RIAD Ch 6

Hidden Story

The momentum was good.

The problem, however, was that it was only the momentum that was good.

The distance from Noiame to the capital took about a week. Of course, this was just in-game time—Eliah had never actually spent a full week traveling that distance. But when that time became reality, problems arose.

Moving with a few clicks was worlds apart from actually navigating and walking the path. How many people living in modern society had experience camping and wandering through forest trails?

Eliah was just another ordinary modern person.

A path surrounded by forest on all sides, with no distinct villages or landmarks, was hard to differentiate. There wasn’t even a single passerby to ask for directions.

And so, after wandering for three whole days, the result was:

[Notification: You have entered the ‘Junabi Fairy Forest.’]

‘X-ed.’

She gave a wry smile at the mystical scenery revealed alongside the polite notification window. She had arrived at a destination that wasn’t part of her plan at all. Clinging to her last shred of hope, she called out to her only companion.

“Kai…”

“It seems we’re thoroughly lost.”

That hope shattered in an instant. They had definitely been walking on a dirt path just moments ago, but when she turned around, the path had vanished without a trace.

With no other choice, Eliah surveyed her surroundings. The forest before her was, in a word, breathtaking. The Junabi Fairy Forest was filled with trees bearing glowing lime-green leaves. Amid the dense clusters of pale-colored plants, tiny orbs of light—like fireflies—scattered about, adding to the mystique.

“It’s pretty, at least.”

“This isn’t the time to be admiring it,” Kai remarked.

As she turned to glare at Kai for his unnecessary jab, she noticed the orbs of light growing larger.

Then, all of a sudden—

“Ow, that stings!”

The tiny glowing clumps touched the bare skin of her arms and legs, causing a sharp, prickling sensation. It was like being bitten by ants—mild but incredibly irritating.

Eliah hurriedly drew the sword she had brought and assumed a defensive stance. Kai also grabbed his weapon and stood back-to-back with her. The light bugs drew near, retreated briefly, then returned to continue their assault. She swung her sword to fend them off, but their small size made them difficult to strike.

“Ugh… Master, these things…!”

“Argh!”

Her voice gradually grew tinged with frustration. It just so happened to be midsummer, and both of them were wearing short sleeves, leaving plenty of skin exposed.

“Ugh, I can’t take this anymore.”

Unable to endure it for long, Eliah let out a groan and gripped her sword tighter with both hands.

For a brief moment, she ignored the stinging on her limbs and focused all her attention on her sword. Closing her eyes and sharpening her senses, she felt a warm energy swirling near her solar plexus.

Then, in the next instant, it was as if her stamina had materialized and a chunk of it was drained away. A faint white light gathered around her sword.

“Hah…”

Originally, ‘Eliah Denfier’ was a mana user. The practice she’d squeezed in while wandering for three days had finally paid off.

Having achieved what she intended, she opened her eyes and swung her sword. Unlike before, the light bugs that touched the mana-infused blade shattered into tiny pieces and vanished. She swung her sword in all directions, frantically dealing with the bugs.

Crunch, crunch, crunch—

With a sound like crumbling cookies, countless bugs scattered into yellow light. Kai, despite being unable to use mana, pressed forward with his innate brute strength. Seeing him fight for the first time, Eliah was inwardly surprised as she scanned their surroundings.

Once she properly fought back with mana, the flickering lights around them were quickly subdued. As she prepared to move on after resolving the situation, a notification caught her attention.

Ding!

[Sudden Quest: ‘The Fairy King’s Treasure (1)’

You have attacked the minions of the Junabi Fairy King.

Subdue the enraged Fairy King and find the treasure.

Location: Deep within the Junabi Fairy Forest

Reward upon success: Escape]

‘What kind of nonsense is this?’

Who attacked first, huh?! It was so unfair. And the reward for success was merely escape? Did that mean failure would trap her here forever?

Looking around at the endless forest, she let out a deep sigh.

At that moment, the surroundings darkened, and the forest’s atmosphere shifted dramatically. The glowing lime-green trees turned a deep red, and soon after, the forest fell into an eerie silence.

Not long after, the stillness was broken by a buzzing sound that tickled her ears.

Vrrrrr!

The sound, like a swarm of bees approaching, grew clearer and closer. Then, from deep within the forest, red bugs the size of forearms appeared. Their thick bodies were a dark crimson, and each had four translucent wings—an utterly grotesque appearance.

As one approached as if scouting, Eliah reflexively struck it with her sword.

“Eek!”

Fortunately, the mana-infused blade took it down.

‘These are supposed to be fairies?’

Eliah was horrified by their bizarre, monstrous forms. These so-called fairies looked like humanoid figures clad in skin-tight bodysuits from head to toe.

Starting with the first, what seemed like hundreds of these fairy bugs rushed at her from all directions. Focusing her mind, she steadied the mana around her blade and darted about.

Wherever her glowing white sword struck, the bugs turned into dark red light and dissipated.

“Eww! Gross!”

She shrieked in disgust, flailing her arms with all her might.

Had about ten minutes passed? Around Eliah, a pile of glowing red sparkles accumulated, and the sound of wings clashing finally ceased.

Propping herself up with her hands on her knees to catch her breath, she instinctively glanced at Kai out of habit.

“Haah, Kai… huff…”

But in the space where all the fairy bugs had been defeated, an eerie silence reigned. Only Eliah’s ragged breathing occasionally broke the stillness.

“Kai…?”

As her breathing steadied, she sensed something odd and lifted her head. A chilling premonition crept up her spine.

Kai, who had been fighting just a few meters away from her, was no longer there. She scanned the battle-scarred surroundings for a while, but there was no trace of another person.

In the forest, now entirely dyed red, Eliah was alone.

“Kai…!!”

Kai had vanished. And the moment she realized it, a maddeningly cheerful notification window popped up.

[Sudden Quest: ‘The Fairy King’s Treasure (2)’

The Fairy King, driven to the height of fury, has kidnapped Kai!

There’s no telling what vile deeds the wicked Fairy King might inflict upon him.

Hurry and rescue him.

Time Limit: 2 hours

Penalty for Failure: Kai’s Humiliation]

Her eyes trembled violently. Though it had only been a few days, Kai was the only person she knew in this world of Deus. The realization that she was now alone in this unfamiliar realm sent a shiver of stark reality through her. The fear she had previously brushed aside came rushing in all at once.

She clasped her trembling hands together, forcing herself to focus. This was, after all, a game world with a system and rules. There were no quests that couldn’t be cleared.

‘There has to be a passage somewhere.’

She wandered through the forest wherever her feet took her. It felt like she had traveled quite a distance, yet the forest showed no end. Walking in one direction led to an endless stretch of trees, and even changing course didn’t significantly alter the scenery.

Then, at some point, a strange sensation gripped her.

‘Huh…? This feels familiar…?’

Though the forest was a chaotic jumble of nearly identical trees, subtle differences did exist. Yet, certain trees that looked the same kept catching her eye. And for reasons she couldn’t quite pinpoint, she felt an eerie sense of repetition in the atmosphere.

Her hunch proved correct.

“What!”

When she spotted a peculiar tree with three forked branches for the second time, she was certain. She had been walking straight in one direction, yet here was a tree she had passed earlier. Its unique shape was too distinct to be a coincidence.

‘Magic, huh?’

She recalled a survival technique she had read about somewhere. She vaguely remembered seeing a method for finding a way out of a looping forest or mountain. Determined, Eliah began marking the trees that seemed to repeat by carving notches into their trunks with her sword as she pressed forward.

Thwack!

“This looks familiar too!”

Spotting a thick, wavy branch resembling a wave, she swung her sword.

Thwack!

“And this one!”

A tree with a strange circular hole in its trunk also received a mark from her blade. Once she started noticing the identical shapes, other trees began standing out as well.

She continued moving forward without changing direction, repeating the process. Trees with peculiar forms—ones she hadn’t noticed before—kept appearing with startling frequency. After marking over ten trees, she found herself back at the first notch she had carved.

“Ohh…!”

From there, the trees she had marked began appearing in a sequence. Looking broadly now, she realized they formed a circle. Acting on instinct, Eliah stepped into the center of that circle.

At the exact center stood a massive tree, its deep red hue standing out vividly. With countless branches stretching upward and thick foliage, it resembled the king of the forest.

Even at a glance, it was clearly a special tree. It was strange that she hadn’t noticed it while wandering until now—almost as if it had been hidden.

Drawn to it as if entranced, she placed her hand on the tree, and a simple notification window appeared.

[Notification: You have entered ‘Junabi Fairy Forest: The Fairy King’s Nest.’]

“Phew…!”

Eliah took a deep breath, straightened her sword, and assumed a ready stance. Soon, her vision blurred, and she squeezed her eyes shut.

When she opened them again, the scenery around her had completely transformed.

˙✧˖°🎮 ⋆｡˚

“Kyaa! To think you’d make it this far. How insolent!”

Her hearing registered the sound before her vision cleared. A shrill voice pierced her eardrums with intensity.

“…!”

Eliah’s jaw dropped at the sight before her.

The first thing she saw was Kai, his limbs bound by vines. Whether his clothes had been stripped or not, his pale, bare body stood in stark contrast to the surrounding greenery, creating a scene of perverse decadence. And atop him sat a massive fairy.

With four translucent, light-green wings and long, dark red hair cascading down, she was an enlarged version of the fairy bugs Eliah had been fighting. Her body was wrapped in thick vines that barely covered her vital areas, giving her a rather frivolous appearance.

At the same moment, Kai seemed to notice Eliah’s presence and turned toward her. His face immediately contorted.

“Master…”

Tears welled up in his bloodshot eyes.