Chapter 19

Despite the mysteries surrounding Jacob, Edward could not act unconsciously; taking action against Jacob without proof could be a mistake and could backfire on him.

After their previous exchanges, Edward was sure he could easily overpower Jacob, he did not know exactly the strength of the creature that had terrified Jacob so much, however he did not think he was in danger himself. In the worst situation he could always escape through the forest.

Moreover, he was not alone, after the strange situation in the forest, he had to warn Gregore as well as Marius.

In the distance, Edward saw Gregore leaning against the cart they had used the day before, he observed with a teasing look Iza and Glyn who were apparently responsible for tidying up their camps.

Curious, Edward moved closer. "Hello Gregore, what's going on?"

Gregore showed a mischievous smile as he pointed at his two companions with his thumb. "These two idiots lost at cards, they must tidy up camp."

A vague memory of the three playing cards just before he fell asleep popped into Edward's mind. "Oh I see, by the way I captured a rabbit for our next meal." Edward took out the rabbit he had stored in his backpack, showing it to Gregore.

He didn't want to directly talk about Jacob when so many people around them were packing up camp.

Gregrore looked at the rabbit in confusion, his gaze alternating between the rabbit and Edward, as Edward was about to ask what was wrong, Iza slowly approached and spoke in her usual monotone voice.

"This guy could eat ten of his rabbits in one meal…no he could probably do it in one bite…like a bear, after that he'll go into hibernation for the rest of the day."

"Eh ?" Edward stood confused for what second, was Iza trying to make... a joke? While he was confused, he heard Grégore burst out laughing, his laughter as powerful as the growl of a bear echoed in the camp, attracting attention, a few moments later, as if in mimicry, Glyn also began to laugh a strangely hoarse voice.

The two laughs seemed somehow hollow, the gazes of the members of the troupe turned towards them, some sighed as if the situation was usual.

Edward remained confused for a moment, he met Glyn's gaze who, despite his laughter seemed very serious, his eyes seemed to implore Edward to do something. Edward also felt Gregore's gaze burning the back of his head, he also seemed to expect something from him.

In front of him, Iza was still staring at him with a blank stare.

Glyn discreetly pointed his finger at him, precisely in the direction of his mouth before showing himself.

A flash of realization hit him, and Edward also began to laugh tensely.

"Ha Ha HA Ha Ha HAA! It's funny ! HA haaa HA HA ha…"

While pretending to laugh, he heard two sighs of relief while Iza now seemed satisfied she slowly turned around, Edward could swear he saw a deep smile bloom on the girl's face for a moment.

As Iza walked away towards Glyn, Gregore patted Edward on the back, his face was pale covered in cold sweat. "Well done kid, luckily you laughed…"

Still confused, Edward questioned him while pretending not to notice Gregore's terrified look. "What happened just now? Why do you want me to laugh ?"

Gregore gently scratched his beard, "Believe me kid, when Iza tries to make a joke it's better for everyone to laugh."

Curious, Edward continued to ask questions: "What would have happened if I hadn't laughed?"

Gregore suddenly stopped stroking his beard and gave Edward a deep look. "...Believe me kid, keep laughing at his jokes."

Under Grégore's seriousness, Edward nodded, he noted in a corner of his mind to always laugh at Iza's jokes, even if they turned out to be as bad.

Glyn, a large bag on his back, walked towards the cart, ready for the day's journey, as he passed he nodded at Edward.

*********

Later, the troop finally left, Marius had announced that they would continue on the path initially chosen, the troop would therefore arrive one day later than the route proposed by Jacob.

Obviously, Jacob did not appreciate the news, before leaving he had a serious interaction with Marius before Gregore's presence calmed him down.

The cart had left for several tens of minutes, Edward called out to the three adventurers, it was time to let them know about the accident that occurred earlier this morning.

"Guys, I need to talk to you about Jacob."

Gregore turned his gaze towards Edward, he seemed to encourage him to speak.

Under the watchful gaze of the adventurers, Edward revella all without forgetting nothing about the events that had occurred earlier in the morning, he also talked about his theory according to which Jacob had knowledge of a dangerous creature in the forest.

After his explanation, the adventurers remained silent for a few moments, they did not seem too surprised by Edward's revelations, it seemed that they too had their own doubts about Jacob.

Breaking the silence, the usually silent Glyn spoke "A few days ago while passing Jacob and his son's carriage I heard Jacob muttering about some dangerous people who will soon find them..."

Edward's eyes widened slightly at this information, 'wasn't he afraid of a creature in the forest but rather of enemies chasing him? The rabbit could be a warning... However the rabbit seems to have been injured by a wild creature not humans, plus leaving a rabbit as a warning isn't very threatening...'

'No, before thinking about that we have to wonder about the people who follow him, they are not necessarily our enemies... Maybe they are the ones who released the creatures into the forest that worries Jacob so much... Or maybe they 'They are chasing Jacob because he is a criminal or maybe he owes them a debt..'

'Is there even a creature in the forest or was Jacob himself the one responsible for the carnage on the rabbit or was the group that was chasing Jacob?'

There were too many possibilities, the enemies could very well be a band of peasants or an army of mages of king or saint rank... Torturing your mind with hypotheses was of no use, on the contrary it would only serve to confuse Edward even more.

If what Glyn said was true, the situation may have been worse than Edward thought, which was undoubtedly why Jacob was in such a hurry to get to the next town.

Gregore interrupted Edward's thoughts by speaking again: "We have already informed Marius of this event, we probably have the same theory, a group of people are chasing Jacob, however for some reason I don't know, Marius refuses to let us question Jacob, he says that each person has the right to have their own secrets…. One thing is certain, we have to keep an eye on Jacob"

A headache hit Edward, the situation was getting stranger and stranger, first Jacob, then a creature in the forest, his son they had never seen, a group that was chasing Jacob for obscure reasons and now Marius who refuses to question Jacob…

'Why is my first trip so chaotic…'

The next day, the troop saw the village, their destination for three days now, Edward felt a chill in his lower back, in his eyes, an aura of death seemed to hover over the town...

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Hi, this is the author,

I reread the reviews and comments around this fanfiction yesterday, and I realized several mistakes I made while writing so far. For example, the fact that Edward can only use one magic. I don't want to change that, but I probably haven't explained it correctly. It would have made more sense to see Edward try several magics without success before announcing that he could only use one spell...

In addition, Edward's physique is special. Edward himself doesn't really know him yet. See this as a blessing that makes his body perform much better than a normal human's for now. The precise effects will be explained later.

In any case, the comments help me a lot to improve as an amateur author. Even if you don't like it (especially if you don't like it), don't hesitate to give me constructive comments

.

However, when it comes to grammar and spelling, I can't really improve. English is not my native language, and I use translation software. I try to correct errors when you point them out to me, and I thank you! ;)

Thanks for reading this note :)