The next morning, after that eventful night, Leon finally rose from his bed, listening to the chirping of birds outside his window.
.
"Ah... morning has truly come."
Leon went downstairs, searching for a glass of water to quench his thirst, but he didn't know where the cups were kept. He looked for Helmod to ask him.
Leon called out once, then twice, but there was no answer. He marveled slightly, then realized Helmod must be working in his forge. He stepped out of the house and headed toward the workshop where he assumed Helmod would be.
Leon stood before the workshop door, but suspiciously, it was closed. There were no sounds coming from inside—not a single noise or sign of life.
At this, Leon called out to Helmod louder than necessary: "Hey, Helmod! Where are you?" There was no reply.
When Leon grew tired of searching, he turned back and entered the cottage, hoping to find something to eat.
Helmod's absence was slightly concerning, but Leon didn't give it much thought; he assumed Helmod had gone to deliver the sword he had been working on yesterday.
Minutes passed, then hours, and Leon began to feel increasingly bored. He paced and fidgeted around the place with nothing to do—a state Leon didn't particularly enjoy.
Leon finally reached his limit; he could no longer stand the boredom of sitting inside the cottage. A strange idea crossed his mind. He thought for a moment: What if I take a quick peek at Helmod's workshop? Although Leon knew such an act would be shameful and impolite toward Helmod, who had hosted him so generously, he also knew Helmod probably wouldn't mind.
Leon felt even more conflicted: should he succumb to his curiosity or maintain his composure and push the thought away? From every angle, the act he was about to commit was shameful no matter how he tried to justify it. Therefore, Leon calmly cleared the idea from his mind entirely.
Despite this, Leon didn't stay in the cottage any longer. He went out for a short stroll in the surrounding areas, hoping to find something to dispel his boredom or pass the time until Helmod returned.
As Leon was wandering through the beautiful plains, he spotted something on the horizon. He squinted to see more clearly, but it was far enough away that he couldn't tell what it was. Although Leon's curiosity was strong, his laziness was stronger; he didn't want to trek all that distance just to see some black object looming on the horizon. So, he ignored it and continued his stroll.
About a minute passed since Leon first spotted the black object that looked like a shadow in the distance. But after that minute, there was a significant shift. Leon noticed something strange: "That black thing... is it getting closer to me?"
Leon couldn't believe it. Had he drifted toward it unconsciously, or was the black object drifting toward him? In either case, it was dangerous. His unique Magic Trait, "Adaptation," sent a warning sensation through his entire body.
While Leon was busy processing what was happening, the black mass drew closer and closer. It was near enough for Leon to see it clearly, yet still far enough that he couldn't identify it. At that moment, Leon stepped forward, armed with his two Magic Traits, "Adaptation" and "Dominance." Magic particles overflowed from his body, enveloping him like a shield of mana, while his senses heightened to their absolute limit.
As Leon prepared himself for what was coming, the black object drew very near. A loud, powerful noise erupted, and an uncountable number of birds, flying in massive swarms, came from the East—the same direction Leon had come from before finding Helmod's cottage.
But what was suspicious wasn't the number of birds, but their species and behavior. These birds were acting strangely, screaming as if they had seen something. They were also a uniform black color; as they flew, they looked like a massive black cloud blotting out the sun.
Leon stood directly beneath these flying swarms, his neck craned upward, staring at the flocks from below with wide eyes, awestruck by the magnitude of the sight.
Within a minute, most of the swarms had passed over Leon, heading West, while a small group of birds still struggled to catch up with their flocks.
Once Leon thought the spectacle was over, he took a breath and exhaled sharply, signaling the end of his anticipation. In an instant, the magic particles hovering around him vanished into the wind. Leon returned to his normal state, thinking he would continue his stroll in peace, but it seemed someone wasn't satisfied with that.
Suddenly, Leon spotted a small shadow darting toward him like an arrow. It was incredibly fast—Leon could barely glimpse it, and taking a countermeasure was even more difficult. In a fraction of a second, Leon tried to dodge the collision with the object rushing toward him with such speed and force, but time wasn't fully on his side.
Blood streamed from Leon's left cheek like a waterfall as he barely managed to avoid a direct hit. Leon looked down to his left and was able to identify the culprit.
Though it was mangled from the impact with the ground, it was identical to the birds that had been flying over him a minute ago. It had black feathers, but what Leon hadn't realized was its size; this bird wasn't ordinary. it was relatively large, about the size of a dog. Most importantly, its speed—the speed with which it had lunged at Leon was not normal at all. No ordinary bird of its size should be capable of such a feat... or so Leon thought. But he quickly reminded himself that he was in a world ruled not by logic, but by magic, and the existence of such birds was logical.
However, a question still lingered in Leon's mind: "Where are these birds going in such numbers? Are they migrating?"
Leon didn't have a clear answer yet, so he turned to his Alternative Assistant: "Hey, Alternative Assistant, do you have any idea what's going on with these birds?"
[Notification: According to the data on this bird, it is not a migratory species nor is it accustomed to migration. Therefore, I suggest there is a reason for their movement in such large numbers.]
From what he heard, Leon was able to gather a little—very little. If this bird wasn't migratory, then what was driving them to move in such massive hordes? Many thoughts raced through Leon's head, but one possibility seemed most logical, as Leon muttered: "A greater threat."
"That's the only possibility that adds a bit of logic. If these monstrous birds aren't migrating, then the most likely scenario is that they are fleeing from something worse."
After reaching this conclusion, Leon asked the Alternative Assistant to analyze the magic particles of the bird to see if it could determine the cause of their collective movement.
[Notification: Processing the target's magic particles...]
[Notification: Process completed successfully.]
[Notification: According to the data extracted from the bird's magic particles, it appears it has been exhibiting an unusual behavioral pattern recently. Most likely, these strange behaviors were a result of fear.]
"Hmm... fear. That might explain a bit, but mystery still shrouds the matter. Fine, let's ignore this for now. I think I should head back; Helmod might return and not find me."
As if nothing had happened, Leon ignored the event and began walking back to the cottage. Meanwhile, the wound on his left cheek was healing bit by bit; his recovery rate was terrifying, proving the brilliance of the "Adaptation" trait more and more.
Within a few minutes, Leon was back at the cottage threshold. The door was wide open, confirming that Helmod had returned before him.
Upon entering the cottage, Leon found Helmod sitting in his chair. One could notice the expression of worry on Helmod's face, but as soon as he noticed Leon's return, he forced a smile and welcomed him back: "Hahaha! You're back! I was worried you might have lost your way, but here you are."
Leon ignored Helmod's words and went to the chair opposite him, sitting down with a serious expression, staring intently at Helmod. He then asked: "What's wrong with you?"
"What's wrong with me?" Helmod feigned ignorance, repeating the question back to Leon, but the act wasn't good enough to hide the anxiety gripping him. At this point, Leon spoke in a tone full of confidence: "Don't deny it, Helmod. You can't deceive my senses at all. Tell me, what's wrong? Why are you so worried?"
Helmod looked at Leon and gave him a sharp gaze that lasted a few moments, but in the end, he surrendered to reality and decided to confess what was on his mind: "Ah... it seems I'm really not skilled at hiding my feelings. Fine. I was in the neighboring town, and things didn't go well there."
"Things didn't go well there? Explain further. What exactly didn't go well in the town?"
Helmod sighed and began to speak: "Ah, well... you know I've been working on a special and important order recently—that magic sword you saw yesterday. I was supposed to deliver it a week from now, but the client demanded the delivery be in three days. I'm really not confident in my ability to complete it in such a short time."
End of Chapter