Now that the dark elves’ surprise attacks have disappeared, the speed of the expedition increased day by day.
Of course, in line with the Great Mezaiya Forest’s reputation, the frequency of monster appearances was also on the rise.
The rapid growth of Klein and Anais along with Dilaila who regained her ability to manipulate the earth gave wings to the expedition team.
After a few days of progress led by the three of them,
The expedition finally reached a cavity connected to other passages.
Unexpectedly, those who had arrived first were none other than the Lampert Adventurer Party.
“Ah, you’ve arrived.”
However, the Lampert Adventurer Party also seemed to have endured considerable hardships, as they all had various injuries, though it appeared there were no casualties among their ranks.
“Wow, that’s a relief. You got here first?”
“Yes. We faced a tough battle when we encountered a monster hatchery on the way, but… there were no major threats besides that.”
“Really? We had a few dark elves appear, but they stopped coming out at some point. Still, this guy here did quite well.”
“… But it wasn’t enough.”
Adam murmured that in a low voice.
Adam’s keen sense had been a great help in preparing for the dark elves’ surprise attacks, but in reality the knights of the Haiel Kingdom, which had been the weakest, were now reduced to just four members including Adam.
Adam’s expression bore the weight of the heavy losses his team received. So his expression wasn’t as bright as it should have been given his contributions.
“What’s done is done. Everyone fought bravely. This Raviata will remember them.”
“…Thank you, at least for saying so.”
After all, these words came from Raviata, the leader of the legendary Raviata Adventurer Party.
Though it might have sounded arrogant, Raviata had saved Adam’s life multiple times so he expressed his gratitude.
“Well, ideally, I’d like to move immediately, but… we still have one team left. Let’s wait for about 2 to 3 days, and if they don’t show up, we’ll depart then. What do you think?”
“Yes, let’s do that.”
“Understood.”
Everyone nodded in agreement to Raviata’s suggestion and began preparing the camp.
After completing exploration of their surroundings and ensuring safety, they were getting ready to sleep when the last expedition team finally joined them.
It was Dominic, the leader of the imperial guard knights and his team.
However, the expedition couldn’t welcome them warmly.
“It looks like… you’ve suffered heavy losses.”
The number of imperial guard knights had dwindled to half, and the fierce gleam in the eyes of those who remained showed they hadn’t endured an ordinary ordeal.
“Heh, it’s my mistake. I never imagined they’d target us so persistently.”
Although it hurt his pride, Dominic readily admitted that he was not good enough.
However, his inner thoughts were entirely different.
I will never forget this.
Dominic’s fist trembled.
Thinking there would be no attacks for a while after the member of the organization left had been a fatal miscalculation on his part.
They had tried to speed up to join with the others quickly, but just yesterday, there had been a massive ambush by dark elves.
And the other party even dug traps this time!
He resolved repeatedly that if the organization member who had left while looking at him appeared once again, he would inflict a painful end on him, no matter what.
Even so, I will be the one who laughs last.
Although the imperial knights had suffered great losses, it wasn’t different for others.
The Lampert adventurer party who was always defensive had maintained their numbers, but the number of knights who took the offensive had significantly decreased.
He judged that if they continued this expedition slowly and reduced the number of Lampert adventurer party, he would be able to take control of the situation later.
The old knight reviewed his plan in his mind once more.
But again, an incident disrupted his plan.
“Big brother!”
“Klein.”
The next day.
Shane appeared before the expedition team.
The first person to react sensitively to Shane’s arrival was none other than Klein.
“Big brother!”
With Klein recently gaining much attention for his exploits, his shout instantly drew everyone’s eyes to Shane.
Even though he had maintained a neat appearance since the start of the expedition, Shane’s clothes were now tattered, and his slightly emaciated look indicated he had endured great hardships.
Klein’s heart felt like it was tearing apart, but he thanked the gods that Shane had returned alive.
“Are you hurt anywhere? Let me get a potion right away…”
“Klein, I’m fine, so don’t worry too much. It’s just mild dehydration.”
It was actually a mana deficiency caused by sustaining the dark elves with his magic, but there was no need to mention that.
“Oh, Shane, I’m so glad you’re safe.”
At that moment.
Despite being startled by Shane’s appearance, Dominic who had survived decades in the treacherous imperial court greeted Shane with no change in his expression.
Of course, Shane responded to him with an equally expressionless face.
“The knight who was with me, unfortunately, could not be saved. The dark elves’ onslaught was overwhelming.”
“…No, no. Harpe wouldn’t think his sacrifice was in vain.”
It was only for a very brief moment.
But Dominic’s face showed a fleeting sign of relief.
In the situation where a plan had been carefully devised, if it turned out that Harpe had touched Shane, all the efforts could have been in vain.
Dominic welcomed Shane with a kinder expression than usual, and soon after, the expedition team had another strategy meeting before departure.
During this time, the expressions of the expedition members turned to shock at Shane’s words.
“What, is that really true?”
“Yes. While avoiding the dark elves, we confirmed the existence of a large-scale teleportation magic circle of the elves.”
Shane’s words were like rain in a drought for the expedition team of this vast Great Mezaiya Forest.
Generally, teleportation magic couldn’t be used inside dungeons due to the Great Seal of Akasha, but magic installed before the Great Seal could be used.
However, the leader of the Lampert Adventurer Party spoke with a worried expression on her face.
“But that magic was made by elves, not humans. Although I don’t know much about magic, I am concerned about whether it’s safe for us to use it.”
“Hmm, that’s a valid concern. I also share that worry. Have you figured out a safe way to use it?”
Shane smiled inwardly at Dominic’s timely remark.
Is he anxious?
Dominic might have appeared relaxed on the surface, but he must have had a reason to drag out the expedition to weaken its power.
Since this method was brought up in such a situation, it was only natural for him to grow anxious.
The more that happened, the more relaxed Shane became.
The enemy’s anxiety meant an increased likelihood of mistakes.
“Yes, it is theoretically possible. First, to understand this, we must grasp the characteristics of the elves living in the Great Mezaia Forest.”
Since it was elf magic, understanding the elves was the priority.
The reason the elves could survive in ancient times was that they took full advantage of their ability to assimilate with the surrounding magical power, thus placing the Great Mezaiya Forest completely under their control.
Even when injured, elves could quickly heal using the forest’s life force. They could control trees, and the trees’ magical power was deeply connected with them.
Among their skills, their mastery over the magical power flowing through the roots connecting tree to tree was unparalleled. They had spent long ages understanding this magic so they could use it effectively.
As a result, they succeeded in developing teleportation by first transferring their consciousness through the energy moving between trees, and then using it as coordinates to instantly expand the magical power entangled between trees.
After hearing all the explanations, Raviata nodded her head and asked.
“Hmm, I understand how the teleportation works, but how do you plan to use it? Only elves can use that method.”
Just like she said.
The reason the Great Mezaiya Forest remained an invincible domain for the elves was precisely because only they could use it.
Few could assimilate with the forest’s magical power like the elves, and even fewer could develop it to suit the elves’ preferences.
If the elves hadn’t entered their dormant phase, the expedition team wouldn’t have even made it to the entrance of the Great Mezaiya Forest.
However, Shane shook his head and said,
“We have someone too. Although not with trees, there is someone who has a high assimilation rate with the magical power of nature.”
Following his words, Raviata’s gaze turned to one person, and everyone else followed her gaze.
And there.
“Huh?”
There stood Dilaila who was tilting her head in confusion as if she was wondering what was going on.
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