Ackster realized who he was talking to and what Willow wanted his help for. It also made sense she had mentioned his talent when she told him why she wanted his help rather than his current capabilities or something she had seen him do. He was a little curious about what talent she had seen in the short period they had been in each other's vicinity.
Well, he didn't know Willow's exact identity, but he knew her status, at least part of it, and where she came from.
"Still not interested. Look for someone else."
But he wasn't going to reveal what he knew since that information, especially the fact that her skill Friends of the Forest was an elf-exclusive skill, wasn't something he should know. It wasn't just a matter of not being suspicious. He just stood nothing to gain by revealing what he knew. Though, he could confirm that her words were true.
If he helped her and she won the succession battle, getting a small kingdom of his own wasn't out of reach. So, there might be something to gain. Someone with that kind of influence could definitely be of help in his preparation for stopping the end of the world and The Hero who would cause it.
But there were several problems with going through with the decision to help Willow.
The entire elven succession battle was a complete mess for multiple reasons, such as all the elves below a certain age being allowed to participate and the fact that, unlike humans, elves were relatively united. They had different tribes and countries, but they were all under one ruling force, the Forest of Eternity.
And this succession battle would select the next spokesperson for the Forest of Eternity. The power and influence such a person held over the elves was basically enough for them to do whatever they wanted on Arboria, the elven continent. Some elves were power-hungry and greedy, others wanted to make change, and several just wanted the position to make sure no one else became the spokesperson.
Regardless of the reason, a lot of elves wanted to try and become the spokesperson of the Forest of Eternity. And many of them were willing to do whatever it took.
The chances of Willow ending up the winner were as close to zero as something could get. And that wasn't everything either.
With how influential the elves with their united leadership were, a lot of the other peoples and countries in the world also got involved. Of course, the elders of the Forest of Infinity ensured that there would be nothing too extreme, like a country using all the S-classes at their disposal to put an elf of their choosing on the spot.
But there was a tacit agreement, however, that whoever the elves recruited on their own was allowed to participate in the battle.
And that was where Ackster's primary concern came in.
One of The Hero's companions was an elf. Naturally, he and his other companions helped their comrade. The Hero and his comrades put an end to the succession battle two years before the final fight with The Calamity, which left them with enough time to make the most out of their elven companion's position before the final world-saving and world-ending battle.
Ackster had no interest in getting mixed up in that when it was bound to drain his time and efforts like nothing else, especially when their success was far from guaranteed. In fact, trying to help Willow would bring him closer to a bad end rather than help him stop the end of the world.
The only exception would be if he could speedrun the succession battle and help Willow ascend to the spokesperson position before The Hero even got involved. He had seven years before The Hero did it in the original story and maybe five or six before he met his elven companion, so it wasn't entirely impossible if he really racked his brains and pulled out all the stops.
If he revealed what he knew of the world and the future from having read the original story, and Willow had even the slightest modicum of influence, even without being the spokesperson, they could probably achieve greatness.
But it was a huge gamble that would put him and the world at risk, even if it succeeded, since it meant detracting a lot from his personal growth and the development of a team that could fight against The Hero and his companions.
Ackster considered it briefly while staring down Willow, who refused to budge.
He was pretty sure that as long as The Hero didn't get involved, he could get pretty far in getting Willow the position as spokesperson of the Forest of Eternity. But, while there was no telling what kind of ripples his actions would have on the original story and what would happen in the future, it would hardly be worth it for him.
And while The Hero losing allies and strength was technically good since it meant it would be easier to defeat him, it also meant The Hero would have a harder time defeating The Calamity. And if The Hero failed his mission, Ackster would be powerless to stop The Calamity on his own.
"Alright, fine."
Ackster gave up. He didn't have time to wait for an elf's patience to run out.
"You'll help me?"
"If I get the opportunity to, I'll lend you my aid sometime in the future. As long as the circumstances don't cause me any trouble or anything."
"Yes! Thank you! I won't let you go back on your word."
Willow showed intense emotion for the first time since their meeting. But Ackster couldn't be bothered with her anymore. There were still people lurking around and waiting for Ackster to leave with the heavenly treasure.
"You can tell if I'm lying or not, right? If there's nothing else, why don't you get going? Oh, and take that guy with you. I'm sure he would be happy to help."
"Yeah. If nothing else, his spirit is admirable."
Willow turned around under Ackster's watch and walked over to Tenrick. She knelt down and placed her hand above his chest.
Ackster raised an eyebrow when that hand started emitting a soft green glow.
Willow looked back at him, and he was pretty sure he could hear a wink as she spoke.
"A little teaser of what you're missing out on."
'A healer would have been nice. Still not worth it, though.'
Ackster shrugged, unimpressed.
"Man, most people throw themselves at me after fighting out that I'm a healer that can also fight."
"I'm not most people."
"You don't say. Well, since that didn't work. How about this?"
Willow pointed her other hand in a direction of the forest, and as her hand lit up with another bout of soft green light, the trees moved, grew, and transformed to create an arched pathway.
"That will take you out of the grove without worrying about any ambushes."
"Thanks, I guess."