The return journey from the Spirit Realm to the Elf’s Forest was achieved in the reverse order of how I first arrived. Gradually immersing myself in the lake located within the Spirit Realm, I found myself suddenly standing in the middle of the Elf’s Forest before I knew it. Even though this was the second time experiencing it, I still wasn’t accustomed to it, so I looked around cautiously. Strangely, Lindy simply stood there with an expression of ease, as if this were completely familiar to her.
“We’re not too far from the village. It’s just about a five-minute walk away.”
It seemed that, for now, only the entrance existed, and there wasn’t an exact exit, meaning we could be dropped off anywhere within the Elf’s Forest.
“No matter how much I look around, I can’t even tell where we are, let alone differentiate between these trees—they all look the same to me. Is it because Lindy is an elf?”
“Part of it is because I’m an elf, but more importantly, this is my homeland. I’ve lived here for so long that if I couldn’t figure out where I am, that would be strange indeed.”
As Lindy started walking slowly ahead, I trailed behind, deciding to verify the newfound power residing within me right away. Although I could sense it clearly in me, it hadn’t been tested yet. Following roughly the instructions Lindy gave me, I slowly allowed this power to circulate, and after that, everything proceeded naturally.
My body, acting as a conduit for this power, formed a path connecting me to the Spirit Realm. While not just anyone could come and go freely through it, the spirits bound to me by contract could use it as needed.
I called upon the only spirit I had a contract with—specifically, the Spirit King, Clarice. Summoning a spirit is, after all, an act agreed upon mutually by the contractor and the summoned spirit, so it’s not something I can force unilaterally.
Half hopeful and half worried about whether I could truly summon a spirit, I waited—and before long, water droplets coalesced in midair, forming into the human shape of Clarice.
“Did you forget something?”
The summoned Clarice was indeed there, but she looked completely different from the one I had just seen a few minutes ago.
The stunning beauty I had previously met was gone, replaced by a girl who appeared to be around ten years old. She was certainly cute, but far too young to be called beautiful.
I could guess why. My sensitivity to spirits was at best intermediate. To be summoned, Clarice had to limit her power, forcing her to appear in this form.
Still, her striking azure hair and eyes, reminiscent of pristine lakes, remained unchanged. She looked at me with a somewhat tired expression, the lingering effects of the previous bout of drinking evident in her eyes, which made me hesitate to admit that I had summoned her just out of curiosity.
“No, it’s not that I forgot anything. I just missed you, Clarice, so I called you. I’m sorry for summoning you so suddenly.”
“No, no! Feel free to call me anytime—I don’t mind at all!”
Fortunately, there was no sign of anger or discomfort from Clarice.
“Still, I’m sorry for disturbing you when you must be tired. Please return to the Spirit Realm and rest.”
“Uh… okay…”
Clarice was immediately sent back to the Spirit Realm. Meanwhile, Lindy also experimented with the lifting of the old restrictions by summoning and immediately returning Silfi. Due to the new restrictions forbidding her female form, Silfi appeared instead as a small hawk—a creature that certainly reminded me of Flora, perhaps because both were spirits of the wind.
“Welcome back, El.”
“Senior!”
The friends who had already been informed by the spirits, were waiting at the village entrance. As soon as we entered the village, Luna immediately rushed over and hugged me tightly. Fortunately, it was me she tackled; any ordinary person would have cried out in pain.
“I would like to discuss some upcoming matters with you. If you’re tired from your trip to the Spirit Realm, feel free to rest today and we can talk tomorrow.”
Among the friends who had come to greet me was Luniya, the elder of the elves, who also wished to speak with me.
“No, I’m not tired at all, so it’s fine. Besides, it’s better to deal with everything quickly and then relax. Lindy, are you okay with this?”
“Yeah. It’s just talking, so it doesn’t matter. Do as you wish, Elisia.”
“That’s settled, then.”
Shrugging, I responded and Luniya smiled as she led us to a building located in the village center. The distance was short, and in the arms of my friends after a week’s absence, I followed Luniya into the building.
I gently stroked Luna’s hair hanging off my waist as we entered. Luniya began steeping flower tea by dropping petals into a teapot. Seeing this, Lindy stood up to assist her, but Luniya motioned for her to sit back down and proceeded to elegantly pour tea into each cup one by one.
Clinking…
A cup of flower tea was placed in front of me.
As I lifted the cup and took a sip, I noticed a fragrance different from the tea I had last tried. Not only the aroma but the tea steeped in warm water was enough to ease the slight tension I had felt in front of Luniya, one of the representatives of the elves.
“Did everything go well on your trip?”
“Yes, Lady Luniya. Thanks to Elisia’s active help, the Spirit King granted permission rather quickly.”
“Considering the personalities of the Spirit Kings, it must have been difficult. That’s quite fortunate.”
“Oh, nothing of the kind. It wasn’t that hard, really.”
I wasn’t being modest. Of course, if my tolerance for alcohol had been worse, persuading Clarice would have been more difficult. In that case, with strong advocacy from Truel and Ignis, Clarice might have stopped defending Lindy, and without progress in a protracted situation, Flora might not have returned at Silfi’s request.
But my drinking capacity was sufficient to satisfy Clarice, and through that, making her a full ally was shockingly easy. In fact, though Clarice stuck around as Lindy’s supervisor, it felt more like gaining another companion than being watched.
“Hehe… Miss Luniya, it seems Elisia received a wonderful gift in the Spirit Realm. There’s a strong smell of spirits around her.”
At Luniya’s words, I lifted my arm stealthily to sniff, half-expecting something. But as expected, there was no unusual smell, though it was difficult to notice it myself even if there was any.
“Haha… is it that strong? Actually, I received a gift from the Spirit King, thanks to which I was able to make a contract with a spirit.”
I wondered what expression Luniya would make if she found out the spirit I contracted with was Clarice. I had already felt guilty about summoning Clarice unnecessarily after returning to the village; it seemed unfair to summon her again due to simple curiosity while she was already worn out.
“This is good news! Congratulations, Miss Elisia. Spirits must be delighted to have the likes of you as a contractor.”
Of course. Clarice had already become my best drinking buddy.
Unfortunately, however, the next opportunity to share drinks with Clarice would have to wait for a long while. When she manifested in the material world, it was due to the limitations of my abilities that she had to appear in the form of a young girl. Even if she is the Spirit King, and much older in reality, it would feel strange to drink together in her current form.
Perhaps when my sensitivity to spirits increases sufficiently enough for her to appear in adult form or when I visit the Spirit Realm again, we can share a drink then.
“So, the reason I called everyone here upon returning is to share some news.”
After taking a sip of tea and clearing her throat, Luniya began speaking with a slightly more serious tone. Sensing the onset of serious conversation, I refocused and paid full attention to her words.
“During the week Elisia and Lindy visited the Spirit Realm, an emissary from the Emperor visited the forest.”
As far as I knew, emissaries from the Emperor rarely entered the Elf’s Forest. Usually, the elves sent their own emissaries to other countries for exchange.
“The demons have started a full-scale war. The situation has changed dramatically from before.”
“Didn’t we already know that? Haven’t we been at war for the past three years?”
“True. But what I’m referring to is that the demons have begun organizing full-scale armies this time.”
Despite the unexpected nature of Luniya’s announcement, it was a war that had been ongoing since the Griffin Academy terrorist incident three years prior. It wasn’t a sudden occurrence.
