Chapter 111: Interlude – Mana’s Story (1)

Long, long ago, in a vast forest, there lived a young elf.

Unlike her fellow elves, who predominantly had green hair, she had a rare shade of red.

However, her hair’s color was subdued, more serene than vibrant, as befitted her forest-dwelling kind.

The green that didn’t grace her hair instead gleamed in her emerald-like eyes, granting them a sparkling brilliance.

Her flawless white skin remained unchanged over the years, an additional charm.

She was so beautiful that everyone she passed in a city would inevitably turn to look, but the elf herself was unaware of her beauty.

This was because she had always lived alone.

The elf was a forest guardian.

Her role was to manage the forest’s ecosystem and monitor for any abnormalities.

Conversely, this also meant that she had little to do unless something went wrong—a monotonous and tedious duty.

Each morning, she would take a walk through the forest to check for animals or plants mutated by excess magic overnight.

She would prune overly large tree branches or thin out the growth where needed.

And that would conclude her day’s work.

The rest of the time, she simply waited, without aim, until night fell again.

Yet, the elf never found this life boring.

To her, life was inherently like that: calm and static rather than busy and dynamic.

Without goals, she simply let time flow over her, as she had always done since birth.

There was no room for doubt or dissatisfaction because her mother, and her mother’s mother, had lived the same way.

After her morning tasks, she would choose a book from her bookshelf and read.

Though the books were so old and worn that the letters had faded from countless readings, she would meticulously read them again from the first page.

Once finished, she would delve into research on new magic—not offensive spells but practical ones, like making flowers grow better or preserving the freshness of fruit.

When even that was done, as the sun set, the elf would sit on her favorite hill to watch the sunset.

Spring, summer, autumn, or winter—it didn’t matter.

Every evening, she would climb the hill, sit quietly, and bask in the crimson hues.

The gentle breeze from somewhere, the rustling of her hair, the sound of leaves whispering like waves, and the cool scent of the night air—these were her companions as she watched the sun sink below the horizon.

The yellow sun was her only friend, the one she greeted every day.

When the sun had set and the moon rose, the elf would walk back home.

She would lie down with the same conviction she had every night—that tomorrow would be the same as today, that her life would remain unchanging, that the lush forest would greet her as she stepped outside.

Her faith had never been wrong for 200 years, nor did she expect it to fail for the next thousand years until her death.

But one day, a great storm came to the forest—a storm so massive that even the long-lived elf had never seen anything like it.

The rain and wind soaked the forest and eroded the ground.

Towering trees were uprooted and snapped under the deluge.

The storm even destroyed the elf’s home, leaving her with no shelter for the night.

The elf was troubled.

She knew of some caves where she could take refuge, but most were already occupied or unsuitable for sleeping.

Repairing the house alone wasn’t feasible either, as she lacked the materials and manpower.

While she pondered her predicament, a cheerful voice called out,

“Hey, elf lady! Need some help?”

A black-haired young man with a large sword on his back approached from the forest’s edge.

His name was Lier, and his companions were Sien, Esther and Gareum.

They introduced themselves as adventurers selected as heroes, embarking on trials to prove themselves.

They had stumbled upon the elf while traveling through the forest and noticed her distress.

The elf explained her situation: her house had been destroyed by the storm, she had nowhere to stay, and repairing it alone was impossible.

Upon hearing her plight, Lier smiled and offered help.

“We’ll fix it for you. You can stay in our carriage until then. Right, everyone?”

Most of the group agreed, though one person grumbled about wasting time, but the majority prevailed.

Together, the adventurers worked hard to repair the elf’s home.

They raised the fallen beams, dried wooden planks by the fire, and crafted nails with creation magic, hammering them in with the hilt of a sword.

After three full days of effort, the house was restored.

The elf felt immense gratitude toward the strangers and declared, following the principle her mother had passed down,

“Thank you for your help. To repay you, I’ll assist you in your quest until it’s complete, no matter what happens.”

Adhering to the forest’s rule of repaying a favor with another, the elf joined their journey to defeat the Demon King.

Though the adventurers tried to dissuade her, she insisted and boarded their carriage.

The three-year journey that followed was but a blink compared to the elf’s long life, yet it held more vivid and intense memories than she had ever known.

It transformed her perspective on life and marked the beginning of a radiant adventure.

The wind blew.

The carriage wheels rattled.

Thus began a journey to show the young elf a greater world…….

★

The journey ended.

The group that had carried the continent’s fate on their shoulders succeeded in saving the world.

They defeated five of the seven demon generals, uncovered countless schemes, and infiltrated the demon realm to vanquish the Demon King.

It was a miraculous triumph against overwhelming odds.

Yet, upon returning to Elpidion, the party did not wear bright expressions.

Hero Lier politely declined the kings’ invitations to celebratory banquets and secluded himself, taking quiet rest away from any festivities.

Gareum returned to his tribe in the north, and Mana also went back to the forest where she used to live.

In truth, the only one among the group actively engaging with the outside world was the saintess Esther.

However, even she refrained from speaking about why the group had taken on such a demeanor.

There wasn’t much need to ask, as everyone could more or less guess the reason.

The group that had started with five members had returned with only four.

Those who understood how deeply the death of a comrade with whom they had shared joys and sorrows could affect someone quietly discouraged others from prying.

Instead, they offered silent prayers, hoping that the soul of the hero who had dedicated themselves to saving the world would find peace in the embrace of the goddess.

How much time had passed since then?

“Hmm…”

Standing before a familiar cabin on the outskirts of Tir O’Sidhe, Esther took a step back and gazed up at the entire house.

It looked exactly as she remembered. It was the same cabin she and the others had fixed up together back before Mana officially joined the group.

If you looked closely, you could see a board in the corner with “The Great Holy Sword was here!” secretly scribbled on it.

There was no need to guess who the culprit was—Exia, of course.

And next to it was another board, with nails driven in at precisely measured intervals.

It was the handiwork of the silver-haired man who was no longer with them.

It was a memory from when all five—or rather, all six—of them were still together.

“……”

Esther placed her hand over her heart for a moment, took a deep breath, and then turned back to the front door. Slowly, she approached and knocked.

Knock, knock, knock.

“Mana, are you there?”

There was no response.

Esther tilted her head slightly.

Was she not home, or was she pretending not to be?

Either possibility seemed equally likely.

She stared at the door for a moment, contemplating something, and then called out in a louder voice, as if to ensure she was heard inside.

“If you’re in there and not coming out, I’ll start spreading some scandalous rumors about you! Are you okay with that?”

After saying this, Esther pressed her ear to the door to listen for any reaction.

Sure enough, she heard a faint movement inside—a small, startled sound.

That ruled out the possibility of her being out and confirmed the other theory.

Esther pouted slightly, her lips forming a small pout.

“I know you’re in there, Mana. I just heard a sound.”

“……”

“Are you really not going to open the door? An old friend came all this way to visit, and you’re being so cold.”

“…..”

Still no response.

Esther let out a small sigh and stepped back from the door, gazing at it intently.

After a brief pause, she slowly began to speak.

“You must be having a hard time. Losing someone you love twice in a row…”

“!”

A sharp intake of breath came from inside.

Even through the wooden wall, the reaction was unmistakable.

A moment later—

Click… Creeeak…

The door finally opened, revealing a disheveled red-haired elf who looked all too familiar.

Her eyebrows were slightly raised in an expression that could only be described as a mix of annoyance and fatigue.

“Did you say that just to provoke me?”

“Oh my, did it work?”

Esther replied, bringing a hand to her lips and smiling playfully.

“I thought you’d stay holed up forever if I didn’t try something like this. You should come out and enjoy the fresh air now and then.

It’s such a beautiful forest—wouldn’t it be a shame to stay inside all the time?”

“That’s for me to decide. You don’t need to meddle.”

Mana responded sharply, her tone prickly, but Esther brushed off the hostility with a gentle laugh.

“I’m just worried about you, as a friend.
Anyway, is now a good time? I came because I wanted to talk about something.”

“…….”

Mana stared silently at the audacious saintess before her, then sighed deeply and said,

“You’ve picked up some bad habits on your journey, Esther. You weren’t like this at first.”

“You’re too kind. I owe it all to you and the others.”

“That’s not a compliment.”

Mana said this as she opened the door fully.

Turning to look at Esther, who was waiting behind her, she added,

“Come in. I’ll hear what you have to say.”