I'M A Villains In My Second Life
Chapter 144

The four of them had now finished eating each other and were preparing to actually continue their journey back towards the eastern forest.

Before leaving Duke Leonard said goodbye first, saying his gratitude for being allowed to stay with them and for taking good care of his horse.

“Thank you, we'll be leaving soon.” Duke Leonard waved his hand to say goodbye.

By the time the four of them had walked some distance ahead all of a sudden they heard the footsteps of the horses following them, making the four of them immediately turn their heads to find out who was following them. He saw the people he had left behind were also the ones who followed them.

“What do you guys do?” edward asked those who followed him.

“We want to come to the eastern forest, at least this is what we can do to help Miss Lea,” Damian said opening his voice representing his other friends.

Edward watched them carefully and saw only a few who still lived in their settlements and who lived were old men who were already unable to travel far while the young all was following.

“Can't, you can't come with us!” edward strictly forbade them to go with him.

“Why? We won't make things difficult for you, we promise,” Damian insists on staying.

“You left the women and children in your settlement and only old men remain there, only cowards who do not keep their women back to your settlement. What if later your settlement is attacked by another group or entered by wild animals while there is no one to protect them, Lea will not like you behaving like that just for her so come back!” Edward remained in his mind.

“We know you mean well, but for this matter you are wrong in making your decision. Now return to your settlements, let us make this journey.” Said Duke Leonard who also asked them to return.

“They are right, we should not leave the women and children in the settlement, what if something happens and no one protects them, he said,” they all finally understood and obeyed the words of Duke and Edward until one by one of them finally chose to return to the settlement funds only telling Denis and Damian who still survive.

“We want to join.” Denis and Damian almost simultaneously.

“Can't, you two are tough lads in the settlement, your strength is the same as two men compared to the others so go back and take care of your people,” Duke Leonard tells them to come back and can quickly assess the strength of the two youngsters who are in front of him.

“What if only one of us comes along, can you allow us to join your journey?” ask Damian.

Edward sees Duke Leonard and sees Duke handing over the decision to him as well as Zeyden who says nothing and lets Edward decide.

“If only one of you comes along then I will allow it, but I want to ask you this, what decision will you make will not put you at odds?”

Damian looked at Denis as well as Denis who looked back at Damian, then both of them let out a long sigh because actually they both really wanted to go to the eastern forest to adventure.

“From no one's gone at all then I'd better give up, go Damian.” Denis eventually gave up and let his sister go to represent him.

“Thank you,” damian nodded in understanding then immediately followed Edward and the others.

Denis gazed at their departure which was getting smaller and smaller from the distance then finally completely lost from his view because they had entered the forest to continue their journey to the eastern forest, and then finally lost their sight, and after he did not see his sister's back again Denis immediately returned to the settlement to tell his father and family that his sister left the settlement and went with the people who were going to the eastern forest.

...

So far the five of them have gone smoothly there are no significant obstacles that interfere with their journey, the five of them sometimes only encountered a few forest animals and a few group criminals that they could easily overcome.

“What's tired?” zeyden asked Aelfric when he saw him walking slower in the back.

Aelfric shook his head then immediately spurred his horse to catch up with the others who were now some distance ahead.

“Be careful!” aelfric shouted telling everyone to stay alert.

“Why?” ask Damian curiously.

“I felt something strange in front,” Aelfric kept looking around him and felt the forest they were passing by now turning moist and stuffy.

“Hutan is indeed sometimes like this, I have also felt this kind of air several times before so don't worry too much,” Damian calms Aelfric who looks angry.

“For a few days traveling you haven't introduced your name, you can call me Damian well now it's your turn what's your name?” Damian asked curiously. “Can you tell me what the other names are too so I can call him comfortably?” damian whispered again because he also did not know the names of the others because from the beginning they only introduced themselves as Leathina's friends.

“Because I'm a good person then I'll tell you, Damian. I'm Aelfric, the white-haired man in front of that you can call him Zey, and the blond one who walks beside him you can call him the grumpy or Ed’ and the one who walks in front of it you just have to pick him up.”  Aelfric tells Damian his name as he pleases while Damian nods and remembers the name Aelfric told him.

“I'll walk up to greet them, during these few days I'm out of words as you all are more silent than the talking pad, I go Aelfric,”

“Eh, wait ..” Aelfric tried to stop Damian but Damian had already driven his horse towards the three people walking in front. “Duh, fool it.” Aelfric muttered then deliberately slowed down the pace of his horse.

“Zey!” Damian exclaimed to greet Zeyden, while Zeyden tilted his head in confusion due to the strange call Damian had called for him, “Master!” exclaimed Damiam again waved his hand towards Duke Leonard as Duke turned his head towards him, “Oh, and Mr. Ed’.” exclaimed as he turned towards Edward to say hello.

“You know just Ae.. Hek!” Damian was stalled and suffocated in fear when suddenly a sword had been pointed right at his neck.

“Where do you know that name?!” edward asked Damian who called him Ed’.

“I-it, that Aelfric just told me your names, so I tried to remember it and started greeting you.” He stammered in fear that Edward's sword might slit his throat.

At once the three of them turned towards Aelfric who gave his arbitrary name to the three of them, while Aelfric turned his head in the other direction pretending not to know anything about the matter.

“Hek ..” Aelfric's strangulation as Edward's sword suddenly loomed, threatening his neck.

“Where are those names from?!” ask him to Aelfric.

“I-it, that I took it from your own name. You forbid me to tell you your real identity so I made a pseudonym for you both.”

“Don't call me Ed’ I don't like.” Edward's words commemorate Aelfric and Damian.

“Keep I should call you what?” ask Damian again to Edward.

“You don't have to take me, didn't you say it wouldn't be a burden so just stay still on the way.”

Damian said, and kept silent again locking his mouth tightly afraid of provoking Edward's emotions again.

“I have no problem being called by the name of Zey,” Zeyden said calming things down and smiling kindly at Damian who looked still surprised while Duke Leonard had no problem with his nickname he did not care much about it.

“Why is he angry?” damian whispered to Aelfric after they continued their journey back.

Aelfric stuck his shoulder, “If he does not want to be called by the name of Ed’ you only need to call him by the name of the grumpy,” whispered Aelfric to make Damian a little confused.

“You guys be careful and stay alert, the situation feels increasingly strange.” Duke Leonard warned the others.

Just in case they set up a formation, Duke Leonard who knew the way led them and Edward who was stronger than the others walked backwards to stand guard while Zeyden, who knew the way, led them, Aelfric and Damian were in the middle.

“Srek.”

“Srek.”

The sound of a rustling sound from behind the bushes made them all speechless to listen.

“Arrw!”

“Arrw!”

“Arrw!”

Suddenly a group of small green and pointy-eared, thirty-centimeter-tall creatures invaded them with axes and mace.

“Goblin!” Edward exclaimed when he saw the green-skinned creatures attacking them in groups.

“Be careful!” duke Leonard called out to commemorate the others and began to carry out a massacre.

“Srek”

“tak”

“Srek”

Edward and Duke Leonard slashed at them one by one and their swords clashed with the goblin's weapons trying to fend off the attacks, similarly, Damian also fought while Zeyden used his magic to burn them and Aelfric also fought by slashing them with his wind magic.

“Probable!” aelfric exclaimed as the splashes of goblin blood they had killed hit him and tried to wipe the splash of blood off his clothes.

“Did anyone get hurt?” duke Leonard asked to confirm the other conditions after he finished killing all the goblins that had attacked them.

“I'm fine.” Damian replied while cleaning the blood of the goblins that were also dirtying his clothes.

“I'm also fine.” Zeyden answered Duke Leonard's question while Edward simply nodded and Aelfric was still busy cleaning up the goblin's blood stuck to his clothes.

“Wait a minute, I'll flush you guys.” Zeyden told the others to get ready.

“Tak”

Suddenly they were flushed by the water and the blood on their clothes disappeared from being rinsed with water, and then hit by the strong wind to dry their clothes.

“Thank you Zeyden,” Duke Leonard said as he put his sword back in its sheath.

“Wah! That was magic?” damian was amazed at what he had just seen.

“I don't know if humans can use a lot of magic elements.” Aelfric muttered feeling a little incredulous at what he had just experienced.

“Tu-wait a minute!” exclaim Damian felt something strange, "if his name is Zeyden and can use the elements of fire, aingin, and even water then an-you, you, are the owner of the tower sihi?!” Damian could not believe it, never imagined that in front of him was Zeyden the owner of the magic tower.

Zeyden simply smiled then immediately checked their horses to ascertain if no horses were injured.

“You are why, you should be honored to join this expedition. You are even in the midst of important people he is Edward the second prince and the other Duke the military leader of the kingdom.” Aelfric muttered that he was busy tidying up his clothes and subconsciously gave out all the information regarding the identity of the two of them.

“Eh,” Aelfric was speechless aware of his mistake, “I'm sorry, I was completely unintentional.” He said as he looked at Edward, and Duke Leonard looked at him.

Duke Leonard and Edward let out a long sigh because Aelfric's attitude was too reckless, and they began to tidy up his clothes not too much to question the incident just now because he had already said.

“If he is the leader of the military it means that his name is unmistakably Duke Leonard of the residence of Yarnell and Miss Leathina's father, and the others are the second prince of the kingdom as well as the possessor of the magic tower. I didn't expect to be in the middle of a great person.” Inner Damian was both joyful and astonished.

“Jeez, forgive sata Tuan. All this time I have been acting impolitely on you.” Shouted Damian then bowed his back perfectly in front of the three of them.

“Be quiet and tidy up your stuff.” Edward's words were slightly disturbed by Damian's now changing behavior.

“Siap, Prince.” Damian answered so stiffly that Zeyden, who saw him, only smiled because he looked funny, trying to be formal.

“Be as usual.” Duke Leonard asks Damian to act like he always does because he looks weird.

“Good Sir,” Damian replied again which still looks shy.

“It's weird why goblins get into this forest? Aren't they only in the black forest?” Zeyden asked in confusion as he observed the goblin corpses scattered around them.

“They seem to be transmigrating to find a new place to live.” Edward replied, who was also curious about what happened to the forest, making the monsters that had never come out past the border of the black forest finally chose to leave the black forest.

“Arrw!”

“Arrw!”

“Let's go up to your horses, all we slaughtered earlier was a small group that might have been accidentally separated from its friends. This time they were more, it would be very troublesome to fight back as they always attacked in a horde!” Duke Leonard called for them all to board the horse immediately and leave the place before the goblins found them.

Suddenly there was another rumble of goblins sounding more than before, the five of them immediately rushed to leave the place which was the path the goblins had chosen as their path to find a new place to live.

The five of them rushed their horses away from the area and resumed their journey, after almost an hour of continuing their journey, they finally no longer heard the roar caused by the cries of the goblins.

They turned to ascertain the situation behind them and saw from a distance the area filled with goblins made all the small animals run even the birds were frantically flying away from the area.

“It's weird, they suddenly leave the black forest and transmigrate then enter the quiet forest like this, is there something that has happened in the black forest?” duke Leonard muttered when he realized something was strange. “That's not important now, all I have to do is get to the eastern forest and ask for help to heal Leathina, but hopefully the monstrers don't break through the border and get inside the kingdom.” Inner Duke Leonard who felt a little worried but then he tepis and focus his goal to get to the eastern forest immediately.

...***...