Chapter 128: The Elf Village

“I’m really glad we decided to keep this little garden.”

We had transported ourselves to the family garden we’d set up atop a mountain near Moria Village, which we had previously visited for a request.

Apparently, taking this route through the village made reaching the Elven settlement much quicker.

…As for why Shifa-san’s father wasn’t coming along, it was because he had a strained relationship with Shifa-san’s grandfather, her stepfather, and was forbidden from entering the Elven village.

When we told him we were heading there, he begged to come along as well. But in the end, Shifa had stopped him, saying, “You’ll get yourself killed if you come.”

…Killed, she said.

“That vast forest you see over there—that’s where the village is, somewhere within it.”

Shifa-san looked out over the northern expanse from the mountain top, her words carrying an air of certainty. I couldn’t help but feel a little uneasy at them.

“Somewhere…? Shifa-san, you’ve been to the village before, right?”

“Twice, I think.”

“So you know roughly where it is?”

“…Probably.”

Probably? That was a bit—no, quite a bit—worrying.

After all, the forest stretched endlessly in every direction. If we got lost, we could easily be in serious trouble.

“Usually Mom would come and meet me…”

Which meant that without an Elf guide, we’d have to find our way through the vast forest to reach the village on our own.

“It’ll be fine. I think I remember the general direction.”

“I’m feeling nothing but anxiety here…”

Shifa-san said this with a confident posture, almost puffing out her chest, while Anii cast her a half-lidded look.

“At worst, if we fly using Geo’s garden, we won’t have to worry about getting lost…”

“Hmm. That’s true,” I said.

Sarassa-san was right. Of course, avoiding getting lost didn’t mean it would be easy to actually locate the village in this enormous forest… that would depend entirely on Shifa-san.

“I think it’s this way…”

Shifa-san pointed in a direction with a tone that did nothing to ease my worries. With no other leads, we steered the garden in that direction.

The forest was dense and overgrown.

Walking through it would have been difficult for ordinary travelers, but the family garden glided effortlessly between the trees.

Thanks to the barriers and concealments we had woven into it, stray branches or underbrush didn’t hinder our path, and monsters didn’t notice us at all. This “gift” seemed surprisingly suited for traveling through forests.

“Hmm… something’s off about the forest.”

Shifa-san muttered suddenly.

“Huh? Did we take a wrong path?”

“No… it’s not that. The forest itself… feels different from when we came here before. I don’t know… it just feels… lifeless.”

I couldn’t sense anything unusual at all. Anii and Sarassa-san also tilted their heads in confusion, so it was probably something only Shifa-san could perceive. Sena, as usual, was asleep.

“D-don’t sleep! (angry)”

“Mmgggh!? Bwah!”

I pinched both her nose and mouth simultaneously, and she shot awake.

“This is definitely the way. I think I remember.”

Shifa-san’s tone now carried more confidence than before. It seemed she hadn’t been mistaken.

Still… even though all the forest looked the same to me, she remembered the path perfectly.

“This is it. The village is just ahead.”

Soon, Shifa-san spoke with certainty.

“You’ll be surprised when it suddenly appears. Elves are very cautious. From here on, it’s best to approach on foot.”

So we left the garden behind and continued on foot toward the village.

But the moment we stepped outside the garden’s barrier, I was hit by a strange sensation.

“It… feels a bit hard to breathe…”

“Y-yeah, me too,”

Apparently, I wasn’t the only one feeling it—everyone seemed affected.

“Huh? I don’t feel anything.”

Sena was the only one seemingly unaffected, probably just oblivious as usual.

My body felt heavy, and even a short walk left me winded. It was particularly noticeable for Sarassa and me, lacking stamina as we did.

Then Anii suddenly perked up.

“Someone’s coming. Elves, maybe?”

Two armed figures appeared from ahead almost immediately.

“Stop!”

I had never seen them before, but they were probably Elves. Their ears were long and pointed, and their faces were startlingly beautiful.

“What business do humans have here?!”

“This is our sacred forest!”

The Elves raised their weapons, their expressions stern. Shifa-san stepped forward.

“I am Shifa, daughter of Sheena.”

“What…?”

“I came to see my mother. I heard from my grandfather that she’s ill.”

At her words, the Elves lowered their weapons.

“So, you’re that child from before. You’ve grown quite a bit.”

They remembered Shifa-san.

“Is my mother safe?”

“…I hear her condition isn’t good.”

“I see.”

“Follow us.”

And so, the two Elves guided us until we finally reached the village.

“Wow, what cute houses!”

Sena’s eyes sparkled as she took in the Elven homes. The houses were wooden, built from logs, but their roofs were round and mushroom-shaped, giving them a whimsical, almost storybook quality.

“And Shifa-san’s house is…?”

“That one. Mom!”

Shifa-san couldn’t contain herself and ran toward the house with the pale orange roof. We quickly followed after her.