The valley remained silent.
Only the gentle murmur of the river disturbed the stillness.
The crystal boar rested beneath a large oak tree, its breathing finally calm.
Kieran sat beside it, absentmindedly stroking the beast's rough hide.
The once-ferocious magical beast had fallen asleep.
Roland and his companions exchanged bewildered glances.
"...I've spent nearly fifteen years as a hunter."
"I've never seen a Crystal Boar this gentle."
One of the younger hunters scratched his head.
"I don't think it even remembers trying to kill us."
Kael's deep voice rumbled.
"It remembers."
"It simply no longer feels threatened."
The three hunters instinctively looked toward Kieran.
The little boy merely smiled.
---
Crystal rose to her feet.
"The corruption inside its Magna Core has not disappeared."
"I've only stabilized it temporarily."
Roland frowned.
"So it could lose control again?"
Crystal nodded.
"If left untreated."
The hunters' expressions became solemn.
Crystal looked toward the nearby mountains.
"There are herbs capable of repairing damaged Magna pathways."
"But not within this valley."
Roland's eyes lit up.
"You know how to cure it?"
"I know how to try."
That single sentence carried confidence.
Not arrogance.
Confidence born from experience.
Roland bowed respectfully.
"If you truly save this beast..."
"The Frontier Hunter Lodge will owe you a favor."
Crystal remained expressionless.
"I have no interest in favors."
Roland smiled awkwardly.
"Perhaps not now."
"But someday..."
"You or the young one may travel beyond these mountains."
"The world is much larger than most people imagine."
Crystal said nothing.
She already knew that better than anyone present.
---
Seeing Kieran's curiosity, Roland crouched beside him.
"Do you know what Hunters do?"
Kieran shook his head.
Roland smiled.
"Hunters protect settlements."
"We explore dangerous lands."
"We escort caravans."
"We rescue lost travelers."
"And sometimes..."
He glanced toward the sleeping boar.
"...We hunt beasts."
"Do you only fight?"
Kieran asked.
Roland laughed.
"If only."
"A true hunter survives because he knows many things."
He began counting on his fingers.
"Tracking."
"Camping."
"Navigation."
"First aid."
"Negotiation."
"Beast ecology."
"Teamwork."
"And when all else fails..."
He tapped the spear resting against his shoulder.
"...Combat."
Kieran listened with sparkling eyes.
"It sounds fun."
Roland chuckled.
"It usually isn't."
---
One of the younger hunters reached into his backpack.
"Captain."
"I found something."
He produced a black metal arrowhead.
Its surface was engraved with crimson markings.
Crystal's eyes immediately narrowed.
"Where did you find that?"
"It was lodged in the boar's shoulder."
She held out her hand.
"May I?"
The hunter immediately handed it over.
Crystal carefully examined the arrowhead.
Its craftsmanship was exquisite.
Far beyond what ordinary bandits could produce.
More importantly...
The crimson markings...
Were not decorative.
"They're runes."
Roland blinked.
"You can read them?"
Crystal remained silent.
Most of the engraving had been deliberately scratched away.
Only a single symbol remained intact.
A coiling serpent.
Her expression darkened almost imperceptibly.
"...Interesting."
She quietly closed her hand around the arrowhead.
"So..."
"They've begun operating in Melika."
She spoke so softly that no one else heard.
---
That evening...
The hunters prepared to leave.
Roland approached Crystal one final time.
"We'll report that the beast escaped."
His companions looked surprised.
"Captain?"
He shook his head.
"If people learn a Beast Lord's territory contains a hidden valley..."
"It won't stay hidden for long."
Kael silently observed him.
After several moments, the Beast Lord gave a slight nod.
"You have wisdom."
Roland smiled.
"My master always said..."
"'Knowing what not to say is as important as knowing what to say.'"
Crystal inclined her head slightly.
"A valuable lesson."
Roland looked toward Kieran.
The little boy waved enthusiastically.
"Bye, Mister Roland!"
Roland laughed.
"I hope we meet again someday."
"I'll become strong before then!"
"I don't doubt it."
The three hunters disappeared into the forest.
None of them realized...
That brief encounter would one day become one of the greatest stories ever told within the Frontier Hunter Lodge.
---
Three weeks later...
Deep within the Frontier Hunter Lodge's Western Branch...
A spacious hall bustled with activity.
Hunters of every rank moved between quest boards and reception counters.
Bronze badges.
Silver badges.
Gold badges.
Each badge represented years of effort and countless dangerous missions.
Behind the central counter stood an elderly woman.
Her sharp eyes immediately lifted as Roland entered.
"Back already?"
Roland nodded.
"The Crystal Boar mission is complete."
"Any casualties?"
"None."
She smiled.
"Excellent."
Roland hesitated.
"There is... something else."
"What?"
He placed the black arrowhead onto the counter.
The elderly woman's relaxed expression instantly vanished.
She picked it up carefully.
"...Where?"
Roland lowered his voice.
"The Emerald Wilds."
Her face became grave.
Without another word, she turned and walked toward a locked staircase leading underground.
Some matters...
Were above the authority of ordinary hunters.
---
Several floors beneath the guild...
An elderly man wearing dark green robes quietly opened his eyes.
Pinned to his chest was a badge unlike any other.
A platinum badge engraved with seven stars.
He was Garrick, one of the Western Branch's Grandmaster Hunters.
A rank attained by only those whose strength rivaled the greatest experts of the Melika Realm.
The old woman placed the arrowhead before him.
"I believe..."
"...the Serpent Mark has resurfaced."
Garrick slowly picked it up.
His calm expression hardened.
"It has been nearly twenty years..."
He closed his hand around the arrowhead.
"Send word to headquarters."
"And inform the other Grandmasters."
"If the Serpent Mark has truly returned..."
"The peace of the Melika Realm..."
"...may soon come to an end."
Far away...
Completely unaware of the storm beginning to gather...
Kieran laughed as he chased a group of Sky Finches across the valley, while Crystal watched quietly from the cave entrance.
For now...
The hidden valley remained untouched.
But fate had already begun to turn its wheel.
End of Chapter 12