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The Great Forest was another world entirely.
A forest bathed in mystical green light, sunbeams dancing through the leaves, and moss carpeting the ground as soft as walking on clouds.
Ancient trees stretched skyward, their branches arched under the weight of time. Despite their massive size, their gentle slopes allowed for easy climbing on foot.
This sacred land breathed with the essence of life. A peaceful realm where time seemed to flow more slowly. Truly, it was a paradise on earth for elves.
"Why are we here? I don't really like this place."
Alfia wasn't particularly fond of this earthly paradise.
The static nature of the forest made it difficult to perceive the passage of time. Spend too long here, and you might find decades have slipped by when you come to your senses.
For Alfia, it was nothing more or less than a prison where she felt an eternity of pain.
"I have some business to attend to."
"Hmm, I don't know what business you have, but I wouldn't recommend going in like this. If a non-elf enters deep into the Great Forest…"
"Halt!"
A youthful voice.
Yet the chilling tone clashed with the tranquil forest atmosphere.
The underbrush rustled, and a group of androgynous-looking elves emerged.
They surrounded Karami's group, aiming their bows.
"The Forest Guardians have come…"
Alfia sighed.
The Forest Guardians. An elite group composed of the strongest and finest warriors among the elves, tasked with protecting the Great Forest. They were equivalent to a kingdom's most prestigious order of knights.
"What is your business here?"
One elf approached.
Just as Westerners might find it hard to tell Asians apart, or Asians might struggle to distinguish between Black people, elves too looked quite similar to each other.
This one wore a laurel wreath, but that was about it. Their androgynous appearance made it difficult to discern gender or age.
It's a guy.
But Karami could tell. He glanced at Alfia once, then at the elf before him. Yep, flat chest, definitely a man.
"Captain, we have trespassers."
"Then dispose of them right there, why…"
The male elf, addressed as captain by the guardian, trailed off. His eyes narrowed as they met Alfia's.
"Alfia?"
"Uh, yeah. Leon. Long time no see."
The two elves, clearly acquainted, exchanged awkward greetings. Alfia, in particular, made no effort to hide her discomfort with Leon.
They had been polar opposites since childhood. Alfia, the trash-tier elf. Leon, the elite elf who excelled at everything.
Alfia had heard adults lamenting, if only she were half as good as Leon… until her ears wore out.
No one in the world enjoyed a constant assault on their self-esteem.
"Weren't you banished from the village? Why are you here? No, that's not important right now."
Leon's wary gaze fixed on Karami.
"You're human. What were you thinking, bringing him here, Alfia?"
"Well, that's…"
Karami stepped forward. The guardians moved to stop him, but Leon raised his hand, and they halted.
"Pleased to meet you, Leon. My name is Karami. I am Miss Alfia's master."
"Master…?"
Leon had to mull over the word, not understanding.
When the realization finally hit him, his eyes widened greatly, then immediately narrowed as he raised his bow.
In one continuous fluid motion, he nocked an arrow, drew the string, and released it.
The elven arrow pierced the air. Alfia reached for her back to deflect it with her bow, only to remember it had shattered in the previous battle. In a panic, she pushed down on Karami's head.
"Eugh."
The arrow passed overhead by a hair's breadth. Alfia let out a sigh of relief, but her worry quickly turned to anger, which she unleashed on Leon.
"What the hell are you doing?! He could have died!"
"That's my line. What are you doing? Becoming a slave, bringing a human into the Great Forest, and protecting him? Is this some kind of revenge for being exiled?"
"Isn't it natural for a slave to protect their master?"
"Of course it is. He must be a frog in a well, ignorant of the ways of the world."
Well, it's a pretty big well, but still.
Leon's composure, previously as impassive as a tin soldier, cracked. Having only ever followed the path of the elite, Leon had remarkably low immunity to verbal jabs. His bow trembled slightly.
"Stop running your mouth and get lost, but leave Alfia behind. Otherwise, I'll burn you to ashes and use your remains as fertilizer."
"My remains nurturing the trees you noble elves will tread upon? What an honor."
Leon ground his teeth. His patience had reached its limit. As if reflecting his state of mind, a fire spirit manifested behind him.
Crackle.
It looked ready to spew flames at any moment. Karami took a step back. Any more sass and he might actually get burned.
"There's no need to get so angry. We'll leave after taking care of our business."
"What business could a human have in the Great Forest?"
"To be precise, it's not my business, but Miss Alfia's."
Karami pushed Alfia forward. Absolutely not using her as a shield against potential fire, of course not.
"I intend to have Miss Alfia participate in the Elven Dance Festival."
The Elven Dance Festival.
The grandest elven festival and competition, held once every half-century. A place to determine whose martial arts reigns supreme and who shares the closest connection with spirits.
A battlefield of worthiness, where one could monopolize all the glory and be recognized as the greatest elven warrior.
It's also the final gateway to her liberation.
"Pfft!"
Someone burst out laughing. That derisive laughter spread like a forest fire. The guardians began to roar with laughter.
Even Leon, whose expression rarely changed, struggled desperately to hold back his laughter. Barely suppressing the urge to burst out laughing, he said,
"The Elven Dance Festival? This drunkard always drowning in alcohol?"
"That's none of your concern. The Elven Dance Festival is a place to prove one's worth. Any elf can participate."
"How do you know about…"
Leon glared at Alfia. His eyes demanded to know just how much she had blabbed.
Alfia shrugged, as if to say, don't look at me, I don't know. To Leon, it looked like she was being sarcastic, but it was the truth.
She truly had no idea how Karami knew. She vaguely assumed he must have learned it from other elven slaves he had dealt with.
"There's no need to worry so much. I can have a good memory or a bad one. Now please, kindly clear the way. It would be quite troublesome if we couldn't participate."
"Even if that's the case, only Alfia can enter. Not you."
"She's my slave. I need to be by her side in case you people try anything funny."
"The only one trying anything funny here is you…!"
It felt like his ears were being polluted. If he kept listening, they might rot and need to be cut off.
Just as Leon was about to signal the guardians with his eyes—
Alfia blocked his way, a red haze shimmering over her body.
It was a vivid and intense spirit aura.
Alfia's pupils beamed like sunlight, her will leaking out from her eyes.
The sight was unprecedented, Leon's eyes widening.
"You…"
"Out of the way, Leon. We're going in, whether you like it or not."
***
There was a new addition to the party.
Elves in front, elves to the left, elves to the right, elves behind. At a glance, it might have looked like they were being escorted. If not for the plant vines tightly wound around Karami's wrists.
Even this much was thanks to Alfia being an elf and part of their group. Otherwise, he would have filled with arrows long ago.
But Karami didn't mind. That wasn't what was important right now.
Damn, I wanna play Tycoon.
In his mind, he pictured cute chibi elves working away.
So many elves!
Send them hunting to gather cooking ingredients. Send them foraging for herbs. Make and sell potions. This versatile race was right before his eyes, and all he could do was look.
How frustrating.
Only a true eating, shitting, TOS player could understand this feeling.1
The group moved unhindered through the maze-like Great Forest until they hit a wall of trees and vines. The elf at the lead chanted mana-infused words of power, and the space rippled.
It was an elven illusion magic designed to ward off intruders.
A new path that was previously hidden opened up, and the march went on. This repeated several times in this labyrinth only elves could navigate.
Aren't these guys complete fucking bitches?
Watching this spectacle, Karami couldn't help but curse internally. With defenses like these, they still cast Alfia out beyond the barrier?
So what if someone put a hole in another person's ass, or a spirit went on a rampage and burned down a house? Elves and their nasty personalities, I swear.
If it were my slave, I'd give them a much needed correction.
Tch, Karami clicked his tongue.
Soon, traces of civilization emerged in the untouched forest as cleared paths and young elves playing about came into view.
Even though they look like that, they're probably older than me.
Young elves…
Legal lolis…
TOS's 'plot'…
"Ugh."
Karami clutched his chest.
Startled, Alfia turned around.
"What's wrong? Not feeling good?"
"Just… some unpleasant memories…"
He fell into a state of qi deviation, suddenly sapped of all his strength.
Is this what it feels like to have a nightmare while wide awake? A considerable amount of time passed before Karami could pull himself together.