The Unnoticed Hands

*Clank *Clank
Sparks flew every time their swords collided, while the sharp metallic sounds echoed throughout the training ground.
Glen and Rishi had already been training for over an hour.
Both of them continuously exchanged strikes without stopping. Their movements were fast and precise, enough to make ordinary knights struggle to even follow them with their eyes.
Glen swung his sword horizontally.
Rishi immediately blocked it before counterattacking from below.
*Clank!
The impact slightly pushed Glen backward across the ground, but he quickly regained his footing and charged again without hesitation.
Sweat flowed down both of their faces while dust scattered beneath their feet. 
Compared to Rishi's aggressive and explosive style, Glen's swordsmanship looked calmer and simpler. He rarely wasted movement and constantly observed his opponent's rhythm before attacking.
On the other hand, Rishi fought more instinctively, relying on pressure and momentum but still utilizing the swordsmanship he had learned.
"Don't hit too strong," Glen muttered.
"Your swordsmanship is just annoying,"
*Clank!
Another collision echoed loudly.

Eventually, both of them finally stopped after exhausting most of their stamina.
They bowed at each other and walked toward a table near the training ground where servants had already prepared water for them. Both of them grabbed glasses immediately before drinking in large gulps. some water even spilled from the corners of their mouth, but neither cared.
"Aaaah..."  Rishi let out a sound of relief.
After resting for a moment, Rishi suddenly started a conversation.
So, are you close with that sister?"
Glen slowly glanced at him.
"What do you mean?"
"I was looking for you yesterday. Then I found both of you sleeping together in the garden. I didn't want to interrupt lovebirds,"
Glen immediately glared at him before sighing.
"She saved my life, at least I should treat her kindly,"
"Really?"
"Of course. What exactly are you implying?"
"No, I just thought you were unusually close," Rishi shrugged. "You rarely let your guard down around people. Even Luna tried approaching you for years, but you never budged,"
"Luna and I aren't like that. We're just friends. I've known her for a long time,"
"Yeah, but she clearly likes you,"
"For the millionth time," Glen sighed tiredly. "I'm not planning to accept anyone until I become an adult. I want to become a knight in the Holy Order first,"
"With your talent and you family name, wouldn't joining be easy?"
"There's no point of joining if I'm weak,"
"Yeah, says someone who just learning swordsmanship recently but already almost on par with me who trained since I was a kid and you are not even a swordsman,"
"But last time, I almost died because of a mere cat,"
"Mere?" said Rishi surprised. "That thing is a beast, a beast came from the Black Forest. That forest turns almost everything inside into beasts. Good thing plants can't move,"
"Yeah..." Glen looked at the sky. "Beside the cat, I've seen bird once. I wonder what's actually inside the forest,"
He leaned slightly backward.
"Even the Holy Order barely managed to advance deep inside before retreating,"
"Birds...why I never see them?"
"Animals usually avoid The Black Forest, so birds don't fly at it. I don't know but I think someone deliberately brings animal into the Black Forest,"
"That's horrible," said Rishi. "I heard some adventurers forced their way in before even though only their names came back,"
"Adventurers?"
"You know them?"
"I do," Glen replied with visible annoyance. "Adventurer is probably the dumbest occupation I've ever seen,"
Rishi laughed.
"Harsh,"
"I'm serious. They accept every request possible despite lacking proper capabilities for most of them. If combat strength is what people want, mercenaries are far better,"
He continued talking while stretching his arm.
"Most adventurers survive by gathering herbs, collecting materials, or delivering random packages. Real combat quests barely appear because the Holy Order already protects most territories,"
He continued.
"So, they end up accepting dangerous jobs they can't actually handle. They either fail or die,"
"That's kind of sad," Rishi replied.
"Well, it's not that I don't like them, but I hate the job itself, just change it into handyman or something if they only gathering herbs, they are just bunch of unemployed people hiding behind the word adventurer,"
"Where do you know all this,"
"Sometimes I went there myself,"
"What else?"
"There's a ranking system, but the system is stupid,"
"How?"
"They rank adventurers based on strength,"
"That's actually quite interesting, they will try to be stronger,"
"That's why I said stupid, how about the one who contribute the most? completed a lot of quest? To me it's unfair,"
"But it will be cool if you reached number 1,"
"Not really, the current highest-ranked adventurer is literally a retired Holy Order Knight,"
"A retired knight is still a knight," Rishi argued.
"A retired knight is still retired," Glen refuted.
Both of them stared at each other for a moment before laughing slightly. After that, they stood up. They planned to take a bath before preparing for the afternoon hunt.

Afternoon eventually came.
Both Glen and Rishi intended to go hunting again like yesterday. However, just as they were about to leave the mansion-
"Where are you going?"
Evelyn suddenly appeared in front of them.
"Hunting..." Glen answered slowly.
"Did you forget your promise already?"
"I didn't. But we'll run immediately if something dangerous happens,"
Glen whining.
"Come on, Mother. Tomorrow we already have to return to the academy. This is our last chance to hunt together.
"Do you think I didn't know both of you returning covered in blood yesterday?" said Evelyn strictly.
Then she sighed.
"I know I can't completely stop you,"
Both boys became silent.
"So... I already asked Mother Anna to let Aria accompany you,"
"What?"
"Both Glen and Rishi shouted simultaneously in shock.
"Why would you do that?" Glen frowned. "What if something happens to her?"
"Her healing abilities are exceptional, and you won't hunt recklessly if she's with you,"
"But Mother-"
"Do you understand?"
Glen reluctantly lowered his head.
"Yes, Mother,"
"Good," Evelyn smiled slightly. "Now, pick her up, Lucio already prepared the horses,"
Evelyn simply smiled and walking back inside.

Soon after, both of them headed toward the stable before riding their horses toward the church.

Along the road, Rishi suddenly spoke again.
"Yo, Glen,"
"What?"
"Do you actually like her?"
"Who?"
"The sister,"
"Not really," Glen replied immediately. "Why?"
Rishi looked slightly hesitant.
"She's kind of weird,"
Glen narrowed his eyes slightly.
"What do you mean?"
"She's too kind. Too shy. Too naive. Too sheltered,"
Rishi scratched his head awkwardly.
"She even ate the food that had your spit on it. Does live as a nun really make a person became like that or maybe because she is an orphan,"
"Listen to me," Glen's voice suddenly became serious.
"When you're alone, someone's with you. When you're lost, someone guides you. When you're suffering, someone helps you. Whatever the situation is, do not say something like that to someone who tried their best helping people all their life, they might be the one who had helped you or might be you'll need them in the future,"
He continued.
"You are probably right. Because she is an orphan, alone, no one told her anything, she is weird in your eyes to act like that. But are you that perfect to say something like that? Just because you lived a better life you can judge them like that?"
Rishi lowered his gaze slightly and stayed silent.
"Rishi... I care so much about you that's why I said something like this. I couldn't care less if it's anyone else. You probably just feel curious, but there's a limit,"
Glen sighed and looked to the sky briefly.
"Life is actually quite simple you know. Just remember this,"
"When someone gives you kindness, remember it,"
"And when someone needs kindness, give it,"
Rishi quietly listened without interrupting.
"Try saying something nice to people even you don't mean it. I actually want to say this since long ago. The reason you feel alienated at academy is not because you are from the different country, but because you say something like that to others without realizing it,"
He let out a sigh.
"Maybe you don't understand why is that improper and unacceptable now but someday, you surely will understand,"
"I get it..." Rishi muttered. Then he suddenly smirked slightly.
"Sometimes, you sound like an old man,"
Glen frowned.

After that, both of them stopped talking and simply continued riding toward the church. Soon, both Glen and Rishi finally arrived at the church. However, instead of entering immediately, both of them somehow hesitated and simply stood awkwardly near the entrance for a while.
Several sisters passing by noticed them and offered polite smiles.
Both Glen and Rish smiled back awkwardly.
Because of their presence, some of the sisters quickly informed the mother inside the church and not long after that, Aria finally came out.
She slowly walked toward them while raising one of her hands to block the sunlight from her eyes.
"I heard from Mother Anna that the Duchess asked me to come with you," said Aria after approaching them.
"Yeah, I only found out that too,"
"So... where are we going?"
"Hunting,"
"Oh..." Aria nodded. "That makes sense,"
Then Rishi suddenly grinned.
"Anyway, please take care of me too, sister,"
"Sure," Aria replied politely with a small smile. "Let's do our best,"

Glen then extended his hand toward Aria to help her climb onto the horse. Because of her long robes and skirt, riding normally would be difficult, so Aria carefully sat sideways instead. After making sure she was stable, Glen climbed onto the horse behind her.
The moment the sisters inside the church saw that scene, quiet murmurs immediately spread among them. Seeing one of their fellow sisters riding together with a young nobleman looked strangely unusual.
Aria herself became slightly embarrassed after noticing their reactions.

As the horses moved farther away, their figures gradually disappeared from sight. Inside the church, Mother Anna and Beatrice quietly watched them through the window.
"Are you truly okay with this?" asked Mother Beatrice softly. "She didn't attend evening recital yesterday,"
"How could I reject it when an old friend personally asked me while crying?" Mother Anna replied calmly.
Then she slowly looked outside once more.
"Do you know what Saint Theresa rejected my proposal to appoint Aria as cleric as soon as possible?"
"Isn't it because of the regulations? The rule states that someone must be at least twenty years old,"
Mother Anna smiled faintly.
"No... let me rephrase the question,"
"Why do you think that rule, twenty years old rule, exist in the first place?"
Mother Beatrice stayed silent for a moment before answering carefully.
"Because becoming a cleric requires maturity and experience?"
"That is only part of it," She replied. "The real reason is because the Cathedral does not want children who gifted with holy mana to believe becoming a cleric or priestess is the only path they can choose in life especially someone who has been living in the church for a long time,"
Mother Beatrice quietly listened.
"If someone reaches adulthood, understands the weight of devotion, understands the responsibilities, and still wishes to become a cleric afterward... then that choice becomes their own,"
Anna's gaze slowly softened.
"Becoming a cleric requires more than talent, it requires dedication and strong enough to give up many things,"
Then she let out a quiet sigh.
"That is why Saint Theresa rejected my proposal making Aria a cleric as soon as possible. She wanted Aria to see another way of living first before deciding her future,"
"So... you allowed this because of that?" asked Mother Beatrice while looking toward the road outside.
"Yes," Anna nodded slowly and she took out and handed a bag full coin to Mother Beatrice. "Here is a reward from saving that young master's life,"
Beatrice took the bag and opened it. She is shocked with what's inside.
"How many gold coins is this?"
"A hundred," said Mother Anna with a hint of smile. "She is such a good and pure kid you know, when I heard of her story when she visited that boy, I feel like looking a child when they receive toy for the first time, very amusing,"
Mother Anna continued.
"Still... I hope other sisters will not become jealous,"
"There is no need to worry too much," said Mother Beatrice reassuringly. "The sisters here are good children, just believe at them,"
"That is true,"
Both of them became silent for a moment.
Outside, the sunlight slowly illuminated the church halls peacefully while distant prayers could faintly be heard from deeper inside the building.
Soon after, both mothers quietly returned to their duties.

On the other hand, Glen, Aria, and Rishi passed by the Holy Order outpost. As they rode past it, both Aria and Glen unconsciously looked toward the building. At the exact moment, Heitor happened to be standing outside. The moment he saw Aria riding together with another man, his expression froze slightly.
At first, he almost called out to her.
However, after noticing the noble clothing, a sword, and black hair behind her, Heitor immediately realized who the man was.
Meanwhile, Aria looked genuinely happy after noticing him.
She smiled softly and waved her hand slowly.
Heitor quietly waved back,
Glen noticed the interaction between them and became slightly curious about their relationship. But he decided not to think too deeply about it.

Eventually, they finally arrived near the forest.
Glen immediately hopped off the horse before offering his hand toward Aria again. 
Aria carefully accepted it before stepping down gently onto the ground.
Both Glen and Rishi tied the horses near a tree before preparing to head deeper into the forest.

They walked deeper into the forest together.
Rishi stayed at the front, Aria naturally remained in the middle, while Glen guarded the back. None of them discussed the formation beforehand. It simply happened naturally and Aria instinctively stayed between them.

As they continued walking deeper, the atmosphere gradually changed.
The sounds of insects echoed everywhere while leaves rustled softly whenever the wind passed through the trees. Occasionally, distant wolf howls could be heard from somewhere deeper inside the forest.
They sometimes spotted birds, rabbits, and snakes crossing nearby bushes, but nothing dangerous appeared.

For Aria, however, the atmosphere still felt strange.
Unlike Glen and Rishi, who were already familiar with forests and hunting. Everything around her felt unfamiliar yet oddly exciting.

Eventually, they reached a river.
Cold water flowed calmly between rocks while sunlight reflected beautifully on the surface. Glen suddenly pointed toward river casually.
"I found the beast and I almost died here,"
Both Rishi and Aria immediately became alert and unconsciously checked the surroundings.
Seeing their reactions, Glen laughed lightly. "Relax, I'm joking,"
Then his expression became a little bit serious. "But it's true I met the beast cat around here,"
"Well, that's not funny," Rishi muttered while lowering his sword slightly.

After she felt relieved, Aria crouched near the river before dipping her fingers into the water.
"So cold..." she murmured softly. "It feels nice,"
Before anyone could continue the conversation, some movement suddenly appeared from the bushes nearby. A deer slowly emerged from the forests and approached the river casually before lowering its head to drink.
It had not noticed them yet.
The atmosphere immediately changed.
Rishi silently pulled out his sword while Glen slowly raised one of his hands. Unlike Rishi, Glen did not draw his weapon immediately. Instead, faint blue mana gradually gathered around him.
Both of them quietly hold their breath.
"Glen," Rishi called softly.
"I know,"
Several icicles instantly formed beside Glen. The moment they completely materialized, Glen launched them toward the deer.
However-
The icicles missed.
The startled deer immediately tried to escape, but walls of ice suddenly rose around it from multiple directions. The only open path remaining led directly toward Rishi.
At the same moment Glen launched attack, Rishi already moved.
He dashed forward at incredible speed while lowering his body slightly. His sword remained in his right hand while the blade pointed backward.

The confused deer tried running through the only available path-
*Slash
Rishi thrust his sword directly toward the deer's neck with precise timing. The hunt ended almost instantly. Even Aria could barely react.
Blood splashed across Rishi's clothes and face while the deer collapsed heavily onto the ground.
"Hey, Glen!" shouted Rishi. "This one's pretty big,"
"Wait for me!" Glen shouted back before looking toward Aria. "Come on,"
Aria quietly followed behind him. Truthfully, Aria was not unfamiliar with blood or exposed organs. As someone studying to become a cleric, she had already seen many injured people before. 
But this felt different.
This time, the blood appeared because they intentionally killed the deer. As soon as Aria saw the blood, a slight feeling of nausea rose inside her stomach, though she forced herself to stay calm so the other would not feel uncomfortable.

"I think it's bigger than last time,"
"Barely," Glen replied. Then he looked at the deer. "Cut the head off,"
Without hesitation, Rishi immediately cut the head off from its body.
On the other hand, Glen used his mana to create an ice platform to carry the deer's body.
"Let's go to the usual place," said Glen.
Rishi placed the body on top of the ice platform before whistling. Then Rishi glanced at his own clothes covered in blood.
"Urgh... I'm the only one who got splashed,"
"Go wash you face, you are literally next to river,"
"I know,"
Rishi walked back toward the river right away to clean himself. In the meantime, Aria stared quietly at the severed deer head left behind on the ground.
"You're leaving the head here?" she asked softly.
"Yeah," Glen replied casually. "I can't eat that part anyway,"
Aria lowered her gaze slightly. "Can I bury it?"
Both boys became silent for a moment. Then Glen quietly spoke.
"Sure, I'll help you,"
He did not fully understand why Aria cared that much about the remains, but somehow, he could not bring himself to refuse her request. As this happened, Rishi watched the scene from afar.
"That's exactly what I meant," he thought.

Soon after burying the deer head together and cleaned their hand from the dirt at the river, they continued walking to the place Glen usually used to campfires during hunts.
However-
*Drip
Water began to fall onto Glen's shoulder.
Soon, rain started pouring heavily from the sky.
"Let's move deeper," Glen said quickly while looking around. "I think I saw a cave nearby before,"
Neither Aria nor Rishi argued. All three of them hurried deeper into the forest.
Still, Glen intentionally slowed his pace several times to make sure Aria could keep up. After several minutes of searching through the rain, they finally found a cave and quickly entered.
The inside was dark and cold.
The only source of light came from the entrance, but because of the heavy rain and dark clouds outside, the cave still felt eerie.
Thunder occasionally echoed through the surroundings.

After catching their breath, Rishi sat down on the rock nearby while Aria tried to twist and squeeze her clothes and water started dropping from her clothes. Glen noticing the way rain-soaked robes clung to her body, he quickly averted his gaze with a guilt expression.
After that, both boys started working naturally without even discussing anything. Glen began field dressing the deer while Rishi searched for dry wood nearby. 
Aria quietly watched them.
Glen skinned the deer carefully before cutting the meat into pieces. At the same moment, Rishi eventually returned carrying enough wood for a fire.
Before long, Glen used flame magic to ignite the campfire. The warmth light immediately illuminated the cave. On the other hand, Rishi took the deer's remains like organs, skin, feet, tail and throwed it outside. Aria quietly observed both of them working together so naturally and efficiently but she felt bad for doing nothing the whole time. "Can I help you with something?"
Glen who was focused cutting meat, started to look at Aria. "Sure," Glen began to make some ice rods and gave it to Aria. "You can start skewering the meat with this,"
"Won't it melt?"
"Ice made by magic can withstand a normal fire, well, it depends on how much mana used to create this,"
"How much mana you used to create these rods?"
"Enough to pierce a beast cat body," said Glen teased her a bit.
"Won't meat that's close to the ice not be as cooked as the one that's outside?"
"Nice catch, but this is one of my secrets, because it's you, I'll tell this. these rods are not actually ice, it's hard water,"
"How is that even possible?"
"Like I said, water can be hard as well you know, and yeah it will affect the meat a little but not really as bad as ice,"
Aria is shocked to hear that, but she chose to remain silent and began skewering the meat. After she finished, Glen took some spices and salt from his pocket and sprinkled it onto the meat. Then they began to roast the meat on the campfire.  
The hint scent of the spices lingering around their nose, they watched the meat began to sizzle while Rishi wandered deeper into the cave while carrying a wooden torch.

At first, he only intended to check for bats. However, the deeper he walked, the darker the cave became.

Then suddenly-

Rishi froze.

A massive animal carcass lay deeper inside the cave. Its condition looked grotesque. The body was already rotting badly, while maggots crawled across exposed flesh.

Rishi immediately ran back.

"Glen!"

Something in his voice instantly made Glen stand up.

"What happened?"

"You have to look this,"

Glen immediately looked toward Aria. "Stay here,"
Aria who sat down beside Glen didn't say anything but nodded.
Both boys rushed deeper into the cave and they reached the carcass.
Glen's expression immediately changed. It was the beast cat from before. However- 
Its claws, fangs, and even eyes were missing. The smell was nauseating while maggots covered the wounds.
"Did you do this?" asked Rishi.
"I only pierced the stomach,"
He stared at the carcass.
"I came back looking for this this before... but it disappeared, this cat can't be walking by itself,"

"Then someone moved it here," Rishi muttered. "Does claws and fangs actually have value?"

"Yes, it does,"

Both of them slowly looked deeper into the darkness beyond the carcass. The cave continued much farther inside.
"Do you think it leads somewhere?" Glen asked curiously.
"Don't ever think about it," Rishi replied. "We should leave,"

After several seconds, Glen finally nodded in agreement. "Yeah... and don't mention this to Aria,"
Moments later, both of them returned toward the campfire.
However, the moment Glen arrived-
He froze.
Aria was gone.
"Aria?"
No response.
Glen immediately ran to the entrance.
"Aria!"
He looked around outside and found her outside near the rain.
Glen stared at her speechlessly.
"I told you to stay here," he said while breathing heavily. "Why did you suddenly leave?"
Aria looked slightly startled after seeing him. "I just... felt bad leaving them here,"
She lowered her gaze slightly and looked at the deer's remains. "So, I thought I should at least bury them,"
Glen became silent, he remembered the deer head earlier.
"You didn't answer me when I called you, I thought you went somewhere far or something had happened to you,"
"I'm sorry. The rain and thunder were too loud, I didn't hear you,"
Then he lowered her head again.
"I'm sorry for acting alone,"
Glen sighed quietly.
"No... it's fine,"
Then he turned back toward the cave. "If you're done, let's go back inside," 
Both returned to the campfire, both of them sat side by side.

The sounds of burning wood mixed together with distant thunder and rain outside. By now, the meat had already finished cooking.
"Here," Glen took the skewer and gave it to both Rishi and Aria. "I don't know if it tasted good though,"
Both of them accepted the meat. Aria carefully took a bite. 
"It's delicious," she said. "What's the recipe?"
"Don't ask him," Rishi interrupted. "I've been asking for months, and he still refuses to tell me,"
"Well," Glen shrugged. "This is a secret and I'll just cook it for you,"
"Do you think we'll get another chance after this?" asked Rishi while eating. "We only have six months left before graduation, then I'll return to Hejaz Kingdom,"
"I can still visit you," Glen replied. "Besides, we can roast meat at the academy too,"
"Yeah, true"

Then Aria suddenly asked. "What are you both planning to do after graduation?"
"I'll try joining the Holy Order," Glen answered.
"I'll continue my father's business," said Rishi.
Glen chocked slightly after hearing that.
"What?... don't believe him, Aria. He's a prince,"
"I technically didn't lie though,"
Aria's eyes widened.
"I'm sorry... I didn't realize you were someone important,"
"Relax," Rishi laughed.
Then he glanced at Glen with a grin.
The three of them quietly continued eating together while waiting for the rain to stop, even though none of them knew when it would end.