Night hastily arrived in Mundo, and for Naell it was a sign to head to his own room and end the day on his own terms; and so, as he said his farewells, he found himself with the warmth of his bed, the silence of his quarters, and the soft snore-like HOOTs of his roommate.

Even in his own dreams, Naell was looking forward to the next few days. As he had finished his exams for the week, he could now sit back, relax, and enjoy his time for leisure- or so he had hoped.

What greeted him in the morning was a living nightmare, for as soon as he opened his eyes he wished he had just closed them for several hours longer.

Yet an eager Owly kept hooting at his face as he stood atop him with a letter in his beak. He then said, “From the guild, HOOT!”

Being the good friend that he was, (Naell said to himself) he finally gave in and opened the contents of the letter,

Greetings Owly and his friend, young master Naell of Beryldot.

I, the current Chieftain of the Pegasus tribe hereby request both of your assistance. It concerns the forest of Lagupa and our very own abode.

…

……

Essentially, their assistance was requested by none other than the chieftain himself making it nigh impossible to refuse. Although in the first place, as soon as he saw that the letter came from their tribe, Naell already decided to accept his fate- afterall, he knew that Owly had been yearning to visit the tribe of Pegasus.

Not only was the young owl friends with everyone in that place; he and Athena stayed there for years before finally venturing out into the world.

Hence, it was inevitable that he wished to visit his hometown. One could even say his personality was developed in that very place.

And so, the two accepted the quest and soon enough they were welcomed by the tribe’s delegates who went to the outskirt of Taglagas to meet the duo. One was Kent Freide, the son of the current Pegasus tribe’s chief, Tucker Freide, and a close friend of the young owl.

“Thank you for accepting our call, Naell, Owly.” Said Kent. Surrounded by the tall thicket of trees that reached the sky, the dark sturdy bark around them made his silver hair seem more luminous.

Upon whistling towards another winged being like him, a carriage with engravings of the Pegasus tribe’s emblem then entered their sights.

“I’ve been meaning to visit everyone for some time now anyway and of course the food, HOOT!” Replied Owly with real enthusiasm in his voice.

Truth be told, Naell knew the food was his aim all along. Owly did often talk about how he deeply missed the specialty of the Pegasus Tribe; the crispy deep-fried pork belly dish called Lechon Kawali.

Almost all restaurants within Taglagas had tried their own take on the dish, yet only that mystical winged-beast tribe could bring out the dish’s maximum flavor.

‘Missing the place my ass.’ Naell thought. Although he was also curious since he never had that dish before.

Still, Naell couldn’t ponder long on the tribe’s delicacy, as what they were commissioned for was an examination of the mysterious events occurring inside the forest; Lagupa was experiencing sudden combustions and flames within a random location in the forest.

At first, both the tribe and the knights of the Autumn Kingdom pointed fingers accusing the other of causing the fire.

This created some strain in the relationship between the tribe and the kingdom, yet as the random spawning of flames went on for several days, it was then that they realized the situation was far more complex.

“We have examined if it might have been the act of some beast or monster but…” As Kent said that, his voice then became heavier.

The looks in his silver eyes were also like a flame raging from what might have caused this. He then finally continued, “It appears to be more likely done by a person knowledgeable of flame magic.”

Words Naell didn’t want to hear but knew were coming.

First, the Forest of Lagupa was maintained by both the tribe and the kingdom. Because of this, awakened monsters were an unlikely occurrence there. Not to mention, since they had found out about the dungeon, security became sterner.

At that point, even the pieces of Lucille would second guess venturing into the place again. Yet now an unknown force was wreaking havoc throughout the forest.

Even though the scale was not to the point where the tribe nor the kingdom should be concerned, the random appearance of flames had become quite frequent.

“So as soon as we arrive…” Kent said as he opened the carriage’s doors, revealing the comfortable white airy cushions of silk inside.

“...Please help us find the cause of all this.” He continued as Owly happily flew in with his HOOTS.

“...”

Naell remained standing outside the carriage. He first looked at Kent, and then at Owly before finally asking, “Sure, I get it… but uhm, why not commission a high-ranking adventurer and scholar for this one?”

On paper, Naell was indeed a B-rank adventurer. Although it was certainly a fairly respected rank it was in no way as high as the likes of A-rank adventurers.

As he was expecting a clear answer, Kent only replied vaguely stating how someone recommended him and Owly.

Naell only nodded and followed his companion into their mode of transport with no question. Yet as he sat, he continued silently thinking once more as their carriage took off

Taking Owly’s friendship with the tribe into account, their relationship meant they could just barge in without the guild, and Naell was likely to accept the request.

Further, the tribe of Pegasus could even hire S-rank adventurers as they were well off; it was a known fact that the legendary beast left all his treasures in that very place.

‘Owly did confirm it was an overstatement though, it’s really just half… so why?’ As Naell’s thoughts came rushing like the serene wind entering the window by their seats, the road amid a grass field then came into view.

Hints of summer were already taking over the place, and a subtle warmth swirled even within their carriage. The trees and summer flowers alike were in full bloom, covering the field in different colors.

If there was one thing Naell was looking forward to in their mission, it was scenery like that which often beheld his mind.

“Lily would love this.” Naell blurted out to which Owly HOOTed in agreement.

‘I guess, it’s been almost a year since I came here…’

A lot had happened since then, and Naell was very grateful for it all.

.

.

.

The sun was still at its peak when they arrived in Lagupa. What Naell immediately noticed was how much thicker the forest had become compared to their last visit.

More so when they entered the forest. Dead branches were visibly standing out, mistletoes were extending far beyond that even though the sun shone brightly above the foliage, the forest was quite dim.

Naell couldn’t help but smile and sigh at the same time as he thought, ‘This can’t just be it, right?’

Yet as they went further, the appearance of the forest only solidified his guess. He then asked, “Say… Kent, why does the forest seem a bit wilder than before?”

To his question, Kent and the others were dumbfounded. Two knights from Taglagas and Pegasus tribes were with them.

Seeing none understood his words, Naell asked again, “Have you guys stopped pruning the trees?”

Yet still, their faces were filled with confusion. It was Owly who realized what was wrong. Although it was only after venturing deeper that he asked, “Trimming the forest, HOOT?”

Naell nodded, and then Kent replied, “Well, after the fogging disappeared, we decided the thickness should be maintained.”

“Would the overgrowth not make the forest’s security bad?” Asked Naell to which the two pegasus tribes responded with a condescending tone, “For beings like you, but with our keen senses, it would make no difference.”

“Then how come you couldn’t determine the cause of the fire?”

“That is…”

Yet their pride was immediately turned against them. To make matters worse, Naell didn’t ask those questions to berate them, he was only curious.

That was why Owly and Kent could only laugh figuring the young master of Beryldot was just genuinely asking.

Kent then replied, seeing his mate's blank and defeated expression, “It is because before we could even sense or see what was happening, the fire already broke out.”

[ YEAH, THAT’S RIGHT! ] Firmly they supported Kent’s words.