In the forest, just a few hundred meters from the outer wall of the City of Louisiana, a group of three individuals were hiding behind the trees as they looked at the people entering and exiting the main gate of the city.
The trio seemed to be all female, aged between twenty and thirty years old, and equipped with sheer silk dresses of verdant hue. It was notable that they all had the same mint green hair, indicating that they might be related to one another.
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Their gazes were keen and cautious, but there were traces of curiosity on them. Suddenly, the one who seemed to be the youngest among them spoke up to the others.
"Sister, are you sure it's a good idea to interact with them?"
"I have no choice as it would not be long before they would find us." The one in the middle, who appeared to be the oldest and the leader, made her response. "The timing of the sudden disappearance of the dragon and the emergence of this civilization is highly suspicious. They definitely have something to do with it."
"That's right." The other one agreed. "That dragon, even though it did not cause that much problem on us, is still the most formidable being in the forest. If the humans have somehow subdued it, I think it is better to get their good sides."
"But they are still humans, full of greed. What if they would make use of us for their own interests?"
"...I have that exact doubt too. But I have made my mind. Let's just hope that they won't turn out that bad."
"Hopefully."
With courage, the three of them stepped out of the woods and carefully approached the gate.
◆◇◆◇◆◇
Last night, I told Dane the truth about my family. She must have had it hard, but in the end, her love for me prevailed, and she eventually accepted my forbidden relationships with my family.
The next morning after the revelation, Dane was still acting the same as before, maintaining her composure at all times and seeming to be unbothered by what happened last night. She was still able to engage in a proper conversation with my family.
"And that would be me," Mother nodded her head. "They might probably be native to this forest and were affected by our expansion. We just established a nation here spontaneously, so it is natural for them to question our nature."
"So what do you think about it, Mother? Will you comply with their demand?"
"Hmm. We did not have that much information about them, and we could not just grant whatever they wanted."
After responding to my question, Mother turned her gaze upon me.
"I want to hear your opinion, Raphael. Do you know any tribe or settlement inhabiting this forest? You have explored a part of the forest, so I am thinking if you know a thing or two."
"So far, within our exclusive economic domain, I found no settlements or sorts. Only a few dungeons were the discoveries I found worth noting."
"I see."
"When I decided to venture beyond our domain, I dared to explore the coastal area first as those places were relatively safer than the forest. From there, I found a few human and nonhuman villages along the coast of the forest, and the majority of them have migrated here."
"So it means that these people might come from the deeper parts of the forest."
"Might be."
"But what bothers me is how it is possible for people regardless of race to live in the middle of the infamous Great Forest of Darkness. No adventure even dared to reach this deep due to the powerful monsters lurking around, let alone live here."
Mother was right. No one would ever think about making this dangerous forest home. That would be applied if they did not originate from the forest. Aside from the monsters, they were actually some sentient races naturally living in the forest.
When I took a look at those guests through my Supernatural Observation, I found that they were not humans at all. Moreover, they belonged to a race that was extremely elusive to humans or any other intellectual beings.
"Well, let's talk to them, Mother. Let's hear what they have to say."