Growing Doubts

"...neth!"

"Kenneth!"

"Kenneth! It's time for you to wake up!"

For a moment, Kenneth seemed to see his mother's face as someone touched his face to wake him up. Kenneth's hand rose because it felt like it had been long since his mother had woken him up. But when Kenneth blinked for the second time, the figure of the mother that the prince missed was finally replaced by the figure of Fay, who was flying near his face.

"... Fay?"

"You finally woke up. I'm sorry. Sleeping in a sitting position is very uncomfortable, isn't it?"

"Ah, no. I'm fine, Fay," Kenneth replied.

Ever since the prince entered the deepest part of the Audoran Forest, he had known that the concentration of mana in that place was very thick. The pure concentration of mana allowed Kenneth to replenish his energy quickly while he was there. Coupled with his rest time, Kenneth no longer felt any discomfort when he got up.

"Fay, is your body okay?"

The first thing Kenneth realized after waking up was the fact that all of Fay's wounds were gone, and the fairy could fly freely again. Fay was also happy that Kenneth noticed her change. The fairy flew around a few times, then spread her arms to show that she was fine.

"Yes! I'm fine, Kenneth," Fay answered cheerfully. Kenneth smiled as he saw Fay's bright face. "I'm happy for you," he replied sincerely.

After that, Kenneth looked in various directions to see that there were still only the two of them in that place. Kenneth unconsciously sighed. Without needing to be told, Kenneth could already tell that he had fallen asleep for quite a long time while waiting for Lelitia to arrive.

"Has Lelitia returned?" Kenneth asked again. The prince could hardly believe that he could sleep soundly in enemy territory. Even in his palace, Kenneth never slept soundly because he was always alert for danger. The slightest carelessness could drag Kenneth into greater danger. But in this place that should have been surrounded by enemies, Kenneth got his first good night's sleep in years.

"That... Lelitia did come back. But now she's gone again."

Kenneth frowned because he didn't expect the elf to come back and didn't do anything suspicious to him. If they wanted to, they could have searched Kenneth's bag to find many weapons and notes about what the prince had found in the Audoran Forest area.

"Ah, but Lelitia has permitted you to stay in the Audoran Forest. Congratulations, Kenneth! Starting today, you are officially one of us!"

"She... allowed me to stay in the Audoran Forest?" Kenneth repeated in disbelief.

Fay nodded enthusiastically. "Yup! You have no idea how happy I was when Lelitia let you stay here, Kenneth. From now on, we will be one big family that protects each other!" she told him.

Fay had tried to make everything clear to Kenneth. But for some reason, Kenneth was still drowning in his feelings of surprise. Kenneth had heard that the elves were the most intelligent of all races, so finding his identity shouldn't be a big deal for them. Moreover, due to Kenneth's negligence, the prince could be considered to have accidentally exposed his identity by leaving his belongings unattended by anyone. Kenneth didn't understand why not only did no one try to kill him in the Audoran Forest, but the forest's monster chose to protect him.

Kenneth didn't believe it was just because he was passing through a path that was usually used by the people of Celeste Village. The prince believed that the Audoran Forest's rangers weren't that stupid. The Audoran Forest wouldn't have been able to repel all the invasions if they were this kind to humans.

Even so, Fay didn't seem like someone who had any particular intentions when the elf chose to stay with Kenneth. If Kenneth wanted to point out the only dishonest person here, he would probably just point to himself, who had been lying to Fay non-stop since their first meeting.

Kenneth unconsciously clenched his fists. Ever since Kenneth entered the Audoran Forest, he had lost track of what was going on.

"Come on, Kenneth! I'll show you your new home!"

Fortunately, Fay couldn't detect the change in Kenneth's emotions and remained as cheerful as before. Fay's enthusiasm managed to make Kenneth no longer get caught up in his suspicions. After seeing the innocent smile on Fay's face, Kenneth felt that there was no way a fairy like Fay would be hiding something from him.

"Alright. Let's go."

After all, Kenneth felt that suspecting everything when he didn't have any evidence wasn't a good thing. At this point, Kenneth should be grateful that he was given an easy path to get to this point. Kenneth tried to put his suspicions aside for the time being, then followed where Fay took him after he finished packing his things.

"Woah…."

Although Kenneth had witnessed the beauty of Audoran Forest when he first came, the prince still couldn't help but gasp in amazement when he saw the magnificent view that greeted him once he got out of the giant tree. The fresh air in that place managed to relax Kenneth's body. The prince unconsciously smiled wryly. For a moment, he hoped that no one would ruin the beautiful scenery before him.

Unfortunately, his wish might not come true if Audoran Forest fell into human hands. Kenneth had witnessed how humans destroyed the lands given to them. Most of the humans he met would never be satisfied before they destroyed what nature gave them for their benefit. The beauty he witnessed might not last long if other humans found that place.

"Your home is in that waterfall. That place is rich in food. There, you don't need to worry about not having enough food or drink, Kenneth."

Kenneth's daze was broken when the prince heard Fay's voice again. Fay's cheerful voice filled with enthusiasm could not hide her happiness. At that moment, Fay felt very happy because, after so long, Audoran Forest finally had a new member that she could talk to and play with.

The two of them left Lelitia's residence and then began walking through Audoran Forest on foot.

Audoran Forest was a vast place, and the journey to Kenneth's house was further than the prince had expected. But somehow, the journey did not feel tiring as Kenneth went through it while listening to Fay's cheerful voice explaining many things to him. The fairy seemed determined to teach Kenneth all the knowledge he needed to survive in the Audoran Forest before they left. Every time Fay found Kenneth interested in something, the fairy immediately explained what she knew to the prince.

"Kenneth, are you hungry?"

In the middle of the road, Fay suddenly stopped and turned to look at Kenneth. Kenneth nodded honestly in answer to the question. Since arriving there, Kenneth had not had the chance to eat anything.

"Come here. I will teach you how to find food in this place."

Kenneth approached Fay and then saw that the fairy had stopped near an apple tree that was bearing so much fruit. The fresh apples still hanging on the tree managed to arouse Kenneth's hunger. The prince unconsciously swallowed his saliva roughly. In a place filled with pure mana, even apples seemed like such a special fruit.

"Kenneth, did you know that trees have minds like us? They can feel what we want. And, of course, they also have feelings like other living things."

Kenneth watched as Fay explained, then approached the apple tree and smiled as he lightly touched its large trunk. At first, Kenneth didn't realize what Fay was trying to do. But not long after, the tree slowly moved and dropped five ripe apples that looked so delicious.

"Thank you very much."

Fay whispered to the apple tree, then took one of the fallen apples to hand to Kenneth, who was amazed by what he had just seen.

"Try to eat this apple, Kenneth."

Kenneth took the apple that Fay gave him and then ate it without hesitation. At the first bite, Kenneth's eyes shone with amazement because of the rich taste of the apple he was eating. Not only was the apple very delicious, but Kenneth also felt that his energy increased after he ate the apple.

"Does it taste delicious?"

Kenneth nodded quickly. "Very delicious. Thank you very much. I like this apple."

Kenneth tried to direct his last sentence to the apple tree nearby. And unexpectedly, the apple tree moved again as if saying 'you're welcome' to Kenneth, who thanked him sincerely. Just one apple was enough to make Kenneth feel full. Fay asked Kenneth to save the rest of the apples for later, and Kenneth obediently followed what the fairy said.

"We, the people of Audoran Forest, have managed to survive this far because we respect nature, and nature gives us what we need. If you need other food in the future, you can do the same."

"This place has a rich mana, so any fruit you eat will be enough to fill your stomach. Although the food here is not as varied as the food in the human world, the taste must be different from the food you have eaten."

Kenneth listened to Fay's explanation and silently agreed with the fairy's words. The apple he had just eaten was the most delicious apple he had ever eaten. Although he might only be able to eat fruits in the Audoran Forest, Kenneth wasn't sure he would ever get tired of the rich flavors of the fruits there.

After all, it seemed like the fruits alone were enough to fill the stomachs and satisfy the appetites of anyone there. Kenneth could see that the animals he encountered were all eating the same fruits. Even if the animals looked like predators, they still ate the fruits instead of attacking other animals.

A place where there was no conflict. As Kenneth felt the tranquility of the place, the prince became even more convinced that the Audoran Forest should indeed be left untouched by humans.

Kenneth let out a long sigh without Fay knowing. The prince glanced at the apple in his backpack, then began to think about his decision again.