Under Viscount Jackson's offensive, several more wizard apprentices quickly agreed to join.
After all, they had been staying on his territory for quite some time, and the man was a Great Knight — it would have been hard for the other apprentices to refuse.
But there were exceptions. The snub-nosed apprentice Leilin had met last time refused the city lord's invitation without hesitation.
In the end, Jackson turned his gaze to Leilin. "And what about you, Mr. Leilin?"
Jackson had his suspicions about Leilin. The timing was a bit too convenient, and he wondered whether this apprentice might be an envoy sent by the royal family.
Unfortunately, since his arrival, Leilin had spent nearly all his time holed up in his manor, rarely venturing outside. No wizards had come seeking revenge either — it was as if he had come here to live in seclusion.
If not for the fact that he had previously posted a quest to investigate the Withered Forest, Viscount Jackson would have given up entirely.
"In the end, it has to be dealt with. Going in as a team works well enough," Leilin thought to himself, though on the surface he put on a conflicted expression. "I've been studying Potionology recently and I'm terribly busy. Several experiments have reached critical stages…"
"I must insist that you make time!" Viscount Jackson said suddenly. "I know Mr. Leilin has been purchasing large quantities of Hofu Purple Leaf lately. That material is quite rare, and other cities won't have much in stock. The city lord's mansion, however, still has a whole warehouse of it. As long as Mr. Leilin agrees to join the expedition, I'm willing to add it to the compensation!"
"Hofu Purple Leaf?" Leilin's eyes lit up. He hadn't expected this kind of windfall — it was probably Jackson's bottom line. After "struggling" with the decision for a while, he finally agreed.
After that, the apprentices set a specific time and each hurried off to make their preparations.
Leilin had little faith in how much combat power these retired, pampered apprentices could muster in a real fight.
"But they're still apprentices — they can at least cast basic spells, right?" he consoled himself.
Just then, Meierfeile, who had just taken his leave, strode quickly over to Leilin with a worried look on his face. "Young man, once we get to the Withered Forest, you absolutely have to protect me!"
"My lord! You're a Third-rank — a Third-rank apprentice! I'm only Second-rank!" Leilin's eyes went wide.
"Sigh… I'm getting old. I've forgotten nearly all the spell models in my memory. You know, constructing spell models is delicate work — if there's even a small structural error, the resulting magical explosion could reduce me to nothing!" Meierfeile said with a helpless look.
"How long has it been since you last cast a spell?" Leilin had a sudden bad feeling.
"Thirty or forty years, I think? You know, I've always considered myself more of a scholar," Meierfeile replied innocently.
"Damn!" Leilin suddenly regretted everything.
Two days later at dawn, the gates of Polar Night City swung wide open. A squad of iron-clad guards marched out, surrounding several figures in the middle as they quickly moved away from the city.
"I didn't expect the viscount to come with us!" Meierfeile looked quite pleased — having a Great Knight nearby was a significant guarantee for his safety.
Beside him, Jackson wore a suit of black steel armor, his helmet's visor lowered, ready to cover his face entirely at a moment's notice.
"How are your preparations?" Leilin found an opportunity and quietly asked Meierfeile.
"I cram-studied some spell models these past two days. I can barely manage two now!" Meierfeile whispered back.
"Good enough!" Their previous conversations had mostly been lighthearted banter — Leilin absolutely refused to believe that this old fox didn't have some life-saving trump cards hidden away.
The world of wizards was no peaceful place. Without a few tricks up his sleeve, Meierfeile would have died long ago without leaving so much as ashes behind, let alone be bouncing around as a great scholar.
"Still, even the Black Iron Guard has been deployed? Looks like two squads — that's twenty people!"
"Of course. These are the city lord's elite forces!" Meierfeile answered offhandedly. In truth, both he and Leilin knew that in the Withered Forest, these two squads of Black Iron Guard served only one purpose: cannon fodder.
The Dark Night Forest wasn't far from Polar Night City. After marching for about half an hour, the large group reached the forest's outer edge.
"The dangers in here are much lesser than in the forests near the Black Bone Forest Academy. At least, ordinary people can move around freely as long as they're careful — picking herbs and other materials and all that."
Leilin walked in the middle of the formation, watching two guards clearing the path ahead, his mind wandering freely.
Along the way, Leilin noticed that the life force in the Dark Night Forest had diminished considerably. Although it was spring, the forest seemed lacking in vitality.
Moreover, everyone felt a heaviness settle over them, as if a layer of shadow had covered their hearts — a deeply oppressive sensation.
Leilin looked around. The bark on the tree branches showed signs of withering, and at the base of some fresh, tender shoots, a faint yellow discoloration had appeared.
"Although the blight zone hasn't reached here yet, the signs are already showing," Leilin sighed.
"This place really has changed! My family were hunters, and at this time of year, the forest was always full of all kinds of animals, plus fresh wild vegetables and medicinal herbs…"
From nearby, the whispered conversation of several guards drifted into Leilin's ears.