The Eclipsed Order

Chapter 100: Chapter 100: A Strange Night in the Forest

The forest had been quiet for some time.

Ares walked ahead with his hands behind his head, while Draven and Cedric followed behind him.

It was already late at night.

The moonlight barely reached the forest floor, leaving most of the path covered in shadows.

Then Ares suddenly stopped.

"Hmm?"

Something was glowing between the trees.

At first, he thought someone had left a lantern in the middle of the forest.

But after taking a closer look, he realized it was a patch of mushrooms.

They were beautiful.

Their caps gave off a soft, pale light, illuminating the surrounding grass and tree roots. Small sparks of light drifted lazily from their surfaces, floating through the air before disappearing like tiny stars.

The entire area almost looked magical.

"That’s pretty."

Ares stepped closer.

He wasn’t particularly interested in plants, but even he had to admit that the sight was impressive.

A faint, sweet fragrance lingered in the air.

Ares noticed it, but nothing happened to him.

Behind him, however—

"Master..."

Ares turned around.

Cedric was standing strangely close to him.

"What’s wrong?"

Cedric stared at him for a moment, seemingly struggling to put his thoughts together.

"I... I’m not sure."

"You don’t look fine."

"I feel strange."

Before Ares could ask anything else, Draven suddenly walked over as well.

"Master."

"What?"

Draven didn’t answer.

Instead, he moved closer and placed a hand on Ares’s shoulder.

Ares blinked.

Then he looked at Cedric.

Cedric was holding onto his arm.

He looked at Draven.

Draven was holding his other shoulder.

Ares’s expression slowly became blank.

"...Why are both of you touching me?"

Neither answered.

Cedric leaned slightly against him.

"Master... I don’t know what’s wrong with me."

"What’s wrong?"

"My body feels unusually warm."

Draven nodded.

"Mine as well."

Ares frowned.

"Then move away and get some fresh air."

Neither moved.

Instead, they somehow got even closer.

Ares stared at them.

"Why aren’t you moving?"

Cedric looked embarrassed, but his grip didn’t loosen.

"I... don’t really want to."

"What?"

Draven seemed equally confused by his own behavior.

"Strangely enough, I feel the same."

Ares looked at the two men clinging to him from either side.

"...What the hell?"

He tried to take a step forward.

They followed him.

He stopped.

They stopped.

Ares took another step.

They followed again.

At this point, Ares was starting to lose patience.

"Why are you two following me like this?"

Neither answered.

Then Ares suddenly felt something pressing awkwardly against his side.

He froze.

He looked down.

Then he looked at Draven.

Then Cedric.

His expression changed.

"...Wait."

He slowly took another step sideways.

The strange pressure moved with him.

Ares immediately stepped away.

"Hey! Get off me!"

Both of them blinked.

Ares pointed at them with an incredulous expression.

"There’s something hard pressing against my side, you idiots!"

Cedric’s face immediately turned bright red.

Draven froze.

For several seconds, neither of them spoke.

Then Draven slowly looked away.

"...I believe something is wrong."

Ares rubbed his forehead.

"Why are both of you suddenly acting like this?"

He looked at their flushed faces.

Their unfocused eyes.

The strange behavior.

Then he glanced toward the glowing mushrooms.

The sweet fragrance.

The strange mist.

The way the air seemed almost unnaturally warm.

Ares’s eyes narrowed.

Wait.

Could it be these mushrooms?

Now that I think about it, that strange smell became noticeable the moment we entered this area.

Ares sighed.

"How careless."

He raised his hand.

"Both of you, stay still."

He flicked his finger.

A wave of magic spread through the area.

The strange influence surrounding Draven and Cedric was immediately dispelled.

Both men suddenly stepped away from Ares.

Cedric blinked several times.

"Wait... what happened?"

Draven looked around in confusion.

"I..."

He paused.

Then his eyes widened slightly.

"Did we just..."

Ares crossed his arms.

"Yes."

Cedric’s face turned red again.

"I’m sorry, Master."

Ares sighed.

"Seriously. To think the two of you would get affected by a plant."

Draven looked toward the glowing mushrooms.

"...I believe I know what these are."

"You do?"

"Yes."

Draven carefully approached the edge of the glowing area without stepping any closer.

"These are Moonveil Mushrooms."

"Moonveil?"

"They’re extremely rare. I’ve encountered them only a few times throughout my life."

Draven pointed toward the glowing caps.

"Their appearance is harmless, even beautiful. That’s how they attract creatures. The light draws them closer, while the mushrooms release microscopic spores once something enters their territory."

Ares looked at the glowing field.

"And those spores cause the effects we just experienced?"

"Precisely."

Draven nodded.

"At first, the spores produce warmth and relaxation. But prolonged exposure gradually interferes with the victim’s judgment and instincts. Their emotions become exaggerated, their inhibitions weaken, and they begin seeking physical closeness without fully understanding why."

Ares glanced at Cedric.

Cedric immediately looked away.

Draven continued.

"The longer someone remains within the affected area, the worse it becomes. Eventually, the victim may lose the ability to properly distinguish their own impulses from their normal thoughts."

"So someone could actually lose control of themselves."

"Yes. In severe cases, they may even lose their mind entirely."

Ares looked at the beautiful mushrooms again.

"So this entire place is basically a trap."

"That’s right."

Draven nodded.

"The more beautiful the mushrooms appear, the easier it is for them to lure creatures into their territory."

Ares sighed.

"That’s troublesome."

He flicked his finger again.

A strong gust of magic swept through the area, dispersing the remaining spores.

"There. That should take care of it."

Cedric took a deep breath.

His head was finally clear.

"Much better."

Draven nodded.

"Agreed."

Ares looked at both of them.

"Good. Then let’s forget this ever happened."

Cedric lowered his head.

"Yes, Master."

Draven coughed.

"That would be preferable."

Draven turned toward the glowing mushrooms again.

However, instead of leaving immediately, he crouched beside the edge of the patch and carefully examined them.

Ares noticed.

"What are you doing?"

"Taking a few."

Draven reached out, but stopped just before touching one of the mushrooms.

"These are extremely rare. It would be a waste to leave them here without taking anything."

Ares raised an eyebrow.

"You actually want to keep them after what just happened?"

"Precisely because of what they can do."

Draven gave him a serious look.

"Their spores and magical properties could be useful for certain kinds of research, medicines, or even alchemical materials. There are also ways to process them so that their dangerous effects can be removed."

Ares looked at the glowing patch.

"So you have a use for them."

"I might."

Draven smiled faintly.

"At the very least, keeping a few samples is better than having to search for them again later."

Ares thought about it for a moment.

"How many?"

"Five should be enough."

"Five?"

"Yes. I have no reason to take more than that."

Draven carefully removed five mature mushrooms from the edge of the patch, making sure not to disturb the rest.

With a small movement of his hand, a spatial opening appeared beside him.

He placed the mushrooms inside.

Ares looked at the remaining patch.

"They won’t disappear just because you took some?"

Draven shook his head.

"No. Moonveil Mushrooms spread through their spores, and mature specimens release them naturally. As long as the surrounding environment remains suitable, the colony will continue producing new mushrooms."

"So taking five won’t matter."

"Exactly."

Draven closed the spatial storage.

"There are still plenty left here, and more will grow in time."

Ares nodded.

"Alright, then. Five is fine."

Draven looked at Cedric.

"Although, to be fair, you were the one who grabbed Master’s arm first."

Cedric’s face turned red.

"Draven."

"What?"

"Please don’t bring that up again."

Ares laughed even harder.

"Now that’s something I definitely won’t forget."

"Master..."

"Alright, alright. Let’s go."

Ares turned toward the path ahead.

"We’ve wasted enough time here."

Draven nodded.

"Yeah."

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