84
084 — Someday Again
The moment a wolf lunged at the child. The child saw it. Magi so intensely powerful that it made the skin tingle, slicing through the wolf. All the wolves that had been ready to follow suit suddenly hesitated. Even as beasts, or rather precisely because they were beasts, they were faithful to their instincts. Their instincts were telling them to stop.
At some point, a man appeared in front of the child.
'A knight of the territory!'
The child thought joyfully, but upon seeing the man, the child's body froze.
'Human!?'
He was a human, not an Elf. A race with short ears that carelessly destroys forests and even sets fires. The child stepped back in fear. To such a young Elf, the existence of humans was no different from ghosts.
"Wait a moment."
The ghost spoke in fluent Elvish. That in itself wasn't strange. The language used by Elves was the continental common tongue. However, even with the same language, there were differences in pronunciation and habits. And Jin-woo's pronunciation had little difference from that of the Elves. It was natural since Shartia had taught him the language. Perhaps because of that, the child's wariness softened just a little.
In the meantime, Jin-woo cut down three more wolves. The dark forest. A night where only moonlight filtered through the leaves was disturbed by a thick blood scent, creating an eerie atmosphere.
'Wa, waaa...'
The child forgot about wariness toward humans and stared blankly at Jin-woo's sword. The sword wielded while reflecting moonlight seemed to be cutting not the wolves but the moonlight itself. It was a beautiful sight that made one forget even the nauseating smell of blood.
"Now they're finally running away."
When more than half of the pack had died, the wolves finally began to flee, reading the situation. It would have been no surprise if they had fled earlier, so it was somewhat strange. Looking back at the child while surrounded by wolf corpses, the child had forgotten about being scared and was staring up at Jin-woo blankly.
"What's your name?"
"Huh? My name? Ah, Aya..."
The child who had been asking back grimaced and curled up. Looking closer, blood was flowing from the abdomen area. It would need closer examination, but it didn't look like a minor injury.
"Let's go inside for now."
Jin-woo took the child into the cave below the cliff. He stacked some firewood that had been stored in his inventory and quickly lit a fire. Then he laid the child down and examined the wound. It was a long scratch wound on the side, quite deep.
"Um, this..."
The child rummaged through a pouch and pulled out a small bottle. The bottle itself was unfamiliar, but the scent emanating from it was memorable.
"Nectar? I know it's a precious medicine."
"Mother gave it to me. She said to use it immediately if I get into danger."
That was right. Nothing was more precious than life. Jin-woo opened the sealed bottle and pulled out the cork-like stopper. With a pop, a fragrant yet refreshing scent wafted out thickly. A fragrance that seemed to cleanse one's insides just by smelling it. The familiar scent brought back old memories. Reminiscing about that, Jin-woo poured the nectar on the child's wound. Soon, bubbling foam began to form around the wound area.
"Uut..."
"Does it hurt?"
"N-no. It doesn't hurt. It just feels strange."
Jin-woo chuckled softly and filled the empty bottle with water, shaking it. Since it was precious medicine, it would be a waste to lose even a drop.
'I used to drink this myself back then.'
This time, he didn't need to drink it himself. He fed the nectar-infused water to the child and wrapped bandages around the side.
"You look young, but why did you come out to such a dangerous place where wolves appear?"
As he asked while tying the bandage, the child shook their head vigorously.
"It's usually not dangerous. There aren't any dangerous wolf packs like that around here."
"Then what about those guys just now?"
"I don't think they're from this forest."
A pack that came from outside the forest? It seemed this area had been unsettled lately. Perhaps it was related to the Dark Elves that attacked Belen Village. For instance, the Dark Elves expanded their territory and drove away threatening beasts, and those driven out ended up entering this forest... Of course, it was all speculation.
'I'll be leaving tomorrow anyway.'
There was no need to be deeply concerned. They planned to depart as soon as Rona returned. At a time when he urgently needed to meet Fermue, he couldn't stay long in one territory. Jin-woo couldn't even enter the territory in the first place.
"Come to think of it, we haven't exchanged names yet. I'm Kang Jin-woo. And you?"
"Ah, yes." Ahem.
The child cleared their throat, straightened their body and clothes, and spoke with a somewhat reverent attitude.
"I am Ras Ellea. The great Oak Leaf family's guardian, Ionia Ellea, is my mother."
"..."
He had expected it since the child looked like they were from a noble family, but to think they were really the lord's son. He had said it was a territory he would leave soon, but a strange connection had formed.
***
Rona headed to the forest outside the territory. She had finished reporting about Belen Village to the lord, Ionia Ellea. However, her son Ras hadn't returned even after sunset, so she came out to find him. There were no dangerous beasts or monsters near the territory, but the lord was still worried. There had been several unsettling incidents in this area recently, including what happened at Belen Village.
So she had told her son Ras to stay home for a while and not go out, but like any child, it seemed he had gone out to play again. When her son, who had gone out like that, didn't return even after sunset, it was natural to worry.
'This smell is...'
Rona's expression immediately hardened upon entering the forest. A faint scent of blood was carried on the wind. Her steps became more urgent as she followed the smell of blood. The scent was so strong that it wasn't difficult to track. What she found was several corpses of a wolf pack scattered about.
'No way!'
An ominous imagination came to mind, and she hurriedly rushed into the cave on the cliff.
Then.
"Rona? You said you might stay the night, but you came back quickly."
"Sir Garcia?"
She could see Jin-woo and Ras sitting around a campfire, eating something like soup. Seeing the peaceful scene that dispelled any ominous imaginings, she patted her chest in relief.
"Haaah... Young master, I was worried. The lord is also worried."
"Ah, sorry. Actually, I met a human..."
Ras glanced around, alternately looking at Jin-woo and Rona. It was natural behavior for him, who didn't know they already knew each other. Rona took a step into the cave. Ras, thinking she might draw her sword and strike down Jin-woo at any moment, hurriedly ran to block between them.
"W-wait a moment, Sir Garcia! This person is human, but he's my benefactor who saved me! Please don't attack him.”
Seeing the child shouting like that, Rona smiled as if to say not to worry.
"I see. May I ask what happened?"
"Well..."
Ras earnestly explained what had happened. Going out to play in the forest and encountering fierce wolves he had never seen before. Getting seriously injured while being chased, and being able to survive safely thanks to Jin-woo's intervention.
"Were you injured?"
"I had nectar, so I'm fine. Look at this. Jin-woo even bandaged me up."
Seeing him desperately defending himself was endearing, and Jin-woo smiled slightly from behind. Rona seemed to have noticed that too, as her expression had softened considerably. Before she knew it, she had joined them around the campfire with Ras, but Ras was so absorbed in talking that he didn't even notice.
"That's strange. There shouldn't be any dangerous wolf packs around here."
"I talked about that with Jin-woo, too. I heard that Dark Elves even attacked villages on the outskirts?"
"There seem to be many strange incidents in this forest lately. The lord must be very worried too, right?"
"Yes. That's why she told me to stay home for the time being... Ah."
Realizing his own mistake as he spoke, Ras brought his knees together and bowed his head.
"I'm sorry..."
"It's fine since you're safe. However, don't do anything that would worry the lord, no, your mother."
"Yees."
For the young child Ras, the term 'mother' was definitely more effective than 'lord'. Hearing that he had worried his mother, Ras became completely dejected and shrank down.
"Jin-woo, thank you for saving the young master. If anything had happened, the lord would have been greatly saddened."
"I was lucky to be nearby. If I had been just a little further away, I might not have found him."
"I'm planning to take the young master back to the mansion. Would you like to come along too, Jin-woo? If we explain well, it might be okay. Lord Ellea is among the reasonable type of High Elves."
Jin-woo would also like to be treated well in a good house and sleep on a soft bed. But he shook his head.
"No thanks, keep what happened with me a secret. Ras."
"Yes?"
"Don't tell others that a human saved you. Say that Rona saved you. Got it?"
"But..."
"If you want to repay your debt to me, keep it secret. It won't be good if it's known that a human is in an Elf's forest."
When he explained that keeping it secret was how to repay the favor, Ras nodded with a firmly determined expression.
"I promise. Butler Fel said that High Elves must understand the importance of promises and contracts."
"Really? That's excellent teaching."
Since he was a young child, it was uncertain how well he could keep it, but he didn't seem like he would break it lightly either. The rest could be left to Rona. With that meaning, he looked at Rona, and she also nodded firmly and went outside the cave with Ras.
The scenery outside with the child was still scattered with wolf corpses. Ras reflexively made an intimidated expression, and Rona...
'...What is this?'
She was feeling a familiar sense of déjà vu. The corpses of a wolf pack are visible after coming out of the cave. Of course, the scene in her memory wasn't just wolves but werewolf corpses. However, the intense smell of blood and beast musk from that time was unforgettable. Come to think of it, the explanation she heard from Ras was exactly like her childhood experience.
Dangerous beasts had attacked, and she had been seriously injured. Someone had treated her injuries with nectar and helped her escape. At the end of that dead-end cave, that person fought alone against the beasts and ultimately protected her. The next day, the scene she saw outside the cave with her healed eyes was still deeply engraved in her mind.
'...Who was it?'
After becoming a knight and establishing her position, she had inquired about that person in every way possible. However, it was such an old incident and there were few who properly knew about that day, so there was no harvest. Everyone knew that the Garcia family had been exterminated that day, but no one knew how the family's sole survivor had survived.
'Will I be able to meet them again someday?'
Sometimes she thinks about it. The touch of that person who protected her and put nectar in her injured eye. Thinking of those hands, her memory eventually turned to the waterfall cave in the Primeval Forest. On the night she shook hands with Jin-woo, she had also reminisced about her childhood.
"Sir Garcia? Is something wrong?"
Finding it strange that Rona was standing still, Ras called her. Only then did she snap back to reality and take Ras's hand.
"No. It's nothing."
Though she said that, small ripples had already begun in her heart.
***
The next day. Jin-woo, who had spent the night in the cave, stretched and came outside. Looking around, there were too many wolf corpses, so he frowned and moved locations. He found a stream nearby and washed his face with cold water to clear his head.
Let's leave as soon as Rona returns. Just as he was thinking that.
—Thud!
—Thoom!
The forest was shaking. The ground rumbled, the air buzzed, and the chirping birds startled and flew up all at once. Green-skinned giants. A group of ogres was advancing, trampling through the forest.