Chapter 105
As they entered the Southern Great Forest, a new landscape began to unfold. Unlike the war-ravaged lands of the southern kingdoms, the forest was teeming with life. Animals roamed freely, and the plants grew with a vitality that was incomparable to the lands outside.
"It seems you're all rather amazed," Orion remarked with a faint smile playing on his lips, noticing Caron and the others glancing around with obvious wonder.
"Wherever Mother's blessing touches, it yields abundant fruit," he explained. "That's why so much life has taken root here."
"Are elves the only non-humans here?" Caron asked, his curiosity sparked.
"Have you ever considered that the term 'non-human' is a bit... human-centered?" Orion asked.
"That's a fair point," Caron conceded quickly. "Then, are there any other sapient species besides elves?"
Orion shook his head lightly and answered, "It's not just elves. Quite a few other races live here. For example, the Beast Tribe, particularly the Hare Tribe, have settled here. Their population is small, so they live in a close-knit village. They're skilled hunters and occasionally come to Galad to sell what they've hunted."
"Hare Tribe, huh?" Caron mused. "Now that you mention it, I did rescue someone from the Cat Tribe when I helped Neria."
Orion chuckled and said, "More charitable than you look, I see."
Caron narrowed his eyes as he asked, "...Than I look?"
"Well, your face doesn't exactly have a charitable physiognomy, you know?" Orion replied.
"Physiognomy is superstition," Caron retorted. "Compared to elves, all humans must seem unattractive. Then does that mean humans are a bad race?"
Orion nodded solemnly and said, "Of course. Humanity's faces are proof of physiognomy. The nature of humans is selfish and wicked. Am I wrong?"
"You guys are a bunch of racists," Caron muttered.
"I agree," Orion admitted.
Caron realized he'd briefly forgotten how much elves looked down on humans. Their stubbornness made him a bit uneasy. He wondered if the elves of Galad would even welcome them or if they'd be uncooperative. But Orion seemed to sense his concern.
"You'll all be treated as honored guests among us, so there's no need to worry," Orion assured him. "We'll cooperate fully, so you can be at ease."
"Now that I think of it, you're nothing like my first impression of you. Back then, you looked about ready to kill us," Caron remarked with a chuckle.
"Isn't it only natural to look after friends? Why the surprise?" Orion replied with a smirk.
Despite the chaos that had arisen with the fragment of the Demon King, Caron was now receiving quite a lot of support after overcoming that ordeal. Perhaps his luck now was balancing out the terrible past life he'd endured.
"Do you not have enemies here?" Caron asked. A place as abundant as this was unlikely to be free of hostile forces.
Orion glanced at him thoughtfully and muttered, "Hmm..."
"...Other than humans, I mean," Caron added.
"From time to time, we do see creatures like orcs or trolls crossing over from the eastern Rahal Mountains. But the most dangerous are... the nagas, who sometimes invade the Southern Great Forest through the South Sea," Orion explained.
"Nagas... I've heard of them," Caron replied, intrigued.
The nagas[1] were a sea-dwelling race with gills, suited to life in the ocean. Beneath the warm southern sea, they had built a civilization of their own. No one would have thought that such a race would pose a threat to the Great Forest.
"They invade the forest because they desire the power of Mother," Orion explained.
"But why would sea-dwellers care?" Caron asked.
Orion sighed and continued, "It's a long story, so I'll be brief. Nagas are a race born when elves fall to dark mana. They, too, crave Mother's power."
This was new to Caron. He'd never come across such an origin story in any book before.
Orion continued with a bitter expression darkening his face, "They wish to corrupt Mother with their own mana."
"I'm guessing it's a different kind of mana, then?" Caron asked.
"Mana from the deep sea is a fusion of dark mana and regular mana. Only nagas can wield it, so naturally, we have to fight them off," Orion replied.
Caron's interest was piqued. A fusion of dark mana and regular mana... That would mean the nagas retained their rationality despite being tainted by dark mana.
Sounds like they're similar to orcs or ogres, Caron thought. Although this information wasn't immediately useful, it was worth knowing, especially given the elves' secretive nature.
"Maybe living in such a bountiful place isn't always ideal," Caron said.
"I agree," Orion nodded.
As Caron and Orion shared their thoughts, the distant city of Galad gradually came into view. Caron had expected a modest elven village nestled in the woods, but he was quickly proven wrong.
Towering walls encircled the city, with several tall structures rising beyond them. Caron felt a sense of awe, similar to what he'd experienced when he'd first seen the empire's capital from afar. Then his gaze fell upon an enormous tree towering behind the city walls, and he couldn't help but utter a quiet exclamation.
"...The World Tree."
The massive tree seemed to reach the sky, emanating a steady, powerful flow of mana into the surrounding area.
"It's a bit early to be impressed, Caron Leston," Orion said, amused.
"The city is much larger than I expected," Caron replied.
"It's the last bastion of our people. Naturally, it's quite large. From your reaction, it seems you underestimated our civilization," Orion said.
"Not at all. I was just... surprised, that's all," Caron replied.
Orion smiled softly at Caron's words, then summoned a fire spirit.
Whoosh.
The spirit flared to life with white flame and floated up into the sky. Moments later, a warm glow emerged from the city walls, illuminating them.
"Beautiful," Leon murmured from behind, her voice barely above a whisper.
The light was indeed beautiful. Unlike the artificial glow of the fanatics' fires, this light was warm, like the sun.
Orion's voice took on a gentle, reverent tone as he said, "This light is to honor our fallen warriors."
Caron turned his gaze back to the elves behind him, particularly toward the bodies of fallen warriors cradled by spirits. Nearly half of the elves who had ventured from the forest had perished, but the survivors showed no signs of mourning. Like Orion, they all wore calm expressions as they pressed forward.
"Our fallen comrades have simply returned to Mother's embrace," Orion explained. "It would be wrong to show sorrow before their bodies. Only with calm hearts can we let them rest peacefully. This is how we honor those who went before us."
He slowly turned to Caron and his group. "With new friends now accompanying them, I believe our fallen comrades are rejoicing. So, for their sake... Please smile."
Caron offered a faint smile, then said, "That's not a difficult request."
Orion smiled back and said warmly, "Welcome to Galad once more, friends."
The gentle light guided them into the city.
***
Caron and his group entered Galad alongside the elves, and Caron couldn't help but let out a soft exclamation. "Wow."
He glanced around at the cityscape within Galad's walls. There were well-maintained roads and buildings blending harmoniously with the trees. But it wasn't just that. Elves walked along the streets and spirits of various hues drifted around; scattered among them were members of other races, including the Hare Tribe.
"It's like a painting," Leo murmured, admiring the scene that truly looked like a work of art.
"Look, there are fairies too!" Leon exclaimed.
Tiny fairies, no larger than a hand, perched on the heads of tree spirits. The adorable little creatures brought an unending smile to Leon's face. Even the towering giant Utula seemed captivated.
"This is the most harmonious and beautiful city I've ever seen!" Utula declared, still staring in awe with his mouth open.
Here, there wasn't a trace of the discrimination Caron had worried about. Those who made eye contact with his group placed their right hands over their chests and bowed slightly as they passed.
"That is a greeting of respect," Orion explained. "You're all worthy of their honor."
Caron scratched his cheek sheepishly and said, "I think I might have misjudged the elves a lot."
"If someone came with an uninvited human... Well, it would have been different," Orion said.
"What would have happened then?" Caron asked curiously.
"Then I might have had the privilege of watching that human hang from the gallows in the square," Orion replied with a smirk.
"Gulp!" Leo hiccuped in response. Orion chuckled and patted Leo's back.
"It's an elven joke. Only slave hunters end up on the gallows. Any refugees who fled here for their lives are detained briefly and then sent eastward, where there's a refugee village run by humans," Orion said.
"I see... I thought the elves just executed all humans on sight. I'd heard rumors that if a human set foot here, they wouldn't live to see another day," Caron replied.
"...Do you think we're as cruel as you humans?" Orion asked. "Anyone who dared flee to us despite those rumors came here for survival's sake. Killing them would go against Mother's wishes, Caron."
With that simple explanation, Orion reached into his cloak and pulled out a silver medal engraved with the image of a tree. He handed one medal to each member of Caron's group.
"Our audience with the regent is tomorrow," Orion explained. "So you are free to spend today as you please. This medal will allow you to access any facility at no cost."
Caron grinned, tucking the medal into his pocket as he said, "A free pass, huh? This is nice. Ah, I was hoping to send a message to Azureocean Castle. Is there an elf around here who can use communication magic?"
"There's a relay station in the square," Orion replied. "It's primarily used for parcel deliveries, but they handle communications as well. They have Azureocean Castle's coordinates, so you can send your message there."
"How do you have the coordinates... Ah, right, you mentioned that my grandfather had been here before," Caron said.
"Don't worry, elven magic is excellent," Orion reassured him. "I'll come for you tomorrow, so I hope you all rest well until then."
The elves would have a lot to do, since they had just returned from their expedition. After passing on everything that was needed to Caron and his group, Orion led the patrol members away.
Caron watched the patrol leave and sighed softly, then turned to his group and asked, "So... Is there anything any of you would like to do?"
Utula was the first to answer Caron's question. "My ax and greaves took a real beating! I need to head to the forge for repairs."
Considering the intensity of the recent battles, it was no surprise that everyone's gear had taken some damage. Both Leo and Leon nodded in agreement with Utula.
"I need to stop by the forge too," Leon said.
"Same here, Caron," Leo added. "Hey, shouldn't you go too? Now that I think about it, your armor probably took the worst of it."
Leo recalled the King of Slaughter's weapon that had pierced Caron's armor during their skirmish. But Caron just shrugged with a grin and replied, "Oh, my armor can repair itself, actually."
"Right... You've got Kavana, right?" Leo sighed. "The senior elders sure are generous with you. All they gave us was a sword..."
"If you think it's unfair, you'll just have to get stronger," Caron replied playfully.
"Ha! Isn't good equipment supposed to be given to weaker people? They say real professionals don't rely on their equipment," Leo said.
"That's nonsense. The stronger you are, the better the equipment you use," Caron chuckled, easily dispelling Leo's twisted reasoning.
He then addressed the group, saying, "Alright, you three go handle your repairs at the forge, and I'll head off to report to Azureocean Castle. Let's meet back here in an hour. Leon, I'm counting on you to keep everyone out of trouble."
"You can count on me, Caron," Leon replied confidently. "But hey, can I just say one thing?"
"Sure, go ahead," Caron said.
"Usually, the troublemaker around here... is you," Leon pointed out.
"Uh... Ahem!" Caron coughed.
"Just saying. See you in a bit," Leon said.
With that, the others left for the forge, and Caron found himself alone on the bustling streets.
"I'm not too sure whether I can communicate with them," he murmured. But if not, there was always a way to work things out. Nodding to himself, Caron headed straight for the city's main square.
When he arrived, he couldn't help but let out a laugh. He muttered, "Maybe I should've worried more about myself."
The marketplace around the square was packed with shops, elves rushing about, and energetic vendors trying to draw in customers. Most daunting of all, every single sign was written in Elvish.
Undeterred, Caron placed a hand on his sword's hilt. He remembered that he had his own personal translator.
"Guillotine, find the place fast," he commanded.
A moment later, Guillotine responded, sounding somewhat irritated, "...And how am I supposed to do that?"
"You understand Elvish, don't you?"
"Yes, I can understand spoken Elvish. But how in the world am I supposed to read it? Maybe think before you start giving orders. Honestly, you expect so much from a sword."
The saying about getting cut by one's own blade felt rather fitting. Caron furrowed his brow and said, "I guess my translator is illiterate... How disappointing, Guillotine."
"Are you out of your mind? Swords are for cutting down enemies, not for translations! If you want translations, go find a translator!"
Caron sighed. He was now, officially, lost. But he didn't have any other choice. He said, "I guess I'll just have to go with... pantomime."
And so, Caron began attempting to communicate with passing elves using pantomime. It took about thirty minutes before rumors began circulating around Galad's square about the strange human who had shown up.
1. Usually, this refers to half-snake people in fantasy, but the author opted to name this world's fish-people Nagas. ☜