Episode 45
“Ugh… what happened…”
Soon, Samuel regained consciousness. The dark energy surrounding his body had completely disappeared.
“Sa–Samuel, are you awake?!”
“Samuel!!”
His two companions burst into tears, hugging him tightly.
“Thank goodness.”
Miel smiled faintly and put the Seorlu back into her pouch. One by one, the elves turned their gazes toward her.
“That human saved him.”
“Yeah, she’s our savior.”
“That human?”
In response to their murmurs, Miel offered a sheepish smile.
“Ha… haha. Hello. My name is Miel.”
The female elf was the first to step forward.
“Human… no, Miel. Thank you.”
Another male elf followed her and spoke.
“I’m sorry for looking down on you just because you’re human.”
Finally, Samuel stood up and smiled at her.
“You saved my life. Thank you.”
Hearing the gratitude of all three—no, three elves—made Miel’s smile brighten.
“No need to thank me. I’m just glad I could help.”
“I’m Laura. This is Samuel, and that one is Fehen.”
The female elf introduced herself, then gestured to the others with a gentle smile.
“But Miel… are you, by any chance, acquainted with Karladen?”
At that name, Miel’s eyes widened. Karladen—that was the public title of her father, Rian Karladen.
It was another way of referring to the Great Sage.
“Why do I sense Karladen’s power from you?”
Laura tilted her head curiously.
“Yes, I clearly felt it from the potion you used to save Samuel.”
When Fehen added to that, Miel could no longer hold back her curiosity.
“Do you… know my father?”
All three elves, including Samuel, opened their eyes wide in surprise.
“Oh my, you’re Karladen’s daughter?”
“Look closely, Laura. Her hair and eyes—especially the eyes. They’re exactly like Karladen’s.”
As Laura and Fehen examined Miel’s face, Samuel looked at the bird on her shoulder.
“Ho… even this bird carries Karladen’s energy. It must be Familiar-class, right?”
“Oho! I’m impressed you noticed! Pleased to meet you! I’m Koselico, the Great Sage’s first Familiar!”
At Samuel’s observation, Koselico puffed up with pride and introduced himself. Laura smiled widely and suddenly grabbed Miel’s hands.
Jade was especially shocked by this. Elves despised humans and would never initiate physical contact like that.
“So it’s true—you really are Karladen’s daughter! Then you’ve come in search of the Ancient Tome, haven’t you?”
Miel’s eyes widened even more at Laura’s words.
“Haha, I knew it. Karladen entrusted it to us, after all.”
Fehen chuckled deeply.
“Yes, Karladen once told us this: ‘One day, my daughter will come searching for it.’”
Samuel confirmed with a final nod.
“You know about the Ancient Tome?!”
Shortly after, Miel, Jade, Troy, and Koselico followed the three elves deeper into the forest.
The party walked a short distance behind them.
“Miel, that Seorlu… it had that kind of power?”
Jade asked with a hint of surprise.
“Yes. Since it’s so rare, I was saving it.”
“Hmm. That was wise.”
Miel gave a small smile at Troy’s comment.
“But when I saw someone dying right in front of me… I couldn’t just stand by.”
Jade nodded solemnly.
“You did the right thing. But still, keep it hidden whenever you can. There are many in this world blinded by greed.”
“Indeed. You must always be cautious, Miss Miel,”
Troy added.
Miel nodded firmly.
“I understand.”
As they continued deeper into the woods, Miel’s curiosity about the elves’ relationship with her father grew stronger. She picked up her pace and caught up with the elves.
“Um, Laura?”
“Yes, Miel?”
Laura smiled warmly at her.
“How did you know my father? I knew the Ancient Tome was here, but I didn’t know the elves were the ones guarding it…”
“Ah, that’s a long story,”
Laura said with a nostalgic smile.
“Long story short—Karladen is our benefactor. He once saved countless elves.”
“She’s right,”
Mehen added.
“That’s why, even if you’re human, we welcome you as Karladen’s daughter.”
“Yes, we agreed long ago to honor Karladen’s request. He came to us and said one day his daughter would come looking for the Tome. That’s why we’ve safeguarded it all this time.”
Hearing their story warmed Miel’s heart unexpectedly.
“I see…”
She smiled softly. But the deeper they went into the forest, the more she began to notice something unsettling.
Before, she had only sensed that the forest was gloomy—but now, most of the plants were blackened, like they were… dead.
“Um… why is the forest like this? I heard the elves’ forest was supposed to be beautiful…”
At her question, the three elves exchanged troubled glances. They seemed to hesitate for a moment.
Eventually, Fehen spoke first.
“…Since you’re Karladen’s daughter, we’ll tell you. Our forest… is being corrupted.”
“Corrupted?”
Miel asked, and the elves shared another glance before continuing.
“There’s something called the Spring of Life in our forest,”
Fehen explained.
It was the heart of the forest—the very life source that had protected it for ages.
“The Spring of Life flows from the World Tree. Water from the tree spreads throughout the forest, nurturing all living things here.”
“The World Tree’s water is what sustains the entire ecosystem,”
Laura added.
“But one day… the World Tree began to be corrupted. And as a result, so did the Spring of Life.”
“We elves don’t need to drink water to survive, but the plants and animals in the forest do.”
“When the spring was corrupted, the plants began to die… and the animals, too. Now the forest is gradually losing all life.”
“…I see.”
Miel bit her lip gently. It was such a tragic story. And she couldn’t help but worry—was this caused by one of Father’s artifacts?
“The black slime we fought earlier… those were once animals that coexisted peacefully in this forest. But they fed on the corrupted water, and then…”
Fehen couldn’t finish the sentence.
Jade, who had been silently listening, finally spoke up.
“The energy I sensed from them… it felt like dark mana. Could that be the cause?”
Laura glanced at him sharply.
“Hm. For you to sense that… you must be quite skilled.”
“Of course. I’m a High Mage,”
Jade said confidently.
Laura chuckled.
“Oh? You must be the arrogant ‘Tower Master’ I’ve heard about.”
“What?! That kind of rumor—”
Jade’s brow twitched in annoyance, while Miel and Troy chuckled softly.
Their laughter made Jade’s expression ease. He realized that just as the elves had been hostile toward humans, he too had acted rudely toward them.
“…Fine. You’re right.”
Laura continued.
“Yes, the corruption of the World Tree was caused by a magical beast. A creature of pure dark mana.”
At that, Miel unconsciously let out a breath of relief. So it wasn’t her father’s artifact that had harmed the forest.
Thank goodness.
But at the same time, she felt uneasy. Magical beasts…
“We’re here.”
It was then that Fehen, walking ahead, called back.
Miel looked up.
After a bit more walking, thick vines came into view.
Fehen pushed the vines aside with his hand, revealing a village that seemed to be one with the forest.
“Here we are, Miel,”
Laura said with a smile.
“This is our home—Elinrui, the village of the elves.”
