Late spring.
The wind drifting through the sky had grown slightly warm. Although people often say, “Spring breezes bring new life,” and spring should be a time of lush greenery and blooming flowers, it seemed this was not the case for this somewhat ruined forest…
Nearly half of this forest had been corroded away by that mysterious purple liquid. Animals no longer came near, withered branches clung to treetops, and even a slight breeze would snap the already fragile limbs completely, as if even the sky itself had been stained an uneasy purple of decay.
This place should have been bursting with green and filled with blooming flowers.
“The whole day’s plan starts in the morning”—such a saying is not limited to humans; the Queen of the Elves in this forest felt the same.
Queen of the Elves Hestia had risen early to begin her busy day.
She carried a basket in her hand, filled with all sorts of saplings and seeds.
Every time she passed an empty patch of ground or the remains of a half-corroded tree, she would scatter some seeds, plant a sapling there.
After finishing this, she would step back, and then begin to softly chant an incantation by her lips.
In no time, those saplings and seeds began to grow rapidly, becoming lush and leafy in just a few breaths.
But in the face of such a vast and ravaged forest, these small patches of isolated beauty seemed to have little effect.
“Phew~ This is really exhausting for me.”
Hestia wiped the sweat from her brow, her white hair tied into playful braids swaying gently like entwined willow leaves as she moved.
She looked around. Although her daughters were all helping to restore the forest, it was impossible to know how many years it would take to fully return the forest to its former state.
“Your Majesty!”
Suddenly, a chorus of three voices called out from afar.
Three little elves flew over from deep within the forest, a bit anxious.
“Your Majesty, that woman, the one in armor…”
“The one who likes to chop people with her sword…”
“The one who likes to jump high and then gets knocked down…”
The three little elves all spoke at once, their words a jumbled mess that left Hestia utterly bewildered.
“Stop, stop, stop! One at a time!”
“I’ll go first, I’ll go first!” The red little elf raised her hand first.
“That woman from before—the one in armor, who likes to chop people with her sword and jumps really high only to get knocked down—she’s back!”
“And what are we supposed to say after you?!” The other two, one blue and one white, protested.
“Likes chopping people and jumping high…”
Hestia frowned and thought for a moment, then suddenly recalled the red-haired woman.
“Hurry, get the other elves to hide!”
“Understood!”
The three little elves, having received their orders, scattered and flew toward the other elves.
Hestia felt a bit flustered. She had no idea what that woman was here for this time. The forest she had just finished repairing—she prayed it wouldn’t be destroyed again by her and that witch.
Once she was sure the other elves were hidden, Hestia took a deep breath to calm her anxiety, preparing to meet that red-haired woman face to face.
If possible, she hoped the woman was just passing through. Even more, she hoped that the witch wouldn’t show up with her, for it was the witch who was the true culprit behind the forest’s destruction.
Even before she saw the woman, Hestia sensed a disturbing presence.
It was a mixture of Saint Light’s power and pure anger and longing. It was different from what she had felt the first time she met her—this time, the power of Saint Light was even stronger, and the anger and longing within had become steadier, as if the two had completely merged, neither clashing nor interfering with each other.
As she was thinking this, her gaze caught a flash of red deep within the forest.
When the woman’s figure finally emerged from behind the rotting trees, Hestia could see her face clearly.
It was her, after all.
As the woman walked over, her expression was calm, showing no unusual emotion, but the uneasy aura she exuded said otherwise.
The closer she got, the stronger the pressure she emanated. Hestia’s legs began to tremble, but as a queen, she forced herself to suppress her fear and approached the woman.
“Did you come looking for me for something?” Hestia deliberately raised her voice, but it still trembled.
She hadn’t been this afraid the last time she faced her, but for some reason, her feelings today were strangely off.
The woman before her seemed no longer pure—whether it was pure anger or pure kindness, as long as there was a clear emotion, Hestia could roughly guess her intentions. But now, the woman looked calm on the surface, yet radiated an aura of anger, even the light in her eyes uneven—Hestia couldn’t guess what she was thinking at all.
“I want to ask for your help in finding Aurora.” The red-haired woman finally spoke, her tone still devoid of emotion.
“Aurora? Oh~ you mean that kind-hearted girl.”
“I already told you, didn’t I? She was taken away by the witch. As for where, I have no way of knowing.”
“Is that so? What a pity.”
After saying this, Lola Bell closed her eyes as if truly disappointed.
Just as Hestia thought she would leave, the woman suddenly spoke again.
“Then… can I borrow this little one for a few days?”
As she spoke, she extended her palm, in which lay a pink little elf.
“This is! No way!”
Hestia immediately tried to snatch the little one back, but before she could get close, she suddenly felt a cold chill against her neck.
Hestia froze. Her gaze dropped, and she saw a golden longsword pointed directly at her throat.
“Don’t be afraid, I won’t harm it. Otherwise, big sister would definitely be angry at me.”
“I’m just borrowing it for a bit. Once I find big sister, I’ll return it to you, alright?”
After she finished speaking, her calm face finally broke into a brilliant smile, looking so gentle, yet tinged with a strange eeriness.
Hestia swallowed hard, but still stubbornly refused, “No! No matter what you say, I won’t agree!”
The smile vanished in an instant, replaced once again by that emotionless mask.
“Is that so? What a shame.”
With that, she clenched the elf tightly in her hand, as if she might crush it at any moment.
“Wait, wait! I’ll lend it to you, I’ll lend it to you, alright?!”
“Mm, then, thank you.”
With that, the brilliant smile once again bloomed on her face…
The late spring breeze swept by. It failed to bring new life to the forest, but as it brushed across the woman’s radiant smile, even the withered trees behind her seemed to mirror that smile—withered, broken, yet beautiful.
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