Chapter 83: Pebbles and Leaves Part 3

The dark elf who introduced herself as "Luisa" immediately led us toward the village.

Well, "immediately" might not be accurate. It took quite a long time to get from the entrance of the Dark Forest to the village because the path was so rough and dirty that it made you want to swear. Luisa had claimed, "This way is faster." But….

I might have been better off turning back.

I thought about this as I continued crawling up the hill which was more like a cliff. If I had known this would happen, I would have just turned around and left even if it took me another day to reach the village.

Oh, I should have performed [Beast Transformation] to turn into a mountain goat at least once. Then climbing this cliff would have been a piece of cake. After climbing the cliff, I sat down on the ground and threw the sticky vine that had been wrapped around my hands like gloves down the cliffside. Sticky vine was useful, but using it for too long made my skin itch…. I rubbed the slime off my hands with a leaf and stood up. Somehow, no one seemed to be tired except for me.

"Luisa, how much farther do we need to go?"

"With your speed, about another day."

"….. Then it might be best to camp here."

"Why? It's easier to move at night."

"We're human after all."

I waved my hand dismissively as if I didn't want to hear anymore and then started a fire. Since we hadn't come across any animals fit to eat on our way here, tonight's dinner consisted of my special energy bars and dried jerky. And a cup of sangria each, made with sliced star apples and raspberries and boiled in homemade wine.

"…. Oooh!"

Luisa seemed to really enjoy the sangria and she continuously gulped it down. Consuming it so eagerly, she was bound to get drunk quickly….

However, I didn't stop her. Being a bit tipsy would make it easier to engage in "conversation". I quietly watched her as I sipped my share of sangria while waiting for her to become pleasantly drunk.

"Wow, you made this yourself?"

"Yes, I've answered that three times already."

"You're a druid with some impressive skills."

She was quite drunk. I started to chuckle and casually threw her a question.

"Luisa, what is your village like?"

"It's beautiful and peaceful. Because…"

"...."

"There are no elves!"

She burst out laughing as if she found it hilarious. I wasn't surprised by the hatred between dark elves and elves; I was already well aware of it.

"Nothing unusual then?"

"It's beautiful and peaceful, I told you. What on earth have you heard?"

"Just curious."

And because the other villages had been wiped out. I swallowed the words I was about to add and just looked at her.

"You've really arrived at a good time, druid."

"Is that so? Why?"

"Over the past year, our village has become remarkably…"

"..."

"Powerful and prosperous."

"Ah."

The past year.

It's the same period the queen has been asleep.

So, there are clues here after all.

But would digging deeper arouse suspicion?

I'd be able to gather more information after arriving in the village.

I downed the remaining sangria in one shot. Luisa also eagerly gulped down her sangria.

"It's a pity you're human, Druid. With this drink, you could easily settle in the village."

"Haha. I might not settle, but I can stay for a while, right?"

"Perhaps."

-Gulp, gulp, gulp.

It was really fortunate that Luisa liked the drink. If this method could win over the other dark elves as well…

Maybe I should start producing alcohol like crazy as soon as I arrive in the village…

Cider, rape wine, cherry wine and raspberry wine… If I could make these drinks in large quantities from the nearby fruits, winning the favor of the dark elves might be as easy as eating cold porridge, and they might help me learn more about "Grizel". I fell asleep pondering these random thoughts.

The next morning.

We followed Luisa into the Dark Forest. As we moved deeper into the forest, monsters became more common and more powerful. However, the path to the Dark Elf village seemed to be an exception. There were far fewer monsters than at the edge of the forest, and even when a strong one appeared, Luisa dispatched it effortlessly so we didn't really have a tough time.

The more I watched Luisa, the less I could understand.

The fact that as many as six villages of such strong dark elves were annihilated was hard to understand.

And Luisa seems completely unaware of that fact…

She might genuinely know nothing since she lived in isolation deep within the Dark Forest.

Or…

She might be the "culprit" behind the annihilation of the other dark elf villages.

But I heard that dark elves have a very strong sense of kinship. Would she really harm other dark elves?

It was a logical assumption. Since dark elves were a discriminated minority race within Lysette, they would naturally band together.

Ah, it's really confusing…

Before I could fully sort out my thoughts, we arrived at the seventh village.

***

A high fence was built in the seventh dark elf village. It was likely erected in preparation for monster attacks. The fence surrounded a fairly large area of land. In addition, elves could be seen standing guard at sentry posts set up at certain points along the fence.

They've put a lot of effort into defending the village.

When we arrived at the entrance, Luisa called out to the dark elf guarding the gate.

"It's Luisa!"

"Luisa, who is your company?"

"Humans. I vouch for their identities."

It seemed that Luisa held considerable sway within the village, as the guards readily opened the gate for us. We slowly entered the village.

…This is my first time seeing a normal dark elf village.

There was nothing particularly special about it. Apart from a few dark elves training together at what seemed to be a training ground set up at the village entrance, the scene was similar to previous villages. It could be described as ordinary.

Luisa immediately took us to the village chief's house in the center of the village. It was the obvious procedure to introduce our identities and purposes to the chief.

"....!"

There was another reason why I was surprised.

He looks even younger than me?

The village chief looked much younger than me. Though elves generally look quite different from humans, there was no noticeable difference in their younger years.

The chief seemed to be only seventeen or eighteen years old. A chief so young? However, it would be rude and potentially dangerous to question his age, so I suppressed my curiosity.

"Chief, these are the guests I brought."

"Thank you for meeting with us. I am Theodore, a druid. This is my party, Lloyd, El, and Ayla."

"It seems you've entered the Dark Forest to become stronger."

"That's right, we have come here to train. It's also a good environment for my shadow wolf, Ayla."

The chief simply listened to our words without interruption. I was worried he might just kick us out so I examined his face. His skin was gray, his eyes purple, and like Luisa, his silver hair was long and braided; his expression was… nonexistent. He was completely impassive that it was impossible to guess what he was thinking.

Even after our introductions were complete, the village chief remained silent for a long while. Just as I began to worry that we might be driven out, he finally spoke.

"Show them to an empty house, Luisa."

That was all he said. Without adding anything further or asking any questions, the village chief dismissed us with a gesture.

Following Luisa's lead, we headed to an empty house slightly far from the center of the village. As we walked, I casually probed Luisa.

"Luisa, is the village chief always so reserved?"

"It's not that he lacks words; he just conserves them. He tries not to speak unnecessarily."

"I see."

"You'd be surprised if you heard the chief give a speech."

"A speech?"

"Yes, a speech. Unfortunately, this month's speech ended just the other night."

He was perhaps one of those eloquent and concise people despite his youthful appearance.

I should try to have a conversation with him…

To find the queen in the labyrinth of dreams, I would have to talk with the village chief of the last remaining Dark Elf village.

"Luisa, when did the village chief change…"

"It was a year ago."

"A year ago…"

Had it already been a year since the village chief changed?

"The village has developed remarkably since then."

Luisa spoke with a contented voice.

"What was it like before?"

"We fought monsters almost every day. Every day was a struggle for survival. But now, thanks to the Chief, everything has changed."

Luisa spoke as if she was truly proud of the village and its chief. It wasn't something someone told her to say or something she made up.

"..."

But why do I feel so uneasy?

We unpacked our belongings in an empty house Luisa had shown us.

"We should look around before it gets dark."

"It's dangerous to go alone, Theodore."

"I'll go with Ayla. We're hoping to gather some fruit nearby. Please stay with El until we return before sunset."

Ayla and I explored the surroundings of the village, careful not to venture too far and to remain within sight of the dark elves standing guard.

"There are a lot of raspberries."

Fortunately, the area was abundant with various wild fruits, from wild raspberries to cherries and wild peaches. I collected a reasonable amount of fruit. The plan was to make some of the 'wine' Luisa had praised and perhaps open a conversation with the village chief.

Although he seemed difficult to deal with, elves do enjoy their alcohol, especially fruit wine. I could only hope the village chief would be no exception.

I divided the fruits among the bottles I would use for making the wine. Normally, making wine required a significant amount of waiting, but I didn't need to wait. Why? Because I am a druid.

[Breath of the Forest] was a truly useful skill.

[Breath of the Forest] was a skill that promoted plant growth. However, it could also induce "decay" beyond a certain point.

The necessary "fermentation" for making wine was, in essence, a form of "decay" in fruits. I took advantage of this aspect and quickly created a more delicious wine with the [Breath of the Forest].

The wine conditioned by [Breath of the Forest] through various fermentation processes had a uniquely exquisite taste that everyone would covet once they tried it.

If it weren't for the Origin God Quest, I might have opened a tavern somewhere.

Well, that was just a "what if".

After sealing the bottles of fermented wine, I stood up to return to my lodging.

– Tadada!

It was then that I heard a strange noise.