Burning Forest (2)
I threw my fist with all my might at the roaring flames, parting them before darting through the gap.
Thanks to Elpinire shielding me with her mana, it didn't feel particularly hot.
Elcid, thank goodness, wasn't on fire.
The World Tree stood unharmed as well.
It seemed the blaze was limited to the forest surrounding the village.
"Handle that side!"
"Ugh... the fire's too fierce!"
"Protect Mother!"
I glanced at the elves bustling around the entrance, desperately fighting the flames.
Behind them lay heaps of mutated corpses, each one infused with ma gi.
Tearing my eyes away from their frantic movements, I turned to Elpinire.
She'd been silent since earlier and had already entered the village.
I hurried after her, plunging into Elcid.
"......"
No one in sight.
Not a single soul on the streets.
As I scanned the surroundings while following Elpinire, I soon spotted them.
"Next! Over here, please!"
Dozens of elves lay collapsed around the World Tree.
All of them groaning in pain.
Elumia and the uninjured elves darted between them, treating the fallen.
Elumia, mid-stride, noticed Elpinire standing quietly and rushed over.
"Elpinire! Help out—!"
"......"
"N-No way......"
Elumia's words trailed off as she saw Elspier, limp in Elpinire's arms.
Her face showed clear agitation.
Biting her lip hard, she pointed to a spot on the ground.
"Lay Elspier there. We'll treat him right away."
"Yes, Elder."
Elpinire nodded and gently placed Elspier down.
About three minutes later, Elumia finished her current treatment and approached, biting her lip again.
"What in the world happened?"
"We were ambushed by the mutants."
"Ahh...... I feared as much......"
Elumia's face twisted in despair.
She extended both hands, channeling mana into the fallen Elspier.
Elpinire spoke to her in a calm tone.
"I've done emergency treatment. I've been steadily infusing mana into his severed arm, so it should reattach fine."
"Well done. In this state, we can reattach his right arm without major side effects. It's all thanks to you, Elpinire."
"......No. I didn't do anything."
Elumia stared at Elpinire in surprise.
This was a child who would normally complain about not receiving Mother's blessing or blame others.
Yet here she was, suddenly blaming herself.
Sensing something off, but with nothing she could do now, Elumia forced her gaze away.
"Mir. I'm sorry. I wanted to make your time in Elcid enjoyable, but it's turned out like this."
I shook my head at Elumia.
She gave me a small smile in return.
"Can I apologize one more time?"
"What for?"
"Please leave Elcid."
"......"
"Mutants started appearing in earnest around Elcid about nine years ago. They've been a major headache in the Evergreen Forest ever since."
The existence of ma gi had been observed long ago.
But the Evergreen Forest was the World Tree's sanctuary.
No corrupted mana like ma gi could dare approach.
That changed nine years ago, when the first ma gi-infested beast was discovered in the forest.
They'd been on alert since, but the infested monsters never headed for the World Tree.
So they'd dealt with them on sight.
But now, things were different.
The ma gi-possessed monsters were suddenly assaulting the World Tree.
This was an emergency—one that could doom the entire village.
"If this continues, we won't be able to properly host our guests. So please, leave the Evergreen Forest with good memories."
I nodded at Elumia's words.
The Evergreen Forest was the World Tree's domain, and the World Tree was the elves' mother.
When the landowner's daughter tells you to get off her land, you do.
Besides, I was planning to leave anyway.
Why?
Escape from the Mutant Horde Without Casualties
[3/3]
SUCCESS
Proceeding to the next floor.
Right after entering Elcid, the system had popped up.
And the condition for floor 9 was:
Track the Traces of the Ma Gi-Infested Human
I had to leave the village to clear this floor.
Since I planned to anyway, I didn't refuse.
Elumia nodded, looking somewhat bitter at my response.
"Thank you for understanding."
"Yeah, sure."
She seemed to think I was leaving the Evergreen Forest entirely, but I didn't bother correcting her.
Too much hassle.
She lifted what looked like his severed right arm—probably to reattach it—and said to me,
"I can't see you off. Sorry."
"No worries. Take care."
I bowed to Elumia and turned away.
Elpinire had long vanished from sight.
Hands in my pockets, I slowly distanced myself from the space filled with sobs.
"Kyuuung......"
A voice from my pocket.
Right, this guy was a resident of the Evergreen Forest too.
"Your hometown's gone weird, huh?"
"Kyuung?"
Cheori stared at me like I'd spouted nonsense.
Climbing out of my pocket, it rode up to my shoulder and thumped its belly with its tail.
"......Don't tell me you're hungry?"
"Kyuung."
"You're something else."
Consistent as ever.
Its home's burning, and it's complaining about hunger.
If anything, that's just like Cheori.
Chuckling, I said,
"Hang in there a bit longer. We'll feast when it's all over."
"Kyuung!"
It could endure that much.
With that cry, Cheori wrapped its tail quietly around my neck.
Together, we headed to the village entrance.
Were the elves' efforts paying off?
The flames raging when we entered Elcid had died down.
Faint embers flickered, but nothing scorching.
Stepping out, I spotted a familiar figure and smirked.
"Knew you'd be here."
Elpinire stood quietly in the distance, waiting for someone.
I'd figured she'd be here since she vanished without a word.
Wearing a black robe from who-knows-where, she approached and tossed me a spare one.
"Wear it."
"What's this?"
"Robe made from Mother's twigs. Tough, blocks ma gi."
"You can give this to a human like me?"
"......I've realized humans aren't the issue anymore."
Elpinire bowed 90 degrees to me.
"Sorry, human. You...... did nothing wrong. It was all my misconception, my paranoia."
"If you get it, good."
"......I'm truly sorry."
I gazed down at Elpinire's round head, bowed low, and said,
"Hey."
"What?"
"Can I call you by name now? Right?"
"......"
"Elpinire, yeah?"
Her face slowly flushed red.
Chuckling throatily, I donned the robe she'd given me.
"Anyway, call me by name too now."
"......Got it, Mir."
"You remembered, huh?"
"I was just deliberately not using it."
Would've been better to play it off as forgetting.
Swallowing a retort, I stretched lightly.
"You okay? Not tired?"
"Took an awakening agent. Should last about ten hours."
"That stuff would sell like hotcakes where I'm from."
"......Selling a drug that strains the body would make you rich? Humans really are baffling."
It's an energy drink that lasts ten hours without fatigue.
Shaking out, I exhaled deeply and asked,
"As a sentinel, you can track traces, right?"
"Yeah."
"Then I'm counting on you. All I got's my right hand."
I lightly shook my right hand, activating Black Dragon.
Elpinire nodded, clenching her fist tight, and muttered,
"......Hey, Mir. One thing I wanna ask."
"Shoot."
"That man earlier. What he said was definitely......"
I recalled the ma gi-infested man we'd encountered—his final words and actions.
That eerie smile as he told Elpinire not to cry.
Yeah.
It was surely meant to comfort her.
"......"
"Probably the same with that smile ten years ago. Their last act of resistance, maybe? Creepy as hell to me too, though."
Young elves hating to part with humans.
They smiled at the child elf, promising to return.
Even as ma gi overtook them, driving them mad, they willed themselves not to harm her.
Suppressing agony with that grotesque grin.
And because of that past, he did the same to Elpinire this time.
That's what I think.
And Elpinire seemed to agree.
"......So that's how it was."
She murmured softly, slowly lifting her head.
The haze was gone from her eyes.
Clear, vibrant green like flawless emeralds.
"I'll forge the end of this story myself."
Releasing the tension in her hand, Elpinire stepped forward.
I moved to follow—but
"That's far enough."
Boom!
A green pillar slammed down right in front of me.
As the dust cleared, Elses-to stood there, arms crossed, sunglasses on.
"No solo actions in a situation like this."
"I've been told to leave, Chief."
"Mir. I figured out ages ago you're not just leaving the forest—you're chasing something."
Elses-to removed his sunglasses, crushing them to powder with a flex.
His face grave, he addressed us.
"Is what you're planning dangerous?"
"......"
"Could it kill you?"
"......"
We had no reply.
He was an elf who could detect lies.
Answering "no" would let him see right through.
So we stayed silent.
Elses-to's final question:
"Are you absolutely sure you'll return alive?"
This one, we could answer.
"I'll come back."
"Come back."
I didn't become a hunter to die in a place like this.
I'll return alive, no question.
Satisfied with our resolve, Elses-to smiled and tossed something.
"Take this."
"This is......"
I stared at the glass vial he'd thrown.
This was definitely......
"The booze from before?"
"Booze...... yeah, if you're sober."
I tilted my head at his words.
Sober?
Unlike my confusion, Elpinire looked visibly shaken.
"Ch-Chief. This is......"
"Liquor brewed from the World Tree's fruit—a kind of recovery potion, World Tree's Elixir. Drink it in danger, and your body returns to peak condition."
Brewed from World Tree fruit?
Wait, the fruit's edible?
"Normally, anyone below high elf level passes out from a sip, but you can handle it, Mir."
"Thank you."
"I don't know what you're up to, but don't get hurt. Come back safe. We'll guard the World Tree from the mutants."
With that, Elses-to patted our shoulders and vanished.
Once his back faded from view, I turned to Elpinire.
"Let's go."
We had to move before the trail vanished.
Thus, Elpinire and I left Elcid behind.
Elpinire halted before a certain cave.
Panting roughly, she stared into it.
"Trail ends here."
"......Yeah?"
I peered into the cave at her words.
A familiar feeling.
Definitely first time here, so why the déjà vu?
Seeing my furrowed brow, Elpinire let out a dry chuckle.
"Mir. This is the cave where you passed out."
"......Here?"
"Yeah. Where you collapsed after killing the mutant Bloody Mantis. Where I found you."
Huh.
I chuckled wryly.
Didn't expect it to connect like this.
'Thought they just dropped me in some random cave.'
Apparently not.
Well, what awaited inside?
Swallowing dryly, I took a deep breath and transformed my right hand with Black Dragon.
Elpinire cloaked herself in green mana.
Fully prepared, we slowly advanced into the dark cave.