Elven Forest 2

"Look, there's a magic seal here," Teena said, and indeed, in front of them was a rather large magic seal. Unlike the other magic seals, this one looked elegant and beautiful. Even the current elf magic seals didn't have such intricate shapes. In other words, this seal originated from the dark ages, where there were still many high-level magics and beings stronger than heroes. Perhaps, in those times, heroes were only considered elite knights rather than guardians of the realm.

"Where did you learn that the gem has a connection with any creature?" Rako asked curiously.

Teena smiled broadly. "Hehe, I remembered it from the elf history book. It's a Forest Spirit tasked with guarding the elf forest from uninvited intruders. Normal attacks won't affect it; one can only use ancient magic like the seal in front of us or eliminate it using high-level dark magic."

"They're that powerful?" Rako asked again, astonished.

"They are the only ones left from the Dark Ages. Of course, they're not weak. Besides, even if we use dark magic, other Forest Spirits will come to attack. So, it's much better to avoid them. We're lucky to have been given an elf gem with the same magic seal. Otherwise, we would have already become ice statues," Teena explained.

The knights nodded, grateful that Miss Teena is with them.

"So, where do we go next?" she asked Glok, who was busy studying the map.

"From the large stone... We just need to find two more places!" Glok exclaimed enthusiastically, eager to reach the elf kingdom to rest. Moreover, to taste the unique and delicious elf drink, which was not sold anywhere because it was only served at special occasions, such as blessings. "A lake? Or a pond? And lastly, a gate made of stones."

"Alright, is everyone ready to continue the journey or do you need a rest?" Teena asked the knights.

They all answered in unison, "We're ready!"

Teena nodded, and they followed Glok.

On the way there, Teena recounted why the Forest Spirit was so cruel to outsiders. According to the book she read, they were actually remnants of elf warriors who died in battle. Failing in war, they returned to protect the forest and kingdom from outsiders who unintentionally stepped on elf land. Not because they lacked hearts, but because the resentment against other races still lingered in their hearts.

"We're fortunate to be born into a peaceful world. I can't imagine life in the dark ages. Every day, you live in fear, worried about your life that could be taken in the next moment. Not knowing what will happen and just trying to survive even though life feels like hell," Glok said as he continued to study the map and the road ahead, ensuring they didn't get lost.

"However, because the world is peaceful now, ancient magics, legendary weapons, and great powers have disappeared. If you think about it, there's so much we could use if we had them," Rako remarked, imagining what it would be like if he could use one of the ancient magics or legendary weapons like the heroes.

Teena paused for a moment before replying, "With something like that around, I'm not sure our lives would be as peaceful as they are now. People would scramble, trying to possess it for themselves or to protect their loved ones. And in the process, death would continue, lives would be lost, torture would be rampant, hunger, loss of homes, parents, siblings. You might even resort to cannibalism just to survive. Even in times like now, one kingdom betrayed another. I much prefer if such power remained buried forever."

Rako frowned slightly upon hearing this because, in his view, with ancient magics, legendary weapons, or great powers, peace could continue to be maintained. If all kingdoms had them, there would be no possibility of betrayal because they would fear retaliation from other kingdoms.

However, he quickly shook his head, dismissing such thoughts. Living in constant fear isn't a life. It's a prison. He would rather die than live like that, in a cage and not feeling free. As Teena said, life now is much better, and asking for more than that is akin to letting greed take over. Rako would never want to do that.

"You're right, Teena. Our current life is probably the hope of our ancestors. If we desire what they didn't, it's like trampling on their efforts," Rako said, smiling and patting Teena's shoulder, agreeing with her.

Glok saw this and decided to quicken their pace as the day would soon darken in a few hours.

It didn't take long for them to find a beautiful pond with a small fountain flowing from rocks on one side of the pond. The pure mana from the water flowing there could be felt, slowly rising to form small glowing white light particles resembling fireflies. They could be seen forming on the surface of the pond and rising into the air before eventually disappearing, merging with other mana.

The sound of the small fountain made their hearts feel so at ease, especially after the unpleasant encounter with the Forest Spirit. So, they decided to take a moment to rest before continuing their journey. Moreover, with the pure mana here, they could replenish the mana they had used earlier. Teena also needed to recharge her mana after providing healing magic and strengthening to Ailord so he wouldn't feel the pain of being burdened by so many heavy sacks. They also didn't forget to feed the two green lizards after the long journey.

"We just need to find that stone gate..." Glok murmured, observing the somewhat rigid shape of the stone gate, different from the typical elegance and beauty of elves. Various questions arose, such as 'could this stone gate only be found by them?' Too many mysteries were hidden in their continent, mysteries that until now had not been answered.

Glok didn't know whether to feel happy or not about it.

For now, he could only think that perhaps the history regarding these mysteries had been lost in war, and Glok truly hoped that was the case because the other possibilities felt so terrifying. Just like when he thought about the lizards.

What if there was a power deliberately hiding these facts from them all? And why?

Just thinking about it alone made every hair on his body stand on end and his heart feel uncomfortable.

"What's wrong?" Teena asked, approaching, sitting beside Glok, looking at the map, and then turning to him. "You're making that face again."

"What do you mean?" Glok asked, not understanding.

"Don't you realize?" Teena tried to mimic the same expression and made Glok shudder in horror.

"What's with that?"

"Your face."

"Since when did my face become like that?" He denied it, not believing that he had just made the same ugly and terrifying face.

Teena's smile widened. "You always do it when you're thinking about something too heavy to bear on your own." She sighed, gripping Glok's right hand and resting her head on his shoulder. "Tell me, Glok. What's wrong? You can't carry everything alone; I'm here to share the burden with you. I'm your partner, remember?"

Hearing Teena's soft and heartfelt voice, Glok finally took a deep breath and said, "I was just thinking... There are too many mysteries in this world that remain unanswered. Sometimes, I hope those mysteries are just facts lost in war. But I also wonder, what if someone or something intentionally hides them from us? I keep thinking, what reasons could someone or something have to hide them from us? I... I'm afraid."

Teena's grip on his hand tightened. "Glok, no matter what happens, all we can do is keep persevering, keep trying, even if the challenges ahead seem impossible to overcome. We've endured and fought our way to this point. If we give up just because of one difficult challenge, then what was the point of our struggle? Wouldn't it all be in vain?"

"But what if it's something so powerful? Something impossible to defeat?"

"As I just said, we just need to keep fighting, again and again. Until death finally comes to take us. Even if we fail in the end, at least we didn't fail in the beginning by giving up. And believe me, endeavors will come to fruition. 

Maybe we're not the ones who will emerge victorious, but, who knows, someone might learn something from our efforts and become the winner? Moreover, what if it's not just one person? But many more. Our existence in the world isn't just to overcome our challenges, Glok. But also to inspire many others. Only through that can life continue. Do you understand now?"

Glok fell silent, gazing at the goblin beside him, and a moment later, he gave Teena a soft, lingering kiss.

"You truly are amazing," Glok whispered as their lips parted.

"Because I have you."