Wait, my ears are... I just noticed that and tried covering it, in case the old lady did not notice.

"Hmmh? Conscious about your ears?" she asked.

"Aah! Yes, I mean are you not scared of me? Do you not hate me?"

"Dear child, no. What made you think so?"

"But... You're a human, are you not?"

"Oh, dear child. If you meant I should hate you for being a mage, then you are quite silly," she just smiled a warm smile. "But I understand... This whole humans and mages problem has long been going on since the ancient times. What bothers me is that young children like you are being affected."

"Old lady, do you have no experience about this conflict?"

The old lady straightened her composure and looked at me with sad eyes, "I had a husband and a son, both died in one of these conflicts. They were both too eager to serve the kingdom. Although my husband wanted peace more than everything, my son was too kind-hearted that he even helped a mage escape. With that, both of them were treated as traitors and was executed."

"That's horrible!" I was shocked to hear a human was punished for helping a mage.

"Indeed it was," she then gave a gentle smile. "However, seeing how that boy helped you reminded me of my son. I was very touched."

I then faced the next room, "Oh... Really?.."

"...Indeed, he's such a nice boy isn't he?"

"Oh...Yeah, I guess he is..." I whispered.

All this time I have treated Felgard nothing else but a nuisance. When in fact, he has helped me, no, saved me a few times. I never took to consideration his kindness towards me. Maybe I misjudged him too much....

I looked at that wall currently separating me from him. Past this wooden wall was a human who has always been there for me in times of need. Come to think of it, he did look kind of cool in all his heroism. It felt like he always knew when I needed someone...

Suddenly, a loud thud resonated past that wall accompanied with murmuring sounds, "ah, did she hear? I hope not, better be careful next time..."

"Oh?! He's awake?" was all the old lady could say.

Disregarding my current state, I gathered my strength and slammed that wall with my hard-clenched fists as strong as I could. With that a huge, "Waaahhhhhh!!!" sounded from behind the wall, accompanied with another loud thud.

"That airheaded fool!!" was all I could say.

"OI! That hurt you know!!" was all the airhead could shout in the other room.

"Serves you right for eavesdropping!" I huffed and looked away.

The old lady giggled to herself which made me blush a little...

I decided to stay within the old day's house until I could recover. I mean, all I could do was stay within the room until I finished the dinner she prepared for me. It would seem like Felgard was immobilized too after he hit his knee with something.

"Like I told you. It was a dragon that injured my knee!" he reasoned with the stupidest idea. "I was all whoosh and wham. And the dragon was like aaaarrghh!"

"Yeah right. Tell that to the goblins who peed on their heads!!" I scoffed.

"You were asleep, and I was carrying you. So you didn't see what happened!"

"I don't need see what happened to believe it. A dragon? They no longer exist."

"It was your fault for sleeping that you did not see. After all, it was your idea for challenging me in the first place."

"Haaah??! Why would it be my fault?!!"

We communicated through yelling past the wooden wall separating us.

The old lady introduced her name to be Nancy and that she was a honey farmer. She lived far from the civilization, which made me at ease of being found by soldiers. According to her, the tornado was so strong that the nearby city felt its force.

"I might admit that the tornado was my fault, but not for your injury," I huffed air out of my nose.

"But you called my name, that's why I saved you," that quite hit me at the spot. Recalling what happened, I did call his name...

"S-still, if you have just left me there, you wouldn't have been injured, so it's your fault for being too heroic," I felt myself too evil.

"Oh, yeah... You're right," indeed he was just too stupid to fool around with.

"S-see? Now you understand..."

"Maybe I really shouldn't have helped you..."

'Well, of course! I mean, I-ah could've saved myself, obviously. It was just out of confusion."

"I feel like a garbage clinging unto nothing this whole time..."

"H-hey..." I felt like he wasn't himself.

"I've been always following you, thinking something good might happen... I've saved you for the purpose of knowing that..."

"......Ugh..."

"Funny, this world is... Sometimes you get the wrong turn yet pursue it despite knowing..."

"........"

"Now here I am, I cannot even walk... Now what?.. Just nothing..."

"Hey..."

"I don't even know anymore... Maybe that's just it... I'm sorry for being a nuisance this whole time..."

"........"

I didn't know what I felt. At that time, beyond this wooden wall, is Felgard whom face I cannot see, but... I felt guilty. Just then, I remembered what the old lady, miss Nancy told me, " Seeing how that boy helped you reminded me of my son. I was very touched... Indeed, he's such a nice boy isn't he?"

Could I have been a fool? Have my hatred for humans made me this insensitive, and to Felgard most of all? Felgard...

"Hey, Felgard... Uh..." I have to say it, it's his right. I mustn't harden my heart more than it already had. If I don't do it now, I might regret this for the rest of my life. "Listen, Felgard..."

He might just reject me, but perhaps it's better that way. True, he is but a nuisance but...

"I-I'm sorry... Felgard. I've been a fool... True, I probably went too far and, well, it's not like I truly hate yo-"

"B-BUHUUAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAA!!!!"

"Wha..."

"-AHAHAHAHAHAHA!! AH, MY STOMACH HURTS!!! AH AHAHA!!"

Hey, what's the meaning of this, was I... was I...

"I knew it!! Aahhahaha! Y-you, you really have a soft spot Friesha!!"

My guilt, where did my guilt go?

"Ahahaha!! 'H-hey Felgard? L-listen?' Ahahahahahahaha!!! I got you good! You're too easy!"

I was right, I was right to be insensitive, specifically to this nuisance. Truly a nuisance, nothing more nothing less.

"ahahaha!! Here this? I can even walk just fine!" he laughed accompanied with some thumping sounds.

Oh yes, I can hear them alright, those prancing little feet of yours... Now you've done it...

"Ahahaha, oh my. Friesha? You listening?.. Friesha?"

"-ay this soul find eternity on the path of darkness. Let the depths of my mind succumb to the wailing of the damned, thy heart clutched to emptiness, heed my prayer..."

"Oi! F-firesha!"

"-chains and bind thy thirst to..."

"Wait wait wait! Let's talk about this!!"

"-towards the whispers of eternal rest, open thy eyes!"

"Friesha! I'm sorry!!!"

"Hell Howl!!"

I somehow woke up with a bright smile on my face. It turned out a good nights sleep was enough to give me the full recovery I required. I felt my realea to be bursting than ever. Outside the window I just opened, was the bright morning sun, greeting me with its light as if to bless my entire day with ultimate hope. Butterflies fluttered quietly from flower to flower, greeting each other with morning blessings. Truly, a wonderful new day.

"Oh! Your already awake," miss Nancy was bringing me a tray of food and gently placed it on the table.

"Mmh! Thank you for letting me stay the night miss Nancy," I slightly bowed to her.

"My my. The pleasure is all mine to have someone like you here. Although it's quite worrying..."

"What is?" I asked, tilting my head as I smiled.

"It's probably nothing but..." she then looked at the wooden wall. "It would seem like your friend had a bad dream. He was lying down on the ground naked, blank-white eyes, and was drooling a lot. I tried waking him up but, he just won't stop mumbling to himself while sleeping."

"Oh no need to worry miss Nancy. He's like that sometimes."

"Oh, really? Then so be it. Anyway, have some breakfast before you go. I'm sure you want to continue, right?.."

"Thank you very much miss Nancy," I then went and sat on the wooden chair, looking at the fish, stake, and leaves on the plate. I then took a bite and chewed my food in delight as she left the room without a word.

Wait, what does miss Nancy mean with 'continue'? My adventures?

"I mean young people these days are more energetic and lively. Of course you'll like to leave home and go on adventures despite your age," was what she said yesterday.

How did miss Nancy know I was on an adventure? I didn't say anything about leaving home. Did Felgard tell her? His stupidity might've leaked it away.

I felt that I wasn't being too cautious the entire time here, so I closed my eyes and felt the realea around me. After a short while, I stood up and immediately grabbed my bag which was thankfully brought along with me. My veiled hat is nowhere to be seen again, but it's not the problem for now.

I looked outside the window. Narrowing my eyes, I could sense danger lurking from behind those innocent-looking trees and shrubs. No doubt about it, there's seem to be a lot.

I looked at the wooden wall. Past it is a passed out Felgard. Should I wake him? He's probably safe because he's human like them. But the old lady's story about his son who helped a mage? No, she probably made that stuff up to gain my trust. That innocent-looking old lady...

Multiple soldiers surrounded the entire wooden house. Among them came another knight, which seemed to be in great position as the soldiers would make way for her. This woman had long golden single-braided hair swaying along with her sapphire cape. Her clean white armor made clanging sounds as she walked. Her emerald eyes narrowed as she faced her pretty rosy cheeks on the window of the room from outside.

"Is the mage really here?" she asked with slight deep voice for a woman.

"Yes," the old lady following her answered. "I gave her food with sleeping mushroom powder. She's probably asleep by now."

"We can't be sure if she really is asleep," she said as she focused her eyes at the wooden house. "Archers, burn that down."

"What? No!" the old lady ran in front of her. "That house is special to me. My husband and I worked together for it. You can't just-"

She stopped talking as the archers disregarded her and merely prepared their flaming arrows to fire.

"What are you doing? All of you!" the old lady screamed. "T-there is a human boy inside as well."

Still disregarding her, the archers fired their flaming arrows, successfully hitting the wooden house. It burst into flames after a few more hits. The old lady could only kneel on the grassy ground, powerless.

"Be honored," the lady in white armor spoke while facing the little burning wooden house. "You have served your king and Pheremoor kingdom."

The old lady burst into tears and cried out her pain.

"Keep your senses clear! The chances of that mage to have escaped is still pretty high!" the knight lady shouted to her soldiers. "Never underestimate your enemy, especially a mage."

"Yes sir!" the soldiers replied. Wait, sir?

Suddenly, a hunger growl was heard from behind the bush I was hiding.

"You fool," I whispered.

"It's not like I can minimize the sound of my stomach," Felgard reasoned.

Just then, the two of us felt the same thing and ducked our heads. Just in time, a strong slash cut through the bush, where our necks were supposed to be. I could see, despite from that speed, that the sapphire-colored sword was long.

"Found you," she, or he, looked fiercer than that knight I first met.