Somewhere along the line, Victoria decided to interlock arms with me. I suppose this was move on her part to either attract prying eyes or to keep them away.
I don't really mind, this was something I did for friends of mine in the past, they said it made them feel safer.
"Looks like we've arrived," Victoria said.
We were now standing in front of what was noticeably the largest and most refined manor in the capital.
"This is where your friend lives?" I asked.
She waved a hand. "Oh no, this is where I live, my friend's just visiting."
"Uh-huh..."
Wait, if she lives here and she's being visited, why was she walking about like she was going somewhere? This lady....
"Well, I had a great time accompanying you. I assume this is where we go our seperate ways."
Her arm tightened around my own ever so slightly.
"Nonsense, why don't you come inside? I'm sure my friend wouldn't mind one more person. I certainly wouldn't," she insisted.
I don't think that would be a good idea. I don't even really belong in this society.
"Getting closer to Victoria may be beneficial in the long run. She's also very kind and intelligent. Perhaps you should go along with her," Erythro suggested.
Hmm...alright, but I need to check back in on Juro and the others.
"I'll take you up on that offer, but I'll need a moment," I stated.
Victoria raised an eyebrow. "Ho~a moment to do what?"
I focused on my hideout in the slums and activated my spatial magic.
I appeared for a outside of the pocket dimension I created. I peered inside and saw that everyone was still fine. Lyla and Emilia were cradling Juro.
I was worried by the prospect that he still hadn't woken up. Maybe there's something that even magic can't recover.
I teleported back to where Victoria was once I confirmed that everything was okay.
I'm noticing that I'm getting the hang of spatial magic. I'm conserving much more each time I warp space now. With enough practice, maybe I can warp time too...nah. Who do I think I am, Dio?
"T-that was spatial magic!" Victoria exclaimed.
I shrugged my shoulders. "Yeah, it's pretty useful."
Victoria protested further. "But it's one of the most difficult magic techniques to master, in fact, I can only list how many users I know on one hand."
I scratched my head, I was sure what to say.
"I studied hard. Giving up never helped me in the past."
Victoria led me inside her manor. The doors to the front seemingly opened on their own. Upon stepping inside, it was revealed that it was just 2 maids.
Automatic doors would be too modern for my sanity anyway.
"If I may ask, what academy did you attend?" Victoria questioned.
Academy? I remember going to OBU (Olive Branch Univeristy) back on Earth, but that probably doesn't exist here.
"I never attended one. I guess you could say I've had a lot of different mentors,"I said.
"Interesting..."
Victoria led me up a flight of stairs and up to a two wooden doors. The doors were opened again by two maids. I assume they can trace Victoria's mana or something.
We stepped through the doorway as the doors closed behind us. The room was amazing in every sense of the world. The furniture looked expensive and well built, something I could never hope to obtain. The floors were spotless, and the lighting was practically perfect.
As I was admiring the room, I was caught off guard by the figure of a small child tripping in front of me.
The kid pushed themselve up off the ground, look up at me, then started crying. I probably should have avoided eye contact, Victoria obviously was.
This kid looks familiar. Blonde hair, fair skin, and violet eyes...
Before I could put my finger on it, a woman rush over to cradle the child.
"What did I tell you about running too fast, let me see your face. I'm really sorry about this Victoria." The woman said.
"No, no, it's all well and good. Kids will be kids."
"I can't thank you enough for listening to my pleas," The woman lamented as she looked up to face the doorway.
Her eyes drifted from Victoria, then to me. That aura, that appearance, the kid, and even her voice...There's no doubt about it, this is the same female Elf I encountered in the Elven Forest. What's she doing here?
"Is this a friend of yours?" She asked to Victoria.
Huh? Does she not recognize me? Maybe it's my stealth, or perhaps it's my acting...
"Yes, this is Milo, he's quite a talented individual. He accompanied me here, and even warded off some seedy nobles in the process."
"Oh, I see..." The Elf said as she stood up.
She extended a hand out for a handshake. I returned the gesture.
"Faylen, nice to meet you," she said with a warm smile.
"Likewise."
We released our grip and returned our attention to Victoria.
Victoria broke the silence. "Now that that's out of the way, let's get down to business."
We were guided to a round table with about 8 seats situated around it. Victoria was the first to take a seat. I took a seat next to her, and Faylen sat across from us. Her kids settled on playing some game about magic constructs off to the side. They made tiny golems fight to see whose would get knocked over first.
"Tell me about your issue, you said it was rather serious last time we spoke."
"Yes, the Eleven Forest of Loramoira is in danger. At first, everything seemed fine, but little by little animals began to disappear. Food's becoming scarce, and Elves xenophobia isn't helping our situation. They're far too prideful and scared to reach out for help," Faylen confessed.
Now that I recall it, she's right. There were little to no animals in the Elven Forest, and Valren was unusually fearful of humans.
Victoria pondered the thought for moment. "That most certainly is a problem. Have you any idea about how long has this has been going on?"
"3-4 months maybe," Faylen guessed.
"I see, if all that you say is true, what was it that brought you to me in the first place."
"About that...I encountered a human not to long ago in the Elven Forest actually. My husband, Valren attacked him unprevoked. The human bested him in battle and had every right to kill him then and there, he could have even brought harm to us, his wife and kids, but he didn't. They were quite the scary individual, but I could tell they had a warm heart,"
I can't tell if she knows it's me or not; best to play it safe for now.
"I considered that maybe my opinion of humans had been wrong, so I reached out to you for help with my newfound beliefs." Faylen finished.
"How peculiar, what could a human have been doing in the Elven Forest? Could it be leaked to the disappearences in animals?"
I swear I have nothing to do with it.
Faylen bit her lip. "I don't think that's it. All of us Elves have felt it for a while actually. We're very in tune with the mana of the forest afterall. There's been something very wrong in the heart of the forest, but everyone that's been sent to investigate hasn't returned."
I immediately recalled my fight with the Wendigo and felt a shiver run down my spine. The details are way too similar.
"So you want to figure out what's wrong with the forest then?" Victoria insinuated.
Faylen nodded. "Yes, I believe that whatever it is should resolve all of this."
"I see what you're saying, but...there's just too many unknown variables," Victoria admitted.
"I understand, but any degree of help would be greatly appreciated." Faylen followed this up by bowing deeply.
"I see, Milo, what do you think?" Victoria turned to me, genuinely looking for input.
I thought about it for a moment. "I've seen a situation like this before. Last time, I had to deal with a Wendigo. The current situation has too many correlations: lack of animal life, disappearences, distorted mana, it all points to the Wendigo. If that's the case, then there's not way you can handle things on your own."
Faylen seemed deep in thought. "A Wendigo..."
I nodded in confirmation. "I've dealt with one before, if need be, I can offer my assistance here as well."
Victoria spoke up. "While I can't control what you decide to do, it is still dangerous. Of course, I can tell you're fairly strong, but are you sure about this?"
"I don't mind, the only problem is if the other Elves would be accepting of my presence." I stated.
Faylen chimmed in. "I've already informed the elders that I would seek help from humans. Everything they say is absolute, so no Elves should get in your way. However, if you were to fail or deviate, I would be banished from Loramoira for eternity alongside my family."
Even with the stakes so high, she had the resolve to still come and seek the aid of humans. It must really be bad out there.
"I'll go...but first I need to eat something." I said as I scratched my head.
Mana's a great subsitute for food and all, but sometimes, you just want to chew and taste.
"8 Minutes Later"
I was given an entire pound cake and some coffee. I'm not ashamed to admit that I got emotional. I haven't had anything sweet in a long time.
Alright, let's get this over with.
I didn't have the Elven Forest mapped out very well, but I know it's general location using Electromagnetic Sense. Now that I think about it, the fields are all messed up, weird.
"I'm going now," I stated.
"Huh? Right now? But the forest is at least 20km away, maybe you should wait for a while," Faylen protested.
I disregared her worries and teleported outside of the Forest. Strange, I meant to teleport into the center, but I feel like my mana was blocked from reaching that far.
Guess I'll just have to fly.