Since Elnea’s first visit, the two of us had been to each other’s place a few times. We’d also welcomed a group of elves who came to instruct us in how to best protect our forest’s borders, which allowed Beretta and the other maids to reinforce our defenses.
Today, it was Teto’s and my turn to go to Elnea’s, and she was taking us to a smaller settlement in the middle of the forest.
“This way, Chise, Teto.”
When we had first come to the forest with Althea, it had taken us days to reach the capital. But Elnea could pass through the spirit corridor, meaning we’d reach the village in no time.
“Where are you taking us today?” I asked.
“Somewhere fun again?” Teto added.
“Remember the World Tree seeds you gave me? I am going to inspect the village I entrusted them to, so I thought of giving you a tour of the village while I am there—though I cannot take you to the actual place where they have planted the seeds,” Elnea told us.
After only a few minutes, we exited the spirit corridor and arrived at the settlement in question.
“Lady Elnea, Lady Althea, we were awaiting your arrival,” an old elf greeted our companions.
Rorona was standing beside him, the spirit lantern housing Fauzard in hand.
“We have come to inspect the maturation of the World Tree seeds I entrusted you with,” Elnea said, and the old elf started explaining the trees’ progress to her.
I could tell by the way he was talking and looking at Elnea that he respected her deeply. However, there was a slight issue.
“If I may, who are these humans, Lady Elnea?” he asked, eyeing Teto and me.
“This is Chise, a witch who hails from a forest north of our kingdom. She and her guardian Teto found Fauzard, freed him, and brought him back to us. They are also the ones who have supplied us with World Tree seeds. I owe them a great deal,” Elnea explained.
I gave a slight bow to the elder; Teto remained silent, sensing that it wasn’t the right time to speak. The elder bowed his head to us in return, a look of curiosity on his face.
“We are very thankful for your help in returning the greater fire spirit to us and for providing us with World Tree seeds. However, might I inquire what brings these esteemed guests to our village?” he asked Elnea.
“The mythical beasts in our new World Trees’ surroundings shall soon grow up and look for mates to reproduce with. Many mythical beasts live in Chise’s forest, so I am thinking of arranging some sort of matchmaking event for them in the future. This is why I brought Chise here—so that she could meet the mythical beasts and tour the area,” Elnea explained.
Excuse me?
I brought my lips to her ear and whispered, “Miss Elnea... This is my first time hearing about any ‘matchmaking event.’”
“I seem to have forgotten to tell you,” she said, feigning ignorance. “Well, it is quite all right; the World Trees are not mature yet, so it shall take a long time still before the mythical beasts in either of our domains need mates.”
I flashed her a discreet glare and let out a short sigh. “I’ll let Beretta know of your plans.”
Just as Elnea had said, it would still take decades for the newly planted World Trees to start producing enough mana, so I technically didn’t need to concern myself with this matchmaking stuff this soon, but I still wished Elnea had told me before making plans on her own.
“Rorona, please entertain Lady Elnea’s guests while we take her and Lady Althea to the World Trees,” the elderly elf said to the priestess.
Rorona nodded, and the elderly elf started for the World Tree cultivation grounds.
“See you later, Chise, Teto,” Elnea said as she and Althea followed him.
Teto and I were a bit bummed we couldn’t accompany them, but we’d at least get to tour the village.
“I look forward to showing you around our village, Miss Chise, Miss Teto,” Rorona said when the others were gone, lightly bowing her head to us.
“We’re excited to see what kind of place this village is,” I replied. “It’s been a while since the last time we saw each other, hasn’t it?”
“Long time no see!” Teto piped up. “Teto hopes you’ve been doing well!”
Rorona nodded. “I have, thank you for your concern. May I ask what brings you to our settlement?”
“Miss Elnea had to come to check on the World Trees, so she invited us to tag along,” I explained.
Rorona’s village wasn’t that large, though, so there wasn’t really a lot for us to see. Besides, we didn’t want to arouse suspicion by walking around aimlessly. In the end, we reluctantly agreed to just chat in the middle of the village’s plaza.
“Let’s do some forest bathing while waiting for Miss Elnea to come back,” I said, taking a seat on one of the benches around the plaza and looking up.
All of the houses in this settlement were snug and made of wood, their roofs crafted from layers of interwoven tree bark. Weathered woodcrafts like baskets and trays woven from tree bark and vines were set in front of the houses, and I was having the time of my life observing all the details of each little house. This settlement wasn’t as close to the World Tree as the capital, so the trees weren’t as out of control, allowing sunlight to pass through the canopy. This, coupled with the cool, crisp forest air, made for a pleasant atmosphere.
“The air here is so yummy!” Teto said, plonking herself down beside me and breathing in big lungfuls.
Rorona chuckled softly as she observed us. “I’m glad you like it. I often sit here and take in the freshness of the air myself.”
“You live here, right, Miss Rorona? How do you usually spend your days?” I asked.
I was really bummed we couldn’t tour the village like I had hoped for. Since I couldn’t see it for myself, I asked Rorona, a resident of the settlement, how she spent her days.
She started fidgeting a bit awkwardly at my question. “I, um... I can’t see, so I’m probably not the best person to ask. Are you sure you’d like to know?”
I replied in the affirmative and Rorona nodded lightly. “I spend most of my days talking to the spirits,” she said.
“Talking to the spirits? Now that you mention it, Miss Elnea also mentioned that she likes to listen to the spirits to learn about goings-on outside the forest.”