Chapter 51 - Monster Problem, and Cooperation

Imra opened the letter in front of everyone. Of course, she was the only one reading it.

The elves still had their bows drawn and aimed at Arthur and Point Blank. They didn’t move a muscle while she read.

Arthur kept a close watch on Imra’s expressions, trying to figure out what the letter was about. Her expression shifted as she read, but it never showed shock or fear.

’Maybe the letter doesn’t bear such bad news,’ he pondered.

It took her about five minutes to read it all. The letter was quite long, spanning more than a single page.

Imra folded the letter after she was finished and slipped it back inside the envelope.

"So you two are Chosen Ones," she murmured. "This is quite fascinating. I had no idea this was happening, since we are secluded here in the forest. Tell me, do all kingdoms have you? Even the kingdom trying to invade Aldora?"

"Yes, that’s correct," Arthur replied. "All kingdoms have Chosen Ones."

He thought for a second, then asked, "Was the letter just about us?"

By "us," he meant the Chosen Ones.

Imra chuckled. "Of course not. Aren’t you thinking a little too highly of yourselves? Ray had other important things to discuss with me, the war being one of them."

"He said that soldiers from the Rashk Kingdom might try to infiltrate the forest wearing Aldora army uniforms to attack us, trying to put the blame on your people."

"What?"

The first thing that came to Arthur’s mind when she said that was the group of soldiers hiding behind those bushes. They were incredibly close to the elven forest, practically on the verge of stepping inside.

’They must be the ones trying to do this.’

Imra invited Arthur and Point Blank into her home.

"Would you care to have some tea with me? We could discuss how to kill the intruders from the Rashk Kingdom trying to invade my forest."

[New Main Quest Objective]

[Discuss with Imra how to deal with the intruders]

Arthur wasn’t the only one to receive that new objective; Point Blank got it too. They were in a party and had shared the quest, so it was to be expected.

"Everyone, lower your weapons and return to your posts. Keep a close watch on anything that gets near our settlement."

All the elves obeyed her command. Arthur and Point Blank followed Imra to her house, which was up the wooden ramp leading into the main tree.

Point Blank looked around as they walked. It was her first time seeing the elven settlement, and she was amazed by it!

The houses were beautiful, built directly into the massive trees. A small river flowed through the center of the settlement, and a wooden bridge adorned with flowers crossed over it.

Fireflies danced everywhere, giving the place a magical vibe. The thick tree canopies blocked out most of the sunlight, but magical lamps were scattered all around, so the settlement wasn’t dark at all.

The air was the freshest in the entire region, and the distant sounds of frogs and crickets had the power to relax even the most troubled mind. Arthur truly loved the place.

"Is there a fishing spot around here?" he asked as they walked up the ramp.

Imra looked surprised. "You like fishing? There’s a special lake nearby with lots of different fish. You’ll probably love it, though we should probably focus on dealing with the intruders before we think about fishing."

"You’re right, haha," Arthur said, laughing awkwardly.

On the way up, Imra spoke with some of her guards in the elven tongue. Earlier, she had been speaking the language of the Aldora Kingdom.

Point Blank didn’t understand shit when they talked, but Arthur had unlocked several languages when he reached Dragon City at the start of the game, so he actually understood what they were saying.

"Should we keep watch on them, my lady? Just in case they try something."

"I don’t think that’s necessary," Imra answered the guard. "They are our friends, and it’s impossible to kill them anyway. Chosen Ones are immortal. It doesn’t make sense to make them our enemies just yet. Of course, if they do something suspicious, then we’ll act."

"Immortal?" the guard asked, turning to look at Arthur and Point Blank.

Only Imra had read the contents of the letter, so everyone else was still lost, knowing nothing about the Chosen Ones. She would have to set up a meeting later to explain everything to the rest of the elves.

At the end of the wooden ramp stood the door to Imra’s house. She dismissed the guards, telling them they didn’t have to go inside and could just stand watch by the door.

Once they opened the door and stepped inside, the scent of damp wood filled their nostrils, mixed with the incense Imra constantly burned in her home. It carried the fragrance of herbs found within the forest.

The house itself looked like any other, but there were plants everywhere—hanging from the ceiling, climbing the walls, and resting in pots filled with beautiful flowers.

Houses usually didn’t have that many indoor plants for decoration. It was something unique to the elves.

It felt vivid, cozy, and peaceful. The windows were all open, and since the house was high up in the tree, the view from there was beautiful. Arthur stood next to one of those windows and looked down, appreciating the surrounding nature.

Imra poured some tea for them and asked both Arthur and Point Blank to sit down at the main table to have a chat.

"So, Cinder, right?"

Arthur frowned when she said that.

"Your name was in the letter," Imra explained. "Ray wants to collaborate with us, something that hasn’t happened in almost sixty years. We didn’t have a reason to work with humans before. We just lived in our forest, you lived in your kingdom, and that was it."

"But with this invasion, the Chosen Ones showing up, as well as some other problems, I think it might be time for us to act differently."

"For now, though, let’s just focus on dealing with the intruders. Are you willing to help us?"

Of course Arthur was willing to help them. He wanted to complete the mission to get the rewards, and killing some soldiers would grant EXP as well. But was he capable of actually helping? That was the main question in his head.

"We are," he said, "but we need to level up. Maybe we could deal with your monster problem first?"

Imra frowned. "How do you know about our monster problem?"

Arthur had said it without thinking.

"Uh, Ray mentioned something about it. Maybe we could deal with that? Also, we spotted the intruders when we flew over the forest. They are still at the border. I don’t think they can reach us in less than three days."

"You’re very knowledgeable about the forest, Cinder. You’re right. With the thick vegetation, monsters, and poisonous plants, they will travel slowly. It will take them at least three days to reach the settlement."

Imra sipped her tea and then said, "During this time, you can help us deal with some monsters and level up. That sounds like a good idea."

Imra shared the location where some monsters were showing up frequently. The elves were low in numbers, so they couldn’t deal with all the monsters in the region.

Once they left her house, she called one of the guards.

"This Cinder guy knows too much. Keep an eye on him just to make sure he’s not a threat."