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In the village under the setting sun, the dim yellow light filtered through the tree branches. As Asher and Uathach approached the village, the villagers clearly noticed them but didn't speak. It was likely that many passersby often rested here, so they were used to it.
As Asher and Uathach walked closer to the Druid, they saw him holding a child in one arm and carrying a little girl on his back, not paying too much attention to Asher.
Skadi 's illusion effect was indeed very good; the Druid didn't recognize Asher's identity immediately.
"Is he a resident of this village?" Uathach whispered, leaning into Asher's ear.
"I don't know," Asher shook his head. "But we'll find out soon."
He walked up to the Druid, who was still playing with the children. A few old women with hunched backs watched the scene kindly from the side.
The Druid finally noticed Asher's presence. He turned to look, and from beneath his wide hood, his eyes first showed hesitation. Under the confused gazes of the children, he gently put them down one by one, patting each of their heads.
"You all go play for now. I have something to discuss with your big brother and sister."
After watching the children run off, the Druid smiled and said, "Shall we talk somewhere else?"
Asher was slightly surprised and nodded.
Could it be that this person had already guessed their arrival?
Only then could it explain why the Druid was so calm at
the moment.
Asher held Uathach's hand and followed the Druid
towards the forest outside the village.
Walking along a path of fallen branches and somewhat slippery leaves, Asher stopped after a while.
"Let's talk here," he said, looking at the Druid ahead.
The Druid turned to Asher and chuckled, "Are you afraid I've set up an ambush beforehand?"
Asher didn't answer. Instead, he asked, "Do you know my identity?"
"No, how could I possibly know?" The Druid shook his head. "I've done so many things and offended so many people. How much time would it take to remember every single enemy?"
"However," his voice suddenly paused, "not many people know that I am currently in King Marco's territory."
"Are you King Arthur?"
This guy's guess was surprisingly accurate.
"I'd like to ask for your help, and if possible, I'd appreciate it if you could answer some questions," Asher's gaze remained fixed on the Druid. If the other party made any move, he could react in time.
"You're not denying it?" The Druid bowed slightly. "My apologies, it was my oversight not to recognize your identity earlier. Please forgive me."
"You can skip the formalities. Can you answer a few questions for me?" Asher asked.
"Of course, anything I can answer, I will certainly answer for you," the Druid said, lowering his head, his hood completely obscuring his face.
A cold wind blew from deep within the forest, making the tree shadows sway.
"Why didn't you run just now?" Uathach stared intently at the Druid.
"You two were watching me; running would have been useless," the Druid chuckled. "Besides, I'm not King Marco's subordinate. I was just asked by him to do some work, so I'll be very cooperative with you."
"You sound like a very intelligent person," Asher chuckled,
but he didn't lower his guard.
"The method you used that day, where did it come from?" he asked.
"The method used that day...?" The Druid looked up and thought for a moment, then lightly tapped his palm. "Are you referring to the magic of projecting images through blood? That's quite simple. If I tell you that method, will you let me go? Can you swear by King Arthur's name?"
Asher nodded lightly.
He truly was a cautious fellow... But that was normal. If he told him the method so easily, Asher would actually suspect something was wrong.
Upon hearing Asher's affirmative reply, the Druid nodded gently and said, "I trust King Arthur's character. I will tell you the method now."
The Druid slowly began to say something, and Asher listened silently. As the Druid reached the end of his explanation, Asher suddenly felt a light tap on his shoulder.
He turned and asked, "Is something wrong, sister?"
"Shall we try that method now? Projecting a real image from blood sounds like fun."
Is this the time to play, sister?!
Asher was momentarily speechless. He shifted his gaze back to the Druid.
He still had some questions he wanted to ask this person.
"I know what you're thinking, but unfortunately, I don't know anything about King Marco's affairs. I'm just a hired hand. Given that person's caution, he wouldn't tell me any secrets," the Druid said with a smile. "And I myself don't want to know those secrets."
"If you don't believe me, I can swear an oath." After the Druid finished speaking, he indeed made an oath.
"From this moment on, if I encounter King Arthur, I will not utter a single lie to him," he stated.
"Are you satisfied now, King Arthur?" the Druid asked.
Asher nodded lightly. "Can you repeat what you just said? That you don't know King Marco's secrets, nor why he targeted me that day."
The Druid was slightly startled, then quickly chuckled, "Of course, that's no problem."
"Truly worthy of King Arthur. Though young, you are indeed quite cautious," the Druid said admiringly. "Next, I will repeat what I just said."
"Invisible Hand?!" Uathach's eyes suddenly widened, staring intently at an unseen image in the air.
"Ash, watch out!" She raised her hand to push Asher away, but it was too late. A dark, claw-like image reached out from the ground towards Asher's heart.
The Druid's eyes flashed with a hint of coldness in that instant, and the smile on his face twisted.
The Druid had been preparing this spell ever since they entered the forest, intending to strike at the moment Asher let his guard down.
But as the dark claw gripped Asher's heart, a raven-black, inky light enveloped Asher, and the Invisible Hand silently disappeared.
"The Death Goddess's Blessing?!" The Druid's face finally
changed, staring at Asher in disbelief.
"How is that possible? Where did you get that from?"
"Someone gave it to me," Asher said, staring at the Druid.
"It seems you still don't intend to talk to me properly."
His body transformed under the power overload.
Complex patterns appeared on his body, and his golden eyes stared at the Druid, like a god looking down on the mortal world.
The Druid raised his hand and chanted something. Asher naturally didn't intend to wait for him to finish chanting. He stepped forward directly, intending to interrupt his spellcasting. His foot stomped backward, leaving a deep imprint on the ground.
Uathach also raised her hand at the same time. The enhancement of Runes made Asher's speed even faster and more elusive. The Druid's eyes searched everywhere for Asher's figure, but could only catch afterimages.
Asher rushed in front of the Druid, kicking him directly into the air.
But the Druid's chant was completed. It was invisible magic again, but Asher could clearly feel the trajectory of the magic under the power overload. He easily leaped high, twisting his head to avoid the Druid's invisible magic bullet, but his face was still grazed, and a thin line of blood appeared on his face.
Blood splattered. A curse seemed to be activated from that bloodstain on Asher's face, but almost at that instant, the Sun God's blessing was activated, and brilliant light expelled the curse.
The wind howled in his ears, and the branches in the forest swayed rapidly. Asher grabbed the Druid by his collar and threw him to the ground.
At close range, the flaws of a mage were evident.
Not every mage has excellent swordsmanship or other martial arts. The Druid's frail body heavily slammed onto the ground, and Asher floated down, landing another punch on the Druid.
A finishing blow was necessary.
However, he wasn't so exaggerated as to blast the forest with fire magic. This Druid still needed to be interrogated later, so he had to be kept alive.
The Druid was still chanting something, not even stopping after being hit by Asher's punch. Asher was about to raise his hand for another strike, but he found that the Druid, who had been lying on the ground, had disappeared, leaving only a black robe on the ground.
"Your luck is truly good, with the Death Goddess's blessing and even the Sun God's blessing." A jealous voice came from a distant tree branch. Asher looked up and saw an ugly-looking man standing on the tree, panting, his gaze fixed on Asher.
"But the curse still took effect, King Arthur. Please be very careful in the next few days~"
The Druid's figure swayed like an image, and the next moment, it melted into the darkness.
"Ash, are you alright?!" Uathach rushed forward and
asked.
Asher shook his head, looking up with a hint of regret.
"He still got away."
The Druid possessed very mysterious magic. He was completely clueless about these spells. If he had brought the handcuffs Morgan made before, he might have been able to catch that guy.
"Ash..." Uathach stared blankly at Asher, as if seeing some incredible creature.
"What's wrong?" Asher asked.
"Your face..."
Asher was startled, touching his face.
It was perfectly fine, completely unchanged.
"What about my face?"
Uathach said with a complex expression, "You'll know if you look in the lake."
The wind swept through the forest, the tree shadows swayed. Before nightfall, Asher and Uathach arrived at the lakeside near the forest. Upon seeing his reflection, Asher couldn't help but be stunned.
"Who is this?"
His appearance had completely changed to an unfamiliar face, and even his clothes were different from before.
"Did something go wrong with Skadi 's magic?" Asher
muttered to himself.
Uathach shook her head. "I think it must be the curse the Druid put on you."
"I heard Mom mention a similar curse before. It can change a person's appearance, and the person cannot reveal their identity, otherwise the curse will take effect."
"Then can you tell others?" Asher asked.
"Those who know the person's identity also cannot explain it to others, otherwise your curse will activate.
But similarly, the caster cannot explain it to others either, otherwise the curse will automatically be dispelled," Uathach shook her head. "But thankfully, the Sun God's blessing negated most of the curse. I think the curse effect should end quickly."
"So, during this time, neither you nor I can reveal my identity?" Asher muttered to himself. "What would happen if we did?"
"I advise you not to try," Uathach shook her head.
"Although the curse's effect has been greatly weakened, just to be safe, endure it for these few days."
Asher nodded lightly.
There was indeed no need to take that risk.
"By the way, sister, how are you so sure the curse effect on me is minimal?" Asher suddenly asked.
"Only your face changed; your height and other features are completely unchanged," Uathach walked in front of Asher. The seventeen-year-old girl was tall. She compared her height with Asher's and suddenly giggled.
"This means the curse's effect on you is very small."
Asher: "..."
That's harsh, sister.
But this wasn't the time to dwell on height.
Lily was still waiting for them near King Marco's territory.
"We need to find Lily first, and it's already getting late.
After that, we need to find a place to stay, then consider entering King Marco's territory tomorrow," Asher said.
Uathach nodded lightly, then looked up at Asher. After staring for a long time, she said seriously, "Ash, I've discovered something very important."
"What?"
"Your current face looks much more mature than before."
Asher: "..."
"Let's leave here first," Asher was too lazy to talk to Uathach and turned to walk towards the forest exit.
Uathach immediately followed, hugging one of Asher's arms. "It's true! You used to look super young, but now this face looks a bit like your adult self."
"Can you please stop focusing on whether my face is
mature or not?" Asher said helplessly.
Uathach nodded. "You're short."
"I've grown a lot taller!" Asher finally couldn't take it anymore. He turned to Uathach, comparing their heights again. "See, I'm almost as tall as you now."
"Eh? It really looks like it~" Uathach raised her hand to compare again, and couldn't help but "tsk tsk" in admiration.
"Boys really do develop later, don't they? You used to be almost half a head shorter than me."
As she spoke, Uathach compared their heights again. Their closeness was so intimate that they could almost feel each other's breath.
Feeling the girl's somewhat fervent gaze, Uathach also realized something. She quietly looked up, staring into Asher's eyes.
Then, she stared for a full thirty seconds.
Uathach's eyes flickered. Seeing Asher's face come a little closer to her, she slowly closed her eyes.
Then, she pushed him away.
"Sorry, I can't physiologically accept kissing you with an unfamiliar face."
"Then don't hit my nose!" Asher said speechlessly, clutching his nose. "And didn't you say it looks a bit like
my adult self?"
Uathach couldn't help but chuckle, "Sorry! But to me, it's still an unfamiliar face. Let's talk about it after your curse is lifted."
After speaking, she grabbed Asher and walked towards the forest exit.
Unknowingly, they walked out of the forest. Asher was about to lead his horse, while Uathach still tightly held Asher's arm, looking like a couple deeply in love.
Just then, the sound of approaching hooves suddenly came from beside them. Asher turned to look. A hooded girl jumped off her horse and quickly came to Uathach.
"Seeing you two taking so long, I rode back again. I just felt the light of Runes glow in this forest. Did something happen here just now?" Artoria said as she walked towards Uathach.
"Hmm... it's a bit complicated," Uathach said, secretly
glancing at Asher again.
Because of the curse, she couldn't reveal Asher's identity now.
Artoria's eyes paused slightly, looking at the unfamiliar man tightly embraced by Uathach.
Why was she with a strange man?
...And he looked somewhat familiar?
Artoria's gaze quickly grew colder. "Who is he? Were you threatened?"
"Ah, no..." Uathach frantically waved her small hands.
Artoria hesitated for a moment, then asked, "Then why are you..."
"I like him!" Uathach said, holding Asher's arm.
"..."
After a brief moment of stunned silence, Artoria's face showed a surprised expression.
Soon, she looked at Uathach with complex eyes.
She hadn't expected Uathach to change her mind so quickly.
Or, perhaps she never liked Asher from the beginning, which was why she didn't care about others being with him.
That explanation made sense.
Artoria nodded secretly, then suddenly remembered something and asked, "By the way, where's Ash?"
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