Chapter 262

Night falls even in the Forgotten Forest.

As darkness enveloped the surroundings, the gathering dispersed.

Everyone headed back to their own dwellings.

Surprisingly, they seemed to value their personal space in this regard.

Naturally, I followed Hiresia.

A magical light she had summoned illuminated the darkened forest path.

“I’m sorry,” Hiresia said suddenly as we walked side by side.

“I wanted to show you a peaceful and beautiful forest, but instead, I only put you in danger.”

Her voice sounded sorrowful and melancholic.

My heart felt heavy.

She had tried to appear strong and composed, but she had lost precious family members today.

Her heart must be filled with grief and pain.

And yet, she was apologizing for inviting me to the forest.

I gathered my emotions and spoke, “No, it’s not your fault. No one could have predicted such a horrific event. So please don’t blame yourself. I’m glad I could help you. It’s heartbreaking, but I would never want to see you hurt and sad.”

Hiresia’s expression wavered at my sincere words.

I gently squeezed her hand.

I could feel her warmth.

A warmth that we could share with each other.

“…I see,” Hiresia replied after a moment.

“Yes.”

“Thank you.”

“I’m the one who should be thanking you. You saved my life again today.”

“It was only natural.”

“I just did what I had to do as well.”

“Heh.”

Hiresia chuckled softly.

I smiled back.

We continued walking in silence, hand in hand, towards her house.

* * *

“…It’s high, isn’t it?”

I said, staring at Hiresia’s house with wide eyes.

A treehouse.

It was perched high above us, nestled among the branches of a giant tree.

The problem was,

It was incredibly high.

It seemed impossibly far away, built on one of the tallest trees in the forest.

‘Why build a treehouse here…?’

I couldn’t help but wonder.

Treehouses were a common dwelling in wild jungles.

They were built high up in the trees for safety, to avoid dangerous animals.

But the Forgotten Forest?

Despite the tragic events of today, it was usually a peaceful place.

So why a treehouse?

It just seemed strange.

“The elder’s house was on the ground…”

“Ah, I built my home in the trees.”

Hiresia replied proudly, puffing out her chest.

…If it seemed this high to a human, it must have been a culture shock for the other high elves.

I was reminded once again how much of an oddball she was.

“Let’s go up then.”

“How…?”

“We’ll ride the wind.”

Hiresia took my hand.

And then a gentle breeze began to lift us upwards.

I realized it was the power of a wind spirit.

We ascended higher and higher.

I kept my eyes fixed on the horizon.

…Because I didn’t like heights.

Hiresia, sensing my stiffness, nudged me playfully.

“Hey, stop it.”

“You’re so weak.”

“This is normal!”

“Heh, says who?”

“Ugh, stop it.”

After a difficult “struggle,” we finally reached the top.

The branches of the giant tree were incredibly thick.

It felt as stable as the ground.

And on top of those branches, a magnificent house had been built.

It was a charming and cozy wooden house, like something out of a fairy tale.

“Did you build this yourself?”

“Of course.”

“That’s amazing.”

I was genuinely impressed.

I knew she was skilled, but I hadn’t expected this.

“Heh, it was nothing.”

She said it like it was no big deal, but her head was held high with pride.

She was so cute.

“Come on, let’s go inside.”

I followed Hiresia into the treehouse.

She lit a fire inside.

The warm, yellow light created a cozy atmosphere.

“Wow.”

If it had seemed small from the outside, the inside was spacious and comfortable.

The moonlight streaming through the windows added to the ambiance.

It was the perfect place to relax.

However,

“There’s only one bed.”

I pointed out casually.

At that moment,

Hiresia’s face turned bright red.

Her ears twitched nervously.

“W-Well… Is there a p-problem?”

She stammered, clearly flustered.

…Please don’t do that.

It’s making me self-conscious.

No, it was my fault for bringing it up without thinking…

I quickly tried to fix the situation.

“No problem, no problem. I can sleep on the floor.”

“You can’t do that!”

Hiresia exclaimed, her voice rising in pitch.

…Why?

“There’s no way I’m letting a guest sleep on the floor!”

“…”

She was right, but this wasn’t that simple.

I scratched the back of my head.

“I politely decline…”

“A-And you’re my b-boyfriend, so I can’t let you do that!”

“Cough, cough!”

That familiar cough.

…I felt like it happened more often in front of the elf senior and my four-dimensional witch classmate. Was it just my imagination?

“I-It’s fine…”

“No! Get on the bed!”

Hiresia insisted, pushing me towards the bed.

I couldn’t resist.

I was awkwardly pushed onto the bed.

That wasn’t the problem.

…The problem was that I could already imagine what would happen next.

“Don’t hog the whole bed, move over!”

“Y-Yes…”

*Thud.*

Hiresia got on the bed without hesitation.

I huddled in a corner, feeling awkward.

T-This situation…

It was the classic image of a boyfriend being scolded by his girlfriend.

Hiresia, also feeling awkward, looked away.

“T-This is better.”

“Y-Yeah.”

“…”

“…”

An awkward silence between two young people.

Of course, Hiresia was probably much older than she looked.

That was a big reason why I was trying to be respectful and not act all cuddly like I did with my other girlfriends…

But age was just a number for high elves.

…This wasn’t some forbidden romance.

Ugh, I was rambling because of the awkwardness.

“…We had a long day. Should we just sleep?”

“S-Sleep, s-sleep?!”

…Seeing Hiresia’s startled reaction, I wanted to slap myself for my poor choice of words.

But what other word was there?

“Slumber…”

“S-Slumber?!”

“…”

Seriously, what was wrong with her?

I was trying my best to control myself too.

Did she know how hard it was for a young man with raging hormones to restrain himself with his incredibly beautiful elf girlfriend right next to him?

…I felt like crying.

I had no choice.

It was time for my trump card.

“The night before we left, Regina…”

“Hic!”

Hiresia hiccuped.

The elf senior, who had been feeling incredibly guilty towards Regina after misunderstanding (?) that we were going on a secret trip together.

It seemed like her guilt was still lingering.

Judging by her immediate reaction.

“Let’s just hold hands and sleep.”

“…Okay.”

Hiresia calmed down.

We lay down on the bed, holding hands.

The moon outside the window filled my vision.

My first night in the Forgotten Forest.

I hadn’t expected to experience such a tumultuous day when we had set out.

My mind was filled with complex thoughts.

But one thing was certain.

I was incredibly relieved.

Because I had managed to prevent Hiresia’s blackening for the first time.

“…You haven’t changed, right?”

I asked without thinking.

“What do you mean?”

“After going through all that.”

“All that?”

Hiresia turned to me, her eyes searching my face.

As if she was trying to read my mind.

Then she said, “No matter what I go through, I’m still me.”

A classic Hiresia answer.

I was relieved.

And I realized once again that I had done something important.

“That’s good to hear.”

“…You’re so cheesy.”

“Hey, I’m serious. But Regina…”

“Hic?!”

“Heh, just kidding.”

“Ugh, I can’t stand it!”

“Hey, hey, no violence.”

We bickered playfully.

The fun and peaceful moment seemed to wash away the negative emotions from earlier.

She probably felt the same way.

And then, at some point, we fell silent.

Sleepiness overcame our exhausted bodies ending our eventful day.

* * *

“There’s somewhere we need to go today,” Hiresia said with a serious expression as soon as we woke up.

I looked at her, puzzled.

“Where?”

“To Mom.”

Her mom? The World Tree?

But we had already been there yesterday?

As I tilted my head in confusion, Hiresia added, “We didn’t get to properly greet her yesterday.”

“Ah, that’s true.”

We had been too caught up in the chaos yesterday to even think about that.

“Alright, then let’s go…”

“Yes, let’s go now.”

Hiresia got up immediately, as if she was in a hurry.

I followed her.

* * *

The World Tree.

It was a truly awe-inspiring sight, even upon seeing it again.

It made me feel like a tiny ant standing before the grandeur of nature.

The Red Rain were truly insane for trying to burn it down.

“But I thought she was sleeping…”

“We can wake her up.”

“Huh?”

Ignoring my dumbfounded expression, Hiresia shouted, “Mom, wake up! Your daughter brought a man!”

“Cough, cough.”

…This was suddenly incredibly embarrassing.

It was like I was meeting my girlfriend’s parents for the first time.

But her parents were a tree…?

What was going on?

I nervously adjusted my clothes, sweat beading on my forehead.

I couldn’t help but feel reverent.

S-Should I kneel?

As I fidgeted, a large branch descended towards me.

Had Mother awakened?

But calling a tree “Mother” was so strange… No, the tree itself was strange…

The branch caressed my cheek.

Honestly, it felt threatening… Was this normal?

I felt like my neck would snap if I got slapped.

“Oh, Mom really likes you.”

“…”

Hiresia’s explanation sounded like, “Don’t worry, she doesn’t bite.”

…So this was what communicating with a tree was like.

I bowed respectfully.

The World Tree waved its “hand” dismissively.

The problem was that its massive “hand” brushed against me.

*Thwack!*

“Ugh?!”

I felt like my shoulder blade had shattered.

I collapsed to the ground.

“Mom! What are you doing, being so clumsy?”

Hiresia scolded her mother (?) with filial piety.

…If she showed her filial piety twice, this family would fall apart.

I was the only one feeling anxious, caught in the middle.

Ah, taking someone else’s daughter was no easy feat…

“I-I’m fine, I’m fine! It’s okay, Mother!”

I quickly tried to smooth things over.

But I shouldn’t have said that.

…The moment she heard the word “Mother,” the World Tree seemed overjoyed and excitedly lifted me into the air with several thick branches, giving me a bumpy ride.

“Whoa!”

So she was happy to have her daughter bring home a man?!