Forest of the Elves (2)
"That everything you've got?"
Arrows rained down on me like a sudden squall.
I walked forward without so much as changing my expression.
"Halt!"
"You shall not pass this point!"
Dozens of elves blocked the way ahead, blades drawn.
"Move. You're in my way."
I grabbed one elf by the collar and hurled him aside. At the same moment, a sword came flying at my head.
I headbutted it like I was going for a header, and the blade snapped pathetically in two.
"—!"
"This human! Physical attacks don't work on him! Everyone, summon your spirits—!"
True to their nature, the elves adapted quickly, re-forming their front line and switching tactics entirely.
I folded my arms as if to say, go ahead, show me what you've got.
"Spirits of the wind, the guardians of Solia Forest earnestly implore you. Lend us your strength!"
"Spirits of the old world, guardians of the forest, come forth to us. Protect our forest and bestow your blessing!"
The elves stretched out their hands and began summoning their spirits.
Blue light flickered in waves, and magic circles bloomed in the air only to fade away. Then, moments later, adorably little spirits revealed themselves, flickering like flames.
"Nymph! Bind that man's legs!"
"Sylph, attack—!"
Vines snaked across the ground like serpents, tracing sinuous curves as they closed in on me.
I considered using Maximization, but then a thought crossed my mind.
Would something like this even count?
-Fwooooosh!
The vines whipped around my body at blistering speed.
I watched the whole thing unfold with an intrigued expression. Before long, the vines had cocooned me completely, and I nodded as though I understood.
...Yeah. It works.
Apparently, my defense only intercepted attacks that posed a threat to my body. Restraint, after all, was the act of forcibly binding something in place—not the act of damaging it.
Which raised another question.
What would happen if I stood naked in something like a frozen tundra, cold enough to bite into flesh?
Humans die when their body temperature drops. So did weather count as an act of harming my body, triggering my defensive mechanism?
I was lost in that thought when it happened.
A blade of wind tore through the vines, struck my body, and simply vanished.
I'll test that one out slowly later.
It wasn't a question that thinking about it now would answer. I'd have to sit down and consider the criteria of my defense when I had the time.
Free once more, I twisted this way and that, loosening up, and pressed forward again.
"—!"
"Nothing works on him..."
"...What in the world is that human?"
Confusion written across their faces, the elves readied another attack.
And I was trying to act like a gentleman about it, too.
With a reception like this, I wasn't getting through by playing nice.
"Seina!"
I looked back at Seina behind me. Whether she'd read my intentions or not, she began walking slowly forward.
"Don't kill them. Just teach them a lesson."
"Leave it to me."
The moment the words left my mouth, Seina's figure vanished as if the ground had swallowed her.
Simultaneously, an elf's body rose into the air.
I'll leave that side to Seina.
"A-A werewolf?"
"Why would a werewolf side with a mere human—!"
About time I got a turn, isn't it?
Activating Maximization, I crashed into the ones in front of me in the blink of an eye and drove my fist down into an elf's face with everything I had.
"Gwaaakh—!"
With a strangled cry, the man was smashed into a tree.
"Is this how elves welcome their guests?"
"You're the one who barged in uninvited—you think you have the right to talk?! Sylph!"
A wind sharp enough to shred trees came slicing at me in a crescent arc.
"Useless."
I didn't dodge. I grabbed the female elf in front of me by the collar and raised my fist.
The elf woman squeezed her eyes shut.
......
Up close, she was stunningly beautiful.
But so what.
-THWACK!
Equality of the sexes.
One punch, and the elf woman crumpled to the ground. I dumped her unceremoniously onto the dirt and turned to face the remaining elves.
"That wretched human!"
"You're a demon—!"
They were staring at me with terror in their eyes. And yet, in true high-minded elf fashion, they showed no sign of backing down.
I let out a sigh and spoke.
"Enough of this pointless fight. I've only come to speak with your chieftain."
"Why should we believe that?"
"Humans are rotten to the core. Do you think we don't know what lies in your heart!"
Unbelievable...
I clicked my tongue. Elves didn't just distrust humans—they distrusted them beyond all reason. Then again, from a certain angle, it made perfect sense. They lived for centuries and had witnessed humanity's ugliness with their own eyes, over and over again.
There was no winning them over.
Should I just reveal who I am?
I was seriously weighing the option when it happened.
"Everyone, stop this at once."
An elegant, crystalline voice rang out, commanding every gaze in the clearing.
"C-Chieftain? Why have you come out here...!"
"It's dangerous! You must stay hidden!"
"He says he has come to find me, so I will speak with him myself. All of you, withdraw."
The elves parted one by one to clear a path. A woman who carried herself unmistakably apart from the others emerged slowly into view.
So I finally get to see you.
Elves, like humans, had a noble class—a rank of the highborn. Such beings were called High Elves, and among them, she was said to be the purest and most noble of all.
Titania.
"Are you the chieftain of this forest?"
"I am. You wished to speak with me, I hear. I will make time for you, so I ask that you refrain from causing any further commotion."
Her eyes, deep and still as a lake, fixed on me.
I opened my mouth as though I'd been waiting for exactly that.
"That works."
"What is your reason for wishing to see me?"
Seina and I had moved to the small cottage Titania had shown us to. I reached for the teacup placed in front of me and spoke.
"Floren."
"...!"
"I hear her whereabouts have become unknown."
At my words, the corner of one of Titania's eyebrows lifted.
"What business is that of yours?"
"I'm going to help you find her."
The words must have caught her completely off guard, because a flicker of bewilderment crossed Titania's face.
"Why?"
"Because I have business with her myself."
"Know your place, human—!"
When one of the guard elves standing by had shouted, Titania raised a hand as if to say it was fine, cutting the elf off.
"Do you dream of immortality, like all the other humans who come here? Or is it a mountain of gold you're after?"
Her tone carried more than a few thorns.
I shook my head and answered quietly.
"Neither."
"They all say that at first. And as time passes, they inevitably try to use Floren for themselves."
There was a story buried in her voice, something with weight behind it. But even if saying this made me look cold, that part wasn't my problem to solve.
"Whether you believe me or not doesn't matter. Isn't finding Floren what matters most?"
"It is. But we have no need of your help. We are already searching for her diligently ourselves."
"Elves who despise humans asking the Tower of Magic for assistance—you must be desperate indeed. Am I wrong?"
"......"
"Tell me. What happened before Floren disappeared?"
Titania exhaled and began to speak.
"Floren was conducting research on immortality at the Tower of Magic. Then, seeking a change of scenery, she returned to the forest and resumed her work here."
That was news to me. In the game, she'd been an NPC in the elf village you could reach from Solia Forest—I'd never known there was backstory this detailed behind her.
"And one day after she returned to the forest, Floren vanished without a trace."
"Vanished?"
"Yes. She disappeared completely, as if she had never existed at all. We searched every corner of the forest—nothing. Not a single soul even glimpsed her."
I stroked my chin, thinking.
What a bizarre situation. Is there any demon capable of casting teleportation magic?
I shook my head. Anyone who could manage teleportation would be a named demon of real standing—and none of them were the type to pull a stunt like this.
"Were there any traces of magic where Floren was last seen?"
"Not a single one."
Titania's answer was resolute.
"I'd like to speak with the other elves."
I couldn't give up here. I'd walked all the way to Solia Forest—I had to leave with at least a single clue.
"Elves do not welcome humans. You will gain nothing from it, I promise you. But if you insist on meeting them, I will grant permission readily enough."
Her face made it plain she was none too pleased about it. She was clearly cooperating so eagerly because she wanted me gone as soon as possible.
"Much obliged."
I rose to my feet in one motion.
Damn it.
Raking my hair back, I trudged through Solia Forest. I'd questioned the other elves, visited the research cottage where Floren had worked—and come away with nothing to show for it. At this point, it truly felt as though she had simply slipped away to somewhere beyond reach.
I fell into the game, so did Floren fall out of it?
Letting my mind wander down that absurd path, I dropped myself onto a sun-dappled patch of ground.
"Gerard, you look troubled."
Seina watched me with a worried expression.
"I'm fine. It's nothing."
"There's got to be a clue somewhere. Don't get too down about it."
She was surprisingly endearing. It felt like only yesterday I'd carried her out of the slave market, and here she was already comforting someone else.
A smile tugged at my lips.
"No need to be scared, child. Just empty your mind and ready yourself to receive them."
"I'm scared..."
Just then, voices drifted over from somewhere nearby. I turned to see a small elf child and an adult elf with their hands clasped together.
"The spirits are our friends. Don't be afraid—try reciting the contract incantation."
"Really?"
"Of course. I'll be right here to help you."
The little elf nodded with a frightened look and opened her mouth.
"Sacred spirits of Solia Forest, I wish to be your friend. Will you come to me?"
As the child called out with clasped hands, light rippled for an instant—
And then a host of colored lights began swirling around the girl, glimmering and dancing.
"Wow! It worked!"
"I told you, didn't I? The spirits are our friends."
I'd been gazing blankly at the wondrous sight when I rubbed my nose and thought,
Should I give it a try?
"Spirits of Solia Forest. Make a contract with me."
Beside me, Seina burst out laughing.
"Gerard, not just anyone can make a spirit contract. You need spirit affinity for that to even—"
Her mouth fell open, and her words died in her throat.
And no wonder.
......This actually works?
The impossible had just happened.