Time quickly passed him by as Vincent quickly adjusted to the slow life of a rural noble. However, habits that he had developed in training camp died hard. In the mornings he would wake up with the servants and do light exercises. He would have worked up a sweat and taken a quick bath before waking up his mother who always slept in. Ever since he returned home, she wouldn’t wake up unless he was the one to wake her up.

Today he was dressed in travel-wear and accompanied by a squad of knight retainers. Zeke and Gerald were both busy dealing with the embezzlement issue so they were there to see him off, and Juno was Juno. So that only left…

“B-brother!” He felt a tug on his sleeve. “Can you take me out to play again?”

Vincent looked down at his cute little sister. “I can’t, Bell. Brother has to go to the Evergreen territory. The Duke wants to see me.” He patted her head.

“Hmmph!” Isabel pouted, but still nuzzled against his palm like a kitten.

“I promise I’ll come back quickly and bring you a present.” He added, “Be a good girl okay?”

Isabel’s eyes lit up as she said, “Okay! I will!”

“I’ll be back soon, Mom.” He gently hugged his sobbing mother again as he got on his horse. “Bell, make sure Mom eats all her meals, okay?”

“Okay, Brother!” Isabell yelled as he turned around and left. “C’mon Mom! You have to eat more!” She said as she pulled a speechless Catherine by the hand.

Vincent had arranged a meeting with Duke Evergreen and had made preparations in advance. The journey to Ismirala, where Duke Evergreen lived, wasn’t long. In fact, it was quite short. It would take four days if they traveled by carriage, two if by horseback. What’s more, the time traveled could be shortened even more if they cut through the Emerald Forest, which was what they had planned.

“Young Master, please remain alert when we enter the forest.” The escort from back then said. Vincent had finally taken the time to find out his name and it turned out the man’s name was Leo. Leo was an orphan taken in by Zeke and had been put in charge of Vincent’s safety.

When they entered the Emerald Forest, Vincent was left with a feeling of awe. The patch of forest they were cutting through was just the outskirts of the giant behemoth that spanned across the northeastern border. Imagine a forest with trees so tall that they blot out the sun. Only the sunlight that filtered through the leaves left an emerald glow on the forest floor. There was no undergrowth deeper in the forest, only dead grass and moss.

This mystical atmosphere was what caused fear amongst the villages and towns near the Emerald Forest border. Now that Vincent had seen this scene, he could finally understand.

Their little group hustled along at a quick pace in fear of meeting something that they shouldn’t. However, fate had a very interesting plan in store for Vincent in the form of a storm falcon.

“KUEEE!” A loud screech rang out.

“What’s that sound?!” Leo called out, stopping the group. “Young Master, stay close to me. The rest, spread out and keep an eye on our surroundings.”

“Understood.” Vincent acknowledged as he stealthily retrieved something from his horse’s pack.

“Leader, I see something!” The youngest in the group called out.

“Report!”

“A bird is being attacked by a group of kobolds! They’ve noticed our presence!” The youth hurriedly replied.

Kobolds. Wolf-like bipedal creatures that resemble werewolves. They are smart enough to form small communities and are a threat to villages. They inhabit the outer area of the Emerald Forest. Their inherent agility and ability to utilize human weaponry make them a threat and very deadly in this forest environment.

“Shit. We have to kill them or else they’ll call for reinforcements.” Leo announced and reared his horse forward with spear drawn. “Cass, stay with the Young Master. The rest, follow my lead! YAH!”

“””YAH! YAH!””” The group yelled as they charged forward. Their spears glowed with deadly intent as the thundering sound of hooves beat upon dead soil.

“Awooo~!” The four kobolds reared their snarling faces as they faced the charging warriors.

“HAH!” A spear immediately silenced a kobold as Leo thrusted outwards.

“Grrrr…” A kobold managed to dodge between the trunks of two trees and extricate itself from the charge. The remaining three had died to the initial charge.

“Don’t let it get away.” Leo ordered as he shook off the bloody corpse. Leo felt a lurch in his stomach seeing the kobold bolting away. Suddenly, a blur that moved like a phantom intercepted the creature.

Thwack!

The kobold was knocked over and painful began to writhe before it ultimately stopped moving. An arrow protruded from the back of its neck.

“Phew. It’s not going anywhere.” Vincent said as he put down his bow.

“Y-young Master!” Leo’s eyes glowed like stars as he clapped Vincent’s shoulder. “Good shot, Young Master!”

“It was nothing.” Vincent said as he got off his horse.

“Where are you going?”

“Wait there. I saw something just now.” Vincent answered. In truth, he had already seen the kobolds before anyone else due to his high perception. He had also seen what it was that released that shrill cry. Vincent quickly approached a patch of needles.

“Kuee~…” A young storm falcon shrieked as he approached.

“Calm…” Vincent held out his empty hands. “I won’t hurt you.” He said as he slowly approached.

“KUEE!” The falcon became agitated and flapped its wings before shaking in pain and crumpling down.

“Dumb bird. I told you I wasn’t going to hurt you.” Vincent softly said as he picked up the tired bird. He examined the falcon for a bit before saying, “It looks like you have a broken win and bruising. He brushed aside the falcon’s feathers and saw a bleeding welt the size of his thumb in the birds rib area. He quickly returned to the group who were busy cleaning their weapons and searching the kobolds for anything they could use.

“Is that a storm falcon, Young Master?” Leo asked bewilderedly.

“Yes it is. It’s injured badly.” Vincent said as he approached his horse and rummaged around, retrieving a salve, gauze, and some water. He had learned first-aid during training camp and even though dressing a bird was different, the fundamentals were still there.

He broke off an arrow and used it as a makeshift splint while he gently plucked away the feathers in its waist area and dabbed some healing salve on it. He then wrapped the bird in gauze before getting back on his horse. Meanwhile this was happening, the rest of the group watched the amount of care Vincent had taken and were left in awe.

“Let’s move on. There might be more of them nearby.” Vincent said as he cradled the injured bird in one arm while holding the reigns in another.

“Yes, Young Master.” Leo was of the same mind and hurriedly led them away.

The increased pace after their run-in with the kobolds allowed them to arrive in Ismirala rather quickly. It was early evening that they arrived. They first stopped by an animal caretaker and dropped off the injured storm falcon before going to see the Duke.

“You’ve all worked hard. Take this time to rest.” Vincent said as he dismissed his retainers.

“Young Master, I’ll—“ Leo began to say.

“You rest too.” Vincent patted his shoulder. Leo worked the hardest of all being the navigator and leader of the squad. What’s more he should be the most stressed since he had to deal with Vincent.

“Thank you, Young Master.” Leo sighed as he left with the squad.

“Master Vincent. The Duke has been expecting you. He is waiting in the guest lounge.” A butler said as he led Vincent inside.

The interior of the Duke estate was homely. The decorations weren’t exaggerated nor was it too lavish. It emitted a sense of regality while still being subtle. Vincent was impressed as he traversed the well-maintained hall. The Duke was already sitting on a couch when Vincent entered.

Zenobia Evergreen. He was a man that had an average build and kind face. If it weren’t for his golden hair and golden eyes, he would look like an uncle from next door. In truth, Zenobia Evergreen was descended from a branch of the royal family and like royalty, he naturally exuded an air of charisma around him.

“Vincent Silverlight.” Zenobia said aloud as he studied Vincent’s expression. “I heard that you’ve renounced the Redwall name.”