The Elven Sanctuary
"There, there. Stop crying."
"Hic... sniff. But... it was just so, so scary..."
It wasn't like we had any valuables on us anyway, but we'd lost every single one of our basic necessities. On top of that, we looked like filthy beggars, making it impossible to ask anyone for help.
Losing my sword stung the most. It was the one I'd received when I graduated from the Academy, so it had sentimental value. It really sucked having to let it go like this.
"You didn't have anything irreplaceable in your bag, right?"
"Some money, hic... but nothing... sniff... nothing I couldn't afford to lose."
"We'll have to scrape together enough money to get back to our respective homes somehow. Actually, earning money is going to be a pain, so it might be better if we head to one of our places first. What do you think?"
Meria nodded, recalling the promise she'd made back when we were locked up—that she would introduce me to her family if we ever got out.
"Oh!"
Meria clapped her hands together and cried out. Seeing the spark return to her eyes, I couldn't help but feel a glimmer of hope.
"Jesus, you scared me. What is it?"
"An acquaintance of my parents lives near here! I've visited a few times, and I remember hearing recently that the village near that station was around this area. There's a village just over that mountain where they live."
Looking at the mountain in the distance, it didn't seem impossibly far, but given our current wretched state, just the thought of trekking all that way made me feel utterly exhausted.
I wondered if we should prepare a bit here before setting off, or try to scavenge whatever we could along the way.
"Well, I'll be fine even if I starve, so let's focus on securing some food for you as we go."
"It's not like I'll die before we get there, but if we do find anything, I promise I won't be a picky eater."
After weeks of barely eating and choking down tasteless slop, being picky was a luxury we couldn't afford.
"Speaking of not being picky... would you be okay with eating one of my limbs?"
"...Please don't make such twisted dark jokes. You're talking about the very arm I had to rip off with my own hands right in front of my eyes."
I was actually being serious, though.
I wasn't sure if she was disgusted by the idea of me losing my limbs again, or just horrified by the concept of cannibalism.
I'd talked a big game, but after passing out multiple times from having my limbs severed, I didn't think I could easily chop off my own arm either.
"I'm... actually being serious. I have to get you back alive somehow. I won't die of starvation anyway."
"...I'll ask you for it only if I'm literally, truly, absolutely about to starve to death and pass out."
"Alright then. Let's put our trust in Meria and get this pathetic beggar party on the road."
"You've been told you have a twisted personality before, haven't you, Sis?"
I ignored her.
I'd heard similar things before, and I didn't exactly think of myself as some gentle, sweet soul, but surely I wasn't that bad...
Then again, even Lady Eral had given me a light scolding about it, so maybe I couldn't completely deny it.
"So, what kind of people are these acquaintances? I hate being indebted to others, but since we're completely broke and have absolutely nothing, we're not really in a position to be picky about charity."
"To be honest, I didn't think I'd ever have a reason to visit them. It's not that we're on bad terms or anything, it's just... a bit awkward to explain."
"Hmm?"
"No, it's fine, it's fine! You'll see when we get there anyway. I'm sure they'll welcome you warmly too, Sis."
Her evasiveness was a bit suspicious, but as she said, I'd find out soon enough. Whoever they were, the priority was getting some money and taking a proper bath.
"...Or so I thought."
When we'd looked from afar, it seemed like an ordinary forest and mountain, but up close, the woods were incredibly dense.
It was as if someone had taken the very concept of a 'forest' and dialed the intensity up to the absolute maximum. The leaves, the grass underfoot, and even the earthy scent of vegetation were overwhelmingly thick and rich.
Normally, walking barefoot through a forest would make you worry about stepping on bugs or getting pricked by sharp twigs, but the grass and soil here were so wonderfully soft that those worries completely vanished.
"Is the village on the other side of this forest?"
"Actually, it's inside the forest. I only ever followed others here, so I don't know the exact location. The forest is pretty huge, so we might have to wander around a bit."
Growl...
Normally, I would have been embarrassed by the loud rumble of my stomach, but I was so dead tired that I just hunched over slightly and kept pushing forward through the undergrowth.
The path leading to this forest had been a plain grassland. On our way, we'd luckily run into an adventurer heading toward a nearby town and managed to get some water and meat, but I'd given all of it to Meria.
Meria had protested, but I'd forced the meat into her mouth and kept walking. Still, going without proper food for over a day on top of my chronic malnutrition was taking a heavy toll.
"It's getting dark."
It was a crescent moon with barely any light, and the dense canopy blocked out what little illumination there was, making it dangerous to navigate.
I thought about starting a fire, but I'd only ever read about how to do it in books. I had zero practical experience, and if I tried to start a fire here, we'd probably burn to death before we could starve.
"Hello!!! Is anyone there?!"
Meria suddenly started shouting.
"I know you're nearby! It's me, Armeria! Armeria Dimerde!"
Silence.
"No one's here..."
She slumped, looking dejected.
Armeria? Dimerde?
"Um... that's my real name. It's not that I hate using it, but it just felt a bit embarrassing. I didn't mean to hide it from you... well, actually, I did mean to hide it, but I didn't have any bad intentions! I'm sorry..."
Sensing my gaze, Meria shrank back with an awkward smile, then looked up at me with a pout.
Her mood swings were really something else.
"I don't really care. Plenty of adventurers use aliases, so I didn't think much of it."
"I'll tell you everything eventually. Talking about my family is just a bit embarrassing... It's really nothing special, though, haha..."
What was it again? Didn't she say she came from a prominent family in a big city?
I hope she didn't run away because her family is highly dysfunctional, and that's why she can't talk about them.
"We only met by chance during our travels, and we haven't known each other for very long, so it's only natural that—"
"No, it's not. I really like you, Sis, and you even saved my life. It's rude of me to keep secrets just because of my own silly insecurity."
"I suppose so."
It felt like barely ten minutes had passed, but the forest had grown significantly darker, and anxiety was starting to creep in.
Sleeping in this forest without any gear was a recipe for disaster, but I had never learned wilderness survival, and Meria didn't seem to know anything about it either.
"Armeria?"
Just then, an unfamiliar woman's voice echoed from the darkness.
"S-Sis...!! Waaah!"
Meria and I spun toward the source of the voice at the same time. Bursting into tears for what felt like the hundredth time today, Meria ran forward and threw herself into the arms of the woman, who was barely visible in the gloom.
She's going to lose her voice if she keeps crying like this all day.
Holding Meria close, the woman glanced at me. Realizing I wasn't a threat, she gave a polite nod. Caught off guard, I quickly returned the gesture.
"Why are you so filthy? Your clothes, the smell... what on earth happened?"
"Sniff... Well, you see, with this sis here...! At the cathedral in the nearby town...!"
Meria was sobbing too hard to form a coherent sentence, only sniffing loudly. Seeing that the conversation was going nowhere, the woman turned her gaze to me. I hesitated, wondering where to even begin, before finally speaking up.
"Could we get her some food first? We haven't been able to eat or wash properly for a while, so we're in pretty rough shape."
"What in the world did you two get into? I'll hear the story later. You're welcome to join us, traveler. Come, the village is just a short walk from here. It's quite deep in the woods, but since you've been here a few times, you managed to find your way close enough."
Drenched in exhaustion, I quietly followed behind the woman. Her occasional backward glances only added to my growing unease.
Considering Meria had mentioned they rarely welcomed outsiders, it made sense that she would be wary of me, even if I was the one who had brought Meria back.
Or maybe she was just making sure I was keeping up in the pitch-black forest.
With that thought, I quickened my pace to walk alongside her. Only then did I get a clear look at her face.
"An... elf?"
She had pointed ears and a face that practically screamed 'elf'.
Of course, there were plenty of elves, dwarves, and other races among adventurers, and I'd seen them a few times at my parents' shop, so this wasn't my first time seeing one. I was just surprised that Meria's acquaintance turned out to be an elf.
They were simply fewer in number than humans, not some mythical race living in such isolation that you'd never see one in your lifetime.
It was like seeing a foreigner—someone who never left their hometown might go their whole life without seeing one, but that was about it.
"I guess Armeria didn't mention it."
"No, no! It's just... having an elf as an acquaintance is really rare, and explaining it would have taken forever, and I'd have to talk about my parents, and it was just kind of embarrassing..."
"The name you mentioned earlier... Di... me..."
"Dimerde. Ugh, I don't know, I don't care anymore! I'm too tired, I just want to rest."
Despite the elf saying the village was just a short walk away, we had been walking for what felt like an eternity.
Maybe my exhaustion was making the distance feel longer, or maybe her definition of 'just a bit further' was vastly different from mine.
Just as I was starting to think this was way too far to be considered 'just a bit further,' the dense trees finally gave way, and the warm glow of torches appeared...
"Ah..."
The moment we reached the entrance of the village, a wave of relief washed over me, signaling that our ordeal was finally over. Along with it, the accumulated stress and sheer exhaustion hit me all at once, and my vision went black as I collapsed on the spot.