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All of them were surprised when they saw each other. Most of all Naell, who didn't think they would come sooner than anticipated.
'This was certainly earlier than the story!'
Based on the novel, Andrew and the rest would go at the end of Volume 4, as the awakened golem had already captured the forest.
Little did Naell know, what truly brought forth the investigation was the changes he had done, and unknowingly brought forth.
Days ago, the kingdom and the guild dispatched B-ranked adventurers to the forest of Lagupa.
First, it was due to the Winged-tribe's request seeing the mass of monsters invading their land. Second, an anonymous tip was sent to the guild, stating the presence of a dungeon inside the forest.
Due to those, they immediately sent B-rank adventurers to investigate, hence Andrew and his friends' earlier arrival in the forest, days ahead of Naell and Owly.
That was why seeing the two surprised them, even if they knew of Owly's capabilities, as Andrea and Drew had mentioned it a couple of times in their letters.
The possibility of meeting monsters inside the foggy forest was fatal, as they had experienced it themselves.
Little did they know, it was because of them that Naell and Owly were able to walk in the forest with ease.
As a matter of fact, by the time the duo was inside the forest, barely any roaming monsters were left to hinder their search.
.
.
.
'The forest will be captured by an awakened Golem. I guess it's not bad to warn them ahead.'
Naell, no matter how smart he was, truly had a hard time predicting how his little changes could affect the story.
After having much thought, he then realized what might have altered its pacing.
'In the novel, the Pegasus-tribe simply treated the invasion as trifling... because Athena and Owly were there.'
Since they visited the Beryldot estate, neither of them were there to help with the invasion, as even Athena had left indefinitely.
The Vice Guildmaster, after receiving the Winged-tribe's request for support in Lagupa, paired with the stranger's anonymous letter, had issued an earlier investigation of the possible dungeon.
That was why they decided that the kingdom and the guild would have to use scouts (above average ranking adventurers like Andrew) to investigate.
Had it solely been the anonymous tip, the guild would not have prioritized it, but because of the request of the Winged-tribe, they knew that dangers truly were looming around the forest.
Naell wanted to deny the lapses in his judgement, yet he couldn't, as the truth was now in front of him.
Andrew, the main protagonist of the story, with his slick black hair matching his golden eyes, was there staring back. The black armor he was wearing only amplified his protagonist-like good looks.
Yet it was quite frightening to Naell as Andrew had unconsciously gripped his sword upon being alerted of his sudden presence.
The sword he was carrying was immensely heavy, yet it appeared thin because of its lengthier blade. Its deep black color came into view, and the hilt's bright golden markings shined from the sun's light, yet the sword was then sheathed, hiding the interesting resemblance it had to its user.
'Gaviarau...' Naell, of course, knew of the sword's name and bits of its lore; It was a well-known heirloom passed onto the family of Sunheart, believed to have been used by their ancestors to fight with the demons in the past.
There was a popular belief that the blade was once actually golden, but due to the blood of the slain demons, it became darker and slowly appeared more menacing.
Going back, the rest of them were staring at Naell and Owly who seemed to have finally calmed down. Yet the bird took off upon seeing the Winged-beastman, and joyfully greeted him.
"Hey, HOOT!"
"Little one?"
"HOOT!"
"It's been awhile!" Added Kent, before vigorously petting the fluttering owl, bringing forth a small wholesome reunion between the two.
Yet as cute at the sight was, the odd sight of a calm Owly only weirded Naell out.
*******
"Nice to have finally been of your acquaintance, Sire Owly." Said Namiku with a smile and a slight curtsy, both befitting a princess.
'Floof factor.' Naell thought as he watched the owl nod in acknowledgement atop Andrew's head.
As Kent quickly needed to report to the forest, and accompanied Sarah Star, they all bid him farewell and proceeded to head back to Taglagas.
Note had generously offered the young master a spot in the small carriage, which was why all of them were now cramped and stuck together.
Naell of course, wanted to refuse, but he could not as Owly had quickly flown towards Andrew. It then seemed to him that the owl was still slightly mad at him, as he had even gone so far as to being friendly towards them. (Mostly due to the sweets they offered him)
The princess also invited Naell, which he knew could be surmised as offensive if he refused to go with them. That was why, in the end, he could only bow and agree to their wishes.
Rinca and Viola were a bit hesitant with Namiku's decision, but they let it slide knowing she did not mean any harm, and was just sometimes really cheeky.
"Hello, you must be the eastern princess, HOOT."
Owly's reply was greeted with a cheerful smile from Namiku as she said,
"Indeed I am."
Viola and Rinca followed suit, while Andrew, Note, and Rizaul gave a simple nod. They were just formal introductions as they were already acquainted before going inside the carriage.
After that, Naell knew it was his time to greet them. With a bow and the most polite way of greeting, he said,
"Thank you for the lift, princess, Riz, and greetings to all of you."
Namiku replied with a smile and amusement. Naell was truly more handsome upon closer look, yet she could only shake her head and think,
'He's a bad guy. He's a bad guy. He's a bad guy--- right?'
Even those who knew of him personally thought that his often scary looks were now softened by his manner.
"Good to see you as well, Naell." Said Rizaul smiling, which earned him surprised gazes from his friends.
"So what were you doing there, Naell?" It was Note who asked the question after a slight cough in the quiet ride.
All of them were of course curious, and had forgotten how they got distracted by Naell and Rizaul's closeness.
"Ah, that is---" Upon saying those words, Naell with a [ poof ] handed them a parchment containing the guild's approval to explore. He then added on,
"I--- We were here to investigate the fogging."
• Fogging? LIAR, HOOT! •
Telepathically said Owly while looking at him sarcastically.
Yet with simple words and a refreshing smile, Naell's reply made the young owl quiet and cooperative.
• Do you want to share the golden apples? •
It could be said that all of the scorn they were feeling towards one another vanished, as seemingly shiny golden coins were visible in their eyes.
"How did that go?" Teasingly said Note, as the fog was still there when they left.
Yet Naell misunderstood Note's words as friendly and caring as he thought,
'How nice, he was worried about us.'
It was far from the truth, but Naell was conceited as he truly liked Note the most. Not to mention, he was a "dumb dumb" when it came to socialization.
"Well, if it weren't for Owly, we might not have discovered the cause of the fogging." Upon saying those words, Naell briefly explained how the fairies were involved in that incident.
"..."
Namiku and Note were surprised as fairies were rare to encounter. Not only were they unsociable with other beings, but they were also mischievous, hence other beings also disliked them.
Although Andrew, Viola, and Rinca still felt awkward towards Naell, they could not help but be curious as well.
Yet bad memories they could not brush aside, only prevented them from speaking, causing an unfaltering silence to fill the carriage.
Little did they know, Naell was also feeling the same way, but because of his often misunderstood face, they thought he was uncaring.
Like the silence, Naell's awkward smile that appeared cold to the rest of them, was unfaltering behind the heavy atmosphere.
Namiku and Note then began regretting their decision. Awhile back, when they first saw Naell, the two of them had the same idea as they glanced at each other:
'Let's invite them!'
They, of course, were also wary of Naell, but unlike the rest, they were interested to know more about the curious case of Naell Beryldot.
Still, the heavy silence and awkward atmosphere they were now experiencing were too suffocating even for the duo.
Luckily, the always unfazed Rizaul saved the day. With his uninterested face framed by his green hair and yellow eyes, he asked,
"Why is it then that the fog was still occupying the forest?"
Naell then explained how the Golden fairy's magic would probably last for months before it got dispelled for good.
The half-elf's success in breaking the ice had now become apparent. Upon hearing the word "Golden", the ladies quickly grew more interested and immediately showed it on their faces.
"Do you mean YOU MET A ROYAL FAIRY?"
"WAS SHE TRULY GOLDEN?"
Namiku and Viola could not help but ask in amazement, completely dispelling the heavy atmosphere.
"Ahhh yes..."
Naell then awkwardly told the story based on what he remembered. Soon, Andrew, Note, and Rizaul's interests were piqued upon hearing how he and Owly fought against them.
It was already getting late when they had arrived in Taglagas. The sun was already setting and the bright environment the school always illuminated, was slowly engulfed in the night's light. Still, it was admittedly beautiful in its own right.
Naell was invited to dinner by Rizaul, but he declined, for it was already too much for his mind to be with them any longer.
'I'm not really welcome which is understandable.' He thought while smiling, before thanking him for the kind offer and adding on,
"Though I'm sure Owly would be delighted."
Owly questioned him with a face that clearly said "are you sure?", but Naell's smile told him he was giving a genuine okay. Seeing this, the young owl was delighted and had no qualms showing this as his wings were fluttering with joy.
As the night only grew darker, Naell quickly thanked them once more before parting ways. He then caught a glimpse of them as he walked, happily talking as a fat bird flew by their side.
You know, I would find it funny if Neil ate up all the golden apples while the owl is gone as revenge.
Lol poor Owly
@HobbyistPeasant Owly's a gluttonous traitor, he deserves it.
I am curious if they try to get Owly to give them more information. Food seems to be his primary motivation.
Owly's a shameless glutton unfortunately. Thanks for reading!
I honestly feel a lil sad for Naell, i get the feeling that through all that awkwardness with the others, and the misunderstood cold smile that he's truly lonely. I mean the only peeps he hangs out with is the Lord of Gluttony, Sir Owly the Fluffy Cannon Ball ? i hope he makes a friend who can see through his facade and help others understand him more ?
We feel the same way. XD but don't you worry Owly and Naell underneath all that is actually good friends
How Will He gain A Friend When He Doesnt Even have A Spine
Thx for the chap.
He didn't say them than his mother was friend with the golden fairy ? A shame if not, because that would bring a interesting situation.
I'm curious too.
He didnt say that one since he knew that would bring unnecessary attention!
@kooljic09 hope that answers it.
Yeah, not sure how I feel about his “one best friend owly.” Not only is owly restricting his abilities as his ONLY form of usefulness, but he also is upset about not eating apples immediately, actively and friendly engaging with the person who clearly left deep emotional scars on “Naell”psyche, and now going out to dinner with the people that hold grudges against him and one that beat him so bad that he literally knocked another spirit into him from a different world...! is it time to admit that Naell is a clear beta and will never grow past being afraid of himself, his past(not even really his past), his reflection, strangers, and people he knows? He will probably continuously allow people to look down on him and treat him poorly. Never considering their own actions and the affects on him. Never being first in anyone’s heart except maybe through pity. How can you even be continuously attracted to someone so afraid and reserved? He will Never say anything to defend himself. Forever frozen in a moment he never created. He doesn’t have to be a social butterfly, but can he at least defend himself? Can he have any type of aggression to protect himself? The phrase that kills me “Don’t kill them but cut them a little...... “ I get it not wanting to kill anyone. What happens when the road gets tougher? What happens when he finds someone he likes and invariably they get hurt? He’s a beta M with no self respect and is only cool with people devaluing him. He will let anyone do anything to him so long as he doesn’t have to say anything or look them in the eyes. At this point the mc may as well be owly - an uncaring, selfish, lazy, power limiter.
Thank you for the feedback. :) Naell actually approves of Owly's going with them.
@Nezothecat Isn’t that part of the problem? If Zo was in a fight and got beaten up, Zo’s fault or not, would the cat or Ne hang out with the other person that beat him up? Would they go out to dinner with them even if Zo said it was Ok? If it was me and I was even half friends with someone, I would never hang out with the other group.
Well, we understand your point. But Naell really did give Owly a genuine yes.
Owly knew that Rizaul and him were buddy buddy at that point, and that Naell didn't hold a grudge against Andrew's party, hence deciding food with them would be alright. Besides, even though Owly is young, he certainly had a reason for his choice to join them other than his gluttony XD. The fluffy son of Athena might just say something about Naell in the next chapter.
Understandable.
@Nezothecat Well, he definitely said something about him in the next chapter.... eating his food, freeloading, being useless and then agrees that Naell is rude and annoying. Thanks.
@Coheed27 noell Should Leave owly then,