Wrapped in pale azure light, Mason and Fered burst out of the inn and streaked toward the edge of the town where the elven guards were stationed.
Suddenly, dark crimson flames erupted from the ground and surged high into the sky like a volcanic explosion, landing squarely in the path of Mason and Fered.
"Matvey, what do you think you're doing?" Mason halted his flight just in time, avoiding the flames and thick smoke, his gaze burning with fury as he glared at the tall, gaunt man blocking their way—"Wrath of the Earth" Matvey, a seventh-rank Sky Knight.
Matvey wore his hair cropped short, the deep green locks resembling seaweed-laden waters. He looked up at Mason and Fered and said unhurriedly, "Have you forgotten? Flying is forbidden within the town."
This prohibition was not enforced through any Magic Circle, but rather by the "Town Keepers"—several powerful Sky Knights. After the initial chaos and bloodshed of the Nameless Town's early days, driven by a desperate yearning for order and with covert support from the elves, a number of Sky Knights who frequented the area began forming an alliance. They established rules for the town, restrained the killing between one another, and maintained its peace.
Matvey was one of the Town Keepers.
"In a situation like this, what's the point of banning flight?" As fellow Sky Knights, Fered and Mason were not afraid of Matvey, but they worried about provoking an elven attack. "We're only going to submit to the elves' investigation. Are you trying to stop that?"
They harbored a vague wariness toward "Wrath of the Earth" Matvey, because the unsettling feeling they had sensed originated from him and his companions!
Matvey and his group had done nothing out of the ordinary. After the demon army's first assault, they simply and frequently expressed despair, anguish, and anxiety—declaring that the Elven Court and the Druid Elder Council's Legendary powerhouses could not hold the Abyss Rift, that as the rift continued to expand, the "Will of the Abyss" might descend directly, and that staying in the Nameless Town was nothing more than waiting for death with absolutely no chance of escape.
This restless anxiety, this despair and dejection, this violent anguish—under their influence, it spread rapidly through the crowd. Since these emotions were perfectly normal reactions, neither Mason nor Fered had suspected anything. They simply instinctively avoided contact with Matvey and his group, feeling as though the more they interacted with them, the heavier their spirits became, the more painful everything felt, the more they struggled, and the harder it grew to control their own emotions.
"We're undergoing joint questioning by the elves and the mages too, but we haven't panicked. We haven't broken any of the town's rules." Matvey's dark green eyes were perfectly calm, without the slightest ripple. "Mason, Fered, you both know very well that the more anxious and restless times become, the more we need order. Only by establishing firm and strict order can we prevent the situation from spiraling into chaos and ensure our own safety. Therefore, I will not grant you special treatment simply because you're Sky Knights. Please come with me to the Keeper's Cabin to receive your punishment."
Mason had to admit that Matvey's reasoning was sound, but that oppressive, unsettling feeling still sat heavy on his heart, and he could not bring himself to move a single step. Fered was the same.
Matvey raised his right hand. "Mason, Fered, do you intend to resist? Resist seven Sky Knights, resist High Elves and Legendary powerhouses?"
Every adventurer on the street slowed their pace and became cautious, as though sensing a danger that could ignite at any moment.
……
To the east of the "Nature's Dwelling," a stretch of forest so dense it appeared dark green.
"Lady Martha resides within. She's one of the representatives of the Nature Hatred Faction—please don't provoke her. If she gives any offense, I'll apologize on her behalf first." Elesiting, dressed in a gown of emerald leaves, addressed Julian, Felipe, Heidi, and Anick.
With several investigative leads still to pursue, the mages continued to split up. However, Heidi believed that Sprint's modification of Anick the day before had been nearly useless, so she reorganized the team assignments and decided to take charge herself, intending to bring Anick along to meet more elven friends. She and Katrina had already become good friends with the elf Nordaniel and had built positive relationships with many other elves.
Since Martha was the strongest among the elves requiring investigation, the two somewhat contentious committee members, Julian and Felipe, were assigned to work together.
Julian smiled politely. "It's fine. Every living being has its own philosophy. As long as it doesn't actually threaten us, it's nothing to worry about."
Even an elven princess had preemptively apologized—what more could he say?
Felipe stood with his hands in the pockets of his long black coat, inclining his head slightly in acknowledgment. His gaze, however, drifted past the trees to somewhere far away, lost in thought, as though yesterday's exchanges with the elves and the survey of the Nature's Dwelling had yielded considerable insight.
With two committee members leading the way ahead, Heidi found her mind wandering. She sent a telepathic message to Anick: "After we finish investigating Lady Martha, I'll take you to the elves' Nature Dance."
"A d-dance… I—I can't dance!" Anick was startled, his words coming out in a stammer.
Heidi shot him a glare. "Who's born knowing how to dance? Well, elves apparently… It's not like I'm setting you up on a date with an elf. Making more friends and experiencing new things will help you open up. I don't want my good friend developing a serious psychological disorder because of studying Arcane Magic and Arcana."
She had grown quite close with Rachel next door and had picked up a good deal of knowledge about psychological matters.
Anick very much wanted to say, "I'm perfectly happy studying Arcana and Arcane Magic—solving every problem gives me satisfaction many times greater than dancing or making friends," but he was someone who truly valued his friends. Seeing that Heidi, Reillia, Sprint, and Katrina had all been worrying about his introversion and shyness, he had begun to entertain the thought of making a change. After all, once they returned home, Arcana and Arcane Magic would still be the priority—and the same was true for Heidi and the others.
Elesiting moved through the forest like a young deer—agile and spirited. Before long, under her guidance, Julian, Heidi, and the others glimpsed an undecorated treehouse the color of dark moss, and in the clearing below it, a dozen elves were receiving instruction in dance.