Naya and Rula now stood at the edge of the forest, where the sign stood, designating it as Sorans Rainforest.
They easily snuck out through the morning workers, though some did eye them with a smile and waved.
Naya wasn't sure if she'd ever be back there again, but given what happened at the Silent Forest, she wasn't entirely dismissive of the idea. She would also be sure to send a healer to assist with Sora's injuries.
--I liked those two. I'm surprised they confine themselves to such a place.--
[Sora is weak, and Sarah wants to train her. ]
"It feels like we just ended a long journey, but it's only been a day!" Rula said excitedly. Her eyes were shining, and her sketchbook was at her side.
Naya heard footsteps behind her.
"Indeed it has, and it's a shame you'd try to leave without saying goodbye." Sarah's voice came from behind them.
"Sarah!" Rula exclaimed and ran over. "We didn't want it to be a big thing."
Sora was beside her, with her arm wrapped over Sarah's shoulder and wearing a loose white shirt.
"We knew," Sora said. She looked a bit saddened. "Still, it's a shame to see our heroes leave so soon."
Sarah nodded and looked over to Naya. "I trust tales of your guys' exploits will reach our ears."
"Of course!" Runa pounded her chest. "It'd be weird if you didn't end up hearing of us!"
Sora chuckled but stopped and hissed in pain. "We have new plans now; We're going to try and peacefully bring the villages together and connect with the outside world."
Naya wasn't there long enough to have any feelings toward that, but it sounded like a good thing.
--It is. If they can connect with the nearby territories, something like what happened with the Flameclaws won't happen again. They may even get their own Adventurers Hall.--
"It was... a pleasure," Naya said.
Sarah shook her head with a smile. "I can only ask you don't forget us, Naya."
"I'd like to ask you to visit, but I doubt you want to," Sora smiles sadly. "Still, your tales will become a legend in this little place."
Naya wasn't sure what else to say.
Rula ran up and gave Sarah a hug. "I hope you remember my painting lesson!"
"I will try to practice, Rula." Sarah hugged her back.
Next, she went up to Sora. "We didn't talk much, but I think you're cool!" She carefully hugged her.
"Why, thank you!" Sora smiled.
--You could learn a thing or two from her.--
[I would never do that.]
--Well, you just haven't found anyone else with a deep enough impact to say goodbye to.--
Rula let go of Sora and moved back beside Naya.
"I guess that's it." Sarah sadly smiled. "Goodbye, Naya and Rula."
Sora nodded. "Goodbye, our heroes."
With that, they turned around and walked away. Naya was pleased they didn't try to make it anything more significant than it had to be. While she had no ill feelings toward them, they weren't that close.
--You'll hear from them again, I have a feeling.--
[I can't imagine how.]
"Wow, it really does feel like the end of a journey!" Rula wiped her eyes.
"We will do even greater things than fight some weak beasts."
"I guess." Rula reached out and grabbed Naya's hand. "Let's go!"
Naya gripped her hand and smiled. "Yes, back to the human city."
--Rozen.--
Hours later, Naya and Rula walked hand-in-hand down a dirt path through wetlands with little interruption, silent as they felt the wind blow and the bugs chirp.
Rula was getting tired, but it was perfect timing since Naya could see a village in the distance.
It was a reasonably large one but didn't have a wall and was obviously a farming community, given how large the fields were.
"Look!" Rula shouted excitedly, "Finally, something!"
People were working the farms, and quite a few larger buildings were scattered among the village, which showed it had some success.
A massive building in the distance stuck out to her; it had to be the largest she had seen outside of Rozen.
Naya didn't want to stop there, but they could try and get access to a cart to bring them the rest of the way.
"We will stop there for a bit."
--Get ready for lots of attention.--
While she didn't want it, Naya knew it was unavoidable, so she prepared for the inevitable.
A while later, they were walking into the confines of the town.
People stopped what they were doing and stared, but it seemed something more significant was going on, as a large crowd of people were gathered in front of a massive, 5-story building in the center of the village.
"What's going on over there?"
Rula's beaming curiosity told Naya they could not avoid whatever was occurring.
--Seems you are destined never to have a normal time in a village.--
Naya almost audible groaned.
They continued into the village. It seemed almost the entire population was gathering at the building, and the clamoring flooded her ears. It prevented her from hearing what was going on in front of it.
She wanted to stop but felt Rula pulling on her hand. "My adventurer sense is tingling!"
Lia laughed. --Give a girl some power, and now she wants to stick her nose into anything. --
[She is going to be the death of me.]
Naya did not want to be caught up in more human troubles, especially when it didn't have anything to do with the guild, and thus had no purpose for her involvement.
When they reached the crowd, Rula released Naya's hand and pushed in. "Make way! Powerful Elf coming through!"
It worked; people turned their heads, and their eyes went wide with their mouths agape.
"E-elf..."
"Is she here for..."
"No Way..."
"Impossible..."
"Move guys, she'll smite us!"
"Make way, make way! Elf coming through."
[This damn halfling!]
She purposefully took advantage of Naya's race to cut through the crowd, and it worked wonders as the people began to spread apart slowly, all making various shocked comments and staring at her long ears.
--She's a fox borrowing the might of a tiger!--
[I will have a talk with this girl later.]
It wasn't like the stares did anything to her, but now she had to deal with whatever was happening.
--She's desperate to make your names known and won't pass up on the opportunity to get involved in something. I think she's good for you.--
Naya knew she had to get used to stares like those and the comments that followed. It would be like that wherever she went and for a long time.
"What's all this about?!" A young girl's voice sounded.
"Princess, please."
Eventually, they reached the front, and nearly every person in the crowd had their eyes on Naya.
Standing in front of the double doors into the massive building was a young child with long green hair and emerald green eyes. If Naya didn't know better, she'd have assumed she was a witch.
[I thought odd hair color was a sign of a witch.]
--It used to be, but that appears not to be the case anymore.--
The tiara on the girl's head had a green gem embedded in the center; it was a beautiful gem, even to Naya's eyes.
[That's an artifact.]
--Yeah, but for what? I cannot imagine.--
Standing next to the girl was an older male with white hair pulled back and a small white bead; his eyes were brown, and he carried himself like a seasoned warrior.
--A princess and her escort, way out here?--
Both of the two were staring at Naya.
"You're an Elf!" The girl yelled and pointed at Naya.
"Brilliant observation," Naya said blankly. She had a distaste for stating the obvious.
"Don't make fun of me!"
The girl was about as tall as Rula, which put her over 4 and a half feet.
Rula looked at her in awe. "Are you a princess?" She seemed whimsical.
The girl moved her eyes to Rula and suddenly beamed with excitement. "A Halfing! Dwarf halfling!"
She ran up to Rula and grabbed both her hands.
Naya almost moved but held herself back; the child would not be a threat.
"Princess, you're being insulting." The man, whom Naya assumed was her butler, bowed toward her. "My apologies, Madam..."
"Naya."
"My apologies, Madam Naya." The butler moved and pulled on the princess's shoulder. "Princess, please."
"I'm Rula!" Rula shook the princess's hands.
The princess nodded excitedly. "And my name is Evelyn Cornelia, 2nd Princess of the Cornelia Empire!"
--A Princess of the country, all the way out here?--
[She looks no older than 14.]
"Woah! You really are a princess then!"
Evelyn held her head higher. "Of course!" She shook Rula's hands. "What about you? You're cute, just like me, so you must be a princess too!"
Rula flushed but shook her head. "Not yet, I'm just an adventurer."
"That's even cooler!" Evelyn's excitement increased. "I want to be an adventurer too, but my Dad won't let me."
--Ah, the good ol' Adventurers Disease.--
[What? ]Naya had an idea but wanted to have it confirmed.
--Exactly what you'd imagine. No matter their origin, every youth wanted to be an Adventurer, and some even ran away to do it. It was a serious problem during the guild's earlier days.--
[That makes sense. Mother would have been distraught if I had wanted to do anything other than magic.]
"Why not?" Rula asked.
"Bleh. Royal duties and all that boring stuff." Evelyn looked disgusted, but it turned back into a smile. "But I'll convince him soon!"
The butler looked helplessly at Naya. "We're currently on a journey around the country."
"Yeah, what Alex said." Evelyn let go of Rula's hands and looked back up to Naya. "But anyway, you're an Elf!"
"Evidently."
Her energy was just like Rula's, and Naya knew the two would make an excellent pair of friends.
Evelyn nodded. "I've wanted to see another one."
[Aleria's leaves. Are you kidding me?]
Rula noticed Naya's frozen expression and moved before Evelyn. "You've seen another Elf?"
"Seen?" Evelyn tilted her head. "Of course I have! One of Father's advisors is an Elf!"
--What the fuck? --Lia seemed as flabbergasted as Naya was.
"Explain." Naya commanded.
"Rude! I don't wanna!" Evelyn crossed her arms and looked away in a mock pout.
"Please, Evelyn, Elves are Naya's people, and she wants to meet them," Rula said diplomatically.
--You may not like it, but you'll have to at least act humble if you mingle with the royalty.--
"Please," Naya added.
Evelyn nodded. "You're just like Sumina; Father said it took a long time for her to behave like a normal person, and she still fails a lot!"
Naya tried to recall the name, but nothing came to her memory.
--I don't recognize the name either, but we can't possibly know the name of every Elf.--
[But why would a random Elf be outside Aleria? I must meet with her.]
"My lady, please, we must get going. We've already spoken to the people here and must make haste to Rozen."
"You guys are going to Rozen?" Rula asked excitedly.
"Yep! That's our final stop before we head back to the capital." Evelyn kept her eyes on Naya. "You guys should come with us!"
--Don't---
[I know.]
"We would appreciate it if we could accompany you on the journey." Naya tried to sound as respectful as she could, but it sounded fake since she did not mean it.
"You don't have to pretend!" Evelyn chuckled. "But there's plenty of room, so please join us!"
Naya's ears twitched, and she nodded.
Evelyn reached over and grabbed Rula's hand. "Let's go, Alex!"
The butler, Alex, was anything but normal. He may be old and subservient to the princess, but Naya felt as though he were more akin to a caged lion.
He bowed his head slightly, then looked up at the still-formed crowd.
"Thank you, people of Cornelia, for doing us the honor of allowing his highness to introduce his daughter to you!"
His voice raised, and Naya's ears twitched at the sudden booming noise. The crowd behind her thunderously applauded as Alex gestured for Evelyn to move.
"Come this way; my carriage is a little up the road!"
"Okay!" Rula yelled back.
The crowd made way for them to move, made easier by Naya's presence as they all avoided touching her.
[Why do many think I would violently lash out at the drop of a hat?]
--I joked about it before, but it is a little odd that they even avoid talking to you. --
[You mentioned you did not witness the last two hundred years. Perhaps something else happened during that time; it is long.]
--You're right; the world didn't seem different... And time becomes a little warped when you live as long as I have.--
Naya couldn't imagine what could have happened in that time that wouldn't have reached her eyes in Aleria since that sort of history would not be able to get erased.
--I always thought it was more like a buffer period, a calm before the next storm.--
[Things do seem to be moving.]
Elves outside Aleria, dragon corpses, unnatural Witch powers, and even her exile. It seemed to Naya that pieces were being moved around on some board.
--I can feel it brewing, too, but who knows? It's not something we can concern ourselves with right now.--
The group eventually reached outside the town, and Naya cringed internally when she saw what they were using as transportation.
[It seems we will take longer to get there than I thought.]
It was a flying carriage, similar to the one Naya had seen Sanctum use outside the Silent Forest. Though painted in white and gold, it looked like a regular carriage and was much larger to fit royalty.
"Tadah!" Evelyn presented it like she was the builder. "This is Cornelia's newest creation, and I get to use it!"
Alex approached it and opened the door, "Please, step in."
Evelyn still gripped Rula's hand and jumped right in, along with Rula eagerly following.
--She seems to be more excited about Rula than about you.--
[It's better this way.]
Once Naya stepped in, she was frozen by the sight of a large blue crystalline object directly on the roof. "What is that?"
Alex moved inside and shut the door. "That is an Arcana Crystal, a powerful generator of unique Arcana."
--I've... never heard of that.-- Lia sounded mesmerized. A-- thing that can produce its own unique Arcana? That... that is absurd.--
Naya was just as stunned.
Even the Elves didn't have such a thing, and for it to be used in such a mundane thing as a carriage meant it was common. She then recalled the lights she had seen in the village outside the Silent Forest. She didn't even think to question it back then, but if those were the same, then it spoke of their surplus.
[This doesn't make sense! If Aleria knew of a dragon's corpse, wouldn't we have known about these powerful crystals showing up?]
--I think you guys do have them, and they just haven't been widespread because it kind of messes with a lot of people's positions.--
[That's not... ]Naya wanted to dismiss it. Would they not be widespread in Aleria just because some people might not like their position removed?
She suddenly recalled a memory, a night years ago, when her mother came home in a rage over the Elders forbidding her from using a certain technology she claimed could forever change Aleria. It was common back then for her ideas to get rejected, so Naya didn't give it much thought. But it could have been the crystals...
--Yes. Your mother is perhaps the most forward-thinker in your whole race. Without her and her advancements, I struggle to think where Aleria would be.--
Naya felt complicated. For the Elves, a race so much more powerful than every other being, to be behind the rest of the world...
She felt like she was the barbarian finally being introduced to civilization.
--This is what I meant back then; the other races move forward staggeringly fast. But your people are still ruled by the same Elders who ruled centuries ago and do not want to see change.--
Alex placed his hands on top of it; it glowed a bright blue for a moment and made a slight hum. A second later, it looked as though it contained some form of liquid as it rippled.
"That's how you activate it! Haha, you're just as surprised as Sumina was!" Evelyn was watching Naya intently and observing her expressions.
[I have to get one of these.]
Something can generate its own Arcana passively and be used to power spells. Naya couldn't imagine the limit of what could be possible with such an item.
She had a new fear: a terrible future where the Elves were forced to bow before the technological might of the mortal races.
--Agreed.--
The carriage slowly hovered off the ground and began to move forward.
"Woah~" Rula stared out the window in the doors.
"Amazing, isn't it?" Evelyn spoke with pride. "Our applications with the Arcana Crystals are unmatched and will take us to the top of the food chain!"
Naya stayed silent. She knew magic; she knew what it meant to have a power source outside of a mortal body.
It was difficult to accept.