Roots of the Forest's Protector

The Alf of the forest is regarded as the highest authority Fairy across all. She is notorious for her capabilities in Mana as well as her devotion to the Goddess.

She once pledged, 'I will be your humble servant, serving as your will embodied" to her wonderful Goddess. To the fairies, this Alf- the last one alive- is even somewhat of a god. Akin to how we view the king, but of course with much more devotion as opposed to opposition.

The Alf, respected by the likes of even the Princess of Undines... that was the person who sat behind that desk, right in front of us. She was beautiful beyond belief, almost as though she was an angel- but that'd be pushing it far enough. She had illustrious pink hair that glistened under the tree's glow, and gorgeous sky-blue eyes that reflected the light coming from the windows. This was at the top of the tree, where the light peered in without hindrance to the surrounding trees. Though the entire place was lit up by the magical ore, this place felt much more natural, which fitted this beauty.

She donned a white gown, matched with pink flower garments and lining that accented the dress itself, a semblance of purity, and even her expression felt kind.

"Is something of the matter, Princess of Undines?"

She asked, her voice coming that immediately penetrated any suspicions I would've had before. This was no doubt a kindred spirit, everything about her had screamed soft, kind and beautiful.

"It's regarding some important matters, my liege."

Even the Princess had bowed before this beauty, before explaining to the rest of us...

"This is all of your first time meeting Queen Exis. She is the ruler of the fairies, a kind one at that. She oversees everything that happens in the forest."

She smiled as if having not dropped such an important name. Exis, the very name that our nation is named after... This woman seems to be much more important than I had originally thought. She stood up and walked over to Yuji and me...

"Mmhm~ I had foreseen this long ago... Princess, I shall allow your travel to the temple~"

She said playfully, having read our minds like it was nothing. Actually, it had completely gone over my head when she said that- but...

"Wh- how did you know?"

Kerian exclaimed, taken aback by what this purity had just said. She giggled at his comment, somewhat catching my own heart. I didn't realize it, but I... I could be attracted to women.

"Long ago, I was met with a Goddess whom I helped her nation thrive. She had foreseen a few humans who would come and take away our troubles. As repayment for what had happened, she had gifted me with this knowledge, and had told me to leave the problems to the hands of her own people."

She must be talking about the Goddess of Freedom, Aiolia... If such an event took place- it should seriously have been noted down by our people!

"You met with a Goddess..? So then, Rivdale Exis is..."

"Is it your homeland? Hehe, that Goddess was far too kind to me when offering the idea of naming her own capital city with my name."

The rose placed a finger on her lip, pondering but as if she knew that she was beautiful in the first place. This was indeed nothing of what I could have expected. After all, I could not fathom how nor why this person was the leader of the Fairies. At the same time, I could also feel how resilient and wise she was. Not to mention, her charisma had already worked its charm over me.

"I find it hard to believe that I would ever have had the chance to meet with you, Madame Exis."

Yuji bowed his head, having spoken up. His traits as a knight truly shone, as if I was looking at a classic novel of a knight in shining armour to his princess.

"I have always been entranced by the stories of you and our Goddess, and have always cherished the fairy tales of your kind. Though the stories may have been exaggerated, I had always believed in them growing up. So it truly is an honour."

The pink smiled as if she was laughing internally- perhaps by how overly serious he seemed despite the somewhat childish comment. But his commitment was on display at the moment, and even I dared not interfere with it.

"May I know your name, Sir Knight, and Future Prodigy?"

She asked, glancing over the two of us. The first was to be expected- but what did she mean by that?

"My formal name is Yusuf Veilhaber."

"I'm Blanc Volere, and... Future Prodigy..?"

I asked. The pink-haired's ears twitched before she walked over to me- getting way too close and personal...

"Hmm... I can see it in your eyes... I believe you aren't ready just yet... Perhaps it's too soon, you've only just begun your journey, haven't you?"

She had asked the question, but she said it in such a manner that the question felt rhetorical. She then walked back towards her desk, tapping it with those beautiful long nails she had. Her skin seemed delicate and had glistened in the beauty of nature's light.

"Well, unimportant matters aside, I understand your destination is the temple, but perhaps it's important to shed some light in this situation."

"Wait, shed some light? You know about what's going on?"

Yuri asked, unable to contain her composure even amidst such a presence.

"Yes, I've had to keep it a secret in order for this set of events to lay out. Yusuf, Blanc, your friends aren't in reality right now. They have been transported into bubble realms."

"They've been... But how are we going to find them without Maru..."

"Your mage friend is already seeking a means to leave, but it appears that your other 3 friends are caught up in their own illusions... Your task will lead you into the temple, but you don't need to worry about them. After all, they will be able to free themselves."

"But... how can you be so sure..?"

I doubted her logic, but she threw something harsh at me.

"Because I know and believe in the strength of you humans. So my question to you, is why aren't you so sure? They are your trusted friends, no?"

Though her tone remained the same, that comment hit me in some way. Was I subconsciously doubting them? Even after everything we had gone through... I'm not sure whether it's because of the fear of losing them or anxiety of things going south... but.

"Blanc, it's okay. Noir will find his way through things. He usually does, doesn't he? Kyouko and Maru won't fall so easily, and Kii is in safe hands when paired with those three. There's nothing to worry about."

I was caught off guard by even Yuji's comment. After all, he was the one worried about all these other adventurers- but when it came to our friends, he was somehow at ease. Have I really been overthinking things..?

"Young Blanc, I trust that with time you'll come to understand how truly powerful your human wills are. Not only that but to also overcome this overwhelming fear you hold over the safety of others."

She said, sitting back down, back into the position she was in when we first entered. Though it didn't seem like it, she sure was wise with what she was sharing. Perhaps, there's a lot more to things than what I have realized. Either that or deep down- I've always known...

Would Noir have been better off without me- or better yet, wouldn't everyone have never been hindered by me in the first place had I not been there..?

I looked up to the Alf who was simply smiling at me. She knows the answer, but it's down to me to figure it out on my own. I want to prove myself useful to my friends... I won't save them- they'll save themselves... That leaves me, Yuji, and the 5 fairies to track this temple down and do our job...

"It seems like you've resolved your own mind. Blanc, when you return from your mission, I have much to say to you. For now, however, go along with Yusuf, Princess Anthesis and her friends to locate the temple. I'm sure things will fall into place once you arrive there..."

She said, turning her chair to face the light.

"No matter what path you'll take, the light will always find its way to you. So, may the Gods bless you on this quest."

She smiled, and of course- our lead to take our leave.

"We will come to bring good news. Thank you, my liege."

Anthesis bowed once more, to which we all followed suit. As we began to leave, I noticed her waving her hand, a kind gesture and a generally friendly interaction...

"Paaa! What was that anyways? I totally thought Queen Exis was someone entirely different!"

Kerian, his hands behind his head, had let out a huge sigh as we were making our way through the forest.

"Didn't I mention that to you? But you four seemed to really hold this image of a stern leader in your head."

Princess Anthesis giggled, walking next to her husband who was very lax at the moment. Leila was walking with the three, enjoying their conversation whilst Yusuf engaged in speaking with Yuri. Reina trailed a bit behind me, and so I decided to make small talk.

"Reina? Everyone here seems so in tune with each other... Have you guys fought together for long?"

She nodded, looking up as if reminiscing. "Not too long actually... We've only served as what you adventurers would call a 'party' for only just 2 years. In that time, we all went from being just friends to being partners of life and death..."

That was one way to put it, but it seems to be all good memories...

"Has much happened in the past two years?"

I asked her, but she seemed like it was a bit of a tough topic. Perhaps it was way too early for questions like that...

"S-sorry, I don't know if I'm invading any personal territories.."

"N-no, it's fine... It's just, it's been quite the journey is all. There have been many goods, but..."

As she was about to say the other line mentioning the bad, she took one deep look at Kerian who was smiling away, speaking and yapping on about the Queen.

"We've all experienced our share of losses. Before we were contained within the forest, our spirits were quite free. We all grew up here, knowing each other- but we all had our own jobs..."

"Your own jobs...? What sort of things did you all work as?"

"I can tell you the jist of our stories..."

'I was a blacksmith who worked valiantly hard to become the best there was... But, that dream was lost quickly. When I became Princess Anthesis' personal smither, she wished to free me from the binds of the expectations placed on me... She wanted me to feel the world around me, and soon enough- that became my eventual wish. To venture with my friends.

As for Princess Anthesis, she has been and will continue to be the Princess, but because of her older sister wanted to be dutiful to her people, she of course had the freedom to serve her people directly. She actively protects the forest and directly communes with the Queen to oversee the forest. The two have taken on such important roles, but Princess Anthesis uses whatever other time she has to spend with us.

Leila was one the few of us who had no ties with my Princess and instead- had grown up with Kerian. Though she mentioned a long period of time of not seeing him, she eventually met with him once more when he was to become married to Princess Anthesis. Naturally, she wanted to see how much her childhood friend had grown- and incidentally, the two became the best of friends again. Of course, Princess Anthesis welcomed her into her group.

As for Yuri, she was a simple Imp who lived every day like there was no tomorrow. When Princess Anthesis was in a tight situation, it was Yuri's unparalleled blade works that had inevitably saved her, and thus felt as though she owed her life to Yuri- but Yuri is the type to say 'What a great fight!' instead of acknowledging she saved a Princess' life.'

"That sounds amazing... You all had your own troubles yet- each one of you persevered in the end. What about Kerian?"

"Kerian... He was once a simple mercenary... He served in another nation at one point in his life. Though the details had never truly been brought up, Princess Anthesis seems to care more for him than anyone else could fathom. His past remains mostly a secret, but-... I couldn't help but notice that before their love came to fruition, he would silently cry to himself every night."

Kerian would cry? The same guy who seems so lax right now?

"I think Princess Anthesis healed him somewhat, but every now and then, anyone could tell that whatever it was- it's still bothering him."

It sounds like some intense things... If that's the case, then I shouldn't press him about it. Rather, I should focus on doing my part for their safety. Now that I'm thinking about it, I'd want to bet that everyone has a secret side to them that they wish not to disclose to others. That being the case, if I can do my part- then these fairies will be able to have a chance at fixing their lives. Not just the fairies- but the people too. Everyone has things they must do. Having that chance is something that everyone deserves.

"What about you Blanc? You and Yusuf seem close, have you two been on many adventures?"

"Ah... We only met about 2 months ago- in fact, when we first met, Yuji actually attacked my party leader out of misconception. He thought Noir was a bandit!"

"Oh? hehe, tell me more!"

"Let's see... You see when I first met Noir, he was an entirely lost stranger who had no idea what the system was!"

"What? But I thought that's something everyone knew-"

"That's the best part though, he seriously has no idea- yet when I took him to my village- everyone treated him like a bandit and even attacked him. Yet, he effortlessly took out one of the guards while being completely unarmed! I was bewildered by it, but he was immediately taken in."

"Haha- well, if you do that to a guard, it's not surprising that you'd be taken in for it."

"Mmhm, and just as he was about to be executed- he suddenly broke out of his binds to rescue me, since they all thought I betrayed them or something! Then when I thought things were all over, we were suddenly attacked by magic that he just sliced through!"

"Whaaat? Wait, you mean he has no idea what the system is but he can do things like slice through magic?"

This talk went on for a while. I had so much fun talking about our moments together, but I didn't notice it until now but...

"Hey, Blanc, you seem to mention Noir a lot. He sure sounds amazing, but what about your other party members-"

"Ah! Ah... Sorry, I didn't realize it... But I suppose that's because Noir was the one who allowed me to live the life I do today... He did so much back then, but nowadays, everyone has their moments! Kyouko is super lightning fast, that I somehow doubt that even Noir can keep up with her- and Maru is so talented with magic that she blew me away with the immense power she can command sometimes!"

"Now that sounds impressive, what about Yuji and that Kii?"

"Ah- Yuji has been an irreplaceable member, he supports us defensively and can create a shield barrier that protects us- if it wasn't for him, Maru and I would have died in that fight just before the Necrodragon, and not to mention- his tough ice really hinders our bigger enemies! There's nothing he can't freeze. And for Kii- well she only joined us for this quest, so I don't know too much about her. As far as I'm aware, she's an Alchemist who had been helping around Rivdale Exis."

"Ohh."

As we were talking away, I had only begun to realize that everyone else had begun listening to our conversation. My face must have been as red as a cherry. How long have they been listening?

"Wait, everyone."

Kerian suddenly stopped, looking around as a slight fog began to cover the forest once more.

"The fog's back..."

Princess Anthesis stated. What threw me off was how tense both Kerian and Yuri looked.

"There's something here, I can sense it."

Yuri stated, with Kerian seemingly sensing it too.

Suddenly, before the fog began getting too thick- a series of deformed beasts began to arise from the ground- while some were even appearing through some sort of rift that a deadly crimson red.

"What..? What is that?!"

I asked, drawing my sword. We all did the same, looking to the onward threat before us...

"These must be..."

Reina said.

"They're Demons, they must be emerging from the gate because of how weak it is right now..."

Leila explained, which would explain their reddish appearance. It was as if they were mindless ghouls, ready to devour us as they drew closer and closer.

"Be careful everyone. If you're not careful, they'll steal your mana and turn you into them..."

Yuji said, before waving his hand. Suddenly, all of our bodies began to glow. We all gained shields, and not just a physical one- but a Mana shield too.

"Yuri, Leila and I will hit the front, Reina, Anthesis, protect the rear guard and cover us!"

Kerian commanded, rushing into the fight with his blade.

As his blade locked with the demon's body part that protruded like a scythe, he then glanced at Yuji and me.

"You two, take care of the other two. We've got these 5."

He said, Yuri and Leila, moving forward with their swords.

Yuji and I both nodded before rushing to the other demons.

Getting close, I took a moment to acknowledge their weapons. One of them was a long slender and scrawny figure with large claws that could easily rip through our skins, while the other one bore one wing and another that was fleshy and bare-boned- it possessed a beak and a tail that resembled a scorpion's tail.

"Careful Blanc, it looks like one of them can poison us."

"We've got this, Yuji."

I said, rushing in without a second thought. The comments that the Alf had made earlier kept repeating in my head... It was like a cloud of doubt that I couldn't shake off.

Before I could swing my sword at the winged demon, the clawed one immediately struck at me, blocking my attack before the incoming tail was homed in by my right side. Thankfully, Yuji countered with his sword of ice, parrying it before following up with a valiant slash that almost hit the winged one- but was mostly intentional for the clawed one that was distracted by me.

Letting go of my blade with its one hand, it used its other to parry Yuji's sword.

"I can feel their strength..."

"Yuji! Watch out!"

I screamed as its neck distorted and dislocated, reaching for Yuji's neck- but his reaction was too quick. Burying his offhand into its body- it was launched backwards before the winged one flew at us.

I lowed my blade, looking at the onward threat before composing myself.

"Rend!" Slashing at the demon- it suddenly raised its feet, as if to block the skill I had initiated. Instantly- I knew what I had done was a bad choice. My blade was completely stopped- and suddenly I felt my mana drain. My blade had lost its glow, and I felt weak for a moment.

"Blanc!"

Yuji cried out, as I had fallen to my knees.

"Shit..! I knew that these guys were tougher than they appeared..."

As I looked up, the faint images of Noir had appeared in my sight- but... it was Kerian.

"Yuji, they sap away at any skills we can throw... our Mana is useless, only serving to amplify their power..."

"Got it... in that case!"

Yuji rushed in, swinging his blade at a deadly speed and severing the winged one's head.

Having collected myself, I stood up and grasped my sword.

Looking over to the other side, Yuri was single-handedly taking on two whilst Leila was handling one of them with her refined techniques with her katana- all whilst Reina had been summoning faded blade blades that constantly struck at each one unsuspectingly whilst disappearing the moment they hit, and Anthesis was providing support magic to the rest. She then glanced over at us, before casting more magic at us with that small wand of hers.

"They're powerful against skills, but they can't sap at our own strength boosts... Just as long as they don't hit us directly."

Kerian stated, before holding his blade forth. I nodded, rushing in with Yuji before Kerian returned to his fight. Only the Clawed one remained- but as we were about to lunge at it- it evaded the both of us before reaching the other demon. Suddenly, I pierced it's claw into it, and in the flash of the moment- the other demon disappeared.

"It just..!"

"It sucked the life of the other demon to make itself stronger..!"

These demons are strong, but we'll ultimately have to be stronger!

"Yuji! Let's use a combined attack!"

"... If things go wrong Blanc, things can go south very quickly..."

"It won't. If you can freeze it, I'll be able to use Ascended Rend to defeat it..."

"No, Blanc. Sword Skills are useless... We have to rely on pure strength here..."

"..."

Yuji was entirely right- but if we lose this strength battle, then this demon gets way too strong... shaking my head, I tried to focus, trying to clear my mind...

Suddenly, it rushed at us- but Yuji was fast enough to deflect its claws- but not before its second claw was about to meet with Yuji's body. I didn't know what sent me to do this but...

...

(Yuji's POV)

Its claw rushed at me, and I knew that it would be tough to defend. But as a knight, it's my duty to stand against any threat no matter how tall or fierce.

Swinging my blade vertically, I was able to parry its downward strike- but I couldn't help but notice its second hand rushing at my body. Getting ready to embrace it- I raised my shoulder to shield my body...

but, before I could react, the claw had met. Suddenly, white hair flowed in my vision, as she fell to the ground.

"Blanc!"

I shouted, trying to catch her- but her body received serious damage. Her hip was bleeding out, along with her chest and her leg. Her clothes were torn so easily, and out of quick desperation, I cast a healing art to stop the bleeding- but...

"RWRAH!" the demon, enraged, had tried to seep its claws deep into Blanc- but I froze him in place out of instinct. Colliding my fist against its body, a mountain of ice had engulfed it- completely swallowing it whole. I fell to my knees, having used all my Mana in that attack. Quickly grabbing a healing crystal, I expended it on Blanc, who was suffering from not only HP loss but also Mana loss...

"Blanc..." I quietly muttered, before looking up. The other 5 were handling things just fine. Thankfully, at the ease of my heart- she had begun to wake up.

...

(Blanc's POV)

My body hurts... Like- like there's something crawling inside...

"Yuji..?"

"Blanc, you idiot... Why did you jump in the way..?"

"I... I needed to save you at the moment... I didn't even think..."

"Blanc... I can't have you sacrificing yourself like that again... So please, don't act so irrationally next time..."

He said, before hugging me. I felt a warmth, but- it didn't remove the pain that I felt.

"Yuji... I don't feel so good."

I muttered, unable to move my body that well. I tried getting up but before I realized it, I had placed my hand on my hip. Looking down at it, I had begun to notice veins appearing on it...

"Blanc... This is bad..."

"What... is it..?"

"It's... Demon Cells... if they attack your body..."

"It won't... It won't... Don't worry about me Yuji... help the others..."

I said, feeling my body weigh itself down to the ground.

"Blanc... Can you hold on for me..?"

"I can. Just go!"

I said, trying to push him away. He hesitated for a moment but eventually gathered enough resolve to help the others.

I lay down, looking over at the fight. As Yuji rushed in, she consumed a Mana crystal before throwing his fist. A wave of ice rushed at all of them before he announced.

"Everyone! Dodge the ice!"

Kerian, Yuri and Leila reacted quickly enough, jumping out of the way and locking the remaining three demons in ice. They began to consume the ice- but Kerian was so fast that my eyes barely kept up. His blade swung with a heavy sound, meeting with one of the demon's heads before gradually building up heat and eventually combusting into a powerful flame that incinerated it. Yuri jumped forward and as the demon had consumed the ice- she unleashed a 5 hit sword attack that was so fast, that the light had traced a star that lingered for a second until her final attack landed. The demon was severed into several pieces before falling to the ground.

Leila, was empowered by a wave of wind and when releasing her sword from its sheathe, a wave of concentrated and condensed wind ripped the air so fiercely- that the final demon who consumed the ice and had proceeded to attack- was immediately cut in half upon colliding with the rift of air that pulled it in.

The three all sheathed their blades, as each and every last demon fell. A small smile fell on my face, feeling relieved as they were able to stop the threat.

But my hip, leg and chest were really hurting...

"Blanc!"

Yuji rushed over to me the moment he noticed me trying to hold in the pain. The other 5 rushed in too, all before Anthesis pulled out her wand.

Kerian looked at me deeply, realising what it was that was happening.

"Blanc... This has to be done."

He said, before pulling out his sword.

"What are you doing?!"

Yuji asked, holding him back before he could pull it out.

"I'm going to remove the demon cells emerging in her body. If we delay it, then irreversible damage may be done to her body..."

"Don't be so stupid... You'll kill her before you remove the demon cells!"

"Well, what other choice do we have?!"

The two roared, but- Anthesis leaned down before placing her hand on my forehead.

"You two, this isn't the time to fight. Blanc is still healthy, and we may be able to help her in time... If we cast divination magic to purge her, it may remove the demon cells... She could sustain damage, but it's something we have to do."

She suggested Yuri and Reina seemed really worried- unable to do anything really as they watched with a lot of discomforts.

My body was weak, and I couldn't move.

"Damn it all... If I had listened to you Blanc then..."

I looked weakly over to Yuji, who was overwhelmed with guilt. But...

"It's okay Yuji... It isn't your fault that the demons suddenly appeared.... We just took the best course of action... If we used our skills, the powered-up demon would've easily swallowed our life force... So don't..."

"... Agh.... some knight I am..."

Kerian looked much more serious than he ever did. He drew his sword, before pointing it behind him.

"That thing is consuming the ice."

He said. They realized it too late- as the demon encaged by the mountain of ice was devouring it from the inside.

Anthesis and the others all turned their backs on me, readying themselves as the demon who was engaged in the ice had broken itself free. Its body became even more distorted, rushing over to the corpses of the other demons before devouring them... Its body began to crackle and shift, suddenly growing wings, flacon feet and a scorpion's tail, adapting with another set of arms with one that looks like a scythe and the other one looking like a chainsaw blade. Its head became even more crooked as it looked towards all of us.

I couldn't move- but its eyes were set on me. It lunged forward- but Yuri and Kerian both blocked its attack. Its body was a phase between red and blue, it's very breath revealed cold air- which meant it consumed Yuji's ice.

"Yuri, it looks like we'll need to get serious," Kerian stated, pointing his black blade towards the demon. Yuri did so too, her lustrous violet sword in parallel to his.

"Let's do this then!"