episode_0098

The Elven Forest, now dark, was not much different from before, except for the return of the bright sun.

The elves wake up in the morning, carefully offer prayers to the moon goddess, some rush out to do morning chores, and some start simple cooking.

Each of them lives in their own way of life in a huge tree mansion with an architectural style unique to elves, and they live for hundreds or thousands of years, which is hard for ordinary humans to imagine.

However, there was a slight change today. Almost all the elves who stayed in the Elven Forest were gathered in one place. That place was the starting point of the ‘path’ leading to the altar that had been built deep in the forest in the past.

Now, except for a very few, it was a ‘road’ that no one used, so in that place, where only the appearance remained, all the elves of the Elven Forest had gathered since morning. They surrounded a few people.

The people surrounded by elves, despite the elves’ gaze being focused on them, maintained a reverent posture without much agitation. The three members of the Dreamside family, descendants of those who once ruled the elven kingdom, stood tall in front of the people with neat postures and attire.

And at the center of it all, there was Sieta, the elven priestess and daughter of royalty, who had pushed aside her father, Leones Dreamside, and her mother, Fulvia Dreamside.

“Fellows! I hereby declare that the darkness and the terror that has haunted our sleep for the past few weeks has finally left our forests! Thanks to the blessings of the Moon Goddess and the hands of our long-time allies, we have been able to reach this successful future.”

“Oh, ohhhh!”

“D, finally…it’s gone…!”

“Ma, Hurray. Hurray!”

The elves finally regained their color. Some felt relieved and sank to the ground, while others cautiously prayed to the moon goddess. And then, Sieta’s declaration continued.

“Therefore, as a priestess who has received grace from the Goddess of the Moon with her insufficient body, I, Sietta Dreamside, hereby declare. To proclaim and commemorate the purification of the Elven Forest… I declare that on the day when the leaves turn red with the autumn wind, a festival will be held to honor all living good people.”

“Huh, huh?”

“Chu, a festival?”

“Wow! Hurray!”

“It’s been a while since we had a festival!”

“Long time no see, didn’t we do it last year too?”

“Only once a year! That’s too slow!”

“After participating over 400 times!”

“Hahaha!”

The elves’ reaction was enthusiastic.

Although they are elves who have chosen to live quietly in nature for a long time, there were quite a few who enjoyed this noisy festival. No, except for some of the elders who stood out for their conservative side, almost all the elves were delighted by this news.

“Wow~ It’s a festival, a festival! Oppa, oppa. Can we come too?”

“Hmm, well…”

“Wow, you’re holding a festival, after all. If I have time, I’d like to go and see it…”

“Su, Monk. We have an unavoidable mission…”

“Oh, the Elf Festival! What a windfall. Seriously, you should choose your job wisely. I should thank the guild master who is not here! Hahahaha, a place where I can freely chat with beautiful elf beauties…!”

“Mr. Grimes… Even if you’re younger than me here, you might get excited and not get your money’s worth. Especially if you’re an elf woman who’s on a whole other level of delicate than a human woman…”

“An Elf Festival… I never imagined I’d see something like this after becoming an adventurer… Aren’t you curious, Saika?”

“Um, well… I personally… worry that Tiller will look away… Oh, no… of course! Of course I’m super excited! ”

And there were people who were watching the news of the elves’ festival from a third-person perspective. Yes, people, a group of humans.

There were several adventurers from the Adventurer’s Guild dispatched from the Southern Kingdom, and two members of the Air Grants Church who assisted the saintess. They were positioned slightly behind where the Dreamside family members were making their announcements, chatting amongst themselves as if they were some sort of bodyguards.

However, the three people were absent.

“And, for this festival starting tomorrow…the saint of the human kingdom, Milicia Airgrants, who helped us overcome the crisis that befell our forest, will be attending and giving us her blessing. Saint, would you please come forward?”

One person appeared next to the Dreamside family, not the humans.

Silver hair and green eyes, which are rare for humans, and a beautiful appearance that is hard to believe was born from a human. Despite the forced march of the past few weeks, his appearance has not faded at all, so it is not surprising that many people exclaimed in admiration.

However, this place was mainly occupied by the elves, a race known for having many beauties. Since their average appearance was more outstanding than expected, there were a lot of elves who either didn’t think much about human appearance or gave them a bad evaluation.

But now, most of the elves who were seeing Milicia Airgrants for the first time were unable to hide their surprised faces.

“No! Ugh, silver hair… and eyes that contain the forest? Are you really human?”

“Could it be that there are elves among your ancestors? How can a human have such an appearance…”

“Hmm… Certainly, he is someone who would be chosen by the human god…”

“Wow, it’s pretty…Should I say this is pretty? Right, Desmoine?”

“Why are you asking me? Ask a human.”

“Where are you?”

“It’s over there.”

At that moment, Glenn and his party almost burst into laughter, but barely managed to hold it back. Somehow, even as the pious and warm atmosphere continued, jokes that changed the mood pleasantly penetrated their ears. It was certainly a moment that proved that elf sensibilities are different from human sensibilities in many ways.

“If you laugh here, you’ll definitely get screwed at the festival later, right?”

“Of course, Grimes. We’ll work hard to get it out of your hands.”

“That’s right, Mr. Grimes. I’ll help you too.”

“Me too!”

“Hmm, adventurers…may we join you?”

“Of course!”

“Hey, hey! I only said one word, only one word! This is really too much, you guys!”

Grimes let out a protest full of resentment, but no one listened. It was partly a desire to tease Grimes, but there was something more important unfolding before their eyes, so there was no reason to pay attention to him.

Milicia began to give a long speech in front of the elves.

“How are you, masters of the forest! Thank you so much for the comfort and kindness you have shown us in this forest. It is a great honor to have the opportunity to attend your beautiful festival. As a member of the Church of Airgrants, and as a person who carries out the duties of a saint despite my shortcomings, I, Milicia Airgrants, swear before you. As a human and as a friend of the elves, I fervently pray that happiness and love will overflow to all who participate in this festival. Once again, thank you, everyone! ”

“Wow~”

“Clap clap clap…”

“Oh, thank you. Human…Saint? Right?”

“If you don’t know, just clap your hands!”

“Hahahahaha!”

The elves who heard the saint’s speech responded cheerfully. It felt like the elders enjoying the talents of their young daughters in the village’s talent show. In fact, if you compare the ages of the saint and the elves, you can see that it wasn’t exactly an incorrect analogy.

“Wow, she’s a saint after all. She doesn’t get intimidated by elves at all… Isn’t that right, Oppa?”

“Uh, uh…?”

“Hey, Glenn. Why are you thinking so intently instead of listening to the saint’s speech?”

“No, I heard it. Clearly.”

“Mr. Glenn, your expression looks like you’re lost in thought…”

“Hehe, this kid… No way… Is he so bewitched by the elven ladies that he can’t even look at the saint? I got him, honey! So, who is it? Lady Sieta? No way… Fulvia… The elven wife… Aaaah, sorry. Sorry! Save me! ”

“If you keep talking, I’ll make it so the elves won’t even be able to raise a finger. Okay?”

“I was wrong! I won’t do it again!”

Glenn, who had instantly suppressed Grimes’ rebellion(?), applauded again, responding to the mood of the people around him.

Yet, one resolution in my head showed no sign of leaving.

‘Now might be the perfect opportunity…’

Even before leaving on the trip, I had a feeling that now was the only chance I had to visit ‘that thing’ and ‘that place’ that I had kept in my arms.

.

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.

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.

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Glenn again recalled the events of the past few days.

We reached the Elf Forest and met the couple Leones and Fulvia along with Sieta.

The next day, in order to block the suddenly large dark energy, I formed a suicide squad with Sieta and Milicia and entered the forest.

And then, we met an unexpected person… no, an elf spirit, and after a fight, we succeeded in purifying it and bringing it to our side.

and…

‘Nooo! You can’t die, Vidiaaa!’

‘Hey, kid… Tell your sister… to be quiet… It’s noisy…’

‘That, priest…? He told me to be quiet?’

‘Rain, Vidiaaa! Till the end, you…what the heck…’

‘Rain, Vidia!’

‘It’s…not…the…last…so…it’s…a bit…noisy…really…’

‘Huh, huh? What? Is there a way? A way to live? Tell me quickly! I’ll give you anything. My soul, or anything!’

‘There’s…nothing…that…write that…’

‘What is it, little brother? I will do anything for you! Hurry up!’

‘That…’restoration’…if I use that…wait a minute…!’

‘I’ll do it right away, restore it!’

After a moment of chaos, Sieta’s fingertips glowed, but it had no effect.

Then, Sieta and Milicia made desperate expressions, and Vidia made a crumpled face. Glenn couldn’t help but be amazed at that moment. Even while the hole in the middle of their bodies was ripped open and they were disappearing, they still made such expressions… Didn’t they feel pain?

‘Really…speak…to the end…so that my body…soul…is restored…!’

At those words, which were barely squeezed out as if they were almost exploding, Sieta let out an exclamation.

Then he muttered something, and the light gathered in his hand again. When he brought that light to his younger brother without hesitation, a change occurred.

‘Ah, Lady Vidia…!’

‘Yes, it returned to its origin… Vidia’s body. Since it was a soul, it returned to the same place as the soul, the place where the soul must stay. Perhaps, if Vidia’s soul were to return to the body… the soul and the body would suffer the damage together. In that case…’

‘Okay, just a moment! Then…’

The two men’s thoughts reached a conclusion, and Glenn unconsciously moved his arms. He grabbed Milicia and Sieta with both arms and ran out. Before the two men could say anything, Glenn infused his feet with magic power.

‘Hey, wait! It’s bumping into something, it’s bumping into something!’

‘Don’t hit me, just keep your mouth shut. I’ll bite my tongue.’

Glenn gave a subtle warning, but didn’t stop his steps.

Eventually, the group was able to cover the path they had been walking for hours, in just a few minutes. The darkness cleared and the sun shone brightly, and Sieta, who even in the midst of all this, marked the path with her hand and gave directions, were all credit. Of course, Glenn, who carried them back while maintaining an incredible speed that was beyond human capabilities, was also creditable.

As soon as they got back, the two entered the gray wooden mansion, even though their feet were weak and they had difficulty standing. Then, they barged into Vidia’s room and found her groaning, and they generously poured divine power into her to heal her. Vidia bled a little from the corner of her mouth, but she answered back and reassured them.

‘Worried…? Seriously… Sister… told me… not to… underestimate… my soul… my essence…’

‘Don’t talk, you idiot! You’ll open the wound!’

‘Okay…don’t…shout…you idiot…’

The two men breathed divine power for over an hour. The Dreamside couple, the elves, and the adventurers waited tensely for the two men who suddenly returned.

While waiting, Glenn briefly explained the situation to the Dreamside couple. Naturally, the couple’s expressions became more serious as they listened to the story. After the explanation, the Dreamside couple looked at Vidia’s room with worried and anxious faces. In the meantime, Leones Dreamside whispered something to Glenn.

After an hour that felt like a lifetime, the saint and the priest finally emerged from Vidia’s room. The two people who appeared before the group looked extremely tired, but they had smiles that seemed to be filled with relief.

‘Vidia is fine. She is sleeping now. If you rest for a few days, she will get better.’

‘Thanks to the saint, I was able to put out the fire somehow. Mother, Father…’

‘Ah, thank you. Thank you, thank you so much for saving my worthless daughter, Saintess! And…well done, Sieta…’

‘Saint, thank you so much for saving our forest and even my daughter’s life. And…’

Leones Dreamside expressed his gratitude to the saint with a gentle face, but his expression suddenly changed. It was a face befitting the leader of the elf race, not the father of a child. It was the same expression that Leones had made a while ago, swallowing his sorrow when Glenn explained the whole story.

‘Sieta, you know that… even if we consider the circumstances, it is impossible to easily forgive Vidia. We should praise her for not sparing her life to defeat the dark energy… but at the same time, you cannot deny the undeniable truth that she joined hands with the dark energy and put this forest in danger.’

‘Ugh, yes…’

Rather than defending, Sieta Dreamside moved towards acknowledging the truth. Leones made a bitter face as he looked at Sieta, who was lowering her head and making a gloomy face, but his subsequent remarks were not like that.

He tried hard to ignore his wife who was looking at him with a pitiful expression, and he made a bold declaration befitting a leader.

‘In accordance with the rules set by the Goddess of the Moon… I hereby punish Vidia Dreamside, my daughter and the next leader of the elves. This punishment is necessary because she has harmed the elven race by joining hands with the spirit of evil out of emotional inclination, and it is impossible to repay her until she has paid the price.’

At those words, Milicia swallowed her breath with shock on her tired face. Glenn approached her side and gently placed his left hand on her right. Then he smiled very faintly. It was a smile that the saintess could easily recognize.

Don’t worry, Millie. That’s what Glenn wanted to say.

Then, the saint who had been feeling uneasy regained her sense of stability. Instead, she felt a pure sense of doubt. It was as if she was asking what had been said while she and Sieta were away.

The answer was in Leones’ hands.

‘Accordingly… Vidia Dreamside is banished from the Elf Forest for the next ten years. In order to return to the Elf Forest after ten years… you must repay the favor by aiding the human saint Milicia Airgrants in her mission in both material and spiritual ways, and receive proof from her that you have paid the price of both sin and favor. I solemnly declare this here… before the Goddess of the Moon who looks down on us.’

It was a declaration that brought a bright color to the saint’s face.