All of them were surprised when they saw each other. Most of all Naell, who didn't think they would come sooner than anticipated.

'This was certainly earlier than the story!'

Based on the novel, Andrew and the rest would go at the end of Volume 4, as the awakened golem had already captured the forest.

Little did Naell know, what truly brought forth the investigation was the changes he had done, and unknowingly brought forth.

Days ago, the kingdom and the guild dispatched B-ranked adventurers to the forest of Lagupa.

First, it was due to the Winged-tribe's request seeing the mass of monsters invading their land. Second, an anonymous tip was sent to the guild, stating the presence of a dungeon inside the forest.

Due to those, they immediately sent B-rank adventurers to investigate, hence Andrew and his friends' earlier arrival in the forest, days ahead of Naell and Owly.

That was why seeing the two surprised them, even if they knew of Owly's capabilities, as Andrea and Drew had mentioned it a couple of times in their letters.

The possibility of meeting monsters inside the foggy forest was fatal, as they had experienced it themselves.

Little did they know, it was because of them that Naell and Owly were able to walk in the forest with ease.

As a matter of fact, by the time the duo was inside the forest, barely any roaming monsters were left to hinder their search.

.

.

.

'The forest will be captured by an awakened Golem. I guess it's not bad to warn them ahead.'

Naell, no matter how smart he was, truly had a hard time predicting how his little changes could affect the story.

After having much thought, he then realized what might have altered its pacing.

'In the novel, the Pegasus-tribe simply treated the invasion as trifling... because Athena and Owly were there.'

Since they visited the Beryldot estate, neither of them were there to help with the invasion, as even Athena had left indefinitely.

The Vice Guildmaster, after receiving the Winged-tribe's request for support in Lagupa, paired with the stranger's anonymous letter, had issued an earlier investigation of the possible dungeon.

That was why they decided that the kingdom and the guild would have to use scouts (above average ranking adventurers like Andrew) to investigate.

Had it solely been the anonymous tip, the guild would not have prioritized it, but because of the request of the Winged-tribe, they knew that dangers truly were looming around the forest.

Naell wanted to deny the lapses in his judgement, yet he couldn't, as the truth was now in front of him.

Andrew, the main protagonist of the story, with his slick black hair matching his golden eyes, was there staring back. The black armor he was wearing only amplified his protagonist-like good looks.

Yet it was quite frightening to Naell as Andrew had unconsciously gripped his sword upon being alerted of his sudden presence.

The sword he was carrying was immensely heavy, yet it appeared thin because of its lengthier blade. Its deep black color came into view, and the hilt's bright golden markings shined from the sun's light, yet the sword was then sheathed, hiding the interesting resemblance it had to its user.

'Gaviarau...' Naell, of course, knew of the sword's name and bits of its lore; It was a well-known heirloom passed onto the family of Sunheart, believed to have been used by their ancestors to fight with the demons in the past.

There was a popular belief that the blade was once actually golden, but due to the blood of the slain demons, it became darker and slowly appeared more menacing.

Going back, the rest of them were staring at Naell and Owly who seemed to have finally calmed down. Yet the bird took off upon seeing the Winged-beastman, and joyfully greeted him.

"Hey, HOOT!"

"Little one?"

"HOOT!"

"It's been awhile!" Added Kent, before vigorously petting the fluttering owl, bringing forth a small wholesome reunion between the two.

Yet as cute at the sight was, the odd sight of a calm Owly only weirded Naell out.

*******

"Nice to have finally been of your acquaintance, Sire Owly." Said Namiku with a smile and a slight curtsy, both befitting a princess.

'Floof factor.' Naell thought as he watched the owl nod in acknowledgement atop Andrew's head.

As Kent quickly needed to report to the forest, and accompanied Sarah Star, they all bid him farewell and proceeded to head back to Taglagas.

Note had generously offered the young master a spot in the small carriage, which was why all of them were now cramped and stuck together.

Naell of course, wanted to refuse, but he could not as Owly had quickly flown towards Andrew. It then seemed to him that the owl was still slightly mad at him, as he had even gone so far as to being friendly towards them. (Mostly due to the sweets they offered him)

The princess also invited Naell, which he knew could be surmised as offensive if he refused to go with them. That was why, in the end, he could only bow and agree to their wishes.

Rinca and Viola were a bit hesitant with Namiku's decision, but they let it slide knowing she did not mean any harm, and was just sometimes really cheeky.

"Hello, you must be the eastern princess, HOOT."

Owly's reply was greeted with a cheerful smile from Namiku as she said,

"Indeed I am."

Viola and Rinca followed suit, while Andrew, Note, and Rizaul gave a simple nod. They were just formal introductions as they were already acquainted before going inside the carriage.

After that, Naell knew it was his time to greet them. With a bow and the most polite way of greeting, he said,

"Thank you for the lift, princess, Riz, and greetings to all of you."

Namiku replied with a smile and amusement. Naell was truly more handsome upon closer look, yet she could only shake her head and think,

'He's a bad guy. He's a bad guy. He's a bad guy--- right?'

Even those who knew of him personally thought that his often scary looks were now softened by his manner.

"Good to see you as well, Naell." Said Rizaul smiling, which earned him surprised gazes from his friends.

"So what were you doing there, Naell?" It was Note who asked the question after a slight cough in the quiet ride.

All of them were of course curious, and had forgotten how they got distracted by Naell and Rizaul's closeness.

"Ah, that is---" Upon saying those words, Naell with a [ poof ] handed them a parchment containing the guild's approval to explore. He then added on,

"I--- We were here to investigate the fogging."

• Fogging? LIAR, HOOT! •

Telepathically said Owly while looking at him sarcastically.

Yet with simple words and a refreshing smile, Naell's reply made the young owl quiet and cooperative.

• Do you want to share the golden apples? •

It could be said that all of the scorn they were feeling towards one another vanished, as seemingly shiny golden coins were visible in their eyes.

"How did that go?" Teasingly said Note, as the fog was still there when they left.

Yet Naell misunderstood Note's words as friendly and caring as he thought,

'How nice, he was worried about us.'

It was far from the truth, but Naell was conceited as he truly liked Note the most. Not to mention, he was a "dumb dumb" when it came to socialization.

"Well, if it weren't for Owly, we might not have discovered the cause of the fogging." Upon saying those words, Naell briefly explained how the fairies were involved in that incident.

"..."

Namiku and Note were surprised as fairies were rare to encounter. Not only were they unsociable with other beings, but they were also mischievous, hence other beings also disliked them.

Although Andrew, Viola, and Rinca still felt awkward towards Naell, they could not help but be curious as well.

Yet bad memories they could not brush aside, only prevented them from speaking, causing an unfaltering silence to fill the carriage.

Little did they know, Naell was also feeling the same way, but because of his often misunderstood face, they thought he was uncaring.

Like the silence, Naell's awkward smile that appeared cold to the rest of them, was unfaltering behind the heavy atmosphere.

Namiku and Note then began regretting their decision. Awhile back, when they first saw Naell, the two of them had the same idea as they glanced at each other:

'Let's invite them!'

They, of course, were also wary of Naell, but unlike the rest, they were interested to know more about the curious case of Naell Beryldot.

Still, the heavy silence and awkward atmosphere they were now experiencing were too suffocating even for the duo.

Luckily, the always unfazed Rizaul saved the day. With his uninterested face framed by his green hair and yellow eyes, he asked,

"Why is it then that the fog was still occupying the forest?"

Naell then explained how the Golden fairy's magic would probably last for months before it got dispelled for good.

The half-elf's success in breaking the ice had now become apparent. Upon hearing the word "Golden", the ladies quickly grew more interested and immediately showed it on their faces.

"Do you mean YOU MET A ROYAL FAIRY?"

"WAS SHE TRULY GOLDEN?"

Namiku and Viola could not help but ask in amazement, completely dispelling the heavy atmosphere.

"Ahhh yes..."

Naell then awkwardly told the story based on what he remembered. Soon, Andrew, Note, and Rizaul's interests were piqued upon hearing how he and Owly fought against them.

It was already getting late when they had arrived in Taglagas. The sun was already setting and the bright environment the school always illuminated, was slowly engulfed in the night's light. Still, it was admittedly beautiful in its own right.

Naell was invited to dinner by Rizaul, but he declined, for it was already too much for his mind to be with them any longer.

'I'm not really welcome which is understandable.' He thought while smiling, before thanking him for the kind offer and adding on,

"Though I'm sure Owly would be delighted."

Owly questioned him with a face that clearly said "are you sure?", but Naell's smile told him he was giving a genuine okay. Seeing this, the young owl was delighted and had no qualms showing this as his wings were fluttering with joy.

As the night only grew darker, Naell quickly thanked them once more before parting ways. He then caught a glimpse of them as he walked, happily talking as a fat bird flew by their side.