Leon felt a sense of inevitability.

After all, a transcendent-level magician had no real obligation to treat him so cordially.

“…What’s your proposal?”

Meisen gave a slight smile at Leon’s cautious expression.

“To form a good relationship with us elves.”

“…Pardon?”

“It’s simply an unofficial conversation between us, but it means building a cooperative and amicable relationship.”

Why was he even bringing this up? Leon pondered for a moment.

There was no real downside. His current goal was to become a transcendent magician, and for that, he needed powerful influence and allies.

‘Though I’m not sure how much the elves’ influence would help me achieve that.’

For Leon, who still lacked a firm foundation, this could be an opportunity.

But could a truly "good relationship" exist between them, given the overwhelming disparity in power?

“Establishing a good relationship isn’t difficult. I don’t have any particular resentment toward elves.”

Leon’s vague reply made Meisen chuckle.

“I like that cautious attitude of yours. And, of course, as a king, this isn’t a formal proposal, so there’s no need to feel burdened. I don’t intend to delve too deeply into the matter, either.”

After telling Leon to wait, Meisen disappeared into a small room. A brief glimmer of light followed before he returned.

“I’ll give you another branch of the World Tree. If, by any chance, the magic sword attempts to go berserk even after purification, you can repeat the spell using this branch. And if anything else arises, you can contact me for help.”

He handed Leon another item—a small leaf that fit in the palm of his hand.

“By infusing this leaf with mana, you can relay a message to me. Whatever you say will reach me.”

“Could I also hear from you in return?”

“Of course. There’s an earring artifact, too, if you’d prefer something more convenient.”

After a moment’s thought, Leon shook his head.

“No, this will be sufficient.”

With that, each of them held their own resolutions as they left the room, heading toward where Ria and Zirka awaited.

Upon rejoining Ria and Zirka, Meisen spoke once again.

“Are you planning to leave just like this?”

“I think it’s best.”

“That’s unfortunate. So you’re leaving the human woman behind and going alone?”

“Our purposes differ, so there’s no choice.”

“It would be nice if you stayed at least one more day... but then, this place may not be the most comfortable for humans to rest.”

With a faint look of disappointment—or perhaps something else—Meisen led Leon and his party.

“I’ll guide you to the path out.”

They followed Meisen as he led them away from the World Tree.

The location they arrived at was a gathering spot reached through teleportation magic, where several elves were assembled. Among them were Fez, with whom Leon had dueled, and Princess Ariella.

Ariella approached Leon, her expression tinged with regret.

“Are you really leaving? I thought we could talk a little more.”

“…Perhaps we’ll meet again if the opportunity arises?”

Ariella, who had previously expressed disinterest in learning magic, had said she would study it if it was Leon teaching her. Whether that was genuine or not, she was clearly sincere in her disappointment at his departure.

‘A princess with many illusions about humans.’

Though physically similar to Leon and possibly even older in age, her way of thinking felt somehow youthful.

“I hope we’ll meet again, Ria….”

“….”

Ariella also greeted Ria, who simply nodded in response with an expressionless face.

“I’ll escort you.”

Stepping forward, Fez addressed Meisen.

With a nod of approval, Meisen agreed, evidently having already made arrangements.

Leon had not anticipated that the Elf King would personally arrange for a human’s safe passage out of the Elven Forest.

They followed Fez, and Leon looked around to check if Erika was present, but she was nowhere to be seen.

Erika was likely staying behind to negotiate an alliance tomorrow. From Meisen’s response, it seemed that if Erika demonstrated her abilities, the alliance could very well succeed.

Despite his transcendent position and authority as an elven king, Meisen wasn’t a closed-minded individual. In fact, within the customs of this place, he could even be considered open.

‘…Although it’s a relationship built on an agreement, I hope it ends well.’

With that thought, Leon turned his head away, ready to return to the magical city.

They arrived at the outskirts of the forest, near where they had first entered.

“I’ll be heading back from here. If you continue along this path, you should be able to exit the forest without trouble.”

Leon nodded briefly.

“…Thank you.”

“…And I’m sorry.”

“It’s fine.”

Fez hesitated briefly before speaking with a bitter smile.

“I’ve never been told I was particularly talented, but I thought I could keep up with effort. But after meeting someone with true talent, I’ve realized I can’t match you.”

Leon listened quietly to his words.

Due to the growth-support system, his progress had been exceptionally rapid, making such praise feel distant.

Having received similar compliments before, he responded with modesty and turned away.

After a moment of silence, Fez carefully asked.

“If we meet again… could I request another duel?”

“Certainly.”

If they met again in a less urgent situation, Leon intended to engage in a more constructive duel, allowing his opponent to showcase his techniques instead of simply overwhelming him with magic.

After a brief exchange, Fez returned to the forest.

At the edge of the forest, only Leon, Ria, and Zirka remained.

Only when they were alone did Ria speak up cautiously.

“…I heard that elves reject humans, but doesn’t it feel like we got out more easily than expected?”

“It does.”

“You went to great lengths to avoid offending them. Good job.”

Leon agreed.

It was likely that Ariella’s proactive defense had prevented the elves from making any rash moves.

And after that, Meisen’s attitude had played a big part.

Meisen had sensed that Leon harbored many secrets and soon adjusted his stance.

“In any case, I achieved everything I wanted… we could say the objective was met.”

Leon activated the Concealment Lantern, surrounding himself, Ria, and Zirka with its glow.

They were on their way back to the free city, Pirein, where Leon needed to retrieve the Silver Broom he’d left for repairs.

During the two-week journey back to Pirein, Leon’s thoughts kept returning to Zirka.

Bound to him due to the power of the Mana Scale, Zirka’s situation intrigued Leon.

From what Jubel of the Kerta Trading Group had told him, the Empire’s official slaves bore a mana brand detectable through tracking magic. Zirka, however, bore no such brand.

The sole mark was a black emblem on his chest—visible only to Leon.

When he’d asked Ria about it, she couldn’t see it.

Given the Empire’s prohibition on unauthorized slavery, this was fortunate. The emblem seemed linked to dark magic.

‘Though enforcement against slavery isn’t that strict… there’s no guarantee that won’t apply to me.’

Leon pondered how to handle Zirka’s situation.

Zirka’s magic was a basic C-class fire spell.

Though a quad-elemental by nature, his potential was moderate and hardly remarkable.

It even seemed strange that someone like him would possess an artifact as rare as the Mana Scale.

‘Should I formally register him as a disciple and keep him close?’

If he intended to keep Zirka around, integrating him into Astelia, his faction, was a natural choice, though he couldn’t openly declare him a slave.

While mulling over this, Ria, standing beside him, spoke in a cautious tone.

“Leon, you’re aiming to become a transcendent magician, aren’t you?”

Leon answered frankly.

“…Well, it won’t be easy, but I do want to reach that level.”

Ria nodded thoughtfully before continuing.

“Then, how about keeping Zirka on the outside to start building your own faction? Zirka can’t betray you.”

She’d likely overheard Ariella’s words about the need for a strong faction to become a transcendent magician.

“You mean to build a faction outside of Astelia?”

“Yes, I was just curious. Preparing for that might be part of becoming a transcendent magician. After all, you grow at a pace unlike anyone else.”