"Ah..."
He remembered the little girl who had suddenly appeared and saved him when he was on the brink of death due to his unique condition.
This little girl didn't leave him and was willing to help him until the end, even though she must have had her own business.
"... Did we manage to survive that attack?" The boy looked at himself, feeling pure amazement despite the pain in every part of his body.
When he recalled the two powerful attacks that were clearly deliberate magical assaults aimed at them, his handsome brow furrowed.
The young boy was utterly confused.
Who would dare to use such powerful attacks within the territory of Galatea?
Even though they were in the second layer of the forest, which was not part of the main Galatea territory, essentially all the land in this vast area belonged to Galatea itself.
However, people had begun to underestimate the consequences of using power outside the main Galatea territory, as long as they didn't use it recklessly.
Two years ago, strange rumors had spread when Queen Titaia was reported slumbering somewhere. These rumors claimed that although Galatea had become a sacred territory, the vigilance in the outer regions of Galatea had become lax, especially in the layers of forests surrounding the inner part of Galatea.
Many people were eager to change their fortunes upon hearing this rumor, but none dared to go and check it out firsthand, considering the price was their lives if they violated the territory's rules.
In the end, when a famous group of adventurers boldly entered the fourth-layer forest of Galatea, they casually used their powers to detect something, whatever they were looking for there.
The result was clear: the reckless and greed-driven adventurers quickly faced a tragic death, ending their lives within the mysterious Galatea territory.
Their bodies vanished without a trace, swallowed whole by the enigmatic forest as if it hungered for secrets untold.
After that, the baseless rumor was immediately proven a deception and disappeared as if it had never existed.
'They were definitely fools who didn't understand how dangerous it is to break the rules in this territory,' he thought indifferently.
Having been rigorously educated from birth, he possessed a deep knowledge of the intricacies of the Galatea territory that ordinary people or common nobles couldn't possibly know.
Although he frowned in displeasure, he chose to ignore the fact that he had been attacked and instead turned his head to gaze at the little girl who was still lying comfortably. Just beyond the tree, he saw a small lake.
The small lake seemed simple, but he could sense its extraordinary nature just by the aura emanating from it. The lake was filled with elemental water energy that felt exceptionally pure.
"She's truly an intriguing little girl," he whispered, a smile appearing on his cold face.
He realized that his condition had improved thanks to the intervention of the little girl who had appeared out of as if sent directly by Goddess Gaia herself to save him.
This little girl must have helped him discover the mythical spring rumored to originate from the tears of the first Queen Titaia when one of her Elemental Wings was dying.
"In the past, they often said that finding hidden treasures scattered throughout the Galatea territory required great luck... and it seems that saying is true..."
Perhaps the treasure he found in the Galatea territory wasn't the mythical spring, but rather the encounter with this mysterious little girl.
Without a word, he immediately stood up in one fluid motion. His body, which should have been in pain from the injuries, quickly healed as he activated his unique ability, which contained healing water from a mythical spring, all over his body to mend his wounds rapidly.
His once dark, long hair gracefully turned into a deep blue, like the deep sea.
"Now it's time to repay the favor..."
He bowed, intending to carry his savior. He planned to take her to an Inn and care for her before nightfall.
But he had to stop and step back in response to something that startled him.
"!"
Rumble, rumble.
The tree roots that should have been buried in the ground suddenly trembled, slowly shaking the local soil before swiftly surging out and surrounding the little girl, forming a shield.
Some of the roots moved skillfully, directing the sharp tips of the roots towards him, as if warning him not to approach or touch the girl, or the roots would attack him mercilessly.
Not only that, hundreds of green lights, like fireflies, suddenly appeared from various directions, illuminating the darkness around them.
Some fireflies seemed special because their light was brighter and emitted a different aura than the others, flying silently near the little girl.
"What's happening?" The boy looked at the unbelievable scene for the first time.
He had learned that everything impossible could become possible within the Galatea territory, a place full of wonders and mysteries.
For example, plants and trees that shouldn't be alive were rumored to move and speak as if they had their egos, like living creatures within the Galatea territory.
The young boy also believed in the old stories that said people with a high affinity to nature would be liked by the nature beings living in Galatea. These special individuals could be easily approached by nature beings within certain limits, such as being friendly to them, among other things. Quite different from those who would only be glanced at by the nature beings if they had successfully formed contracts with spirits matching their elemental affinities.
But nothing had gone as far as protection like this.
'Except if that figure is Queen Titaia herself, the Queen of nature... The Queen who effortlessly moves the entire realm of nature as easily as breathing,' he thought, inadvertently recalling the history lessons his tutor had often recounted with awe.
His musings were interrupted when he heard the rustling of leaves.
"!"
As the young boy slowly raised his head, his facial expression changed. Without warning, a woman suddenly appeared, sitting among the large branches of the tree where the little girl had used to sleep
The woman sat gracefully, and the edges of her clothing fluttered in the wind. Her attire appeared to be a thin, beautifully woven green shawl, wrapping around her slender body in a way that made her look even more ethereal due to her captivating charm. Meanwhile, her face, the boy couldn't see it clearly, as if it were veiled in mysterious mist.
"..."
As if intentionally giving the young boy a moment to gaze at her, the woman finally opened her mouth slightly, producing vibrations that made the forest itself tremble.
"If you come any closer, these roots will bind you, strangle you mercilessly until you run out of breath," she said without a hint of threat in her tone.
"..."
The boy didn't respond with words but remained silent, as though someone extremely obedient. In reality, what was happening was that he couldn't utter a single word in this startling situation before him.
His instincts commanded him to stay silent because the person in front of him exuded a powerful aura of authority. It reminded him of his father's aura, but the woman's aura before him was much stronger and more imposing than anything he had ever felt.
The boy could only swallow hard as he found himself completely lacking the courage to look at the woman's face again. Instead, he chose to lower his gaze to the ground.
Yes, at this moment, he felt utterly terrified.
'Who is she...?' he wondered, sweat pouring down his entire body.
"Oho," The woman silently stared at the frightened young boy in front of her but chose to ignore his fear and continued her sentence without inflection, "It seems you already understand the current situation."
Although the boy wasn't entirely sure of the current situation, he nodded his stiff head in response to her words.
The woman didn't react to the stiff nod but continued nonchalantly. "Hmm, actually... I've been observing from the beginning."
"...?" The boy raised his head slightly, as he didn't understand where the current conversation was leading.
"So, what do you intend to do with 'her'?" Her tone, devoid of inflection, now carried a slight intimidation.
This boy realized the intonation emphasis when 'she' was mentioned by the mysterious woman in front of him.
'Ah.'
The young boy quickly understood the meaning behind the woman's statement from the start. He instinctively gazed at the still-sleeping little girl, seemingly undisturbed by the tense situation.
"... I wish to repay her for saving me from certain death," the boy said respectfully with a trembling voice.
Hearing this response, the woman remained silent, only staring at him with eyes that felt different from before, cold and devoid of emotion.
"... Ugh." The boy suddenly knelt on the ground, as he saw the woman's sharp eyes seemingly analyzing his every thought forcefully, and it was terrifying.
The woman carried out this action without speaking for several minutes, causing the forest itself to tremble and the boy to struggle to breathe.
"Ah, I've gone too far," the woman mumbled as if realizing that she had pushed the young boy a bit too far in testing him.
"Cough-cough." The woman coughed softly, and the atmosphere in the forest returned to its usual calm state, while the boy breathed rapidly, as if he had nearly died.
"Haaa...Haaa...h!!"
Feeling a hint of sympathy, the woman waved her hand, sending a wave of wind that immediately calmed the young boy's body.
"Huu..." The woman sighed softly, glancing at the still-sleeping girl with a melancholic expression before refocusing on the now more composed boy.
"Now you've seen something even your grandfather would never have the chance to witness. So, it's better if you return."
"But I wish to repay-"
"Stop. Don't burden 'her'." The woman cut him off with cold and firm words.
The woman continued her speech, not giving the young boy a chance to utter a word.
"Because you seem smart, you should now be able to guess who I am, and also why 'she' in front of you is being protected like this."
The conversation between the two of them continued, with a very serious atmosphere. They were entirely focused on their discussion and completely unaware that someone was listening to them with a half-shocked expression.
The person unknowingly eavesdropping on their conversation was Elara, who had witnessed the entire scene unfolding before her as if watching a movie. She was speechless, unable to utter a single word.
The two individuals in front of her kept talking as if they didn't notice or sense that someone was listening to them in astonishment.
"..." Elara immediately understood the cause.
Elara glanced toward the still-sleeping 5-year-old body leaning against a tree not far from where she stood. She approached it and without hesitation touched the body, but her hand passed through it instead of making contact.
"... This is insane."
Suddenly, she returned to being a ghost, just as she had been moments before she was mysteriously forced into her 5-year-old body.
'Why am I a ghost again?! Noooooo!'