“An elf?” I muttered.
She had pointy ears—the trademark of elves—but her beauty set her apart from the other elves I knew.
She shot me a quizzical look. “Yes, I am an elf. Is that so curious?”
“No, not really, but, um... Who are you?” I asked.
“I believe it is I who should be posing the questions. I was summoned by the whispers of my spirits, and what do I find? A strange child lazing on the ground. How did you get here?”
“I don’t really know either,” I confessed. “I was walking in the forest, and I got lost in the fog all of a sudden. A voice called me, so I followed it, and I wound up here.”
The elven woman let out a sigh. “You have been taken to the spirit corridor,” she said.
“The ‘spirit corridor’?” I repeated quizzically.
“Yes. It is a path used by the spirits to travel from one place to the other. The spirits must have taken a liking to you and brought you to this place.”
So that foggy tunnel I found myself alone in was some sort of subspace, and the voice from earlier must have been what led me out.
“Humans refer to this phenomenon as being ‘spirited away,’” the elven woman explained. “Judging by her appearance, her parents must be mages,” she added under her breath, looking at my robe.
“I didn’t see any spirits when I looked around, though,” I said.
“You can see spirits? Hm... If you truly do hail from a mage family, I suppose it is not that strange. After all, one just has to focus their mana into their eyes to see the unseen. However,” she said as if she were explaining things to a young child, “not all that exists in the unseen realm wishes to be seen. Spirits, in particular, are elusive creatures, adept at hiding within the very essence of nature. They cloak themselves in the trees, the earth, the water. Even the most skilled may struggle to perceive them.”
That makes sense, I thought.
When the woman was done with her explanation, she narrowed her eyes and said to the empty air, “It is high time you explain why you have called me and this child here.”
She closed her folding fan with a light snap. The next instant, a faint light emerged from the air, revealing several spirits bound in mana chains.
“We just wanted to make you happy, Elnea!”
“You said you wanted to meet her, so we made her come to you!”
It seemed that these spirits had dragged me through their ghost hole just so this lady and I could get to know each other.
“You did it for my sake, you say?” the elven woman asked, her brow knitted in displeasure. “I have, indeed, invited some of the individuals who piqued your interest to alleviate my boredom in the past. However, I find it most displeasing that you have invited this child without warning me ahead of time. How am I supposed to receive her properly? I had no time to make any arrangements.”
“Huh? That’s what you’re mad about?” I was so surprised by her priorities that the question slipped my lips.
She didn’t mind the spirits inviting someone to what I could only assume was her place without asking for permission, but she was angry they didn’t let her know?
On hearing my comment, the woman looked even more sullen.
“Normally, I am prepared to send back the spirits’ guests promptly upon their request. However, since I did not know that they would be bringing you along, I did not make the necessary preparations this time. It shall require some time before I can ensure your return to whence you came,” she muttered, her tone tinged with frustration.
She spent some time deep in thought, seemingly debating what to do with me.
“I suppose I do not have a choice,” she said after a few seconds. “You shall come with me. I shall share my mana with the spirits, so I should be able to send you back by tomorrow.”
“Um, thank you. But I’ve been separated from Teto—from my friend—when I got spirited away. I’d like to find her, if possible.”
“I shall make the necessary arrangements. Well then, follow me!”
The mysterious woman helped me up and led me to a large tree nearby. Still holding me by the hand, she leaped into its shadow. For a second, everything around me was black, but the next instant, I found myself in a completely different place from before. The sky was concealed by the foliage of the biggest World Tree I had ever seen, but the place wasn’t devoid of light by any means; the mana emitted by the World Tree was enough to illuminate the whole town in a whitish light.
“It’s beautiful,” I breathed in amazement.
“Welcome to our beautiful nation—the Eltar Forest Kingdom! We are presently awaiting an important guest, so I might have to excuse myself temporarily when they arrive, but I promise I shall help you return to your lost companion.”
The Eltar Kingdom, huh? So as it turned out, I had already reached my destination without even realizing it.
I didn’t have time to dwell on the elven woman’s words, though, as she promptly whisked me away to show me around town.