The city of Laurus, ruled by the Marquis of Linkvist in the Viktor Empire. Looking out at the town they had arrived in, Allen couldn’t help letting out a sigh of relief. He had heard the empire was in turmoil, but at least from what he could see, it didn’t look that way.
Of course, this was only the first town past the checkpoint; it could just be coincidence. Still, it didn’t seem like the entire empire was drowning in chaos. He had half expected to be caught up in trouble the moment they entered, but for now, he could relax a little.
“Well, if the whole country was falling apart, it wouldn’t even be able to function as a nation, would it? The empire’s already got enemies on every side as it is,” said Anriette.
“That’s true. I imagine the higher-ups in the capital are dealing with all sorts of messes, though,” said Noel.
“At least from what we can see, things look fine,” said Mylène.
“For now, yes. But if this situation drags on, the effects will reach here eventually,” replied Anriette.
“Right. And anyway, this is just one place, nothing more,” Mylène replied.
From the way they spoke, perhaps the Elven Forest was already feeling some of those effects. And maybe that was connected to the reason they had gone to the kingdom in the first place. He wasn’t about to pry, but he thought it might be best to keep his guard up.
“Speaking of which, now that we’ve safely made it into the empire, what’s the plan from here?” he asked as that thought went through his mind. He had a rough idea, but he hadn’t heard Noel state it outright. It was possible she had something different in mind. But in the end, his concern turned out to be needless.
“For now, I plan to head to the Elven Forest,” Noel said. “But first, we should stock up on food here. I considered doing it once we reached the forest, but whatever we find there probably won’t last long. Better to sort out provisions here first.”
“The Elven Forest, huh? I know it’s somewhere in the empire, but I’ve got no clue where exactly. From what you’re saying, it must be nearby?” said Anriette.
“Close. Actually, very close,” Noel replied. “Even if we don’t head there until we finish buying supplies, we should arrive before sunset.”
“That close? Then it’s definitely inside the Linkvist marquisate,” Anriette remarked.
“Yes, in fact, that’s why there was talk of entrusting the forest’s management to House Linkvist. But in the end, it was made a direct territory of the empire because they were too ambitious,” said Noel.
“Aah... Yeah, I can believe that. Which explains why I grew up in Linkvist territory without ever knowing a thing about it,” Anriette replied.
“They say it was kept secret because no one knew what you might do with the information or something like that,” said Noel, tilting her head slightly.
“Fair enough. Then it makes sense that Anriette wouldn’t know either. There’d be no reason to tell her alone,” Allen chimed in.
“Not like it would’ve mattered even if I’d known,” Anriette muttered. “More likely I’d have been dragged into some hassle. Honestly, better this way.”
“From an elven perspective, it may have been the better choice,” Allen said.
“Maybe so,” said Noel.
“Give me a break. I’ve got enough on my plate as it is,” Anriette whined.
Chattering away, they started walking through town to buy provisions. They’d had their fill of preserved rations, so Allen considered picking up fresh food, but then he remembered they were headed to the Elven Forest next. That meant at least one night there. And with the queen’s return, there would probably be a warm welcome. So really, preserved food was all they needed.
“Maybe I should also prepare a gift, since we’re visiting the Elven Forest?” he asked.
“Aah... We’ll definitely be imposing on them for a night, so yeah, that’s probably safest,” Anriette said, nodding her head.
“There’s no need. Elves aren’t very materialistic. Giving them something would only cause trouble,” said Noel, shutting them down.
“Basically, whatever elves want, they can get in the forest itself,” Mylène added.
“I see. If it’d just be a nuisance, then better not,” said Allen, deflating a bit.
“Then that means we really only need to stock up on food,” said Anriette.
“Right. We might need something extra for the mountain afterward, but we won’t know until we hear what they have to say,” Noel answered.
“If we need anything, we can always come back here,” Mylène murmured.
“All right,” Allen agreed.
It might have been more efficient to hear them out first and then go back to shop, but there was no guarantee the elves would need anything, in which case it would end up being an inefficient choice. Either way, it wouldn’t make much difference, so there was no need to overthink it.
As Allen mulled this over, another thought struck him. “Come to think of it, this is Linkvist territory, right? Anriette, is there anything you want to do while we’re here?”
Their journey was urgent, but not so urgent they couldn’t spare a little detour. Noel was, in a way, returning to her homeland. Perhaps Anriette had matters to attend to as well. But she only shrugged, brushing the thought aside.
“Not a thing. I grew up a fair distance from here. And I left home behind, remember? I’m not shameless enough to still cling to it.”
“Yet you’ll use your family’s influence?” Noel asked.
“That’s different. I gave plenty to that house before I left. I’m just taking back what I’m owed.”
“That’s...resourceful?”
“I am an adventurer, you know. Resourcefulness is a requirement.”
“True.”
In that sense, this Anriette might be even stronger than the one Allen had known before. Both were reliable but in different ways. From her stories, this one seemed bolder. Of course, that didn’t mean one was better than the other.
“By the way, something’s just occurred to me. At the checkpoint, you dropped your family’s name, didn’t you?” Allen asked.
“I did, but only that. Just mentioned the name.”
“Still, doesn’t that mean word will get back to your family?”
“Yeah. From what I’ve heard, that could be a pain,” she answered.
“You mean they might drag you back?”
“Not that kind of pain. I’ve thought this through. I made sure to keep them quiet.”
“Keep them quiet? I doubt that’s a foolproof method,” Noel chimed in.
“That checkpoint is in Linkvist territory. It is foolproof. Besides, the marquis’s estate is far from here. Even if a message were sent, it wouldn’t arrive for a long while, and by then, it wouldn’t be able to affect our movements.”
“So it’s safe?”
“Safe enough that you don’t need to worry.”
She spoke with so much confidence that Allen decided to trust her. If she said not to worry, then it was settled. The rest would only be clear once they reached the forest.
“The Elven Forest...” he murmured. There had already been countless differences in this world compared to what Allen remembered. And without doubt, the forest of the elves would have differences too. What would they be?
As that question turned in his mind, Allen lifted his gaze toward their destination.