Ch.194194. Because I wasn’t Javier Wilson, but Selden Alphonse.

“Excuse me, did Jawill Wilson really subdue Swell with a single blow?”

At Berik’s question, Wortman excitedly sat up and gestured with his palm.

“I’m telling you! And he didn’t even draw his sword—just grabbed his neck with his bare hand! Ah! You should have seen it… everyone watching had their mouths hanging open!”

Berik, who had come to visit Wortman’s house after finishing his shift, casually downed his drink.

“Hah! Just hearing about it relieves my stress—imagine seeing it in person! By the way, did Swell pass out?”

“I’m not sure, but he couldn’t get up after that one hit.”

“Well, if Jawill Wilson got that close, even if Swell could stand up, the battle was already decided for a mage like him.”

I let out a very brief sigh while silently listening to Wortman and Berik’s conversation.

To be honest, I was disappointed.

Considering what happened last night, I wanted to pull out his teeth one by one to make him suffer.

But what could I do?

If I showed such a gap in power, Village Chief Loris would become wary, which would interfere with my plans.

So.

I just gave him a light tap.

After all, Swell’s only mistake was throwing that drink at me on Brond’s orders.

Wortman was still excited, clapping his hands and bouncing around.

“You should have seen Brond. He didn’t just look like he’d eaten shit—he was practically shit himself!”

Berik, who had been enjoying the conversation, sighed as something occurred to him.

“I bet Swell will end up in the same situation as me now.”

“You feel sorry for him!? Do you know how much he’s looked down on us with Brond backing him up!?”

“That’s true, but… he did those nasty things because Brond ordered him to. Swell wasn’t originally a bad guy.”

“See, this is why you’re too nice. Look at Jawill Wilson! Do you know how cold-hearted he’s become?”

Cold-hearted?

I was just thinking that I might have gone too easy on him today.

Well, compared to the original Jawill Wilson, perhaps I could be considered cold-hearted?

I took a sip of my drink and looked at Berik to join the conversation.

“So can the three of us go monster hunting tomorrow?”

“Yeah, as long as we don’t stray from the designated routes, we can move around pretty freely.”

“Oh, really?”

“Come to think of it, we’ve never gone monster hunting together, have we? You left Pandera territory right after becoming an adult.”

I don’t have much direct information about what monsters live in the Silver Forest.

As Berik just mentioned, Jawill Wilson never hunted monsters in Pandera territory.

“Hmm, are there any dangerous monsters in the Silver Forest?”

“I don’t know about the deeper parts, but I’ve heard there are Black Hounds and even Cerberus.”

Black Hounds are one thing, but Cerberus too?

How on earth did monsters climb up these high cliffs and establish territory here?

By the way.

Cerberus is a powerful monster that only appears in the middle part of the novel.

When it first appeared, it made such an impact that it was considered boss-level.

Despite having three heads, its agility, sharp claws, and the flame magic spewing from its three mouths make it quite troublesome.

Of course, many say it’s weaker than Black Hounds since it’s solitary and doesn’t live in packs.

However.

I’m already familiar with Black Hounds from the monster wave, but Cerberus’s attack patterns would be unfamiliar.

Hunting alone might not threaten my life, but protecting Wortman and Berik would require taking risks.

“…Are we going to hunt Black Hounds or Cerberus?”

Berik waved his hand at my concerned look.

“We won’t go that far in. We’ll just go a little past the central area where the magic herb field is.”

“What if we encounter a Cerberus or Black Hound on the way?”

“No need to worry. Cerberus and Black Hounds don’t come out that far. Oh! Though one Cerberus did show up last year.”

“W-what!? What happened then?”

“I believe we captured it alive, but I don’t know what happened after that.”

They caught a Cerberus?

I guess the knights and mages of Pandera territory are stronger than I thought.

Still, Berik’s words didn’t reassure me.

Didn’t a Black Hound appear in the Delphinium flower field in Cataria territory before?

That’s how Jawill Wilson became a hero.

I looked back and forth between Berik and Wortman.

“By the way, how skilled are you two?”

“W-what?”

“This guy…”

They both suddenly tensed up, shoulders rising, then Wortman laughed heartily.

“Are you worried we’ll slow you down when hunting monsters?”

“No, I just need to know your skill level. It makes it easier to form a strategy.”

“You wouldn’t know since you’ve never participated in monster hunting day, but it’s basically just a light festival.”

This makes me even more anxious.

Like the protagonist Serion Raikeus, I’m someone who attracts trouble.

Didn’t Jawill Wilson worry about me causing problems before we left?

I needed to be fully prepared.

Ready to not even blink if both Black Hounds and Cerberus appeared simultaneously tomorrow.

Plus.

I sighed at the thought of having to complete the original plan of collecting magic herbs.

“Sigh… a festival…”

Berik tilted his head.

“Is something else bothering you?”

“No, it’s just complicated because I need to get magic herbs while we’re there.”

“Magic herbs?”

“You said there are magic herbs in the center of the Silver Forest, right? Since the village chief manages them, I’ll have to take them secretly.”

“You don’t need to take them secretly. The village chief wouldn’t refuse you something as trivial as magic herbs.”

The problem is that they might not be so trivial.

I don’t know exactly what Village Chief Loris told Brond.

But he understood that he needed me.

Just look at how Brond, who was growling at me like a mortal enemy last night, became docile today.

“I just don’t want to deal with the hassle. I’m only taking a few roots anyway.”

“Oh, is that all? Then we can just dig some up while hunting tomorrow.”

“What do you mean?”

“The village chief only manages the concentrated magic herb field in the center of the Silver Forest.”

I asked with wide eyes at Berik’s words.

“So magic herbs grow throughout the Silver Forest?”

“Well, not quite that much, but if you look carefully while hunting, you might find two or three roots a day. Even without going to the center.”

Hearing Berik’s explanation, I considered two possibilities.

First, the village chief can’t secretly manage the entire Silver Forest, so he only focuses on the central area where most magic herbs grow.

Second, only the magic herbs growing in the center are effective for hair.

I hoped it wasn’t the latter, but given that magic herbs from other territories had no effect, I couldn’t rule out the second possibility.

‘Hmm…’

I twirled the glass in my hand before setting it down on the table.

“Anyway, I hate complications, so let’s keep the magic herb gathering a secret, okay?”

Wortman just waved his hand dismissively, while Berik, getting tipsy, smiled broadly.

“If you can’t get to the center for magic herbs, I’ll keep watch for you secretly.”

“I’d appreciate that.”

Knock-knock!

Just as we were about to clink our glasses again in the name of warm friendship, there was a knock at the door.

Wortman tilted his head saying, “Who could it be at this hour?” as he walked toward the door, while I touched my scabbard in preparation for any situation.

Creeeeak!

Wortman, Berik, and I all gaped in surprise.

Standing at the door was Clara.

“Clara, what brings you here?”

“I need to talk to Jawill Wilson.”

I was dumbfounded.

From what Jawill Wilson had told me, Clara would be terrified just by running into him.

Plus, since I arrived here, we’d only exchanged a few glances, not even proper conversation.

But now.

She had come looking for me. In the middle of the night.

Wortman and Berik seemed delighted for some reason, their eyes sparkling with excitement.

Holding my throbbing head, I got up from my chair and walked to the door.

“What is it?”

“…This isn’t the place to talk. Could we speak outside for a moment?”

In this awkward situation, I looked at Wortman and Berik, who were eagerly nodding as if they had any say in the matter.

I was perplexed too.

After all, I wasn’t Jawill Wilson but Selden Alphonse.

I bit my lip slightly.

“Can’t we talk here?”

“It’s a bit difficult. It’ll only take a moment, please come out.”

Before I could even think about it, Berik and Wortman simultaneously pushed me from behind.

By the time I realized what was happening, I was already outside.

Clara pointed toward a less populated area with a faint smile.

“Could we talk over there?”

Though the situation was suspicious to anyone watching, I had nothing to fear, so I followed her.

We arrived at a dark alley.

There was only the faint scent of Clara’s hair, without a single passerby.

‘Actually, if I were attacked in a place like this, it would be easier to handle.’

As I was organizing my thoughts, Clara turned around and suddenly grabbed my hand.

“Jawill Wilson, you absolutely must not come to the Silver Forest tomorrow!”