NoveLight ™
A chilling sensation crept over me, and an unpleasant thought popped into my head.
Wait, could it be that the chicks sold me out!?
“Peep! Peep!” “Peeeeep!”
Guess not.
They were spreading their tiny wings, trying to protect me, looking rather threatening.
"Come forward."
A stern voice with a menacing impression.
The moment the person smiled again, the chicks were so scared they hid behind my legs.
Weren’t you just trying to protect me a moment ago?
“Hello? What are you doing here?” “It is the will of the heavens.” “Pardon? The will of the heavens?” “Yes, that’s right.”
What is this guy even talking about?
I asked him why he’s here, and he answered with “the will of the heavens.” What am I supposed to say to that?
Is this some kind of cult…?
“By the way, I keep hearing strange noises. Do you know anything about that?” “That’s also the will of the heavens.” “What?” “The time has come.”
He gestured for me to step back and then began preparing something.
It looked like he was setting up for some sort of ritual, taking out various items from what seemed to be a dimensional storage.
Once his preparations were complete, he knelt down.
Then he started muttering strange words in a loud voice.
“Our Father on the earth…”
The deafening sound was so intense that I covered my ears and squeezed my eyes shut in pain.
Suddenly, everything became quiet.
When I opened my eyes again, it was as if a massive whirlwind had swept through the place—there was nothing left.
The clearing was empty.
Dragon-Dragon burped.
A blue message appeared.
[Quest Clear!] Your affinity with the inhabitants of the forest has increased.
I stared at the blue window in disbelief, then looked down at the chicks hiding behind my legs. Both of them had fainted.
Hugging the two unconscious chicks, I crawled back through the passageway, only to realize the sun had already set.
I hadn’t been in there that long, had I?
While I was brushing off the dust, Melin Noona showed up.
“Where have you been!?” “I just solved the noise problem and came out.” “Huh? What do you mean by ‘noise problem’?”
I showed Melin Noona the location of the hidden passage, and she was so surprised that she said she would report it to the village.
She also mentioned that she would inform the village elder about the noise issue, then led me back to the village.
Now that I think about it, Melin Noona seems fine, right?
“Are you okay, Noona?” “When I fall asleep, not even an earthquake could wake me.”
After arriving at the elder’s house, I explained everything that had happened.
The elder thanked me.
“Thank you so much. I haven’t been able to sleep because of the noise. It was unbearable.” “Dealing with noise between floors… I mean, noise issues can be really stressful.” “Our tribe lives a quiet life, so it’s been particularly hard for us.”
Tears welled up in the elder’s eyes as they expressed their gratitude.
Since it was already late, Melin Noona guided me to the guest quarters, where I could stay overnight.
The room was equipped with all the essentials and had a bed.
She closed the door, telling me to rest comfortably.
The bed looked hard, but it was surprisingly comfortable when I lay down.
Suddenly, the events from earlier came to mind.
What the heck was all that?
“Here it is, Elder.” “Thank you.”
I led the village elder to the location the traveler had mentioned.
It was such a tiny hole; no wonder no one had found it before.
The elder summoned a spirit and sent it inside, and after a while, the spirit returned from a different location.
“There’s an entrance over there.”
Following the elder to the entrance, we finally discovered why it had remained hidden for so long.
“It’s a barrier.” “A barrier… And we didn’t realize it until now?” “The caster must have died, allowing us to find it. Had they been alive, we would never have discovered it.”
With the elder’s power, the barrier was broken, and we followed the passage to the clearing that the traveler had mentioned.
Just as we were about to step into the clearing.
“Stop.” “What is it, Elder?” “It’s dangerous to go any further.”
I looked more carefully at the clearing and noticed something strange.
The concentration of magic here was on a whole different level compared to other areas.
It felt like the aftermath of a dragon’s breath attack.
And not just any dragon—a Lord-level one.
How on earth did they survive such a place?
Unable to proceed further, we halted the investigation and returned to the village.
Then the elder called me softly.
“Give the traveler ‘that’ item.” “Are you sure?” “Think of it as an investment for the future.” “I understand, Elder.”
I woke up the next morning, tidied the bed, and felt like something was missing.
What was it? I checked, and the two chicks were gone.
I glanced at Dragon-Dragon, who tilted his head.
“You didn’t eat them, did you?” “Bweeee!?” “Sorry! I know you didn’t, but snakes do eat chicks sometimes, right?” “Bweeee!” “I’m really sorry!”
He got angry, insisting he only eats mana stones, so I had to double his usual amount of mana stones to make up for it.
Oh, and by the way, Dragon-Dragon told me the chicks left early in the morning.
After Dragon-Dragon finished his meal and opened the door, Melin Noona was waiting outside.
“Were you waiting for me to wake up!?” “Not at all, I just got here.” “That’s a relief.” “Three hours ago.” “That’s not ‘just’!”
She handed me a box while giggling at my surprised expression.
When I asked what it was, she told me to open it.
Inside was a small seed.
[Seed of ???]
I had no idea what it was.
It felt familiar, like I’d received something similar before.
I asked what it was, but she didn’t answer.
“You’ll find out when the time comes,” she said vaguely, and offered to guide me out of the village.
Following Melin Noona out of the village, I saw other elves. They all looked well-rested, probably because they finally got a good night’s sleep.
After guiding me to the edge of the village, Melin Noona waved goodbye, and I waved back before heading towards the city.
On the way to the city.
In the distance, I saw a familiar bear running toward me.
“Grrraaa!” “Bear! I missed you so much!” “Grrraaa!” “You want me to keep my promise? Uh, sure.”
I pulled a mana stone out of my inventory and handed it to the bear, but his expression…
“Grrraaa!” “You want a bigger one!? I don’t have one, you greedy bear!”
This guy has a picky taste.
Grumbling, the bear ate the mana stone and signaled for me to get on his back.
He’s surprisingly affectionate.
“Grrraaa!” “Two mana stones when we get there!? Are you a robber!?”
“Grrraaa!” “‘Get off if you don’t like it,’ huh!? You really are a robber!”
We compromised on one stone, and he agreed to carry me to the city.
Thinking of him as a taxi made the ride a lot more comfortable.
It had taken me half a day to walk here, but the return trip was much faster.
As soon as we got near the city, I handed the bear a mana stone, which he took in his mouth and vanished.
At least he’s consistent with payment.
After entering the city, I immediately headed to the information guild to report.
Upon entering the shop, a staff member guided me to the request room, where Erica Noona was waiting.
“My darling, did you have a good trip?”
[Quest Clear!] Reward granted.
Other than the advance payment of mana stones, I only gained experience points.
I then took out the item I had received from the forest’s inhabitants.
“Do you know what this is?”
“Hm? Let me take a look.”
Erica examined the seed, and her expression changed.
“You got this from the forest folk?”
“Yes.”
She studied it for a long time before handing it back to me.
“So, what is it?”
“I don’t know!”
“What!? Then why did you stare at it so seriously?”
“To look professional!”
Laughing, she explained that as the head of the information guild, she had to maintain her image and couldn’t just admit she didn’t know something right away.
Just as I was about to head back to the hotel.
“By the way, are you interested in the black market?” “The black market?” “They also hold auctions there.” “Auction!?”
At last, the back-alley event had appeared!
The black market, and an auction to boot.
It smelled of illegality. How could I resist?
“I’m in!”
“Here, take this.”
[Black Market Ticket] A ticket that grants access to both the black market and the auction.
“You can use this ticket to enter the black market and attend the auction. Don’t lose it.”
“Thank you, Erica Noona!”
I thanked Erica Noona and left, checking my schedule. The auction was tomorrow.
I should be able to buy something decent with the gold I’ve saved up, right?
Back in the request room, I tapped the table lightly.
Why did the forest folk give me this?
Then again, when have those elves ever done what I expected?
They’re such amusing beings, just watching them is entertaining.
Given how fascinating and full of incidents they are, it seems I’ve hit the jackpot this time.
As the head of the information guild, it’s crucial to eliminate enemies and secure valuable connections.
And this one isn’t just valuable—it’s like finding a golden rope.
Sipping sweet cocoa, I organized the information.
“Classify all information regarding Yuna as top-secret.” “Yes, Master.” “Make sure no pests approach her.”
[Main Scenario Quest conditions fulfilled.] [CHAPTER 1: Protect the World Tree.] [Time until invasion: 719 hours, 59 minutes, 59 seconds.]