The Hero Heads to the Great Forest
"Hmm…."
Capella let out a short sigh at my question. He clearly had no desire to help the elves, but I knew his weak spot.
"Jena's coming along this time too, right?"
"Well, that girl won't die anywhere. I didn't raise her to be that weak."
I couldn't help widening my eyes at Capella's unexpected response. He was a total doting father, but he showed surprising sides in moments like this. Maybe that was why Jena was always a bit intimidated by her father, Capella.
"Their opponent's the Demon King Army. And according to the intel from the Dwarf City, we have no idea how much firepower they've got."
"Hmm, but the elves have the Light Sword on their side."
"Pardon?"
I whipped back at Capella in shock. It was the first I'd heard that an unexpected figure was in the Great Forest.
"Oh, you didn't know? Those big-eared bitches you screwed over brought the Light Sword with them. And as you might guess, the Light Sword and I have a bit of…."
Capella trailed off, looking a touch awkward. He was trying to play it cool, but anyone from the Empire—no, the continent—knew the story between him and the Light Sword. Back in his youth, when Capella feared nothing, he'd sought out the Light Sword for a duel, and the tale was legendary. Naturally, it ended in the Light Sword's overwhelming victory. It was also whispered that Capella spent nearly half a year bedridden after getting thrashed.
"Ahem. That old bastard's got skills, so there shouldn't be any issues."
The words you chicken? nearly slipped out, but I swallowed them down. Knowing the Light Sword was there eased my mind a bit, but more forces were always better. Just as I was about to persuade Capella further, he tilted his glass and made a sly proposal in a low voice.
"How about something like this?"
I listened quietly to Capella's pitch. The gist was that he'd prepare his Darius Duchy troops to march on the Great Forest at any moment. In return, right after we drove off the Demon King Army, we'd swallow up the elf territory together. It was a deviously underhanded scheme, but exactly the kind a cunning old fox like Capella would cook up. Minimize losses, maximize gains.
"So, what's my cut?"
"From the vibe, it seems you don't hate my daughter anyway?"
"That's beside the point."
In truth, my relationship with Jena was far more complicated than Capella imagined, but there was no need to reveal that here. Gauging my expression, Capella seemed to realize I wasn't a pushover and laid his cards on the table.
"They're subhuman scum anyway, not the type humans can rule. Especially the elves—they're beggar bastards. I want just one thing: payback on that bitch who screwed me over. Bonus if we get trade advantages out of it."
I couldn't help chuckling at Capella's words. Enslaving elves was impossible from the start. They'd choose death over submission. It seemed like a solid deal, and honestly, I wanted to screw over the elf queen too.
"Deal."
I clinked glasses with Capella as he offered his.
* * *
"Be careful."
"Yes, Father."
We watched Capella and Jena exchange farewells. From afar, they looked like your typical close-knit father and daughter, but up close, Jena's discomfort was plain as day. Even Capella couldn't hide his embarrassment at her reaction. Having struck a secret alliance with the old man, I stepped in to smooth things over for alliance's sake.
"Shall we get going, Miss Jena?"
"P-Pardon? Ah, yes!"
With Capella watching, I used a tone different from my usual blunt one toward Jena. She flushed a bit—unexpected, apparently—but Capella's sly smile told me it was the right call.
"That's the Great Forest, huh."
"Yeah. Where the elves live."
"You talk like you've been there before."
When I humored Karen's curiosity-packed expression, Marian tilted her head and asked me.
Having unintentionally hinted at my regression again, I gave Marian an awkward reply.
"Oh, uh, Capella spilled some details yesterday."
"Wh-what did you… talk about with Father…."
As I answered Marian, Jena jumped in with her own question. With the party growing, things were getting annoyingly complicated. But recalling my first timeline, I figured it wasn't so bad. Back then, we had even more people, but barely talked to each other.
"Nothing special. Why?"
"N-no, nothing."
Feeling mischievous, I teased, and watched Jena sulk. But the chatter ended there.
"Kyaaack!"
The Demon King Army weren't idiots. They'd stationed troops near Darius Duchy, anticipating imperial involvement. An unknown monster's roar echoed, and Demon King Army swarmed out of the forest like ants.
We dropped the chit-chat and readied for battle, eyeing the monsters crossing the plains beyond the Great Forest's edge.
"Jena, prioritize protecting Marian."
I nailed down Jena's job first. Marian had shown absurd power against the lich Bahamons, but these monsters pouring from the woods weren't undead. Mostly goblins and orcs, mixed with mid-to-large threats like minotaurs and trolls. No way to rely on Marian's combat skills, so ordering Jena to guard her was obvious.
"Hero, what about me?"
"You? Need I spell it out? Go wild!"
I shot back at Karen, but contrary to my expectations, she just sat behind me doing nothing. Glancing back, she fidgeted with her hands and asked,
"R-reward?"
"…Yeah, you'll get it."
Smart as she was, Karen had figured out why I hadn't touched her since leaving the Dwarf City. I kept my promise, and soon the little Magic Tower witch soared into the sky.
"All dead!! Ahh~ hahh~ haaah!!"
Karen rose high above my head and unleashed fire magic forward. A massive wall of flames erupted between us and the monsters, engulfing the vanguard as they rolled on the ground.
Whoa, straight-up thug.
I thought as I watched the monsters melt away pathetically. If Marian was a thug against undead hordes, Karen was a god of destruction against regular mobs.
Drip.
I wiped the clear liquid trickling down my face and looked up. Was it raining? The sky was cloudless. My gaze shifted to Karen, and I realized what it was.
She's insane. Already dripping like that—what the hell?
I could see clear fluid running down her slender legs.
* * *
"These bastards just keep coming, seriously."
No matter how amazing Karen was, she couldn't wipe out every monster. AoE spells crushed clustered foes, but scattered ones slipped through.
The monsters spread out instinctively, closing in. Jena and I had no choice but to draw our swords. I decapitated a charging orc and glanced at Jena. Despite her beef with Marian, she was protecting her diligently—no need to worry.
"Haa… hut… d-don't run away!"
Karen was using Dig spells to trap monsters in pits, then hurling fireballs in after.