Swoosh~
Before Elara distanced herself from the two individuals she had encountered moments ago, she abruptly halted, observing gusts of wind materializing out of nowhere and swirling around her.
These winds then gracefully flowed in tandem with others toward the pair, specifically targeting the short figure in black robes whose familiar aura had drawn Elara to them initially.
It dawned on Elara that this aura might have subconsciously led her towards the seemingly suspicious duo. Her expression remained neutral as she stood, scrutinizing the short figure in black robes, whose height closely resembled hers.
Eventually, the force of the wind pushed back the hood of the large robe, revealing the mysterious face beneath. Elara, squinting to discern the features from a distance, noted that the robed figure's face appeared entirely unfamiliar.
The boy possessed a small face adorned with a peculiarly pointed chin that complemented his perfection. His olive skin framed two perfectly round dark brown eyes, enhanced by long eyelashes, unmistakably revealing his childlike innocence. The touch of curly light brown hair caressing his ears further emphasized his youthful charm.
"..."
It was an impeccable appearance that would undoubtedly deem him incredibly cute in the eyes of most young women, catching Elara's gaze with its undeniable charm.
"That person is not from this area or the nearby village," Elara thought, relying on her impeccable memory acquired since childhood. Her ability to remember faces, especially after her bakery gained popularity, led her to believe that the robed figure hailed from one of the three Kingdoms.
Due to this, Elara genuinely believed in the robed figure's claim of belonging to the information guild, drawn by the mysterious and professional aura enveloping him. She overlooked his apparent childish appearance, focusing on the compelling atmosphere that surrounded him.
"Although I thought we were the same age due to our height, he looks more than 10 years old," Elara remarked, expressing her confusion and amazement at the child's apparent diligence.
However, Elara's attention swiftly shifted as she noticed a profound sadness etched on the figure's face, evoking an impulse to comfort him. Strangely, she felt a sense of familiarity with his expression but couldn't pinpoint where she had seen it before.
Gazing at her now five-year-old body, Elara acknowledged her half-decade residence in this other world. Despite the oddity of her current form, her focus returned to the robed figure, contemplating the mystery surrounding him.
"... Not my concern," she mumbled softly.
Without further thought, Elara continued her journey to the location indicated by the young lumberjack named Wika.
Elara had a harmonious relationship with the lumber workers, especially because her mother always provided useful information about the forest and its surroundings. Additionally, Elara was always polite and respectful of their work. Her bakery located on the hill also assisted, ensuring they wouldn't go hungry after work, as long as they had enough money to buy bread.
With all this, Elara felt safe and trusted that the lumberjacks had no ill intentions towards her. They wouldn't lie or harm her.
The villagers, having encountered a similar incident years ago, were quick to retaliate against anyone daring to harm Elara, the famous star in Flora's village.
"..."
Elara stopped when she saw that the road in front of her was not the forest trail created by the locals to avoid dangerous incidents like getting lost.
Recalling that the geographical environment of this area changed every 5 years, the elders who had lived in the village for a long time always advised the young ones never to venture into newly transformed forests before the trails had been established. This made Elara anxious.
"Do I have to go through here?" Elara began to question the path explained by Wika.
There were signs that the forest she was entering this time was different from the surrounding ones. One noticeable sign was the dense thicket that almost covered the entire road, including the forest trail.
"I'm getting close to the Eternal Forest, it seems..." Elara muttered, her voice filled with anxiety.
She knew how dangerous it was to stray from the safe paths created by the inhabitants. Her life could be in danger.
<"Never go into the forest when you're scared.">
That was one of the pieces of advice her mother had always emphasized. While Elara sometimes did things that weren't approved by her mother, they were usually minor. However, she always obeyed her mother's command to be cautious whenever she ventured into the forest.
In this second life of hers, Elara always tried to instill the principle of living safely and avoiding danger as much as possible, all to realize her dream of opening the best bakery in this otherworldly place.
Unfortunately, at this moment, Elara couldn't keep her composure. Her mature mindset had deteriorated recently, causing her to sometimes behave like an ordinary child.
Why was she so restless? It was because her valuable orange trees were in danger!
Not because she feared that all the trees would be destroyed, but because she believed that the three Kings could detect the magical properties of her orange wood and might target all the trees for their gain.
'I have to prevent them from trying to enrich themselves even further!' Elara thought fervently. She never intended to let the three Kings get richer after seizing her belongings.
"If you see a different type of thicket, one that's still a fresh green, pass through it, then continue straight until you can easily spot a conspicuously colored tree, even from a distance."
Elara tried to focus on Wika's instructions, which had been repeated several times while searching for the signs of the different thicket. However, she didn't realize that the trees around her were becoming denser, unlike the forests she was used to traversing.
Elara sighed with relief when she finally found the mentioned thicket.
"This must be the thicket, so I just need to push through it, and then..."
THUD!
Moments after Elara pushed through the thicket, which was larger than her small body, she suddenly collided with something hard, causing her to lose her balance and fall to the ground, landing on her butt.
"Aaawww...."
Elara felt pain in her butt and quickly looked ahead to see who had caused her to fall so forcefully.
"Huh? A boy?" Elara blinked several times, trying to confirm that the scene in front of her was real.
Before her, there lay an unconscious boy in a tattered black robe that covered his entire body, and he was only slightly larger than Elara.
He lay helpless on the ground just a few meters away. He seemed to be in a state of unconsciousness.
"Wait, is he unconscious?!" Elara exclaimed in panic, realizing that the person who had bumped into her was in a worse condition than her.
In a hurry, Elara touched the boy, specifically his chest. Fortunately, his heartbeat was still strong.
'Why have there been so many boys lately wearing black cloaks roaming around?' Elara thought suddenly, recalling the boy from the information guild.
Without hesitation, Elara quickly pulled back the hood of the tattered black robe that covered the boy's face.
"..."
Under the worn hood, there appeared a boy with long black hair that reached his shoulders, and long, curly eyelashes, who was peacefully asleep with his eyes closed.
The shape of his face was so perfect that Elara struggled to find suitable words to describe the amazing and charming visage before her.
While the face of the information guild person appeared adorable, the unconscious individual displayed a handsome countenance, despite not yet reaching his teenage years.
"Wow...!" Elara was momentarily amazed before nodding as if appreciating the beauty before her.
She sometimes forgot that this world was different and full of inexplicable magical powers. Therefore, there were undoubtedly many people with astonishing appearances like the boy in front of her.
"But he's so handsome... or maybe beautiful? Handsome and beautiful... In my world, he could definitely be an idol based on looks alone," Elara mumbled, once again captivated by the beauty before her.
Although captivated, Elara remained aware and didn't become overly enchanted to the point of losing her senses, especially since the possessor of such beauty before she was an unconscious boy.
Elara then tried to wake up the boy by gently patting his cheeks.
"Hey."
However, the boy, who appeared to be a few years older than her, still didn't open his eyes or show any signs of waking up.
As confusion began to set in, Elara decided to turn her gentle pats into firmer ones. "Hey. Hey. Hey."
"Ugh."
After the third, rather forceful pat, a heavy groan was finally heard, indicating that the boy was beginning to wake up.
'Oh my goodness, even his voice sounds handsome!!!!!' Elara thought in awe.
"Water....."