NOVEL NEXT Chapter 173
Rain of arrows pouring from the sky.
The great monsters fall to the ground, extinguished in the savage downpour of iron.
And there were the women, looking down at them, indifferent as they verified the lives and deaths of these beasts.
Dust and sweat muddied their attire.
Yet even so, their outstanding beauty could not be concealed, accompanied by a sharp gaze reminiscent of a cold blade.
I deciphered their true nature through agile movements among the treetops and those distinctively pointed ears.
‘…Ears like that can only belong to elves.’
What else could such long ears protruding outward belong to?
They were the elves, the inhabitants who had ruled over the Great Forest for millennia.
With their chins held high, they coldly glanced at the dying orcs before turning their attention to me, still standing strong.
As her gaze swept over me, one of the elves’ lips twitched as if she was about to say something.
I stretched my mana to listen in on their small murmurs.
“It seems they’ve taken care of those who fled as well… but that…”
“It’s a human.”
“Indeed. No matter how you look at it, it’s a human. However, it’s somewhat surprising that a human has ventured this deep into our realm.”
The Great Forest is a sanctuary dominated by the World Tree and the tribe that protects it.
Living in isolation, the elves fiercely defend this place, no matter how kindly they are reputed to be.
It’s considered rude for one uninvited to tread deep into the Great Forest, as it might invoke the wrath of these good-natured elves— a common saying I heard many times on my journey through the villages and inns.
It seems that the elves found the presence of not only orcs but also our human contingent from the Count’s House particularly irksome.
“The eldest daughter of the Kalia Marquis Family is stationed in our Great Forest, isn’t she? She may have sent people here.”
“…No. When sending personnel, there was a request for a letter to be sent first. The Marquis didn’t mention anything.”
“Hmm. It appears they did come from the direction of the Marquis…”
An elf beside her snorted derisively.
“You’re foolish. The Great Forest is more chaotic than ever, and you would wander in of your own accord. Maybe you should look around a bit.”
The dead weren’t just the orcs.
Wolves clad in fur, consumed by fire, also soaked the ground with their blood as they slipped into eternal rest.
“It seems there was a bout with the monsters. If left like this, it’ll be quite troublesome. Those monsters are nothing to us, but—”
The woman, glancing at her superior, observed me and my fellow knights from the Count’s House who had gathered nearby.
As if peering through their competency, her dark eyes glimmered quietly.
“They’re just humans, after all.”
“There are those who appear to be knights, so it’s best to be cautious.”
“Is that so? The closest one might be wielding a sword, but it’s just one human man. And the knights behind him don’t look very distinguished. It doesn’t seem they’re in a position to eavesdrop… nor does it look like they’d even be listening attentively.”
She shrugged at her superior and continued.
“Should we perhaps talk to them? Or shall we ignore them and change our route back?”
“Let’s have a conversation, then.”
“Just in case, I’ll have a few of my subordinates keep watch. Most humans who enter the Great Forest without any notice are insignificant hunters.”
Nodding at her subordinate’s words, the elf leaped down from the tree.
Whoosh!
As she fell down, before she hit the ground, she gathered the wind around her, floating gracefully to land lightly on her feet, her hand resting on the sword at her side in a casual air yet revealing faint wariness.
It appeared to be the same type of sword that Friel had used before. The way her left hand gripped the hilt and her thumb angled upward suggested she was prepared to draw it rapidly as needed.
Perhaps because I was closest to her.
I felt discomfort as she approached, not sparing a glance at anyone else, only locking her eyes on me.
But I didn’t feel fear at all.
‘We’re guests following the Grand Elder’s decree, after all.’
If I casually invoked the names of the Grand Elder and Friel and revealed that we were from the Shianella Count’s House, it was clear she wouldn’t unsheathe that sword.
It’s nonsensical to be afraid of a sword that was never going to be drawn in the first place.
However, what bothered me was.
‘What is Friel doing that she’s so late?’
Even when beasts jumped out, she appeared late to help.
It had been a while since the monsters were dealt with, and the elves appeared, yet she was still nowhere to be seen, not even a single golden strand of her hair in sight grating on my nerves.
‘Elves should stick to talking among themselves.’
It was likely that the elves subconsciously held the perception of short-lived species like me as inferior.
Engaging in conversation from the position of a lowly human was not particularly pleasant.
Moreover, the elf up there in the trees.
Hearing her words, it seemed she wasn’t treating us lightly. The woman approaching me now wasn’t exactly denying her stance either.
As I stared at her, a feeling of distaste settling in.
Before I knew it, she had walked up close to me.
Even more—
“This scent…”
As an elf, she could pick up the fragrance of spirits.
Having just summoned Cotton Puff moments ago and invoked Spirit Magic while slicing through the wolves, I must have filled the air with the aura of spirits.
She seemed to catch a whiff of the abundant spirit energy emanating from me.
In comfortable leather armor, as was expected. The bow made from the precious branches of the World Tree. And the arrows didn’t seem to be just any timber— they were tantalizingly exquisite.
As I glanced over her gear, suddenly—
—Meow!
Cotton Puff burst forth and perched on my shoulder.
“A spirit…?”
The sudden appearance of the low-grade spirit made the elf’s eyes widen slightly.
—Meow!
However, busy demanding praise for her hard work, Cotton Puff rubbed her cheek against mine.
—Mew…
Since I didn’t pet her like usual, she started whining, showing her displeasure.
Tap, tap.
As her little feet began to hit my cheek, I glanced at the elf and gave Cotton Puff a decent pet.
—Heng.
Finally satisfied, Cotton Puff fluttered her tiny wings and settled atop my head, lying on her back.
The elf quietly observed me and the spirit, her expression and the stillness of her dark pupils betraying a hint of distrust that she couldn’t completely conceal.
“Your spirit energy is rather pronounced. Could it be that you have a contract with that spirit—”
No, she was about to ask.
“Diene, long time no see.”
Clomp, clomp.
The presence of several approaching figures behind me.
And Friel Arielte’s voice cut off the elf’s words perfectly.
Friel had come to me, leading Shione and Diolia, and predictably, Shione stood beside me.
Diolia, the knight of Shione, was on guard behind us, keeping an eye on the elves above.
Friel Arielte confidently approached the elf who appeared to be in charge.
“…Are you Friel Arielte?”
“Who else could have this blonde hair and clearer teal eyes than me? Diene, the daughter of the Arielte family, has come to escort those whom the Grand Elder has awaited as our saviors.”
“That means those individuals are the esteemed members of the Shianella clan.”
“Correct! That silvery hair like moonlight and the rich spirit energy that Diene was just about to inquire about belong to the man with whom an agreement with the spirits was established. I have no doubt, you are the ones whom the Grand Elder spoke of!”
“Ah—”
The woman named Diene nodded slightly.
Friel smiled at her before moving past me to glance over the elves wielding their bows in the trees.
“So—”
Friel Arielte.
One of the three honorable families that serve as the cornerstone of the Great Forest.
A woman who has grown radiantly for sixty years, adorned with innate talent and blessings, now unleashed some of her accumulated prestige.
“If you do not lower your bows aimed at the esteemed guests immediately, I shall not forgive you.”
The cold voice, filled with the chill of early winter, echoed through the forest sea.
The elves merely bowed their heads in submission to her grandeur.