My life was a comedy where I always took the worst fall. The new debt of 10 coins to King Elandor, because of the fiasco in the elven square, was another stone in my shoe, and Melina's song about "the statue strippers" was already echoing in the elven taverns, with giggles from the local elves that made me want to dig a hole. My head was a knot. Elara, Vespera, and Liriel tangled my feelings in ways I couldn't understand. Elara's shy glances made my heart race, as if I were about to explode. Vespera's provocations, with that mischievous smile, made me blush like an apple. And Liriel's jealousy, hidden behind sharp sarcasm, confused me even more. Vespera's kiss at the Moon Festival, even drunk, still hung like a mist, with her avoiding my gaze and Elara and Liriel throwing subtle remarks that cut like knives. I wanted to understand what I felt, but with this group, it was like trying to hold water with your hands during a storm. The amulet, scepter, sphere, tome, orb, crystal, scroll, ring, cube, medallion, bracelet, necklace, royal scepter, cord, orb, tiara, key, cord, and ring in my backpack glowed together, and Elowen said the Demon King's ritual was getting closer. The danger felt like a cold wind whispering in the distance, but today, I just wanted to pay the debt to Elandor and avoid more public humiliation.
At the elven guild, a building of glowing vines that seemed alive, I found a mission that could save our pockets: "Investigate a restless guardian spirit in the Sacred Forest. Reward: 100 silver coins." Perfect to pay Elandor. Dragging Liriel out of the inn was the usual drama. "A wet forest full of bugs? Unworthy of a goddess!" she complained, holding her wine glass as if it were a sacred relic. Elara, gripping her staff tightly, seemed anxious. "I'll use detection magic, no exaggerations," she said, with a look asking for trust, but I knew it was just talk. Vespera, with her bow slung over her shoulder, smiled but still avoided my gaze. "Magical spirits? This will be interesting!" I tried to be firm: "No crazy magic, no crooked arrows, no succubus charm. Just investigate, please." They nodded, but their mocking smiles said I was dreaming awake.
The Sacred Forest lay on the outskirts of the elven city, a labyrinth of giant trees whose leaves glowed with a soft light, like stars caught in the branches. Magical mist floated between the trunks, and the air smelled of moss and magic. Prince Lothor, wearing his light elf armor that shone like silver, met us at the entrance. "You again?" he said, with a half-smile hiding a sigh. He introduced Elowyn, the younger princess, who was also a druid, with her hair braided with wildflowers and eyes that seemed to see beyond what I could. "The strippers? Don't burn my forest!" she teased, laughing as if she already knew what was coming. She studied the guardian spirit, which was restless, perhaps linked to the Demon King, but with no clear details. Melina, appearing out of nowhere as always, plucked her lute. "New verse ready!" she announced, drawing curious glances from other elven adventurers who followed us. The tension between Vespera and me was still high, with Elara and Liriel watching us as if I were about to set off a bomb at any moment.
The investigation began, and chaos arrived faster than thunder. Elara tried a detection spell to locate the spirit. "Just to find it!" she said confidently. The spell glowed for two seconds before she collapsed, gasping, hands on her chest. "Mana… gone again," she moaned, falling into my arms. Her face was so close I felt my heart pounding like a drum. "Takumi, I… I wanted to…," she began, with a look that almost made me forget where we were, but a branch snapped loudly, and the spirit, an ethereal figure in the form of a glowing deer, appeared among the trees. Vespera, laughing, tried to hit it with an arrow to "get its attention." The arrow, crooked as always, struck a tree, which caught fire with a snap. "What a delightful chaos!" she shouted, as the spirit pushed her with a gust of wind, and she seemed to enjoy it. "Liriel, do something!" I yelled, desperate. She raised her wine glass, with a sarcastic smile. "Divine purification magic, mortals!" The light exploded, but instead of calming the spirit, it set more trees on fire, spreading smoke and ashes through the forest. I tried to strike the spirit with my borrowed sword but slipped on a wet root, falling with a thud that echoed like thunder.
Amid the chaos, Elara murmured: "Takumi, I just wanted to say that…," but Liriel cut her off, eyes narrow with jealousy. "Focus, mortal, or you'll burn the whole forest!" Vespera, still avoiding my gaze, teased: "Relax, Liriel, he's just clumsy as always." Liriel huffed, in a tone dripping venom: "Mortals and their silly crushes!" Elowyn, sighing as if she already expected the worst, calmed the spirit with a druidic chant, her voice echoing like a magical melody. The forest, however, was scarred with ashes and broken branches, with charred trees exhaling smoke. She found a stone with markings identical to the amulet, scepter, and other items, lying among the ashes. "Interesting," she said, handing it to me with a curious look. When I touched the stone, it vibrated, knocking down more branches with a crash. Lothor, frowning, said: "You will pay for every tree!" Elven adventurers who followed us pointed and laughed, and Melina, of course, sang: "In the forest, trees stripped, the strippers fall in the mess!" Elowyn, sighing, huffed: "You are a walking plague."
We returned to the elven city with the mission completed, but the forest looked like a battlefield. The local guild paid us 70 coins, deducted for the damages to the sacred trees. We paid off the debt to Elandor, but Lothor, with a look mixing irritation and amusement, charged 10 coins for the burned trees. At the elven inn, I sat exhausted, while Elara and Vespera argued over who "saved" the mission. "My detection found the spirit!" said Elara, her cheeks red. "And my arrows distracted it!" retorted Vespera, still avoiding my gaze. Liriel, drinking wine as if it were water, huffed. "You are pathetic. I did everything, as always." Elowen appeared, looked at the stone carefully, and said: "Another clue about the Demon King's ritual. Be careful, strippers." She left without further explanation, as usual. The tension between Vespera and me remained awkward, with Elara and Liriel casting suspicious glances that weighed like lead. "What's going on, Takumi?" asked Elara, jealousy so obvious it could be cut with a knife. Vespera averted her gaze, murmuring: "Nothing, just the forest."
When Elara and Vespera went out to get food in the elven kitchen, I pulled Liriel aside. "If you're a goddess, who's on your throne now?" She shrugged lazily, smiling. "Celine, my assistant. She's annoying, but she takes care of the rest." She took a sip of wine. "Why? Planning to send me away, mortal?" She smiled, with a look that left me confused, as always. I looked at the glowing items in my backpack — amulet, scepter, sphere, tome, orb, crystal, scroll, ring, cube, medallion, bracelet, necklace, royal scepter, cord, orb, tiara, key, cord, ring, stone. Vespera's kiss, Elara and Liriel's jealousy, the new debt with Lothor — my life was an endless nightmare, and I just wanted a day without being called a pervert.