n

n

n

"What are you going to do in the city? Will you also look for your parents?

" Hani asked the young man seated beside her.

n

"Huh? So you're really looking for your parents?

" Wallace was looking outside through the window when the kid asked.

nHe realized that the kid could really be lost and looking for her relatives.

n

"Oh, not really. I mean, I will visit my parents there... How about you?

" The girl corrected herself.

n

"Not really, but I'm looking for something.

" Wallace nodded and smiled at her. He glanced back on the outside as he wanted to familiarize himself in the vicinity.

n

"Oh? Can you tell me what it could be?

"

n

"That's a secret.

"

n

"Hmph. OK, then. I hope you find it.

"

n

"Thank you.

"

nWallace chuckled as he hadn't really considered his lie on what to tell if someone asked what he was looking for.

nBut now, because of Hani, he was contemplating on what to tell once some other people asked him.

n'Well, let's just say I'm on vacation.' Wallace decided on his thoughts.

nThe bus traveled smoothly without any accidents.

nThe two of them didn't sleep within the two-hour trip, so Hani asked questions from time to time.

n

"Eh? Now you're telling me you're just going on a vacation. Why were you acting so mysterious just a while ago?

" Hani couldn't help but mumble upon hearing Wallace's inconsistency.

n

"Haha. Sorry about that.

" Wallace actually didn't mind changing his statements as he was only speaking with a child and this may even be their last meeting.

nSoon, the bus arrived at the port city. He said his goodbye to Hani as the two separated. Hani waved goodbye and ran somewhere.

nHe proceeded to wait for the passenger ship and considered eating at a nearby convenience store. He already had a ticket reserved ahead of time and only needed to wait for at least an hour.

nApparently, going to the island by airplane wasn't possible as there's no airport on the said island.

n***

nAs the boarding time approached Wallace noticed a familiar figure also waiting at the port.

nHe didn't approach her and only shook his head before looking for a seat to wait.

nIt only took 15 more minutes before the passengers were called to board the ship.

nWallace wasn't able to reserve a luxurious cabin due to time constraints and only had a chance to reserve a standard cabin where he had to share with someone else.

nAnyway, the trip would be a short one as it would only take three to four hours to arrive at their destination.

nLuckily, there is good weather as well making the trip smooth. The sun was also hidden a bit by the clouds which made Wallace go out from his cabin and visit the deck.

n

"Beautiful...

" Wallace sighed in amazement.

nIt has been a while since he had seen a large body of water so close to him. It must be remembered that he grew up in space and barely set foot on land before.

nThe scenery of the boundless ocean glistening from the sunlight from time to time was a sight to behold.

nHe took a moment to admire the scene before she noticed a girl approaching him.

n

"Mister Nortrom! We meet again.

" The young girl wearing a dress and now has tied hair called Wallace.

n

"Mhm. It must be fate. Have you met your parents?

" Wallace acknowledged this girl's persistence. He's unsure if it's really a coincidence or the girl really plans it.

n

"No. But I was told that I'll meet them in our province.

"

n

"That's good to hear... Oh, I'll have to leave now. Take care.

"

n***

nWallace remained in his cabin to pass the time as the ship docked on Araceli island in time. This ship only had about an hour to stay on this island before it would continue it's travel on the other islands.

nWith Wallace's heightened senses and Divine Sense that he always activated as a habit, he noticed Hani following him. If he didn't focus his attention on her, he might've missed her movement.

nThis made him suspicious. But since he didn't felt any mana fluctuation on the girl he still didn't get too cautious around her.

n'It's impossible for her to get so attached to me, right?' Wallace shook his head and tried not to bother with a little kid.

nHe planned to erase his tracks so no one could follow him. He first needed to avoid the girl so he could start his operation.

nThe port was full of people so he easily lost Hani from her attempt to follow him.

nHe found an inn to stay where he gathered more information about the place.

nApparently, only the town near the bay was full of people.

nThe other side of the island is apparently restricted as it is government property.

nHe asked people what can be found in a large forest.

n

"The place was full of medicinal herbs that can only grow in the wild.

"

n

"There are also rumors that Keroxes dwells in the Kharvatt Sierra.

"

n

"You haven't heard of a Kerox? Oh! That's understandable, I can see you're from a foreign land. A single Kerox was said to be equal to five Battle Mages in strength.

"

n

"You can imagine them as a humanoid abomination of several animals. It has ahead of a bear that has two horns with an arm of a gorilla. They have a strong body, it runs faster than a Nite Horse and very agile in the forest. They don't normally fight humans as long as you don't invade or cause trouble in their territory, they have a high intelligence after all.

"

n

"Oh, you don't need to thank me for that. All the information I gave you is common knowledge here. Even a child would be aware of it.

"

nWallace thanked an old man reading a newspaper at the front of his house. He approached the man who kindly answered his questions.

n

"It seems that Keroxes were strong and scary. It's a good thing that they remain in their territory.

" Wallace commented.

n

"Oh, thanks to the guards. It's also all about the balance of life. Although Keroxes is at the top of the food chain, their numbers were low and so they feed less. As long as they were not hungry, there wouldn't be a chance for them to leave their territory.

"

n

"That's why the government controls the hunting within the place since we can't afford to eradicate all weaker Mana Beasts here or the citizens of this island would be the one to suffer.

"

nWallace concluded his conversation with the residents of the town after having a good grasp on the situation of the forest. Although it was only a small part of what's inside, it is always better to have this kind of conversation so he won't be clueless once he entered the forest.

nThe Kharvatt Sierra is the longest mountain range in Araceli that bordered almost half of this island. Wallace calculated that the small island he was searching for was still behind this mountain range.

n'It seems that deeper within the forest was fully inhabited by Mana Beasts aside from Keroxes.'

nWallace pondered after going back to the inn.

n

"I'll sneak once the night approached.

" Wallace decided his next plan. He was aware of the tight security being placed by the local police to stop the intruders from entering the forest without permission. Only contracted Mercenaries were allowed to enter whenever there is a request coming from their Ministry.

nWallace doesn't have time to disguise himself as a member of a Mercenary group and wait for a request to enter the forest. He would rather find a loophole on the guards and use his flight to sneak into the forest.

n