With a long whinny from the horse, the carriage that had been bouncing along the rugged forest trail for who knows how long finally slowed to a stop.
“Alright, two esteemed young ladies, this is as far as I can take you.”
The driver sitting on the horse skillfully tightened the reins, then leaped off and walked to the side of the carriage.
He raised his rough hand and knocked on the wooden door.
Inside the carriage, Histori, who had been dozing against a soft cushion, jolted awake at the sound.
She trembled all over, then instinctively grabbed the nearest soft, slender arm.
“…”
Amir, sitting next to Histori, cast a calm glance at her.
She didn’t shake her off right away, but leisurely pulled aside the linen curtain and peered outside.
What came into view was an absurdly dense dark green forest.
Every tree towered into the clouds, their massive canopies blocking out the sky completely, and a faint layer of mist was vaguely visible at the top of the forest.
“Really? This is as far as we go? We’re only at the edge of the forest, aren’t we?”
Amir frowned slightly, her cool voice carrying a tone of interrogation.
“Normally, the carriage that carries people into the Elven Forest should be able to go quite a bit farther in.”
“Oh, miss, what you’re talking about is a long time ago!”
Hearing Amir’s doubt, the driver waved his hands repeatedly and said helplessly,
“Just in the past month or two, something strange has happened among the elves. The security around the Elven Forest has become ridiculously strict. For carriages like ours that transport people or goods, we don’t dare go any closer than about a dozen kilometers from the forest’s outskirts now.”
“To be honest, I only took the risk to bring you a bit closer because you two are generous and are old customers of mine.”
The driver pointed ahead at the towering, layered trees and spoke sincerely,
“Otherwise, if you called any other driver, they wouldn’t come this close just to earn a few extra silver coins.”
Yes, fate works in mysterious ways.
The straw-hatted driver before them was the very same acquaintance who had taken the two of them from the border of the United Kingdom to Vulcania a few days ago.
This meant that within just a few days, this middle-aged man first carried Amir and Histori southwest through the United Kingdom all the way to the dwarven capital.
After spending only one night there, with neither him nor his horses properly rested, he immediately turned around and, retracing their route, crossed a vast forest again to reach the outskirts of the Elven Forest.
“Ahem, although I’m also quite curious why you two have packed your schedule so tightly, as a professional driver, I’ll keep my mouth shut and won’t utter a word.”
The driver rubbed his fingers together at Amir, showing a simple smile.
“So, two esteemed young ladies, don’t you think you should…”
“…”
Amir shot him a cold glance, then took Histori’s hand and together they opened the carriage door and jumped out.
She casually pulled a cloth pouch from her pocket and tossed it to the driver.
Feeling the heavy weight in his hand, the driver’s face immediately blossomed into a smile.
“Alright, thanks for your patronage. I heard from some mercenaries at the tavern recently that those long-eared folks have gone mad. There are many patrols checking people around the Elven Forest. Having your goods confiscated is a minor thing, but I heard some people have been captured by the elves. You two be careful!”
“Understood. Thanks for the warning.”
Amir waved her hand behind her without looking back, then pulled Histori with her as they stepped into the Elven Forest.
Watching their figures disappear into the distance, the driver licked his lips and quickly opened the pouch he had just received.
Inside the linen bag, aside from a few silver coins on top, the rest of the objects had not a hint of metallic luster.
“…Huh? Most of this is stones!? You, you dare to—!?”
He instinctively wanted to chase after them, but looking at the dark corners of the forest, the driver swallowed his saliva, angrily shook his fist in their direction, then climbed back onto the carriage.
With the sound of wheels rolling, the carriage quickly turned around and vanished along the dirt road they had come from.
—
…
It wasn’t until the carriage was completely out of sight on the distant horizon that Amir emerged from the surrounding bushes.
“It seems he was telling the truth. There really are some unknown changes inside the Elven Forest.”
“I—I see. I thought you were just trying to ride for free, but you actually had that consideration.”
Histori nodded in realization.
“Giving him a reason to chase after us allows us to see whether his earlier words were just an attempt to swindle us, or if there really are special circumstances.”
“No, testing the truth was just a side benefit. The main goal was to let that greedy merchant earn a little less money.”
Amir shrugged at Histori.
“He already made enough profit from the bottles of cooling potion I bought from him. If the pouch I just gave him had no money at all, that would barely count as a fair deal.”
“…”
Well, our Hero, as always, has her own set of standards and morals.
Perhaps this unshakable confidence is what makes her a Hero.
But now, without the sounds of hooves and wheels, the quiet Elven Forest—occasionally punctuated by inexplicable rustling sounds—seemed even more eerie and frightening.
Deep in the mist, several ancient trees so thick they required several people to embrace were wrapped in thorny vines.
Like snakes, they slowly extended their branches and leaves in the air, as if waiting for prey to fall into their trap.
“Um, Lady Amir…”
Histori stood at the edge of the forest, unsure whether to step with her left or right foot first.
“If what that driver said is true, should we really just barge into the Elven Forest without any preparation? Maybe we should hesitate a little, talk it over, and plan from the beginning—”
“Open your mouth.”
“…Huh?”
Just as Histori instinctively parted her lips to ask something, Amir used two fingers to pinch something and swiftly popped it into Histori’s mouth.
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