Chapter 7

・Bloody Ogres' Horn × 1

・Bloody Ogres' Meat × 1

After storing the dropped items, I called out to the elf woman who was still in a daze.

"So, if it's okay, I'd like you to explain the situation. Why were you lying there like that?"

"Well, my father was ill, and I came to gather herbs to suppress his symptoms. Then that thing suddenly appeared, and before I knew it, I had been knocked out."

"I see, so you were knocked out by the Bloody Ogre just as I happened to pass by."

It seems we were both lucky.

"More importantly, we need to treat your arm quickly. Wait here, I'll go gather some herbs!"

She winced as she tried to stand up. It seems she had injured her leg.

"It's fine. I need to touch your body, though."

I touched her body and...

"Perfect Heal"

"Mm... Ahn"

A seductive voice sounded near my ear. When I looked up, the elf had tears in her eyes.

"How does it feel? Does it still hurt?"

When I asked, she touched her body...

"Liar! It doesn't hurt at all!"

The effect of Perfect Heal was tremendous. I used it on my own arm to heal my injuries as well.

"Hey, what exactly is that?"

The elf asked hesitantly.

"Ah, this is called Perfect Heal. It not only restores all your health and magic but also heals all injuries."

"I've never heard of such magic! Even our high-level spirit users can't heal that quickly."

The elf was clearly surprised. I finally had the chance to meet someone and clear up my questions.

"By the way, I have one question."

I finally realized where I was. Just as I was about to ask...

"Ah, before that, let me say this. Thank you for saving me. If you hadn't come, I would have been taken and violated by the Bloody Ogre. You risked your life to fight the Bloody Ogre and got injured to protect me."

The elf blushed slightly as she said...

"Th-Thank you so much."

The last part was hard to hear as she turned her face away.

"Don't worry about it. I couldn't have left you in that situation."

If I could have ignored that situation, I wouldn't have volunteered to be a sacrifice in place of Alicia.

"More importantly, where are we?"

I need to get back to my country, so I want to know where I am...

"This is the deepest part of the Forest of Wandering. Humans say that once you step in, you can't come out alive."

"I've never heard of it. So it's not near the town where I lived."

It seems I was transported to a distant place by the teleportation magic circle to the evil god. However, the name "Forest of Wandering" is quite fitting.

This place is open, but once you enter the forest, the trees are so tall and leafy that they block the sunlight. There are no landmarks, so it would be easy to lose your sense of direction and wander endlessly.

Thinking about this, how should I escape?

"Hey, can I ask you something... you... um..."

"Ah, I'm Elt."

She hesitated to call my name. Since we hadn't introduced ourselves yet, I gave my name.

She whispered, "...Elt," and then said,

"My name is Selena."

Selena introduced herself, placing her hand on her chest. As I looked at her...

"Since we're here, why don't you come to my village? I want to thank you for saving me."

If I refused, I would just wander in the Forest of Wandering.

"Alright, lead the way."

I nodded at Selena's suggestion.

---

"Selena! What's wrong! You're covered in dirt!"

After running for a few minutes, we seemed to have reached the elf village. An elf man jumped down from a tall tree and stood in front of Selena.

"Actually, I was attacked by a Bloody Ogre..."

"What! That thing appeared again! We need to guide it away immediately! We can't let it get close to the village!"

Other elves appeared, looking serious. Selena came closer and spoke.

"That thing was really troublesome."

"Indeed. Every time it appeared near the village, we would guide it away to keep it from getting close."

As we were talking...

"Selena! What are you doing! Report the location where you saw it!"

The elf man, who was in a hurry, said.

"Can I talk to you for a moment?"

"What do you want... a human?"

He gave me a puzzled look.

"Elt saved me from the Bloody Ogre!"

Selena stepped in front of me, trying to help. The elves' hostile gazes softened at her words.

"I see, so Elt is Selena's savior and the village's savior. We're busy now, so we can't give you a proper welcome, but I'll thank you after we deal with the Bloody Ogre."

As the man was about to move, I showed him something.

"Speaking of the Bloody Ogre, I've already taken care of it. Here's the horn as proof."

"Wh-What?"

The elves gaped in shock. Selena watched with a wry smile.

An awkward silence fell over the area.