Ch.61Toward the Destined Destruction

After defeating the Demon Rose and returning to the Willow Sanctuary, we were greeted with an enthusiastic welcome from the elf residents and a victory celebration feast.

Large and small tables set up outdoors were laden with various fruits, bread, and mead, while elves playing lute-like instruments livened up the atmosphere.

Rather than being a sophisticated and mystical elven festival, it felt more like a birthday celebration in a countryside village.

“One shot! One shot! One shot!”

“Wooooah~”

At a nearby table, Mina was surrounded by three male elves, engaged in a drinking contest.

At first glance, it looked like three young men encouraging an elementary school student to drink—an inappropriate sight—but those three elven men were all over 100 years old, and Mina herself was a woman in her mid-twenties.

Truly a visual deception worthy of fantasy.

“I always thought elves and dwarves didn’t get along…”

“Hahaha, that’s not entirely wrong. Our ways of life are so different that it’s hard to find common ground.”

The one-eyed elf sitting next to me was a rare male with wrinkles on his face.

His name was Bogus Din.

He was the apothecary at the clinic responsible for the health of the Willow Sanctuary residents with his extensive knowledge, and apparently the oldest elf in this sanctuary aside from the first Elder who slept in the resting chamber.

“But no one is shameless enough to treat poorly the heroes who saved our sanctuary, even if they were dark elves instead of dwarves.”

“That’s kind of you to say… but the one who actually defeated the Demon Rose was your Guardian Captain Phyllis, right? I’m not sure if it’s okay for us to enjoy ourselves while the captain herself is absent.”

“She’ll join us after the meeting is over. She’s a responsible child who never puts off her duties.”

Phyllis and the members of the Guardian unit were absent from the lively feast that had started in broad daylight.

Though the Demon Rose had fallen, it would take several months for the damaged forest ecosystem to recover.

It seemed they urgently needed to adjust the Guardian unit’s patrol range to prevent dangerous monsters or outside creatures from settling in the areas devastated by the Demon Rose.

“What do you think of Phyllis?”

The elderly Bogus asked in a low voice after taking a light sip of mead.

“Are you asking about my assessment of her abilities, or whether I find her attractive as a woman?”

“I was asking about her abilities, but if you see her as a woman, I’d like to hear that opinion too.”

An assessment of Phyllis, huh?

I slowly began to speak, recalling what I had seen of Phyllis on the way to the Willow Sanctuary and during the battle with the Demon Rose.

“I think her combat abilities are excellent. Her skill with rifle-based magic and her ability to maintain her position without wavering even after nearly dying—that’s not something just anyone could do.”

“And as a woman?”

“Hmm… as someone who already has a partner, I should be careful what I say…”

After that preface, I glanced at Mina having her drinking contest with the elven men, Jessica chatting with the female healers from the clinic, and Setty demonstrating feline spear techniques to the children, before carefully continuing.

“I don’t know how she’s viewed among elves, but to a human like me, she’s an unparalleled beauty. Like a beautiful princess straight out of an old fairy tale.”

Her golden ponytail reaching down to her waist, emerald eyes shining like jewels—these features alone were enough to capture the attention of most men.

Her slender figure meant her chest was slightly less voluminous compared to Jessica or even Setty, but that only enhanced Phyllis’s elegant and classic atmosphere.

Her fashion sense—sleeveless mini-skirt with black tights—might seem like something from an erotic fantasy, but from a man’s perspective, it inspired nothing but overwhelming gratitude.

“Hahaha, Phyllis would be pleased to hear that.”

“Really? She’s so serious that I can’t imagine her being happy about being compared to a princess.”

“She’s just pretending to be strong.”

The elderly Bogus sighed deeply after eating a piece of fruit from the table and continued.

“When Iris was still safe, Phyllis was a spoiled child who loved reading and old stories. She used to follow her sister around, constantly praising how amazing her sister was.”

“That’s surprising. So Phyllis became the way she is now because her sister went missing?”

“That’s part of it, but it also had a lot to do with how many of the Guardian unit died trying to protect the children… especially Iris. Regrettably, Iris herself went missing, but without the Guardians’ dedication, she would have lost her life much earlier.”

Bogus nodded toward the children gathered around Setty.

The elven boys and girls, who looked no older than late elementary school students, were watching Setty’s movements with bright, attentive eyes.

“Like the current Guardian unit, those children are orphans who lost their parents in the dark elf attack five years ago. Phyllis always feels guilty toward them.”

“Many children lost their parents to protect her sister, the Elder’s successor. As a family member, she feels responsible.”

“That’s right. After the dark elf attack, Phyllis worked several times harder than others to develop the skills needed to lead the Guardian unit, while also corresponding with elves from other sanctuaries to find ways to rescue Iris.”

“What do you think? Is there any hope of turning a dark elf back into an elf?”

“Of course. I’ve heard stories of similar incidents in the distant past. The problem is time.”

“Time?”

“The first Elder… Lady Shuraine has only about 10 years left to live, and Phyllis is well aware of this.”

A long silence fell between us after those words.

Finding her missing sister, returning her to her original elven state, and completing the Elder succession would be difficult enough, but now there’s also a 10-year time limit?

Ten years is not a short period, but objectively speaking, the outlook isn’t optimistic.

Five years have passed since Phyllis’s sister went missing, and there’s been no progress in either the search or finding a method to restore her to an elf.

Even with twice as much time, could they really achieve a good result?

It’s unfortunate for Phyllis, but honestly, it seems hopeless as things stand.

“Ohhh~!”

A cheer followed by a crashing sound came from Mina’s table as one of the three men in the drinking contest collapsed in defeat.

“Ah~ it ended up like that after all. Challenging a dwarf to a drinking contest was too reckless.”

“They probably knew that. They were just happy to have guests visit the Willow Sanctuary for the first time since its establishment.”

The elderly Bogus emptied his mead cup, paused for a moment, and then asked:

“William, would you take Phyllis with you?”

“Phyllis? As a companion for our adventure?”

“Just exchanging letters for another 10 years won’t bring Iris back. Phyllis probably senses this vaguely, but her guilt toward the orphans and her sense of duty as the Guardian Captain prevent her from thinking about leaving this place.”

“Her situation is sad, but ultimately it’s about her own mindset. Would forcing her to come with us solve anything?”

“To Phyllis, we are simply people she must protect. Even if we tell her not to worry about the sanctuary and go find her sister, she won’t listen.”

I understand what Bogus is saying.

If Phyllis is desperately working as the Guardian Captain due to her sense of debt to those who died trying to protect her sister, then leaving her people behind to search for her sister would feel like an irresponsible abandonment to her.

For such a Phyllis to leave the sanctuary and begin a journey to find her sister, she needs someone from outside to take her by the hand.

We, who saved the Willow Sanctuary from crisis without expecting significant compensation, are among the few who could do this.

If we, as benefactors who risked our lives and suffered injuries to save the sanctuary, express our desire to take her with us, Phyllis might not be able to stubbornly cling to her position as Guardian Captain and ignore our request.

“So you’re asking us to be the excuse Phyllis needs to leave the Willow Sanctuary.”

“Stripped of all fancy words, yes.”

“And if something happens to this place while she’s gone with us and everything falls apart, we’re supposed to bear her resentment.”

“I’ll do my best to prevent that. Though Phyllis may not trust her yet, from what I can see, the deputy captain Roberta is already quite capable.”

“That’s a heavy responsibility…”

I closed my eyes for a moment and imagined traveling with Phyllis.

As a combat asset, she would be invaluable. Her unique magic, Arcane Alter, seems to put a lot of strain on her rifle, but with Mina, our firearms technician, that weakness could be somewhat compensated for. Even without using magic, her rifle’s firepower would be plenty helpful.

The problem is that Phyllis’s travel purpose might not align with ours.

Phyllis’s sole objective is to save her sister—specifically, to locate her and return her to her elven form so she can succeed as Elder.

How would she view our journey of wandering through ancient ruins and dungeons in search of the Great Sage’s legacy?

Traveling around the western regions and conducting investigations directly could certainly be beneficial, but if our journey continues without any connection to searching for her sister, friction might develop between party members.

This is something I can’t predict no matter how much I ponder it alone.

“…I suppose I’ll have to talk to Phyllis herself.”

“Thank you for considering this old man’s request.”

“Hold your thanks for now. First, I’ll discuss the matter of recruiting Phyllis with my companions, and if they agree, I’ll ask for her intentions. If my companions object or if Phyllis refuses to join us, that’s the end of it.”

With those words, I downed the mead in front of me in one gulp.