CHAPTER 116: SILENT DOMAIN

Not long after, Wina and Fian returned with Ava, who had finally stopped crying. Luckily, they hadn’t run into anyone on the way.

Hearing the sobs of her two older brothers, Ava sniffled softly.

"Let’s go out together, Della," Gara suggested.

He didn’t want Ava breaking down again, and besides, Aldwin and Arion’s voices were already hoarse from crying. If they kept going one by one, one of them would lose their voice entirely.

Wina looked uneasy, worried the babies’ cries might draw the neighbors’ attention. She didn’t say anything, though—she was just as anxious as Gara about their condition.

So, when Gara and Della stepped out with the first two children, accompanied by Madha and Fian, she let them go.

Behind the house stretched thick woodland that connected directly to the mountain. But this was not the path used to go up it. Villagers had laid a gravel trail leading up beside the river.

Lately, not many villagers ventured into the mountains to hunt wild animals. Their meat was often tainted.

Thus, it was likely Gara and the others would not meet anyone.

The group slipped out the back door.

Fian tugged the hem of Gara’s shirt. "There’s someone—"

He didn’t get to finish when the back door of the village head’s house swung open, and an elderly figure stepped out.

On instinct, Della tightened her hold on Arion, the second child, the one with the druid’s trait marked on his arm.

"I heard your babies crying just now," Hari said, his voice laced with worry fitting for an elder. "Are they unwell?"

"Perhaps they’re just not used to the new place, chief. We were hoping a bit of fresh air from the forest would calm them," Gara replied casually.

"Isn’t the forest out back too dangerous for babies?" The old man furrowed his deeply wrinkled brow.

"We’re strong enough." Gara’s tone wasn’t meant to boast, but he needed to cut the talk short before babies’ wailing drew more ears.

Without waiting for Hari’s answer, Gara and the others moved on. The old man didn’t stop them. It was true enough—a guard, an elf, and Liners together were more than capable of handling weak wild beasts. He shouldn’t compare himself to the strength of these youths.

Hari only cast one last glance at Gara’s group before turning back into his house. Better to worry about his own grandchild than someone else’s babies.

As the group slipped deeper into the dense trees, the cries of Gara’s babies finally began to quiet down. Gara himself could feel faint energy drifting all around them. It seemed true that druid-born children needed the forest’s energy.

"Master, Arion peed," Della’s voice snapped Gara out of his thoughts.

"Take him first. I’ll stay here for a bit longer," Gara instructed.

The young woman nodded and left with Madha at her side.

Gara lingered, wanting to savor the forest’s energy more fully. He couldn’t tell if it flowed because of his children’s presence or because of his awakened Druid Bloodline. After all, he had stepped into forests before since his awakening, and nothing had happened then.

Being in the forest with his babies was also not the first time. But before, they had always been inside a carriage or tent. Perhaps the trees’ essence hadn’t truly reached them.

The thought of his new Talent suddenly crossed Gara’s mind. Would it still work if he carried his baby?

"Fian, I’m going to use my Talent. Don’t be surprised if I suddenly disappear."

Fian barely had time to nod before Gara and Aldwin blurred, then vanished completely as Gara stepped back toward a large tree. Yet Fian could still catch their scent lingering in the air.

Meanwhile, Gara was stunned to find that his son had vanished along with him. Even more surprising was the translucent blue panel that flickered before his eyes.

[Aldwin’s Talent: Level 1 Domain Map - Level 1 Silent Domain]

As he assumed before, level 1 Talents weren’t all the same. Some had foundations far stronger than the rest.

He had no idea what Domain Map or Silent Domain truly meant, but he could feel the power radiating from it.

Especially Silent Domain. If his guess was right, the Talent allowed Aldwin to become unseen by anyone within its domain.

And perhaps there were even more hidden effects he wouldn’t discover until the Talent activated.

The only problem was when exactly would it be active? That part remained unclear.

I should test this with Arion and Ava as well. If all three of them have stealth-type abilities, that would be a massive advantage.

Satisfied with his experiment, Gara took Fian back to the house.

That was when Fian finally finished what he had been trying to say earlier. "There was someone else here."

Gara’s expression sharpened instantly. "When?"

"Ava."

"Not the village chief?"

Fian shook his head.

With his keen hearing, Fian could pick up distant footsteps. But whoever it was, they had been too far away for him to see.

Gara could only hope the stranger hadn’t come close enough to notice his mother and Ava. He would need to be more careful when taking the babies outside.

...

Narin, the female Liner with the highest rank currently stationed in Bota Village, always considered herself the most beautiful woman among these bumpkin Liners.

She was elegant, refined, the kind of woman men should chase after.

But ever since Gara arrived a week ago, that image had shattered.

The village women who once looked at her with envy now freely whispered all sorts of scorn behind her back. Even the men chuckled when they saw her, as if she were nothing more than a ridiculous clown.

Narin despised that new Liner. Gara!

He should have been like the rest of them, unable to talk back to her, talentless, and certainly not more beautiful than she was!

"Gara really is amazing."

"Right? He’s not only kind but also handsome... or beautiful, whichever. Either way, he’s pleasant to look at."

As Narin entered the Liner camp, the casual chatter of two Liners drifted into her ears, and it stung.

She remembered clearly that the Liners hadn’t liked Gara at first because of his arrogance. So why had they suddenly changed their tune?

Clearing her throat, she sauntered up to them with her usual graceful stride. "Sounds like you two are quite fond of Gara."

Both women immediately hissed back at her. Since day one, Narin had picked fights with Gara. They weren’t about to let her drag him down again.

"Of course we are!" one of them shot back.

...