Unbeknownst to the duo, a conversation between two humans commences on a campsite located within the vast forest. Going by how well-dressed he was, he was most likely a noble of the nearby city. He wore a leather hat that obstructed the rays of the sunlight, making his face hard to identify. He sat on a wood log, making demands to the tall man, a sword lying by his side.

“In other words, you were overpowered by some hysterical crone who just happened to be in forbidden territory?” Despite his calm voice, he seemed to be angry.

“Alright, alright! I realize how pathetic it sounds, but surely you don’t think I’m lying, do you?” The quality of their clothing suggested a clear difference in social status. Despite that, he spat his words rudely, yet the noblemen didn’t seem offended by his behavior.

“Very well. In that case, is it also true that your band of goons failed to find her and the target you were assigned within the two days you started your search?”

The swordsman sighed deeply. “Pathetic, I know. I hate to admit, but I let my guard down.” He grimaces, recalling the memory.

“So, either they’re lucky, or the lady knows what she’s doing.” He summarized the current dilemma.

“Considering she has that goblin as baggage, I highly doubt they got far. I assume you’re fine continuing like this?”

The noblemen leaned back a bit and sighed. “I don’t have much of a choice... have I?”

“Yep, you don’t! Unless you want to enlist the help of the soldiers and notify everyone of your mess, right!” He cackled until he noticed the cold glare he got. “I’m right, aren’t I?”

The man couldn’t refute that. He needed all this taken care of as discreetly as possible.

The two resumed their travels for the next hour or so, but not before Marianne urged Alpheus to rest properly. The word ‘forced’ might have been more appropriate here, considering how threatening and menacing her aura became when he refused. So, in the end, he meekly obliged her ‘request.’

“Here.” She handed him the same peculiar object filled with water. “Make sure to drink it all.”

“Okay...” He slowly chugged it all down and had to admit that he was severely thirsty.

“You’re still recovering, so you need to drink plenty. Hunting for more food will have to wait until we find a suitable place.”

She quickly exclaimed, noticing his hesitant demeanor, as he probably felt terrible about Marianne handling so much.

“You’re nowhere near recovered and must slowly build up your strength. Until then, I forbid you from overworking yourself. Did I make myself clear?”

He looks down, looking even more dejected.

“Understood...”

“What’s with the long face? I explicitly said that this would be until you properly recovered.”

He looked curiously up at her. That certainly lifted his spirit. However, she didn’t say this to encourage him.

“I fear you misunderstand something. Once you’re ready, I will push you to the limit. Don’t think I will go easy on you after this.”

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“I’m ready! I will do anything you ask!” He exclaimed happily.

“I see! Then I won’t have to feel bad about making full use of you! Lucky me!” She said with glee and began to laugh gleefully.

Alpheus couldn’t help but feel intimidated. She knew and was going to have a lot of fun moving forward.

“For now, I will simply teach you some stuff along the way. Make sure to pay attention. You’ll need it for later.”

“Understood!” And just like that, he perked up yet again.

She was undoubtedly going to have a lot of fun.

Somewhere else, far away from the gleeful journey they embarked on, a new figure appeared in the same area. Their destination was unclear, but the path they followed was.

Next to them was a massive golden tree. Its size was difficult to determine since neither end was in sight. It simply traveled across the distance endlessly. They stared at the object longingly, almost reverently, and initiated a peculiar hand movement. They raised their palm to envelope their forehead and let it travel all the way to their chest. Eventually, as though releasing some pressure, they reached their open hand toward the tree. Whatever they were looking for was, without a doubt, waiting at the end of it. That was the one thing they knew.

The figure walked away from the wooden object and headed in a seemingly unrelated direction.

“Halt!” A gruff voice resounded, and soon enough, they were surrounded.

They were humans, it seems. They wore light leather clothing with armor plates adorning the chest and shoulder area. Besides simple swords and shields, they didn’t bear any other weapons. Thankfully, they weren’t soldiers. Otherwise, things could have been a lot more complicated.

“Identify yourself! One of the men shouted impatiently. He seemed to be the leader.

A moment of silence ensued, during which neither party moved. The figure of the mysterious traveler was very slender, and their face was entirely hidden by the pale golden cloak they wore. Upon further inspection, he noticed the symbol on their clothing.

Panic overcame him as he gestured for his subordinates to lower their weapons.

While initially confused, they all came to the same realization and obliged.

The tension, however, remained, and so he interrogated.

“What is an elf doing here on human territory?” He asked with suppressed aggression.

The figure unveiled the cloak from their head, and long hair, the color of radiant gold, descended, revealing a feminine beauty. Her eyes, just like her hair, were the same golden color. Besides the color palette being an obvious indicator of her race, her long ears swayed gently once they were removed from the confines of her clothing.

She looked disinterested, seemingly determining whether she should even indulge him with an exchange of words. Eventually, she spoke.

“Rest assured, for I have not come to visit your kingdom, human.” She probably intended to lessen the paranoia of her interrogators but noticed that this attempt failed, so she begrudgingly elaborated.

“My higher-ups sent me to investigate the area. I’m pursuing someone who should be in this general area.”

“I see. However, you do realize that you can’t just explore this area without permission from the local authority, right?”

“Unfortunately, I don’t have the time to go through that tedious procedure. Is it possible to skip that part?” She asked, her calm voice never wavering.

“Unfortunately, not. Not if you want the military mages sent after you.” He said smugly. He knew they wouldn’t allow an elf to roam freely without powerful enough escorts. “Unless... you’d like to join us?” His smile turned devious.

She didn’t humor him with a response, urging him to elaborate, much to his annoyance.

“As you can see, we’re currently on this expedition on behalf of a blue blood. We have permission to go outside, so how about you accompany us for now? We’re also pursuing someone right now, so we can explore together. I don’t see a downside for either party. Can’t hurt to combine our forces, right?”

“May I inquire who your target is?” She asked.

“Confidential information.” He responded rudely.

“Fair enough.” She responded simply.

“So then, do we have a deal?” He asked smugly, reaching his hand out to her.

She didn’t return the gesture and said, “Very well.” She continued walking, leaving the man behind. His face turned to an impressive shade of red, his anger clearly visible. She was clearly planning to cooperate on the bare minimum.

Begrudgingly, the man ordered the rest of the team to disembark.

“Oh! An elf has joined the game!? Interesting...” A voice resounded with an echo.

“Not only are some humans chasing you down, but an elf, too! Oooooh, there’s a band of goblins in the area, too! This is getting more interesting by the minute!” The figure rests on top of a tree, observing the newly joined force with glee.

“Things are getting a bit stale, so maybe it’s time I finally shake things up a bit...” He pondered, wondering how he should go about this approach. He looked toward the distance.

“I hope you won’t disappoint, Alpheus.”