Afternoon Arrival
The afternoon sun had risen, drying the ground beneath its heat. From within the forest, Shun and Noel walked side by side, supporting each other as they returned to camp, their bodies covered in wounds. At that moment, the leader of the camp saw his son in a battered state.
Footsteps approached from behind.
"Well, look who's here. Shun, your son, Boss… and my little brother."
A man removed his glasses as he spoke, his voice casual yet attentive.
"What do you think of the boy, Ravel?" the Boss asked the man.
Ravel glanced at Shun briefly before answering, "If he managed to get my stubborn little brother to cooperate, I'd say he has the potential to become something remarkable, Boss."
Both of them then turned their gaze toward the forest, waiting for the other children to appear.
Suddenly, from the depths of the trees, Abel emerged, startling the overseers.
"Eh, look at that! Someone's coming out!" one of them exclaimed in surprise.
The overseers quickly rushed toward Abel to check on him.
DRAKK!
The sound of a tree crashing to the ground echoed from behind Abel. From within the dense bushes, a massive three-meter-tall boar burst forth, its body riddled with wounds, charging straight at him!
SLANG!
The boar's movement suddenly shifted, its tusk grazing Abel's shoulder, sending him sprawling onto the ground.
Shun and Noel, who had just emerged from the forest, were stunned to see Abel under attack. However, in their injured state, they were powerless to intervene.
Before the beast could strike again, its movements slowed. It staggered, swaying dizzily, then collapsed onto the ground.
The overseers hurried toward the fallen creature, inspecting its condition. One of them discovered a throwing knife embedded in its body its tip coated in poison.
"When did this knife hit it?" one of the overseers muttered in confusion.
"Since the moment I threw it."
A calm voice responded. Ravel walked forward at a leisurely pace toward the boar's lifeless body.
"Oh, so that was you, Ravel," one of the overseers remarked, now understanding.
From a distance, Shun watched the man with wide eyes. Moments ago, he had seen Ravel throw the knife, but he hadn't been able to see its trajectory at all! One second, it was in Ravel's hand, and the next, it was already lodged in the boar's flesh.
"Noel…" Shun spoke.
"What?"
"Who is that guy?"
Noel glanced at him briefly before looking ahead again, his expression unreadable. "That's my brother. Ravel a thief."
Shun remained silent, processing the information.
"Noel."
"Hm?"
"Do you know anything about Abel?"
"What do you mean?"
"I don't know… I just feel like there's something strange about that girl. Like… she's hiding something."
Noel sighed tiredly. "You know, saying things like that can hurt a girl's feelings."
Shun responded with silence.
"But it's not like I don't care about her," he added after a pause. "I just don't like people keeping secrets from me."
Noel smirked. "So, does that include me?"
Shun shrugged. "I followed you in the first place because I had no other choice. But that doesn't mean we can't be good friends, right?"
On the other side, Ravel crouched down, examining the boar's body. His eyes narrowed as he noticed several burn marks across the beast's skin.
"Hey, that girl who is she?" he asked one of the overseers.
"Uh… she…" The overseer hesitated, glancing at his colleague.
Another overseer stepped forward. "She's a child found abandoned near the elf forest eight years ago. Lady Beatrice's group discovered her during their journey."
Ravel smirked slightly. "That woman found something rare, huh?"
The overseer was silent for a moment before realization dawned. "Oh… I see. That makes sense now."
As the day progressed and they continued waiting for the remaining children to emerge from the forest, the Boss eventually approached Ravel.
"Ravel, we're done"
"Boss," Ravel interrupted, his eyes still fixed on Abel. "It looks like we've found a genius mage."
The Boss froze.
"…What?"