My life was a comedy where I always tripped on the last step. The new debt of 10 coins to Faelan, because of the fiasco at the Ancient Library, was another weight on my shoulders, and Melina's song about "the book strippers" was already making the elves laugh even in the taverns of the elven city. My head was a whirlwind. Elara, Vespera, and Liriel messed with me in ways I couldn't understand. Elara's shy glances made my heart race like a wild horse. Vespera's provocations, with that smile that seemed to know everything, made me blush like a bonfire. And Liriel's jealousy, hidden behind sharp sarcasms, left me more lost than ever. Vespera's kiss at the Moon Festival, even drunk and accidental, still lingered like a fog, with her avoiding my gaze and Elara and Liriel throwing indirect remarks that cut like knives. I wanted to understand these feelings, but with this group, it was like trying to read a map in a storm. The amulet, scepter, sphere, tome, orb, crystal, scroll, ring, cube, medallion, bracelet, necklace, royal scepter, cord, orb, tiara, key, cord, ring, stone, necklace, bracelet, and ring in my backpack glowed together, and Elowen said the Demon King's ritual was drawing closer. The danger felt like distant thunder, but today, I just wanted to pay the debt to Faelan and avoid more humiliation.
At the elven guild, a vine-covered building pulsing with magic, Prince Lothor offered us a mission: to hunt a wild beast in the Forbidden Forest that had been terrorizing elven hunters. "Maybe it'll make up for your disasters," he said, with a smile that didn't hide his doubt. Liriel grumbled: "Another wet forest full of conceited elves? Unworthy of a goddess!" Elara, clutching her staff, seemed nervous. "I'll use tracking magic, no exaggerations!" she said, with a look asking for trust. Vespera, with her bow slung over her shoulder, smiled, but still avoided my gaze. "A beast? This will be interesting!" I tried to be firm: "No crazy magic, no crooked arrows, no succubus charm. Just hunt the beast." They nodded, but their mocking smiles said I was dreaming.
The Forbidden Forest lay at the edges of the Elven Kingdom, a labyrinth of dark trees with twisted branches and a dense mist that seemed alive. Lothor introduced us to Sigrid, an elven huntress with braided hair and eyes sharp as blades. "The strippers? Don't destroy my forest!" she said, in a tone mixing seriousness and sarcasm. She was tracking the beast, a giant wolf with magical fangs, possibly linked to the Demon King. Melina, appearing out of nowhere, plucked her lute. "New verse ready!" she announced, attracting the attention of elven hunters. The tension between Vespera and me was still high, with Elara and Liriel watching us as if I could start a fire just by breathing.
The hunt began, and chaos arrived quickly. Elara tried a tracking spell to locate the beast. "Just to find it!" she said. The spell glowed for a few seconds before she collapsed, panting. "Mana… gone," she groaned, falling into my arms. Her face was so close that my heart raced. "Takumi, I… I wanted to…," she began, with a look that almost made me forget the forest, but the spell attracted the beast, which roared, shaking the trees. Vespera, laughing, tried to hit it with an arrow. "Just to weaken it!" she said. The crooked arrow hit a tree, which fell, blocking the path. "What a delightful chaos!" she shouted, as the beast pushed her, and she seemed to enjoy it. "Liriel, do something!" I yelled. She raised a wine glass. "Divine purification magic!" The light exploded, but set vegetation on fire, spreading smoke. I tried to strike the beast with my borrowed sword, but slipped on a root, falling with a thud that echoed.
Amid the chaos, Elara murmured: "Takumi, I just wanted to say that…," but Liriel cut her off, eyes full of jealousy. "Focus, mortal, or you'll burn the entire forest!" Vespera, still avoiding my gaze, teased: "Relax, Liriel, he's just clumsy as always." Liriel huffed: "Mortals and their silly crushes!" Sigrid, with a sigh, shot the beast down with a precise arrow, but the forest was aflame, with fallen trees and smoke everywhere. She found a bracelet with markings identical to the amulet, scepter, and other items, fallen among the debris. "Curious," she said, handing it to me. When I touched the bracelet, it vibrated, knocking down more branches. Lothor, irritated, said: "You will pay for this." Elven hunters pointed and laughed, and Melina sang: "In the forest, trees stripped, the strippers fall into chaos!" Sigrid huffed: "You are a plague!"
We returned to the elven city with the beast defeated, but the forest in ruins. The local guild paid us 60 coins for the mission, deducted for damages. We paid the debt to Faelan, but Lothor charged 10 coins for the burned trees. I sat, exhausted, while Elara and Vespera argued over who "messed up less." "I only tracked the beast!" said Elara, cheeks red. "And I only shot one arrow!" retorted Vespera, avoiding my gaze. Liriel, drinking wine, huffed. "You are pathetic. I did everything." Elowen appeared, looked at the bracelet, and said: "Another clue about the Demon King's ritual. Be careful, strippers." She left without further explanation. The tension between Vespera and me remained awkward, with Elara and Liriel casting suspicious glances. "What's going on, Takumi?" asked Elara, jealousy evident. Vespera murmured: "Nothing, just the forest."
When Elara and Vespera went out to get food, 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. "Why? Planning to send me away, mortal?" She smiled, with a look that left me confused. I looked at the glowing items — amulet, scepter, sphere, tome, orb, crystal, scroll, ring, cube, medallion, bracelet, necklace, royal scepter, cord, orb, tiara, key, cord, ring, stone, necklace, bracelet, ring, bracelet. Vespera's kiss, Elara and Liriel's jealousy, the new debt with Lothor — my life was a nightmare, and I just wanted a day without being called a pervert.