The Elves' Village
The boundary... had been breached.
Charlotte’s murmur was answered by a sound that spread through every watchtower.
“Alert—! Alert—! Intruders! The boundary has been breached!”
A single elf warrior, bow and quiver slung over his shoulder, shouted the warning from the top of the tower so every villager could hear.
The moment the words left his lips, panic rippled through the entire village.
While the elves—Charlotte among them—lowered their gazes and moved, their eyes sharp and unreadable.
Their destination was the exact place where the breach had occurred.
“Lahan… are you really all right?”
“What?”
From behind, Estella asked the question with clear concern as she walked forward beside Lahan.
“We broke the elves’ boundary. What if they suddenly attack us?”
“Mmm… probably,” Lahan answered calmly.
“Why so calm? Aren’t you worried at all?”
“I’m not completely worry-free… but I’m sure the two of us can handle whatever comes.”
“…What kind of baseless confidence is that? I’ve noticed you always seem calm in tricky situations.”
“I guess that’s just how I am.”
“……You weren’t calm at all the last time I saw you.”
“……”
Lahan pretended he hadn’t heard and kept walking forward.
And before long,
he could sense the faint footsteps of hidden figures slipping through the bushes and trees in the forest.
“Estella, stay behind me.”
“Huh?”
Swoosh—!
The instant Estella’s face twisted in confusion at Lahan’s sudden order, arrows suddenly streaked toward them from every direction.
Thwack—! Thwack—!
Lahan drew his sword without moving an inch and parried every single arrow with a quick wrist flick.
“They targeted the joints and shoulders to keep me from raising my arms. They didn’t mean to kill me.”
“Lahan…!”
While Lahan stayed perfectly composed, the arrows’ impact made Estella gasp and press herself against his back.
“I-I’ll use support magic!”
“No need. Just stay quiet.”
“Huh? What do you mean…?”
In a flash, Lahan stepped forward, swinging his sword in a wide horizontal arc.
The single powerful swing unleashed a gale-like pressure that slammed into the elves.
“Wha—?!”
The startled elves scrambled to cast protective spells… or simply rolled as the wind pressure hit them.
From the trees, leaves and small branches rained down like snow, yet the elves who hit the ground lifted only their heads to stare at the impossible scene—Lahan’s group.
Precisely at Lahan, the black-haired man standing directly in front of Estella.
Lahan took one step forward and spoke to them with calm courtesy.
“I have no intention of harming you or fighting. I truly apologize for breaking your boundary. It was unavoidable if I wanted to meet you. If you desire compensation, I will provide it.”
“……”
“……”
The elves exchanged glances while sitting on the forest floor, their expressions shifting from shock to careful consideration.
One elf male stepped forward, clearly their leader or commander.
“Very well. As for the damage to the boundary, a proper compensation is required. And…”
The elf pointed at Estella, who was hiding behind Lahan.
“Remove your weapons. Both of you.”
“Wha—?!”
Estella lunged forward in surprise, but Lahan raised a hand to stop her.
“Understood. I’ll do as ordered.”
“Lahan…!”
He gave her a subtle shake of the head.
It meant: follow my lead.
“……Fine. Here…”
With a sigh of resignation, Estella retrieved a magic tome from her Subdimensional Pocket.
Lahan sheathed his sword, then tossed the two waist swords still in their scabbards onto the forest floor.
Thud.
Some of the elves glanced at their leader and nodded in agreement.
The scouts who had cautiously approached the entire way—still alert—gathered the weapons Lahan’s group had dropped or received them from the elves.
* * *
Bound at the wrists and waist by ropes, Lahan and Estella were escorted through the gap between the elves in a tense atmosphere.
The elves never lowered their guard—not even after disarming them.
They simply watched with unblinking eyes, as if waiting for any sudden move from the man whose power they had just witnessed.
“We have arrived.”
The elf leader spoke for the first time.
By now, Lahan and Estella stood at the edge of the elves’ forest settlement.
“Waaah…”
“……”
Estella let out a soft gasp beside Lahan.
The village was breathtakingly beautiful, perfectly woven into the surrounding nature.
House after house, built of wood, rested atop the trunks of massive trees.
Passing through the wooden gate between the watchtowers, they saw small elves peeking out from behind their parents in every direction.
Most wore simple white cloth robes.
Some even had woven flowers and grass placed on their heads.
Their golden-blond hair looked especially vibrant against the soft green of the forest.
“Log.”
“Elder.”
The elf leader who had been at the front—named Log—dropped to one knee before an elderly elf leaning on a wooden staff.
His deference made it obvious that the old man was an elder.
“Why have you brought the intruders here? Judging by the lack of battle damage…”
“……”
The elder’s sharp eyes missed nothing.
He was no ordinary long-lived elf.
Log lifted his gaze and answered.
“They formally apologized for breaking our boundary and offered compensation. Although their words were crude, I believe their attitude deserves negotiation.”
“Hmm…”
The elder stroked his long, snow-white beard that reached his chin.
He seemed to be weighing the matter.
“I see. If someone like you speaks that way, there must be a reason.”
“……”
Lahan’s eyes widened slightly at the elder’s blunt comment.
“Impressive. He guessed the entire situation in a single moment.”
Polished. Not merely long-lived.
Perhaps their longevity itself defined their wisdom.
“They really are a long-lived race…”
Lahan murmured inwardly while scanning the surroundings with only his eyes—still bound—detecting several elves who had not yet lowered their guard, hidden behind trees.
“Follow.”
After rising, Log led the way, and Lahan and Estella quietly trailed behind him.
* * *
“Oh no, they’re already being taken by the village children.”
Charlotte, who had arrived late into the forest, carefully examined the battle traces around the clearing.
Examining the ground left by footprints, she confirmed that the elves inside the village must have already taken the intruders.
“……”
Charlotte stood up quietly, kicked off with a firm step, and leaped onto tree branches to leave the area.
Her destination was the same elf village where she had been moments ago.
At the exact moment their situation became most tense, Lahan and Estella were guided into one of the cabins.
Though still bound at the wrists and waist, the elves’ attitude toward them had grown noticeably calmer.
They must have seen Lahan’s group’s willingness to surrender without resistance.
“Please sit.”
The middle-aged elf male who spoke sat in the highest seat by the door, his face serious and gaze sharp.
His presence clearly conveyed a commanding personality.
“I have already heard everything from Elder Ardon. So… you wish to negotiate?”
“……”
Even from a glance, Lahan could tell the middle-aged man was far above the elder standing beside him.
“This must be the village chief. Alton?”
Lahan took the seat opposite him as instructed.
It was a long wooden table with benches.
Opposite the middle-aged man who looked like the chief.
Finally, after sitting, Lahan answered the first question.
“That is correct. My intention was proper, but if I wished to meet you—elves—I had no choice but to break the boundary you set.”
Lahan spoke with genuine sincerity.
The chief, Alton, rested his chin on folded hands and studied Lahan with an inscrutable expression.
“Very well. I will present compensation.”
“……Just like that…?”
Lahan was genuinely surprised.
Before he could recover, Chief Alton curled the corner of his mouth in a faint smile.
“Why so surprised? You said you would provide compensation. Did I mishear?”
“No.”
Lahan had no choice but to answer quietly.
Since he possessed little wealth, he had been worried about what compensation they might demand.
Gold or valuables would have been ideal… but these elves, who lived in harmony with nature, would have no need for such things.
“If you could obtain the Mysterious Stone, that would be perfect. The boundary that has protected us for centuries is worth the repair.”
“……The Mysterious Stone, you say?”
“Yes.”
Lahan had no idea what the Mysterious Stone was.
Worse, he had no idea why an intruder and outsider like himself would suddenly be asked for a palm-sized stone.
The implication was clear: release us and let us leave this place.
He asked directly.
“……What is it you wish for? I don’t know what it is, but are you simply going to release us like this?”
The chief, Alton, nodded with satisfaction at Lahan’s polite and proper question and loosened his folded hands to lean against the backrest.
“A natural question. Very well. I will explain. As I said, Elder Ardon has reported that your strength is considerable.”
At that moment, the elderly elder seated quietly beside the chief stroked his beard and nodded faintly.
“That is correct. According to Log, the woman is ordinary, but the human man possesses great power.”
“If Log, our village commander, says so, then it is accurate. The boy is exceptionally strong in temperament.”
“……”
Lahan listened to the chief and elder’s conversation and recalled Log, the elf who had guided them here.
“He really… carries a powerful aura.”
The chief turned to Lahan’s group once more.
“As you have heard, Elder Ardon and I already have an idea of your strength. That is why we wish to avoid unnecessary conflict.”
“……”
“Wise. The man before me.”
Compared to the quiet elder stroking his beard, Chief Alton—seated at the highest place—was even more intelligent and a far wiser leader.
Alton continued.
“So, now that you understand our meaning… explain why we need the stone and why we demanded it from you.”
That was when—
KABOOM—!
A sudden commotion erupted in the middle of the calm discussion.
“Dad!”
“……Charlotte? Why are you suddenly here?”
Chief Alton looked at his daughter with an astonished expression as she burst through the door, breathing heavily.
“They… caught the human intruders and brought them here…!”
Charlotte spoke to her father, the elf chief, then fell silent, turning her gaze toward the group sitting by the wall.
Precisely toward Lahan, not Estella.
“You… you…!”
Lahan turned his head and stared at Charlotte, who was pointing at him in shock.
The tip of her trembling finger directed at the elf woman was shaking violently.
As if she had seen something she could never unsee.
“Charlotte? What is the matter?”
Alton’s puzzled question made Charlotte collapse onto the floor.
She pressed her stomach, her body trembling.
A little lower…
“Lahan?”
Estella tilted her head curiously behind Lahan, who remained stiff with his body half-turned.
Lahan sat on the bench, head turned only halfway.
His mouth slightly open in surprise, he stared at Charlotte who had slumped to the floor.