Chapter 114 Forest Whispers and the Informant
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
A day had passed since we explored the Elven Forest and got the rare Magic Material, Rainbow Moss. And three days had gone by since we held that gathering to cheer up Elliot—who must have been heartbroken over Elenor’s engagement.
I finished the boring classes at the academy and teleported once more into that mysterious forest.
I’d left enough time since my last visit before continuing the exploration. I was well-rested, too.
From that creepy spot where thick fog always hung, we pushed further east—
The season was early spring, but here in the northern forest, the nights were very cold. My breath misted white in the air.
The night forest stood in complete quiet. Within that quiet, the sound of our footsteps crunching through fallen leaves echoed strangely loud. Sometimes, the cries of night birds and insects broke the quiet.
Among those many calls, the elves walking beside me froze in response.
”…Xenos-sama. It seems Sylph has been hurt. I’d like to help her—with your permission?”
Flora, the medicine maker who had been walking lightly at my side, asked nervously. Her calm, gentle brown eyes fixed on my face.
”Sylph—that’s a bird’s name?”
”Yes. A special little bird that lives only in this sacred forest—Sylvain. We elves strictly uphold the ‘Principle of Non-Interference,’ which says we never interfere with wild creatures. However, Sylph is the only exception.”
It seemed this bird shared a mutual relationship with the elven group. The elves could identify bird calls by species with precision, and even communicate in simple phrases with them.
”I see. Let’s respect elven customs while we’re in the forest. Let’s go help this Sylph.”
”…! Thank you, Xenos-sama!”
We turned slightly from our planned route and headed toward the faint, sad bird call that seemed to be crying for help.
Sylph had hidden her small body deep within a thicket. She had beautiful green-and-yellow feathers.
It seemed she’d been attacked by something—her wing was deeply wounded, stopping her from flying. Sensing the elves passing nearby, she’d urgently called out for help.
Flora gently held the trembling bird in both hands and cast a soft Healing Magic. From her graceful fingers, a warm, gentle golden light came faintly.
After putting the magic until the wound was fully healed, Flora gave a special medicinal herb she always carried to the bird’s tiny mouth.
A small, black, nutrient-rich piece. Apparently, eating just one would keep a creature active for an entire day without food.
Afterward, Flora and the bird exchanged a series of soft “pew, pew” calls, talking at length.
Probably exchanging thanks, I imagined.
Eventually, Sylph took flight from Flora’s gentle palm, flying happily into the night darkness.
”Xenos-sama. The little one just told me—apparently, there’s a small spring ahead with a beautifully glowing stone. If you’re willing, shall we go see it?”
Flora had gotten that valuable information from the bird. It might be some sort of rare Magic Material.
”…Yeah. Let’s go.”
When we went in the direction the bird had pointed, there indeed was a small spring, shining in the moonlight.
From somewhere, clear spring water continuously flowed in and pooled here. Beneath the very clear water lay several dimly glowing stones.
They were small crystals, beautiful in their amber glow.
”This is… a Spirit Echo. Quite rare, this is. These stones have a strange quality—they can only keep their mana while underwater. The moment you take them out of water, they lose their beautiful shine and become nothing more than ordinary, plain stones.”
The Spirit Echo could change its own mana into voice—letting it clearly send words even to distant listeners. Apparently, it served as an extremely powerful aid for communication sorcery.
It also had the effect of helping communion with spirits. However, compatibility with the caster was most important; it wasn’t an item that gave these abilities to just anyone.
To keep this magical glow, the stones had to be stored in a sealed container filled with the spring’s sacred water.
Without this knowledge, an incredibly valuable mana stone would instantly turn into an ordinary pebble.
With special treatment, it was apparently possible to forever fix the glow to the stone—but until then, it needed to be kept under the spring water.
I took off my shoes and socks on the spot and rolled my trouser legs up past my knees. The cold night air seemed to cut my skin even more sharply.
I stepped into the freezing spring water—cold enough to chill one to the bones.
It was cold. But I took it.
I narrowed the range of my Magic Seal, which canceled my magical effects, to the smallest possible, and put a canteen-style sealed container into the spring.
Then, using the container, I picked up the stones along with the sacred water. And with that, I successfully got the Spirit Echo.
I decided to end today’s exploration here. My body was chilled. I was cold.
Using teleportation magic, I moved to the elven village along with the four beautiful elven girls. Since my body was completely chilled from the freezing water, I decided to warm up a bit.
As I warmed myself by the large fire at the center of the village—Flora brought me a steaming hot drink.
”Please, have this. It’ll warm you right up. And—excuse me for a moment.”
She said this, then gently pressed her warm hand against my chilled body. A gentle, restoring mana slowly flowed from her touch, spreading through my core as if refreshing me. This was apparently a form of Healing Magic as well.
”…Thank you. That helps.”
I gently took her long, carefully braided honey-colored hair in my hand and pressed a kiss of thanks to its tips.
Flora’s cheeks flushed slightly, and she smiled happily.
* * *
Several days had passed since that strange dinner party to comfort Elliot over his lost love.
After school.
The location was Prince Liam’s private luxurious salon at the Royal Academy of Magic. There, a private conversation was about to take place.
”So, what’s this about? You came all the way here—does that mean you’ve found some kind of lead?”
Prince Liam quietly addressed the young noblewoman who had come to see him.
Her name was Merinda Lancaster. The third daughter of a penniless baronial family in the Royal Capital—the Lancaster Family. And she was the girl recently engaged to Balthazar, the heir of the slave trader Zaitz household.
”No. Liliana-sama’s location remains unknown, unfortunately. However…”
She stopped for a moment. Then, with an expression full of confidence and calmness, she slowly raised her head.
”However, during my investigation, I have gotten one piece of extremely important information.”
The dull blue of her eyes, which should have been clouded, now held a clear light.
—
Summary:
Xenos explores the Elven Forest, gets the rare Spirit Echo stone from a spring, and shares a tender moment with Flora after she heals an injured Sylph bird. Meanwhile, Merinda Lancaster approaches Prince Liam with private information she found during her investigations into Liliana’s disappearance. The chapter sets up both emotional character moments and political mystery, leaving the nature of Merinda’s finding unresolved.
—
Trivia:
Xenos got Rainbow Moss in the previous chapter before this exploration.
Three days have passed since the gathering to comfort Elliot over Elenor’s engagement.
The Sylph bird lives only in the Sylvain Forest and is the only exception to the elven non-interference rule.
Elves can identify bird species by call and communicate in simple phrases with them.
The Spirit Echo stone loses its glow immediately if taken out of water without proper keeping.
The Spirit Echo needs to be under sacred spring water to keep its mana.
Flora is a medicine maker who carries special medicinal herbs and nutrient pieces.
Xenos uses a Magic Seal to cancel his magical effects when gathering the stones.
The Spirit Echo serves as an aid for communication sorcery and spirit communion.
Merinda Lancaster is engaged to Balthazar, heir of the slave trader Zaitz family.
Prince Liam has been looking into the Saint Liliana’s disappearance.
The “Principle of Non-Interference” says elves never interfere with wild creatures.
Flora’s Healing Magic gives off a warm, gentle golden light from her hands.
Merinda’s blue eyes, once dull, now show confident determination.
Xenos pressed a kiss of thanks to Flora’s braided honey-colored hair.
The Royal Academy of Magic is where Prince Liam has his personal salon.
Merinda is the third daughter of the poor Baron Lancaster family.
The Sylvain Forest creates thick fog at specific locations.
Flora can do a form of Healing Magic that refreshes through touch.
Xenos teleported to the forest after finishing boring academy classes.
Notes:
• Elenor – Princess Elenor, the haughty, analytical “Saint of Light” and sister to Liliana, is a silver-blonde swordswoman and healer with gray-blue eyes. Though a noble princess and Grimlock’s fiancée, she is the protagonist’s submissive, magic-sealed slave. A tsundere torn between royal dignity and affection for Xenos, she balances sharp retorts with intense devotion, often appearing in revealing cosplay.
• Elliot – Elliot Valias, a tall, slender, blue-haired noble and intellectual aide to Prince Liam, masks his deep, unrequited love for Elenor with crude, condescending arrogance. A pseudo-intellectual prone to quick accusations, he harbors murderous, freezing hostility toward Xenos Grimlock, driven by intense jealousy over Xenos’s intimacy with Elenor.
• Sylph – A small bird with green-and-yellow plumage. Lives only in the sacred Sylvain Forest and shares a symbiotic relationship with the elves. Was attacked and sustained a deep wing wound. Communicates with Flora through soft calls. Guides Xenos and the elves to a spring containing the Spirit Echo.
• Xenos – Job: Heir to a high-ranking noble house; Relationship: Owner of Lilia; Has romantic connections with Elenor, Cecilia, and Lizel; Item/Magic: Summoning magic, [Substitution Collars]; Note: Was caught up in a Royal Palace explosion and missed three days of school. Pragmatic and calculating personality. Job: Noble of Grimlock family, protagonist; Relationship: Manipulator of Princess Liliana, pursuing Serena; Item/Magic: [Ring of Transformation]; Note: Reincarnated villain with game knowledge, calculating and arrogant. Job: Theater Owner and noble of Grimlock family; Relationship: Fiancé to Cecilia; Item/Magic: Game knowledge/metaknowledge; Note: Reincarnated villain protagonist who knows the original game script.
• Flora – Apothecary of the elven village. Has calm, gentle brown eyes and long, carefully braided honey-colored hair. Walks with light footsteps. Breaks the elven non-interference principle only for Sylph birds. Possesses Healing Magic and cares for injured creatures. Shows shy affection toward Xenos after he kisses her hair.
• Liam – Liam Asgard, the golden-haired, emerald-eyed First Prince of Asgard, is Liliana’s older brother and the liege of Elliot and Aldrick. Betrothed to Elisabeth, he is an arrogant yet fundamentally kind man who speaks with elegant grace. Though he underestimates his rival Xenos’s Zero Mana status, he shows consideration toward him, even as his obsessive pursuit of Cecilia threatens his political standing.
• Balthazar – Son of the Crowley family. A pervert with no boundaries who considers himself improved after being advised to stop saying “stinky” to women. Obsessed with female scent. Currently engaged in an arranged marriage meeting.
• Merinda – Third daughter of the impoverished Lancaster baron family. Engaged in an arranged marriage meeting with Balthazar. Has dull blue eyes. Expresses cold contempt toward both Balthazar and Xenos after they are grouped together as perverts.
• Liliana – Known as the “Angel of the Asgard Kingdom” for her golden hair and sky-blue eyes, this princess is the younger sister of Prince Liam and Elenor. While maintaining a refined, angelic public facade, she is a manipulative mastermind who wields explosion magic. As Serena’s liege and the true culprit behind recent assassination attempts, she carefully hides her dark nature behind whispered, noble asides.
• Lilia – Xenos’s fiercely loyal, trauma-resilient Head Maid is a lovely, pale, busty woman with long dark hair, a chest tattoo, and a nullified crest. Dressed in a black uniform, she maintains refined, icy elegance when disciplining others, especially Elenor. While formal and efficient with guests, she masks deep, jealous anxiety for Xenos, finding her greatest joy in serving him and sleeping by his side.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
Thanks for reading.
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