episode_0132

The monster that used to be the leader of the monsters had transformed into a black rabbit and was acting cute towards the woman.

The woman was treating the monster like a rabbit, patting its back. Who is this woman that the monster is acting so affectionate towards like a pet…?

Could it be that the monster’s

“Oh? Did Kuroya Lily leave you alone and come here by yourself? Hm? A guest?”

The woman, while patting the monster, looked at me.

‘How did she know I was here when I’m wearing a blindfold?’

“Are you really a guest? Why did Kuroya bring this guest here? Is it okay if I don’t kill them?”

“…!”

The hostility in the woman’s words.

‘Do I need to run away…? But…’

The reason I am alive and here right now is solely because that monster brought me here.

If I were to run away now, I wouldn’t be able to escape from the numerous national-level monsters I saw earlier.

I would probably be on the brink of death in an instant from the rabbit that would be eyeing me the moment I turned around.

“Hm? Lily said they have mana? Would the lady in front of me please come forward?”

“…Yes.”

Swallowing my saliva, I approached the woman wearing a blindfold.

The woman in front of me, like the monster before, brought her face close to mine and smelled me.

“Oh. Isabel’s scent?”

“T-that…”

The fact that the woman is smelling me means that, in other words, I am close enough to smell the woman’s scent as well.

The faint fragrance that entered my nose was a scent I had never experienced before in my life.

Just smelling it made me feel warm.

“I’m sorry. What’s your name?”

The woman, smiling as she moved away from me, asked for my name.

“Lisa.”

“Lisa… a beautiful name.”

“T-thank you.”

‘S-succubus…!?’

Even though half of her face was covered by the blindfold, just her lips alone made my heart race.

And on top of that, it seemed like there was a halo around her. The woman’s outfit was too revealing.

The gloves that reached her shoulders and the stockings that reached her thighs were puzzling, but they matched the woman well, and the thin lingerie was almost too thin to be called clothes.

Because of that, her large chest was subtly visible, and even important areas were faintly revealed.

‘The woman has a, a voluptuous figure… Wait!? No, that’s not it.’

“Is this really the Forest of Death… right…?”

“Yes. Everyone calls it that. Lily is very worried, so she reinforced the security a bit, and it ended up like this.”

‘Lily? Come to think of it, she mentioned Lily when she was talking to the monster earlier. But where have I heard that name before…?’

For now, based on what the woman said, it can be confirmed that the Forest of Death was not naturally created but artificially made by a woman named Lily.

Furthermore, the fact that she clearly asked the monster why Lily didn’t come with them.

It can be inferred that the owner of the monster is Lily.

Up until now, I have never seen a monster being raised by someone and being so friendly towards a human.

Surely, the appearance of monsters in the world is due to that person named Lily…

No. Surely not.

While pondering over various pieces of information, the woman suddenly said, “Instead of standing here like this, shall we have a drink and talk?”

The woman grabbed my hand.

‘Firm…?’

Even though it was a hand, the woman’s hand inside the soft glove felt firm.

It was so firm that it couldn’t possibly be a human hand.

Because of that, I unknowingly pulled my hand away from the woman.

“Are you surprised? I’m sorry.”

“It’s not that… it’s just that hand.”

“Ah. Would you like to come inside and talk?”

-Nods.

As the woman turned and walked away, I unintentionally made a loud noise at the sight of the woman.

“Huh!?”

“What’s going on?”

“Oh, nothing. Just a hiccup!”

I was oblivious as I only looked ahead, but when the woman turned around and revealed her backside, her exposed buttocks and thin panty line almost made me snort.

“Did I like women…?”

As I followed the woman, I pondered.

I had never really shown interest in men throughout my life. Even when my friends in the academy asked if I was interested in having a boyfriend, or when someone confessed to me, I never really cared.

Back then, I just thought I was too busy and focused on studying.

“Maybe I just don’t like men…?”

Even when popular and handsome students passed by during my time at the academy, I felt nothing.

But now, I couldn’t take my eyes off the woman in front of me, swaying her hips as she walked.

“I want to touch her… Oops!?”

Just as that thought crossed my mind, the monster walking beside the woman glared at me.

“Did I get caught…?”

Luckily, after a quick glare, the monster continued walking with the woman.

After walking for a while, a huge tree that I couldn’t possibly take in with my eyes appeared in front of me.

I knew exactly what it was. The tree that always appeared in my elf history studies at the academy.

The World Tree.

The tree that disappeared long ago due to the world war and the appearance of the gates was right in front of me.

I had entered the World Tree.

“Is the woman the World Tree…? But I didn’t feel any mana from her. Oh, is that it? If the power gap is too big, you can’t feel anything.”

“I’m not the World Tree, you know~”

“What?”

“Oh, sorry. It just slipped out when you came in here.”

“Oh no…! Then, did she notice me looking at her butt earlier? Oh no…!”

“Ahem… Could it be that you’re a descendant of Isabelle?”

“Huh…”

==

After entering the World Tree and sitting at the table, the woman handed me a cup of tea.

I thought I had tasted all the good tea as a noble, but this tea was incomparable.

The soothing aroma, perfect taste, and smoothness of this tea were all new to me.

I must have dozed off without realizing it, as I woke up to a warm touch and affectionate caress, only to find a giant chest blocking my view.

“Sorry, I…”

As I tried to get up, the woman’s hand gently pressed my head.

“It’s okay. Your body needs rest because you’re tired. Don’t push yourself, it’s okay to stay like this a little longer.”

“Uh… okay…”

She was definitely a stranger to me. Living in the Forest of Death and possibly having connections to monsters made her suspicious. But still…

Why did her touch remind me of my mother’s…?

As I drifted off to sleep again, feeling her touch…

But when I opened my eyes, there was a black woman glaring at me as if she wanted to kill me.

With black hair, black eyes, and a black dress exuding a menacing aura, the black woman stared at me with hostility.

Her presence made me shiver slightly.

The black woman’s appearance felt strangely familiar.

“Black Witch Lily…?”

That’s right. Lily, the woman mentioned earlier. I felt like I had heard her name many times before. It felt familiar.

I couldn’t remember, but when I saw her in person, memories flooded back.

Lily, the Black Witch, who was a comrade of my ancestors, the warrior Emily and the saint Isabelle.

That Lily was right in front of me now.

“How did you know about this place?”

Unlike the other woman, Lily, the Black Witch, held animosity towards me.

“Mother told me to run away here…”

“Ugh… so annoying.”

“What’s annoying you?”

As Lily was fuming in silence, a child suddenly appeared. The child had a mix of blonde and brown hair, with black hair in a bridge style, and approached Lily, hitting her waist.

“Why are you in that form again?”

“This way, I can feel Mom’s embrace more fully.”

“You’re impossible.”

“Dad.”

“I told you not to do it, right?”

“But didn’t you get used to it?”

“No, it still annoys me every time.”

As Lily, the black witch, and the child were about to start a fight, a woman entered the room, and the fight came to an end.

“Amelia.”

“Mom.”

In an instant, the two approached the woman and hugged her.

“Her name is Amelia. Wait… if she’s Amelia, isn’t she the older sister of the hero Emily…?”

Does this mean that all the women in front of me right now are people from the past?

If Lily was part of the hero party and Amelia was Emily’s sister, then that child over there is…

The sorceress Helena…?

“Did everyone have a good day at work?”

“Of course.”

“Yeah!”

“Then, shall we discuss what to do with Isabel’s descendants?”

==

I explained everything that had happened so far. Being dragged into the family politics, my mother being assassinated, and how I ended up here in the Forest of Death through the stories my mother had told me.

“Hmm… Lily, can you help Lisa?”

“It’s a hassle…”

“But she’s the descendant of Isabel who healed me.”

“I didn’t like that Isabel. Always saying the saint needs holy water and stole the holy water. It was so annoying.”

“I… I was a little embarrassed about that too, but she was still our comrade.”

“Ugh… fine. I’ll help. But if I help, Amelia’s time is mine for a while. Is that okay, Helena?”

“Yes, of course.”

“By helping, you mean…?”

“I’ll let you take the position of the head.”

“Me…? Oh, um, to that extent.”

“No, it’s necessary. The head position should rightfully be yours.”

Honestly, I’m scared.

If the black witch Lily portrayed in the book is true, then I might have unknowingly opened a Pandora’s box that should never have been opened.