Chapter 53

"Now, children of Bolenan! Let us commence Operation Curry! Let's be careful and cautious, and enjoy ourselves a little, too!"

Aialize declared, her voice echoing through the observatory. I still want to change the name, but it is too late to change it now. The elves' light ships emerged from the void docks underneath the observatory. Canisters have been strapped to the ship's hulls, looking out of place. Those are the curry powder diffusers we are using to bait the enemy away from the World Tree.

A few moments later, the multi-legged golems set out into the Void, equipped with curry powder diffusers and void engines. The golem made from a World Tree branch had already been transported to its planned position on a light ship the previous day. Meanwhile, Aialize found herself busy coordinating with the other clans. The World Phone spell brought us messages from the high elves of the other World Trees.

"This is Keeze of the Bulainan clan. Hero Kura and her companion Nanashi, we pray your operation will be a success,"

"This is Saaze of the Beliunan clan. We are ready to launch at any time,"

"This is Tooza of the Zuwakanan clan. We are prepared as well. We await good news from the Bolenan clan,"

Apart from the Beliunan high elf sounding agitated, everything seems to be going well so far. Their clan seemed somewhat competitive with their fellow research lovers, the Bulainan clan. Still, I doubt they would do anything stupid enough to threaten the operation.

"Satou, are you ready?"

Aialize approached, wearing a special void suit that clung to her body.

"Yes, if you are,"

Satou took Aialize's hand, and they flew into the Void. They were acting so lovey-dovey with each other that they forgot I was meant to be going with them. Shaking my head, I follow after the couple. I hope they can stay focused enough to conduct the operation.

Since we weren't helping with the curry powder spraying, we drifted to an altitude where no World Tree branches were around. Typically, there wouldn't be spirits in the Void. Still, Aialize's 'Space Magic' and the combination of our spirit lights meant we were surrounded by enormous spirits. We had gathered the spirits on the ground. Then, Aialize used a teleport gate to bring them to the observatory in advance. Once we confirmed on the map that everyone was in position, I gave Aialize the go signal.

"Begin diffusion!"

Aialize produced light pseudo-spirits with her 'Spirit Magic'. It was blindingly bright, hurting my eyes a few moments before my resistance skills kicked in, and the spirits dispersed. This was the signal for the golems and light ships to start spraying the powder. The light spirits were to mark the location of the jellyfish.

"Satou, they're sending up the signal. The jellyfish are on the move!"

Yeah. Those two have completely forgotten about me. Aialize grabbed Satou's shoulders and shook him excitedly. At least they are not making out in front of me. My college roommate would do stuff like that all the time. She brought plenty of boys back to our room only to forget I was there when they started making out and, on a few occasions, going even further. I lost count of the amount of times I was forced to leave our room because of her.

But Aialize is right. I can see the jellyfish from here starting to move. With their job done, the multi-legged golems began to return to the observatory. So far, everything is going according to plan. There don't appear to be any problems, so we can safely move on to the next stage.

"Next, please prepare to have the sylphs guide the diffusers,"

"I'm on it!... Souzou,"

Aialize cast the spell and summoned translucent creatures who could pass for that dryad's older sister. The diffusers used were disposable void engines designed to float straight up like a balloon. The sylphs were needed to guide them along their path. The sylphs floated around us, looking to Aialize for direction.

"Sylphs, please guide the devices you see below toward us. Be careful not to get caught by the jellyfish following them,"

The sylphs nodded and flew toward the diffusers. The operation is going very smoothly and should be finished ahead of schedule at this rate. I hope that nothing happens to change that.

"... Dimension Jail Mugen Rougoku,"

Once the jellyfish had been lured together, Aialize used 'Space Magic' to trap them in a cage. Afterwards, she used 'Dimension Pile' to fix the cage in place. Their position was set relative to the World Tree so it wouldn't get left behind by the planet's rotation. They were just far enough away from the other jellyfish that they wouldn't set off a rampage, but since the next wave of jellyfish was coming from farther away. It was also far enough away from the World Tree to not trigger its automatic defences. Once trapped, the elves could use advanced attack magic to finish them all off in one blast.

"It worked!"

"Yes, now we just need to repeat the process,"

The first round had captured one hundred and ninety-seven jellyfish. We would have to repeat this process more than fifty times to exterminate all ten thousand of the pests. Including breaks to recover MP, we are looking at a few hours of work. Still faster than expected, but a long way to go until we can celebrate the operation's success.

<0>

"Ohhh, Satou... Please be gentle..."

Aialize is just as bad as Nana when it comes to taking in mana from another person. No, she is better. Nana's voice was enough to give people who heard it the wrong idea. But, even if Aialize's sensual voice is enough to cause Satou to blush, it still isn't as misleading as Nana's voice when I top up her mana. At least Satou managed to control himself.

"Mr. Satou, please refrain from toying with Lady Aaze,"

"My apologies, Miss Lua,"

This was the seventh time we'd stopped to recover magic in the observatory. He must have been intentionally messing around with the strength of the flow of mana. Those two have forgotten that the rest of the world exists and that they are not alone. Lua seemed angry as she called Satou out, so he wisely stopped playing around.

"How are the golem team's preparations going?"

"They just finished. Something was causing a problem with a few of the golems' movements, but they were able to fix them by replacing the leg units in question. The operation can proceed on schedule,"

Lua and I have kept our minds off the flirting couple this whole time by keeping the operation moving. Satou was the one who came up with the frequent rounds of maintenance. It added more work, but it was necessary to keep everything working and everyone safe. Still, the work was simple enough that nearly anyone could do it with little training. Just as I was about to help with the maintenance to get away from the couple, who looked like they might start locking lips at any moment, Goya came running over to us.

"I'll help!"

"You can't. It's too dangerous," Aialize frowned and shook her head.

"I'll help!"

"Isn't there something he can do?"

Looking at Goya, I can tell it would take too long to try and talk him out of this. He has determination burning in his eyes that doesn't look like it will be easy to extinguish. But there should be plenty of work he can do here.

"Kura…"

"Of course, since he hasn't been trained on the procedures, we can't put him on the front lines. But he should be able to help Miss Lua and the others with logistical support,"

Goya looked surprised that I was the one defending him. I ended up explaining more once I got everyone's attention.

"Fight!"

"Sorry, but we are not fighting out there,"

Even if I wanted to fight, there were too many, and the jellyfish's natural response would worsen things. Besides, even if Goya wants to fight, he would only get himself killed. He was only level thirteen and had few combat skills. He was looking a little frustrated at my response, but I couldn't put him or the rest of us out there in danger just to get into another contest with him.

"The front lines can't do this alone, you know. Without the help of the support teams, they wouldn't get anywhere, right?"

"Mrrr,"

Goya was probably hoping for a job that would give him much attention. One where he would earn fame, glory and possibly Mia's heart. But I needed to stand firm on the matter. Goya would only put himself and others in danger out there in the Void.

"...Okay,"

Goya hesitated initially but finally nodded and accepted my job offer. He might have been reckless, but he wasn't foolish. At least most of the time.

"Well then, Goya, follow me. We need more communication officers to help sort things out,"

Lua pulled Goya along by the arm, and they disappeared behind the piled-up materials in the observatory. With that situation handled, I finally make my way over to assist with maintenance as Satou starts to play around with the flow of mana he is feeding into Aialize. Those two need to keep in mind that they aren't alone here.

Three hours later, we were almost done. There was only about thirty percent of the jellyfish left. Another fourteen or fifteen rounds of baiting, trapping and blasting should take care of them.

"You can do it, sylphs!" Aialize called out to the sylphs, who quickly shot off towards the diffusers. Leaning against Satou's back, she remarks. "My, this is going well." But just as she started to relax, something changed among the jellyfish. "What's this? We've got a call through World Phone..."

The jellyfish started acting strange, banding together instead of following the curry powder. It wasn't just the jellyfish that changed. Even the air started to feel heavy. I could see the World Tree start to create tiny sparks like it might attack, and the jellyfish looked like they were on the verge of a rampage.

"Everyone! Emergency evacuation now!"

Satou quickly ordered the retreat, firing three red flares into the air to indicate a halt on the operation. The branches of the World Tree crackled with electricity. I don't know what could have gone wrong, but we must get out of here before anyone is hurt. The golems had shock resistance, so they should be able to stand up to the World Tree's electrical shock, at least for a while. But there are plenty of elves out there supporting the golems wearing only Void suits that won't be so lucky.

What could have gone wrong? I pondered that question as I moved to help the elves escape. Everyone was in their assigned positions, and the equipment was working perfectly. Did we miss something when we were planning this operation?

"Satou! Kura! The Beliunan clan failed! They were carrying out the operation at the same time as us!"

The Beliunan clan was doing that. Didn't they hear us say that the Bolenan clan would act alone first in case of any unexpected issues since all the jellyfish seemed to be linked? Why would they do something so stupid? There will be time to yell at them late, but for now, I need to help everyone get to safety.

"Kura!"

I ignored Aialize as she called out to me, moving out of her wind barrier where our voices couldn't reach each other. However, we still had the 'Telephone' spell to stay in contact with each other.

"Aialize, retreat to one of the light ships," I tell her. "I will help a group trapped nearby escape, then join you."

I took a deep breath and then used the 'Taunt' skill to attract the attention of the jellyfish. They seem to be swarming around particular areas of the World Tree and have surrounded a group of three elves. Thanks to using my 'Taunt' skill, I managed to draw them away, but I could do nothing about the World Trees' defence. But they should be fine if they don't make sudden movements. Besides, a lightship is already on its way to retrieve them now that the jellyfish are gone.

I have no choice but to take out these jellyfish, or they will attack the lightship. I throw the jellyfish as far away as possible using the 'Magic Hand' spell. They must be able to absorb my mana through the spell because I lost half of my MP in the process. But once they were far enough away, I took care of them with my 'Laser' spell. Next, I repeat the tactic with a group of jellyfish attacking one of the golems.

Great timing to be doing that, Satou… I shake my head as I take a moment to drink an MP recovery position. While looking around, I saw Aialize and Satou kissing each other through the helmets of their Void suits. I'm pretty sure we have more things to worry about than romance. Still, I pretended I didn't see anything. I took care of another group of jellyfish that were chasing one of the lightships.

Only two thousand six hundred and five jellyfish could still move freely. The rest were trapped in Aialize's Dimension Jails, waiting to be destroyed. A few dozen were still trying to attack the multi-legged golems and their riders. Still, with Satou and I working together now, we could stop them without issue. But most of the jellyfish clung tightly to the tree with their tentacles.

Luckily will still have plenty of curry powder, and Satou gets carried away, making cheap mass-produced golemes to impress Aialize. It was a simple golem that could carry out actions like jet propulsion and biaxial rotation as the 'Signal' spell directed. Satou covered most of it with rubber for extra protection. As a result, it was sturdy and had a low production cost.

We covered the golems with curry powder and sent them to fly past the jellyfish before drifting into the Void. The plan ended up being a huge success. Once they were far enough away, Satou and I eliminated the jellyfish with laser shots. We repeated this process multiple times while World Tree's lightning. Still, we gradually lowered the number of jellyfish at a steady pass.

When we got their numbers low enough, Satou and I unleashed a secret attack we had been working on to eliminate multiple enemies simultaneously. Using 'Magic Hand' and more golems, we positioned multiple reflecters around the area. It wouldn't be possible without Satou's cheat map skill. After checking that there weren't any elves nearby who might get hurt, we opened fire.

"All right. Checkmate," Satou muttered to himself.

A flood of light filled the empty Void. The hundred Lasers I'd fired were scattered and bounded around the World Tree. There was more than necessary, but it shouldn't be a problem. We watched lasers piercing the jellyfish before bouncing off their transparent remains to hit another target or shoot harmlessly into space.

The jellyfish we couldn't see wasn't spared either. After hitting, the reflectors bounced at an angle. With the golems making adjustments after each shot, it wasn't long before every last one of the jellyfish was dead. The reflectors suffered a lot of damage, but with some quick repairs, they can be reused.

"Satou! Kura! The cages!" Aialize cried out from the lightship.

Looking over my shoulder, I saw that the jellyfish were on the verge of breaking out of the Dimension Jails. I'm impressed weak creatures like them could pull off such a feat. But anger can do crazy things to someone. Their eyes burned red, having watched so many of their fellows be destroyed. There were several times more of them than the number we had just destroyed.

"Both of you need to run!"

Aialize sounded desperate as the begged us to run, but there was nothing to worry about. Satou already declared checkmate, remember? Bright lights and the rush of air filled the Void. Despite being unable to hear it, the sight alone is enough to confirm that the jellyfish are no more. We used 'Explosion'. The most powerful attack spell of all the intermediate Explosion Magic spells.

The vibrations shook everything they reached, pushing the lightships back a meter or two. Since we were out in the Void, neither Satou nor I held anything back. Surprisingly, a few jellyfish survived, but Satou and I quickly took care of them with another barrage of lasers.

But just as we started to relax, thinking it was over, my 'Sense Danger' skill reacted to something. It was coming from the World Tree. The trunk beneath the observatory had been ripped open by a colossal jellyfish tentacle bursting forth.

"One of them got into the World Tree?!"

The tentacle reached toward the observatory, where the support staff and most of the people we evacuated were gathered. Most of the elves in the observatory weren't wearing void suits. To make things worse, we can't use most of our spells without risking hitting the observatory ourselves. Without hesitation, Satou and I used "Warp" and "Skyrunning" to move as fast as we could, but we were still too late.

The thick tentacle smashed the observatory's dome, and several elves and the crushed mucous wall were sucked into the Void. I know most of their faces. Mia's parents, Goya and Lua, were among the many people I knew who had been sucked into the Void. As I reacted to the situation, I didn't need to think or tell my body what to do.

I held my breath and felt as if time itself had stopped. It was a similar feeling to when I'd tried to save Sara from becoming a sacrifice for the demon lord.

I levelled up while wiping out the jellyfish, so I quickly maxed out that skill. I had never moved this fast before. Satou arrived directly in front of the tentacle just as it was about to strike the dome again, knocking it away with a powerful punch hard enough to snap the top part of the tentacle cleanly off. Using the opening, I grabbed everyone who had been sucked out into the Void and brought them to safety.

As I rejoined Satou, more jellyfish tentacles emerged from other parts of the tree. How did we miss so many of them?

<0>

Evil Jellies with eggs were extra-sensitive, so we observed this nest of eggs from a few hundred feet away. About ten transparent basketball-sized eggs were lined up on the branch. The broken shells of thirty or so other eggs lay scattered around them. Parts of the World Tree branch tainted with liquid from the eggs were now discoloured. Looking around, I saw the hatchlings clinging to their mother's tentacles. But something seemed off. There weren't nearly as many larvae as there were broken eggs.

"Hmm, what was it again? I'll ask Jia,"

When we questioned Aialize about it, she didn't know. She cast the Space Magic spell 'World Phone,' connecting all of us to the call to Jia back in the observatory. Considering we were over six miles from the observatory, it was an impressive spell.

"The number of eggs and larvae?"

"Yes, I thought the number of larvae seemed small compared to the amount of broken eggs,"

"Many jellyfish eggs are unfertilised. You see, with the research data we got from other elf families, like the Bulainan and Beliunan clans..."

Jia explained that the liquid from the broken eggs contaminated the sap, summoning the antibodies of the World Tree and then taking in the dense magic power from those antibodies as nutrients for the few larvae to hatch.

"However, none of them has witnessed the moment when the larvae hatch. We've tried observing the jellyfish eggs, too, but the mother covers the egg with her body when it hatches..."

<0>

The Beliunan clan had already helped develop a chemical to melt hardened sap in areas with the most severe clogging. However, getting rid of the clogged sap in the range of an Evil Jellies would cause the same rampage state as destroying an egg, so they could use it only if no Evil Jellies were too close by.

<0>

A series of images flashed across my mind. The broken eggs and the mismatched amount of larvae. The mysteriously polluted sap. Removing the clogged sap near the jellyfish made them react the same way as if you'd destroyed an egg. I already had the answer.

The jellyfish hatched from the eggs hid in the sap, going through a pupa state in the guise of crystallised, polluted sap, and then transformed into actual jellyfish. Since we'd removed all the jellyfish at once, the ones hiding inside the World Tree as polluted sap grew at once and merged to form a giant one. I could even see the sap flowing through the trunk, turning into tiny jellyfish.

So that is what we missed. But now that we know what is happening, we can deal with it. The sap turning into giant jellyfish might actually be a blessing since there are fewer of them to deal with now. It was time to end this. I had no mercy for pests.

Evading the World Tree's lightning and the jellyfish's tentacle attacks, I used my new skill to rapidly cut off the tentacles, causing the jellyfish to fall from the World Tree. I put Spellblade on Holy Swords, making the job quick and easy. Once they were clear from the branches, Satou used magic to eliminate them as fast as I could set them up.

Sap from the World Tree began to leak from the huge hole that had been opened in its trunk. But I could do little about that apart from putting a barrier up to stop the leakage. The elves quickly took over, approaching the hole on a lightship and using their magic to heal the wound. Before long, the wound was completely closed up. Unfortunately, we had to create more holes to deal with the jellyfish hiding inside the branches. Still, we took care not to cause too much damage, and the elves we on standby to heal the World Tree. It was messy work, and the last part required Satou and me to dive inside the World Tree.

<0>

"Satou's signal is gone..."

Aialize was lying on the floor of the observatory, despondent. I can understand why she is morning Satou, but she could have also been a bit sad for me. I wouldn't be surprised if Aialize had forgotten about me again.

"Well, that's a shame," Satou responded wryly as we approached.

"Lua! How can you be so cruel?! Satou saved the World Tree, you know! Why would you say a thing like that?!"

Yeah. She forgot about me. I swear people in love get awful cases of tunnel vision when it comes to remembering the people around them. Still, it was better than listening to them flirt with each other while I was right next to them. But I was still surprised to realise that Aialize could mistake Satou's voice for Lua's. She cried out in a rare moment of anger, but that went away when Satou stepped in front of her. We had already put our Void suits away in 'Storage' since we didn't need them any more.

"I'm back, Miss Aaze,"

Her angry face turned into one covered in a blankly confused expression. Since we had been deep inside the trunk of the World Tree, returning the usual way would have been a pain, so we just used 'Return' to teleport back. I guess that cut off Aialize's tracking signal, causing her to start worrying. She was probably watching us with 'Clairvoyance', too, since I couldn't shake the feeling that someone was watching us the whole time.

"You're back..." Aialize stared at Satou in a daze. Once again, she forgot there were people all around her. "You're back… Satou… Welcome back, Satou."

Aialize wrapped her arms around Satou's neck, and he returned the hug. I have been around Arisa for too long because I can hear her screaming guilty at the back of my mind. Luckily, she isn't here, or Aialize might have been facing a danger far greater than those jellyfish could ever hope to pose.

"Thanks, Miss Aaze,"

Those two have entered a world of their own. Not even Lua could get Satou and Aialize to release their embrace.

"So, can we declare Operation Curry a success?"

Lua asks me, seeing Aialize and Satou are too caught up with each other to even notice her.

"Yeah," I nod, turning away from the happy couple's reunion. "We got them all."

<0>

"We're back..."

"Welcome home. Are you hurt? Take your coat off and lie down,"

Satou handed Arisa his robe and threw himself onto the living room sofa. I don't blame him. I'm dead on my feet as well. After Satou finally let go of his love, we used 'Flashrunning' to journey around the entire planet and help the other clans with their anti-jellyfish operations. We ended up defeating a grand total of over seventy thousand jellyfish each. Still, while I gained two additional levels, Satou's hasn't increased.

It could have gotten away with not travelling around the world. The other elf clans probably could have handled things without us, but with more damage to the World Trees and possible injuries to the elves. Still, it was worth the trip. Not only did we save lives, I doubt I would forget the sights I saw. The pseudo-spirits like the Beliunan clan's golden Garuda and the Biloanan clan's fiery Ifrit were fascinating to watch in action.

I quickly changed clothes and got into bed. It was late at night, so I was careful not to wake the others. Tomorrow, I am planning on doing nothing but resting. I didn't think travelling around the world on foot in a single night would be so tiresome.

<0>

Five days after Operation Curry ended, a party was thrown in celebration.

"Are you all ready?"

"Yes. This is a bit embarrassing, though,"

At Lua's behest, Satou and I were aboard a palanquin for a parade. We were the guests of honour at the elves' festival to celebrate our success with Operation Curry. I was used to these kinds of things by now, but Satou wanted nothing to do with it at first. But like a kid in love, Satou immediately gave in when the person of his affection asked him to do it.

"Aren't you embarrassed?"

"I have been on parade ever since becoming a hero," I answer Satou's question. "I have done these things too often by now to feel embarrassed."

As a hero, I was constantly at the centre of attention. While I have never been paraded through the streets like this, I have grown used to having everyone watching me by now. And this is a lot better than dealing with nobles and all their marriage requests.

"Heeerooo, we're liiifting the paaalanquiiin,"

"Sure, thanks,"

The palanquin was being carried by trolls around the size of small giants with bluish-black skin. They had a bit of a drawl, though not as much as the forest giants.

"So cool!"

"You look very amazing, sir!"

"Yes, that is quite a handsome look, master,"

Liza, Pochi and Tama were quick to sing Satou's praise. It really was a good look for him, and I was glad I got to wear armour, too, instead of one of the dresses that tried to kill me. I am still convinced those things were designed by assassins.

"I dunno. I think a white robe suits him more than armour,"

"Do you? What about his adorable apron look, though?"

Arisa and Lulu had different opinions, though.

"Hero Kura, you look wonderful, I commend. Requesting matching armour,"

"It looks good, but it doesn't look suited for battle,"

"But I think it looks good on her. She's like a knight out of the books,"

While Pearl, Nana, and Sara like my armour, I agree with Pearl. This costume isn't suited to the battlefield. I could replicate the look, but I would prefer to use a different material that is lighter and easier to move around in. I still have plenty of monster materials that fit that criteria while providing better protection.

Looking around, I can see that almost every elf in the Bolenan Forest was here today, not including the ones sleeping in the World Tree. But it wasn't just elves. Brownies and winged fairies, spriggans, leprechauns, silky, trolls, and all kinds of other fairy species. The chieftains of a few beastfolk villages hidden along the border of the Bolenan Forest were also present. This is turning into a bigger event than I was expecting. To celebrate the festival, everyone was dressed up in their best clothes. Many winged fairies drifted above the parade, tossing flower petals on our heads.

"Kura!" Surprisingly, I found Goya standing beside the palanquin. "Thanks!" So he came to thank me for the rescue. "Approval!"

"What?"

Goya gave me a "Are you an idiot?" look. It's not my fault I can't understand him when he only uses one or two words. I have gotten better at understanding Mia, but sometimes, I can't understand what she means.

"Mia. Engagement. Consent!" Goya shouted.

"Wait we…!"

I wanted to explain this misunderstanding, but he had already disappeared into the crowd. I never seem to find time to clear things up with him. I need to make sure I say something before we leave.

At the centre of the plaza, standing on a small stage, Aialize was waiting for us. Instead of her usual shrine maiden outfit, she wore a fancy dress with a high collar. It made her look like she was the queen of the forest.

"Children of Bolenan, please listen. Though I kept it a secret from you all, I can now tell you that our mother, the World Tree, was under attack by creatures known as Evil Jellies. But as of yesterday, we have finished exterminating them,"

Aialize spoke clearly as she explained the situation to the elves in the plaza.

"...And the humans who saved the World Tree is none other than Kura the Hero and her follower Nanashi! Please give them a round of applause!"

I waved at the crowd as they clapped. Then had to nudge Satou to do the same since he was too busy staring at Aialize to remember his cue. We had already explained the situation to everyone and why Satou was being called Nanashi and my follower. Arisa was the only one upset with the idea. She complained that Satou should use his skills to get ahead in life, not knowing what a mistake that is. I swear noble life drives me crazy at times. Once the applause died down, seven pillars of light appeared on the platform.

"Wh… what?!"

Judging by Aialize's shocked reaction, this wasn't part of the plan. Eventually, the pillars of light resolved into the forms of the high elves from the other clans, the ones we'd spoken with during the Holytree Council meetings. They appeared to be in the flesh this time, not just projections.

"The Holytrees left their own World Trees...?"

I could hear the crowd's reaction thanks to my 'Keen Hearing' skill. That murmur of disbelief came from Lua herself. It must be extremely rare to receive a visit from a high elf of another clan. The chatter in the plaza fell silent, and most of the other races besides the elves dropped to their knees. While the elves didn't prostrate themselves similarly, they did sit in careful postures.

"Apologies, Aaze. It was rude of us to visit without informing you first,"

Miss Luze of the Baleonan clan seemed to represent the high elves today. There had been male high elves in the council meetings, but today, it was all women.

"B… but why?" Aialize asked.

"Kura the Hero and her follower Nanashi saved all eight World Trees, not just Bolenan's. Thus, we felt that all of us should present our thanks,"

"It pains us to break tradition, but we left the others to mind the World Trees and hurried straight here," another high elf explained.

"Hero Kura, sir Nanashi, we of the Biloanan clan acknowledge you as a friend and ally. You are welcome to visit us at any time. We look forward to comparing your flame techniques with those of our clan,"

A high elf who looked just like Aialize, only with red hair, shook both our hands with an eager grin.

"Hero Kura, sir Nanashi, we of the Bulainan clan also acknowledge you as a friend. We admire your intellect over your strength and await your visitation so that we might research together,"

A high elf with unusual emerald hair smiled wisely and laid her slender hand atop mine after shaking Satou's. I feel bad for lying to her. The research she read had my name on it, but Satou did all the work. It just had my name on it because he didn't want to draw too much attention. The other high elves gave similar words of thanks and placed their hands on the pile. Then came the last high elf.

"Hero Kura! Sir Nanashi! We of the Beliunan clan thank you for resolving our errors! We vow to work together with all the clans to fulfil any request you may have at any time. Ask of us anything you wish,"

The aqua-haired high elf from the Beliunan clan seemed to have water droplets in her hair as she wrapped both her hands around mine, tears in her eyes.

""We acknowledge Kura the Hero and her follower Nanashi as the ninth and tenth Holytrees,""

""Please grant them a blessing,""

The other high elves, except Aialize, all spoke in unison, and then each of them placed a kiss of blessing on my forehead. Satou is wearing a mask, but they don't remove it when they kiss his forehead.