When Mark finally reached the corpse and looked at what Ely was pointing at, he understood instantly.

Along the body of the serpent, between the scales, there were deep cuts that were cauterized.

"..."

Mark stared at the wounds on the serpent’s body for a few more seconds, until Zilu approached his side and crouched down next to the corpse, examining the marks.

"Master, aren’t these the same marks that were on the troll corpses?" she asked without taking her eyes off the wounds.

"Yeah..."

Zilu ran her fingers close to one of the wounds without touching it, and the heat emanating from the flesh was strong enough to feel from several centimeters away.

"It’s likely that whatever devastated the troll camp also fought this serpent," said Zilu, getting to her feet.

"..."

"And if we go a bit further... maybe that’s also the reason why we encountered so much activity along the way," she continued with a frown. "So it’s probable that all those beasts that attacked us were just fleeing from whatever did this."

Mark fell silent listening to Zilu, because what she said made sense and matched what he himself had thought before, but hearing it out loud made it sound worse.

"Is it really worth breaking your head over just a few random wounds?" said Aria, joining the conversation.

She was standing a few meters away with her arms behind her head and an expression of total disinterest.

"At the end of the day, they’re just marks on some corpses," Aria continued, shrugging her shoulders. "And so what if something’s loose in the forest? We can handle anything, so I don’t see why—"

Then a sharp smack interrupted her.

Ely, who was beside her, had hit her on the head with the back of her hand.

"Ouch!" said Aria, bringing both hands to her head. "What the hell was that for?!"

"Wow, you really are insensitive, aren’t you?" said Ely, looking at her with an expression that wasn’t exactly angry, but wasn’t friendly either.

"Insensitive?!" Aria repeated with indignation. "I just said what I thought! Why does that make me insensitive?!"

Rose, who had been watching the scene from a couple of meters back, let out a sigh.

"I’m not even sure if she’s insensitive or just stupid," said Rose, crossing her arms.

"WHAT?!"

Aria looked from Ely to Rose and from Rose to Ely with an expression of total offense.

"Master!" said Aria, turning toward Mark with her eyes slightly wet with indignation. "Please say something to them! I just shared my opinion and everyone turned against me!"

Mark was about to explain, but before he could say a word, Alice spoke.

"Aria," she said with a sigh as she approached the group. "Let me explain why everyone got angry with you."

Aria looked at her with her lips pressed tight.

"What you call ’a bunch of random wounds,’" said Alice in a tone that was more of a teacher explaining something obvious than a reproach. "And the reason why it matters is pretty simple."

"..."

"If there really is something causing havoc around here, then that could also endanger Zilu’s home," continued Alice, pointing to the serpent’s wounds. "Her people live inside the Great Forest, did you forget?"

"Oh..." said Aria as she remembered that ’small’ detail.

Aria looked at Zilu, who was standing beside Mark with her ears slightly drooped.

"I’m sorry," she said, putting on an expression of regret.

Zilu looked at her for a second and then gently shook her head.

"You don’t need to apologize, Miss Aria."

"Still..."

"Really, it’s fine."

Aria nodded, still looking guilty, and stayed quiet.

Mark could see how behind Zilu’s calm expression there was worry. The same worry she had probably been accumulating since they saw the troll camp.

He then placed a hand on Zilu’s shoulder, making her look up at him.

"Don’t worry," he said, looking her in the eyes. "I’m sure everyone in your village will be fine."

"Yes..." said Zilu in a voice that didn’t sound completely convinced. "I hope so too."

Mark looked at her for another second and then something came to his mind.

"Zilu, do you remember the village that’s just after we leave the Great Forest?"

"The one marked on the map as the ’resupply village’?" she said, somewhat confused.

"That one."

"Yes, I remember," she said, nodding. "But what does that have to do with it?"

"Since we’re going to pass through there anyway," Mark explained. "What do you think about asking them if they know anything about the strange behavior of the forest beasts when we get there?"

Zilu’s expression became one of surprise.

"D-Do you really mean that, Master?" asked Zilu, her eyes shining.

"Of course," responded Mark with a smile. "I always take care of mine."

Zilu looked at him intently for a second, and then she lunged at him. Her arms wrapped around him tightly, pressing herself against his chest as she buried her face in his tunic.

"Thank you, Master..." she murmured against the fabric. "Thank you so much."

Mark felt Zilu’s ears brush against his chin as she pressed herself closer to him. Then he raised a hand and gently stroked her head.

"You don’t have to thank me," he said while gently caressing her head. "Anyway, we better hurry. We’re almost out of here."

"Okay!" she said, pulling away from Mark.

And with that the group continued on their way.

They walked for approximately another hour until the giant trees gradually became smaller as they advanced.

And then the forest ended.

Not gradually but abruptly. The last trees of the Great Forest formed an almost perfect line, like a natural wall, and crossing it the landscape changed completely.

In front of them stretched enormous plains covered in green grass. The sky was wide and clear, a clean blue that contrasted with the constant gloom they had experienced throughout their journey through the forest.

’So this is the south of the continent...’, he thought, observing the landscape.

"Master, look!" said Zilu from the front, pointing her finger ahead. "You can see the village from here! And it’s not that far!"

Mark looked in the direction she was pointing and indeed, a few kilometers away, beside what appeared to be a road that skirted the edge of the Great Forest, you could make out the shapes of small buildings and the smoke from what were probably chimneys or campfires.

’It’s quite closer than I thought.’

Mark turned toward the others.

"Come on, let’s not waste any more time," he said, beginning to walk in the direction of the village.

...

...

...

At the edge of the forest, exactly where the giant trees ended and the green plains began, a man stood looking at the horizon.

He was considerably taller than an average person, approximately two meters tall with a muscular build that showed even beneath the white suit he was wearing.

His skin was tanned, his short hair white, and on his back he carried an enormous greatsword.

The man let out a grunt of frustration.

"I’m fed up," he said, running a hand across his face. "I’ve spent an entire fucking day walking around this godforsaken forest without finding a single shred of evidence."

He crossed his arms and looked back, toward the darkness of the Great Forest he had just emerged from.

"All I found was a bunch of pests that wouldn’t stop bothering me," he continued with a tone of irritation.

Then he lifted his head and shouted to the air.

"Hey, you!" he said with a loud voice. "Tell me, am I getting close?!"

And suddenly a window appeared in front of him.

[Target Location: NEAR]

"..."

"What the fuck do you mean by ’near’?" he said with his eyes narrowed. "Near what? Near where? In what direction?"

The window didn’t change.

It kept showing the same word.

NEAR.

Then the window flickered once and disappeared.

Leaving the man staring at the empty space where the window had been.

"You know what?" he said, clenching his fists. "Fuck you."

He turned toward the plains.

"I’ll just follow my instincts since you’re useless as shit," he added as he began to walk.

His eyes swept across the landscape in front of him.

Green plains, soft hills, clear sky, and a few kilometers away, following the main road, a small village.

"And I already know where to go first," he said with a half-smile as he began to walk in that direction.