CH 4

“Anyway, do you know where they came from and where they’re heading?”

“Roughly. They are probably moving from the south to the north.”

From the south to the north, huh?

It was an appropriate response, but that’s how elves talk, and in this forest, there weren’t many other ways to say it.

Frowning, he groped through the fading memories of a past life he could barely recall.

When he saw the memories of the forest, he became certain.

“These guys are probably defeated warriors.”

“Why do you think so?”

“Yes. There was a region belonging to these guys in the south, right?”

Eldmir’s village was located on the outskirts of a vast forest with the World Tree at its center.

Being on the outskirts, Eldmir’s village was sometimes treated as part of another forest separate from the World Tree’s forest. Due to this, the village had more interaction with neighboring villages than the central village.

In other words, they were rural villages.

When interacting with these other villages, they occasionally noticed differences between Eldmir’s village and the others, particularly the fact that the elven race could have aggressive tendencies.

“Could they be running away from our race… I mean, escaping from an invasion?”

-Huh?

Eldmir’s village was relatively safe, as it was located further inside the forest, away from outside influences.

The World Tree’s forest was surprisingly popular among non-elven races as well, especially for races like the beastmen, werewolves, and orcs, who were more primitive and less civilized.

In fact, in a previous life, Eldmir had completed a quest to reclaim the World Tree while playing as a werewolf and an orc.

Of course, he burned everything down and customized the village to his liking when he was an orc.

Anyway, because of this, the outskirts of the villages were more like defensive units to repel external forces rather than typical villages. They seemed to be influenced by frequent battles, and as a result, they showed a somewhat aggressive nature, even for elves.

They are so aggressive that they sometimes charge into external forces and exterminate them.

In a past life, when I played as an orc in a village near the World Tree region, I died a few times from those elves in the early stages and saw a forced ending.

“Well, it’s obvious. They’re moving cautiously so as not to offend us, right? It’s not politeness; they’re just scared.”

-Hoho. That makes sense.

“I see. So, it’s not just a passing path; it’s an escape route.”

As if contemplating for a moment, Elysia shook her head.

“Then we should hunt them.”

“……What?”

Eldmir was taken aback by the unexpectedly harsh words from his mother.

“We overlooked something as our race, right? So, we need to rectify it.”

“Well… Just a moment ago, you were talking about respecting other races…”

“They are beings who have already been attacked by our race. There must be a reason for our fellow elves to behave like that.”

Even this warm and kind mother could be stern when needed.

For the safety of the village and the forest, she expressed her hidden side without hesitation.

“Moreover, you said those beings are not forest creatures, right? Then there’s no need to respect them.”

Despite emphasizing harmony, she seemed to have a dualistic inclination.

Eldmir swallowed his impression silently and spoke cautiously.

“Should I go with you?”

Still, Eldmir couldn’t send his mother alone to the battlefield, and she extended her warm smile to him.

“That’s a process you don’t need yet. Stay in the village.”

“Uh….”

To Eldmir, who hesitated at her unexpectedly firm attitude, an unexpected reinforcement extended a helping hand.

-What’s the matter? Eldmir is soon going to have his coming-of-age ceremony. He can experience this kind of thing in advance, right? After all, he’s not a child anymore.

Elysia looked at her contract holder.

“Artir.”

The raccoon spirit, Artir, continued speaking.

-And he still lacks experience, but he’s unmatched in skill even among the villagers. Why worry about those fleeing bandits? Do you think they’ll really be a threat to Eldmir?

“Hmm.”

Observing Elysia’s contemplative expression, Eldmir looked at Artir with an unexpected expression.

In response, Artir raised one eyebrow and conveyed his thoughts with just the shape of his mouth.

‘Serve me well. I am your contractor.’

Ah, that’s his intention.

Eldmir smirked and glanced at Artir, returning the gesture with his mouth.

‘No need to tell me that.’

After all, she’s my mother, so it’s only natural that I take care of her.

-Uh, by the way, there’s something I’m curious about.

Artir spoke at that moment.

-Why are they fleeing to the north? They were originally from the south. If that’s the case, they should be heading further south, so why are they coming our way?

“There are orcs beside us.”

-I don’t understand.

Artir tilted his head.

“When fleeing from elves who attacked them, they come towards the elven forest because they fear the orcs. Isn’t that more like fearing potential invaders in front of them more than the imminent attackers?”

It was a sharp observation, but Eldmir simply replied.

“Elves kill their enemies cleanly, but orcs enslave them. Usually, they are used as labor slaves, but in the worst case, they are used as sex slaves or simply as toys.”

-…Hmm

Of course, not only orcs but other races also used other races as slaves.

However, it was difficult for Eldmir to adapt when he played as an orc, mainly because of how the orcs used slaves in a primitive way.

By the way, “Omega World” was rated 19+.

-So, they prioritize dignity over survival.

“That’s right.”

What’s the point of surviving as a slave?

There’s no way to describe living that way.

Moreover, the opponent is an orc.

It might be more merciful to kill them cleanly.

“Alright. Artir’s words make sense.”

Oh.

The meaning of those words.

Elysia spoke to Eldmir, her beloved son.

“Eld. If something dangerous happens, you should immediately return to the village. Understand?”

“Of course.”

If there’s any sign of danger, Eldmir had engraved in his heart to flee.

Though it probably wouldn’t happen, prioritizing Elysia’s safety naturally required him to keep that in mind.

Feeling relieved by Eldmir’s willing commitment, Elysia smiled softly.

“Will you also track them?”

“If you’re okay with that.”

Eldmir’s archery was unmatched in the village, just as his tracking skills were beyond any elven resident’s capabilities.

Beyond his mere combat prowess, as a guard of the village, his skills, excluding elemental magic, were unparalleled and unmatched.

For a young elf who hadn’t even undergone the coming-of-age ceremony, to surpass veteran practitioners who had lived for hundreds of years, was an extraordinary feat. But all of this could be explained by the latent potential of the character he had set as Eldmir in his previous life.

All potential is maxed out.

As an aside, Eldmir was in a state of rejection by the spirits due to an unknown reason. However, his latent potential in elemental magic was also maxed out.

Even if he hadn’t faced rejection, he might have been recognized as the next hero to resurrect the spirit king after his time as a hero.

Anyway, regardless of that, Eldmir’s latent potential for all abilities was at its maximum, and combined with his racial bonus, he possessed legendary talent in certain areas, including archery.

Perhaps, not long ago, he had opened the ‘Forest’s Blessing,’ a unique ability reserved for high elves, and it was probably thanks to these factors.

Even without the coming-of-age ceremony, and even without his status window being open, Eldmir himself looked forward to what kind of profession he would gain. His potential was highly anticipated.

Eldmir searched the ground, running his hands through it, trying to trace the tracks of the beastmen.

There were hardly any footprints left.

All traces were faint and indistinct, making it difficult to identify.

Yet, for Eldmir, there was enough information.

He focused all his senses, except taste, to track down the beastmen.

The essence of the tracking skill he learned from the village’s teacher and senior guard was now being displayed by Eldmir.

“It seems like they purposely took off their shoes to leave no traces. The shape of their footprints is still visible. Hm… judging by the shape, it’s the Felidae family? Probably the Catfolk. Oh, there’s a dog here too. Four cats and one dog? What an odd combination. Hm, they are indeed moving from the south to the north, just as Mother said. But if they were trying to avoid the orcs, they could have gone east… Ah, their fellow kin must be in the north.”

As Eldmir murmured while examining the tracks, Artir looked at him with a bewildered expression.

-Do you understand all of that?

Without averting his gaze, Eldmir remained focused and replied.

“Yes.”

Upon hearing his response, Artir approached and whispered.

-You’re looking at the memories of the forest, aren’t you?

“Memories of the forest? Even without that voyeurism term, I’ve been able to do this since a long time ago.”

-…Among all the elves in the world, you must be the only one who uses the term voyeurism for the Forest’s Blessing, you half-breed fool.

Perhaps embarrassed, Artir muttered.

-El Lyradelle is whimsical too. I wonder why he bestows the glory of the forest on such a half-breed fool…

It’s all thanks to having a potential maxed out, which he had set in his previous life.

Holding back the desire to explain, Eldmir contained his laughter internally.

Eldmir, who roughly grasped the situation, straightened his previously bent body.

“I found them. If we run, we should be able to catch up to them within an hour or two.”

“As expected of my son. Well done.”

“Haha.”

He awkwardly smiled at the warm compliment that flowed out like warm water.

It was uncomfortable, but he disliked feeling awkward about the warmth of love that still seeped through there.

Gradually, Eldmir thought it was time to adapt to his new family, but whenever he thought about his past life, it wasn’t that easy. He could only believe that time would resolve everything and continued to live on.

While running for a while, Eldmir suddenly remembered and asked, as if it just occurred to him.

“By the way, what could they have done to make our kin chase after them?”

Elves usually avoid leaving the forest if possible. Even though they have become more aggressive over the years, they still possess a fundamentally gentle nature. While they don’t refuse to fight, they rarely seek it out on their own.

The moment he realized that, Eldmir’s expression stiffened.

“Ah,”

Then it must be one of those extremely rare cases where something like that happened. Thinking about it, it’s quite simple.

“…They probably touched something they shouldn’t have.”

Among the elves, there are certain things that hold a special status, and one of the most representative is the younglings of their own kin. Even if it wasn’t something like that, they must have touched something with comparable significance. As this realization sank in, anger flooded his mind, and Eldmir gritted his teeth.

“Should we speed up?”

“Sure, let’s do that.”

Elysia seemed to have the same thought, and her expression was firm.

The speed at which they were racing through the forest had long exceeded what could be achieved by humans. Even though they were blessed by the forest, maintaining such speed for a long time was challenging, even for the elves. However, they persisted without uttering a single sound of distress.

After running for a while, Elysia’s stamina reached its limit.

“Mother, they are here.”

“Haah… Did they all come?”

They stopped running and started catching their breath. Although Elysia’s energy was already depleted, with the help of the forest’s energy, she would soon recover.

“Yes, I can sense their presence.”