a natural lake on the island." It has already been a week since we've had a good place to clean our bodies. This must be particularly difficult for her, as she is used to always being in a palace."Aria, have you seen the Cursed Child? I haven't detected his presence for a long time," Ella said as she brushed off dirt from her skirt. "Maybe he drowned in the mud or maybe he ran away. That would fit for him, returning to where he belongs."Not paying much attention to Ella's remark, Aria responded, "Faye is with him. Maybe they are looking for things to collect." Her voice sounded nonchalant. The Red Witch has been with him a lot lately. They stick together like bread and jam.Ella checked her dress to ensure it was in perfect condition before continuing to walk. "We'll never know the truth about him. He was a prisoner, fleeing from jail. There's no guarantee he wouldn't do the same again."He won't run and flee again. He won't break his promise. She looked back and focusing her senses on the mud surface. but detected nothing. He's too far away. Or maybe he wants to do it this time? She headed back to Ella. "He will follow us," Aria said, but her voice was covered with cloud.Ella walked to Aria. "Aria, but we haven't seen—""There's something following us from far behind," Eeon interrupted, his gaze shifting to Ella, a warning in his eyes. "Prepare for battle."Everyone turned their heads to look back, where a sleek, black creature with two wicked fins slithered, leaving a glistening trail in its wake.He really keeps his promise."What is that thing?" Ella nervously asked."I don't know. I can't detect any mana essence from it. Perhaps it's a rank six pentacle, capable of concealing its power from me," Eeon replied, gripping his sword tightly. sending mana to his feet. Ground beneath him start harden. let everyone stood firm.Squelsh! Squelsh! Yomp, yomp, yomp. The monster slowed down, finally coming to a stop."It stopped?" Ella said.The creature remained motionless, its head tilting at an ugly angle as it searched for something. Eventually, it found the group, and its body shifted, its dark eyes fixating on them.Couldn't you make it look a better than that? Maybe put some lovely flowers on it. That would help a lot. But I understand it's following the same design as Rocky.kawack! Crack! Crack! Strange crawling and cracking sounds emanated from within it.Splash! With lightning speed, it darted towards them, its grotesque fins synchronizing as it effortlessly slithered through the mud.Splash! Splash! Splash! It moved faster and faster!"What can we do? What is that thing?" Ella panicked.Arwwooo~ Arwwooo~What is that sound of you?The group heard a dark and eerie cry as the creature moved closer, its open maw wide.Arwwooo~ Arwwooooooolll~Could you speak in a normal language? That screeching sound is freaking everyone out.Taken aback, Ella gathered mana in her hand and drew her sword, which shone with a bright white light.Aria raised her hand and said, "It's okay. Please lower your sword."Eeon glanced at the floor for a moment before sheathing his sword, but Ella couldn't shake the cloud of worry that rushed over her heart. She swiftly looked at Aria, wanting more explanation. "But, that—"Ella's eyes widened when she saw Aria's face. She smiled, a sweet smile that Ella had never witnessed before."Ella, don't worry, he won't hurt us," Aria reassured, her voice as clear as wind chimes on a summer day."What are you talking about? That's a monster…" Ella replied, clearly confused."Ella, it's him, Rain," Aria said."Haaaaa!?" Ella exclaimed, trying to squint her eyes and focus on the monster.Splash! Splash! The monster slowly approached the group until it stood in front of Aria. Its mouth opened wide, revealing a sloppy man covered in mud, standing on a wooden board and holding makeshift oars made of tied-together wood sticks and vines."Aria, have you seen my slides? I can do them too! They might look messy, but they can glide through the muddy sea just like you. Look, even as a regular person, I can keep up with you at incredible speed," he said, gesturing with his hands and pointing to different parts of his mud slider board."Ahem! I am proud to present to you my greatest invention, The Fishman Slider," he declared, with his nose pointed to the sky."Ahem! I helped him too," the Red Witch chimed in, teasingly."Nah, you just boomed that monster and watched me do all the work. I had to collect the remains and put them together," he said, showing his claws at her."Daring, watching children play is also a hard task, you know," Faye said, her hand covering her mouth."Do not call me a child, Mistress," he replied, with a dragged-out tone."Aww, your words are spicier," she said, her red eyes shining.The two of them locked eyes and continued arguing.Am I mistaken, or do they seem closer? Aria thought, sensing something strange between the two. Faye seemed happy, her words resonating with a jingle sound, while Rain used more casual words and made exaggerated hand movements. Aria glanced into his blue eyes and noticed a spark of life within. The corner of her mouth lifted slightly. "Please, you two, stop arguing," she said.Rain quickly made a gesture and saluted. "Yes, sir!"Faye glanced at Aria, then lightly touched her own lips before bowing her head slightly. The wind brushed against her hair, making a jingling sound.Aria turned around, but a child's voice stopped her."Oh, by the way, why did you stop running? Aren't we racing to that island? Oh, I see, you don't want to take first place, even though you're the fastest runner. Ah, you're so kind, Aria. But I don't want to lose to the others. I'll keep going, okay?" Rain asked.He completely misinterpreted everything, but let's leave it as is. She responded with a nod.Rain smiled and crawled back to the board, swiftly taking off. As he flew away, he sang, "I'm a fish, a fish king, a big heavenly fish that can fly across the sky~ My fin is the largest, even one flip can send me the length of mountains~" He sang the entire way.Faye swiftly walk followed him. "Fish king, wait for me too."Aria subconsciously tapped her thigh.When Rain first set foot on the island, he turned back, raised both hands to the sky, and shouted with all his might, "Yeah! I'm the winner! I'm the fish king, the king of muddy land!" Then he waved his hand with the fullest swing at Aria.Ella was shocked. Her mouth hung open in disbelief at what she saw.Aria smiled sweetly and even let out a little giggle. "Hi-he-he, who wants to be the king of the muddy land? He-he, maybe it's just you, the one who loves it." She waved her hand back at him.Not long, everyone stood firm on the big island. Aria guided them into the inner side. There was rich with various green plants and tree, some of which had leaves three times bigger than normal. As Aria made her way through the rough field, her title as scout became noticeable. Eventually, the group found a grass plain with a big rock that provided shelter from the wind, making it suitable for setting up camp."We setting camp here," Aria said. She then sat her camp like usual. After finishing her preparations, she turned around and noticed Ella looking at her. She finished her setting, but with a messy shape."Alright, Aria. Let's go hunt the boar," Ella said."Ella, could you help me with the water supply?" Aria asked.Ella's head lowered, her tip of foots flicked left and right, created small marks on the floor "But, aren't we going to hunt—""Ella, we have a slight issue with that," Aria said, she then gesturing towards her face. pointed cheek and traced her shawl down to thigh, later she smiled at her.Golden Saint tilted her head, confused. However, when Ella mimicked my actions and touched her own face, she finally noticed the mud stuck to her cheek. She looked down at her clothes and saw that the same area I had pointed to was covered in dried and cracked mud."Ah! I'll take care of it. You meant the water supply, right?" she panicked, hurrying out of the camp."Ella! The river is over there, in that direction," Aria pointed towards the west, guided her in the right direction. "It's not far, just a two-minute walk.""Awwawa, thank you, Aria," Her ears redder. She turned back and hurried walked past Aria, heading towards the direction Aria had pointed.Aria smiled, then looked at the Ella's mess tent.I should fix her tent before it gets carried away by the gale. She grabbed tools and an anchor pin, heading towards her tent.However, Aria spotted the Black Muddy Fish King currently try to leave the camp zone to find his own food again. "Stop Right There, Rain."He swiftly turned his gaze to Aria, tilted his head a little, then pointed a finger to his face, then pointed at the sky, then back to his dump face again.The mud on his face made him look even more silly. "It's you, Rain, the fish king. Stop right there.""Me!?... Ah, okay," he replied, stood upright with his hands firmly pressed against his thighs, his face, neck, and shoulders locked in a soldier-like posture.What a trouble. Aria approached him.From the corner of her eye, Aria saw the Red Witch hurrying to catch up. "Darling, where are we headed next—"Aria quickly grabbed the Red Witch's hand and said, "Faye, help Ella set up the tent." She handed her the tools and anchors."Eh? W—What?"Not bothered by what she grumping, "Follow me, Rain." Aria swiftly walked out."O-ok" He obediently followed her.Meanwhile, the Red Witch stood alone as the wind brushed past her, yet her body and clothes remained completely still, not even a slight movement. She gazed at her own hand and then at Ella's tent, whispered, "Iron Maiden, this is not merely pinning, but a fresh start!"—§—Both of them ventured deeper into the forest. Despite the absence of a muddy river, the forest was still damp, with a lush greenery and a foggy atmosphere."Where are we going, Aria?" Rain asked, while pushed large leaf out of the way.There was no response from the ice lady, who continued to stride forward into the depths of the forest. The sound of insects crawling through the trees filled the air. Sudden, the temperature dropped, and there was no sign of human or animal presence."Aria, don't you think it's a bit cold in the forest?" Rain asked once again, hoping for an answer this time. However, she remained silent. Are she mad at me?Is she planning to kill me in the forest? His face contorted with bitterness, and a wave of unease washed over him. The forest's every sound seemed to taunt him. The echoes of tree branch scraping against each other reverberated through the trees. No, no, no, if she truly wants to kill me, she wouldn't have delayed it for so long.By the way, this forest is teeming with various types of plants. Maybe I could find some good food, even a good part for Rocky. A smile flashed on his face.They continued to walk deeper into the forest, where it grew denser. There were no signs of larger animals, only tiny insects, plants, and mushrooms scattered around."No, no, no, purple plant. I don't want to eat you. Don't stare at me," he said, crossing his arms and looking at a dark skull patterned flower. "Even though you have a cool pattern and a sweet smell, you can't trick me twice."He turned head to look at the white flower. "Don't worry, Lily boy, I have an eternal love for you. Oh, ChupaChupa, don't be sad," he muttered, grabbed that plant into the poach. This place was perfect for living. Maybe I could find some sacred food."Aria, how did you find this island? Do you own this land? Can I take some goodies from here?" Rain asked, grabbed more good stuff to the poach."Aria, are you looking for plants?...""Look! that multi color beetle...""Aria, do you think this eatable... Nah, don't try?""Oh, this one looks pretty...""Aria, see, see, that river looking cool...""Wow, I found a rare mushroom!""Aria, are you the owner of this island? How much would it cost to buy it?""This place is amazing. If we travel through the island, we could gather all the seasonings we need for cooking, even though I can't get much about the taste of food. But I'm sure this place has—"Aria suddenly stopped and turned back, her blue eyes glowing. "What happened to you?" she asked. Her voice was icy like thousand year ice.His hand dropped stuff that he carried along the way. Her face was still cool and beautiful as ever, but with an eerie aura surrounding her that sent chills down his spine. "I-I just picked up some things," he stammered, answered without thinking.Her glowing eyes remained. What did I do wrong? Were my hands dirty? He swiftly wiped his dirty hands with his shirt and looked back at her. Her eyes glowed brighter. No, no, no, it was the wrong choice. Cold sweat beaded around his head. I needed to think. Rain, use your smart brain. Solving this problem shouldn't be that hard. She would not kill me. She was just mad at me for something. Let's trace back what happened. She remained silent for a long time. I picked some plants and edible mushrooms, just asking her about the ownership of this island. Lastly, when I grabbed a plant, she looked back at me as if she wanted something from me. AH! I know it! Haha.A smile spread across his face, looked back at her with proudly pose. His left arm touched the tree, supporting his body, while his right arm raised his hair. "Do not worry, milady. I already know what you're concerned about. Milady owns this land. I'm just a mere forest collector. According to the harvest and tribute law, I will give milady half of the stuff, 50:50. Are you satisfied with this condition?" He winked at her for a bonus.Chirk! Chirk! Chirk! the sound of cricket roams around the area.Her eyebrows slowly furrowed, her face darkened. She really looked like an iron maiden that I saw on the deepest floor of a prison. He made an effort to stop himself from sweating, but it cascaded down like a fountain. Was I going to die today?"Wait, wait! Aria, please don't be angry, okay? What do you want?" No more proud acts. Only a little lamb remained in his heart. He hoped that this day won't be the turn that he will be sacrificed."Could you stop talking? We were hunting. Do you think a boar would stand still if it heard you talking noisily with your plant friends like that?" she said in a controlled voice, making sure only Rain could hear her.Rain suddenly covered his mouth and spoke in a very low voice. "Um! I'm sorry, but I don't know that why we are here? Why don't you just tell me we are going to hunt? A boar right? That way—"Aria stared at Rain. "Stop that noisy babbling!" she said.He shook like a lamb and answered, "ok."Her eyes stopped glowing. She turned and walked forward, leading the way.He reached towards his dropped pouch, but suddenly stopped. sweat cool bud came, A cold gaze from Aria stopped him."Just take this pouch, okay?" I said.Aria didn't answer back. She just turned and continued walking. A faint voice escaped her lips, "so troublesome…"Grabbing the poach and tying it to my waist, I softly tapped it twice. "You're safe, my friend," He whispered quietly.After walking around for half an hour, they finally found a sign of a living being, a boar's hoof footprint in the area. But it was huge, the size of my head. So they followed that sign. Eventually, both encountered their target.Aria raised her hand, signaled Rain to stop, and looked back at him."I know, no talking, right? Have I spoken to you since then?" Rain whispered. As he hid in the bushes, peering at the boar through a gap in the leaves. It was a massive creature, standing at three meters tall with black fur and long, menacing tusks. I surely doomed if I stabbed by it. Luckily, we were downwind, and it hadn't noticed us yet. Aria was truly skilled in her field. She knew the way and where to hide, even the smallest details like as instruction me to throwing out mushrooms, to be removed attraction odor."Don't look at me like that. I'm not your plant," she said. Covering herself with her cloak to prepare for the fight.She stepped closer to me. Even though I wasn't particularly good at judging beauty, I could tell she was stunning. blue mana that gathered and flowed into her eyes and hair perfectly matched, and droplets of water floated around her, giving her an almost saintly appearance. Even in her camouflaged cloak, her radiant aura couldn't conceal.Aria spoke in a lower tone, "You attack it from the front, and I'll come after you to distract it as much as possible.""Okay..." He answered without thinking. Just attack from the front, sus easy task. "What!! What?! Aria, are you joking? I don't know how to fight! And even if I did, how could I take on that enormous boar? Look at my scrawny arms and legs!" Rain said as his eyes widened."How do you not know? You can fight against me. Dodge my attacks, move swiftly like a mouse in a rice field," she replied."That's not a fight at all, it's just running and fleeing for the life, For the Earth mother, a rat? Do you think of me as a rat? Are you a farmer trying to catch and destroy me, thinking that I damaged your rice field, right?" H said, while using three fingers to mimic a rat pointing out of his nose."I said mouse, mouse in the rice field, not rats in the sewer! There are difference. mouse are mightier and cuter!" Her voice rose."Ho ho, are you a fan of rodents too? In my previous castle, I had a lot of rodent friends. Someday, I'll introduce you to my best friend, Remy. He's really good at cooking. Maybe he can teach you to become the best chef," he said."Rain!" Her voice rose to the maximum.The boar sensed something, looked at the noise, but there was nothing moving, only beetles flying around. It seemed to hate the beetles, only releasing a huff to express its annoyance, then continued digging in the mud."sheeehhh, lower your voice. You'll make the boar notice us," Rain whispered.She looked at Rain with half-lid eyes. Suddenly, his back felt wet. His brain alerted telling him he needed to apologize quickly, right now. Stop thinking and just say it, "Sor—.""Are you going to fight or not?" She asked in an icy voice.Like a lightning flash striking him, he answered without thinking, "Sorry, no—" His brain alerted again. It disappointed and felt sorry for him. Why couldn't it be my usual smart brain? Damn it, sorry, brain. We might die today. At least we have someone to die with. He tried to grab his friend by his side, but he wasn't there.Aria smiled at Rain. Not a sweet smile, but a cold one. Goosebumps rose, and cold sweat covered his body. "Okay, then let your friend fight instead." She showed him his best friend, Rocky. It looked so helpless in her hand, looking at Rain as if it needed help.