In the Forbidden Forest, around the area where Ziva and the Gorilla Monster had previously fought, ten individuals had gathered, all dressed in matching red outfits with golden patterns adorning their clothing, clearly marking them as part of an elite class.
The group consisted of eight brave-looking young men exuding an air of superiority, along with a middle-aged man sitting a bit apart from them. He radiated authority and had an oppressive aura, standing beside a girl who appeared much younger than the rest.
The girl wore simple clothing, but with her beauty and grace, all the men around her looked like guardians escorting a fairy wherever she went.
"Good thing the First Elder managed to secure the Gorilla Monster's body. That's a huge bonus from our expedition this time," said a young man who looked to be in his early twenties.
"Yeah… if the First Elder hadn't gotten to it in time before it was eaten by another monster, we might not have gained anything from this expedition," replied another youth of similar age.
Hearing the young men's conversation, the middle-aged man could no longer hide his expression. His face looked grim and dark, enough to be intimidating to anyone nearby, let alone someone sitting beside him—it looked like he could explode at any moment.
Yet the beautiful and elegant girl, like a fairy, sat right beside the middle-aged man and said:
"It's okay, Uncle, you don't need to worry about what Grandpa said…"
But the girl's words were cut off by the man. "Huft… I'm not thinking about that old man's words. It's just that I'm disappointed in myself. I should've been able to recognize the fake Fire Mushroom."
The middle-aged man was none other than Vigor Fitzfire, and the girl was Clara Fitzfire. They were the same ones who had appeared suddenly to confront Theodor's group.
The group of young men were disciples from the Eternal Flame Clan, founded by the Fitzfire family.
"You don't need to blame yourself for that, either. Even that alchemist was nearly fooled by the fake Fire Mushroom," said the girl, trying to console Vigor.
"And who knows? Maybe the Fire Mushroom had already been taken by a monster or someone else before we arrived," she added.
When Vigor received the Fire Mushroom from Frank and heard that one of his members had fainted during the battle with the monster, he rushed off without inspecting the Fire Mushroom carefully. When he found that his niece was unharmed, Vigor became furious and quickly sought out Theodor and his group.
After finding Theodor's group, they spoke and interrogated Aaron. But in the end, much of the misunderstanding could be blamed on Vigor's own haste.
Eventually, the two returned to their Clan without inspecting the Fire Mushroom thoroughly. When they handed it to the Alchemist, the Alchemist initially said it looked like a genuine Fire Mushroom—until closer inspection revealed it was fake.
Upon hearing this, the most respected and feared elder in the Eternal Flame Clan—someone who had once led the Clan—became enraged at Vigor's negligence. Ultimately, Vigor and Clara returned to the Forbidden Forest to find the real one.
"If someone else has already taken it, that would be even worse for me, child… If you hadn't been saved because of my earlier mistake, I'd never forgive myself and would live in exile forever. I wouldn't be able to show my face to my brother again out of shame..." said Vigor, his face still grim and full of sorrow.
"It's okay, Uncle… My life and death have nothing to do with you. In fact, I'm deeply grateful to you, you-you've stood by me in all situations and have always protected and supported me..." Clara comforted him sincerely, offering a soft smile that brought a little life back to Vigor's heavy heart.
While they were talking, the forest's atmosphere felt slightly different. Vigor, who was at Level 5 or King Rank, naturally wouldn't miss such a change with his senses far superior to ordinary people's.
"Seems like there's a battle happening…" Vigor said suddenly.
"Let's go check it out, Uncle… I rarely get to see battles outside the Clan. Who knows, maybe we'll get a clue about the Fire Mushroom, and if not, at least I can learn something from watching warriors outside the Clan," Clara urged, her eyes wide and watery, and her sweet smile melting Vigor's chaotic mood.
"HUFT… Alright. But we can't stay too long—we need to keep searching for the Fire Mushroom to heal you," Vigor said, reminding her of their original goal.
"You all, pair up and search around the valley and the Twin Mountains, and make sure you don't get too far from the other groups!" Vigor ordered the young men behind him, who were still chatting.
"Yes, First Elder," they answered in unison and quickly dispersed in pairs.
"Let's go, child..." Vigor wrapped his arm around Clara and took her flying with him, making their journey much faster than running through the forest.
When they arrived near the battlefield, they hid behind the large trees and observed the scene. To ensure their safety, Vigor spread his spiritual senses, making sure nothing strange was around them.
As they looked at the troops ahead, Clara was a little surprised because the ones being slaughtered were people familiar to her. "Aren't those the ones you ambushed last night, Uncle?" Clara asked, though she already knew the answer.
"Yeah, looks like this is just a petty skirmish between weaklings. And it seems they'll be wiped out today, since their enemy has a Master Rank expert," Vigor commented, a slight smirk appearing on his face.
Vigor grew interested when he overheard the two groups talking about a fairy. But he quickly became bored once he realized the fairy Frank's group was after was merely one still inside its shell, not an active one.
Bored, Vigor allowed his niece to continue watching and learning whatever she wanted from the two groups. While Vigor scanned the surrounding forest with his eyes to entertain himself, something unexpectedly shocked him.
"That… Why can't I sense that crow with my Spiritual Sense?" Vigor muttered, realizing something strange had occurred around him without his noticing.
Even when Vigor focused all his Spiritual Sense on the crow, he still couldn't detect its presence.