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'It's a good Magical potion for dealing with Superior Magical Creatures like Drakes, which have tough hides.'
Fortunately, Felix had already made a scratch on the Drake's hide, so the corrosion started even faster around that area.
The Drake, which had been about to attack Felix, let out a painful scream.
Kuaaaack-!
Felix wasn't about to miss that opening. His sword once again struck fiercely at the Drake's wounded area.
Seeing that, Ayla forcefully threw another Magical potion.
Felix, catching the flying vial, poured the Magical potion generously over the sword embedded in the Drake.
Kaaack!
With a massive cry, the Drake trembled.
Kaack! Kaaack!
Soon after, it let out a bizarre scream and collapsed to the ground.
Ayla limped towards Felix.
Felix had collapsed on top of the Drake as soon as he defeated it.
His face was clearly exhausted, but he forced himself up as Ayla approached.
"Don't walk, Ayla. You're hurt."
Felix said worriedly. But Ayla shook her head and forced a smile.
"It's okay, I'm not seriously hurt. It's just a graze."
Ayla carefully observed Felix before cautiously asking.
"By the way, did you awaken your Aura?"
At those words, Felix hesitated for a moment, then nodded with a simple smile.
Ayla couldn't hide her joy and smiled brightly.
"Congratulations! I expected it, but still, to awaken it so quickly. I'm proud of you."
"...You expected this too? That I would awaken my Aura?"
Felix asked in surprise, and Ayla hesitated.
Of course, she knew from the original story that Felix could manifest Aura very quickly.
But she couldn't reveal that honestly.
"Rather than expected, I believed in you."
Ayla said, glossing over it with a wink.
Unlike the original story, the medicine he was taking was incomplete, so it took a little longer, but she never doubted that he would eventually do it.
Felix smiled knowingly, as if he expected that.
"It's all thanks to Ayla."
After saying that, Felix's expression turned stern.
"Still, what you did earlier was reckless, Ayla. I clearly said it wouldn't awaken."
At his scolding, Ayla closed her mouth with an awkward expression.
Inwardly, she was also greatly shocked by this incident.
'In the original story, it was clearly written that it wouldn't awaken on a full moon night...'
Until now, she had been preparing for future events based on the original novel, but it seemed that changes had occurred while altering various events.
'I think I was too complacent. I should be careful not to blindly trust the original story in the future.'
If Felix hadn't awakened his talent in time today, they both might have lost their lives.
Just thinking about it made her skin crawl.
Soon, Ayla looked around.
Her gaze landed on the broken eggshell she had found earlier.
'Maybe that's the cause.'
For a higher species of Monsters like Drakes to quietly sleep when the power of Monsters is amplified like on a full moon.
Something didn't add up.
Clearly, that Drake had laid an egg and deliberately gone to sleep to recover its energy.
"I'm sorry... I accidentally stepped on the Drake's egg. It seems it woke up because of the noise."
Ayla apologized with her head bowed.
"You stepped on an egg?"
Felix was puzzled by her words and began to look around.
Then, as if he had found something, he called her.
"Ayla, come here. There are other eggs nearby."
At his gesture, Ayla hesitantly approached.
In the center of the area where evening primroses were in full bloom, large and small eggs were placed.
"Are they all eggs laid by the Drake?"
As she muttered in wonder, Felix picked up the smallest egg among them and said.
"I don't think so. It's too small compared to the others to be a Drake's egg."
"That's right, why is this one so small? The color is also strange."
"Looking at the color and size, it definitely doesn't seem like a Monster's egg. Rather, it's more like..."
Felix, who had been examining the egg closely, suddenly trailed off and made a serious expression.
"It looks like a Divine Beast's egg."
"What?"
Felix abruptly held out the egg to her, startling her.
Although Ayla didn't know as much about Monsters or Divine Beasts as Felix did, after hearing his words, she felt an unusually clear energy emanating from the egg.
"Ayla, you take it."
"Really?"
"Yes, I don't think I can raise it properly even if I take it."
Ayla's eyes sparkled.
Usually, eggs laid by Divine Beasts were so rare that they were priceless.
To give something like that away without any greed.
"You're really kind."
At her sincere compliment, Felix blinked blankly.
He was just giving up the egg because he felt bad for not being able to properly repay Ayla for the Cure she had given him.
Suddenly, he felt a strange tickling in his heart as he received an unexpected compliment.
Come to think of it, Ayla seemed to have a good impression of him from the beginning.
'Could it be that Ayla asked for my help because she thinks I'm kind?'
If so, there seemed to be no need to correct that misunderstanding.
Felix immediately nodded and replied with a brazen face.
"Yes, I'm very kind."
At his words, Ayla smiled contentedly and carefully held the egg in her arms.
It was an egg that didn't appear in the original story, so she couldn't know what it was.
'But I feel a strange energy. It also has a mysterious glow.'
It was then, as she was looking down at the egg with a curious expression.
"Sit here for a moment."
Suddenly feeling Felix's presence, Ayla stepped back in confusion.
"Why, why?"
"Just stay still. I need to see your wound properly."
He sat Ayla on a rock and rummaged through his luggage, taking out a handkerchief and a vial.
His touch as he wiped her wound with a water-soaked handkerchief was surprisingly quick yet careful.
"Now I need to apply medicine. It will sting a little."
Felix said nonchalantly as he took out the disinfectant.
Ayla squeezed her eyes shut.
A sharp pain rushed in for a moment, but it soon disappeared.
When she opened her eyes again, she saw him seriously wrapping a bandage around her wound.
Watching that, Ayla felt her face gradually heating up.
'I brought Cure too... but there's no need to say that.'
She tried to break the awkward silence by opening her mouth.
"Do all Swordsmanship Department students carry things like this around?"
Then Felix nodded as he closed the medicine cap.
"That's also true. I'm just too kind to pass by someone who's hurt."
He once again made a brazen expression and joked.
Ayla was dumbfounded, but eventually followed him and chuckled.
A few days after Felix and Ayla had been in the forest.
A group moving with steady strides appeared in the forest.
They were upperclassmen from the Swordsmanship Department who had come out for practice.
As soon as they set foot in the forest, they found the corpses of Monsters scattered around and tilted their heads.
"Instructor, the Monsters are dead."
As one of the students reported the situation, Swordsmanship Instructor Harun nodded.
As he said, Monsters with cleanly severed necks were visible everywhere.
"It seems that some very skilled students have been here."
Until then, the instructor didn't feel any particular sense of unease.
It was common for groups of students to come to the forest and hunt.
However, as he gradually examined the corpses, his eyes narrowed.
'It's as if they fought alone.'
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