The next morning we left our home village after greeting our family and everyone in the village.

　Garnett had pushed us to return home for the first time in fifteen years, and even though we were essentially there for less than a day, I think we had a very productive time.

　We didn't just talk about what we had been up to; we were able to get to know my father, who was ready for a confrontation.

　It's a good thing that you're not going to be able to get away with it.

　--No, no. No, it wasn't.

　It's only because I was able to turn my life around and start a weapons store and get to the relationship I have with Garnett now that I was able to face the results of yesterday.

　I wouldn't have been able to smile like that if the end result had been that I'd come home from a dream-busting slumber.

　As the carriage rocked with a sense of accomplishment and fulfillment, I couldn't help but feel sleepy from last night and bite down on a yawn.

'...... Huh,'
Phew! ......

　Next to him, Garnett gave an unreserved absent-mindedness like a cat in the sun.

'You fell asleep first, and you don't get enough sleep either?
"Yuck. ...... That's it, that's it. It's a thing, a thing. ......
You can't sleep in a camp. You can't sleep in a camp.

　I'm the same way, but both adventurers and knights have the advantage of being able to sleep regardless of their environment.

　Or rather, it would be inconvenient if it didn't happen early on.

　I'm sure Garnett couldn't sleep for other reasons as well, but I didn't dare to pursue it in depth.

'You both look tired,'

　A man in the driver's seat, holding the reins of the car, speaks to me with a laugh.

'I see you had a lot of fun last night, and it would be better for you to sleep in the car, wouldn't it?
'What?　Hah!　What are you talking about fun, you bastard!

　When Garnett stood up from his stool, the elder Gosha continued to speak in an indifferent and calm tone, as if he didn't understand why he was so agitated.

'I heard that the feast was going on late into the night. And the inn I was staying at had some people returning from the village after midnight. Other than that ...... Oh, I see. I'm very sorry about this.
Don't get any ideas. It's not at all.

　The tone of voice is not one of mockery, but one of apology for the lack of consideration, which is even more effective.

　I swear I didn't do that last night, I didn't do that last night.

　I didn't ...... but I guess it's no wonder that it doesn't seem possible for someone who knows me and Garnett's situation.

'Besides, it's not like I'm going to bed right now,'
In that case, why don't you stop the car somewhere and have a change of scenery? The White Wolf Forest is not far away.
Can't you take the long way?

　I wasn't sure who the question was directed at, but I'll answer it anyway, as I know the land.

You're just passing by. Look, it's a bit far. Can you see?　That's the only place around here that's worth a look besides the lake, so you might want to stop by.
Hmmm... I'll go to .......

　If you've decided on a course of action, the sooner you act, the better.

　The carriage quickly changed course to a side road and proceeded towards the White Wolf Forest.

　The White Wolf Forest is located on the edge of a vast forest surrounding the huge Titania Lake.

　It's not far from my home village, so it's only a long walk away.

　Naturally, we could get there in no time at all by carriage, and the carriage with us stopped in front of the White Wolf Forest in less than a few minutes.

This is it. It's been a while, but it hasn't changed at all.
This really is the only place in the forest that's different from a normal forest.

　It's not just the fact that the trees are twisted and bent, but also the fact that they are different from other places, and even more than that, the entire forest is drifting.

"I can't see much deeper into the forest, but ...... fog, or maybe smoke?
It's this thing called the magical fog. It's not really fog, but something else, but I'm sure they don't know much about it.

　Garnett was right, the entire White Wolf Forest is covered in a white haze that looks like a thick fog.

　The identity of this haze is still unknown to this day.
　I've never heard of any new discoveries in the fifteen years since I left the village.

'It's said that a pack of wolves has always lived in the mist, and that a large white wolf leads the pack. It's also said that the magical fog is also created by that huge white wolf.
That's why it's called 'White Wolf Forest'.
'Well, my grandfather was the last person to see a wolf here, and as for the leader, the white wolf, I've heard that no human being alive today has ever seen one.
It's a myth. It's just a folklore.

　Garnet seemed to have been disappointed, but local lore is often like that.

　At some stage in the past, a white furry individual happened to be the leader of the pack, and his presence made a strong impression on them, so they were passed down and interpreted mysteriously in conjunction with the phenomenon of the mysterious smoke fog - this is how it happened when the lid was opened! It's entirely possible.

　The fact that their bodies are huge may have just been overstated in the process of lore.

　Of course, we can't deny the possibility that this is not the case, but it's also true that there is no positive evidence to support it.

'On a positive note, one interpretation is that they're so intelligent that they're trying to avoid interacting with humans.
...... This isn't exactly a dungeon, is it?
''At least for now. Maybe it could be that there's a dungeon entrance somewhere in the forest, and a demonic fog and a demonic wolf appear from there .......

　However, there are probably a number of people who have attempted to explore with that in mind, and it seems unlikely when it still hasn't been recognized as a dungeon.

　Just as I was thinking of returning to the carriage since I've finished changing my mind by now, I saw an unfamiliar figure standing in the corner of my vision.

　A girl wearing lightly armed but instantly recognizable armor of extremely high quality, looking at the forest of white wolves with a gloomy profile, with her habitual red hair - not an orange metaphor, but a literal red - stretched long.

　The girl also notices our presence and casually turns her face towards us.

　The next moment, Garnett and the girl let out an almost simultaneous cry of surprise and confusion.

''Ha!　Why are you here, Ezell--?　No way is Ezell the Brave!
'Alma!　No, no, no, that was a pear!　Garnett!
'Too late for that, I'm afraid!　I'm glad this guy knows what's going on, though!

　I could only watch the exchange from the sidelines from the sidelines with no reservations about being a mere acquaintance.

'Garnett. Do you know that girl?
I mean, I know someone, or something: ......

　In response to Garnett, who bitterly slurred her words, the girl called Ezell repeated a gesture that could be read as 'please, keep quiet'.

　After looking at it and thinking for a while, Garnett introduced Ezell to me with a blatantly considerate expression.

'Well ...... that's the thing. Think of it as a bouncing daughter of a nobleman hiding her identity and saying that she's a bouncing daughter of a nobleman. We've known each other since we were brats, so it's like we're keeping secrets from each other.
...... Okay, I'll let that sink in.
I thought I'd be an adventurer, but I didn't expect to be a brave one: ......

　Ezell the Brave. The talented man who avenged the stray Sea Serpent that brought down the Arkwright Bridge.

　It was a surprise to find out that his true identity was a girl not much older than Garnett, but even more surprising was the fact that he would see her desperately begging in front of him to keep her secret.