Percy was overjoyed on their trip back. The surrounding environment felt much more vibrant to the happy youth, who realized only now how far they had traveled.
One day ago, the carriage left the Meiso Plains’ outskirts. They entered the Moonlight Forest, the extensive forest they’d avoided for the last few weeks. The surroundings had changed drastically now that Percy paid more attention to them. The trees of the Moonlight Forest were closer than before, while the vigorous undergrowth at the outskirts hid the mysteries and dangers of the forest.
There was only one major trail used in the Moonlight Forest. Unsurprisingly, it was the path leading to the Wintermoon estate.
Percy took a deep breath and absorbed the wild mix of scents in his nose and smiled even brighter as they returned to the carriage.
The Moonlight Forest is full of life and magic. There should be some natural treasures!
“Can we harvest magical herbs while traveling through the Moonlight Forest?” Percy asked Knight Liam, “I asked Igor, but it looks like Dexter is better at searching for monsters and demons than magical herbs. It would be a little bit problematic to run through the Moonlight Forest without a guide or plan.”
“I have some experience with common and rare herbs. I collected magical herbs like Paresis Doom and Inviar Eclipse Mercurialis before. My Gnoll is much more special than you might think,” Percy tapped his nose and smirked at the old knight.
“Your monster has a good nose, you say? I can talk to Ulfhar, but I doubt he wants us to leave the tracks to the Wintermoon estate until we arrive. The Moonlight Forest is a lot more dangerous than the Meiso Plains or your little forest. Even the Archyeas wasn’t as dangerous as some things in the Moonlight Forest.”
Percy wasn’t satisfied, but he could live with Knight Liam’s answer. Either way, they would fight a lot in the next few days. His Prosperity was bound to increase.
Thinking about his Prosperity, Percy tilted his head.
The Ogres weren’t as strong as the Pleacis, but does it make sense that a single Pleacis is worth more than 10 Ogres? The Pleacis was a Mutant, but is that enough to justify the massive haul of Prosperity I gained from consuming it? Maybe the Pleacis’ body is more valuable because of certain body parts. And it was a demon. The corrupted Berserk Rabbits were more valuable than normal Berserk Rabbits, according to my Ego…though Erdwin said the corrupted Berserk Rabbits are worthless.
The demon’s corpse pushed his progress to the next rank as much, if not more than it had been the case with the Adventurers. Recalling how he lost control of his Ego wasn’t nice, but learning more about his Ego was interesting.
“Hunting Demons might be better than expected.”
Their little hunting group returned to the carriage, where something unexpected awaited them. The Glacia Knights were under attack!
A group of avians attacked the horses, pulling the carriage. Some horses had already been injured, forcing the coachman and some Glacia Knights to intervene and calm them before the horses would injure themselves or those around them. The horses were in shock and pain, creating chaos as the avians continued clawing them before flying high into the air, where nobody could reach them again.
Some birds had been struck, cleaved in two halves with one strike, but the majority circled the carriage, waiting for the perfect timing to strike.
Melissa cursed quietly and dashed to the carriage. She replaced her sword with a wooden wand and conjured an icicle at its tip. The icicle’s full power was unleashed with a burst of mana. It soared through the air and struck one of the birds. The avian monster didn’t die immediately, but its wings froze when the icicle shattered.
It lost control of its body and screeched in pain and surprise. The monster crashed to the ground, where several Glacia Knights appeared to end its life.
Percy remained next to Melissa as she continued releasing icicles. Her accuracy was great, but the avian monsters were agile and experienced hunters. They evaded most icicles, only to forget about their existence once the icicles shot past them. That the icicles would explode and transform into a barrage of tiny ice fragments was out of their expectations. The ice fragments cut into their flesh and wings and inflicted their freezing prosperity on the target.
“Diamond formation!” Ulfhar roared while rushing to Melissa. The other Glacia Knights followed suit and took guard around her. The formation around Melissa looked like an unmoving diamond. No matter in which direction Melissa walked, the Glacia Knights followed suit. Nobody left their designation position except Percy, who didn’t have a position to hold in the first place.
This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.
“Don’t worry about the avians on the ground. I can deal with them,” Percy shouted in the group after emerging from the diamond formation. He reached the closest writhing avian, a silvery-feathered eagle, and pierced its throat.
Is that an Iron-feathered Eagle? Aren’t they rare Common Monsters? And what are those? Hawks with blue feathers. To think hawks and eagles would work together to attack our carriage. That is…odd.
Percy had no time to think about the avian monsters’ reasoning. It didn’t matter much in the first place. They were under attack, and their enemies had to be removed.
He reached the next freezing body and pierced its chest with the Silvron Sword. The blue-feathered hawk was harder to kill than the Iron-feathered Eagles, but he presumed the former to be a weak Elite Monster.
But to think none of the Knights know how to handle a bow. Well, they’re knights and not archers. But still. What if a stronger aerial monster were to attack the carriage? Would they rely on Melissa?
Just as the thought escaped his mind, Percy saw a few crossbows appear from Ulfhar’s storage device. The Glacia Knights reached for the crossbows, readied the weapon, and shot.
The rest of the battle was history. The avian monsters were surprised when the first barrage of crossbow bolts whizzed through the air and increased their distance from the Glacia Knights after the second barrage. They didn’t even wait for the third barrage but escaped into the Moonlight Forest.
The coachman was still near his horses and treated them with great care. He glared at one of the Iron-feathered Eagles, struck by a crossbow bolt, and kicked it angrily. Percy raised an eyebrow but proceeded with his little mission. He killed the remaining monsters.
“Since when are Iron-feathered Eagles and Blueflame Hawks working together? In the first place, since when did Blueflame Hawks habitat in the Moonlight Forest?” Melissa asked, “And why did you take out the crossbows so late?”
Ulfhar studied Melissa for a second and looked at Knight Liam briefly before nodding in satisfaction.
“I cannot answer the first two questions, but I can tell you why I didn’t retrieve the crossbows earlier, Lady Reeze.”
Melissa didn’t say a word and waited impatiently until Ulfhar’s lips parted again.
“There are two reasons. First, the avians attacked us not even a minute before you and the others returned. They would have attacked you or Percy if I’d taken out a crossbow right away. Second, I wanted to show the Glacia Knights how weak we are against winged creatures. We are knights and the most accustomed to fighting on the ground, but that doesn’t mean our enemies will follow the same rules.”
You let the horses get injured because you felt like teaching the Glacia Knights a lesson? That’s savage and…cruel. That tactic fits you perfectly, Ulfhar.
Percy remained silent but still judged him. The horses were fine and only mildly injured, which could have been avoided. In the first place, Ulfhar was the one who always said that nobles had to be able to protect themselves. Melissa would never learn to depend on herself if the Glacia Knight Captain pampered her like this.
“Will we encounter many aerial monsters in the Moonlight Forest?” Percy asked to break the heavy atmosphere. The Glacia Knights didn’t seem to like their captain’s tactic because it scratched their pride and honor.
“The last few days to the Wintermoon estate are usually the most dangerous. We might have to travel slower than expected if we encounter more monsters, which is exactly what I predict. It has been years since Baron Levian hired Adventurers to cut the monster population in the Moonlight Forest. He says that the trip to the Wintermoon estate should already be considered part of the Imperials’ training.”
“Who is Baron Levian?” Percy asked, unable to hide his embarrassment. His ears turned red as the Glacia Knights smiled at him.
“Baron Levian owns the Wintermoon estate and most of the Moonlight Forest. But it makes sense you don’t know him. He only visits his estate for the Imperial's training and doesn’t take care of his lands either. He has no citizens and is usually at the capital, where he splurges his fortune,” Ulfhar sighed deeply, “Baron Levian is a powerful warrior. Probably one of the strongest Imperials alive in the last few decades. He was a commoner and granted both a noble title and a small piece of land on the outskirts of the Moonlight Forest with the promise of more land if he managed to conquer the Moonlight Forest.
That was exactly what Baron Levian did. He conquered the Moonlight Forest, found the mana vein, and built the Wintermoon estate. The Old Knight had to keep his word and granted him full control of the Moonlight Forest. After discovering the mana vein, he probably hated himself for the promise, but that matters little. Baron Levian’s biggest conquest was not only his most significant achievement but also his downfall. Of course, many wouldn’t agree with me, but that’s my opinion. Baron Levian offered the Wintermoon estate for the Imperial's training in exchange for an exorbitant price.
The Old King paid the price, thus starting a new tradition. Since then, the Wintermoon estate has been used to train the strongest forces of the kingdom.”
Percy learned a lot from Ulfhar’s monologue, but he was the most interested in two things.
First, hunting monsters was going to increase his Prosperity. If there were more monsters like the Ogres and the Blueflame Hawks, Percy would increase his Tier by another rank.
Second…
Is the mana vein what everyone is going crazy for? Now I’m curious!