Until Elder Eloise completes the negotiations at the royal capital, the elves will cultivate the ruins of Aldebaran with plants and use it as a temporary settlement.
Whether they settle there permanently or disperse across different regions was now up to the elves.
Having lost everything when the Sacred Tree was completely burned down, the elves were given all the spoils obtained from defeating the Black Dog as a temporary compensation.
As for me, I took only one item—a small ring with intertwined gold and silver.
▶ S-Rank Accessory: Ring of the Two Crossing Moons
A precious ring said to contain the power of an ancient race.
It increases the potency and effectiveness of magic and grants the passive skill Crossing Moons and the active skill Falling Moon (落月).
There may be other hidden effects within the ring.
P – Crossing Moons: From the new moon to the full moon, all magic consumes additional mana but gains increased power and effects.
From the full moon to the new moon, magic power and effects decrease, but mana regeneration increases, allowing temporary storage of up to five times the maximum mana.
Any unused stored mana dissipates daily.
A – Falling Moon: Condensed lunar energy descends upon a target with an unavoidable, unblockable strike. The amount of mana consumed and the time taken to activate the skill determine its power and effects. ◀
After acquiring this incredibly rare and difficult-to-find ring, I confirmed that its abilities were as I had expected and handed it to Lennis.
“Lenis.”
“What is it?”
“Take this.”
When I placed the ring in Lenis’s palm, her face instantly turned redder than a tomato.
Watching from the side, Ravi and Elfin gasped and covered their mouths in shock.
“W-What the heck are you doing?! Giving me this out of nowhere with no mood set—wait, before that, we’re not even at that kind of relationship!”
What kind of misunderstanding was she having?
I flicked her forehead lightly with my finger and corrected her misconception.
“You don’t have to tell me that. This isn’t a proposal—it’s equipment for you. Put it on and check it out.”
Coming back to her senses, Lenis slipped the ring onto her finger, still looking a bit bewildered.
The moment she put it on, she must have instinctively understood the power within it, as the redness in her face gradually faded, replaced by an awed exclamation.
“Wow…”
“You’re the only one among us who can use it properly. So, it’s yours. Get used to the ring’s abilities—it’s better to familiarize yourself with them over time. We never know when we’ll get caught up in another battle.”
“Uh… hmm…”
“You struggled a lot with mana depletion in Arboness, right? Now that the Sacred Tree is gone, mana potions will become incredibly scarce worldwide. But with that ring, things should be easier. At least you won’t collapse from mana exhaustion like you did in Arboness. So, make good use of it.”
As I prepared to resume our journey toward the Duchy of Carat, Lenis hesitated and then called out to me from behind.
“A-Alvis…!”
“Hmm?”
“Um… Ugh… Ahem…! T-T-Thank you. I won’t forget this. And also… um… for helping me in Arboness…”
It must have completely thrown her off to be expressing gratitude to Alvis, whom she barely considered human back at the academy.
She stuttered and struggled to get the words out.
I simply smirked and waved my hand dismissively, as if telling her not to worry about it.
That night, as we set up camp in a relatively safe spot and took some time to rest, Elfin quietly approached and cleared her throat near me.
“Ahem, ahem.”
“……”
I ignored her and continued practicing my swordsmanship.
A moment later, she cleared her throat again—this time, louder.
“Ahem! Ahem! Cough, cough! Ahem!”
Watching Elfin make a spectacle of herself was oddly entertaining in its own way.
Still getting no reaction from me, she finally marched right up next to me and made an even bigger scene.
“Keh-hem! Cough, cough! AHEM, AHEM!!”
“Are you switching careers to being a clown?”
Sensing she might actually get mad if I ignored her any longer, I decided to acknowledge her ridiculous display.
Hearing my sarcastic remark, Elfin shot me a sharp glare, seemingly ready to snap back at me—only to stop herself at the last moment.
She grabbed the collar of my shirt and tugged, pointing towards the forest nearby.
“Hey, come over there for a second. We need to talk.”
“A confession?!”
Thud!
As soon as I joked, Elfin punched me in the stomach.
“Urgh… You didn’t have to hit me for that…”
“I-I didn’t mean to hit you! You just said something weird…!”
She quickly pulled her hand back, looking flustered at her own reaction.
Scratching her cheek awkwardly, she called me out again.
“A-Anyway! Just come over there for a moment. Right now.”
“Why not just talk here?”
“N-No! It’s not something I want to say in front of the others.”
“So it is a confession!”
Elfin raised her fist again, so I decided to stop teasing and followed her.
She led me to the edge of the forest, glancing around nervously.
She opened her mouth as if to say something, then shut it again with a deep sigh.
Her fingers fidgeted, her feet tapped anxiously, and she paced back and forth like someone with severe ADHD.
“Anyone watching would think you’re really about to confess. So, what is it?”
Elfin shot me a glare but then took a deep breath, as if finally making up her mind.
“L-Listen, Alvis!”
“I’m listening.”
“Uh… I just… really wanted to say thanks.”
She looked extremely uncomfortable, as if physically pained to be expressing gratitude to me—someone she once openly despised.
If anyone saw us, they’d really think this was a love confession.
She probably never imagined in her wildest dreams that she’d owe me anything.
Her reaction was so amusing that I struggled to hold back my laughter and decided to tease her a little.
“Hmm, that’s a bit too vague for a thank-you. I don’t really know what you’re grateful for.”
“You—ugh!”
She nearly snapped but shook her head furiously and took another deep breath.
“I mean… Thanks for helping us. For saving my people, for fighting the Black Dog, for giving us direction and a place to live. If you hadn’t been there… we probably wouldn’t even know what to do next. S-So, I felt like I had to say it…!”
“Our dear Elfin has finally learned how to express gratitude properly. I’m so touched, I can’t stop crying.”
“…Are you making fun of me?”
“Of course not. I’m just proud of you. But is saying ‘thank you’ enough? I’d appreciate a more… direct form of gratitude too.”
I lightly tapped my cheek with a finger.
Realizing what I meant, Elfin’s face turned bright red.
“D-Don’t be ridiculous! You always pull this kind of crap whenever you get the chance! You were always like this, even back at the academy! And here I thought you’d changed…”
“Hmm? If I hadn’t done what, then what? I’m curious. Were you about to say that if I behaved differently, you might’ve fallen for me?”
Whack!
A vine shot up from the ground and smacked me in the stomach.
It wasn’t a serious attack, but it still hurt enough that I doubled over, clutching my belly in an undignified position.
“Urgh… A sneak attack… That’s low…”
“You brought that on yourself! Why do you always have to ruin a sincere moment with stupid jokes?! A-Anyway! That’s all I wanted to say! There’s no hidden meaning or anything! Got it?!”
With that, she spun around and stomped off toward the campsite.
“Hey, Elfin.”
She stopped dead in her tracks.
“…What.”
“In the future, rely on me more. Don’t bottle everything up and then send me a random letter out of nowhere. If you had come to me sooner, maybe more people would’ve survived. There are things in this world you can’t handle alone.”
Elfin didn’t turn around. She just stood there in silence for a moment before answering briefly.
“…I’ll think about it.”
“Oh, and can you call Ravi over? There are a lot of nocturnal animals around here. We should catch a few for emergency rations. You and Lennis stay and guard the camp.”
“Got it.”
As Elfin returned to the campsite, she couldn’t shake the thoughts of Alvis’s words and actions from her mind.
-“Is this a confession?!”
-“While you’re at it, why not express it more directly here too?”
-“Were you about to say that you might have completely fallen for me or something?”
-“From now on, if anything happens, rely on me a little.”
‘W-Why do I keep having weird thoughts?’
Elfin shook her head vigorously, trying to erase Alvis’ face from her mind.
However, it didn’t last even three seconds before his face resurfaced again, over and over.
She had to admit—Alvis was different from when they were in the academy.
Not only that, she also acknowledged that he was selflessly devoted to helping other races, to the point where he had saved the entire elf tribe.
But still, his words and actions were sometimes so frivolous.
Honestly, he was the type to earn points just by keeping his mouth shut, but he just had to ruin it with his nonsense—wasting his unnecessarily good-looking face in the process…
‘Ack! W-What am I thinking?! The only one for me is Bryden!’
Realizing she had just admitted to herself that Alvis was, in fact, handsome, Elfin plopped down and clutched her head in frustration.
Meanwhile, back at the campsite, Lenis was staring at the beautiful ring Alvis had given her, turning it over and over in her hands, lost in deep thought.
‘A ring, of all things… There were tons of other spoils we got after taking down that black beast, but why did he choose this one specifically? I mean, sure, I’m the only one who can really make use of its power, but still… a ring of all things… I-Is this… Could it really mean that…?’
As she absentmindedly turned the ring—its golden and silver hues intertwining—Lenis found herself slowly bringing it toward the ring finger of her left hand.
Just as she was about to slip it on—
“Lenis, what are you doing?”
“Kiik?!?!”
Elfin’s sudden voice startled Lenis so much that she practically jumped, tumbling to the ground with a loud crash.
Panicked, she hastily shoved the ring into her pocket and desperately tried to explain herself.
“I-I-I was just checking the performance of the ring Alvis gave me! Y-Yes! As a proud Valentian Elute, it would be disgraceful if I didn’t properly utilize the equipment I was given! T-There’s absolutely no other meaning behind it!”
“Really…? You looked like you were zoning out.”
“W-What are you saying?! Zoning out? Me?! Y-You must be mistaken!”
“Alright, if you say so… Oh, right. Ravi, Alvis asked for your help gathering food. He wants to hunt some nocturnal animals.”
At those words, Ravi’s rabbit ears perked straight up, and she quickly jumped to her feet.
“Really? Alright! I’ll be right back! Elfin, Lenis, take care of the camp! A-And um… It might take a while, so don’t worry about us and just rest!”
“It’ll take a while? But with you there, shouldn’t it be quick?”
“Ah… W-Well, you never know what might happen at night!”
“Then should I come help? I can hear pretty well too.”
As Elfin stood up, offering to go with her, Ravi quickly ran over and pressed her back down onto her seat.
“No need! Alvis and I can handle it just fine! You just relax here, Elfin—you’ve been through a lot!”
“…Alright. Thanks, Ravi.”
“Hehe… No need to thank me.”
With that, Ravi hurriedly dashed toward the forest entrance, where Alvis was waiting—moving a little faster than usual for some reason.
Meanwhile, both Elfin and Lenis remained lost in their own thoughts, each indulging in a whirlwind of emotions centered around Alvis.
As a result, neither of them noticed the sounds echoing from deeper in the forest—the sound of flesh meeting flesh, and the frenzied cries of a certain rabbit girl.
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