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The action was quick. Since Lindy’s handover was already complete, there was no reason to linger in Defel, and with no urgent purpose at the moment, I packed my things and headed straight for the Elf’s Forest.

“Elf’s Forest, huh… I’m looking forward to it. Selian, you’ve never been to the Elf’s Forest, right?”

“That’s true. There was never a reason to go in the first place.”

I asked just in case, but it turned out Selian had also never been to the Elf’s Forest.

“Are there really animals like squirrels and rabbits in the Elf’s Forest?”

Anne and Luna, each hugging a Gomtaengi and Tokki, looked at Lindy with sparkling eyes. With Anne’s inherently playful personality and the still-young Luna, they seemed to hit it off quickly with just a little conversation.

“I’m sorry to crush everyone’s expectations, but it’d be best to keep them low. It’s a really boring place.”

However, unlike our excitement, Lindy shook her head in disgust and spoke.

“Ah, that’s just because you’re an elf, Lindy. All I’ve ever heard about the Elf’s Forest were stories from fairy tales and legends, so how could I not get my hopes up?”

Elves are inherently a reclusive race, so seeing an elf in the human world is quite rare. However, they aren’t completely shrouded in secrecy, as they occasionally send delegations to neighboring countries they have relations with. Of course, human delegations never visit the Elf’s Forest.

In addition, there are elves like Lindy who have burst out of the Elf’s Forest and mingled in the human world.

Lindy had to hide her identity while working as an informant in the underworld, but elves, being so exceptionally talented, tend to become well-known unless they actively hide like Lindy. In fact, one elf even reached high-ranking positions that decide state affairs despite being from a different race, suggesting their capabilities are quite extraordinary.

“By the way, I wonder if we can all get in. Elysia, being a hero, and that Saint over there shouldn’t be a problem, but with so many people in our party… and one of them is from the demonic race.”

When I turned back at Lindy’s words, I realized that our party, which had just been five people a few days ago, had now swelled to nine. If we included Lindne, who couldn’t be distinguished from a human, as well as the independently moving Gomtaengi and Tokki, the number was only going to increase.

As a result, the carriage we were riding was crowded. Reluctantly, Lindne had to release her solid form and was floating on top of Yuli, and the Gomtaengi and Tokki had taken smaller forms, nestled in Anne and Luna’s arms, while Frecia sat on my thigh in cat form. Thanks to that, we barely managed to maintain the carriage’s capacity.

“I hope it doesn’t come to that. But if Lindy knows them, maybe they’ll be lenient?”

“Well, the thing is… I can’t guarantee it because I didn’t exactly leave the Elf’s Forest on good terms…”

For some reason, Lindy was fidgeting and wearing an awkward smile. But Lindy wasn’t really guilty of a heinous crime; it was probably more like a typical rebellious teenager leaving home after a fight with their parents.

“Come on, why take it so seriously? If it doesn’t work out, we can always just camp outside, right?”

But I couldn’t guarantee that. If we were truly turned away from the Elf’s Forest as Lindy worried, we would have no choice but to camp outside. Of course, I thought Elysia and Mariel, being a hero and a saint, would be allowed in, but if everyone couldn’t enter, it would be better to camp outside together and wait for Lindy. After all, no one here was a stranger to camping outdoors.

“…I’ll do my best to prevent Elysia from having to sleep outside.”

No, if you take my joke so seriously, it just makes me flustered…

*

In fact, while the Elf’s Forest is a secretive place, its location isn’t a secret. It is common knowledge that the Elf’s Forest is situated in the Great Forest region, known by both humans and the demonic race. However, due to the barrier that has protected the Elf’s Forest since ancient times, unauthorized individuals cannot approach. Without Lindy’s guidance, we would have probably just been circling the outskirts of the forest.

“We’re almost there, but if they seem rude, please understand. As you know, this is a place untouched by human hands, so they probably won’t greet us warmly given the unusual sight of so many people.”

As we grew closer to the Elf’s Forest, Lindy warned us on behalf of the elven villagers. However, we weren’t there to fight, nor were we foolish enough to engage in a brawl with elves in the forest.

“Stop!”

Sure enough, after walking for a short while, we heard a voice commanding us to halt. Looking up, we saw an elven woman standing on a high branch of a large tree, bow drawn and aimed at us.

In normal circumstances, I should have sensed her presence long ago, but perhaps due to the barrier repelling outsiders, my senses were dulled. I hadn’t noticed anything until I heard her shout. Glancing back, Selian, who had picked up on my stealth, also seemed taken aback for a moment.

“What the crazy! Who are you aiming that bow at? Put it down immediately!”

“Is that voice… Lindy?”

“Yeah! It’s me, you idiot! So lower the bow!”

It seemed that these two elves knew each other, as they exchanged dialogue. The fact that one of them had thrown a curse right off the bat indicated they were quite familiar with each other.

“Even if you brought them with you, we can’t just let outsiders in. Lindy, if you do anything reckless, an arrow will come flying towards you.”

“Haha! You see me differently now that it’s been a while, huh? Want to shoot me? But don’t think that my arrow won’t end up in your head first!”

…Are they not friends?

While we, the outsiders, kept calm, it was Lindy who was fired up, flames in her eyes. Just when I thought things might take a turn for the worse, a voice came from behind, trying to intervene.

“Lady Rone. It’s alright, you don’t need to be on guard.”

A woman walked towards us. At her words, the elven woman who had aimed her bow at us quietly released the bowstring.

“It’s been a while, Lindy. You’ve grown so much since I last saw you. I almost didn’t recognize you.”

“Elder…”

Normally, one would expect an elder to have a more aged appearance, yet the woman in front of me looked no older than 40. Truly, it must be an elf thing.

Moreover, she appeared to have her eyes closed, yet spoke as if she could see, which looked quite mysterious.

“Not much has changed since I left the village…”

“Not much has changed? When I think about the fact that you caused trouble last time, which led me to go fix things in the Spirit Realm, you’ve certainly changed enough. Back then, you caused the spirit to…”

“Bark! Bark!”

Whatever the secret was, Lindy’s face turned bright red as she shouted, trying to cover up the elven elder’s words from the past.

The interruption only added to my curiosity, but the elven elder seemed not to have intended to share anything, instead chuckling lightly before turning towards me.

“It appears you are the hero of this generation.”

“Ah, sorry for the late introduction. I’m Elysia Frentz. As mentioned, I’m the hero, albeit lacking.”

The elven elder didn’t introduce herself, yet she seemed certain I was the hero. I had no intention to deny it, so I quickly responded to her greeting.

“Hehe, this generation’s hero indeed has a cute charm unlike previous heroes.”

“Previous hero? I recall that the last hero appeared around 300 years ago. But looking at the elven elder talking as if she knows the last hero, I realized once again how differently elves and humans perceive the concept of time.”

“Oh dear, I’ve kept our guests standing around while being so delighted to see you. Right, Lindy?”

“Yes, Elder.”

“There’s no need to assign another guide; having Lindy lead the way would be better.”

“That means…”

“Yes. I’ll allow you to stay in the Elf’s Forest, including that young lady from the demonic race.”

At the elder’s words, Lilith, who had been hiding close behind Frecia, flinched and slowly revealed herself. If she was trying to hide, she should have figured out what to do with that swaying tail of hers first.

“Welcome to the Elf’s Forest, dear heroes.”

Thus, we managed to enter the Elf’s Forest with astonishing ease, despite initially pondering whether we would have to camp outside.

 

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