"Where on earth is this?" Layla Heartfilia couldn't help muttering inwardly. Looking at the dense surrounding forest, Layla had to admit that she was hopelessly lost.
Getting lost was one thing, but did it have to be in a forest like this? How was she supposed to find a way out? And even being lost in a forest was fine, could it at least be a normal forest? Why were the animals here so strange? What kind of decent wild boar grew to a massive size of five meters? Fortunately, Layla's luck wasn't entirely terrible, and she had been cautious enough, otherwise she would have long since become fertilizer for nature.
Layla walked for a long time until her physical strength was almost completely exhausted. More importantly, she had been living in constant fear, desperately dodging those terrifying creatures. With no other choice, Layla found a tree, sat down beneath it, and rested for a while.
As Layla sat, a wave of physical and mental exhaustion slowly washed over her. She couldn't help sighing to herself about her terrible luck. She had already found herself in this forest the moment she regained consciousness—she had transmigrated. Layla had no idea what her appearance was like in this new body; the only thing she could confirm was that she was now a child. She didn't look very old, with skinny arms and legs, and wearing rather plain clothes. A sense of despair crept into Layla's heart. Judging by the sheer size of the animals, in a relatively stable ecosystem, a forest this large meant abundant resources, which also proved that it was vast. Escaping in her current condition would be extremely difficult.
Layla felt she was reaching her limit. Because of the constant need to evade wild animals, she hadn't been able to find a water source. As everyone knew, places with water attracted plenty of animals, but now Layla had no choice but to take the risk. Just then, a figure appeared before her. Layla instantly scrambled to her feet and saw an elderly man.
He had wavy, graying long hair that bore the marks of time, a thick beard, and a kindly face with deep, brilliant eyes. He wore a purple cloak marked with a distinct emblem, white robes, and leaned on a staff embedded with a purple gemstone.
For some reason, the moment Layla looked at the old man, a profound sense of peace washed over her. At the same time, because her mind finally relaxed, she lost consciousness and collapsed to the ground just as she tried to speak.
August approached, glanced down at Layla, and tapped his staff against the ground. A purple magic circle instantly materialized beneath both of them, enveloping the pair before vanishing into thin air.
"Uh, am I still alive?" Layla opened her eyes, sat up on the bed, and looked around. She found herself in a modest little cabin built of stone with wooden furniture, giving it a medieval feel.
At that moment, August opened the door and walked in carrying a bowl of porridge. Seeing that Layla had woken up, he handed the bowl over. After thanking August, Layla took the bowl and began to sip the porridge slowly with a spoon.
August quietly watched as Layla finished the porridge. Seeing the empty bowl, he asked, "Would you like some more? If that's not enough, I can go fetch you another bowl."
"No, no, thank you, Grandpa. I'm feeling much better." Having finished the porridge, Layla felt her strength returning and felt somewhat embarrassed to keep troubling the old man.
"Child, how did you end up in that forest? By the look of you, you must have gotten lost in there." Seeing that Layla was in much better shape, August nodded with a reassuring smile and began to ask some questions. During the time Layla was unconscious, August had asked the villagers if anyone recognized the child, but no one in the village had ever seen her before.
"Grandpa, I'm not really sure. My memories are a bit scattered. When I woke up, I was already in that forest." Layla felt an inexplicable sense of familiarity toward the old man before her, yet she just couldn't quite place it.
"Do you still remember your name?" August pressed on.
"I remember. My name is Layla Heartfilia, but I can't quite recall anything else." Layla replied. When she had first woken up, a sharp pain had pierced her mind, and many of her memories had been lost. The only thing she could clearly remember was the name of this body.
A brief silence followed as August fell into deep thought. There was little he could do about amnesia; he wasn't a professional physician. While he knew healing magic, it didn't extend to restoring lost memories.
Seeing the old man lost in thought, and feeling the atmosphere grow slightly awkward after a moment, Layla spoke up to ask his name.
"My name is August."
"August." The old man's words echoed in Layla's mind. Her pupils dilated slightly, her expression froze, and her heart skipped a beat before she forced herself to repeat the name with a calm demeanor.
Of course Layla knew the sheer weight of this name! No wonder she had felt such a sense of familiarity—that attire was precisely what August wore when he first appeared. Maintaining her caution, Layla asked, "Then, Grandpa August, where is this place?"
"This is Maple Village, a small village on the western border of the Kingdom of Fiore. The forest where you were earlier lies to the east of the village, and it's called the Maple Forest." Given Layla's memory issues, August explained the details as thoroughly as possible.
Hearing August's answer, Layla lowered her head and pretended to be deep in thought while thinking to herself that it was just as she had suspected. It seemed the perks of being a transmigrator had finally arrived; though she had suffered a bit, it didn't matter now that she had run into August.
"Layla, would you like to travel with me?" Hearing of Layla's plight, August felt a ripple of sympathy. He looked at Layla, who was still bowing her head in thought, and asked for her decision.
"Travel?" Layla was slightly puzzled. Why would August be traveling? According to the original storyline, this event shouldn't have happened. The butterfly's wings had flapped awfully fast.
"Yes. I am heading inland, where medical conditions are much better. I'm thinking we might be able to find a good physician there to cure your condition." August told her this in the hope that Layla would accompany him, as he somehow saw a reflection of his own childhood in her.
After some thought, Layla nodded and thanked August. Afterward, August left the room to let Layla get some proper rest so they could set off on their journey once she fully recovered. After all, the cottage was borrowed from the village chief, and occupying it indefinitely wasn't proper.
"Traveling, inland, the Kingdom of Fiore." Thinking of August's destination, Layla felt a surge of inner astonishment. Why would August go there? No, going there was normal, but why now, of all times?
The next morning, after waking up, Layla walked over to the mirror beside the window and looked at the boy in the reflection. He looked to be about five or six years old, with delicate features, golden-brown hair, cat-like brown eyes, and a lean build. She couldn't help muttering to herself that she was still remarkably handsome before stepping out of the room. Come to think of it, human bodies in this world were truly amazing—Layla's condition had fully recovered in just a single night.
Stepping outside, she saw the village chief thanking August. From snatches of their conversation, it seemed the chief was expressing gratitude to August for setting up a protective barrier for them. Spotting Layla, August and the chief inquired about her health, and Layla assured them she was feeling great. Afterward, the chief led August and Layla toward the dining table. The chief's overwhelming hospitality was a bit much for Layla, who was naturally introverted, but fortunately, breakfast passed quickly.
After the meal, seeing that Layla's physical condition was indeed as fine as she claimed, August informed the chief that they would be leaving. Although the chief hoped August could stay a little longer, the look August cast toward Layla made the chief understand. The chief then prepared a pack for Layla containing some clothes and food, and gently patted her head. After thanking the chief, Layla followed August out of the village.
As they reached the edge of the Maple Forest, August suddenly asked, "Layla, would you like to learn magic?"
"Magic? I'd love to!" Hearing the word magic, Layla's excitement surged, and she couldn't suppress the wide smile on her face.
"Very well. I will teach you magic later, but you must condition your body first." August told her, proceeding to explain the reasons for physical conditioning and giving a detailed introduction to magic. Of course, while August was explaining, Layla didn't idle. August had devised a strict training regimen for her, and Layla was determined to complete it to start learning magic as soon as possible.
"Magic power particles" existed throughout heaven and earth, circulating among all things. The "magic power" of Mages originated from this source. They manifested "magic" by channeling the "magic power" residing within their own bodies. Therefore, the body served as a vessel for storing magic power, making its importance self-evident.
Magic was divided into two types—Holder and Caster. Magic that required the use of magical items combined with one's own magic power was called "Holder magic," while magic materialized and used through one's own cultivated magic power was called "Caster magic." Naturally, there were various specific spells as well, all of which August explained to Layla in detail.
Listening to August's explanations from the side, Layla absorbed the information, as she wasn't very familiar with these specifics beforehand.
At the same time, through the training schedule August had given her, she learned a piece of crucial information: it was currently the end of Year X766.
However, Layla had no clear grasp of the timeline, with the only concrete anchor point being the year X777.
Through continuous deduction, Layla could only narrow it down to a range between X772 and X774. With insufficient information, even this timeframe couldn't be pinned down for certain; she would still need to gather more intelligence.
Yet, just the thought of being able to save Layla caused the corners of Layla's mouth to curl upward uncontrollably.
Feeling somewhat thirsty, August paused and glanced over at Layla. Seeing Layla standing there in a daze with a rather sleazy grin on her face, he raised his staff and brought it down squarely on the top of Layla's head.
In the end, rubbing the large bump on her head, Layla felt like crying without tears as August informed her that her training for today would be doubled, and ordered her to add another month of extended drills.