Chapter 273: Entering the Monster Forest.

To reach the Magical Beast Forest as quickly as possible, the Light Squad decided to travel through the night. Unfortunately, there were curfews between countries and cities, and the city gates were closed after dark, making passage impossible.

The Light Squad had no choice but to follow their map, skirt the towns, and take the wilderness roads instead.

The roads were rough and uneven, and the carriage jolted along until midnight before finally stopping beneath a large tree. Everyone climbed out with aching backs and sore muscles, pitched their tents, and settled down for a good night's sleep.

Everyone except Falm, who crouched miserably beside the campfire, keeping watch over the others.

He wasn't happy about it, but what choice did he have? As a high-ranking magical beast, all he needed to do was release the pressure of his overwhelming strength, and no magical beast would dare come near unless it had a death wish.

Besides, he spent his days sleeping inside the Fire God's Mark. Keeping watch at night suited him perfectly.

Of course, Shu Li wasn't about to make him work for nothing.

When Shu Li had returned to the Elven Kingdom a few days earlier, he'd filled his storage ring with fresh fruit to take back to the magic academy. He'd distributed some among the other Little Fairies and given the rest to Falm.

The fruit grown by the Elves had delighted Falm so much that he was more than willing to stand guard for the Light Squad.

And if any magical beast was foolish enough to approach, he wouldn't hesitate to make a midnight snack of it.

During the day, when the city gates were open, the carriage returned to the main roads and traveled through towns. With a little luck, they could even stop at a restaurant for a proper lunch.

By Friday evening, the carriage arrived safely at Diha Village, near the Magical Beast Forest.

The village attracted so many adventurers that its economy was thriving, and its infrastructure was far better than that of an ordinary village. When Shu Li and his companions climbed out of the carriage and saw the bustling scene before them, they wondered whether they'd accidentally entered a town.

"Honored guests, looking for somewhere to stay?"

Enthusiastic villagers immediately surrounded them, each eager to recommend their own establishment.

"At our inn, one gold coin gets you a private room! Two gold coins gets you a private bathroom, and for three, all three meals are included!"

"Come stay with us! We only charge fifty silver coins!"

"Handsome, interested in some special services? Satisfaction guaranteed."

"How about a drink? Come to our tavern! Ten mugs of dark beer for one gold coin. You won't find a better deal!"

"Need somewhere to leave your carriage? Thirty silver coins a day! Dirt cheap!"

Overwhelmed by the villagers' enthusiastic attention, the Light Squad barely knew how to respond. Shu Li and the other boys shielded Sidi and Nasha as they struggled to decline the various offers, eventually choosing the carriage-boarding service.

They intended to enter the Magical Beast Forest that very night and find a Sekern bird before noon the following day. They had no time to spend the night in the village.

When the villager taking care of their carriage heard their plans, he asked in astonishment, "My lords, the forest is full of dangers at night. Are you really going in?"

"Thank you for your concern," Shu Li replied. "We're pressed for time, so we have no choice. Here are thirty silver coins. Please take good care of our carriage. We'll definitely be back tomorrow evening."

The villager accepted the money, offered a few more words of warning, then led the carriage into his courtyard.

Without further delay, Shu Li and his companions left the village, walked five or six hundred meters north, and entered the Magical Beast Forest.

During the journey, they'd disguised themselves as ordinary travelers, wearing simple cloth clothing. Shortly before reaching Diha Village, however, they'd all changed into magic robes and hooded cloaks.

Their previous gathering assignment in the great canyon had earned them a considerable reward. Before setting out for the Magical Beast Forest, Hector, Sidi, Nasha, and Ace had all purchased new magic robes and staffs.

The five Little Fairies and the young dragon simply put on their own high-ranking equipment.

Seriu and Halis, meanwhile, carried the equipment and weapons they normally used.

Since they were heading deep into the forest, encounters with high-ranking magical beasts were inevitable. They couldn't afford to let their guard down.

Falm perched on Shu Li's shoulder, looking half asleep.

"Wake up." Shu Li poked his round belly.

Falm opened his mouth in an enormous yawn and said dismissively, "Everything around here is only first or second rank. There's nothing to be afraid of."

"It's not about being afraid." Shu Li continued poking his stomach. "We're in a hurry. We don't have time to waste fighting little monsters."

This adventure assignment was all about getting in, getting the job done, and getting out.

With a helpless sigh, Falm released enough of his powerful aura to frighten away any magical beast below the third rank.

Sure enough, within moments, the surrounding undergrowth erupted in commotion. The low-ranking magical beasts that had been lurking in the shadows, waiting to ambush passing adventurers, fled in every direction.

"Hey, having Falm around really makes things convenient!" Budno remarked.

Their journey had been remarkably smooth so far. Apart from the rather excessive number of magical plants blocking their path, they hadn't seen a single magical beast.

Angel summoned two balls of light that floated above their heads, following them as they moved and illuminating the path ahead.

"This is the first time I've ever traveled through the Magical Beast Forest so easily," Halis said with a sigh of amazement.

Before becoming a royal mage of the Kingdom of Cecilia, he'd belonged to an adventuring party himself, traveling far and wide in search of treasure.

He'd visited the Magical Beast Forest no fewer than ten times, and every expedition had been fraught with danger.

When he'd first learned that the prince intended to enter the forest with his companions to search for a Sekern bird, he'd opposed the idea.

Sekern birds generally inhabited the central region of the forest, which was also home to countless powerful, high-ranking magical beasts. Some possessed strength comparable to that of a Saint Mage.

Rumor had it that a nine-headed magical serpent lived there, a creature whose strength rivaled that of a Mage Sovereign. Every adventuring party that encountered it had perished.

The sole exception was a Senior Sword Saint who had somehow escaped with his life.

But he'd been grievously injured, losing limbs in the process, and his mind had been so badly affected that he could only babble incoherently. As a result, nobody believed his story.

Halis had explained the forest's dangers to Seriu in detail, hoping to persuade him to abandon the expedition. But Seriu had stood firm and eventually convinced him by revealing the Light Squad's true strength.

No matter how powerful the nine-headed magical serpent might be, it would be no match for the Fire God's mount, whose strength exceeded the tenth rank.

That had settled the matter for Halis.

It had been a long time since he'd last gone adventuring, and an opportunity like this was too good to pass up. He'd agreed to accompany the Light Squad on their assignment.

After all, he'd entered the Magical Beast Forest many times before. With his extensive experience and his general knowledge of where the Sekern birds lived, having him lead the way would save them considerable effort.

They'd been walking for over an hour since entering the forest, yet hadn't encountered a single obstacle.

This was the most outrageously fearless adventuring party he'd ever seen.

"Naturally! With me around, you can swagger wherever you please!" Falm declared, proudly lifting his head and puffing out his chest.

Sidi couldn't resist reaching over, scooping him into her arms, and giving him a vigorous cuddle.

He looked like a round, fluffy baby beast. Seriously, how could anything be this adorable?

"L-Let go!" Falm struggled.

"Heehee! Your tummy's so soft."

Sidi squeezed him like a plush ball. Falm looked utterly defeated by life and eventually gave up resisting.

The others burst into good-natured laughter at the sight.

Halis shook his head with an amused smile, then used the light from the floating orbs to examine the surrounding trees.

Seriu noticed and asked curiously, "What are you looking at?"

Halis pointed to several scratches on a nearby tree trunk.

"These are marks left by adventurers."

Adventurers entering the forest habitually left marks along their routes to avoid getting lost.

If they discovered high-ranking magical beasts nearby, they would also leave warning marks for anyone who came after them.

Seriu stepped closer and saw that there were indeed three scratches on the trunk.

"What does this mean?"

"It means we've entered the territory of third-rank magical beasts," Halis explained.

"Oh, really?"

Everyone crowded around the tree to examine the marks.

Kumandi pulled out his notebook and immediately began taking notes.

The others followed his example, carefully sketching the markings on paper and adding annotations.

Halis: "..."

Why did he suddenly feel like an instructor taking a group of children on a field lesson in the Magical Beast Forest?

Noticing Halis's bewildered expression, Seriu gently patted his shoulder and leaned close to whisper in his ear.

"You'll get used to it."

Halis nodded.

Shu Li finished writing his notes and looked up, only to find the two of them standing close together, their heads practically touching.

He blinked.

Seriu and Halis really were close, weren't they? Practically inseparable!

"What's wrong?"

Ace, who was standing beside him, spoke quietly.

"Uh..." Shu Li snapped out of his thoughts, hurriedly looked away, and shook his head. "N-Nothing."

For some reason, his attention kept drifting toward Seriu and Halis.

He couldn't blame himself for being overly sensitive. The way those two interacted was simply too natural, too intimate. It was hard not to let his imagination run wild.

But how could Shu Li possibly tell anyone what he suspected?

If he'd misunderstood their relationship, it would be unbearably embarrassing.

He cast a rather resentful glance at Hector.

If it hadn't been for that whole business with Hector back then, he wouldn't have started seeing gay men everywhere he looked.

The Little Fairy was helpless.

The Little Fairy sighed.

Ace glanced toward Seriu and Halis, who were still whispering together, and seemed lost in thought.

Once everyone had finished taking notes, the party continued onward.

Although they'd entered the territory of third-rank magical beasts, Falm's intimidating aura kept the creatures from showing themselves. They could only hide in their dens, trembling with fear.

Two hours later, the Light Squad made camp beside a small stream.

They needed a rest.

After lighting a campfire, they ate some dry provisions while studying their map.

"We should be somewhere around here," Halis said, pointing to a spot on the map.

Shu Li looked down and asked in surprise, "We've been walking for three hours, and we've only covered a tenth of the distance?"

The center of the forest was still a long way off. At this rate, reaching it by noon tomorrow would be difficult.

Unless, of course, they skipped sleep altogether and marched through the night.

The Little Fairies and the young dragon wouldn't have a problem with that, but their human companions were visibly tired. Sidi and Nasha were already yawning repeatedly.

"Actually... we don't necessarily have to reach the center of the forest."

Ace drew a large circle on the map with one slender finger.

"Strictly speaking, Sekern birds have an enormous territorial range."

Sekern birds were high-ranking magical birds capable of soaring through the skies. If they wished, they could use the entire Magical Beast Forest as their hunting grounds.

The only reason to head toward the center was to increase their chances of encountering one.

"You mean... we only need to get this far?"

Shu Li compared the distances and discovered that the circle Ace had drawn was only about two hours' walk from their current position.

"Can you imitate a Sekern bird's call?" Ace asked.

"Huh?" Shu Li froze.

"Imitate a Sekern bird's call?" Hector slapped his fist into his palm. "Of course! Didn't you say you raised five Sekern birds?"

Bird catchers often used imitation calls to lure birds into traps. They could use the same method to attract a Sekern bird.

Shu Li immediately understood, his eyes lighting up.

"That's a great idea!"

Why hadn't he thought of that earlier?

After raising Sekern birds for more than ten years, he knew [N O V E L I G H T] their calls inside and out. He even understood which frequencies conveyed which emotions.

"I can do it! I can do it!" Dixio raised his hand. "Chirp, chirp! Chirp, chirp! That's how they say hello!"

"Me too!" Not to be outdone, Angel puckered his lips and began producing a series of birdcalls.

"This one means they're hungry."

"This one means they want to snuggle."

"This one means they're about to fly!"

"And this one means they're angry."

Budno joined the chorus of chirping.

"This is their warning cry before a fight!"

For a while, the campsite rang with Sekern bird calls as the four Little Fairies imitated them with astonishing accuracy.

"Incredible!"

Their human companions gave them enthusiastic thumbs-ups.

"They sound exactly alike," Halis murmured in disbelief.

"SCREEEEEE—!"

Suddenly, a piercing cry rang out from somewhere in the distance, carrying an unmistakably threatening challenge.

The Little Fairies instantly fell silent in shock.

No way.

Had they actually attracted a Sekern bird?!