Artur ran through the tall grass of the Bog forest with five other mages. Glancing to the side, he saw his wife's red hair billowing in the wind.
He sighed heavily, realizing that his reckless actions had nearly caused serious harm to his wife. If it weren't for Robert quickly forming the Phalanx Formation and the other mages coming to their aid, they might have been finished at the demon camp. He couldn't fathom what had possessed him to act so recklessly after seeing Anna's silver hair at the demon camp.
"Artur, are you okay?" Rini asked, noticing the furrowed brow on her husband.
"Just leave him be, Rini. Due to his recklessness, some A15 class students got seriously injured," Robert thundered without even turning around.
"Robert, this is also your fault. You are their leader; you should be able to handle your own subordinates."
"But Uncle Vate--"
"That's enough, Robert! You should have immediately called for us after finding the demon camp and retreated! You are no longer kids; you should know your limits! Your task was only to investigate, remember?"
Before Robert could finish his sentence, a loud voice came from the mage running at the front of their formation. He was big and muscular, his long hair flowing down to his hips, looking untamed.
A large axe rested on his back, appearing too heavy for even two mages to lift. He was a Level 5 Constellation Mage, one of Stent Gaht's first five disciples.
Although Robert was Stent Gaht's own son, he would never dare to raise his voice in front of this man. Stent Gaht didn't want his son to become spoiled and overbearing, so he taught him humility and respect for those older and stronger from a young age.
And the man with the large axe was the third strongest among all of Stent Gaht's disciples. He was Gathjee, without a last name as he had once been a slave whom Stent Gaht had freed. In remembrance of his origins, Gathjee refused to use the Gaht last name.
Robert remained silent and lowered his head, "Alright, Uncle Gathjee."
"Robert, I know you are being cautious. However, I blame you for not checking the cave that the monsters passed through beforehand. Even if you were afraid of traps, you should have been able to handle them with animal control spells or something similar," Gathjee said.
"Do you mean someone lured Robert into the demon camp without going through that cave, Master?" a blue-haired woman asked.
She was Listi Hummer, a Level 4 Constellation Mage with Earth Spell Faction. She was a second-generation disciple of Stent Gaht, and her mentor was Gathjee. She didn't carry a weapon; only spiked gauntlets covered her arms. Her face didn't possess conventional beauty, but it still made people turn for a second look.
Gathjee didn't answer but furrowed his brow.
After Robert requested an investigation of the location he initially thought was the demon's headquarters, Gathjee, Vate, Listi, and two other mages set off to the designated area. However, midway through, they received an urgent distress message from Robert.
They changed direction and rushed to the demon camp. There, they found Robert and the other A15 class students cornered by demon attacks. After eliminating all the demons at the camp, they conducted an investigation.
However, they couldn't find any of the monsters that had led them there. There were only some monster carcasses and rotting flesh remaining.
Initially, they assumed that the demons had killed all the monsters at the camp. But Gathjee couldn't accept that idea so easily. He asked the other two mages to escort the injured A15 class students back to their headquarters.
Then, he requested Robert to show them the cave the monsters had passed through. But when they arrived, the cave had already collapsed, sealing off the entrance. There was no evidence left to investigate.
In the end, they resumed their original mission, investigating the location Robert had initially believed to be the demon's headquarters. Robert, Artur, and Rini, who weren't too badly injured, insisted on joining because they also wanted to know what really happened.
Gathjee didn't refuse, and now they found themselves in this situation. Traversing the Bog forest toward the place they originally thought was the demon's headquarters.
"I don't know what you're looking for or what made you act recklessly, but if you disobey my orders, I won't hesitate to tear you apart. Don't think I'm afraid to do it just because you carry the Valya last name. Do you understand what I'm saying?" Gathjee glanced at Artur.
Artur's hair stood on end, and cold sweat began to dampen his body. He understood that Gathjee wasn't joking with his threat; he truly would tear Artur apart if he didn't follow his orders.
Swallowing hard, Artur replied, "Sir, Yes Sir!" with a loud voice.
Gathjee didn't say anything and turned his focus back to the path ahead. However, shortly after, he raised his hand to signal them to stop. The entire group halted and looked around, but they couldn't see or sense anything.
Before anyone could ask, they noticed some silhouettes flying above them. Their movements were incredibly swift, and they seemed to be kicking the air rather than floating. In an instant, they landed right in front of Artur's group. The ground bounced as their feet hit the earth, creating a whirl of dust that obstructed their vision. With a single hand wave, Gathjee dispersed the dust, clearing their sight.
Before them stood five individuals with green skin, each towering over two meters in height. They had long black hair haphazardly tied at the back of their heads. Their attire resembled that of forest dwellers, made of animal skins and leaves.
Despite their seemingly primitive appearance, nobody dared to underestimate them as a sense of danger emanated from their aura. One of them even caused Gathjee's hands to tremble as he tightly held the massive axe on his back. Gathjee felt that the green-skinned man before him possessed strength equal to or even surpassing his own.
However, none of Artur's group could sense the constellation level of these green-skinned individuals. Yet, Gathjee, Vate, and Listi's fighting instincts, honed through hundreds of life-and-death battles, convinced them that these green-skinned beings were extremely dangerous.
"Who are you?" Gathjee asked, his brow furrowing.
"Hmm? Shouldn't that be our question? Why have you entered our territory, humans? Are you slave traders or simply lost wanderers?" said the tallest man among them.
He spoke in a relaxed manner as if it wasn't the first time he had encountered humans. Perhaps he had seen adventurers roaming the Bog forest before. However, this place was the deepest part of the Bog forest, and no adventurer dared to explore this far.
"Slave traders? We're not slave traders, and we're definitely not lost. Your territory?" Gathjee's mind was filled with a barrage of questions, leaving him perplexed and unsure how to act.
"Oh, so you're not slave traders? Where do you come from? Are you from the Human Alliance?"
"Human Alliance? You know about the Human Alliance? Ah... More than that, who are you? And whose territory are you referring to?" Gathjee asked, surprise evident on his face.
"Humans, I don't know which kingdom you come from, but isn't there a courtesy in human culture to introduce yourselves first when trying to know your conversation partner?" the green-skinned man looked at Gathjee with a furrowed brow.
Gathjee was taken aback. A quarter of his life was spent as a slave, another quarter dedicated to training to become a powerful mage, another quarter spent in battles to grow stronger, and the rest was spent training his disciples. When did he have the time to learn about etiquette?
However, he didn't sense any hostility from the green-skinned group in front of him. They seemed like border guards encountering an uninvited guest. After mentioning that they were from the Human Alliance and not slave traders, the readiness of the green-skinned individuals decreased slightly.
Whatever the case, it seemed they harbored a hatred for slave traders, especially the tallest green-skinned man among them.
"I am Gathjee," Gathjee said briefly.
"No last name? Hmm, it seems you are a former slave," the man said with a concerned gaze as if he recognized someone familiar.
Moreover, where did these people come from? How did they know human customs and culture so well? Were they also humans? Was there a human race with green skin?
The questions piled up in Gathjee's mind, but the man continued speaking.
"My name is Moku The Ku. I am a Semendo of the King of arion species, the ruler of the Wilwatikta Kingdom," he introduced himself.
"Semendo?" Gathjee said puzzled.
"Hmm... Perhaps humans are more familiar with the title 'prince'," Moku said while stroking his chin. Then his gaze shifted to the people around Gathjee and stopped at Artur.
He stared at Artur for so long that it made Artur feel uneasy. Even though Moku didn't emit any aura, it still felt like the gaze of someone with strength equal to or even surpassing Gathjee.
Artur felt as if he was being scrutinized by a wild beast that could pounce on him at any moment. Although the wild beast meant no harm, the gaze still made Artur's knees tremble.
Gathjee noticed this oddity and said, "Hey, what are you doing?"
However, Moku seemed to disregard Gathjee and pointed in Artur's direction. Instantly, the entire group drew their weapons, ready to fight. Even Gathjee took out his axe and stood in front of Artur, separating him from Moku.
But Moku's next words left the entire group in shock.
"Are you Artur Morris?"
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