You Have to Trust Me. (1)
It wasn't difficult for Ghislain to enter the forest with his skills. He had mastered countless techniques and possessed the power of will that allowed him to be one with the world.
Ssshhhhhh…
First, Ghislain cast a spell on himself to hide his presence and lighten his body. He added an invisibility spell as well.
But that alone wasn't enough to completely deceive the spirits. Spirits were beings that saw not appearances, but essence.
So he had to synchronize his very existence with the world itself.
Ghislain had a technique that could make that possible.
Snap!
Ghislain's body instantly turned into dark shadows and vanished. It was a technique of the Shadow Knights.
Taught to him through his mother's records and by Belinda, this technique was more effective than any other when it came to infiltration.
Snap! Snap! Snap!
Space distorted several times as a presence-less darkness spread out. Eventually, even the distortion in space disappeared.
Most of the spirits wandering the forest didn't even realize Ghislain had passed through. A few spirits sensed something strange and looked around, but found nothing.
The spirits standing guard were mostly low-level ones. Mid-level or higher spirits consumed too much energy to be kept summoned for long.
To the elves, low-level spirits were enough for watch duty. With the forest full of natural energy, even a superhuman would be caught, or so they believed.
Thanks to that arrogance, Ghislain was able to easily breach the outer perimeter.
"Phew…"
Ghislain exhaled deeply once he reached a place he considered safe. His face was flushed, unlike usual.
Even the great Ghislain was tense—this forest's defense was no joke.
"Amazing. A single mistake and I'd have been caught."
The spirits' energy was spread so wide that even breathing felt dangerous.
If he hadn't used the Shadow Knights' technique, even with his full strength it would've been difficult to sneak in unnoticed.
Ghislain slowly looked around. The dense forest was filled with towering trees, and sunlight barely filtered through the branches.
The ground was covered in damp moss and fallen leaves. Birds, whose names he didn't know, let out soft cries.
On the surface, it looked like an ordinary forest. But Ghislain couldn't shake off a strange feeling.
"There's no special energy nearby…"
It felt as if something invisible was constantly watching him.
"No way…"
He had already bypassed the elves' outposts and the spirits' surveillance zone. He was certain no elves or spirits were hiding nearby.
But then…
Tatadatak!
The sound of someone running echoed from afar. More than one person.
The footsteps rode the wind, light and swift. Only elves could move like that in the forest.
And even before them, the energy of the spirits rushed in.
Swoosh!
Ghislain's form turned into shadows again and vanished. Elves appeared where he had just been.
"Hm… This is strange. I'm sure something foreign is here…"
The leading elf male suddenly waved his hand. The ground trembled lightly and a mound of earth formed.
Looking at the mound, the elf asked,
"Gnome, tell me what happened here. Who was here?"
"There was nothing, and no one."
"........."
The elf frowned and fell into thought.
Low-level earth spirits like gnomes could remember what had happened nearby.
If the spirit wasn't contracted with a summoner, its memory didn't last long, but even accounting for that, something felt off—it hadn't been long since they sensed the anomaly and arrived.
Eventually, the elf shook his head and said,
"Something's definitely wrong. It might be related to the problem in the northern forest, so let's search a bit more."
The elves inspected the area a bit longer before moving on.
Watching in hiding, Ghislain narrowed his eyes.
'…How did they notice?'
He hadn't been detected by anyone. Aware of spirits, he left no trace behind.
Ghislain, who could momentarily interfere with the laws of the world through the power of will, had continuously twisted surrounding perceptions to deceive them.
Yet the elves sensed something was off in the forest.
That could only mean…
'Could it be that something is perceiving me right now?'
There was no other explanation. There was something in this forest he didn't know about.
'But it seems they haven't identified me precisely yet.'
He didn't know how the elves detected the anomaly, but judging from their reaction, they weren't certain.
In any case, with the risk of exposure increasing, he had to move faster. Even with the power of will, one could only hide existence for fleeting moments.
Especially in Astion's body, the limits were even more pronounced.
Still, thanks to the elves' appearance, he learned something new.
'They said there was no problem… but clearly, something's wrong.'
Something had gone wrong in the northern forest. The elves didn't look happy.
Whatever it was, it might present an opportunity for Ghislain and his group. He decided to check it out first.
Snap!
Ghislain's body turned into shadows again. He moved forward even more cautiously.
His mana depleted faster, but it couldn't be helped. He didn't know how the elves were tracking him.
Fsshhhhhh…
He occasionally used the power of will to erase his traces completely. But the more he did, the paler his face became.
Even brief use of the will's power placed considerable strain on the body. But in his current situation, he had no choice but to endure it.
'Hmm… Should I retreat and return later?'
His speed was slower than expected due to his cautious movements. It would be unreasonable to cover this massive forest at this pace.
After much thought, Ghislain decided to confirm just one thing before pulling back.
'Something's definitely happening in the northern forest—I'll check that and leave.'
The Holy Stone could be borrowed next time. If there was an issue in the forest, it could serve as a foothold for negotiation.
Snap!
Ghislain, who had been moving unpredictably, now picked a direction and accelerated.
Along the way, he spotted elven dwellings several times. He was curious how they lived, but kept his distance.
His rest breaks were also short and stealthy. Before moving again, he used the power of will to erase all traces.
It was a response as perfect as could be. Ghislain was confident in that.
Swoooooosh!
That is, until a giant wind spirit blocked his path.
"…Damn."
Ghislain bit his lip and surrounded his body with mana. At the same time, a violent storm burst out around the wind spirit.
BOOM!
The storm swept away everything in its path. The dense trees nearby were shredded and flung away.
It was an unusually aggressive attack for a spirit. Ghislain quickly understood why.
'They still haven't pinpointed my location.'
But the fact that they attacked so boldly meant they were certain he was at least nearby.
In the end, Ghislain had no choice but to reveal himself after deflecting the attack.
Tatadatak!
Dozens of elves rushed in and surrounded him. They raised their bows and aimed at him.
Various spirits floated around them as well.
Amid the tense atmosphere, a cold-eyed elf male appeared—the one who had been tracking Ghislain from the start.
"There you are."
To his words, Ghislain slowly raised both hands and said,
"I am absolutely not a suspicious person. You have to trust me."
"…How about you take off that mask before saying something like that?"
"I have my reasons. I'm also quite shy."
"Who are you? Why did you sneak into the forest?"
"I got lost while out on a walk."
"...…"
The elf's lips twitched. Who in the world would believe such nonsense?
Clearly, this person didn't understand the seriousness of the situation.
"We warned the humans. Not to intrude on the forest. That right was promised to us by every human leader since the beginning of time."
"Well, I think there's a bit of a misunderstanding..."
"In the past, we might have let you go with a warning. At least, if you'd been caught in the border zone."
Killing intent began to seep into the elf's eyes. It was hard to believe their race was known for loving peace.
Reaching out a hand, the elf spoke in a chilling voice.
"I don't know what your intentions are, but you picked a bad time. I'm sorry, but your life ends here."
Swoooosh!
The moment the elf finished speaking, arrows flew toward Ghislain. Spirits, too, charged at him with fierce energy.
"Hmm. This is a bit embarrassing."
He hadn't expected to get caught. His companions outside the forest were going to throw a fit once they found out.
Still, what choice did he have? He got caught—now he had to escape.
Bang!
Ghislain's body vanished in an instant, and the arrows embedded themselves uselessly into the ground.
But avoiding the arrows was just the beginning. Now that the spirits had sensed his presence, they began to react in earnest.
Whoooosh!
A sharp gale struck his back. It was a wind spirit. Ghislain ducked low, narrowly dodging the wind that slashed through the air like blades.
Rumble!
The ground quaked and split open. Jagged stone pillars shot up from the earth, targeting his feet, but Ghislain slid away just in time.
Splash!
Droplets formed in the air, transforming into sharp icicles that rained down. Ghislain's body blurred as he slipped through the gaps between the ice.
Boom!
A burst of red flame exploded right in front of Ghislain's eyes. The heat brushed his cheek, but he had already vanished into the shadows of the forest.
As the elves and spirits prepared to pursue him, the elf who seemed to be the leader urgently shouted,
"Stop! Don't chase him!"
He was clearly furious. An unidentified figure had invaded the forest.
But despite the anger, cold sweat dripped down his back.
'He's definitely got superhuman-level abilities!'
Even if someone had skills on par with a superhuman, once they entered the forest, the elves could still capture and kill them. The problem was the potential casualties among the elves during that process.
Especially the innocent ones who didn't even think to fight—they'd die without knowing what hit them.
So, for now, the leader halted the pursuit. To minimize sacrifices, he would have to report to the elders.
Thanks to that, Ghislain was able to escape more easily. Even as he fled, he couldn't hide his bewilderment.
"How the hell did they notice? This is ridiculous."
It didn't seem like they could pinpoint his exact location. It was more like they had a general sense that someone had entered the forest.
That alone was incredible. It meant they were sure a trespasser was present.
He needed more detailed information on this. Only then could he move without being discovered.
"Tch, I really need to fall back and figure something out."
With regret, Ghislain kept moving. Even then, he deliberately took paths different from before to familiarize himself with the terrain.
Swoosh!
Even as he turned to shadow and made his way out of the forest, he continued scanning the area.
Armed elves were moving busily all over. Most likely looking for him.
In contrast, some elves showed no signs of urgency. Those must be the non-combatants.
Once he had observed enough, Ghislain began picking up speed. Or at least, he tried to.
That is, until he noticed a lone elf in a quiet spot.
'Hmm?'
He had seen plenty of elves alone while moving through the forest.
Singing, picking fruits, talking with small animals, or meditating quietly by clear streams.
So seeing an elf alone wasn't strange. But Ghislain couldn't take his eyes off this one's back.
'What is it?'
Something felt off. Ghislain never ignored his instincts.
So he stayed hidden at a distance, quietly watching the elf.
The elf seemed to be training, spirits hovering around her as she moved.
Every time the spirits moved, powerful energy radiated out. Even someone like Ghislain, who didn't know much about spirit arts, could tell how impressive it was.
After some time, the elf stopped moving. The spirits had vanished before he even realized.
Slowly, the elf turned around. And only then did Ghislain see her face.
Unintentionally, he murmured,
"…Erenes."
She was here.
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