Elfinire stared at the fallen man with an incredulous expression.
From the red blood scattered across the ground to his badly melted skin—
He was a complete wreck.
She was confident that no other words could describe the man more accurately.
“He is still breathing.”
After confirming that the man was alive, Elfinire turned her head and looked beside him.
The corpse of a Bloody Mantis lay sprawled across the ground.
The moment Elfinire sensed the faint violet energy seeping from the corpse, her eyes widened.
“This is demonic energy...?!”
After sensing the demonic energy, Elfinire hurriedly turned back toward the man.
Had he fought and defeated a Demonic Beast corrupted by demonic energy?
Clicking her tongue, Elfinire placed a hand on his body with a displeased expression.
“I do not particularly want to do this for someone who suddenly disappeared a week ago....”
This man had fought and defeated a Mutant corrupted by demonic energy.
That was no different from preventing chaos from descending upon the Verdant Forest.
In the process, however, the man had been injured to the brink of death.
She truly did not want to help him, but she was an elf who repaid her debts.
She had no choice but to heal the man who had eliminated a threat to the forest.
Drawing a calm breath, Elfinire released mana from her hand.
SHAAAA—
Rich, dark green energy flowed from Elfinire’s palm.
She concentrated so intensely that she even stopped breathing as she began purifying the demonic energy inside the man’s body and healing his wounds.
“Whew. He should not die now.”
Only after a considerable amount of time had passed did she finally release her breath and look at the man, whose wounds had completely healed.
Perhaps he had not been exposed to the demonic energy for very long.
There was no trace of demonic contamination in his wounds.
Thanks to that, Elfinire had been able to heal him far more easily than expected.
“...How did he reach a cave this far away?”
How had he vanished from under her watch?
How had he reached a cave whose existence no one but her knew about?
There was no end to her questions.
“I do not like it, but I will have to take him with me.”
She greatly disliked the idea of bringing an outsider—
A human, no less—
To the place where Mother resided.
However, she had no choice.
Elfinire lifted the unconscious man and slung him over her shoulder.
“Hmm?”
Limp.
A black snake lay stretched out on the ground.
Come to think of it, was that not the pet snake the man had been carrying around?
“Did it faint along with its owner?”
Her sharp senses told her that the snake, like the man, was merely unconscious.
After picking up the snake as well, Elfinire lightly leaped toward the cave’s exit.
***
“Gasp!”
My eyes flew open, and I began breathing heavily.
“W-What happened?”
The ceiling was unfamiliar.
That was not a joke. It was genuinely unfamiliar.
“This does not look like a hospital.”
I had never seen a ceiling made from roughly carved stone like this in my life.
What was this?
Even the ceilings at construction sites looked more complete than this.
I struggled upright and looked around.
It was a spacious room that somehow felt barren.
Where was I?
Tilting my head, I turned my gaze to the side.
A large number of System messages I had not yet checked were piled up there.
[Escape from the cave.]
[Achieved]
[Success]
[Moving to the next floor.]
What?
I had moved to the next floor?
More importantly—
‘I escaped the cave?’
I was certain that I had collapsed after defeating that strange Bloody Mantis.
I hurriedly checked the remaining System messages below.
[6th Floor]
[Earn the recognition of ????]
It seemed I truly had moved to the next floor.
[※You cannot leave the tower from this floor.]
Ah, so I could not withdraw midway through this floor either.
I had no idea what had happened.
Frowning, I scratched my head vigorously.
At that moment, the door flew open with a bang, and a scowling woman entered.
“Oh.”
That elf was the one from before....
“Human. You are finally awake.”
“You are Elfinire?”
“...I believe I told you not to address me by name.”
Ah, right.
I had forgotten.
Clearing my throat, I frowned and asked Elfinire,
“Where am I?”
“Elsid, the village of the elves, located before the World Tree.”
“Did you bring me here?”
“Yes. You were asleep for approximately three days.”
At Elfinire’s words, I lowered my head with a serious expression.
She had just said that I had been asleep for three days.
‘That means I did not move from this location for three days.’
Yet the System indicated that I had moved from the fifth floor to the sixth.
The objective itself had changed, so I had undoubtedly moved to another floor.
‘There is no chance that the floor changed while I remained unconscious in this exact spot.’
That left only one answer.
The floors were naturally connected.
While moving from the fifth floor to the sixth, I had not been teleported as I usually was.
The ‘floor’ had simply changed naturally, and the objective had been updated.
That raised a question.
‘This is supposed to be a tower?’
I had wondered about it ever since Cheori made me realize that all the floors of the tower shared the same space.
If every floor existed within the same world, was it really correct to call this place a tower?
Honestly, I did not know.
However, the System called it a tower, so I supposed it was one.
I smacked my lips softly, scratched the back of my head, and looked at Elfinire.
“Thank you for saving me.”
“Hmph. Do not misunderstand, human. I only saved you because you killed a Demonic Beast corrupted by demonic energy.”
“...Demonic energy?”
“What? You fought it without knowing what it was?”
Elfinire stared at me in disbelief.
When I nodded with an uneasy expression, she let out a hollow laugh and dropped heavily into a chair.
“Recently, a sinister energy has appeared within the forest. It is a violet energy that seeps into Demonic Beasts and makes them stronger and more ferocious.”
“...!”
Violet energy.
That was what the strange Bloody Mantis had been covered in.
Seeing my eyes widen, Elfinire nodded as though confirming my thoughts.
“Human. I am referring to the energy surrounding the Bloody Mantis you fought. Demonic Beasts that receive that power contaminate anything that comes close to them.”
Most creatures could not withstand the power and died.
However, a small number accepted the demonic energy, became consumed by it, and mutated.
“Human. The Bloody Mantis you fought was a Mutant consumed by demonic energy.”
“...So that was why it was so damned strong.”
Damn.
I had truly thought I was going to die.
How could a mantis move that quickly?
“If I had not found you while patrolling, you would have died.”
“I see. Thank—”
“Now, answer me.”
A sharp blade appeared against my throat.
I had not even seen when she drew it.
I pressed my lips tightly together and stared at Elfinire as she held a dagger against my neck.
“Why did you come to the World Tree? If you do not tell me, I will kill you.”
Why did you bother healing me, then?
I barely suppressed the words rising into my throat and smiled awkwardly.
“Sight... seeing?”
“...?”
For a moment, Elfinire stared blankly at me.
“You came here merely to sightsee? After crossing the Verdant Forest, a place known as a Demonic Realm?”
“That is right...?”
“Human. If that is truly the case, then you are clearly not sane either.”
What?
Why was she suddenly looking at me like that?
Elfinire’s wary gaze had abruptly become the gaze one used when looking at a madman.
Had I said something wrong?
“Then how did you disappear for an entire week?”
A week?
I had only spent three days on Earth.
Yet she said it had been a week.
Scratching my cheek, I decided to answer honestly.
“I went home.”
“What?”
Had that been the wrong answer too?
Elfinire narrowed her eyes in disbelief.
She pushed the blade closer to my neck and asked,
“Then how did you enter that cave?”
“....”
What was I supposed to say this time?
Deciding that there was no point in thinking about it, I simply blurted out whatever came to mind.
“I stopped by on my way home.”
“....”
“I had already seen the World Tree, so the sightseeing was over. You also disliked me getting too close to it.”
She opened and closed her mouth softly, clearly having never expected that answer.
Then she clicked her tongue, withdrew the blade, and turned away.
“You eliminated a Demonic Beast corrupted by demonic energy before it could cause trouble, so I have no choice but to believe you. Otherwise, I would have thrown you into prison immediately.”
Step. Step.
She walked toward the door through which she had entered and spoke.
“If you are awake, get out of my house immediately. I cannot stand the sight of humans.”
Her voice was exceptionally sharp.
After shouting, Elfinire opened the door and abruptly turned her head.
“Oh, and your snake is on the desk. Take it with you or leave it behind. I do not care.”
BANG!
With that, Elfinire disappeared.
Left alone, I slowly stood and looked out the window.
“I cannot see anything except the forest.”
I had been excited when she said this was an elven village.
Yet all I could see outside was an ordinary forest.
After examining the view more closely, it seemed Elfinire’s home was located on the outskirts of Elsid.
“Should I go outside?”
She had told me to leave anyway.
I was a well-behaved adult who listened when spoken to.
Perhaps because I had slept soundly for three days, my body felt light.
I stretched deeply and walked toward the desk.
My bag was there, and Cheori was sleeping on a cushion with his body curled into a circle.
“Hey. Hey, you little bastard.”
“....”
“Wake up. The owner says we have to leave.”
“Squeeeak....”
Wobble.
Cheori struggled to raise his body.
He blinked his tiny eyes, which resembled black grains of rice, then noticed me and sprang upright.
“Squeak!”
He leaped toward me.
How did a snake even jump?
After launching himself at me, he began licking my face wildly.
I had no idea why a snake was licking me like a dog.
“You are not hungry, are you?”
“Squeak!”
Fortunately, he seemed perfectly fine as well.
I was about to put him into my pocket when—
“Hmm.”
My clothes were a mess.
After changing into the spare clothes inside my bag, I placed Cheori in my pocket and slung the bag over my back.
“Shall we go?”
“Squeak.”
I could investigate the question marks in the objective later.
For now, I would go sightseeing.
What would a village inhabited by elves be like?
Smiling softly, I opened the door.
***
As expected, Elfinire’s home was located on the outskirts of the elven village.
I walked toward the center of Elsid and looked around.
“Wow....”
When I was brought here, I had opened my eyes inside what looked like a prison cell, so I had not been able to see the village properly.
Now that I could see the elven village, how should I describe it?
“...Do elves still use chipped-stone tools?”
“What nonsense are you spouting, human?”
“...Never mind.”
It looked very different from what I had expected.
When I imagined elves, I pictured them living in homes built inside trees.
However, most of the houses in the village before me were made entirely of stone.
There were even primitive pit dwellings scattered between them.
It looked as though the inhabitants should be heading out to hunt with chipped-stone weapons.
Still, it was not completely different from what I had imagined.
Every stone building was covered in vibrant green grass.
After looking around once, I asked Elfinire with a puzzled expression,
“Why are none of the houses made of wood?”
“Did you just suggest using trees to build houses?! This is precisely why I hate humans. How could you commit such a barbaric act?”
I narrowed my eyes and stared at Elfinire as she shouted in utter disbelief.
Come to think of it, her clothes seemed to be made of silk.
The elves from the fantasies I knew were supposed to wear clothes made from plants.
Could it be...?
“Do elves avoid eating plants?”
“Why are you asking something so obvious?”
“Then you eat meat?”
“Animals are wicked creatures that harm plants.”
Hmm.
I see.
I understood perfectly.
After nodding once, I stared at Elfinire with lifeless eyes.
Every fantasy I had ever possessed about elves had been completely destroyed.
‘Please give me back the elves I knew.’
I had thought elves were vegans, but they were actually dedicated meat-eaters.
Please.
Someone tell me this was all a dream.
Please.