Ed was a good classmate; he only knew that heading east was the right way, and he didn't know anything else. So the team kept heading east.
In the jungle to the east of the territory, the team was resting at a temporary camp. Since they had scouted the route before, it wasn't too difficult to proceed.
This was the first time Ed had ever been so far from the castle, and the sudden change from a relatively comfortable environment to such an unfamiliar one was still somewhat unsettling for him.
Adelaide, on the other hand, was quite excited, without the nervousness of someone going on a long trip for the first time. This time, they had gone much farther than on their last hunting trip.
As a competent soldier, Andrew remained vigilant at all times, constantly glancing around with his eyes.
"My lord, it's getting dark soon, and we'll be spending the night here," Andrew reminded us. This place was a temporary camp left over from previous explorations, so it was relatively safe to rest here.
"Okay, everyone get ready, let's start a fire first," Ed instructed everyone.
Then everyone started preparing their things. It was a fairly open space, so it didn't feel too crowded.
Before long, it got dark, and then the firelight illuminated the small space.
The group sat around the fire, the broth in the pot beside it bubbling. In the firelight, their breath steamed in white mist. Although much of the snow had melted, it was still very cold, and everyone was somewhat silent, simply warming themselves by the fire.
Seeing that no one was speaking, Ed thought for a moment and then said, "I keep having strange dreams, let me tell you about them."
"Okay! Okay!" Adelaide was still the most accommodating.
Then, the only sounds in the empty space were the crackling of burning firewood, the gurgling of the meat cooking in the pot, and Ed's voice.
"There was once a war in a certain place. A young soldier was wounded. Before he died, he recalled a girl he had met and his heart was filled with longing for her."
He hoped to convey his love and regret to the girl through someone else, and asked her to do three things.
Sew him a linen garment without seams or stitches; find him a burial plot between the seashore and the shore; harvest orchids with a leather sickle and tie them into a bunch to place on his grave.
Ed finished telling the story, but the crowd didn't react much. Only Adelaide looked at Ed with some confusion and asked:
"Master, this girl is so pitiful. The clothes can't be made at all! How can a leather sickle cut through the flowers? This warrior's wish will not be fulfilled."
"Yes, that's right, Adelaide. Perhaps this wasn't the warrior's intention. He just hoped that the girl would remember him forever."
"Ah!" Now Adelaide understood. This wasn't just some ordinary story about failing to complete a task.
This is a love story between a young soldier and a young girl, a love that the girl remembers constantly even after failing to complete her mission.
Sadly, the warrior never returned, and Adelaide, who understood the story, felt somewhat sad.
Only then did the crowd begin to react, perhaps thinking of themselves, what if one day they were like the warriors in the story?
Will they, like the warriors in the story, also deliver some words to the person they miss most?
Sadness spread through everyone's hearts; Ed's good intentions had backfired.
"Adelaide, the soup is ready. Quickly, distribute it to everyone." Ed had no choice but to let Adelaide distribute the food to ease everyone's sorrow.
"Yes, Master." Adelaide quickly stood up and went to get some bowls and bread.
"My lord, may I tell you this story?" Young Will was very fond of the story.
"Yes, Will."
Ed looked at Will and thought the boy had the potential to be a storyteller.
No, "wandering poet" would be a more fitting description.