Hikari could feel the glimpses from the Sha’kin as she walked. Their gazes had beco reverent, but the princess and another guardsn at least didn’t stare at her openly.
The deeper they traveled to the west, the more the forest radiated with mana. Hikari could sense the presence of fantastical beasts and monsters. Originally, the elf thought that monsters and beasts would be more aggressive in the wild. This was not only based off her ti playing the ga but also her ti spent in the dungeon.
However, the real world was vastly different than the dungeons. Monsters living out in the open would attack people, but it was not guaranteed. In a sense, monsters were like wild animals on Earth. So were more hostile than others, but this forest contained many of the more docile ones.
While walking towards their destination, the princess eventually began speaking. "Are you from Elderwood, Lady Hikari?"
"I am not. I have no idea where the place I was originally from even is."
Princess Shamala looked regretfully. "I’m sorry. I didn’t an to be rude."
Hikari shook her head. "Not at all. What I said is the truth. I am not sure I could make it back there even if I tried."
Shamala widened her eyes. "Even soone as great as you?"
Hikari sighed and looked off into the sky. It wasn’t that she desperately wanted to go back to Earth, but it was a fact that this world lacked many of the conveniences. Hikari thought about what it would be like for people of a fantasy world to have gaming computers? Imagine if they played on computers while playing fantasy gas? Did that an that the fantasy ga was just a reality ga? Or would their fantasy ga be more like sci-fi?
Should I bring those things here? No, no, first of all, I don’t even know how I would build computers.
Hikari realized she still hadn’t answered the question. "I have limits. I am just a healer that’s better than most healers."
"Master is the strongest in the world. She is also the cutest!"
Hikari blinked at the dragon’s proclamation. Though, the elf felt less than inclined to correct the dragon. Did that an the dragon was slowly winning? Hikari wondered if she should just surrender now.
"You elders are really different," Shazir said, "I t only one other, but I have seen many elves. Even though the elves have their proclivities, they still seem more worldly."
The elf in question shrugged at that notion. "Really? From my perspective every one here seems bizarre. Even the elves I’ve t were different than expected."
"You make it sound as though you’ve not t many elves, despite being one yourself."
"In that sense, you would be correct. Consider as soone who lived beneath a rock, and all of your thoughts will make sense."
"Was that the road to power?"
Hikari chuckled. "You think I grew the power of healing by sitting under a rock?"
Princess Shamala giggled. "That would be pretty strange."
"What about you guys? How did you co to be like this?"
"The competition was too much. We were pushed out of our holand by lizardn and swamp monsters. Many of our kind have vanished from this world to stand beside Shazaal."
Hikari tilted her head. "Who’s that?"
"Hm, I didn’t expect you to know, but it is the one we praise."
"A god?"
"You can say that. However, the story is a bit different. For beastn, as the humans call us, we often have different patron deities. Strictly speaking, Shazaal was the first king of our nation. Another reason we cannot fail."
This ti it was Kurayami who was the one to answer. "You speak so frankly, yet I vividly rember another cat who detested ."
Shamala smiled wryly. "The Sha’kin do not hold such reservations against dragon descendants. No, I should call you a true dragon, isn’t it so?"
"Princess!" Shazir shouted.
"You’ve sensed it too, no? There is no lizardman who could appear like this."
"But to say such things…"
Kurayami grinned at Shamala. "Don’t listen to this bumbling coward. I much prefer people like you. Honest ants are better than the ones who yell and tell disdainful lies."
Hikari could only look at Kurayami awkwardly. Wasn’t it this dragon who was the best at subterfuge? To rebuke another person for telling lies…
"Master?"
"It’s nothing! I was just thinking that Kurayami is right."
Kurayami lifted her head smugly. "Master is truly the greatest at flattery."
"Why does a smug look accompany those words? Usually one would not be so smug when receiving flattering comnts."
"I hang on your every word, Master!"
"Am I the one being flattered now!?"
"Hehe…."
Hikari didn’t rebuke her dragon. Since the two had arrived, the expressions of the Sha’kin looked much better. Even though the elf hadn’t cast more healing spells, it seed the appearance of the two was enough to drastically lift their spirits.
It was likely this reason Kurayami acted in such a way. It left Hikari not knowing what to think. She felt like her dragon had been growing more and more tender. If it was when they first arrived, Kurayami was much more like a brambled thorn.
The elf thought it was a good thing. The last thing she wanted for Kurayami was to be entirely co-dependent. She recognized that the dragon still had so yandere tendencies, but she’d been making strides. It would be better if Kurayami was able to achieve her own goals. Every ti Hikari asked the dragon before, she always got a similar answer. Kurayami’s goals were always related to Hikari.
anwhile, Hikari was thinking about things unrelated to Kurayami. Of course, the elf loved the dragon, but there were other things in this world. The two sister princesses from Amalin, the rchant that brought them here, and the looming threat of a crazed goddess. There were so many corners of the world, yet the dragon usually only saw one.
The whispers of spirits around Hikari began to grow. The air surrounded her glowed in white from their gathering. And as if they were a bunch of fireflies giving directions, the spirits lined up in front of the entire group. At a distance, Hikari could see it much better.
A tree stood above the landscape, piercing into the clouds. It’s thickness was unbelievable. If Hikari had to guess based on the thickness alone, there was a possibility that Tokyo could grow inside of it.
And this was the strangest part about it. Before she had gotten here she hadn’t sensed the tree at all. When she stood upon a tall mountain, there was no tree that stood massively above the rest. Yet, now it was there.
"Master, I sense a powerful existence."
Hikari’s eyes widened at the dragon’s proclamation. For her to call sothing powerful was a big deal. She hadn’t even said anything of the sort about Alia. Was it because she had a disdain towards the pink goddess?
Several gasps from the Sha’kin perfectly encapsulated the situation. The clouds were like a veil hiding the tree from sight. The spirits continued towards the tree in a straight line, going up one of the road shaped roots into the hollow trunk.
Nobody said a word as they climbed the wooden structure. The hole in the trunk was like a gaping maw, and once they crossed over an incredible sight presented itself.
Stretching for several miles a city stood inside of the trunk. All of the houses and buildings were built from the tree itself. The wood structures were part of the tree, and everywhere there were elves. They walked down wooden roads as they greeted each other.
The sight was too mind boggling to Hikari. The skyline was another root structure, and several plants grew from the wood. It was then that Hikari rembered that the tree itself was considered an Elder. As that thought began to sink in, she realized what Kurayami ant. Instinctively, she read the tree’s status.
Na: Saisho
Age: Unknown
Race: Divine Tree
Title: [The First Sprout]
Strength: 1,000,000,000
Intelligence: 10,000,000
Wisdom: 10,000,000
Faith: 10,000,000
Health: 10,000,000,000
Mana: 100,000,000
For the first ti, Hikari saw a status that seed greater than her own. The elf was genuinely surprised. She didn’t naively think that nothing could beat her, but a part of her truly believed that she’d inevitably have the highest stats. So of her stats were still higher, but 10 billion health truly seed absurd.
Was this what it ant when people said there were always bigger fish in the sea? But what Kurayami said seed to contradict everything Hikari was seeing.
"This guy is quite strong, but after all, no one can beat Master."
Hikari wanted to respond, but she didn’t get a chance. Soon after they crossed the entrance an elf was there to greet them.
"Welco travelers. The spirits have granted you passage, and it is my duty to escort you."
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