BXBX NOVEL Chapter 109 - Ismera’s Great Forest (8)
Chapter 109 - Ismera’s Great Forest (8)
After taking down the ogre, we continued walking for another half hour.
In the area that had been devastated by the Demon King’s army ten years ago, small saplings now stood.
"What is this? Did they regrow on their own?"
"Some did, and others were planted by the elves."
"But still, this much in just ten years?"
"According to experts in the Imperial Palace, the ashes from the fire actually acted as fertilizer."
Linus looked around, smiling contentedly.
"It’s beautiful, don’t you think? To see everything rise from the ashes, moving forward into a new world after the despair of total destruction."
"Yeah, it is beautiful."
Ten years ago, I thought it was all over, that everything would end in flames.
Time really does seem to be the cure for all things.
We walked along the path lined with the tall saplings.
Looking around, it seemed we were following the exact route we took back when we captured the Special Force commander.
At the time, the 56th Special Force of the Demon King’s army attacked the Great Forest from six directions.
Linus and I ambushed and took down the rear ambush units, which allowed us to discover the route the command unit was taking.
Linus blocked the command unit’s path, while I flanked them and ambushed the forces coming from the other five directions.
But despite tearing through the Special Force at lightning speed, we missed the golden hour.
By the time we reached the outskirts of Tiraellen, the assault on the Great Forest was already well underway, and many elves had died.
To make matters worse, the fire started by the Demon King’s army spread to the trees of the Great Forest.
So Linus and I had to struggle to evacuate the elves who were determined to burn to death with the forest.
"It was no joke back then. Those pointy-eared folks are so damn stubborn."
"To the elves, the Great Forest holds a significance far beyond that of human dwellings."
If Linus and I hadn’t used force to drag them out, the elves would have ended up roasted.
"By the way, how’s the scar?"
At Linus’s question, I touched the back of my neck lightly.
"It’s been ten years. New skin has grown, just like the forest, and it doesn’t bother me anymore."
"Glad to hear it."
"But the feeling hasn’t returned."
"It’s because the skin was damaged once. Even Lormane couldn’t do anything about it."
The burn scar was caused when a burning tree fell on my neck while I was dragging out an unconscious elf who had fainted from smoke inhalation.
Thanks to Linus throwing me to the ground and stamping out the fire, I managed to avoid losing all my hair.
I wonder if that elf is doing well now.
My memory is hazy from all the smoke and fire, but she seemed to be about Merilda’s age, just a young elf.
But even if I met her again now, she probably wouldn’t recognize me.
Elves are a peculiar long-lived race that retains their youthful appearance for a very long time.
They go through a normal childhood like humans, then experience a few years of rapid growth before becoming adults, and from that point on, they remain unchanged until they die.
And back then, I was wearing a scarf and mask to avoid inhaling smoke, so that elf wouldn’t know my face either.
But it doesn’t matter. I didn’t do it expecting any sort of reward.
Still, I risked my life to save them, so I hope they’re all doing well wherever they are.
"Lord Linus!"
A clear voice called out from somewhere unseen.
I looked around and saw an elf with a bow stepping out from between the trees.
She was tall and blonde, with striking green eyes, much like Ismera.
"Welcome! You were supposed to come this weekend, but what brings you here today? Not that I’m unhappy to see you, of course."
"My friend had an urgent matter."
The elf’s green eyes turned to me as Linus answered.
"This is Dian. As I mentioned before, he fought alongside me during the Demon King’s attack on the Great Forest ten years ago. Dian, this is Nierta, one of the survivors of the Great Forest."
Linus introduced us.
"It’s a pleasure to meet you, Lord Dian. But wait… You fought alongside Lord Linus ten years ago? Then could it be that you are…?!"
Nierta’s eyes widened as she looked back at Linus.
"Yes, that’s him. After living quietly in a distant port city, he recently returned to the capital."
"This is incredible..."
Nierta stepped forward and grasped my hand tightly.
"Welcome, Lord Dian!"
"Uh, yes..."
I was taken aback. For an elf, a race known for their aloofness, to suddenly grab a human’s hand?
Elves usually avoid physical contact with other races...
"Lord Dian, you are my savior. It’s an honor to meet you again after all this time."
Nierta spoke as she shook my hand enthusiastically.
"I’ve waited ten years for you to come so that I could thank you. But after the war ended, you disappeared, and I never got the chance."
"It’s fine. I didn’t do it to hear thanks."
"But we don’t see it that way. To us, you are a savior and a hero, just like Lord Linus."
With that, Nierta bowed her head, still holding my hand.
"I apologize for not being able to express our gratitude earlier because we didn’t know where you were."
"Uh, no, it’s alright..."
"But… so this is what you look like."
Nierta raised her head and smiled as she looked at my face.
"Sorry for the way I look. Compared to elves, I’m just a dirt potato."
"Not at all. I didn’t know what you looked like because you were masked back then, but I’m surprised at how handsome you are."
"Really? Well, should I be grateful that you can tell me and Linus apart?"
I threw out a half-joking remark, and Nierta giggled.
There’s a famous line: All happy families are alike; each unhappy family is unhappy in its own way.
Similarly, all handsome and beautiful people look more or less the same, while those who aren’t have a wide variety of unique faces.
So right now, to me, all these elves look alike—highly idealized and stereotypical beauties.
On the other hand, when elves look at humans, especially at first meeting, they usually can’t tell them apart. It’s like how Westerners and Easterners often struggle to distinguish each other.
But one thing’s for sure, this elf looks different from Ismera.
I’ve spent enough time around Ismera to be certain—Ismera is more beautiful.
Anyway…
I glanced over the elf’s shoulder and asked.
"Has Professor Ismera come to the Great Forest by any chance?"
"Ismera? How did you know?"
"I work at the same academy as Professor Ismera. She suddenly resigned and left, so I thought she might have come here."
"Is that true?! Professor Ismera and Lord Dian are at the same academy?!"
Nierta was so excited that she practically shouted.
"Are you the one who started at the beginning of this year?"
"That’s right. I’m the Head Combat Professor."
"What?!"
Nierta almost jumped in surprise, looking flustered. I’ve never seen an elf like this before.
"What are the odds? The very person she hated enough to want to kill..."
"What’s going on, Nierta?"
At Linus’s question, Nierta quickly regained her composure.
"We should discuss this in the Great Forest. You came to see Ismera, right?"
"Yes. I need to inform her of her promotion to Vice-Headmaster, issued by the Imperial Palace."
"Vice-Headmaster?"
When I showed her the official document, Nierta’s eyes widened again, and her mouth fell open.
Her emotional expression was so honest and varied—quite unlike an elf.
"Oh, Ismera… After all the suffering she’s endured..."
Nierta looked as if she might burst into tears any moment, but then she turned to us.
"Let’s head to the Great Forest. Everyone will be glad to welcome you."
With the elves guiding us, Linus and I entered the Great Forest of Tiraellen.
The Great Forest, which I hadn’t seen in ten years, was different now.
The towering trees that once seemed to hold up the sky had been reduced to charred stumps, and only small saplings like those we had seen earlier remained around them.
But some of the great trees had miraculously survived the fire and were still standing, forming the center of a small tent village.
"This is our tribe’s temporary settlement until the Great Forest is fully restored."
There were just under a hundred elves around the tent village and the great trees.
Some were planting trees, others were climbing the trees on ropes to carry out restoration work, while others were gathering fruits and vegetables for food.
One thing stood out: they were all women. There wasn’t a single man among them.
"Tout le monde! Lord Linus est là!"
Nierta shouted in the language of the elves, and all the elves turned their gazes toward us.
[TL/N: The author really put french and called it the language of elves ]
Recognizing Linus, the elves stopped what they were doing and gathered around.
"Welcome, Lord Linus. You’ve arrived earlier than expected."
One of them, likely the leader of the tribe, stepped forward as their representative.
"Have you all been well? I apologize for this unannounced visit, but I’m here on behalf of a friend."
All the green eyes of the elves turned toward me.
"This is Dian. During the Demon King’s attack ten years ago, he fought alongside me here."
The elves began murmuring among themselves, glancing at each other.
"Lord Linus, are you saying this human is the one we’ve been waiting for?"
"Yes, that’s right. After living in obscurity for the past ten years, we miraculously got in touch with him."
"Is that so... This man..."
The voice of the elven leader trembled as she looked at me.
"Welcome back to the Great Forest, savior..."
Startled, I nearly let out a scream.
The leader of the elves knelt before me!
For an elf to kneel before a member of another race was something that didn’t even happen in fairy tales—it was an utterly unimaginable event.
"After ten years, we can finally bow our heads deeply and offer our heartfelt thanks."
As the leader knelt, all the other elves followed suit, kneeling and bowing their heads.
"Uh, yes. But, um… there’s no need to kneel..."
Feeling extremely embarrassed, I tried to help the elf up, but Linus quietly shook his head.
His gesture seemed to suggest that I should allow the elves the opportunity to express their gratitude.
"Our Tiraellen tribe will never forget the sacrifices and dedication of Lord Dian and Lord Linus, even after thousands of years."
"Um, yes… thank you…"
Feeling awkward just standing there, I ended up kneeling down with the elves and awkwardly patted the leader’s shoulder.
Linus watched the scene unfold with a deeply satisfied smile on his face.
# # # # #
Meanwhile, inside a small tent in the corner of the village.
Ismera lay on a makeshift bed, sweating profusely and groaning.
She was having a nightmare.
A hellish scene where everything in sight was engulfed in flames.
And a man dressed entirely in black, carrying her in his arms.
As they ran through the relentless blaze, the man spoke to Ismera.
"Don’t die. I’ll make sure you survive, so stay alive until the end."
Her consciousness had been so hazy, and the man was masked, so she couldn’t be sure, but that seemed to be the gist of it.
Suddenly, a large burning tree fell toward the man’s head.
"Ah!"
Ismera screamed and woke up, realizing it had only been a dream, and let out a sigh of relief.
A nightmare like that… She must have been extremely exhausted after the long journey she made in such a short time.
But where had Nierta gone? She was with her just before she fell asleep.
As she tried to sit up to look for Nierta, the tent flap opened, and Nierta walked in.
"Ismera, are you awake? You have visitors."
"Visitors…? Here? Who could it be?"
"Professor Ismera."
Following Nierta into the tent, Dian stepped inside.