Berserk: The Prophet

Green concealed himself and slipped away to a tree a little further away. After all, climbing trees was one of his strengths. Fortunately, the canopy of the Grant Tree was dense in July, and even if a Shadow Hand climbed up the tree to observe the surrounding situation, it would be difficult for him to find his presence.

...For them, finding themselves was like looking for a needle in a haystack.

However, he underestimated Madwood. Madwood's years of experience as a shadow hunter made him extremely sensitive to smells and the tracks of his prey. Madwood only sniffed the mud on the ground and touched a few fresh mud marks on the tree trunk before he knew that Green was hiding in the tree.

Madwood gave a signal, and several of his men quietly spread out and surrounded the tree. Green inwardly cursed; it seemed he wouldn't be able to escape today.

Just then, an arrow whistled through the air and struck the shoulder of one of Madwood's men. Everyone was startled and drew their swords, alerting their surroundings.

A figure darted swiftly through the trees, its agility resembling that of a shadow hand. Madwood shouted, "Who is it?"

"Hmph! You bunch of guys have disturbed my hunting." It turned out to be Aba Ying, a hunter who lived in seclusion here.

He lived alone in this unclaimed land, not allowing anyone to disturb his hunting grounds.

Abain fired another arrow, deliberately missing its mark, but it was still incredibly intimidating.

Just as Madwood and his companions were hesitating, a black wolf even larger than Ludwick emerged from the woods behind Madwood.

The black wolf bared its fangs and let out a low growl. As it looked at Madwood and the others dressed in dyed wolf skins, its blood-red pupils flashed with an extremely fierce light.

The black wolf was a full two meters long, and its glossy black mane made it look like a black lion. Its sharp fangs and huge mouth looked like it could take a person's life in no time.

Madwood and the others were instantly caught in a dilemma. On one side was the elusive hunter Abain, and on the other was the menacing giant black wolf. Even the Shadow Hand, who had been trained in wolf-like behavior since childhood, couldn't help but nervously huddle together back to back.

At this point, there were only four of them in total, and the situation was very unfavorable for them.

Abain frowned as he looked at the four men's strange attire. It was Grant's most primitive hunter's clothing. With the progress of the times, it is now rare to see hunters dressed like this. The dye on the wolf skin looked quite valuable.

Madwood weighed the pros and cons. He knew that this hunter was not to be trifled with, and Green was trapped and couldn't escape for the time being.

Madwood suddenly thought of a brilliant idea that would kill two birds with one stone, so he shouted, "We mean no offense, let's leave now." With that, he and his men slunk away.

The black wolf chased them away, and only returned from the woods when they were truly far away.

"Well done, Luke." Abain stroked the black wolf's large head before looking up at the tree.

"Come down."

Green breathed a sigh of relief, climbed down from the tree, and thanked Abain: "Thank you for your help. May I ask your name?"

Abain looked Green up and down. He spoke fluent Grant dialect and looked well-nourished, perhaps because he had often poached after trespassing on that group's hunting grounds.

But his manner of speaking... was clearly different from that of ordinary mountain people. If they were people who frequently hunted in the deep mountains, even if they didn't know him, they should know that there was a hunter in this forest who was always on the move and always with his black wolf.

But it must be difficult for someone so young to make a living on their own, right?

Thinking of this, Aba Ying said, "My name is Aba Ying, I'm just a hunter in this deep forest. Hurry up and leave, kid, don't provoke those people anymore."

Green nodded deeply. Abain... the name sounded somewhat familiar, but he couldn't quite place where he had heard it before.

Green didn't take it to heart and prepared to head towards the Fire Dragon's Nest first, making sure his safety was guaranteed before delivering the message.

After walking a few steps, Green seemed to remember something and turned to Abain, saying, "Mr. Abain, those people won't let this go. They'll definitely come back to cause you trouble."

Abain chuckled nonchalantly and patted the black wolf beside him: "Don't worry, Luke and I hunt together all the time, I'm not afraid of them. But you, little guy, look at how flustered you are, where are you going?"

Green hesitated for a moment, then gritted his teeth and decided to be honest: "This matter involves the future of the entire Duchy of Grant."

Abain was slightly taken aback, a look of doubt on his face: "The future of the entire Duchy of Grant? How could a kid like you be involved in such a big matter?"

Green said with a serious expression, "Sir, I have inadvertently learned of a conspiracy. The Grand Duke wants to betray this country and frame General Gurenbeldo."

Aba Ying frowned, her expression turning serious: "Do you have any evidence?"

Green shook his head: "There's no concrete evidence yet, but I know their next plan is probably to harm General Gurunberudo!"

“Those men are the Grand Duke’s men. They were just trying to stop me from informing General Gurenbelud.

After a moment of silence, Aba Ying said seriously, "Then I'll go with you."

Green's eyes widened: "Sir, this is a dangerous matter. You don't need to get involved."

Abain patted the black wolf on the back: "Although I'm used to hunting alone in the jungle, as a member of the Duchy of Grant, how can I stand idly by when it comes to such a major issue concerning the fate of countless people?"

"Besides, more people mean more help. And I'm familiar with this mountain forest and know a lot of shortcuts."

Green was surprised; he hadn't expected Abain to offer to help.

Abain grinned. "I don't want to see those greedy guys ruin the peace here."

As Aba Ying spoke, his dark green hunter's outfit couldn't hide his handsome appearance, and his dark eyes held only love and sincerity for this land.

A warm feeling welled up in Green's heart, and he nodded vigorously. Then, Green, Abain, and Black Wolf Luke hurried towards the direction of the Fire Dragon's Nest. A race against time to gather intelligence was about to begin.

.........

It was less of a hunt and more of an excuse to gallop across the plains outside the city of Nowrudkahuati.

Before they knew it, Edward and Heechul rode their horses to the river they used to frequent as children.

The river flowed gently, its water crystal clear. Edward dismounted, walked to the riverbank, and knelt down, gently splashing the water with his hands. Heckler also dismounted and stood quietly beside him, watching him.

"Do you remember catching fish here when we were kids?" Edward said softly, a faint smile playing on his lips.

“How could I forget? You’re always so clumsy, and in the end, I’m the one who has to catch the fish to fill our stomachs,” Hickel teased.

Edward laughed, his laughter echoing along the riverbank. He looked up into the distance, his smile fading as if sighing, "Without realizing it, we've already reached this age..."

Hickel followed Edward's gaze and looked at the river, which was still the same as before, rippling in the wind. "Yes, time flies."

"Hickel, have you thought about the future?" Edward turned to look at her, a hint of confusion in his eyes.

"As long as I can still protect this land, I have nothing to worry about regarding my future," Hickel said firmly, his tone somewhat relaxed, as if he had already come to terms with it.

Edward stood up, dusted himself off, and said, "It's a pity we were delayed by too many things. If only things could always be like they used to be."

Hickel was silent for a moment, then stepped forward and grasped Edward's shoulder. "No matter what happens, we've been through so much together, and there's also Gurenbelud... In short, we won't be easily separated."

Gurunberudo...

A flicker of disgust flashed in Edward's eyes, but Hickel didn't notice; he didn't want to hear that name at all.

"So what? Don't you have any complaints about the marriage arranged by the Grand Duke?"

“This is the Grand Duke’s decree, how can I disobey?” Hikel sighed helplessly, a hint of melancholy in his eyes.

"Moreover, the other party is the eldest son of the Olsen family... To be honest, for a woman like me who is not a virgin, there is nothing to complain about in this marriage, and my parents will not allow me to refuse."