Chapter 13 Upon hearing Ducwato's words...
Upon hearing Ducwato's words, Lex's first reaction was to look at Mela.
Over time, although he doesn't really see himself as a servant, he has developed a bit of a servant's self-awareness. For example, if he doesn't get Mela's consent for something, he will choose to endure it no matter how tempting it is.
Mela raised an eyebrow unsurprised when she caught Lex's gaze; she knew he would be tempted.
So Mela said with a smile, "Go ahead. Ducwato was able to hunt a complete bear pelt on his own at the age of sixteen. You'll definitely learn a lot from him."
A hint of joy flashed in Lex's eyes.
Regardless of Ducwato's true motives or why his attitude towards him was so strange, Lex, as perceptive as he was, was certain that Ducwato had indeed harbored an inexplicable malice when he said those words. But if what Mela said was true, Lex would not give up such a good opportunity to improve his martial arts skills knowing that there was danger.
The road he will embark on in the future will be fraught with thorns. If he does not seize every opportunity to make himself stronger now, what will he use to reclaim his throne after leaving the Dark Forest?
Unlike Lex, whose mind was in turmoil, Mela simply wondered why Dukewato seemed to dislike Lex, even though it was their first time meeting.
"What's wrong with you? What did Lex do to offend you?" Mela thought to herself, and that's exactly what she asked.
"Oh dear, it's because I saw some kid carrying two rabbits and he was so proud of himself, so I wanted to show him what real hunting is like. In the eyes of us hunters, rabbits are hardly good prey."
Ducwato shrugged, his attitude quite frank.
Because of his openness, Mela had no suspicions, but reminded him of the time again, "Remember to come and pick up what you ordered in five days."
"Got it." Ducwato waved his hand, no longer wanting to get in the way, and turned to leave.
Lex made way for Ducwato to leave.
He didn't look at Lex again, and walked past without glancing to either side. Soon, Ducwato's figure disappeared into the woods.
Five days is neither a short nor a long time; in the blink of an eye, Ducwato reappeared near the cabin.
Lex was already fully prepared and stood quietly in the open space in front of the cabin, waiting for Ducwato's arrival.
"Why are you all alone?" Ducwato noticed the closed wooden door behind Lex. Usually, whenever Mela or Silas were around, this door would always be open, welcoming anyone to visit.
“Mera took Silas to find Clyph’s fruit,” Lex replied casually.
According to legend, Clyph was the daughter of the sea god. The ocean was her home, but also her prison. Once she left the sea, Clyph would turn into foam and disappear into the air.
Even so, Clyf still longed for the land and did not hesitate to turn into a rain, sprinkling her body on every corner of the earth.
The part representing her eyes fell off the cliff and gave rise to a peculiar, ugly plant.
Its aged skin is covered with many bumpy nodules. The sun's rays scorch these nodules until they crack open, revealing their pink interior. After a rain, pure black fruits that resemble eyeballs will grow from them.
Therefore, people call it "Clive's fruit".
It happened to rain heavily the day before yesterday, and it rained for a whole day and night. As soon as the rain stopped, Mela excitedly took Silas out.
After all, in a place like a cliff, Silas, who can grow bigger and carry Mela around, is more useful.
Having finally regained the opportunity to serve Mela, Silas puffed out his chest before leaving, glaring arrogantly with his beady black eyes. He glanced triumphantly at the calm-faced Lex and deliberately said in a pretentious tone, "Sigh, as expected, no one can replace my wings."
Like Lex, all he can do is sweep the dust in the house and clean the dishes, which are chores that Silas doesn't want to do. Even though Mela keeps mentioning Lex, Silas still firmly believes that in Mela's heart, he, Silas, is more important.
See, the moment for Silas to shine has arrived.
Lex glanced down at Silas, not deigning to compete for attention with a raven.
"What kind of look is that?" Silas was getting really annoyed by Lex's gaze.
“It’s nothing.” Lex slowly looked away.
Silas was about to say something more, but Mela interrupted him with a urging, "Alright, Silas, what are you and Lex whispering about over there? Come over here now."
"Hmph, for Mela's sake, I'll let it slide." Silas said, what he thought was a powerful statement, before flapping his wings and flying to Mela's side.
Next, Mela parted her lips slightly and murmured a few words to Silas. Then, right before her eyes, Silas gradually grew larger and larger until he was as tall as a small mountain, and then he finally stopped growing.
Facing such a massive Silas for the first time, Lex couldn't help but feel a pang of fear, an instinctive dread.
The next second, Silas let out a merciless laugh: "My God, Lex, you're so small, you don't even look as big as my paw."
As it spoke, Silas stretched out its paw and gestured triumphantly at Lex.
Lex's mood quickly returned to normal. Sure enough, even if it grew bigger, Silas was still Silas; its head simply couldn't hold any more intelligence.
It's just a facade that fools people.
In the blink of an eye, Mela skillfully climbed onto Silas's back and sat comfortably on top.
"Alright, Silas, let's go." Mela tugged at Silas's feathers, but the force was barely a tickle to him.
Silas understood and instantly took to the air, his flapping wings creating a fierce gust of wind that scattered Mela's fiery red hair.
As Sylas moved away, Lex, left on the ground, could only watch his silhouette gradually shrink until it became a tiny black dot the size of a pinhole, disappearing from his sight.
Not long after Mela and Silas left, Lex was greeted by Ducwato, who arrived as agreed. He opened the small pouch at his waist, took out the two bottles of healing potions that Mela had given him in advance, and handed them over.
Ducwato casually tucked the two vials of potion into his waistband and secured them with the buckle of his leather belt. Hearing that Mela had gone to find materials for brewing potions, he said nothing, only gave Lex a deep look and said, "Then let's go too."
Lex nodded and followed closely behind Ducwato at a distance that was neither too close nor too far.
After they left, the surroundings became completely quiet.
*
Mela and Silas returned to the cabin before Lex.
Mela casually put the full basket on the ground. She hadn't expected to be so lucky this time, picking quite a few Clyf fruits. The new potion that she wasn't confident of successfully refining in one go now seemed to have a chance.
"I wonder how Lex is doing? Hunting black bears is such a dangerous thing, I hope he didn't get hurt?" Silas, who had returned to his normal size, jumped onto the table.
"Huh? You're actually worried about Lex getting hurt?" Mela was somewhat surprised. She hadn't expected that Silas's concern for Lex would outweigh its usual trust in Ducwato.
"Hmph, I'm just worried that if he gets hurt, he'll find an excuse to avoid work." Silas turned his head away arrogantly.
However, Silas wasn't too worried about Lex's safety. After all, it had secretly seen Mela slip three healing potions into Lex's bag, and it was obvious who the extra one was for.
"I'm back." Lex, looking slightly disheveled, suddenly appeared at the door of the cabin.
His clothes had several ripped holes, and his golden hair was studded with bits of grass, as if he had rolled around on the ground several times.
Of course, what attracted the most attention was the fresh claw mark on Lex's face. It started near his nose and went all the way to behind his ear, with pink flesh peeking out, which was a truly shocking sight.
If you apply just a little more force, you might even be able to see the bone beneath the skin.
"What happened? Did Ducwato really bully you?" Mela widened her eyes slightly. Based on her understanding of Ducwato, he was at most all talk and no action; he couldn't possibly have really bullied a twelve-year-old like Lex.
They're not enemies.
Wait a minute, Mela tilted her chin up as she reminisced. It seemed that Ducwato often mocked those idle, pampered nobles in a sarcastic tone.
Mela had never taken this seriously before. After all, what commoner didn't hate these lords and ladies who loved to raise taxes for no reason and always made a fuss in their territory?
Ultimately, however, the nobles were appointed by the royal family, and their extravagant lifestyles were tacitly approved by the king. In fact, the king's life was even more wasteful than that of the nobles. Take Nurenger IX, for example; the amount of wine he poured out at his annual balls was more than the grain that grew in the fields.
Then look at Lex's striking blond hair and golden eyes; his royal lineage is beyond doubt. If Ducwato hates someone because of their family…
“Ducwato didn’t bully me. If he hadn’t saved me from the bear’s paw in time, I might have ended up with more than just this scar.” Lex’s words interrupted Mela’s reverie.
These few words are enough to show how critical the situation was at the time.
But Lex didn't want to talk to Melado about it. He wasn't a child anymore; he wouldn't cry and whine to an adult when he was injured.
He took out the sixteen silver coins that Ducwato had asked him to give to Mela from the small pouch at his waist, and then went to prepare dinner as if nothing had happened.
Mela, on the other hand, stared at Lex's back with a thoughtful expression.
At night, wrapped in a blanket, Lex couldn't help but recall what had happened that afternoon.
At this moment, the large black bear, which had been exceptionally fierce not long ago and which Lex described as disheveled, had fallen heavily to the ground, its eyes wide with resentment, before it gradually stopped breathing.
Ducwato casually picked up a blade of grass from the ground, wiped the blood off the dagger, restoring it to its gleaming silver appearance, and prepared to begin skinning the black bear.
Lex was in excruciating pain on his face, and beads of sweat occasionally slid down his forehead and soaked into the wound, forcing Lex to clench his teeth to suppress the pain that almost escaped his lips.
The situation was urgent just now, and there was no time to tend to the wound. Now, Lex finally managed to pull out some hemostatic powder and poured it all over his face.
As for the extra healing potion Mela had prepared for him, Lex didn't touch it. This minor injury looked terrifying, but it wasn't incapable of healing itself; it would just take a little more time.
Suddenly, Ducwato, with his back to Lex, said, "Do you want to escape the Dark Forest? I can help you."
It was as if a thunderclap had suddenly appeared out of nowhere.
Lex's hand trembled, and he almost poured the last bit of powder into his eyes.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
