“Sigh, this other world is already boring enough, and now with my leg broken, it’s even more boring.”
Not long after finishing lunch, Nia had already lost count of how many times she had heard El’s complaints.
Sunlight filtered through the leaves, casting dappled shadows on the ground, and a gentle breeze brought the fresh scent of the forest. But this beautiful scene didn’t seem to lift El’s mood at all.
“Nia, what do elves usually do when they have free time?”
El, sitting under a tree soaking up the sun, looked up. His gaze landed on Nia, who was perched on a branch above him. Her golden hair shimmered in the sunlight as if glowing.
“If they’re mages, they meditate. If they’re warriors, they train.”
Nia opened her eyes from meditation and replied.
“I’m not asking that. I mean, what do elves do for fun?”
“Well…”
Nia hesitated, seeming to fall into thought.
El was stunned.
“Could it be that elves don’t have any entertainment?”
Nia thought carefully but really couldn’t come up with any form of entertainment.
She was usually responsible for the tribe’s security, and during shift changes, she was always training. She didn’t really have time to relax.
“I honestly don’t know.”
Nia answered truthfully.
“You’re an elf, and you don’t know?” El gave her a puzzled look.
“Actually, aside from the members of the Knights Order, I rarely interact with other tribe members. I’m usually training, so I’m not very familiar with the elves’ entertainment.”
“What about your friends? Don’t they hang out with you?”
El’s question caught Nia off guard.
Thinking about it carefully, she realized she didn’t really have what could be called close friends.
That little girl, Alina, often came to see her, but aside from her, the tribe treated Nia with respect rather than friendship.
So that meant El was actually her first real friend?
Seeing Nia’s long silence, El immediately understood.
Wow, what kind of life is this girl living?
He asked with concern.
“What about Meira? Doesn’t Meira hang out with you? She doesn’t seem like a cold-hearted boss.”
“Miss is even busier than me. How could she have free time to play?”
As the tribe’s priestess, Meira basically had no rest.
The knights could rotate shifts, but there was only one priestess, so no replacements.
“No matter how busy, you have to rest.” El said solemnly, “I’m telling you, balance work and rest, or your mental and physical health will suffer. You know that, right?”
“I’ve never heard of anyone’s mental health suffering from work. The only things that can harm health are illness and battle.”
Nia dismissed his words.
“That’s exactly why mental health issues are so easily overlooked.” El tilted his head, earnestly advising her, “People like you who don’t pay attention early on… never mind, talking to you is useless. I’ll just have to treat you directly.”
“What exactly do I need treatment for?”
Nia gave him a sideways glance, clearly thinking, “Are you okay?”
El didn’t explain and instead asked again.
“Nia, do you have any hobbies?”
“Hobbies?” Nia repeated, seeming unfamiliar with the word.
“Things you enjoy doing.”
After a moment’s thought, Nia answered.
“Sitting in a tree and looking into the distance, or walking in the forest.”
El was taken aback. “That’s it?”
“That’s it.”
El hadn’t expected her hobbies to be so… simple.
But at least she had some.
He had worried she might say she had no hobbies and that work was the only thing she liked.
El looked at his leg and quickly ruled out climbing trees.
That left just walking in the forest.
“Nia, want to take a walk in the forest with me?”
“Hm?”
Nia still wore that “Are you okay?” expression.
She looked at El’s leg and shot a soul-searching question.
“You’re sure you want to ‘walk’?”
“Well, I’m just sitting around anyway. Pull me out for a stroll; staying at home will make me moldy.”
“Alright then.”
Nia leapt down from the tree and landed steadily behind El.
…
The mountain path was covered in thick fallen leaves, each step accompanied by a crisp rustling sound.
Occasionally, a few leaves floated down with the wind, tracing graceful arcs in the air before settling quietly onto the golden carpet below.
The air carried a faint woody aroma mixed with the scent of damp earth, prompting one to take a deep breath and savor the unique fragrance of autumn.
The occasional birdsong broke the forest’s silence.
El sat in his wheelchair, pushed slowly along the forest path by Nia.
His eyes roamed the scenery, trying to find something interesting to pass the time.
“Nia, why do you like walking in the forest?”
Nia slowed her pace slightly and thought before answering, “Knights always have to stay alert, ready for any possible danger. Only when walking in the forest can I truly relax, listening to my heartbeat and breathing.”
“And when wandering the forest, you often find interesting things.”
“Interesting things?”
Before El could finish asking, Nia had already left his side.
Her figure moved back and forth on a nearby tree, and when she returned, she held a bunch of fruits El had never seen before.
“Thanks to nature’s gifts, El, look at what I found.”
As someone from another world, El didn’t recognize the local fruits.
“What’s this?”
“This is called a Clearhead Fruit.”
El had never heard of it. He took one from Nia and examined it carefully.
The green fruit had a smooth surface and was about the size of an apple. It looked edible, though fruits with such a glossy green exterior often suggested a sour taste.
“Can you eat it?”
“Yeah… you can.”
Nia probably didn’t realize she wasn’t good at joking.
Her face practically screamed, “Hurry up and eat it so I can watch your misery.”
El knew what to expect, but he played along and bit into the fruit.
Juice burst out from the bite, and immediately, a sharp sourness hit his brain like a bolt.
This was the most sour thing El had ever eaten in his life. Lemons, hawthorns, green plums—none of them even came close.
El felt all the muscles in his face twist, and saliva uncontrollably dribbled from the corners of his mouth.
“Is it good?”
“Goo… uh… good…”
El’s dazed expression made Nia burst into laughter. She had never seen anyone look so foolish.
Nia’s laughter blossomed like flowers, holding El’s amazed stare.
It was the first time since they’d known each other that she’d smiled so happily.
Finally, he understood what the ancients meant by, “One glance could topple a city, a second glance could topple a kingdom.”
Thinking this, the fruit in his mouth suddenly seemed less sour, even somewhat sweet.
He absentmindedly took another bite.
Nia blinked at his expression, suddenly feeling something was off.
Could it be that he was getting stupid from eating it?
Realizing this, Nia’s face changed drastically. She grabbed El by the neck and shook him fiercely.
“Spit it out, now!”