"We've arrived, Young Master Merlin, Young Lady Catrine."

Hearing this, Merlin gave a slow nod to Catrine, who immediately understood his meaning.

The two carefully stepped down from the horse-drawn carriage and looked ahead at the dense forest before them. The forest lay about eight kilometers from the city of Droswen and stretched across a fairly large natural area.

"Young Master Merlin, shall I accompany you inside?" the coachman asked respectfully.

He was a soldier himself, doubling as their bodyguard.

"No need," Merlin replied, shaking his head. "My sister and I will go alone. As far as I remember, there are plenty of soldiers patrolling ahead, so we'll be safe."

To investigate the outbreak, his father had deployed over a hundred soldiers. While they hadn't found any results yet, the forest itself could be considered secure.

The coachman didn't insist. Merlin was right—the soldiers ahead made the area reasonably safe.

Merlin then took Catrine's left hand and led her into the forest. The atmosphere was quiet and slightly dim; the thick canopy of leaves blocked much of the sunlight.

"Are you scared?" Merlin asked softly, glancing at her.

Catrine smiled and shook her head. "No, brother. As long as you're here, I won't be scared!"

Merlin couldn't help but smile, tightening his grip on her hand.

The two of them walked deeper into the forest. To be honest, Merlin didn't really know where the village was—but he wasn't worried. Every tree trunk bore a special mark pointing toward the village.

Most likely, it had been made by the patrolling soldiers. Sure enough, after about five minutes, they spotted roughly thirty soldiers resting.

In the middle stood a wooden house, serving as a guard post. When the soldiers saw Merlin and Catrine, their surprise was evident—they could hardly believe their eyes.

"Is that Young Master Merlin? And next to him, Young Lady Catrine? What are they doing here?" one of them asked in disbelief.

"I don't know, but we have to approach them. If anything happens, we're finished," another replied.

A muscular soldier stood and said, "I'll go greet them."

He stepped forward and addressed them respectfully. "Good afternoon, Young Master Merlin, Young Lady Catrine. What are you doing here? Don't you know this area is dangerous?"

His face showed deep concern. Merlin, however, only smiled slightly and replied, "I know that, Uncle Gover. I'm sorry for acting recklessly, but I couldn't just stand by and watch my people suffer. I decided to investigate myself."

"You…" Gover began, then stopped himself. Over the past two weeks, he had witnessed Merlin's change firsthand.

It could be said that he was one of the happiest men alive. After all, he had served the Clay family for a long time and knew how difficult it was for Viscount Clay to deal with his son.

Now, seeing Merlin so concerned about the outbreak, his happiness came naturally.

"Even so," he sighed, "this problem is far from simple, Young Master. I hope you can return to the Clay family mansion soon."

But how could Merlin obey him? He was already here, and he had to resolve the outbreak before it escalated into a greater disaster.

Shaking his head, he replied, "I'm sorry, Uncle Gover, but I need to investigate. Let me help solve this."

Gover was clearly surprised. He wanted to object but held back, remembering Merlin's drastic change. After a moment's thought, he finally decided to accept it.

"All right, Young Master. But if the situation becomes unsafe, you must leave immediately. Promise me that." His face was serious.

"Of course. I promise," Merlin said with a slight nod.

"Good!" Gover smiled contentedly, then led Merlin and Catrine to the post where the soldiers were stationed.

Seeing them arrive, the soldiers immediately understood Gover's intentions, but no one protested. As the leader of the post, his decisions were final.

"Welcome, Young Master Merlin and Young Lady Catrine," they greeted respectfully.

"Thank you," Catrine replied with a gentle smile.

Merlin returned their greeting with a small nod. The two of them then sat among the soldiers and joined the conversation.

"By the way, have you found any clues about this outbreak?" Merlin asked, picking up two skewers of freshly cooked meat.

He handed one skewer to Catrine, making her smile brightly.

"Unfortunately not, Young Master. We're completely stuck," Gover replied with a long sigh.

"I see…" Merlin nodded slowly and took a hearty bite of the meat. It was rich and smoky, delicious enough to make him savor each mouthful.

He asked again, "Have you checked the forest, the river, and the soil?"

Gover handed them each a glass of tea. "Yes. But we found no signs of contamination in any of those three."

Merlin narrowed his eyes. Gover's answer was the same as what the two soldiers before in the city had said.

'Could the source be something else? But what—air? Or something else entirely?' Merlin thought.

A plague usually originates from three main sources: water, soil, and air.

There were other possibilities, like animals or plants, but in this case, none seemed to be the cause. That meant water, soil, and air should remain the focus.

'Perhaps Gover and the other soldiers misjudged?'

The thought lingered in his mind. The possibility was real, and he would need to investigate it with Catrine.

After gathering the information, he finished his meal, drank the tea Gover had provided, and stood up.

"In that case, I'll investigate it with my sister. Thank you, Uncle Gover."

Gover nodded slightly. "Do you want me to accompany you?"

"No need. I'll handle it myself, with my sister."

"All right, be careful. There are many soldiers on guard, and you can ask them for help if needed," Gover warned.

Merlin accepted his concern and immediately walked off with Catrine toward the village, only about a hundred and fifty meters away.

Watching them leave, one of the soldiers asked hesitantly, "Is it really okay to leave the two of them alone, Captain?"

Gover chuckled softly. "Don't underestimate Young Master Merlin, kid. His teacher is the mage Linda, head of Saint Freya Academy. Do you really think she wouldn't leave protections in place for her disciple?"

At the mention of "Linda," the soldiers drew in a breath of awe.

She was one of the continent's most powerful mages, known as the "Nameless Mage."

"So that's how it is," one soldier muttered, nodding slightly. "If that's the case, then your actions make sense…"

--------//Author Note://--------

I used "Outbreak" instead of "Pleague" because the spread of the disease has not yet reached the city, but is still confined to the infected villagers.

That's all, and thank you

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