With that, Keti nodded silently. Since it was like this, it seemed quite reasonable, so…she had no reason to object anymore.
Could he do it? Gulp… if it was that guy, her Enemy, then…
Actually, Keti didn’t know where her confidence came from. Speaking of which, it seemed Lynn’s strength in her heart was already comparable to an Executive.
Was it really that exaggerated?
Hahaha, it was probably because she was too weak herself.
That was why the girl longed to become stronger. If she could become stronger…
Phew, how strange.
The Silver-Haired Girl suddenly blinked her eyes in a bit of confusion. To be honest, she had been looking forward to becoming stronger for a long, long time.
Even now, whenever becoming stronger was mentioned, just like what Celthina had brought up earlier, her heart felt excited enough.
However, her reasons for wanting to become stronger in the past were very clear: she wanted to keep up with the footsteps of Alice and the others, and she wanted those who used to look down on her to respect her.
But now…
Why was it that she suddenly felt like she had lost many goals in her heart? Had she become a bit… carefree?
Could it be because…
Wua!
Suddenly thinking of something, Keti hurriedly shook her head. A faint blush rose on her face as she inadvertently glanced at her Enemy beside her, then quickly looked away.
Phew…
She was probably overthinking. The reason was most likely because she was no longer a Student at that School and was no longer in the Adventurer Party. Therefore, her old goals had lost their meaning.
Ha…
Probably… that was it?
But how should she put it? She felt a little lost. She had clearly put in so much effort and paid such a high price for her Magic Talent, learning how to use Potions to close the gap.
In the end, did she still have to rely on increasing her Magic Talent to improve herself?
She was a bit… unwilling…
Especially since this was a condition created for her by that guy, her Enemy.
Ugh!!!
Suddenly, a trace of annoyance arose in the girl’s heart from out of nowhere. She just felt very annoyed. Consequently, the Silver-Haired Girl immediately turned her head and emphasized to Lynn:
“No need! Um… Lynn, I’ll handle the Demon Race alone this time. I-I-I, I will become stronger using my own power. I don’t need your help!”
“Hmm? That… might be a bit dangerous, Cat…”
That guy Lynn instead put on a somewhat worried expression, making Keti feel even more awkward.
“No objections allowed! I—I can do it. I can’t rely on you for everything, can I? Gulp, unless I’m about to die, otherwise, there’s no need… I’m telling you this in advance, if you help me kill that Demon Race, I-I-I… I won’t absorb his power either!”
“Hmm… that would be a bit of a pity.”
Lynn looked at the girl whose self-esteem had flared up for some inexplicable reason. After a long while, he only smiled and reached out to rub her head, then sighed.
“But alright. Then I’ll leave it to you to work hard alone, Cat. I will cheer for you. Of course, if you really encounter danger, I’ll protect you!”
“Gulp, don’t say such embarrassing things! Phew…”
Keti lowered her head with a red face and took several deep breaths to adjust her mood before looking up again.
“Then let’s set off! Phew phew phew, Demon Race, I can’t wait~”
“Fufu… the atmosphere is really heated. But in that case, that child is a bit… troublesome~”
Celthina, who had been watching from the side, suddenly said something that made Keti feel extremely embarrassed.
It even caused steam to start rising from the Silver-Haired Girl’s head. Lynn couldn’t help but chuckle softly beside her.
“Alright, let’s end the flirting here. If you two continue, not only that child, but even I will become a bit annoyed. Please follow me. The Temple is right in the center of the village, inside that Holy Tree.”
This time, the Mage Executive instead bowed respectfully to Keti and Lynn, causing the Silver-Haired Girl to tremble and take two steps back on the spot.
Hiss, this… is there no problem with this? Is it really okay? I feel like I can’t accept this, hehe…
Thus, Celthina led Lynn and Keti to the Holy Tree of the Elf Tribe.
That place—how should one put it—the atmosphere was indeed unusually surprising.
Originally, although Keti had never seen it before, just hearing the words ‘Holy Tree’ made her imagine it would be a very sacred and noble image.
However, the situation was a bit different from what Keti had thought.
The Holy Tree of the Elf Tribe was indeed a giant tree that reached the sky. Its branches were thick, and its trunk was sturdy. It was so magnificent it was almost like a castle.
Only…
On the branches, it didn’t look like a single green leaf had ever existed. Withered leaves and a decaying black mist filled the air above the Holy Tree.
Ah, this, this…
Looking at the situation, it could only be described as quite bad!
The Silver-Haired Girl gasped on the spot and swallowed nervously. No, this, this… is it really okay?
For a moment, only this one thought remained in Keti’s mind. Seeing the girl’s pale face, Lynn couldn’t help but smile helplessly and spoke.
“What’s wrong? You were so full of grand talk just now. At this point, Cat, you aren’t getting cold feet, are you?”
“Phew, wh-what are you saying? How could I… how could I possibly ahhhhhhhh!”
Suddenly, a rustling sound from the side of the road scared Keti into diving into Lynn’s embrace, trembling as she grabbed his arm.
“Ah, don’t be afraid, don’t be afraid. It’s just a gust of wind. It’s not that scary, is it?”
“It’s… just the wind?”
The Silver-Haired Girl panted for a while before letting go of Lynn. She then wiped the sweat from her forehead.
“Sorry, I lost my composure. It’s just that I didn’t expect this Holy Tree to be so different from what I imagined… Ah, sorry, Lord Regent, was I being disrespectful to the Elf Tribe?”
“Phew… it doesn’t matter. After all, you are right, Miss Keti. The Holy Tree isn’t usually like this. It’s only because of that Demon Race that it has this appearance now.”
“Once you have completed your mission, Miss Keti, all problems will naturally be resolved.”
Celthina smiled and then began to give her final instructions.
“After you enter this Temple, there will be three trials waiting for you. That member of the Demon Race will be at the very end.”
“For the preceding trials, you two will need to cooperate. Time is running out, so please act quickly!”