Elven Forest (2)

“Ms. Elena, is there any way to fool the Elves’ eyes of truth? No matter what, taking two dragons with us is bound to cause a real uproar.”

“I too agree with that. But…”

Elena shook her head with a face that blamed herself for not thinking of any solutions.

“Hehehe, fools.”

Then Sereina, standing next to us, became arrogant.

“Why? Do you have some good method that makes you so confident?”

When I asked, Sereina pointed at Rurin, still being arrogant.

“Yes. Although I’m not sure about that black one.”

Rurin, being pointed at, immediately retorted.

“What nonsense is this from the Red Dragon!”

“Oh, so you know?”

“I know. It’s obvious.”

“What is it?”

“I’m also a dragon. How could I not know about mana? Hmmm.”

“Oh, Rurin, so you know?”

I asked too, and Rurin glanced at me. Then she lowered her head.

“I don’t know. Hmph.”

At Rurin’s declaration of defeat, Sereina started laughing heartily.

Hugging Rurin who was hanging on me, I glared at Sereina with Rurin’s resentment.

“So what’s your method?”

“Why are you looking at me so fiercely?”

“…Alright. See, I’m gentle now? Now tell me.”

“You should have done that earlier. There’s a simple method. Just cover their eyes. Those elves see the truth through their opponents’ eyes.”

“Oh, really? Is that true, Ms. Elena?”

“Yes. It’s true.”

Elena nodded. It must be true. Just cover their eyes. It’s a bit difficult in this era, but with modern technology, it’s not a hard condition to meet.

“But if you cover your eyes, you can’t see ahead. You’ll have to sense everything with mana, which is too troublesome. You can’t do that. Just reveal your identity.”

“I don’t mind closing my eyes.”

As Sereina grimaced, Rurin closed her eyes with a serene face. Then she hooked her arm around mine.

“I don’t mind because I have your eyes. I’m different from the red one. Hehe, if you want, I’ll close my eyes! But I won’t leave your side!”

“Oh, really?”

As the two of us were having that conversation, Sereina started rubbing her arms and screaming.

“This is ridiculous!”

It was as if she was about to flip the table. But Rurin didn’t react at all. She just closed her eyes and leaned on me. Her smile was serene. She looked happy.

I didn’t want to disrupt her happiness, but if covering the eyes is all it takes, then the problem is already solved.

“Rurin, open your eyes for now. I have a better method.”

“What! Why is there such a thing?”

Rurin’s question seemed to ask why such a thing existed. Sereina also tilted her head. Elena couldn’t even join the conversation.

Well, if it’s about just covering the eyes, nothing beats sunglasses. Since they don’t exist in this world, there’s naturally no way to avoid the Elves’ lie detection ability.

I summoned two pairs of sunglasses through summoning magic. A round black hole.

If I reach into that black hole, I’ll have to shift dimensions again. Once I shift dimensions, I can’t return until my mana recovers, and that recovery is very slow. So, I must avoid touching it by mistake.

In fact, this black hole occurred because the number and scale of summoning magic increased as I fully absorbed the dragon orb.

So, I have no choice but to accept the risk.

Anyway, when I emitted mana, two pairs of sunglasses fell into my hands from the black hole. Rurin and Sereina blinked as they looked at the sunglasses.

“What is that? If you wear something that dark, you won’t be able to see ahead anyway…”

“You, I feel like I’ve seen that before, or maybe not. What is it?”

The two dragons spoke simultaneously. So I put the sunglasses on Rurin’s face first.

What I summoned were ShaO sunglasses. A luxury brand. Of course, I couldn’t choose the design as it was random.

“How is it?”

“Ooh, the world is dark! But I can see well. Your face is dark! Hehehe.”

As Rurin poked my face and enjoyed herself, Sereina, curious, put her hand out.

When I handed the sunglasses to Sereina, she put them on just like Rurin. Since both were such beauties, the sunglasses suited them very well. The pure-looking Rurin had a somewhat elegant vibe, while Sereina looked endlessly glamorous.

“Oh, what’s this? You have such interesting things?”

“Well, there’s such a thing. Ms. Elena, how is it? Can you discern the truth?”

She shook her head.

Elena shook her head. She looked somewhat aggrieved.

“Uh…”

“Yes?”

“Mr. El, maybe…”

“Yes?”

“Isn’t there one more?”

Elena asked. It was unusual for this selfless elf to ask for something.

Was she jealous of the two women laughing with sunglasses on? Elena quickly lowered her head, embarrassed by her request.

She’s too kind for me to say anything. What else needs to be said? I immediately summoned one more pair of sunglasses.

“Alright, this is the right area, isn’t it? If we land directly in the Elf Forest, the sunglasses will be pointless.”

Sereina declared after using teleportation.

“That’s right.”

She’s a thoughtful one. I mean Sereina. Elena, perhaps because she had returned home, took off the sunglasses she was wearing with curiosity and carefully put them away.

The two dragons, still wearing their sunglasses, put their hands on their hips and looked around the forest, expressing their admiration.

“Oh, you. This forest is quite fascinating. Ah! More importantly, we don’t need that red one anymore. I remember this place, so let’s leave her behind.”

“Well, she’s not needed. She’s not.”

Sereina immediately interrupted our conversation, stamping her feet.

“I’m Elena’s protector!”

“Elena is my subordinate!”

Rurin still didn’t give up her claim that Elena was her subordinate. I lost count of how many times I denied it. It’s really tiring.

“She’s neither of yours, okay? Ms. Elena is just a kind elf from Greek City. Both of you? So, could you please step away from Ms. Elena?”

I dragged the dragons, causing the commotion, by the scruff of their necks with both hands.

Then we followed Elena into the forest. A group of elves descended in front of us. From the trees, that is.

“This is the sacred Elf Forest. Travelers, the Elf Forest is currently… Oh? Lady Elena?”

The elves recognized each other.

Elena also nodded with a very happy face.

“Long time no see! Lillinia.”

The elf who had blocked our way ran to Elena and grabbed her hand. She seemed very happy.

“Lady Elena, it’s been so long. Are you back for good?”

“No, the Chief urgently summoned me back. Is there something happening in the Elf Forest?”

“Well, that’s…”

I noticed that the elves’ faces suddenly darkened.

“See, I told you I volunteered as her protector for a reason? Elena should be grateful for such an honor.”

Sereina whispered in my ear, confirming what I saw. It was indeed true.

“Lady Elena, who are the people behind you?”

The elf named Lillinia looked at us. She was curious about the two women wearing very unusual sunglasses and me.

“They are people I became close to in Greek City.”

“Is that so? Ah, I’ll guide you to the Chief. Guests who came with Lady Elena are also welcome.”

Elves are elves. Even though something seemed to be wrong, as soon as they knew we were guests brought by one of their own, they maintained a courteous attitude and guided us politely without turning us away.

It was my first time entering the Elf Forest. There were many fresh aspects. I’ve lived in this world for 15 years, yet there were many plants and trees I hadn’t seen before.

The trees, in particular, were quite unique.

Their uniqueness was unlike anything I had seen in both this world and my original one.

The trees stretched straight and tall, almost obscuring the sky. They were as straight as bamboo, but much thicker.

And there were houses in various places on those trees. In high places.

They were probably the houses of the elves. I had heard about it.

From the houses high above, elves looked down at us one by one.

Lillinia explained the situation to us, in place of those gazes.

“It’s been a long time since an outsider came in, so everyone is curious. Don’t be offended, guests of the Forest.”

“Oh, it’s alright.”

I nodded as if it was nothing and, walking under those gazes, soon saw a very large building in the center of the forest.

“Lady Neria!”

Lillinia bowed to us and then entered the building. Soon, more than ten elves came out of the building.

They were all blond and beautiful.

Seeing them, Elena stepped forward and embraced the elf in the center.

“Lady Neria, I came because you called. What’s going on?”

“Welcome back.”

Neria patted Elena’s back without saying anything.

“Oh, who are the people behind you?”

“They are benefactors who helped me in Greek City. They are more than qualified to be guests of the Forest, so please treat them well.”

When Elena calmly explained, the elf called Neria glanced at us and nodded.

However, the slightly puzzled expression hadn’t completely disappeared. It was probably because of the sunglasses Rurin and Sereina were wearing.

The presence of the sunglasses blocking the Elves’ eyes seemed to bother her.

But since Elena herself called us benefactors, she couldn’t ask anything directly and just nodded. That’s how much Elena was recognized in the Elf Forest.

“Elena, since it’s dinner time, we will treat the guests. After that, we need to have a talk, so please wait until then.”

“Yes, I understand, Lady Neria.”

As Neria said that, Elena nodded strongly.

Soon, all the elves started gathering in front of the building. They sat around in layers. The sight of so many elves sitting in layers was quite spectacular.

But the faces of all the elves weren’t bright. From Lillinia to Neria, the chief, they all looked somber.

It was undeniable that something was wrong. They said they’d tell Elena later, so we would soon find out what it was.

“You helped Elena?”

“Yes? Uh, I think so.”

“I think I’ve heard the stories. You seem to be the one who always appears in Elena’s tales about the city.”

Neria smiled and looked at me kindly. The Elf Forest and Elena must have exchanged messages frequently.

But the part about me frequently appearing in the stories was a bit strange. When I looked at Elena, she suddenly lowered her head.

“Anyway, let’s serve the food. It might not suit your tastes… I apologize in advance.”

When Neria gestured, various vegetables were delivered to the seated elves.

Earlier, I had seen these plants growing all over the trees. These were wild plants and herbs that grew directly in the Elf Forest.

Rurin looked at me in horror.

Sereina didn’t seem to like it either.

Elena whispered with a troubled face.

“I’m sorry. But this is all we eat.”

“Hmm, if that’s the case, then there’s nothing we can do… Ah!”

Then at least we should have some dressing. I had a good idea and spoke to Neria.

“Lady Neria, I have a gift for you as a visitor. Would you accept it?”

“A gift?”

Neria, who was about to eat the vegetables reverently, asked and shook her head.

“It’s nothing special, but I’ll show you a way to enhance the flavor. Could you wait a moment?”

As I stood up, the blond heads turned to look at me. It was quite a unique experience. All the beautiful elves looking at me at once.