"They say they know the reason why those trees suddenly withered in just one day," Wika's voice snapped Elara out of her reverie.
The short figure in black robes, no longer emanating a mysterious aura but familiar to Elara, remained calm and nodded as if confirming what Wika said when introducing her.
Elara raised one eyebrow, not expecting that Wika, who initially acted suspiciously, was now willingly introducing the short, robed figure to her.
'Did the villagers hire people from the information guild...? As far as I know, the prices for information there are exorbitant...' Elara thought, feeling puzzled.
Even though Flora village's profits have exceeded those of 5 years ago, they still cannot afford to spend more than the income of the entire population of this village.
'As I thought, it seems like the village chief and the others were so panicked about the last wood issue that they didn't think about the costs at all...' Elara pondered this deeply before looking at Wika and the short, robed figure for a moment.
For a while, Elara felt that this problem was quite serious. But then she recalled the familiar aura that the short, robed figure in front of her gave off.
An aura that made Elara believe that whoever this short, mysterious-robed figure was, they would not do anything detrimental to this forest.
'Therefore, I hope this problem can be resolved easily by competent guild members!' Elara thought, looking at the short, robed figure with eyes full of anticipation.
The short figure in the robe jolted when they realized Elara's eyes were looking at them with a meaningful look, which made them almost took of the hood of their robe, but they quickly adjusted it again.
Wika, completely unaware of the interaction between Elara and the short, robed figure, continued his ramblings, bragging about being the only village youth with connections to the famous information guild for a while. Elara winced at his words, prompting her to decide to say goodbye.
'Let the adults handle this because I'm just a 5-year-old kid who doesn't understand anything!'
Elara decided to leave this problem to the experts. After all, this matter had nothing to do with her or her mother, so she didn't want to get involved.
'If something bad is happening in this forest, then the village chief will send an important report to the three Kingdoms, and they will immediately send help. They absolutely cannot ignore the Galatea territory, especially now that it's not being guarded by the Queen who is known to be asleep somewhere.'
Yes, Elara acted and thought coldly and indifferently, not caring because this forest problem wasn't her problem, even though her heart felt agitated for some reason.
Therefore, Elara wanted to leave here and calm her mysteriously turbulent emotions that raged without stopping.
But Wika's next words made it impossible for Elara to pretend not to care.
"From the information provided by the information guild, the cause of these suddenly withering trees could be the presence of strange trees."
"... Strange trees?" Elara tilted her head.
"Yes, have you ever seen a strange, brightly orange-colored tree instead of the usual brown ones deep within this forest?"
'... Isn't that an orange tree?' Elara widened her eyes upon hearing this explanation.
Elara, attempting to conceal her anxiety, asked in a casual tone, "... Have you never seen a tree like that?"
"No, our lumberjacks have never seen it either. It was the people from the information guild who informed us; otherwise, we would never have known about the presence of these bright orange trees in this forest."
For some reason, Queen Titaia the Fifth had allowed the establishment of settlements on the outskirts of Galatea. However, the permission was limited to only two small-sized villages, located on the outskirts and the borders between Galatea and big cities or islands belonging to three different kingdoms.
The inhabitants who had settled in Galatea's outskirts understood that their environment would be diverse, with various types of plants and animals. Although the criteria for selecting settlers for these areas were unclear, those who chose to live on the outskirts were willing to abide by the existing rules and restrictions.
One of the main rules was not to harm or threaten the existence of the plants and animals there. It was even better if the inhabitants of these outskirts actively participated in preserving the flora and fauna growing in the forests beyond Galatea's borders.
Wika continued his explanation, glancing at the robed figure who stood silently, listening to their conversation.
"After hearing about the existence of these unique trees, we intend to gather the lumberjacks and propose a direct meeting with the village chief. We're perplexed about what action to take because these unique trees could be valuable plants that need protection. However, on the other hand, we're also concerned that leaving them without a clear plan could endanger the trees outside."
Elara nodded as she listened to the lengthy explanation, secretly feeling relieved.
'Thank goodness...! It seems that the information guild still doesn't know what these unique trees are and what remarkable effects they might have.'
If people from the information guild had indeed discovered the 'orange tree' capable of granting immunity to magic attacks, this information would undoubtedly be sold for a considerable sum! Elara must ensure that it doesn't happen!
With that in mind, Elara decided to quickly locate the 'orange tree' discovered by the information guild and find a way to conceal its existence from other villagers or from the world itself.
"Oh, by the way, your mother will also be coming," Wika said, snapping Elara out of her reverie.
All the residents of this small village knew that Elara's mother, who was known for her eccentricities, loved exploring the surrounding forests. This was evident from the location of their house, which was perched on a hill.
Although not a lumberjack, her mother's knowledge of dealing with various forest issues was highly regarded by the villagers. Therefore, both the village chief and the residents didn't impose too many rules on Elara and her mother.
Sometimes, her mother would provide information to the residents about which plants needed care and which needed to be removed to maintain the ecosystem in the forest and keep it safe.
"... My mother?"
"Yes, because the information held by the information guild about the appearance of the new tree is very limited. They hope to exchange information with your mother, who is believed to know more about the tree."
Elara didn't react, as she was confused about the next steps to take after hearing all of this.
'My mother must know. After all, her child has a small grove planted with over a hundred of those trees,' Elara thought, feeling a creeping headache.
"... Then what will happen to that 'tree'?" Elara asked, directing her question more towards the robed figure who was part of the information guild rather than Wika.
The short, robed figure looked surprised for a moment, taken aback by the serious question from an innocent little child who had emitted a strange aura from the start.
Maintaining professionalism, the short, robed figure calmly shook their head in response to Elara's question, indicating that they were unwilling to answer.
However, a few moments later, they stiffly and quickly opened their mouth and began to reveal the information they had been withholding, as if their mouth was moving on their own, unable to lie to the child in front of them.
"After confirming whether this unique tree has indeed caused the sudden withering of trees in the forest around the holy land of Galatea, our guild will send an emergency report to the palace. The next steps will involve awaiting the decision of the three Kings. Most likely, the Kings will summon one of the great Queen's Elemental Wings to resolve this problem."
A cold but strangely calming voice emanated from the short, robed figure, revealing that the mysterious individual was, in fact, a boy just a few years older than Elara.
Focusing on the issue of her orange tree, Elara completely overlooked the peculiarity of a child her age being part of the information guild.
This issue should have been the responsibility of Queen Titaia, and only she had the authority to handle it, given that it was within her realm. However, because Queen Titaia remained unconscious in an unknown location, there was no choice but to involve the three Kings, who held the highest positions after the Queen, to safeguard the continuity of Galatea's territory until the Queen recovered.
However, the three Kings absolutely cannot send anyone carelessly into the territory of Queen Titaia, known as the daughter of the Goddess Gaia, regardless of the Queen's current condition. Therefore, the King's decision to entrust this matter to the Queen's Elemental Wings was a very wise one.
Hearing this, Elara panicked.
Her beloved tree, her first treasure in the world, and the only material her mother favored for creating artworks were now in jeopardy!
'I must secure this unique tree to ensure that the three Kings are not made aware of it. They must not know about it!' thought Elara with fervor.
Elara decided that instead of trying to persuade her mother to pretend not to know about her orange tree, she should find a way to move the tree into her special grove. She was confident that her mother would keep the secret about the orange tree from anyone.
"Can you tell me where the location of this unique tree is? I'm curious and want to see it!" Elara asked, feigning a sweet demeanor.
It wasn't the robed figure from the information guild who responded, but Wika, who quickly replied as if he had been anticipating such a question from Elara.
Wika explained in detail, "Do you know those newly formed forests that only have two roads? You have to go towards the left, then after walking for a few minutes, you will be able to see the only striking tree with its distinctive color and shape."
Despite Elara's suspicions about Wika's attitude, her anxiety over the exposure of her precious orange trees took precedence. She hurriedly acted, although she had never visited the new forest mentioned before, given that Galatea's geographical conditions changed every five years.
"Thank you, Mister... ah, and also, please don't tell my mother that I went to see that unique tree just out of curiosity! I'll just take a quick look! I promise!!!" Elara said hurriedly, repeating the location that Wika had described, all while maintaining her cute demeanor.
Wika nodded quickly. "Make sure you return before the meeting ends!"
"Okay!"
After ensuring that Elara's figure disappeared from their view, the robed figure who had been silent all along raised his voice with a relatively calm tone.
"... Why did you give her the wrong directions?"
Wika, feeling guilty and uneasy, scratched the back of his neck. "We villagers can't let children like her near trees that are considered dangerous." He answered in a hoarse voice.
"Hmm, is that so?" The robed figure found something amiss in Wika's reaction but decided not to inquire further, as he didn't want to meddle in the affairs of the inhabitants of Galatea's outskirts.
'I can only observe and quietly gather as much information as I can while I'm here,' he thought nonchalantly, but his eyes couldn't conceal the excitement because this assignment was truly intriguing.
"... What information will I encounter this time?" he muttered softly, almost as if whispering to the busy wind.
He closed his eyes, inhaling the fresh air that roared around him as if the air was inviting him to play.
"I have to gather a lot of strength so I can stand by 'her' side as soon as possible," he said with full determination.
But after being serious, his aura turned soft when he saw the girl's small back, which was getting smaller from his perspective.
'Speaking of which, that kid's aura feels very familiar, and I don't feel angry even though I gave away the information for free...'
"Strange...."