Chapter 156 – The Butterfly’s Journey (2)

Ｒｅａｄ ｏｎ ＫａｔＲｅａｄｉｎｇＣａｆｅ​

Their plan had been simple, help the elf in distress by paying for his meal and casually exchange stories over food.

“Haha—gulp—thanks. Paying for me… slurp… even feeding me like this.”

“You… can finish eating before speaking.”

Josie and Leo carefully set down their utensils as they watched the elf inhale every dish on the table like a starving beggar.

The moment food was placed in front of him, he had attacked it bare-handed, as if he hadn’t eaten in ages. Any appetite Josie might have had vanished.

According to Estelle’s Encyclopedia, elves were distinguished by their pointed ears, a love for nature, and an air of nobility… but this?

“Buuuurp!”

The elf patted his bulging stomach and let out a thunderous belch, far from the refined image Josie had imagined.

“Aaaah! Good~ stuff. Never thought I’d live to see the day I’d get helped by total strangers.”

“Hahaha…”

He even licked the sauce off his fingers.

If her mother saw this, she’d rage about table manners, but all Josie could manage was a strained smile.

“Oh right, forgot to introduce myself. Name’s Ophé. I’m an archaeologist.”

“I’m Leo.”

“And I’m Josie! Um… what’s an archaeologist?”

“You don’t know? It’s the noblest profession—unearthing forgotten truths of the world.”

As if waiting for Josie’s curiosity, Ophé launched into an explanation.

“Ever heard of the dragon that tried to swallow the world? It tore through dimensions just to bring ruin. Three massive horns on its head, they say. Nobody remembers now, but I found hieroglyphs about two gods joining forces to stop it.”

“Wow…”

Josie’s eyes sparkled as she listened.

“I followed the records to where its corpse was hidden—deep in a cave ruin in the Southern Continent. Traps, monsters, you name it. But nothing stops me. And there, I found—”

“Found what? The dragon’s tomb?”

Josie gulped, leaning in.

“Nothing. Just an empty hole. Someone got there first.”

She had expected at least a skeleton or a guardian, but…

Her shoulders slumped in disappointment.

“Hey, don’t look so down. I know who took it. They left a note behind.”

Flustered by her reaction, Ophé pulled out a crumpled piece of paper from his pocket.

The handwriting was elegant yet oddly familiar. Leo might not recognize it, but Josie certainly did—it matched every book she’d ever read.

[Thanks for the loot~♡ -Estelle]

Estelle.

Her mother.

“You know who this Estelle is? If they turned those bones into a weapon, it’d be catastrophic. A calamity-grade artifact that could end the world.”

Calamity-grade artifact?

Josie didn’t recall anything like that in her mother’s armory… Then again, her mother wouldn’t wield something so dangerous.

Wait—

There was one thing.

Though calling it a “weapon” was… questionable.

Her beloved broom, Triceratops.

“Haha… I wouldn’t know? Maybe the bones got turned into a broom for sweeping the yard?”

Josie avoided Ophé’s gaze, defending her mother on instinct.

End the world?

Her mother was a witch, but she wasn’t that kind of person.

Still… so that’s why she treasured Triceratops so much.

“Eh, figured I wouldn’t get answers that easy. Guess I’ll just keep looking.”

Ophé shrugged, unsurprised by Josie’s reaction.

“By the way, that leaf earlier—was it related to archaeology?”

Leo smoothly changed the subject while Josie recovered. His Holy Eye flickered toward Ophé’s pointed ears.

Ophé’s own gaze locked onto Leo’s glowing irises before flicking an ear dismissively.

“Know what the World Tree is?”

“The World Tree…?”

“The sacred tree elves revere, correct?”

If the Holy Kingdom worshipped the nameless god, elves treated the World Tree like a mother. Common knowledge for anyone interested in elves, and since Josie wanted to visit their forest, the leaf suddenly seemed significant.

“This is a leaf from it. Rare—only a few grow each year.”

“And you tried to pay for a meal with it?”

“Hey, starving here. Faith won’t fill my stomach.”

Josie’s mental image of elves crumbled further.

Books, even her mother and Beryl, had described them as nature-loving, valuing the World Tree above life itself.

“So… why’d you help an elf? Humans don’t do favors for free. Even in your lands, I should follow your rules.”

Ophé grinned, lacing his fingers under his chin.

“You’re an elf, so you came from the Southern Continent, right? We need a way to cross the sea.”

Josie matched his smile and cut straight to the point.

“The sea? You know the rumors, yeah? I barely made it here myself.”

“We want to go to the Elven Forest.”

“The Elven Forest? Why?”

Ophé’s eyes sharpened. His easygoing tone turned edged, as if ready to bolt depending on her answer.

Most humans seeking the forest wanted elven longevity or youth, naturally, he was wary.

“Well… I’m looking for a new dad.”

“A… new dad?”

The tension dissolved into bafflement.

“I want to find someone who’ll love Mother forever! A wonderful man who’ll make her happy!”

No matter how many times Ophé rubbed his long ears, her answer didn’t change.

In his decades outside the forest, this was a first.

“Elf men are devoted! Not me, though—I prefer money… er, archaeology. But you really care about your mom, huh?”

“Of course! She’s family. I want her to be happy.”

“Family…”

The word stirred something in Ophé.

He had family too—a stubborn little sister a century younger.

The way Josie’s eyes lit up talking about her mother reminded him of her.

So, against his better judgment, he showed off.

“I had a spirit’s help.”

“A spirit?”

The water in his cup rippled.

A presence distinct from Josie’s mana or Leo’s holy energy gathered, forming a tiny, floating figure, a watery infant circling Ophé.

“Elves can commune with spirits. This is Undine, a water spirit. She’s how I crossed the sea.”

“Could I use spirits too?” Josie’s eyes sparkled.

“Only elves bonded with nature can. Shame, really.”

“…I see.”

For a moment, she’d hoped for a shortcut, but this wasn’t an option for her.

“But as thanks for the meal, have this.”

Ophé placed the World Tree leaf in Undine’s tiny hands, and the spirit carried it to Josie before dissolving back into water.

“A World Tree leaf?! Really?!”

“It’s useless to me—er, I mean, you might have better luck with it.”

“Thank you! Are you sure you’ve had enough to eat?”

Their meal with Ophé lasted longer than expected.

Josie was enthralled by his tales—ancient myths, legends of twin worlds, and lost kingdoms. Stories fantastical enough to be fiction, yet Ophé swore they were real.

Eventually, he pulled out a blue stone fragment.

“Found this near the coast. Proof of a sunken kingdom. But I’ve hit a dead end here.”

A sunken kingdom.

A blue stone.

Josie’s earlier unease returned, this too matched Estelle’s Grand Adventures: Book 2.

“Does the inscription say ‘pure love’?”

“Huh? Yeah, actually. How’d you know?”

“Hehe… just a hunch?”

She couldn’t admit it was from a fairy tale.

“Tell me what you know,” Ophé leaned in, “and I’ll get you to the Elven Forest. Normally, spirits block the path—but I can guide you.”

Josie glanced at Leo.

‘Should I tell him? Even if it’s just from a book?’

‘If it gets us there faster, why not? He’ll never know.’

Taking a deep breath, Josie began weaving the tale, half-truths from the story, half her own embellishments.

Ophé listened intently, his long ears twitching at every word.

Outside, the night deepened, lit by four green stars streaking across the sky.

Lucent