The group immediately bowed, glancing at the elven king in awe.
Golden eyes, with black dots in his pupils, stared straight through Nox, sending cold shivers down his spine. He felt seen through, as if all his secrets were revealed.
The king's gaze lingered on him longer than necessary, a faint spark of recognition hidden behind his stern expression. His presence pressed down on the room like an unseen weight.
"I greet your majesty," a guard said, kneeling before the throne.
"Raise your head and speak."
"Those humans kidnapped a young elf girl and entered our city," he continued, his voice dripping with disgust and hatred.
"Alright," the king said, his expression remaining emotionless. "Is that true?" He turned his gaze to the five students.
"It's an honour to meet you, your majesty. I am Lina van Arkheim, the princess of the continent Britannica."
A murmur ran through the guards. They had never heard of her before, but her status alone reflected power.
The king stared directly at her, as if checking whether she was lying.
"We found the young elf child in the forest with a broken foot and helped her get back to the city," she continued, her voice radiating certainty and confidence.
"That's not tr-"
The guard's words were cut off by the king's sharp command.
"Let her speak."
"Why did you enter this forest?" he asked. "No human has been here for 200 years."
"We were ambushed in a nearby dungeon. We managed to dig a tunnel and escape, but it led us into this forest."
"You seem to be telling the truth. You may remove your restraints," he said, as if he already knew they were holding back.
"My guards treated you harshly. Is there anything you would like as compensation?"
"Our friend is in grave danger. Please treat her as best as possible," Lina replied, raising from the ground.
"The medics are already tending to her."
"How about you join our daily dinner? It's been 200 years since I've last spoken to a human," the king suggested, he sounded excited but commanding at the same time.
"We will gladly accept your offer."
As the group left the enormous palace, one of the female palace attendants stepped forward, gesturing for them to follow.
"Wow. You spoke so confidently," Nox said.
"Thanks, but it's really tiring. That's why I don't want to become queen," Lina replied, stepping carefully as if she were drunk. The weight of the role had finally slipped from her shoulders.
The elves seemed surprised to see the five students leave the palace unharmed.
"I've never seen humans. Are you really as cruel as everyone says?" the female elf asked, her gaze flicking briefly to Lina's clothes before returning to Nox.
"N- No… most of them aren't," Nox replied, recalling the bandits he had killed in the past. For a brief moment, he wondered if he was cruel.
"Raise your head. We can't appear weak here," Lina whispered, putting her arm around his shoulder.
"I touched him again," she thought, cursing herself internally.
"You good?"
"Y- Yeah."
The group came upon a small wooden house. It was the only one not built into a tree, making it stand out.
"Only the elves are protected by the forest, so you can't sleep in a normal house," the attendant said.
"That's alright," Regea murmured, a hint of disappointment in his voice.
The interior was clean and minimalistic, with three rooms, a kitchen, and a fairly large living room.
"Beatrice! Are you okay?" Regea shouted, rushing to the large couch. Even though the couch was made of wood, you would somehow sink in, making it surprisingly comfortable.
Beatrice lay on it, her stomach completely covered by leaves and medical tape.
He hesitated for a split second before pulling her into a hug.
"Huh?" her eyes widened for a moment.
"I'm sorry. I must have worried you," she said, trying to ignore the sharp pain surging through her.
"I- It's okay. How do you feel?"
She shifted slightly, wincing as the leaves rustled against her bandaged stomach.
"Uhm… better than before, at least. I don't even know how we got here; the only thing I remember is you carrying me," she replied.
"Regea constantly rushed us. It seems your health is extremely important to him," Alma said, checking the bedrooms.
"Really?"
"I- I guess," Regea said, his cheeks reddening in embarrassment.
"The king invited us to dinner tonight. Can you come too?" Lina asked.
"The king? Yes, I'll come!"
"Speaking of which… did you notice it too?" Amon asked. His gaze turned thoughtful.
"Notice what?"
"His eyes were… strange. The color and how he looked at me. Or should I say through me."
"Yes, I thought so too," Nox said.
"I only know of one type of special eye, but I never knew an elf could have them," Lina realized, her expression distant as she tried to remember something.
"In the Demon-God war 200 years ago, there existed an entity so powerful that no one was sure if it was a god or something else. Its name was Gaia, the embodiment of reality."
"Gaia? Like the Gaia barrier?"
"Exactly. During the war, Gaia felt pity for the humans, choosing some of them as so-called heroes."
"Oh, I remember now! These heroes were gifted with special eyes, giving them extraordinary powers," Nox said. "My ancestor was one of them too."
"Exactly. The only thing known about those powers is that they allow the bearer to see one's true nature," Lina continued.
"What about their other powers?"
"It's unknown. After the birth of these heroes, every one of them died shortly after… no one knows why."
"What happened to Gaia?"
"Gaia sacrificed itself, forming the celestial realm and separating it from our realm with a powerful barrier."
"What happened to its immense powers? They couldn't have just disappeared."
"It's rumured that the twelve main gods inherited them. Two of those gods received a larger share for some reason. That's why they're called the…"
"The two secret gods," Nox finished.
Silence lingered as the weight of the story settled on them.
"But aren't they called that because they have no apostles, no one who bears their stigma?"
"Yes."
"What?" Everyone who had been listening intently stared at her in confusion.
"That story about the gods is just a legend. But I like it," Lina said bluntly.
"So, you just told us a fairytale?" Alma asked.
"I mean… it might be true."
"I'm going to rest until dinner," Alma said, following Amon into one of the bedrooms with a deep sigh.
"I'm tired too. But I don't want to drag him along," Lina thought, glancing briefly at Nox.
"Alright, I'm going to go rest as well…"
"…"
"Do you want to rest too?" she asked cautiously, already regretting her words.
"Sure," Nox replied, following her.
"Oh no. It's not a double bed," she thought, jumping onto one of the two small beds. She lied in silence, burying her head in the pillow.
"I should have just asked him. So stup-"
"U-Uhm, c-could I lie beneath you? For better regeneration?" Nox asked, looking away.
"Huh?" Her eyes widened.
Lina hesitated for a heartbeat, then exhaled.
She extended her arms with a relieved smile, pulling him onto the bed.
"Cough. N-No air," he stuttered.
"Your own fault," she replied. She pressed his face against her stomach, an unfamiliar, but pleasant feeling surged through her. She wanted to pull him further down but immediately restrained herself.
"What am I doing? Stop that!" she thought to herself.
"I can't sleep like this!" Nox squirmed, gasping for air.
Lina loosened her grip. Her fingers still grabbed his head firmly, enough to show him that he wasn't in control.
"I'll help you," she said. Her hand ran over his ear, warm light surging through him.
"What do you m-"
Nox's eyes shut tight as his head plummeted downward.
"This skill works better than I thought. Especially on him, for some reason," she muttered, closing her own eyes.