"Eat slowly..."

In the spacious dormitory, Roland watched the Red Squirrel on the wooden table, who was clutching a piece of white bread and gobbling it down. He couldn’t help but shake his head and chuckle.

Seeing the little guy eating so eagerly, he casually used his Longsword to split a wooden cup in two, poured some water into one half, and pushed it in front of the squirrel.

After some time, when the Red Squirrel finally stopped eating, Roland gently tapped its little head with his fingertip and asked softly.

"How was it, Qiao? Are you full?"

This Red Squirrel was Qiao, the very same one who had helped him and Dalko escape the dense forest teeming with goblins.

"I’m full! I’m full!"

Qiao nodded his little head vigorously. He spoke in a muffled voice as he meticulously licked the breadcrumbs from his paws.

"Roland, you’re really not like the other two-legged beasts. You’re a super good person!"

After speaking, he bent down and drank all the water in the cup. Only then did he let out a satisfied burp, lie down on the table with his limbs spread out, and rub his round, bulging belly with his little paws.

Roland couldn’t help but laugh at the cute, human-like sight.

"So..."

Roland gently rubbed Qiao’s fuzzy little belly and asked with a smile.

"Why didn’t you stay in the forest? What brought you all the way here? If I hadn’t arrived in time, you would’ve been stewed into a soup by that bearded chef."

At these words, Qiao suddenly shivered. He then lowered his little head, his voice filled with an indescribable sadness.

"The forest... the forest is dead..."

"Dead?"

"Yes..."

Qiao’s little paws unconsciously tugged at his own fluffy tail, his voice growing softer and softer.

"First, it was the stream... It turned black and stinky..."

He suddenly sat bolt upright, his black-bean-like eyes glistening with tears.

"Then Grandpa Oak’s leaves started falling in huge clumps, even though it wasn’t the season for it! I could hear him groaning every day. What flowed from the cracks in his bark wasn’t resin, it was... it was black slime..."

The Red Squirrel’s whiskers trembled.

"Mr. Woodpecker flew away with his whole family last month... Before he left, he pecked open the bark of a birch tree, and the wood inside had already turned grayish-white. It crumbled to dust at a touch..."

"After the berry bushes stopped bearing fruit, the Mole family ate all the food stored in their burrow and moved away too."

He wiped his eyes with his paw.

"The Miss Butterflies were the first to disappear. The eggs they laid on the backs of nettle leaves had all turned black. Later, even Uncle Cicada, who was always so noisy, went quiet. The last time I saw him, all six of his legs were curled up, and he was hanging from a branch like a withered leaf..."

"The whole forest became terrifyingly quiet. No birds chirping, no insects buzzing. It was as if... as if something had sucked all the life out of it..."

Qiao suddenly darted to Roland’s side, his small, cold paws gripping his finger tightly.

"When I was escaping, I saw black patterns crawling out from underground, wrapping around the tree roots like a spider’s web... Roland, that isn’t normal withering, is it? The forest was murdered!"

Roland stared at the teary-eyed little creature before him, his brow gradually furrowing.

’Qiao has no reason to lie to me. But it’s currently the transition from spring to summer, a time when all things should be growing, yet the life in the forest is... withering?’

The word rolled around on his tongue, but it felt so out of place.

’Trees seeping black fluid, the ground covered in bizarre patterns... This is definitely not a natural phenomenon.’

’When I go to Wuxi Town to visit Sean, I can take a detour and investigate.’

Pushing aside his chaotic thoughts for the moment, Roland looked at the still-sobbing little squirrel and gently stroked its lowered head with his fingertips.

"Alright, Qiao, don’t be too sad."

He paused.

"How about... you come with me from now on? I can’t give you a home like the forest, but at least I won’t let you starve to the point of stealing food."

"Can... can I really?"

Qiao’s head shot up, his Obsidian-like eyes instantly brightening, but then he began to wring his paws anxiously.

"But... I can’t help with anything..."

"HAHAHA!"

Roland was amused by its expression and carefully cupped it in his palm.

"Who says? If it weren’t for you, my friend and I would never have made it out of that forest."

"But... but..."

Qiao’s little paws tugged at the tip of his tail.

"You already gave me white bread last time..."

"That settles it."

Roland placed him back on the table with an air of finality and turned to start packing his bags.

"But I’m going out for a few days starting tomorrow. I can ask a friend..."

"No!"

Qiao suddenly zipped to his hand, his little paws clinging desperately to his finger.

"Other than you, Roland, I don’t want to be with any other two-legged beasts!"

Looking at the squirrel’s fluffed-up, bushy tail and its stubborn gaze, Roland chuckled in amusement.

"Alright, alright."

He poked Qiao’s puffed-out cheeks.

"Then you’ll have to stay quietly in my backpack and not run around."

"No problem!"

After reaching an agreement with Qiao, Roland washed up briefly and then fell into a deep sleep on his bed.

The next morning, just as the sky was beginning to brighten, Roland opened his eyes right on time.

He went to the cafeteria to get breakfast. Just as he returned to his dorm and portioned out some food for Qiao, a familiar voice called from outside the door.

"Roland! Are you awake?"

Hearing the voice, Roland shook his head in resignation and went to open the door.

Sunlight poured in, illuminating a head of gleaming blond hair. He lowered his voice to remind him.

"Dalko, quiet down. Other people are still sleeping..." 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝕨𝕖𝗯𝚗𝚘𝕧𝕖𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝕞

"Oh, sorry."

Dalko scratched his head in embarrassment, then squeezed past Roland into the room, unable to hide his excitement.

As his gaze swept over the Red Squirrel feasting on the wooden table, he suddenly recalled that he had once wanted to find a pet for Roland.

But this thought was quickly replaced by something more important. The young nobleman couldn’t wait to announce:

"Matthew said you were looking for me? Perfect! I have some huge news to tell you, too!"

He straightened his back, his voice unconsciously rising a few notches again.

"I’m about to leave for the Royal Capital Knight Academy to continue my studies!"

"Congratulations, Dalko!"

Roland was genuinely happy for his friend.

After all, the thing he heard this young nobleman ramble on about most was his various dreams and plans for the Knight Academy.

’Now that his dream is coming true, at least I’ll have some peace and quiet.’

"HAHAHA!"

Dalko laughed heartily, casually grabbing the wooden cup from the table and downing the water in one gulp, causing the Red Squirrel to stare at him with wide, wary eyes.

"Right, what did you need me for?"

"I’m planning to leave Black Water Territory..."

Facing his close friend, Roland decided to be honest.

Although their statuses were vastly different, their long-standing friendship had already made them confidants.

Of course, he still omitted certain details to prevent the naive young nobleman from overthinking things.

"Hmm..."

Dalko frowned upon hearing this. After a long silence, he sighed softly, his gaze toward Roland full of reluctance to part.

The young nobleman opened his mouth, but in the end, only said quietly:

"Roland, I knew someone as talented as you would leave this place sooner or later... I just didn’t expect it to be so soon."

Dalko scratched his head, a bit at a loss, his voice trailing off.

"I was originally planning... to take you to the Royal Capital..."

Before he could finish, Roland had already clapped a hand on his shoulder.

The heavy force made Dalko wince, but it also broke the gloomy atmosphere.

"Don’t look like you’re at a funeral."

Roland looked at his friend’s grief-stricken expression and fought the urge to roll his eyes.

"The Golden Valley Kingdom has long had close diplomatic ties with the River Domain. If you have time, you can come find me whenever you want."

"That’s right!"

Dalko’s dim eyes suddenly lit up, and his tone became a little more cheerful.

"Besides, the Knight Academies of our two countries have frequent exchanges, with opportunities for study programs every year! By that count, we can see each other at least once a year!"

As he spoke, he forcefully slung an arm around Roland’s shoulders and said with a mischievous grin.

"By then, my skills might even surpass yours! I’ll be able to beat you with a single sword strike in a duel!"

"Keep dreaming..."

Roland easily broke free from his grip, but the corners of his mouth turned up unconsciously.

Seeing his friend regain his usual spirit, he secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

The gloomy, sorrowful farewell scene from just a moment ago had really made him feel awkward.

"So..."

Dalko unceremoniously plopped down on the wooden chair, snatched Roland’s breakfast, and stuffed it into his mouth, making Red Squirrel Qiao on the side puff up his cheeks and grind his teeth in anger.

"When are you planning to set off?"

"In a few days."

Roland casually broke off a piece of black bread, stuffed it in his mouth, and turned to organize his bags.

"But before that, I need to make a trip to Wuxi Town to visit a friend."

"Oh! I remember you mentioning him!"

Dalko slapped his thigh.

"His name is Sha... Shawshe..."

"It’s Sean."

Roland corrected him helplessly.

After the two exchanged a few more pleasantries, Dalko stood up to leave.

To prepare for the Knight Academy’s entrance exam, the young nobleman headed straight for the training grounds.

After Roland finished packing, he first went to the wooden cabin to say a few words to Bronson, then mounted Black Wind and left the manor.

"Mmm..."

Qiao struggled to poke his little head out of the pouch at Roland’s waist. He twitched his nose and looked curiously at Roland’s left hand.

"Roland..."

"What is it?"

Roland asked while trying to get his bearings.

"Your left hand..."

Qiao twitched his nose.

"It has the smell of the forest..."

"The smell of the forest?"

Roland raised an eyebrow, lifting his wrist to reveal the piece of white bone.

"You mean this?"

"That’s it!"

Qiao nodded vigorously, squinting his eyes to sniff it carefully. A moment later, he said with certainty.

"It’s the exact same scent as the forest. This thing... did you find it in the forest, Roland?"

"You could... say that."

Hearing this, Roland raised his eyebrows, lost in thought.

Although he had obtained this bone near Songmu Town, which was quite far from Qiao’s forest, he surmised that the bone the Fiery Sun Church and the goblins were fighting over must have come from the same source as the one he now held.

’But... for a bone to have the scent of the forest...’

Though he hadn’t known Qiao for long, Roland understood that what the Red Squirrel called "the smell of the forest" was actually closer to the forest’s Life Energy.

’And for a piece of bone to contain the forest’s Life Energy...’

’Could it be... that the withering of Qiao’s forest is related to this bone?’

With this question in mind, Roland gently spurred his horse’s sides and galloped toward the forest where Qiao used to live.

In just a few moments, Roland saw the silhouette of the forest in the distance.

However, the sight before him made his heart tighten.

The once-lush forest was now in a far more desolate state than Qiao had described.

The once-verdant canopies were now sparse and yellowed, their branches drooping as if their Life Energy had been drained away.

An ominous gray mist permeated the woods, making even the sunlight seem dim.

Black Wind snorted uneasily, its hooves rustling on the dead leaves. Each step felt as if it were treading on the dying pulse of the forest.

"How could this be..."

Qiao crawled all the way out of the pouch, his round eyes filled with disbelief. Even his whiskers drooped.

"It wasn’t this bad when I left..."

Roland gently stroked Qiao’s trembling back, his gaze sweeping gravely over the cracked bark and scattered, withered branches.

’This scene... it would be more accurate to call it decay rather than withering...’