CH 10

Act 1-10 : Elf’s Dwelling, Forest

「Damn it, to think that I, Raus-sama would experience this kind of event…even though I had almost arrived at Pteah kingdom.」

Raus raised such complaints as he made his way through the dense foliage of the forest, dragging his heels.

Raus was a traveling merchant who was attacked by goblins during his voyage to the Kingdom of Phteah

The goblins were a perpetual scourge on the realm. Many travellers were plagued by goblin attacks despite the golden sunlight. Sunshine was a goblin’s weakness, they absolutely abhorred its golden glow and the burning sensation it brought upon their scaly, wizened skin. Resourceful as ever, the goblins took advantage of the expanse of shade afforded by the thick branches of the trees along the highway, which made it possible for them to appear in the day. Raus continued his seemingly never-ending barrage of comments.

「Are those knights of Phteah even doing their job properly?」

The knights were supposed to protect the areas outside the safety of the fortress wall that surrounded the city and castle. Upon the king’s orders, they were intended to be stationed along the length of the highway as protecting trade routes would ensure that a blanket of prosperity would envelop the kingdom. Carelessness in their duty would have allowed such demons to appear along the stretches of highway. A sizable portion of their fortune and livelihood being transported, merchants were wary travelling such unpredictable routes,which were brimming with danger.  A sudden loss could thrust them into pauperism and pennilessness. Raus shuddered at the very thought.

「And where in the hell I am right now? I suppose that I’m not that far from the highway but…」

Dark and damp, forests were the territory of demons. They thrived amongst nature and the shadows. Looking around nervously, Raus unconsciously picked up his pace. The woods were teeming with such unsavory creatures, the goblins were the least of his worries now. There was a high possibility that he could get attacked by more demons. He had to retrace his path to the highway before night fell- not only would he have to contend with the onslaught of demons but also his chances of being found would drastically decrease.It was imperative that he enter the city’s wall as soon as possible.

He grew increasingly confused and panicked as he spun around quickly, surveying his surroundings. No matter how much he walked the terrain seemed identical- any indication of the highway was obscured by the dense vegetation. Raus had strayed in the forest.

「I’m thirsty….」

His throat was parched after he ran from those goblins with all the energy he could muster. Every swallow grated like sandpaper.

「Nevertheless, I wonder why they stopped chasing after me?」

. Fortunately for Raus, goblins’ short stature affected their speed. It was a miracle that a plump, middle-aged man such as him was able to waddle out of their greedy grasps. Raus thanked the gods for his luck and resolved to leave the forest as soon as possible, after all, he wasn’t out of the woods just yet.

「A….song?」

Raus paused in his tracks when a gentle and melodious, the likes of which he had never heard before, drifted over to him. Like a sailor following a siren’s call, he followed the source of the voice unbidden. Soon enough, he could hear the water gurgling and splashing as a harmonious accompaniment to the song. Built with flawless white marble, the water was crystal clear and blue as the sky reflected upon it. It sparkled in the sunlight beckoningly. Raus was a weary traveller who had stumbled upon a hidden oasis.

「Thanks goodness, wat-AAH!?」

An earth shattering scream erupted from Raus’s being. The sound seemed to shake the trees and drive away the birds, shattering the tranquility of the forest.

From the water, a woman emerged. Half submerged in the glittering water, her torso bare and luscious locks dripping droplets of water into her eyes, she looked like a mermaid. Her sun-kissed skin glowed as she continued singing, lost in her own world. She was completely oblivious to Raus’s presence. Raus felt torn between approaching her and disturbing this picturesque sight. Before he could overthink the situation, his instincts set in. Raus slowly approached her, charmed by her song and ephemeral beauty.

「Who’s there?」

The woman’s head snapped in Raus’s direction, her long wet hair swaying in an arc behind her. The movement sent a sea of small droplets splashing through the air. Finally noticing Raus’s arrival, she stared at him wide-eyed.

「M-My apologies! I swear I had no intention of being a peeping tom! I was just so charmed by your beautiful voice…」

Raus rambled on anxiously. He stumbled over his words quite a few times in his haste to clarify any misunderstandings before they could properly take root..

「Not at all. Infact, it’s actually my fault for bathing in this kind of an open space.. How about you join me? The water is very refreshing after all, and you look so weary. Hasn’t it been a tough journey for you?」

The beauty smiled at him invitingly, making no move to cover her exposed skin. She leaned on the edge of the fountain, leaving her ample chest on display. Upon seeing that charming smile, Raus felt dazed. It was as if a fog came over his mind, clouding his judgement.

Had he ever seen something so beautiful?

「My apologies but, I don’t think I’m qualified to take a bath with such a fair lady like you! My only wish is to drink the water from that fountain to quench my thirst….」

「Is that so? Well this fountain isn’t mine to begin with. It’s open to all. Feel free to drink as much as you want.」

「Is that so? Well then, I shall partake.」

Since she had given her permission, Raus approached the fountain without even an ounce of hesitation. Mesmerized by her almost otherworldly beauty, he didn’t spare even a moment to ponder the situation he had found himself in.

(How stunning. Lady Luck has surely smiled upon me today. Getting lost in his wretched forest turned out to be a blessing in disguise. I want to glimpse every inch of that flawless skin up close. Anyway, as I go to drink the water, I’ll have no choice but to draw closer. I’ll drink my fill of the water and this beauty.)

A small smile had unconsciously bloomed on his face while such thoughts whirled around in his mind.

The beauty was smiling brightly at Raus.

He bent over slightly until his face was a short distance from the water before scooping it up. He couldn’t help but sneak looks at the gorgeous maiden as he ran a wet hand across his face. Small streams trickled out from the gaps between his fingers as he brought the cool liquid up to his chapped lips. The mouthful of cold water quenched the burn that tortured his throat. As he greedily gulped another mouthful, he couldn’t help but muse to himself- “Could it be that the water was so refreshing because a beauty has bathed in it?”.

But then, he felt that something was wrong with his body. A slight pinprick sensation spread throughout his body before it was replaced by a numbness that crept in so slowly that it was barely discernible. The paralysis set in stealthily like a predator stalking its prey.

「My body is….」

Raus groaned. Raus groaned pathetically, he couldn’t lift a finger. Still crouched over the rim of the fountain, he could only gaze at his reflection detachedly as he watched his expression morph into one of absolute horror as the muzzle of a huge beast emerged from the fountain’s watery depths. As soon as the entirety of the beast’s face arose from the water, the fuzziness in his mind cleared up in a flash. The utter wave of terror that washed over him shocked him to sense, like a chilling bucket of ice cold water.

.

「WHA!?」

（Come to think of it, how could there be a gorgeous woman in this monster infested hellhole? Why didn’t I notice this fact sooner?!）

Raus forced his paralyzed body to turn around and looked at the beauty. Ignoring the overwhelming sense of lethargy enveloping his body, Raus used the last dregs of his energy to glance back over at the beauty.

The epitome of schadenfreude, the beauty smiled widely.

The beast opened its gigantic jaws, displaying rows of razor sharp teeth which glinted menacingly.

「AAAAH……」

Raus looked around him desperately, searching for any chance of survival. There was no way out, Raus concluded as he froze in fear. He had no chance of resistance.

At this point, he could only close his eyes and pray for the salvation of his soul. He had resigned himself to his fate. The rancid stench of the monster’s maw was his last memory before the beast began to eat him alive.

◆

Kuroki cursed under his breath.

「Damn, today is another failure….」

It had been a month since he had departed from the region of Nargol to journey towards the Holy Republic of Lenaria. Reiji and his company had adopted the Holy Republic as their headquarters.

Despite Nargol and the Holy Republicof Lenaria being practically situated on different sides of the continent, it hadn’t registered as a concern in Kuroki’s mind. Since his arrival into this world, his speed and strength were unparalleled- he could easily run faster than the swiftest wild stallion. He had already traversed two-thirds of the distance towards his destination. Although he had no method to precisely measure his speed, he estimated that it easily crossed the 200km/hrs threshold. In fact, Reiji and his company all experienced the same effect. Thus he hypothesized that any human from earth would gain superhuman powers upon being summoned to this world.

[TL : His kryptonite is aphrodisiac]

Along the journey to his destination, Kuroki became more familiar with the ways of human society in this world.

Compared to the democracies of modern-day Earth, human countries here instead resembled medieval city-states such as those like Sparta. There were simply too many to count. If you looked at a map of this world, it would instead seem like an extremely detailed mosaic.

The humans constructed ramparts to protect their cities from the monsters lurking in the woods and beyond. The city lay inside the rampart, protectively nestled within its walls. It was as if they were enclosed in a protective bubble. These pockets of peace were isolated from the outside road with the exception of the spider web-like network of highways that spanned the entire continent, connecting one city with others.

Each city-state was vastly different both in political ideology and size. They ranged from cities big and small- there were ones that were small and village-like but also existed cities so large in which each locality could be considered its own city.

Additionally, each of them had their own government system : democracies, republics and monarchies. In short, the mayor of each city-state was chosen through different methods and eligibility varied its requirements.

Thus, there were city-states which had their own royal family and nobility- in which inheritance, caste and position were handed down from one head of the family to the next. The mayor and vice-mayor positions also functioned in the same manner. Naturally, there were also those which followed a radically different system in which officials were elected.

The majority of the city-states followed the Elios pantheon and revered its twelve gods. Following the explanation that he had heard from Nut, Kuroki became aware that the group of humans who did not follow the Elios pantheon were scorned and regarded as outcasts from society. They were condescendingly called ‘backwater’ and referred to as the tribe of ‘savages’.

On that note, Kuroki had recently visited a city-state called the Phteah Kingdom which was home to about three thousand citizens. To be accurate, it was home to three thousand people who retained citizenship, the number rose exponentially if those without citizenship were also included in that calculation. Those with citizenship were regarded as lawful residents of the city state while individuals without it were treated as foreigners.

To put it simply, someone without citizenship couldn’t pass through the rampart to enter the city.

Then what about the currency circulation? That particular problem was solved by the formation of a treaty which brought a specific policy into effect in both the kingdoms- the passage of foreigners of one city-state to enter the other city-states allied to that government.

Naturally, there exists a completely isolated city-state which is completely self-sufficient and independent.

Thus, Kuroki, who could not lay claim to the citizenship of any city-state was not to be allowed to pass through the fortress of any of the city-states. At least legally. Kuroki had no qualms resorting to such unsavory means if it meant that his work was done.

Naturally then arose the problem regarding Kuroki’s sustenance. The forest was a veritable treasure of food, filled with all the doos he could eat- fruit and nuts galore. It was so abundant that there was more than enough to feed a village, if there weren’t any demons prowling around. Eventually though, when the temptation to eat proper, cooked food was too great, Kuroki would have no choice but to sneak through the fortress gates. Kuroki fondly recalled the time when he secretly entered the rampart with flight magic and ate the skewered-grilled meat while apologizing to the shopkeeper.

Popular cuisine in this world primarily featured pork and mutton. Surprisingly, the humans rarely used beef while cooking.

Kuroki hesitantly took a tiny bite of the mutton. He had only pecked at his food, eating a small mouthful. The overwhelmingly gamey scent emitted by the mutton did not translate to its taste, Kuroki discovered. Thanks to the generous use of herbs and spices, the gamey taste that he had been bracing himself for never arrived. In fact, it had disappeared altogether, Ravenous, Kuroki dug into his meal with great enthusiasm.

「Well, what should we do about today, Nut?」

Kuroki questioned his travelling companion around a mouthful of meat.

「How about sneaking in using invisibility magic again?」

. Invisibility magic was a form of sorcery that masked the user’s presence, allowing them to go unnoticed and undetected by keen eyed observers.It was a branch of magic best suited for espionage, reconnaissance and getting out of sticky situations. Kuroki had fearlessly sneaked into human cities time and time again, the magic surrounding him like a protective cloak. He easily blended into the dark shadows of the night.

However, it had one drawback- it wouldn’t work against users of detection magic or those who had detection abilities. They would be able to peel back the illusion piece by piece until nothing was left but stark reality. Additionally, once the magic spell was discovered, it would lose its effect entirely.

It was perfect for Kuroki’s goal of gathering information on Reiji and his associates’s recent activities. That was why he had decided to pay the Holy Republic of Lenaria a visit after all, it was Reiji and his party’s base of operations. The place where they spent the most time would obviously be the best source to glean such information.

「Nah, let’s refrain to do that this time, Reiji and co’s information are about the same in every single place.」

All of the rumours about Reiji and the company told the same story.

Demons plagued this world, wreaking havoc and destruction. Moreover, the humans of this world were pathetically weak. Alone, they didn’t stand a chance against such foes. As the prey of the demons, the people turned to Reiji as their messiah. He had gained considerable power since he was summoned to this world. That’s how he got the moniker ‘Hero of Light’- Reiji became the hope of humanity. The word spread as he continued to subjugate many demons and saved numerous people since his arrival in this world.

Thus, many people felt grateful toward him. Although many people felt grateful for his contribution, that didn’t mean that bad blood was non-existent. Reiji had managed to sleep with a shocking number of beauties throughout his journey. He turned a blind eye to anything other than their appearance- some of these women were married, engaged or single. Either way, it didn’t matter to him.

This reputation as a casanova sowed a lot of resentment from the male populace. He was the bane of every man’s existence. And so, men usually ended up loathing Reiji but, they were forced to swallow their bitterness.

Many women praised Reiji, the Hero of Light. In fact, the majority of his popularity stemmed from his favor among females. Even if you crossed borders from one country into the next, laws, architecture and culture would change but, the topic of gossip among the ladies would remain the same- Reiji-sama.

Kuroki swore his ears would bleed if he heard about Reiji’s romantic escapes yet again. On second thought, he was so tired of hearing about it, he’d rather go deaf.

The Phteah Kingdom would likely have no new information about Reiji or his company, so there was no need to sneak in and go to collect intel.

Thus, Kuroki’s intent was to simply pass by the city.

A while later, he heard a mysterious song from deep within the heart of the forest. It was particularly strange to hear a song here of all places.

「A….song?」

Kuroki tilted his head quizzically. Why in their right mind would anyone be singing a song in the middle of a demon infested forest?

「What a beautiful voice….」

Kuroki looked over at Nut, searching for his opinion only to find him charmed by the beautiful cadence of the song. It didn’t seem like he thought that there was something wrong with this situation. There was a nagging feeling in Kuroki’s mind that just wouldn’t leave though.

「Shall we take a look, Kuroki-sama?」

Nut was already moving towards the direction of the song before the sentence was even fully out of his mouth. Well, that’s that, Kuroki guessed. Although Nut had made the decision on behalf of the both of them, Kuroki couldn’t help but conclude that the situation was undeniably strange. His certainty in the feeling that something was fishy only skyrocketed after he saw Nut’s reaction. Upon hearing the song, Nut had really lowered his guard, losing the vigilance he usually used as a shield constantly. From Kuroki’s observations, this was really very peculiar and didn’t fit in with Nut’s personality at all.

「Understood, let’s take a look.」

Kuroki himself was curious about the singer of this song and her motivations so he willingly tagged along behind Nut. After walking for a while, they saw a huge clearing in the middle of the forest with a enormous and luxurious fountain situated in the center of the expansive field. In the fountain was a woman. She was bathing herself in the pool of the fountain, her naked torso exposed for everyone to see. Out in the open, her chest was blatantly visible, water droplets running down the valley of her breasts as she splashed water on her face. Her eyes were closed as she continued singing the mysterious melody, oblivious to Nut and Kuroki’s presence. Nut unconsciously drew closer towards her, steeping on a twig in the process. The loud snapping noise disturbed her singing and the calm atmosphere that had seemed to settle over the area. She gasped, and then looked at Kuroki and Nut with eyes as wide as saucers.

「Who’s there?」

「Ah, No…sorry for disturbing you. We were only curious, we came after hearing your singing voice.Once again, we apologize, we did not mean to invade your privacy」

Kuroki apologized. But inside, he was glad that he came to this place since he got to see somethign unusual.

「An, don’t mind it. How about you come to take a dip in this fountain too?」

「Thanks but no. We’re going to continue our journey and you can continue singing to your heart content.」

Kuroki tried to leave as it is.

「The water is beautiful, Kuroki-sama. How about spending a night in this place?」

「Nut, stop! Don’t drink the water, it’s been poisoned already I’m sure that this is all a trap..」

「Eh, poisoned!!」

Nut seemed to be shocked when he heard that

「How could there be such poison in the water? Why don’t you try it and see for yourself? Take a sip, go on.」

The woman said innocently. Her doe eyes were wide and her brows were arched in incredulity at such an accusation. Her act would have been sufficient enough to fool others but it would not work against Kuroki. Her modest and guileless facade was beginning to really get on Kuroki’s nerves. The more he looked at her, the more he felt his blood boil. This reason for his growing anger was because that manipulative monster of a woman was trying to eat Kuroki.

Kuroki had become sensitive to killing intent after he was summoned to this word. It was a handy ability that had served him faithfully after he had landed into this world. His abrupt summoning into this foreign and unknown world had left him confused in the beginning- this ability was his compass in navigating this world, guiding him through the maze that was the political landscape when he didn’t know who to trust and who to not.

For example, it was a simple matter for him to detect any killing intent directed towards him from several dozen meters. According to Lugas, perception was like a passive ability that he possessed. No matter what the logic, being seen like potential prey still caused unpleasant feelings to bubble up within Kuroki’s chest. Moreover, Kuroki realized that the woman had been trying to use charm magic upon himi from a while ago. Observing this woman’s malicious tactics in order to manipulate them caused a shadow to creep up on Kuroki’s mind, his thoughts becoming dark with anger and violence. Kuroki’s face was as frozen as a glacier, not a single expressive movement occured as it was the only way to retain his facade of composure.

Moreover, the origin of his unpleasant feeling was none other than her singing voice, he judged that singing voice was what confused Nut’s judgement abilities.Although her singing voice was indeed beautiful, he could sense an artificiality behind it, it was cloying sweet and saccharine, sending a shiver of uneasiness down his spine. Overall, he could compare the experience to swallowing a mouthful of sickly sweet cough syrup, it left a bad taste in his mouth. He was absolutely positive that the origin of the unpleasant feelings taking root in his mind were caused by none other than her singing voice. That must have been what was clouding Nut’s generally reasonable judgement.

（This woman might be a monster, I couldn’t see anything aside from a beautiful woman though.）

Her upper half was bared for all to see. The usual Kuroki might have taken this chance to commit that scene into his memory. But he didn’t.

There were more pressing matters on his mind. Clearly, the demon ate its prey after they got charmed by its beauty and song, lured in like clueless sailors by the tempting sirens in the myths. He concluded that this was the case.

Rather, he would opt to leave this place immediately.

（I wanted to avoid a fight as much as possible. It is definitely my last resort.）

Kuroki actually just wanted to end the matter as soon as possible. Hopefully, his explicit killing intent would be enough to scare her away. Despite facing repeated attacks from the demon along his journey, Kuroki managed to avoid combat as much as possible by using killing intent to scare the majority of those demons that had attacked him.

However, that woman betrayed Kuroki’s expectations by intensifying her murderous aura even more, her killing intent became even more obvious.

「YOU BASTARD!!!」

The woman’s face morphed into a grimace, distorted by her utter rage. A giant demon beast emerged from inside the fountain, its ugly maw visible as it stretched its neck.

（Oh crap! It seems I pissed it off instead! Moreover, it is so fast!）

The demon beast had arrived right in front of Kuroki in the blink of an eye.

「HA!」

Kuroki immediately jumped into action, quickly drawing his sword from its sheath which released an ominous ringing sound that echoed throughout the expanse of the clearing. He agiley dodged the beast’s attacks, zigzagging in an unpredictable pattern before he finally drew close enough to the demon. Sword glinting in the bright sunlight with a sense of anticipation, he slashed his blade in a magnificent, powerful arc bringing it down towards themonster, decapitating it.

「GUUUUH! YOU PUNY LITTLE HUMAN!!!」

The woman’s face contorted into an expression of pure agony, there was no semblance of innocence left in her face. Finally she was revealing her true colors, not even attempting to act like a damsel in distress.

「TAKE THIS!!!」

The water in the fountain quickly rose through the air in translucent streams, reflecting the sunlight above. The rivulets of water quickly converged into a giant ball of water which hung in the sky menacingly.

「BUBBLE SHOT!」

The lump of water acted as a source from which small portions of water were taken an made into a storm of bullets which was released down upon Kuroki in sync with the demon beast’s bellowing cry.

「Magic Shield!」

Kuroki quickly recited the mantra for evoking the defensive magic under his breath. Subsequently, a magic circle appeared in front of Kuroki’s palm, protecting him from the barrage of water bullets. When the shower of the deadly bullets finally ceased, the monstrous beast had finally emerged from the depths of the clear pool of the fountain and risen onto the land.

The lower half of the snarling beast which was hidden by the sapphire waters of the marble fountain was finally exposed. Under the moonlight, the beast’s entire figure was exposed to Kuroki. It was fearsome indeed- a six headed giant that towered over them and the woman’s bare chest was actually something akin to tentacles. Dropping its facade of beauty, the demon’s true form was an ugliness that seemed too extreme to belong to this world.

The beast then approached Kuroki, taking long and agitated strides in his direction. It seemed like a variant of an aquatic demon beast, that’s why it was so slow when moving on land.

「Nut, are you alright?」

「Yeshh…my headis still spinning around chaotically though.」

While attentively watching the skirmish from where he had been standing on the sidelines, Kuroki’s godly speed was enough to give him a headache. It was too much for his human eyes to handle.

「Nut, get down now!」

Kuroki ordered Nut to get down for the time being. Nut followed Kuroki’s commands faithfully and retreated from the battlefield as soon as Kuroki once again touched ground. He shifted into a battle ready stance, prepared to face the demon’s next attack. The fight wasn’t over yet.

「YOU ONE HEAD BASTARD, HOW DARE YOU!!」

The demon was looking at Kuroki with furious look on its faces.

Black colored blood spilling on the ground from the wound caused by Kuroki’s slash. The black blood gave a raise to white steam as it flowing on the ground. The weeds around the spilling area were withered.

It seems that demon beast’s blood was also poisonous.

Kuroki could avoid battle if he focused solely on getting away from it. But, he got the feeling that this demon beast would chase him to the end of the world.

Thus, he rather exterminate it right away than constantly bothered by such small fry.

「HUMAN BASTAAAAAARD!」

Along with that shout, the tentacles on the demon beast head went toward Kuroki.

Kuroki jumped up, spun in midair as he slashed at the incoming tentacles and the deamon beast’s head.

「HOLY MOSE!!!」

The demon beast was truly surprised by Kuroki’s power.

Thus Kuroki landed right on the torso of the demon beast and then, swung his sword; tearing apart the torso of the demon beast.

He leaped again and landed right behind the demon beast.

「I—– IMPOSSIBLE!!!」

The demon beast fell back as it is.

This time, it was flinched away when it saw Kuroki.

「I— I see— You bastard is a divine being…. How careless… I… Mistook you…. for a human.」

The demon beast’s body then crumbled like sand castle.

「I’m not a divine being though….」

Kuroki muttered so.

Kuroki didn’t consider himself as a divine being.

But there was nothing he could do to correct that demon beast’s mistake.

The demon beast’s body kept shrinking as more and more of its body turned into white smoke.

「Kuroki-sama~. Are you okay?」

Nut was running toward Kuroki while circling around the demon beast’s corpse.

「It’s a demon that we never met till now, and quite powerful on top of it.」

It was the first time Kuroki met this kind of demon since the one who normally go after him were either goblins or orc.

「Hey… This is the first time for me seeing this kind of demon too.」

「So even you never saw this one before huh. Must be a rare kind. We might have to ask more information about this demon to the one who observed us.」

Kuroki turned around to see the gap between tree behind him.

Someone was observing Kuroki and co. He couldn’t feel hostility from the other party’s eyes.

That person neither goblin nor orc. Thus Kuroki pondering about the identity of the other party.

「May I ask the person who hide over there to show yourself?」

A girl appeared from the shadow of the tree when Kuroki threw that question to the other party.

It was a blue-haired girl with skin as white as pristine snow, her age was around Kuroki and she was about the same or a head shorter than Kuroki.

（Eh, why? What is this girl doing in this place? Is she a demon like that demon beast too?）

Though he pondered such probability, he couldn’t feel hostility from that girl’s eyes, the way she looked at him didn’t cause any unpleasant feeling like when that demon beast looked at Kuroki.

「Kuroki-sama. That girl might be an elf… Or dryad.」

「SHE IS AN ELF.」

Kuroki knew about elf from Lugas lesson.

When he looked at the girl’s ears, he found out that they’re longer just like the elf’s features that Lugas had told to him before.

Elf race was a woman only race whose age far surpassing a normal human age. In addition, all member of elven race were gifted with strength that surpassed any normal human, they also a natural born spirit magic user, for that reason they could live in demon invested forest without having to rely on rampart like human does.

Some of elf who were known as dryad were living in the forest were also known as wood elf.

It seems that those dryad were often falling in love with young human, and in most case kidnapped them to become their husband.

Kuroki observed the girl. She was a genuine beautiful girl unlike the fake beauty trap of the demon beast from before.

（I don’t think kidnapped by this kind of beauty was a bad thing for those young men. Well it got nothing to do with me but, let’s try to as what business she has. ）

Kuroki was smiling swetly toward the girl in order to not scaring her.

「Uhm…. Are you people, divine being?」

The elf girl asked timidly.

「Nay, I’m a human, maybe?」

Kuroki replied back in question form.

Kuroki was a bit skeptical about his race. He wondered whether he could group the human in this world into the same category as the human in his world.

Reason being similar to Reiji and co, Kuroki was blessed with superhuman power far above any normal human in this world. He only looked like a normal human, but the inside seems to be a completely different being.

「You’re lying, as if any normal human can kill that Scylla who can’t be defeated by us. You’re definitely a divine being, right?」

「No.. I really am not a divine being.」

Kuroki knew that he wasn’t so exalted to be referred as a divine being. Thus he insisted that elf girl was misunderstood.

「Thanks goodness.」

The elf girl then approached Kuroki. And then, he take a good look at Kuroki fromtop to bottom as soon as she arrived before him.

""

「And then, who are you? and what are you doing in this kind of place?」

The girl asked so while bringing her face closer to him.

Kuroki’sfigure was clearly reflected in her eyes, thus he ended up averting his gaze from her.

Save for Shirone, Kuroki never got so close with any woman back in his world, for this reason Kuroki was completely flustered right now.

「I… I’m just a traveler looking for a place to spend this night.」

Kuroki replied so with flustered voice.

「Eh, you’re not entering human dwelling?」 「Yes… I’ve some situation…」

「I see, then if you don’t mind it. How about you spend the night in my house?」

「… EH!?」

Kuroki was surprised. Though he was aware that the elves loves to kidnap pretty boy, he also know that they’re infamously unfriendly toward anyone aside form their sweetheart.

Kuroki take a good look at the girl. He couldn’t feel any hostility from her. And though the look in her eyes made him uneasy, it wasn’t the kind of unpleasant feeling.

「In that case, may I intrude you for the night?」

Weak willed Kuroki lost to his curiousity in regard to the elf’s live.

「Yeah, of course.」

The elf girl then led him into the forest with bright, sunny smile on her face.

「It seems she take a liking to you.」

Nut said so as if to tease Kuroki.

「Please don’t tease me, Nut. Maybe she just want to repay us for defeating that demon beast called Scylla.」

Surely, Kuroki could feel the girl’s goodwill.

He thought that it might be because he killed Scylla. It seems that demon beast was also attacking the elves.

The keep walking in front of Kuroki and co.

After walking for a while, he noticed an unusual phenomenon in the area around them.

「Uhm, What is this?」

The forst in front of his looked just like a normal forest but, something has changed.

「Wow, so it’s a barrier huh.」

「Barrier?」

「Yes, a magic that confuse everyone who entered the barrier. That’s why make sure to follow me.」

The keep walking in front of Kuroki and co.

And then, they arrived in front of a huge tree.

The tree was so big that one branch could hold several houses.

Kuroki went “Ooh” when he saw those house. It was similar to the tree houses he saw in TV.

In fact, Kuroki secretly want this kind of house since it gave the feeling of a secret base.

「Here is my house. Please come in.」

The girl said so with ear to ear smile on her face.

「Tess!」

A voice then called out from above. When I looked up to see the owner of that voice, I saw a woman came out from one of the tree house.

The elf woman gave a more mature feeling compared to the elf girl. That woman descended from the tree.

「Ah, I’m home, mother!!!」

Kuroki was rather surprised knowing that woman was the efl girl’s mother, she’s so young to be mistaken as her older sister.

（The elves really is never growing old huh.）

Kuroki then recalled his lesson with Lugas.

「I’t not “I’m home”, Tess! Just where are you going this time around! Moreover….」

The girl’s mother then looked at kuroki.

「Who is this person?」

The elf girl’s mother was staring dagger at Kuroki.

TO make the matter worse, the girl’s mother was also a great beauty, and Kuroki couldn’t calm himself when such beauty was staring at him.

「Mother! He’s such an amazing person! I mean he singlehandedly defeated that Scylla!!」

The girl introduced Kuroki while clinging on his arm.

The girl’s soft body were wrapping around Kuroki’s arm.

Though her volume is just so so, the softness was proven to be too much for Kuroki.

「Scylla…. Do you mean that fountain’s Scylla….」

The mother’s eyes then scanning at Kuroki from head to toe.

「He… Doesn’t seems to be that powerful.」

Kuroki almost fell over when he heard the mother’s words.

「Mother!! You’re being rude toward him!!!」

The girl was scolding her mother.

「You’re right, my apologies for the discourtesy, O human’s child. My name is Davia of hardy’s forest. I’m the mother of Tess, the girl who invite you to come to our house.」

The woman called Davia then introduced herself toward Kuroki.

「Don’t worry about it, my name is…. Kuro. I’m a traveler in the middle of journey.」

Kuroki hestitated for a while before he decided to use an alias. Though he didn’t consider it was a problem to taught them his real name, there was a possibilities that his name might reach Shirone’s ears sometimes later. Thus, he rather save than sorry.

「Mother. Kuroki is in the middle of journey, let’s invite him to spend a night in our house.」

Tess tried to take him into the house before even her mother gave the permission.

「Uhm… Tess-san.」

Kuroki was tried to confirm whether it was okay to take him into the house without her mother permission.

「Can’t be helped them. Welcome to our home, Kuro-dono.」

But she allowed it surprisingly easily.

（Honestly, are they seriously allowed an unknown man to enter their house that easily? Otherwise, is this their custom?）

According to Lugas, Elven race aren’t a race that was friendly toward human, safe for their loved one. There should be no mistaking in Lucas’s knowledge.

Tess’s house was located in a certain place on top of a tree’s branch. There was nothing resembling staircase or ladder to climbing up to there.

How did she climb it then? was quickly answered when he saw Tess lightly leaped till reached that certain branch. It seems this kind of height was nothing for the elves who could use spirit magic.

「Come here, Kuro! You should be able to jump over this height with ease right!」

Tess said so with worry less smile.

Surely, this height were nothing for Kuroki.

He decided to accept their offer since he was rather interested in the tree house, and got the permission from its owner too.

Kuroki was getting excited, he couldn’t wait to see the real tree house.

And then, he take a better look at the tree house.

The tree house were apparently aren’t built on top of the tree. It was made by using the tree itself by expanding the branch till reached the size of a house. It was truly a marvelous tree house.

The interior of the house itself was quite splendid too. The lighting they used was light spirit instead of fire. If the lighting that used by human was something primitive like torch or oil lamp, then elves civilization was entirely coming from their familiarity with magic.

The furniture inside the house was also magnificence, elegant yet simple, a complete opposite from the human.

Though the elves residence seems to be primitive from the outside, Kuroki felt that it was far more comfortable than the residence of the human.

And thanks to the existence of magic, this world was more developed in some aspect than his world.

If magic can be used in his world too, it might’ve developed similar civilization.

「Please take your seat, Kuro-dono. I’ll leave for a while to prepare tea. Tess, come and give me a hand.」

「Ye~s.」

Davia and Tess went toward the kitchen.

（Is there only the two of them in this house?）

From they way they talk, Kuroki judged that there’s only the two of them living in this house.

He couldn’t feel the sign of another elf inside this house either.

The two then came back from the kitchen, bringing a wooden tray loaded with tea and food.

The two of them lined up the tea and the food on the table in front of Kuroki.

The tea has transparent red color and nice fragrance. The food was consisted of one flat and round bread and vegetable soup that used cabbage and carrot-like vegetable, the last food was a cake with dried fruit.

Kuroki reflexively leaning forward seeing those food.

It’s been a while since he had a proper meal after he left Nargol for a journey.

「Please dig in, Kuro-dono.」

Kuroki started with tasting the tea. It was the first time he tasted that flavor, but it was extremely delicious.

He then moved on to the soup. If he had to be honest, the flavor was in the thin side but, it was the most delicious dish for him who never had any proper meal during his journey.

「Is the food can’t satisfy your palate?」

Davia asked so to Kuroki.

「No, to be honest, it’s really delicious since I’ve never had any decent meal during my journey.」

Kuroki feels that the elves were more welcoming than the human.

Because even the immigration officer, the gatekeeper of Phteah kingdom drove him away as if he was a suspicious person. Kuroki felt complicated feeling when he recalled the difference between the two treatment.

It was to the point that he was almost crying due to the hospitality shown by Tess and her mother.

「Is that so? Please enjoy the meal to your heart desire then.」

Davia smiling happily as she said so.

It was the first time Kuroki ate a proper meal ever since the beginning of his journey.

Tess was smiling happily as she looked at Kuroki eating his food heartily.

◆

「Oooh, how I miss sleeping in the nice bed.」

As the night come, Kuroki was led toward the bedroom.

「This is rather fishy….」

Nut voiced his suspicion.

「Though I’m not that well versed in the knowledge about the elves, are they the kind of race that will give such warm welcome to a stranger?」

Kuroki felt the same way as Nut.

He wondered why did the elves gave him, a stranger such warm welcome when the few city that he visited along his journey always treated him coldly.

Moreover, though the elves falling in love with young human from time to time, they were generally known as unfriendly race toward outsider.

「Nevertheless. I can’t feel any hostility from Tess.」

Kuroki didn’t feel any hostility from the girl called Tess. On the contrary, she seems to like him.

「Any sign of them using spirit magic to hid their hostility?」

「I don’t think so…」

Kuroki denied that possibility.

The reason was because he saw no abnormality in Nut condition.

Because if they really used somesort of magic, Nut should’ve displayed reaction similar to when they’re in the fountain ara.

Though it’ll be another matter if the magic was only used on Kuroki, he saw that Tess was talking to Nut. She should’ve noticed that Nut aren’t just a common rat.

「But, they might be planning something. Maybe something like a personal request….」

That was something that Kuroki had not considered. Because he thought that they just paid their gratitude with one night of a good sleep and a hearty meal.

「A request?」

「She saw me killing Scylla with her own eyes. So she might want to ask me to exterminate another demon out there.」

「I see now, that’s reasonable indeed….」

Nut agreed with Kuroki’s view in the situation.

He then slipped into the bed. As Kuroki laid on the bed, he was surprised by its softness.

「Amazing, not even the bed in my world can be this comfortable.」

Though Kuroki was never sleep in high quality futon, he felt that this bed might be even better than that.

Kuroki once again thanked Tess for her hospitality.

She even went as far as preparing the bed for Nut too.

「G’nite, Nut…」

「G’nit—-」

It’s been a while since they sleep in the proper bed. The bed they’re using right now was not only extremely comfortable, it has a really nice smell too.

They never had any proper sleep during the journey, that’s why their fatigue was slowly accumulating by the days.

Kuroki felt that his consciousness was slowly descending into the darkness.

◆

Tess was looking at her father face in her parent’s bedroom.

「Tess, It seems Kuro-dono has fell asleep.」

Tess’s mother, Davia just returned from seeing Kuro’s situation.

「Have you told your father?」

""

「Yes, mother.」

Tess just finished reporting the matter about Kuro to her father a moment ago.

Tess was sitting on the edge of her parent’s bed, the bed where her father was currently sleeping at.

Her father was always sleeping even before Tess’s mother gave birth to Tess.

Tess feels that her handsome father was a match made in heaven with her mother.

（Naturally, Kuro isn’t falling behind either in term of look.）

Tess smiling delightfully when she recall the matter about Kuro.

Her father was always sleeping, she new see her father awake even once ever since she gained awareness.

Tess’s father is a human.

Elves race was the race of female, any female baby who was born from an elf was also an elf like their mother, in case the male baby was born, their race would be the same as their father race.

Since they hate the likes of goblins or orcs, majority of them choose to copulate with human.

That’s why despite having an older brother and little brother, they’re immediately sent toward the closest human settlement in accordance to the elves’s custom.

Tess’s two brothers might still living in human settlement right now.

And then, there’s never ending case of an elf who falling in love with a human boy quarreling with the human woman since they basically wanted to kidnap the man they love.

Tess’s mother, Davia was also involved in such case, quarreled with another woman when she tried to kidnap her husband to be. Naturally, the human woman who was far weaker than Davia couldn’t win against Davia, and got her man snatched away.

But, due to him beaing a human, Tess’s father have far shorter life span compared to elf, making them died far too fast compared to elf, in normal situation.

Though it’s possible for human to gain similar life span to that of an elf as long as the queen of elf used her special magic on them, the queen wouldn’t bestow such magic to someone unless they have the qualification to become a fairy knight.

That’s why majority of the elves husband’s lifespan was prolonged by using the combination of stagnation magic and sleeping magic.

Thus, Tess father was always sleeping due to the combination of the two magic.

Her father was always sleeping but alive, there’s no problem with his bodily function, he could made children even when asleep.

In case Tess want to talk with her father, she has to enter his dream with mind dive magic. Just like now, Tess reported the matter about meeting with Kuroki to her father via mind dive.

「He’s sleeping peacefully, so I can’t help but take a peek at his sleeping face. Mother is glad that you can find such a nice person. It seems you inherited my superior instinct.」

Tess nodded to her mother.

「Of course he is, Kuro is the man I choose after all. I just need a glance to know that he is my fated one.」

Tess felt a jolt in her heart when she saw Kuro for the first time at that Fountain. Thus, she wished to turn Kuro as her companion.

Tess was taught by her mother about the imprtance of trusting her instinct.

It seems Tess’s mother felt the same way when she met her father. She heard from her mother that she kidnapped her father with magic.

According to Davia, it wasn’t a big deal since it’s better for him to stay by her mother side, an elf who was by nature more beautiful than an ugly human girl.

Her mother telling the same thing to Tess in regard to Kuro.

That’s why Kuro will be happier if he stay by Tess’s side, forever. And she knew from Kuro raction that Kuro didn’t dislike Tess.

（It’ll be much better for Kuro to stay with me rather than a human girl.）

Tess was smiling with complacent smile as she dreaming the live with Kuro.

「Well, I shall go to visit Kuro’s room then, dear mother.」

After she said so, Tess proceeded to leave her parent’s room.

Tess was thinking about what to say in Kuro’s dream.

（He’s basically defenseless in the dream. That way i can ask various things to Kuro.）

Tess was humming hapily as she headed toward Kuro’s room.

◆

「Thank you very much for your favor.」

Kuroki thanked Davia and Tess.

Tess was looking at him with sad look in her eyes.

Kuroki couldn’t bear to see Tess’s sad face.

（Uuh, why did I dreamed such embarassing dream?）

In his dream last night, Kuroki dreamed that he became a couple with Tess.

（That dream was strangely real though.）

Kuroki did something really embarassing in his dream last night.

「Well then, I shall take my leave then.」

Davia made the same sad face as her daughter.

「My apologise, there’s a place that I’ve to visit no matter what…」

He couldn’t impose on Tess and Davia’s kindness more than this.

In fact, there was something that worrying him since this morning. As soon as he awake, he met Tess who has awoke earlier than him and then, he felt that her air was slightly different compared to yesterday.

Kuroki was worying about her condition.

「Thank yu very much. I’ll definitely pay this debt of gratitude.」

After he said so, when Kuroki turned around to leave the tree house.

「KUROKI!!!」

Tess came and called out his name.

「Tess?」

「Kuroki…. We… Can still meet again later… Right?」

Tess was crying on his chest.

「Yes, we’ll meet again in the future, Tess.」

Kuroki then gently brushing on Tess’s cheeks.

Though Kuroki was really embarassed for doing this, this action was less embarassing than what he did in his dream last night.

Kuroki then leaving, turning around so many times to wave his hands toward Tess.

And then, he only noticed “THAT” a while later.

「Come to think of it, how did Tess come to know my real name?」

◆

「Are you sure about this, Tess?」

Tess shook her head in response to her mother question.

「I mean, it really can’t be helped… I never expected him to be an otherworlder…. Kuroki has his own role in this world, that’s why it’s wrong to keeping him in this place.」

The night she spend in the dream along with Kuroki became Tess’s most cherished memories.

Tess also came to know Kuroki’s identity inside of that dream.

（Kuroki’s power was even more powerful than an average divine being… My magic didn’t work on him at all.）

That’s why Tess couldn’t make Kuroki hers.

Tess keep looking at Kuroki’s back.

The sight of Kuroki waving his hand to her even at this distance convinced Tess that Kuroki didn’t hate her.

Tess feels reassured since she knew that they’re definitely going to meet again later.

「See you again later, My Gentle Dark Knight.」

Tess said so as she looked at Kuroki’s silhouette.