Chapter 4 Today we're going to finish what's already been done...
Today is the day I need to deliver the three bottles of transformation potion that I've already made.
However, Mela was fast asleep in her rocking chair when she realized that bright sunlight was streaming in through the window. She pulled her cashmere blanket up to cover her head.
"It's just running an errand, why would I need to trouble the great witch Mela?" Mela said confidently last night.
“Silas, take Lex on a trip tomorrow and teach him the way,” Mela added.
Silas had no objection, preening his feathers while making unintelligible noises.
Responding promptly to every word from its owner is a quality a good pet should possess, and Silas does this exceptionally well.
Mela was very satisfied.
She then looked at Lex and noticed a dazed expression on his face.
Does that mean Lex doesn't want to do this kind of errand-running work?
If Lex raises objections—Mera will not agree either.
In the witch's hut, Mela is the only rule, and everyone, whether human or bird, must obey her.
Mela thought that she could actually use the most disgusting ingredients to make a potion and force Lex to drink it, so that Lex would think that running errands for her was a good job.
In fact, Lex was eager to have a chance to go out and explore. Since waking up, he had been under the watchful eyes of Mela or Silas and couldn't find a reasonable excuse to explore the area outside the cabin.
This is bad news. Lex is planning to find a chance to escape the Dark Forest, and he can't do that if he doesn't know the way.
They couldn't possibly go through all that trouble to escape, only to end up back near the cabin; that would be like walking right into a trap.
However, Lex's injuries hadn't fully healed, and leaving the cabin rashly wouldn't be a wise choice. If he encountered danger in the forest, with his current strength, he might not be able to escape unscathed.
Therefore, Lex's plan is to wait until his injury heals before seeking a better opportunity.
Although doing so would certainly worsen his already limited time, and every extra day of delay could make the situation in the capital even more unfavorable for him, Lex would love to get back as soon as possible if there was a way.
Lex suppressed his anxiety and waited patiently, but unexpectedly, Mela suddenly said that she wanted Silas to take him out to find his way.
That's great. With Silas around, Lex's previous worries are no longer a problem; the danger will surely stay away from them on its own.
The fact that no wild animals have dared to approach the cabin these past few days shows that the witch still has a lot of influence over the animals in the forest.
However, despite his joy, Lex still had to put on an act and not let Mela think that he really wanted to leave the cabin. Otherwise, what if she realized his intentions and refused to let him go?
Although Mela has not been as unpredictable and irritable as rumored these past two days, aside from wanting to order him around, she is not.
On the contrary, Mela was too lazy to waste her energy on most things, and she didn't even bother to ask why Lex had been wounded by an arrow and ended up in the Dark Forest.
That saved Lex the trouble of lying.
Hearing that the witches would make truth potions, Lex was worried that if Mela forced him to drink the potion, he might not be able to withstand its effects.
It turned out that Lex had worried unnecessarily; Mela had absolutely no interest in his background.
In Mela's eyes, Lex is probably a human-shaped Silas, capable of doing things that birds with wings can't easily do.
“Okay, it’s decided then. You’ll all go to deliver the goods tomorrow. I’ve wrapped the medicine in cloth and put it in the basket. Remember not to wake me up in the morning.” Mela yawned, lazily strolled to the rocking chair, shook out the blanket, and curled up in the rocking chair with her.
Silas then stood on its perch, closed its eyes, and prepared to sleep.
Lex lay down on the blanket he had spread in the corner and slept soundly through the night.
*
As soon as it was light, Silas opened its eyes. Like a diligent butler, its sharp gaze swept across the corner, its purpose being to check if Lex was still in bed.
Very good. Lex seems to have woken up even earlier than it, and has already slung his basket over his shoulder, waiting for Silas to set off together.
The basket contained not only the transformation potion to be given to the guest, but also two thick/hard stick-shaped bread rolls.
This is breakfast for one person and one bird.
Along the way, Silas stood on the edge of the basket, taking bites of bread every now and then, while directing Lex on which way to go.
"This way, this way, but be careful not to go the wrong way, or you'll end up delivering snacks to that big black bear next door."
Upon hearing this, Lex silently noted that when encountering a fork in the road with small yellow flowers, he should turn right.
When they reached the next fork in the road, Silas stared with his beady eyes, raised his wing, and rubbed his chin. "Hmm, how come these two trees look exactly the same? I clearly remember that one of the trees was shorter than the other a month ago."
"Ah, found it! I knew that a crow as clever as me wouldn't not know to make a mark just in case."
Without a word, Silas suddenly spread his wings and flew upwards, circling the two trees for a long time before triumphantly flying down and directing Lex to continue down the fork in the road to the right.
"What mark did you make?" Lex asked casually.
“I drew a cross on the fifth branch from the bottom with my claws, so I can see it as soon as I fly up.” Silas puffed out his chest, very proud of his foresight.
...In other words, if Lex decides to escape, he'll have to climb a tree first to confirm his direction.
Lex's lips twitched, and he decided to change the subject. "By the way, is there any danger in that fork in the road on the left?"
"It's nothing, just a well-grown swamp."
Because his master was Mela, Silas also learned the witch's habits in language use. In their eyes, the wind and rivers are flowing, swamps and trees are growing, and everything is in a state of constant change.
"When Mela and I first came to the Dark Forest, it could only swallow a deer or a few wild rabbits that passed by. Now, it can probably swallow several big black bears at will," Silas said nonchalantly.
Anyway, swamps don't harm flying birds; only humans and other animals that need to walk are afraid of them.
Oh, Celeste forgot, Lex is the kind of human who worries about getting stuck in a swamp.
Sure enough, Lex fell silent again. Silas was already used to it, turned his head and took two more bites of bread. Mmm, delicious!
*
After walking for an unknown amount of time, Lex finally arrived at the old tree that Silas had mentioned, which had lived for over a hundred years.
Judging from its towering height, its lush foliage that almost blocks out the sky, and its thick trunk that would require several adult men to encircle, this is indeed an old tree.
Lex reached out and touched the rough bark, feeling many fine cracks. In a few decades, these cracks would continue to deepen until they became visible to the naked eye.
“Mera’s guests have arrived,” Silas reminded them.
Lex turned his head and saw a brown-haired man who looked to be in his thirties pulling a wooden cart full of sacks toward them.
The man was clearly surprised to see Lex, especially since Lex's striking blond hair was gleaming like gold in the sunlight. For a moment, the man opened and closed his mouth repeatedly, unable to utter a single word.
"One, two, three..." Silas ignored the man's strange behavior, circled above the cart for a while, counted the number of cloth bags, and nodded in satisfaction. "Alright, Lex, you can hand the things over to him now."
“Lex…you are His Highness the Crown Prince…” the man stammered, recognizing Lex’s identity.
"Oh? So you're the Crown Prince," Silas said with delight.
It felt it had acquired a more noble status, and for a moment even its chest stood out more.
Lex works for Mela, who is Silas's master. So, by all accounts, Silas is on the same level as the Crown Prince.
"Okay, when you get back, don't tell anyone about me being here." Lex nodded to the man, his expression indifferent.
Lex could have found a way to avoid being exposed, but then he thought that he needed to use this opportunity to understand what was happening outside.
When Lex finally faced the man and heard him still address him as His Highness the Crown Prince, Lex knew that the Queen had not yet succeeded in making her son the new Crown Prince.
Without a doubt, a significant portion of this was due to the efforts of Chancellor Fernando on his behalf.
Although Nurengel IX was rather stubborn and rarely listened to the advice of his ministers, he would occasionally listen to a word or two from Fernandez, who was of earl birth and widely recognized as wise and virtuous.
After all, if it weren't for Fernando's hard work, Nurenger IX would have been too busy with state affairs to have time to find ways to amuse himself in the palace.
If it weren't for finally having a child of his own blood, the Queen Consort, wary of Fernando, might have continued to maintain a facade of harmony with Lex while harboring underlying animosity.
Thinking of this, Lex felt the urgency of time once again.
No matter what Fernando says, he can't keep dragging things out indefinitely. With everyone believing that the crown prince is dead, the ministers on Fernando's side will consider agreeing to establish a new crown prince.
Ultimately, they support the legitimacy of the Nurenger royal family, not Lex himself.
While Lex was deep in thought, the brown-haired man reluctantly agreed to Lex's request. Seeing that Lex ignored him, he was not surprised and simply left with the potion, leaving behind a lonely wooden cart.
Silas stood on the handle and shouted to Lex to snap out of it and drag the cart back to the cabin.
"What's in this bag? Why is it so heavy?" Lex grabbed the handle, bent down and strained, finally managing to get the cart moving, rolling a slightly crooked rut on the uneven path.
The man and the bird returned along the same route.
“This is our food supply for the next month,” Silas replied.
Lex remembered the half-eaten bag of potatoes piled in the corner, and vaguely recalled that the two cloth bags seemed to look exactly the same.
Combined with what Silas had said not long ago that the two trees hadn't grown this tall a month ago, Lex realized that the brown-haired man he had just met, like Ducwato whom he had never met, was also a regular customer of the witch.
The man and the witch maintained a monthly transaction, with the man delivering food to the witch on time, and the witch giving him the potions he needed.
Lex recalled the man's clothing; although there were no obvious patches on his clothes, they didn't look like that of a wealthy person. Perhaps he was a villager living nearby.
No wonder the witch wanted to barter with him.
Unfortunately, there are several villages near the Dark Forest, each leading to different towns. If Lex knew which village the brown-haired man belonged to, he might be able to refine the plan that was gradually taking shape in his mind.
However, Lex suddenly wondered how Mela and Silas had managed to get the cart back to the cabin before he arrived.
Although Mela was a witch, her arms, thin as twigs, didn't seem very strong. Silas, needless to say, looked no different from a normal-sized raven.
Speaking of which, where is the cannibalistic giant pet that the witch supposedly kept? Is it hidden somewhere he doesn't know about?
Lex felt a chill run down his spine and decided to find a way to get information about the magical creatures out of Silas later.
He absolutely cannot allow this so-called magical pet to become the biggest variable in his plan.
*
"Mera, Mela, we're back!" Silas shouted impatiently when they were still a visible distance from the cabin.
Then it spread its wings and flew away towards the cabin without looking back, leaving Lex, who was struggling to pull the cart, far behind.
"Okay, thank you both for your hard work." Mela heard Silas's voice, lazily walked out of the house, leaned against the door, and watched as Silas flew towards her, slowed down, found a good landing posture, and finally landed on her left shoulder.
Mela frowned inwardly. Since Silas came of age, it had become increasingly heavy, and next time her shoulders might not be able to support it.
“Speaking of which, I smell beans.” Mela’s gaze fell on the parked cart.
When Lex untied the cloth bags one by one in front of Mela, he found that there were indeed two large bags of beans inside.
Lex bent down, pretending to check if the beans were moldy, but he didn't smell anything.
"Isn't it amazing? Witches have very keen senses." Noticing the fleeting look of confusion in Lex's eyes, Mela tapped her lips with her index finger, revealing a meaningful smile.
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