Guests from the Great Forest
"Huh..."
"Is this for real? Dad didn't just draw this as a joke, right?"
"Wait, what even is this...?"
"...Huh? That's the Hansung logo! Why is it here?"
It was late at night.
They had been shuffling off toward their rooms, ready to sink into the soft beds prepared for them and greet the next day in comfort, when Freya's sudden summons yanked them all back together. Wondering what could possibly be so urgent, they gathered—only to gape at one another in pure, open-mouthed bewilderment.
The fledgling merchant guild that had visited that day had taken its name and logo straight from Hansung Corporation, a major conglomerate of modern South Korea.
The shock that swept through them was no different from an American stumbling across the YouTube logo in another world.
They blinked, scrambling to reorganize the chaos in their heads, too stunned to form their next words. Then—
"...Could Hansung Corporation have grown so powerful because they were importing technology and magic from this other world...?!"
Felix muttered the words as if he had just uncovered a secret of the century, nodding with absolute conviction.
"That... actually makes sense!"
"You?! Is that true?!"
"Whoa... I knew it. That level of tech couldn't be explained by anything but magic."
Everyone except Freya nodded along as if they had expected as much. Darian, meanwhile, stared at her with the look of a man who had just been stabbed in the back.
"There's no way! If that were true, I would have known—I was an executive!"
"Ah... well, that is a point."
"...What? Wait—Uncle? Auntie? Ma'am? What am I even supposed to call you... Anyway! You were an executive at Hansung?!"
"Oh, you didn't know? My dad was the heir to Hansung Corporation. He left the company, though."
"Excuse me?!"
Freya couldn't help but yelp at Darian, who was genuinely buying the whole theory and staring straight at her. The second shock hit Tene hard.
"Anyway, I have absolutely no idea why this logo exists in this world."
"Hmm... but Dad left Hansung over twenty-five years ago. Maybe this technology was developed after he left?"
"We cut ties with Hansung Corporation, but I stayed in contact with Grandfather—the former chairman. I even helped him out from time to time... He retired two years before we crossed over into this world, and I'd never heard anything like this up until then."
Felix, deep in thought after Freya's words, offered another hypothesis—only to be shot down immediately.
To Freya, the grandson of the founding chairman who had since become the former chairman himself, her grandfather had been the sole figure among that repulsive, loathsome bloodline she could actually respect. He was the only person from Hansung she had maintained any connection with.
And since she and her grandfather had frequently discussed the conglomerate's major projects right up until his retirement, Felix's theory was wrong.
"Then what on earth is this logo?"
"That's the problem—we have no way of knowing..."
But once they concluded that hypothesis was impossible, they only sank deeper into the maze.
Who were the people using this logo?
"Hmm... maybe someone who reincarnated here the same way we did just used it? I mean, when a Korean thinks of a major conglomerate, Hansung is the first thing that comes to mind. If it had been someone from another country, they probably would have drawn the Google, Microsoft, or Apple logo instead."
"I was completely thrown at first too, but I reached a similar conclusion."
Tene, who had been sitting dazed from the successive shocks, rejoined the conversation, and Freya gave a light nod of agreement.
Among the reincarnators confirmed to exist in this world, there were already five including themselves. So even if others had reincarnated in various corners of this world, it wouldn't be strange at all—and among them, there might well be another Korean who would use that logo. The thought came naturally.
"Or maybe it's a way to find other reincarnators like us? People from this world would just see it as some new guild's emblem, but most modern people would recognize the logo."
"So... there's a faction trying to gather reincarnators?"
A new idea tumbled from Felix's mouth.
They might have used it thoughtlessly—but the moment anyone saw that logo, it would both alert other reincarnators that they weren't the only ones who had come to this world, and broadcast that the owner of this trading company was a reincarnator themselves.
"Now that you put it that way... it does feel intentional."
"But why? Why try to draw attention so blatantly?"
"In the first place, what are the conditions for reincarnating into this novel?"
"Probably people who read the novel, right?"
One by one they began offering opinions, and the debate rolled on.
"Uuuugh...! Aargh!!! This is too complicated!!!!"
In the end, Darian—whose brain had short-circuited trying to keep up—shot to his feet, clutching his steaming head as he shouted.
"Let's keep it simple! So, you—what are you going to do now?"
"First, I've arranged to meet with the trading company that sent these documents. Establishing a trading post in the territory normally requires various paperwork, but I've already told them I want to speak face-to-face."
"Perfect! Then when they show up, we can rough them up or whatever and squeeze some useful info out of them, right?!"
"It's not that simple... Still, there's nothing we can do right now. It's a brand-new guild, so even Fenril's information network hasn't turned up much. Meeting them in person and gathering information ourselves is probably the best approach."
"Okay! Then that's the plan! Let's wrap this up. Too much information hit me all at once—my head's about to explode."
"That sounds good. Everyone worked hard today. Get some sleep first, and we can think more later."
With Darian leading the charge to cut short a discussion that only grew more labyrinthine the longer it went on, they filed out one by one. Before long, Freya alone remained, leaning back in her office chair, lost in thought.
"...Something about this keeps nagging at me... Call it a hunch, call it instinct—something just feels off."
Had they used it without thinking, or was it a genuine attempt to gather reincarnators?
As the various theories sorted themselves out in her mind, Freya felt a strange tightness in her chest.
"...There's nothing I can do about it right now."
Unable to pin down the source of this stifling feeling, Freya briefly furrowed her brow. Just as Darian had said, there was no solving this problem immediately—so she too left the office and headed for her room.
A few days later.
"Is this really the right call?"
"What's wrong now?"
Two people sat on the sofa in the Evergarden mansion's reception room, exchanging glances as they spoke.
The pair—a man and a woman—looked quite young, and their faces were those of ordinary humans.
However—
"Breaking the Great Forest's rules to actively engage with humans... I really don't like it."
"There you go again. You complained the whole way here, and you're still at it?"
"But joining hands with humans just feels..."
"I don't mind. The variety of goods humans make is fascinating, isn't it? I actually like it."
"Haah... I just don't get it. For the Elder Council to suddenly make a choice like this..."
"Well, the 'Princess' must have been truly impressive. How did she convince those old fossils?"
Their conversation had enough oddities scattered through it that anyone overhearing would tilt their head in confusion.
"Lio. Look, I know you're not keen on this, but we're here as the weaker party. You know we can't mess this up by sticking our necks out, right?"
"—I don't like bowing and scraping to human scum, but... it's a mission. I know that, so don't worry, Shalle."
"Good. It's about time. They're coming."
They cut off the conversation and held a brief silence. Then—
Knock, knock—
"Pardon me. I have come to escort you for your audience with the head of the house."
"Ah, understood. Let's go."
"Mm."
Gordon, who had knocked on the reception room door, appeared to guide them to the office where Darian and Freya waited. The two rose at once and followed him out.
Silence stretched as the three of them walked the corridor without a word. Just before they reached the office, they were passing a bend in the hallway when—
"Oh? Butler Gordon? Hello."
"—Ah, Miss Tene. Good day to you. What brings you here...?"
Tene popped out from around the corner and bowed her head in greeting to Gordon.
"Um... Felix noo— I mean, Felix is looking for me. Hehe..."
"...Oh dear. We have important guests today. I do hope no major commotion arises."
Ever since that incident, she had been wandering the mansion looking for places to hide, fleeing from Felix who was hunting her down under the pretext of punishing a traitor.
"Important guests... Oh, these people? Hello."
Spotting the man and woman walking behind Gordon, Tene promptly bowed her head and greeted them politely.
However—
"Ghk...!! Hrk...?! Ghk——"
"Guh...! Ugh...! Grrr—"
Thud—
"...Huh?"
The moment they laid eyes on Tene, the two of them went wide-eyed with horror—then their eyes rolled back, foam bubbled at their mouths, and they collapsed.
"Huh? Wh-what?? What's wrong with them?!"
"I-I have no idea what just happened...!"
Startled by the sudden seizures and fainting, Tene and Gordon stared at each other for a moment before rushing over to the fallen pair in alarm.
"Hey! Are you okay?! Hey—huh?"
Tene gently shook the unconscious man's body to check if he was conscious—then froze in shock at the sight of his face.
"...An elf?"
The man's ears, which had clearly been short like a human's when she first saw him, had somehow stretched long and pointed.
Just like the ears of an elf straight out of a fantasy game or movie.