Chương 22: A Quiet Disturbance

The fifth morning in the Mist Forest was colder than the previous ones. A thin mist rested over the camp, covering the ground between the tents. The trees were wet from the previous night's rain, and droplets fell from the leaves whenever the wind passed through them. The students were already awake. The expedition had changed them. Five days earlier, many of them had barely spoken to anyone from the other academy.

Now, they shared meals, compared training methods, and argued over victories that had happened days ago. Amon was currently doing exactly that.

"It was a draw." Rowan crossed his arms.

"You fell first."

"And you couldn't pin me."

"Because you kept running."

"That's called strategy."

"That's called running." Masha sat nearby, eating breakfast.

"You two are still talking about this?"

"Until he admits I won." Rowan laughed.

"Then we'll be here for a while." Leo sat beside the fire. He listened without joining the argument. Alice sat beside him. She looked toward the forest.

"Do you think we'll encounter another beast with a collar?"

"Maybe."

"You don't sound concerned."

"I'm not." Alice looked at him.

"Why?"

"Because we don't know what it means yet." She nodded. That was reasonable. There was no point fearing something they did not understand. Professor Gareth soon gathered the students.

"Today's assignment will take you farther south." A few students exchanged looks. Gareth continued.

"We received a report concerning unusual beast activity in that region." Amon raised his hand.

"Does that mean we can fight?"

"No." Amon lowered his hand. Gareth sighed.

"Your task is to collect Moonroot and Silverleaf. Nothing more." He looked at the students.

"If you encounter a beast wearing a magical collar, do not approach it." The camp became quieter.

"Report it immediately." Nobody argued. Leo's group entered the forest shortly after sunrise. Marcus carried the map. Elena carried the collection bag. Masha and Alice searched for the plants. Amon walked beside Rowan's group for the first part of the journey before separating at the marked intersection. The farther they went, the fewer sounds they heard. No birds. Very few insects. Even the wind seemed weaker. This novel is published on a different platform.

Support the original author by finding the official source. Masha looked around.

"Is it always this quiet?" Elena shook her head.

"No." Marcus stopped walking. Everyone looked at him.

"What?" He pointed ahead. The path continued through the trees. But there were no tracks. No broken branches. No signs of animals. Leo glanced toward the ground. The soil was soft enough to hold footprints. Yet there were almost none. Marcus looked at the map.

"This area should have more wildlife." Amon shrugged.

"Maybe they don't like students." Masha smiled.

"Can you blame them?" Amon placed a hand over his chest.

"That hurts." They continued. Nobody treated the silence as a threat. It was simply another strange feature of the forest. They found the first Moonroot near a large tree. Elena carefully dug around its roots.

"Don't pull it." Masha crouched beside her.

"Why?"

"If you damage the root, the plant loses most of its value." Masha nodded. She helped remove the soil. Alice searched nearby. Leo stood a short distance away. He noticed movement between the trees. A figure. Human. He disappeared almost immediately. Leo narrowed his eyes.

"Someone's there." Everyone stopped. Marcus raised his spear.

"Where?" Leo pointed.

"Over there." They approached carefully. Nothing. Only trees. Amon looked around.

"Could have been a hunter." Marcus nodded.

"Maybe." They found no footprints. After a few minutes, Marcus decided to continue. The stranger appeared again. This time, he stepped onto the path ahead of them. He was a middle-aged man wearing worn traveling clothes. A short sword hung from his belt. He raised both hands.

"Easy." Marcus immediately moved in front of the others.

"Who are you?" The man smiled.

"Just a merchant." Amon looked at the empty forest around him.

"A merchant?"

"Yes."

"Here?" The man's smile weakened.

"I lost my route." Marcus studied him.

"What are you selling?" The man pointed toward a small pack on his back.

"Herbs. Animal products. A few magical tools." Elena looked at him.

"Where did you come from?"

"North."

"Where are you heading?"

"South." Amon frowned.

"That's convenient." The merchant laughed nervously.

"I suppose it is." Leo said nothing. The man's eyes moved across the group. He looked at their uniforms. Then at their equipment. Then toward the direction of the camp. His gaze stopped briefly on Alice. Then moved away. Marcus noticed.

"Are you lost?"

"Yes."

"Then return north." The merchant smiled.

"I was hoping you could tell me the safest route." Marcus pointed behind him.

"Follow the path." The merchant looked at the students.

"Are you all from the academies?" Marcus didn't answer. The man's expression changed slightly.

"Ah." He nodded.

"I understand." He stepped backward.

"Sorry to bother you." He turned. Then stopped.

"One more thing." Marcus tightened his grip on the spear.

"What?"

"Have you seen any large magical beasts?" Amon answered before Marcus could.

"We've seen a few." The merchant's eyes sharpened.

"Any with collars?" Silence. The man's expression changed. He realized his mistake. Marcus immediately stepped forward.

"Why?" The merchant smiled.

"I've heard rumors."

"What rumors?"

"That some beasts are becoming aggressive." He pointed toward the forest.

"That's all." Nobody believed him completely. But there was no reason to fight. Marcus stepped aside.

"Then be careful." The merchant nodded.

"You too." He walked away. Within seconds, the trees swallowed him. Amon looked at Marcus.

"That was strange."

"Yes." Masha glanced toward Leo.

"What do you think?" Leo looked toward the direction the man had gone.

"I don't know." It was the truth. There wasn't enough information to reach a conclusion. Marcus checked the map.

"We finish the assignment and return." Nobody objected. They continued deeper. The second collection point was near a shallow stream. Masha found several Silverleaf plants. Elena collected them. Alice helped organize the herbs. For a while, the encounter with the merchant became a distant thought. Then they found the cage. It was half-hidden beneath fallen branches. Marcus noticed the metal first.

"Wait." He pushed the branches aside. A cage lay on its side. The door was broken. Deep claw marks covered the inside. Elena crouched beside it.

"This wasn't made for a normal animal." Marcus examined the lock.

"No." Amon looked around.

"Could it have been for a magical beast?"

"Definitely." Masha frowned.

"Then where is it?" Nobody answered. Leo examined the ground. There were tracks. Several sets. Some belonged to beasts. Others belonged to humans. The human tracks were fresh. Leo stood.

"We should leave." Marcus nodded. He activated the communication crystal.

"Southern group reporting. We found an abandoned metal cage approximately one kilometer east of the southern marker." The response came quickly.

"Do not investigate. Return immediately." Marcus looked at the others.

"Let's go." They turned around. This time, nobody joked. They returned to camp before sunset. Gareth listened to Marcus's report.

"Did you encounter anyone?" Marcus hesitated.

"A merchant." Gareth's expression changed slightly.

"What kind?"

"Middle-aged. Traveling clothes. Short sword."

"Did he identify himself?"

"No."

"Did he mention the collars?"

"Yes." Gareth was silent for a moment. Then he looked toward another instructor.

"Increase the patrols around the camp." The instructor nodded. Gareth turned toward the students.

"You did the right thing." Amon looked at him.

"Is something wrong?"

"Nothing that concerns you." That answer satisfied nobody. But Gareth did not elaborate. The students were sent back to their tents. Later that night, the camp was quiet. The students had gone to sleep. The instructors remained awake around the fire. Gareth looked toward the forest.

"How many?" The knight instructor answered.

"Two confirmed groups."

"Students?"

"One group." Gareth frowned.

"And the other?"

"Unknown." The fire cracked between them. Gareth stood.

"Keep the patrols moving." Several kilometers away, the merchant stood beneath the trees. The friendly expression was gone. Two men stood beside him. One carried a crossbow. The other had a scar running from his forehead to his jaw. The merchant looked toward the distant glow of the academy camp.

"Two academies." The scarred man asked,"How many guards?"

"Enough."

"And the students?"

"More than expected." The crossbowman frowned.

"Then we wait." The merchant nodded. His gaze shifted toward the cages hidden deeper in the forest.

"And the white-haired girl?" He paused.

"She's always with the same group." The scarred man looked toward him.

"Then keep watching." No one said anything else. The three men disappeared into the trees. Behind them, several cages remained hidden beneath a dark canvas. Something inside one of them moved. Metal scraped against metal. Then stopped. The forest became quiet again. End of Chapter 22.