“Is he perhaps a gift for me?” [Rosaminta]

Rosaminta asked the elves as she licked her lips in a rather seductive manner. Since she was speaking in the elven language, Ryner, who was sitting in the driver’s seat of the wagon, didn’t know what she was saying, but he could still sort of guess.

“… I don’t know why, but I get the feeling this uselessly sexy lady is picking a fight.” [Ryner]

Sort of.

“Instead of punching, can I spank her?” [Ryner]

“Oh? You want to spank me?” [Rosaminta]

The woman with pale green skin giggled attractively and spoke in the human tongue so that he could understand her.

“Which part of my body would you like to spank?” [Rosaminta]

As she flirtatiously asked, she placed her right hand on her abundant chest and leaned forward slightly. A thin green vine grew out of her right forearm near the elbow and coiled itself around it all the way to her wrist. The tip moved about like a snake that was searching for prey.

“We could start with your head before moving to your butt.” [Ryner]

Ryner raised his right hand before curling and uncurling his fingers. Seeing the gesture and hearing the words of the sleepy-looking man, Rosaminta put her left index finger on her full lips and stretched out her right hand towards him.

“You sound like an aggressive man. I like that.” [Rosaminta]

In contrast to her seductive appearance, the vine’s tip was pointed at the human’s chest like a sword and her misty eyes were glowing with the will to fight.

“Gatekeeper, this man belongs to me.” [Riteinia]

Before anything else could happen, Riteinia butted in from the side and made her horse get in between the two as if she was protecting Ryner.

“Rosaminta, he’s different from the other humans. We owe him our freedom. Please, let him pass.” [Elf]

“It’s hard to believe, but it’s true.” [Elf]

“We promised him a reward. That’s why we brought him here.” [Elf]

“He’s not a snack, so don’t eat him.” [Elf]

The seven elves that had made a deal with him also spoke up to defend him in the humankin language one after the other.

“Rosaminta…” [Meirith]

Finally, Meirith also tried to calm down the forest’s guardian. With her hands held in front of her chest, she earnestly met Rosaminta’ eyes.

“He’s… Very, very kind, person.” [Meirith]

Her words spoken in the humankin language were a bit awkward, but anyone could feel the sincerity in them.

“My…” [Rosaminta]

The pale green-skinned woman looked at Riteinia, then the seven elves and finally Meirith with round eyes.

“My, my, my. The Matriarch, the Travelers and even Meirith are defending a human.” [Rosaminta]

She seemed stunned and questioned what she was seeing.

“… I guess I have no choice but to also place my trust in him.” [Rosaminta]

Still, her smile soon reemerged and an amused air floated around her. Like retracting claws, the vine slithered back under her skin. Then, she turned her back on Ryner and walked towards the lone tree from which she appeared.

“I’ll let him pass, but be sure to ask Meirith’s father if he can stay, okay?” [Rosaminta]

After placing her hand on the twisting bark, the tall plant suddenly wiggled around. All of the branches became limp and resembled tentacles. As if it was made of soft clay, the trunk was untwisting itself, revealing that it was made of two trees. They then curved towards each other and green leaves began rapidly growing on the branches that hardened again.

In a matter of seconds, the weird tree that looked like a spiraling cone became two trees that formed an arch. The branches grew out on all sides, covering the trunks in fresh green leaves. At the top of the arch, a single red rose could be seen.

Rosaminta stood to the side and gestured for everyone to pass under the arch. The elves got excited and rushed ahead. Ryner watched from behind as the moment they took one step under the arch, they suddenly disappeared.

“Ahhh, so that’s why she’s called the Gatekeeper.” [Ryner]

He commented while slowly nodding to himself.

“Looks like you get it. That’s a gateway able to teleport people and objects, similar to those in the ruins. Only Rosaminta has full control over these gateways. So if you want to go to where the elves live, then you need her permission. Getting on her bad side in this swampland is not something you want to do.” [Riteinia]

Riteinia said before urging her horse to move forward. The rest of her tribe followed suit as well as Ryner who had the wagon advance towards the arch.

“But, something’s really bugging me…” [Ryner]

“What?” [Riteinia]

“That elf kid actually called me a very kind person. Can’t she tell I’m a tough and seasoned fighter that makes kids cry? Right, Mi?” [Ryner]

“Woof woof!” [Mi]

“Talking to a pup doesn’t make you look tough.” [Riteinia]

“Don’t you ever have anything nice to say? Also, about the crap from before.” [Ryner]

“What from before?” [Riteinia]

“Since when did I belong to you?” [Ryner]

“You will soon enough. Once I get the chance, I’ll have you kneel at my feet, begging me to conceive.” [Riteinia]

“… How’s the arm I busted?” [Ryner]

“Just die.” [Riteinia]

As the human and Matriarch exchanged words in a not so friendly manner, they passed the gateway under the gaze of Rosaminta who, despite her nonchalant demeanor, was curiously looking at Ryner.

As soon as they passed under the arch, their view distorted for a second and all of a sudden, their surroundings had completely changed.

The gloomy fog and the grey sky were gone. Bright light forced everyone to squint and cover their eyes before they adjusted to the sudden brightness. Then, what came into their view was a vast expanse of water, sparkling under the sun. What appeared before them was a lake spanning several kilometers.

The calm surface was of a light blue just like the sky. Clusters of large, transparent crystals dotted the lake like small islands in a circle formation. These shining minerals were the size of five-story buildings and resembled pillars with five or six faces. There were eight of these crystal islands that surrounded the imposing mass located at the center of the lake.

It was a hundred meter high tower of solid rock covered in green moss and vines. Water freely flowed down its sides, creating impressive waterfalls of rushing white currents that disturbed the otherwise calm surface below. Sitting on top of the tower were gigantic trees of different shapes with big green leaves.

When the elves that went through the gateway saw it, many fell to their knees and shed tears. They covered their mouths and sobbed quietly, moved by the sight of their home that they thought they would never see again.

Ryner watched their reactions while examining his surroundings. He and his group were standing on the shore of the large lake that spanned several kilometers. Behind him were the gateway that he passed through and even more trees. The lake was surrounded by a forest, but it wasn’t the gloomy swampland that he crossed. It was filled with fresh green grass, healthy trees and colorful flowers.

It was a verdant forest abundant with life.

“Surprised?” [Riteinia]

Riteinia’s voice came from next to him. She gazed at his face for a moment before her cold expression turned into an unpleased frown.

“You don’t show much reaction. How boring.” [Riteinia]

Shrugging his shoulders, Ryner lazily answered the unhappy Matriarch.

“I am surprised. We teleported to a giant lake. Super shocking. Almost as much as your face.” [Ryner]

“… You… Will… Die.” [Riteinia]

“Now, now, now. No fighting, children.” [Rosaminta]

From behind the only human present, Rosaminta’s coquettish voice was heard as she appeared from the gateway. Soon after, the arch began to move and turned into a thick tree with a spiraling trunk like the one in the swampland.

“Who are you calling a kid? I’ll strip your clothes off, though there’s not much need to. You’re already walking around in your underwear.” [Ryner]

“Fufu, maybe I’ll let you try another time. For now, please look at the center of the lake. That is the secret city of the forest, where no humans have stepped in for thousands of years.” [Rosaminta]

As the Gatekeeper walked passed Ryner, she flirtatiously glanced at him before standing next to the crying Meirith and putting a hand on her trembling shoulder. Then, her voice lost its seductive tone and she spoke in a rather ceremonious manner while gazing at the city on top of the waterfalls.

“To the willful young mistress and the seven Travelers, welcome home.” [Rosaminta]

For the denizens of the forest, her words were in the elven language.

“To the tribe of amazons, welcome back.” [Rosaminta]

For the golden-eyed female warriors, her words were in the humankin language.

“And to the human and his small puppy…” [Rosaminta]

Rosaminta stopped talking for a moment and looked behind her.

“Welcome to Hossylei Nac.” [Rosaminta]

Playfully gazing at Ryner, she brought her hand to her mouth and her index finger touched her lower lip.

“It’s a pleasure to have you here.” [Rosaminta]

“Woof woof woof!!” [Mi]

Excited by the new sights, Mi was happily running here and there without paying mind to Ryner’s calls. The grass felt nice to her paws. It was vastly different from the solid paved roads.

“Kid, stop running around. You’ll drown.” [Ryner]

Hossylei Nac was made of gigantic trees that weren’t surrounded by soil, but by water up to the base of their trunks. The thick roots were submerged and dug into the earth beneath. As such, the roads were basically canals filled with sparkling clear water. The streets used for walking perfectly blended in with nature since they weren’t just bridges composed of planks of wood or blocks of stone.

Instead, they were paths of grass that were created by piling up soil on top of the thick roots of the trees that unnaturally emerged from the water. Although many were arched, most of them intertwined together and formed relatively flat bridges once earth was used to equalize the surface.

“I told you to stop running around.” [Ryner]

Catching the excited Mi by the scruff of her neck, Ryner picked her up before she fell in the clear water. Normally, Riteinia would comment on his action, telling him that he shouldn’t be so soft on the dog and let it drown if it couldn’t even swim. However, the Matriarch and her tribe had split up from him once they reached the city and headed in another direction.

After Rosaminta officially welcomed them, she tightly hugged Meirith before disappearing into a tree like a ghost passing through a wall. Ryner, Mi, the amazons and the energetic elves then crossed the lake using a flat, wide rock that the elven women created. Everyone was then carried off towards the city as the makeshift boat stayed afloat thanks to the elves controlling the water around them.

Once they reached the waterfalls, Meirith shot out a bird made of flames towards the sky and had it fly around. Then, as if answering her, another bird of flames came down from the city and started circling over their heads. The two creations composed of fire began twirling and whirling together as if they were dancing in the air for a dozen of seconds. Afterwards, they disappeared, having been dispelled by their respective casters.

When Ryner asked what that was about, one of the elven women told him that it was how they announced their arrival to the city.

Then, all of the elves simultaneously invoked their magic and a column of water rose from underneath their rocky platform. The group was lifted upwards as if they were in an elevator and they headed straight for the city atop the waterfalls.

“Ryner, please keep up.” [Elf]

Someone called out to Ryner who stopped to pick Mi up. When he looked, it was one of the elven women that he had saved from slavery. She was currently walking while being hugged by a woman and guarded by a man that both appeared to be around her age. The three had wet cheeks and huge smiles on their faces, which was a result of having reunited, though the two new individuals stared at Ryner rather warily. It was the same case no matter where he looked.

When he got to Hossylei Nac, his wagon and horses were taken away. It didn’t bother him much since he didn’t actually need the wagon and it seemed the elves would take care of the horses. However, that meant that he was forced to walk under the public’s scrutiny. Hossylei Nac was home to over five hundred elves. Both the bridges and the waterways were filled with curious eyes that followed Ryner’s group.

It was a sea of shining blonde hair and emerald green eyes. All of the elves had beautiful looks, even the men. Their kind wore clothes that seemed thinner and lighter than what humans wore. Moreover, the texture was smooth and the fabric appeared to faintly reflect the light, giving it a certain luster.

The types of clothing varied. There were shirts and pants as well as robes and dresses. However, every elf had one similar fashion trait, which was a thin, transparent strip of cloth hanging on their backs that resembled the translucent wings of a dragonfly. The children had one strip of this cloth while the teenagers and adults all had two slimmer pieces.

Everyone was smiling. Many jumped or waved their hands in joy. Some were even crying. Whatever the reactions were, they were all clearly happy to see Meirith and the seven elves. It made Ryner believe that everyone knew them, that perhaps no one was a stranger in the city. After all, the moment they met the elves who were probably in charge of greeting anyone entering the city, they started crying. No words were exchanged. They all simply started to shed tears as if in response to Meirith and the former slaves’ crying.

“(But, it’s weird. Those guys were so moved, yet they didn’t even know their names. Doesn’t look like they were acquaintances. They did seem to know that girl though. From what I’ve heard so far, she’s important. Rather, her father’s the one with authority.)” [Ryner]

As Ryner mulled over his thoughts, he ignored the countless gazes that were constantly assaulting him. Being the only human in an elven city, he was attracting a lot of unwanted attention. The number of elves that peeked at him curiously equaled those that stared at him with hostility. Besides the onlookers that pointed at him while whispering to each other, there were a couple of individuals that vigilantly kept their eyes on him as they acted as escorts.

“Ryner.” [Meirith]

Meirith, who was surrounded by elves of all ages that were crying or smiling, called out to Ryner who was lagging behind the group.

“Let’s go, meet, father.” [Meirith]

She awkwardly spoke in the human tongue and smiled gently at the sleepy-looking man that saved her.

An amazingly beautiful girl just gave Ryner a heartwarming smile, but he barely registered it. He was busy thinking about the ramifications behind meeting her father.

“… I’ve got a bad feeling about this.” [Ryner]