(11) Entering the Forest

Chapter 11: Entering the Forest

Time passed quickly, and after an hour, Silver finally managed to mark the exact locations of the three horsetail plants on the map.

"Alright, let's hurry and get going," Mira, who had been standing behind Silver, saw that the locations of the horsetail plants had been marked and immediately prepared to head into the forest without hesitation.

"Wait, it's already getting dark. We should at least go back and eat something before entering the forest," Silver suggested, putting away his skateboard and other belongings as he stopped Mira and offered his advice.

"There's no need. The forest has plenty of edible plants and animals. We can just find something to eat inside," Mira dismissed Silver's suggestion without a second thought and dragged him towards the forest.

As they stepped into the forest, the light dimmed even more.

They hadn't yet reached the first horsetail plant when night fell completely, and the darkness in the forest became so intense that they could hardly see their own hands.

At this point, Silver had no choice but to use magic, transforming a drawn torch into a real one to illuminate their surroundings.

Seeing the light from the torch, Mira gave Silver a surprised look. "I didn't expect your magic to be so handy."

"Of course," Silver said with a proud smile, thinking she was impressed. "In a place this dark, it's too inconvenient to move around without any light."

"What are you so proud of? We're not ordinary people," Mira said, rolling her eyes at his self-satisfied expression. "In such darkness, you can just channel magic into your eyes to see as clearly as in daylight. Having a light source just makes it even clearer."

Upon hearing this, Mira suddenly remembered how clumsily Silver had walked when they first entered the forest. Realization dawned on her, and she asked, "You didn't know about this, did you?"

"What's so strange about that? I've never heard anyone mention it before," Silver replied, canceling the torch in his hand.

He then channeled magic into his eyes, and sure enough, the pitch-black forest became a bit brighter.

Though it wasn't as clear as Mira had described, like daytime, he could at least make out some of the surrounding shapes.

Experiencing this for the first time, Silver remarked with fascination, "So magic can be used like this too. I really learned something new today. But it's still not very clear; it's nothing like what you said about it being as bright as day."

"Is that so? Maybe your power isn't strong enough, or perhaps your magic isn't suited for this kind of task," Mira said as she turned to closely examine Silver's eyes.

"What do you mean?" Silver was confused by Mira's comment.

He could understand lacking strength, but the idea that his magic wasn't suited for this was puzzling.

"It's simple. Everyone's magic is different, and their magical energies are actually distinct as well. Something my magic can easily accomplish might be difficult for you. For example, Erza can't see in the dark like I can," Mira explained, crossing her arms and letting out a triumphant laugh.

While chatting, the two quickly reached the location of the first horsetail plant.

At that moment, a venomous snake suddenly shot out from the horsetail, baring its fangs as it lunged towards the closer Silver.

By the time he noticed it, Mira had already caught the snake by its head. Only then did Silver react, feeling a wave of fear wash over him, his forehead covered in a fine layer of sweat.

Staring at the horsetail plant on the ground, which looked just like any ordinary weed, Mira swung the snake in her hand, puzzled. "What's going on? Didn't the horsetail plants in the drawing glow earlier this afternoon? Why do they look so ordinary now?"

Wiping the cold sweat from his forehead, Silver took a moment to calm himself, then gave a helpless smile and explained, "The plants seemed to glow in the drawing because I used magic to make the horsetail-like plants emit light for easier identification. But that only happens in my drawings; there's no way it could be like that in reality."

After hearing Silver's explanation, Mira looked a bit disappointed, her expression souring. "Seriously? They looked so pretty in the drawing. I was planning to find a couple more after the mission to take back and plant. But if that's the case, forget it."

Silver, who had been about to pick the horsetail, couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief at Mira's words.

However, just as he reached out to pluck the plant, Mira grabbed him by the arm and pulled him back, clearly annoyed. "What are you doing? Stop it."

"Obviously, I'm picking the horsetail. What's the problem?" Silver asked, puzzled by Mira's reaction.

"I remember telling you we needed to find a bird that lives near these horsetail plants, didn't I? Were you even listening to me?" Mira glared at him, her face darkening.

"There are three plants, right? We could pick two first and then wait by the last one. If we reduce the number of horsetail plants in the forest, the chances of that bird appearing at the final plant should be higher," Silver explained his reasoning, not thinking he had done anything wrong.

Mira paused, weighing the pros and cons of his suggestion. Silver stood by, patiently waiting for her decision.

He knew that if it didn't align with her wishes, she might actually get physical, given her current mood.

After some time, Mira decided that it was safer to wait here instead and rejected Silver's idea. "We'll wait here first. If we don't find the bird here, we can move to the next plant. I feel that this is a safer approach."

"Alright, then you go find something to eat, and I'll get a fire going. We can't spend the night here on an empty stomach," Silver said, accepting her decision without protest.

Mira tossed the now lifeless venomous snake she had been toying with onto the ground and headed deeper into the forest to hunt.

Meanwhile, Silver carefully gathered some dry branches from the surroundings and built a small bonfire.

Using his magic, he once again turned his drawn torch into a real flame, lighting the bonfire.

Instantly, the warm glow illuminated the area around them, casting a cozy light that drove away the damp chill of the forest.