111. The Great Forest (2)
“…Yes, I’m going. Let’s go! Please wait a moment, I’ll start here first… Anima, I’m counting on you!”
They had simply moved them to a place out of human sight, but cleanup efforts were still in full swing behind the scenes.
Cecilia had no idea how to awaken her kin who wouldn't respond to either physical or magical methods.
Using spirits seemed somewhat effective, but it took far too much time.
It took at least twenty minutes per person, so reviving the hundreds lying around would take forever.
As much as they were her kin, she was still a student, and she had been looking forward to enjoying herself. Yet things had turned out like this.
It would be a lie to say she didn’t mind. She desperately wished for a miracle to awaken everyone at once, but what greeted her instead were just more patients.
“…Phew, Ethan. Could you sprinkle some water on the one with the sky-blue hair over there?”
“There’s more than one person with sky-blue hair… and anyway, sprinkle, not feed? Do elves drink water through their skin or something?”
Ethan was doing what he could to help care for the patients, but he deeply felt how painfully short they were on staff.
He was so busy that the request sounded ridiculous, and he hesitated—was he really supposed to do that?
“Yes! Um… it’s a regressed function, so it normally doesn’t work well, but… we’re really short on hands right now. Please, I’m asking!”
Before he could ask anything more, Cecilia briskly walked off to another spot. The only thing left where she had stood was a floating spirit taking some sort of action.
“…Guess I’ll just sprinkle water over everyone here.”
Ethan had no way of knowing who exactly she had meant, so he picked up the sprayer and moistened them all.
At this point, it didn’t feel much different from watering plants.
He pushed the potentially offensive thought aside for now; another patient was brought in from somewhere, so he let out a deep sigh and carried them to a bed.
Ethan knew elves weren’t incompetent, so he couldn’t even begin to guess what kind of being had caused all this.
He ignored the oddly familiar but unplaceable scent lingering at the tip of his nose and focused on nursing.
But he couldn’t fully concentrate. Gloria’s words on the airship kept ringing in his ears.
Was it really going to end with just being collaborators? Cecilia had brushed it off with a hesitant “collaborators,” but he couldn’t settle on that.
She had given him the strength to climb out of his lowest point, and to someone like him, who lived only for his faith and the Order, she had shown the space to pause and take in the world.
It was too deep to simply call it “collaboration,” yet vague to take it any further. Gloria had seen his hesitation and smiled faintly, telling him to think deeply on it.
Maybe someone like her would be okay.
Elves couldn’t reproduce, but who said marriage had to be about having children? Wouldn’t it be enough to just live together with someone you love?
Ethan couldn’t make up his mind easily. Choosing her wouldn’t mean giving up his faith, but he probably wouldn’t be able to commit to it with the same passion anymore.
“…Ah! Ethan, I said the one with sky-blue hair! Why would you spray it on everyone?!”
Startled when the very person he’d been thinking of appeared, Ethan blurted out whatever came to mind.
“Ah, well… they all looked the same shade of blue to me…?”
“Ah, what kind of excuse is that?! This one’s teal, that one’s light teal! And this is sky-blue! It’s obvious to anyone!”
Ethan genuinely couldn’t tell the difference and felt wronged, but technically it was his fault for not asking sooner, and Cecilia’s fierce tone left him no room to argue.
In the end, he had to follow Cecilia around and learn to distinguish the various shades of elven hair color before he could be of any real help.
***
“…So, because of that, today’s scheduled activities are canceled, everyone. I’ll say it again—due to unforeseen accidents and safety concerns…”
They’d been told to gather, so she thought they might hear some grand announcement, but instead, it was just a roundabout way of saying they were being given free time due to the current situation.
It already felt that way, so being called out just to hear that felt pointless. Maybe it was thoroughness—or just annoying.
Dogeon looked a bit paler than earlier. Not that she minded—one less nuisance for her—but it clearly wasn’t the same for him.
“How… tragic this is. Truly unfortunate. But worry not. I don’t plan on doing anything… for now.”
She leaned on Dogeon’s back and whispered softly into his ear. Close enough that she could hear him gulp—and if she focused, maybe even his heartbeat.
…Oh, she could hear it. Thump, thump—a mix of excitement and fear. Well, to be fair, last time was a bit much. She kept going even though he begged her to stop, saying he still had the strength to talk.
“Ahahaha… I-I see. Thank you for your understanding…”
She pressed harder and slowly pushed him forward. It was strange, really. He had started the conversation, yet he was the one getting scared.
But more than that, something was bothering her as they wandered aimlessly.
“So? Any ideas for how to spend the time?”
So, what now? At the academy, there had at least been attractions like the zoo, botanical garden, library, and plenty of food from the cafeteria or snack shops.
But this place was dull to the point that there was practically nothing besides grass and trees.
She hadn’t expected much from the food either.
A walk didn’t seem like a great option. No matter where she looked, all she saw was more grass and trees—not exactly visually thrilling.
Even strange things were only interesting the first time. By the third, they got boring.
If they killed time by napping until night, they’d both definitely wake up the next morning. She could force herself up, but Dogeon was another story.
“There’s not much to see… but still, there must be something. If we look around slowly, I’m sure we’ll find something. Or we could ask Cecilia, since she’s a local, if she knows anything fun to do.”
That sounded like something he’d say. The usual “there’s gotta be something, right?” kind of optimism. There probably was something… but how long could it really keep them entertained?
“Yeah, probably. It’s certainly full of strange things. Like the Mother… was it the World Tree? Should we head there first?”
“I heard it’s actually off-limits for now. They say the cause of the chaos is there, so only selected people can approach it.”
“Lovely. The biggest attraction in this barren place is practically gone, too.”
It really felt like false advertising. She’d at least expected fresh air, but nope. Couldn’t even get close to the World Tree. Might as well have stayed on the island.
“…How fantastic. Then let’s go find that grass-smelling girl. Though… do you know where she is?”
Cecilia seemed like the obvious person to go to, but she hadn’t shown up since that initial guidance, so they had no clue where she was.
“Uhh… no, I don’t, haha…”
Great. They didn’t even know where their guide was.
“Then… first priority is finding where that grass-scented girl is.”
“…She’s probably wherever they’re keeping the collapsed people? She likes helping others, so I imagine she’s assisting with the aftermath over there.”
Now that she mentioned it, it did make sense. They still didn’t know exactly where that place was, but when they stopped a passerby and asked, the person stammered and pointed the way, so they got there quickly.
***
“…This is bad.”
“I agree. Are you saying… all these collapsed people?”
Even though it was a fairly large clearing, there were so many elves lying on the ground that you had to walk carefully to avoid stepping on them. Some people were moving busily in the distance, tending to them, but the number of helpers was far too few.
“…Oh? Dogeon? And Hoyeon…? What are you doing here… Ah! You’re stepping on someone’s hair!”
Oops. She had been careful, but there were just too many. Dodging them was harder than avoiding ginkgo leaves on the ground.
“…We were going to ask if there was anywhere fun to go, but… clearly not the time for that.”
“Ah, yes. As you can see, we’re really short on hands with this many people. And… well, it’s awkward to say, but there really isn’t much for outsiders to enjoy…”
Basically, if you’re not busy, please help us. That’s what she meant. The way she avoided eye contact with Hoyeon and spoke only to Dogeon really didn’t sit well.
What bothered her even more was that Dogeon didn’t seem like he would refuse. She could tell he was glancing between her and the patients, clearly torn.
“…Lady Hoyeon… would it be alright?”
Sigh. Came here to have fun, and now they were doing nursing. Well, at least time would pass quickly.
“Why ask me? Do as you please. If you do it, I’ll join in.”
“Really?! Thank you, Lady Hoyeon! I know it’s a lot to ask, but could you please start with the people around here…?!”
Cecilia ran off to tend to other patients the moment she assumed Dogeon had agreed—without even confirming it.
“…I, um, I’m sorry, Lady Hoyeon. You really don’t need to do such troublesome work…”
“Enough. It’s not about the trouble. I just didn’t like seeing you fawn over another girl. Now, let’s get started.”
But what were they even supposed to do? Just try shaking them awake? She hadn’t explained the most important part before running off, so there was no telling what to actually do.
Dogeon and Cecilia were both hard at work already, and she didn’t want to just stand there, so she figured she might as well try something.
…Shaking should work, right?
As soon as she touched the elf, she felt something strangely familiar and completely out of place. A pure, untainted magical energy.
Not divine will, not human distortion—just raw nature.
Why is this… inside them? Before she could even finish the thought, the mana flowed into her body. Not that anything seemed wrong, but it had never entered her before, no matter how hard she tried—why now?
While her questions kept piling up, the cherry on top was the elf suddenly springing to their feet.
You’ve got to be kidding me.