“The blue demon.”
The elf muttered this phrase over and over, having memorized it firmly since childhood.
Elves generally live far longer than humans can even fathom, which means they have the chance to witness all sorts of things in the world. As for the tale of the blue demon, it had been passed down through generations of elven ancestors…
This elf—who had disguised himself as a “goblin” from start to finish—had grown up hearing the story of the “blue demon” ever since he was old enough to understand. And then, on the day the Elven Forest fell into chaos—when he frantically fled from the orcish forces setting fire to everything, when he stumbled into what the elders always called the “forbidden ground”—
His fate changed.
That place was terrifying to an immature elf, but he had no choice but to press deeper in, because the flames of war behind him were already spreading like wildfire.
When he finally saw the forbidden ground for what it truly was, he found a massive temple—built entirely from ores he’d never seen in daily life.
Curious, he wanted to venture inside and explore—but was met with an overwhelming pressure.
“Leave this place. Leave this place…”
That eerie voice echoed all around him, casting a chilling gloom over the entire area…
Terrified, he thought about turning back to flee—but then he spotted the orcs who had already entered. They howled, their faces twisted with menace, and they charged straight at him with absolutely no friendly intentions.
Fear struck him again. He hesitated—then glanced back at the deep, mysterious temple. Without another thought, he dashed inside and collapsed onto the floor.
The entrance slammed shut behind him with a heavy, resounding boom—
“Where is this…?” he muttered to himself, climbing to his feet and looking around.
The temple’s interior was vast and empty—nothing at all, except for a massive stone slab standing conspicuously in the center.
After a dazed moment, he walked over to take a closer look…
“You need to wake up.”
…
I watched as the priest, the giant orc, and even the most severely wounded warrior all came to their senses, then turned my gaze to the goblin, who was still fast asleep.
Perhaps sensing my rising irritation, the priest hurried over beside him and shook his shoulder as if trying to rouse him—
But the goblin just swatted the priest’s hand away, turned over, and kept on sleeping.
“Ah, he’s always like this.”
The priest muttered to himself about the goblin’s habits, and I listened while walking over to stand in front of the goblin’s face. Then, with my right foot tensed and toes pointed, I channeled pure, formless [Courage] deep into the earth.
As for unleashing the power of the [Seven Spirits] on a grand scale, I’d only ever tried it with [Honesty] before—and the results were pretty clear…
It seemed that mana manipulation had become second nature to me. If [Honesty] could function exactly as it should according to my will, then what about [Courage] ?
I was curious. Maybe it would just explode like ordinary particle bursts—or maybe it would produce some extra effect. I just hoped it wouldn’t turn this whole place to dust.
I snapped my fingers. A rumble came from underground, and the entire ground shook even more violently—like a volcano about to erupt.
“Wh-whoa… Hah, looks like the Meditation Corridor’s up to something again.”
“Waaah! Hah—huh?! What’s going on?!”
Seeing the goblin finally awake, I turned and walked to the front of the group, cleared my throat, and prepared to address them.
The main goal was to get myself out of here. And if I wasn’t mistaken, the place I’d just been in was Quinn Forest. From there, heading southeast to the forest’s edge and following the road would take me straight to Cliff—which meant I’d soon be back with Lady Cleriol, after being away for several days…
Finally, after all those messy troubles, this wandering soul could go home—though weary and worn out. I just hoped Lady Cleriol wouldn’t hold it against me.
As for the giant orc troops, their numbers weren’t a significant threat. I’d keep my promise and lead them out. Hopefully, that decision wouldn’t haunt me for the rest of my life.
The orcs all nodded in agreement when they heard my proposal—except for that “goblin” who kept calling me “master.” I wasn’t going to bother with him either. Wasting time on trivial matters like that wasn’t worth it when I could be doing something more meaningful.
“Let’s move out. As promised, I’ll find us an exit while keeping all of you alive. Does anyone have any objections?”
Not that asking really made a difference—they’d all agree anyway. Well, except for that one oddball, of course.
Honestly, I really wanted to jot something down in my diary during this time. But there wasn’t much worth recording after leaving the Meditation Corridor until we made camp…
Sigh. Call it a diary, but I’ve barely written anything in it. After all, no respectable person keeps a diary—that’s just something pretentious people do.
Along the way, the priest told me a great deal about the orc legion’s past. Though every time he spoke, he trembled—it wasn’t like he was telling a grand tale. I told him to relax or that he didn’t have to share, but he just kept shaking and opened up the conversation himself, asking what I wanted to hear.
Besides their invasion of the Elven Forest, he told me many other things—
For example, the attack on Feltero had been planned long in advance. Their first assault on Feltero had actually happened over a decade ago, but back then, the orc legion wasn’t strong enough to shake a major city like that. So they roamed between forests and mountains, fortifying themselves and spreading word of their power.
After finally destroying Amalek, the orc legion launched another assault on Feltero… Ah, Miss Kelan’s family was scattered and lost after those two wars.
What are she and her subordinates doing now? I hope they’re all right—those fleshy lumps are a nightmare to clean up, especially when they can disguise themselves as humans—
(Ahead, a boy stood still. His hands trembled, his gaze vacant yet intense, and tears that shouldn’t have fallen streamed down his cheeks.)
(The boy was led away step by step. The look in his eyes as he left—it was filled with resentment, brimming with discontent.)
Why did they point at me? I still don’t understand to this day.
…
…
“Never thought I’d get called out to a place like this.”
“What can we do? We’ve tasted the Shadow Unit’s bitterness more than once.”
“Seriously. If they didn’t have such a tight grip on our backgrounds, I’d never let myself be ordered around like this.”
“Look at me—same deal. Yesterday I was trailing those two little girls through the alleys for ages, and I’m still completely drained… I figure the one who called us to Quinn Forest is trying to ditch us.”
“Ditch us? What do you mean?!”
“You know what this place is like—all kinds of monsters and demons, treacherous cliffs. They expect us to find a defenseless girl deep in this perilous forest? It’s clearly just an excuse to brush us off… And now’s about the time, too. Those people have seen we’ve done everything we could.”
“Even making me lure the orcs to attack Marettus and guide the monsters toward the center—that was part of it?”
“So what if it was? I bet the ones following us are here to finish the job. Though maybe they’re taking our strength into account—the monsters in this forest probably can’t take us down.”
“Wipe us out completely… They’re cutting off the Far Eastern Land’s way out! No way—I won’t accept this!”
“You think I want to accept it? Listen, if you want to live, do exactly as I say… Here’s the plan…”
…
…
“When will she come back…? Shiling…”
“Mother, are you alright?!”
“Eh? Hehehe, my dear Shero, how could anything be wrong with me?”
“You’ve been staring out at the distance from the balcony these past few days… Is that girl really that important to you?”
“…Important, you ask? Let me think… Shero, do you remember the night Shiling came home with me?”
“Of course I do. That night, Mother, you came back very late, and I was worried. Later, when I found out you were home, I rushed back from the town entrance… And then I saw you’d brought a girl with you.”
“Would you like to hear the full story?”
“Mother, you always love telling stories, so you already told me most of the details back then.”
“And yet you, Shero—who was the most resistant to Shiling at first—haven’t you been just as jumpy these past few days? All lost and muddled without her.”
“Th-That’s not true! Ahem! Mother, what I mean is—you don’t have to wait day and night. Whether Shiling—er, I mean that girl—comes back is up to her.”
“…She’ll come back. I know it.”
“No time to waste, Mother. Father, who’s in Cloverfort, sent word—he wants us to take refuge in the royal capital as soon as possible. The orc legion has been running rampant lately and is sweeping through Quinn Great Forest toward the heart of the kingdom—which is the town we’ve grown up in, Cliff.”
“But… Shiling might still—hmm? Is someone knocking at the door?”
“Mother, you don’t need to wait. I’ll go see who it is.”
“Go ahead. Maybe it’s another message from your father.”
…
Obtained: [Letter—Hazuki Shiling], [Letter—Attached Family Letter]
View: [Sender—An Alek; Elfue Estel] ▶▶ [Recipient—Hazuki Shiling]
Obtained: [Attached Note—Must be delivered in person; if family members are present, may be entrusted to them]
View: [Letter—Hazuki Shiling]
“Dear Hazuki Shiling, this is An Alek. I am writing this letter on the second day after the teleportation, hoping you will receive it.”
“If you have received this letter, then I am relieved that you are safe… Do not worry about Elfue or me—we are currently staying in Feltero. Though I repeatedly advised Elfue not to tell you our whereabouts, I couldn’t talk her out of it, so I gave in to her wishes.”
“You once told me your home was in Cliff, so I remembered that you might have headed there first… I can’t think of much more to write, so I’ll stop here. As for the other letter—you don’t need to read it. Just burn it.”
—
View: [Letter—Attached Family Letter]
“To the beloved family of Hazuki Shiling, this is An Alek. Though you and I are strangers, I have formed an indirect connection with you through that little girl, Shiling.”
“I believe Shiling possesses extraordinary magical talent, and I hope you will do everything you can to nurture this gift. If she develops normally, she could even lead the entire kingdom’s magical future.”
“Please do not worry about us who are with Shiling—we can no longer interfere now—”
“If you receive this letter before Shiling does, it means she is still wandering out there… I hope you can find her and protect her until she grows up. Staying with us would only ruin her bright and promising future.”
“With utmost respect.—An Alek; Elfue Estel.”
