Bolenan Forest
Satou here. My city-born friends sometimes envied me for having a hometown in the country. Personally, though, I believe that as long as you have a place that can evoke some happy childhood memories, there’s nothing to envy other people about.
“<Forest.>”
“Is this Bolenan Forest? It’s kind of…normal.”
Mia and Arisa muttered in front of the forest, the former speaking Elvish.
Riding on four horses, two runosaurs, and one hornless unicorn, we had arrived at the outermost edge of the forest, the Bolenan Forest barrier.
Since Arisa couldn’t ride horses on her own, she was riding with Mia on the unicorn.
Mia dismounted and spoke the words open gate in Elvish, and ripples appeared on the barrier, creating an opening about ten feet around.
Looking too excited to stand still, Mia rushed inside.
“Hey, Mia, wait!”
Arisa ran after her, followed by the rest of us.
Aside from the giant trees in the distance that messed with my sense of perspective and the World Tree that definitely still looked like an orbital elevator, it was a decidedly ordinary forest.
As we followed Mia down the narrow path, it led into a slightly more open area. There were no other paths leading out of the clearing.
Throughout the clearing were little rings of mushrooms.
They looked exactly like the fairy rings that served as travel gates in the Cradle, where I’d rescued Mia.
Mia’s eyes wandered around the grove.
Maybe she didn’t know the way from here?
“<Oh hey, it’s the human! Hiyaaa.>”
A green-skinned young girl emerged from one of the trees: a dryad.
“<Dryad.>”
“<Oh, hey, kid.>”
“<Open.>”
Mia was asking the dryad to activate the right fairy ring.
“<Sorryyy, no can do.>”
“<Whyyy?>”
Mia looked distraught at the unexpected refusal.
“<Dryad, if you don’t have enough magic, I can provide some.>”
“<That’s not why, but sure, I’ll take your magic.>”
The dryad grabbed my cheeks to plant a kiss on my lips.
Quickly, I held her back by the forehead.
“<Only if you open the travel gate.>”
“<Hmm… I guess maybe it’d be all right now?>”
The dryad looked around thoughtfully, then nodded.
“<Yeah, okay.>”
With that, she stole a kiss from my lips, and the fairy rings in the clearing started to glow phosphorescent green, one after another.
Soon, two human forms emerged from one of the rings.
It was a young boy and a young girl, only slightly bigger than Mia.
“<Laya! Lia!>”
As soon as she saw them, Mia rushed toward them so fast it looked like she would trip and fall.
Their full names displayed in the AR were Lamisauya and Lilinatoa—the names of Mia’s parents.
Mia tripped on the grass and tumbled to the ground.
““<Mia!>””
The pair hurried over to her and crouched down.
Pulling herself up, Mia embraced them, repeating their nicknames.
“Master, look over there.”
“Lots of Miaaas?”
“So many elf people, sir.”
The beastfolk girls pointed at the other fairy rings.
Elves were appearing from them one after another.
“Master, I have located winged larvae. Permission to capture!”
“Oh, how cute!”
Nana and Lulu squealed as they looked at the fairies that appeared next to the elves.
They were accompanied by an elf in shrine-maiden clothing and the beautiful platinum-blond woman I saw using Clairvoyance on me before.
The latter was definitely my type, so I started examining her AR information, but then Arisa yanked my head back.
“E-excuse me, master! How long were you planning on kissing her?!”
“<C’mon, just a little more?>”
I was so distracted by Mia’s reunion with her parents that I forgot the dryad was still sucking up my magic.
Since I wasn’t resisting, she ended up stealing almost a third of it.
“<You gave me lots and lots of magic today, so I’m gonna throw you a real welcome party!>”
The dryad waved her hand, and the trees and shrubs in the clearing all lit up with green light.
“<Here we gooo!>”
The light kept spreading throughout the forest.
Even the giant trees in the distance started to grow.
The grass at our feet began to sprout and bloom flowers.
The trees sprouted, too, colorful blossoms springing from the branches.
The leaves of the trees swayed gently and began to play soft music.
“<Heh-heh! This is a once-in-a-lifetime service from me, y’know.”>
The dryad grinned triumphantly, and a blizzard of glowing petals whirled through the clearing.
The elves began to sing a song celebrating Mia’s return, and the fairies danced through the air with the petals.
As Mia wept tears of joy and clung to her parents, the entire forest seemed to say:
Welcome home, Mia.
This is where you belong.
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