Hajime noticed Shia's reaction and guessed what she wanted to say, but he decided to wait for Shia to speak herself, so he said nothing.
Finally, Hajime was entrusted by Palu and the others to deliver a message to the Hauriya people who stayed in the forest. He let Palu and the others, along with Liliana and other people related to the kingdom, disembark at a distance from the imperial capital.
Afterwards, the group flew towards the Hartrina Sea of Trees at high speed.
When Xia could see the Hartrina Sea of Trees from afar, she saw the remaining traces of the war and couldn't help but gasp.
Perhaps it was because Hajime and the others had flown from the Empire in the shortest straight-line distance.
The flight path seemed to overlap with the Imperial Army's route into the forest, and traces of their advance route could be clearly seen.
“…That’s too much.”
"Their lack of appreciation for nature is really infuriating."
It was a charred, blackened path. Over a hundred meters wide, the black road stretched deep into the forest, like a wound inflicted by the sea of trees.
Although it seemed that the fire was controlled and did not spread, the sight of all the animals and plants on the road being burned to ashes was truly tragic, and both Kaori and Tio showed expressions of pity.
Although not all of her memories here were good, it was still the hometown where Shia was born. Shia lowered her rabbit ears in frustration, and Yue beside her gently held her hand.
"Feyabelgen hasn't revealed himself. Even though the trees in the deep sea of trees have burned, they are still filled with mist."
The enlarged image begins to appear on the crystal screen.
Hearing they were almost at the Sea of Trees, Eltina came to the bridge and replied:
"Although we were exhausted after the battle, it's impossible that we didn't notice the enemy until they reached Fjallbergen. When a few warriors went out to fight, they stopped setting fire. I think they did it to prevent us from being burned to death and thus being unable to capture them."
"I see. But according to what Palu said, they advanced as far as Fiyabergen, right? I don't know how far it is, but it's a relief that they were able to reach Fiyabergen."
"Since the traces of the battle from a few days ago extend all the way to Fjarbergen, the Imperial soldiers can follow the trail without getting lost. They probably noticed Fjarbergen's current situation while they were en route."
"It really is like when it rains it pours."
It seems that the area around [Feyaberugen] was not burned down.
It was impossible to determine the exact location of the capital city above the dense forest, and if we landed based on intuition, it would be troublesome to cause unnecessary misunderstandings among the demihumans and cause unrest. We landed at the edge of the fog, in a place that had been burned to charcoal.
After the gangway was lowered, the abducted demihumans followed Hajime and the others, trembling as they stepped off the ship.
Although they were happy to be able to return to their homeland, the demihumans all showed sad eyes when they saw the traces of war under their feet.
Seeing how sad they were, Guanghui couldn't help but feel indignant about the Empire's actions, and so did Ryuutarou, Shizuku, and Ling.
Even so, there was nothing they could do.
Although they were powerless... there was one person who was different from Guanghui and the others. She was angry but also had the ability to solve the problem.
"Hajime-kun, could you please come here for a moment?"
"Hmm? What's wrong, Kaori?"
Kaori's uncanny beauty makes her look full of energy, and she can't wait to talk to Hajime.
Shizuku whispered in the back, "Ah, she seems to be going into assault mode...", but Hajime didn't hear it. If he had, he would have stopped Kaori.
"I want to try regeneration magic. Mana isn't a problem. I feel like this range should be easy for me now!"
"What? Regeneration magic? Use it on this sea of trees burned to charcoal? Since you possessed Noin, your magic power and effectiveness have greatly increased. Perhaps it's possible..."
"Well, I'll cast the spell now. Please wait a moment."
"What? Right now? Ah, wait a minute, idiot!"
Hajime wanted to stop it but it was too late. Kaori's vocation is a "healer" and she can't help but want to heal when she sees injured people or things!
“—《Absolute Elephant》!!”
——Regeneration magic "Absolute Elephant".
The magic of the Age of Gods that can regenerate anything is activated.
Magical power, violet-white with a silvery sheen, spread out in countless ripples, its light gradually seeping into the wounded earth. Phosphorescence drifted upwards, creating a dreamlike, breathtakingly beautiful scene.
The earth turned from black to green, and the fallen trees gradually returned to their original state.
Not only the demihumans, but even Kouki and the others were stunned. After fully displaying the power of the Age of Gods and the power of God's Apostle, Kaori exhaled and wiped the sweat from her face with a broad smile.
"...Kaori is a big idiot."
Yue gave Kaori a kick in the back of her foot, and she actually attacked with the tip of her shoe.
"It hurts! What did you do, Yue!"
"...Look around, stupid Kaori."
"What's going on around here—"
Kaori looked around and saw that the sea of trees had returned to its original state, with lush trees and a thick pure white fog covering it, making it impossible to see anything.
"..."
"I originally thought that if we just followed the traces of the battle, we could reach Fjallbergen without getting lost, so I landed here. But... it seems my efforts were in vain. Shia, please lead the way."
"Leave it to me."
Kaori covered her face with her hands and squatted on the ground, looking like she really wanted to dig a hole and crawl into it.
Perhaps seeing Kaori help restore their hometown to its original state made them lower their guard, or perhaps they simply felt sorry for her, several demihuman children praised Kaori:
"Big Onee-chan, you're amazing!"
"Don't be discouraged! We're here with you, so you won't get lost!"
"It's okay, onee-sama!"
But it made her feel very uncomfortable.
"Kaori, cheer up, you're doing a good thing."
Shizuku squatted beside Kaori and touched her head.
"But even if you're thinking, 'As long as I have the power of God's Apostle, I won't just let Yue dominate! Hajime-kun! Look, I can do something like this! I'm very useful!' you should still think a little before you act."
"……Um."
Kaori nodded frankly, and Shizuku looked at her lovingly.
Ryutaro showed a stiff expression and complained:
"No, Shizuku, do you have superpowers? Since coming to this world, Shizuku's understanding of Kaori has been frightening."
"Ryuutarou-kun, Suzu, sometimes I feel so alienated..."
When Ling seemed a little lonely, an unexpected person put his hand on her shoulder.
Looking back, a beautiful woman showed a beautiful smile and gave a thumbs up...
"Rin, you too? When Yue and Shia are close, I feel a sense of alienation. But don't worry, it will eventually become a pleasure—"
"Ms. Tio, please don't lead my team astray."
Seeing the situation starting to get chaotic, Hajime sighed and said:
"Kaori, alright, time to go. Your magic itself is quite powerful, so cheer up."
Kaori was quite realistic. Once she was comforted by Hajime, she immediately smiled and stood up again.
Then Hajime looked at Tio.
"You, a perverted dragon who doesn't know the situation, aren't you affected by the sea of trees? Then go and help Tianzhihe and the others lead the way, and then let Tianzhihe take over directly."
“!? You sold me!? Master! How do you know my hobbies so well?!”
Shi ignored Feilong's call and left. Looking at his back, Feilong became even more excited.
"Wait a minute, Nagumo! Don't force me!"
Guanghui rarely speaks ill of others.
Tio said to Guanghui:
"...I'm sorry, Kouki. Even if you scold me, I don't feel anything. Instead, I feel a little angry. Please find someone else."
Tio looked at Guanghui with an embarrassed look, bowed her head and apologized, then walked away as if nothing had happened.
"...Why does it seem like I was the one who got dumped after confessing?"
"Kui-ki, stop overthinking it and let's go."
Kouki looked puzzled. Ryuutarou smiled wryly and patted his shoulder.
Amidst the subtle atmosphere, the group advanced deeper into the sea of trees shrouded in thick fog.
The last time Hajime and Yue visited this place was two months ago. Their confidence was now stronger than before, and the amount of Age of Gods magic they had learned exceeded the amount indicated on the stone tablet under the tree.
However, they still seemed to be disturbed by the thick fog.
Facing a world of dense fog they had experienced before, Hajime and Yue thought, "It's still just as annoying," and looked at each other with wry smiles.
On the way, the demi-humans seemed to understand that Shi and the others had no ill will or prejudice towards them, so they opened their hearts to them, gathered around Shi and the others and led the way so that they would not get lost.
The demi-humans seemed to have a special liking for Kaori. The children had been following her around since a while ago, blushing when they saw her smile, and several girls were holding her hands and clothes tightly.
For some reason, Eltina, as if to challenge Shia, the leader, also walked ahead, occasionally glancing back to see Hajime's reaction. However, Yue, standing beside Hajime, stared at her with an icy gaze. She immediately shuddered and turned her gaze back forward.
The group marched for about an hour.
Xia's expression was the same as usual, but she seemed a little haggard, and then her rabbit ears reacted.
She was suddenly startled, listening attentively with her rabbit ears, and looking at the other side of the fog.
"Hajime-san, an armed group is approaching from the front."
Hearing Shia say this, the surrounding demihumans looked at her in surprise.
Among them were the captured Bunnymen. They seemed surprised that Shia could detect a presence they couldn't.
As if to prove what Xia said was true, the armed group of tiger people that had been seen before appeared through the fog.
All members had serious expressions, their hands on their weapons, as if they were ready to fight at any time.
That being said, they seemed to be aware of the presence of many demihumans at the scene, so they showed no signs of imminent action.
A tiger man among them who looked like the captain's eyes stayed on Shi and the others.
Then he opened his eyes wide in shock.
"You were at that time..."
Seeing the tiger man's reaction, Hajime also remembered who he was.
That's right, he was the captain of the guard, Kiru of the Tiger Tribe, who had confronted Hajime and the others when they entered the forest. Apparently, he had survived the attack.
"What are you planning to do this time... Ah, it's Miss Eltina!? Are you alright!?"
"Ah, yes, they and the Hauriya people saved me."
When Kiru was about to ask Hajime about his purpose, he found Eltina next to Hajime and couldn't help but scream.
Hearing Eltina say that Hajime saved him, Kiru felt relieved and sighed.
"That's wonderful! Lord Ælfrelic was also worried. Please let him see you safe and sound as soon as possible... Young man, your creed is not to save our compatriots before coming here, right? While such a creed is incompatible with your arrogance... I still want to thank you."
"How could I possibly believe in that kind of belief? Everything is just a coincidence, a coincidence."
Seeing that they seemed to know each other, Kouki and the others looked puzzled. After Shia quietly and concisely explained what had happened, they finally understood why Shia fell in love with Hajime and nodded in agreement.
"Against that, are there any members of the Horia tribe in Feyalbergen? Or does anyone know where their village is now?"
"Hmm? If you're looking for members of the Hauriya tribe, there are several in Fiyabergen. You might have heard about the attack. Ever since the Imperials left, there have been several Hauriya members stationed in Fiyabergen."
"That's great! It saves me a lot of trouble. Let's head to Feyalbergen. You're not going to ask me to wait here for one of the elders to arrive like last time, are you?"
Hajime urged Kiru to lead the way.
Seeing that Hajime's attitude was still arrogant, although he showed a dumbfounded expression again, Kiru still ordered his subordinates to put away their weapons and lead the way for Hajime and others.
Even though the humans had attacked not long ago, Hajime and his group, despite being surrounded by unfamiliar faces, didn't seem to harbor any of the previous hostility. Was it because they were rescued by the Hauriya tribe trained by Hajime, or were they told by the elders not to attack?
Regardless of the reason, being able to avoid an argument was a good thing, so Hajime and the others obediently accepted their leadership.
The group arrived at [Feyaberugen], and as expected, the place had changed beyond recognition.
First, the once majestic gate. Although I had heard Palu describe it, seeing it with my own eyes revealed how completely it had been shattered, the debris still piled up and not yet cleared. Inside the gate was a large hole, with a rock buried in the center.
Furthermore, the forest and water city, once filled with fantasy and natural beauty, had captivated even Hajime. However, now, it was covered in signs of destruction, and the aerial corridors and waterways made of tree trunks were broken and collapsed, unusable.
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