Chapter 212
“Let’s go. I’m told permission has been granted.”
Killis translated immediately. At the same time, the elves in the trees put away all their bows and came down to the ground.
—Follow us.
“They’re saying to follow them, right?”
“How did you know?”
“Just a feeling.”
Indeed, body language seems similar no matter where you go. The elves looked tall even from a distance, but up close, they were beautiful and slender regardless of gender.
They were very tall, and it was difficult to distinguish between females and males by height alone as they seemed equal. Even the smallest elf was about the same height as Killis.
We were about to follow the elves.
“……Why are they leaving us behind?”
“Exactly. Weren’t they supposed to guide us?”
The elves were already some distance away. Meliana strongly agreed with my bewildered muttering.
Just then, an elf turned to look at us and returned at an incredibly fast pace. As we flinched in surprise at the rapidly closed distance, the elf spoke.
—Humans! Why aren’t you following?
—We are following.
—What? This is following?
—We are not as fast as you.
—Ah, I see. Understood.
At Killis’s words, the elf nodded and returned to their companions. Then they stopped. It seemed as if they were waiting for us.
“Are they waiting for us?”
“I think so. I told them you’re not as fast as they are.”
Finally, I understood the elves’ behavior. After that, the elves moved slowly to match our pace.
As we walked, a question suddenly occurred to me.
‘The World Tree is quite far away, so how did they return so quickly?’
Reno had said the elven village was near the World Tree. And the World Tree was quite far from here. I estimated it would take three or four days at our walking pace.
‘I know elves are very fast, but…….’
Still, could they really visit their village, consult with the Guardian, and return in such a short time?
‘I hope this isn’t a trap.’
Since they hadn’t exactly welcomed us humans warmly at our first meeting, I couldn’t help feeling concerned.
I really hope these worries are unfounded…
How long had we been walking in silence, following the elves? A rather unusual tree came into view in the direction we were heading.
Among the underbrush stood a conspicuously twisted tree trunk that seemed to burrow into the ground. Normally, trees grow vertically toward the sky.
The elves approached this peculiarly shaped tree. When they cleared away the curtain-like vines hanging over the twisted trunk, a hole that wasn’t visible before appeared.
It felt like discovering a hidden cave.
—Enter.
—Is that your village?
—Of course not. It’s a passage we use to reach the village.
The elf gestured toward the cave. Killis relayed their words exactly.
“They say it’s a passage to the village, so we should enter.”
“That’s a passage?”
Meliana expressed her disgust. I felt the same reluctance. The inside of the hole wasn’t visible at all.
The dark, large hole evoked fear of the unknown. Moreover, given that we couldn’t fully trust the elves, it was even more frightening.
As we hesitated, someone stepped forward.
“I’ll go first.”
It was Isaac. I instinctively grabbed him, alarmed by his bold initiative.
“What if it’s a trap?”
“It won’t be.”
“But…”
“There’s no need to worry.”
Isaac spoke in his usual calm tone while gently removing my hand. Then he entered the hole without another word.
—Why aren’t the rest of you entering?
—Please wait a moment.
At Killis’s words, several elves tilted their heads curiously.
Soon, Isaac emerged from the hole again. We were relieved to see him unharmed, while the elves seemed puzzled.
—What’s this? Why did that human come back out?
“It doesn’t seem dangerous.”
After the elf, Isaac spoke.
“And it’s bright inside. It feels similar to how we couldn’t see the World Tree until we crossed over.”
“It’s bright inside? Interesting.”
Reassured by Isaac’s confirmation, Reno stepped forward and approached the tree. But just as he was about to enter the hole—
—Wait.
An elf quickly blocked Reno’s path.
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