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[Lancelot\'s POV]

"You know, we\'ve been traveling for three days, and I\'ve heard all kinds of stories about this Shadow Forest from the NPCs that we encountered. I wonder if it\'s true," Francine asked to no one.

"Who cares?" Alexa uttered. "If the NPCs said that it\'s dangerous, then it is. We should really take the longer route."

"You girls are such a scaredy cat," Yun teased.

"I just don\'t want any of us to get hurt," Nanally said.

"Think of it this way." I faced them. "This is a beginner\'s area. You must have noticed that by now from all the beasts we encountered. If this Old Hag is real, then he\'s like a beginner\'s boss. If we defeat it, we will surely get tons of rewards while also reaching Roselake Town early on.

"We can eat food and sleep in the inn. I heard this town is a scenic city and tourist destination and it had lots of shops for you girls to roam around.

That seemed to work as the women\'s faces brightened and a smile graced their lips.

"Anyway . . ." Yun scratched his head. "Ford seemed to be taking his sweet time."

"It\'s only been thirty minutes. To scout there and get back here would at least require him an hour or so, depending on the overall distance of Shadow Forest," I told him.

Then thirty minutes passed and another hour. And when three hours passed and Ford was still nowhere to be seen, we started to get worried.

Nanally\'s face was pale as she uttered in a low voice, "Do you think he . . ."

"He\'s fine," Yun butted in before Nanally could finish her sentence. "He\'s probably just playing around somewhere and thinking of scaring us."

". . ."

No one said a word. We had been waiting for Ford outside of Shadow Forest for three hours now, and our concern had grown to fear as time passed.

"I can\'t believe he\'s been gone this long. Something must have happened to him," said Alexa.

"M-Maybe we should go in and look for him," Nanally stuttered, obvious that she was scared.

"Are you crazy?" Francine said, almost yelling. She was anxious now. "We don\'t know anything about that forest."

"She\'s right," Alexa seconded. "We could get lost or attacked by whatever\'s in there."

Yun argued. "We can\'t just leave him out there!"

All eyes then went on me when the situation took a deadlock.

After a short silence, I said, "We can\'t just leave him in there."

Yun and Nanally exhaled the air they held while Francine and Alexa looked at each worriedly.

I was worried about Ford and curious about this shadow forest and the rumored Hag to pass this out. I was thinking about the rewards, and it would be a waste to just ignore it.

Without any further discussion, we entered Shadow Forest cautiously, our eyes darting around, looking for any signs of danger. The trees were tall and dense, casting long shadows on the forest floor. The air was thick with the smell of damp earth and decaying leaves.

"Keep your wits about you, guys. We don\'t know what we might find in here," I warned the others.

"Don\'t worry. We\'ve got this just like in our previous fights. We\'ll be out of here in no time," Yun said to boost our confidence, though his voice faltered for a second.

As we made our way deeper into the forest, we realized that we were lost. The trees seemed to be closing in around us, and the trail we had been following had disappeared.

"I don\'t like this," said Francine with a shaky voice. "We need to find a way out of here, fast."

Just then, we heard a cackling laugh from somewhere in the distance. It sounded like it was coming from a clearing up ahead.

"What was that?" Alexa asked, surprised.

Nanally\'s hold on my shirt tightened. "I don\'t know, but it doesn\'t sound good."

As we approached the clearing, we saw a woman standing in the middle of it, picking herbs and fruits.

When she looked over, our breath hitched in our throats.

She had long, dark hair that cascaded down her back in gentle waves. The green streaks in her hair added a touch of edginess and highlighted her adventurous spirit. Her eyes were a deep, soulful black that seemed to hold a hidden mystery and reservation. Her smile was warm, lighting up her entire face and making her beauty shone even brighter.

She carried herself with poise and confidence, exuding an aura of strength and independence. Her style was a mix of a bold and subtle robe, with a touch of elegance that set her apart from the crowd. She appeared kind and empathetic like she was always willing to lend a listening ear or a helping hand to those in need.

Her body was overflowing with a mature charm as well. She could definitely grace any men\'s magazines.

The name on top of her head said that she was called Alice.

"Oh my. What do we have here? Lost travelers, wandering through the forest?" she asked, surprised.

"We\'re just passing through. We mean you no harm," Yun immediately said. His eyes were already shaping like hearts, clearly smitten at this NPC.

To be fair, she was the most beautiful NPC that we had laid eyes on at this point in time.

Alice beamed. "Oh, I know. You\'re just looking for a way out, right? Well, I can help you with that."

It must be because of Alice\'s appearance and her kind smile that drew us in or because of his soothing voice that we found our guard dropping.

"Actually, we\'re hoping to find our friend," Alexa said.

Alice seemed surprised. "Is that guy named Ford with brown hair?"

That made our blood jump.

"Yes. It\'s him!"

"Do you know where he is?!"

"Where is he right now?!"

Alice chuckled. "I see. So you must be the friends that he was talking about. He is at my house right now. He said that he was hungry and thirsty, so I let him in. He is currently resting in there, I think."

Alice flexed the basket full of fruits prompt on her waist. "In fact, I was on my way back because I was going to make him some desserts. If you want, you can come with me to my house."