Vierno realized, from Ludger’s firm answer, that reasoning with him was impossible.

He was about to ask the others to persuade Ludger instead—then quickly understood that such a thing was pointless.

Hans, Alex, Bellaruna.

The three of them rose naturally to their feet, as if they had already accepted this absurd plan of high-altitude freefall.

‘Are they really planning to jump?’

It wasn’t the risk of falling that concerned him.

The real problem was their decision to enter the “forest” without any preparation at all.

The moment they descended, the forest would immediately sense the presence of intruders.

The countless forms of vegetation spread across it never overlooked anything that stepped onto their ground.

True, they had Bellaruna—someone skilled enough to hack into the World Tree itself—but even her ability only worked once she made contact with the surrounding network.

But from the moment they dropped out of the sky, it would take at least a minute before she touched the nearby vegetation.

That was more than enough time for the leaked data to reach the [Crown] family, the ones who oversaw information control.

‘He should have understood this from the explanation, and yet he still insists... is it impatience to rescue Sedina as quickly as possible?’

Or perhaps... does he have another way?

If it was impatience, Ludger’s expression was far too calm.

In the end, Vierno decided to trust Ludger’s judgment.

At the very least, it was because of Ludger that these people had gathered together in the first place.

“Let’s go.”

With that, Ludger leapt out of the airship.

Bellaruna swallowed hard, clenched her eyes shut, and followed after him.

Hans froze when it came time to jump—his feet instinctively retreating—but Alex grabbed him and dragged him out with him.

“I—I wasn’t ready yet—”

“Too late. Just go.”

And finally, even Vierno himself jumped.

The wind that battered them as they plunged from such height blurred his vision.

But even from so high, freefall would take less than ten seconds before hitting the ground.

Still, that was more than enough time to cast magic.

Vierno summoned the spirits of wind.

The furious gale that struck his body softened to a gentle breeze, and the headlong fall slowed as if time itself had dulled.

Glancing around, he saw that Ludger had already covered everyone else with flight magic.

But there was no room for simple admiration.

The forest was looming ever closer—signaling that their time before being detected was running out.

Then Ludger activated another spell.

Ssshhhhh—

The mana he spread thinly around them began to stain black, like water soaking with ink.

The ebony-colored energy formed a shroud around Ludger and all his companions.

“Dark-attribute magic?”

Vierno was stunned.

He had always believed Ludger wielded light-attribute magic.

Even that alone was a wonder—light was one of the rarest elemental affinities.

But darkness as well?

It made no sense.

Especially because light and darkness were complete opposites.

Yet whether Vierno believed it or not, the others accepted it naturally.

They already knew Ludger could wield such magic.

‘Professor Ludger... just who are you really...?’

Protected under the veil of darkness, the five of them landed safely within the forest.

The tranquil woods gave no sign that it had detected intruders.

“Bellaruna. Begin.”

“Yes.”

She immediately approached the nearest tree, pressing her hand against its bark.

Closing her eyes, she focused, and a green radiance rippled into the trunk.

It took only three seconds.

When she opened her eyes again, her voice was full of confidence.

“All the information in this area is sealed. No one will see us now.”

Ludger canceled the dark spell the instant she finished.

Again, Vierno was astonished.

He had known Bellaruna could connect to vegetation and block information flow.

But to accomplish it in just three seconds was something else entirely.

‘Even a watcher from the Crown family couldn’t connect that fast.’

“Forest watchers” were what they called those able to interface with the living network of trees.

Every elven family had their own watchers, but the family that managed the entire forest’s network was the [Crown] family.

Their watchers were the most gifted of all.

Even they would need at least ten minutes to complete such a messy override.

But Bellaruna had finished it in three seconds.

‘So she really did /N_o_v_e_l_i_g_h_t/ connect to the World Tree unnoticed. Her talent is overwhelming.’

If she had belonged to one of the great houses, she would have been cherished beyond belief.

And yet, Bellaruna chose to live outside the forest, among humans.

Vierno looked again at the companions surrounding him.

Ludger, who wielded both light and dark attributes.

Bellaruna, the elf who could hack the World Tree.

Alex, the swordsman who had felled a druid in a single stroke.

Then surely even Hans, who traveled with them, must have some hidden strength.

“Let’s move. We don’t have much time.”

Vierno snapped out of his thoughts at Ludger’s words and nodded.

“Yes. I’ll guide you to my family’s estate.”

* * *

Robert shut the wide-open hatch of the airship.

He clicked his tongue as he looked around the interior, still stirred by the gale that had rushed through.

“Well I’ll be damned. Thought it was just talk, but they really jumped.”

He had suspected from the way they carried themselves, but now he was sure—they weren’t ordinary people.

Of course not. That’s why Walter Roschen had hired them.

Even if he pretended otherwise, Walter adored his daughter. And yet he had hired only five people.

Which meant those five possessed strength far surpassing ordinary men.

Walter’s judgment of people was second to none.

“Alright. This is the captain. Sub-captain, you can raise altitude now.”

[Understood.]

“From here on, welcome to hell’s two-shift rotation. You ready to endure some overtime?”

[Will there be overtime pay?]

“This isn’t official duty, so no. Instead, you get the honor of trading jokes with me all day long.”

[Death would be kinder.]

Even so, the sub-captain, like him, was someone who served Walter, and he had accepted the risk from the start.

“Keep sharp. Even on the outskirts, this is elf territory. If we get caught, it becomes a national incident. One slip of the controls, and it’s disaster. You know that.”

[Very inspiring words, Captain. Why don’t you focus on not crashing us yourself?]

“Ha! I always do. Just sit tight. I’ll check the cargo hold and be back.”

Ending the transmission, Robert headed for the rear of the airship.

At departure, the cargo bay had been filled to the brim with artifacts.

Of course, all stored in special artifact cases.

It was far more than five people could possibly carry.

And since the bay hadn’t been opened, he only meant to make sure nothing had been left behind.

But the moment he opened it, his thoughts froze in shock.

“What the—why is it empty?”

The hold that had been packed tight was now completely bare, not a speck of dust left.

“...No way. They actually took it all? How?”

Could magicians even do something like this?

Robert stood gaping, unable to close his mouth, as if he had just seen a ghost.

* * *

Vierno led the group forward at the head.

The dense forest offered no proper paths, so it was difficult even to tell if they were moving in the right direction.

But his steps never faltered.

He vaulted lightly over roots jutting above the ground and scaled tall rocks with ease.

“This place is hellishly rugged,” Hans muttered as he followed behind.

Even a well-trained person would quickly tire walking through this wilderness.

The only reason Hans and the others remained unbothered was because of the artifacts they had been given.

Hans glanced down at the bracelet strapped to his right arm.

“No wonder jungle explorers swear by these.”

A faint stream of mana seeped out of the bracelet, spreading through his body and filling him with strength.

The effect was similar to a mage’s self-enhancement through mana.

It wasn’t as efficient, but its duration was far longer.

For a path like this, nothing was more useful.

Even this one artifact was already very expensive—but it wasn’t the only piece they had been supplied with.

‘So this is what it means to literally be draped in money.’

Hans thought as he cast a furtive glance at Ludger.

Though it wasn’t obvious in the darkness of night, Hans’s sharp night vision let him see it.

Black shadows, drifting like heat haze, seeping out around Ludger’s clothes.

It was [Ater Nocturnus], the shadow magic Ludger so often used.

If he had maintained it ever since they entered the forest, it meant Ludger was taking no chances at all.

Just then, Vierno—leading them at the front—spoke.

“From here onward, this is Dentis family territory. Our forest watchers guard this area, so there’s no need to worry about being detected.”

The tense atmosphere among the party eased somewhat.

If Vierno spoke with such confidence, it was worth trusting.

But Ludger narrowed his eyes, staring off to one side.

“Mr. Vierno. May I ask you something?”

“Yes, Professor Ludger?”

“Did you inform the elves of House Dentis that we would be arriving at this hour?”

“No, I did not. As you know, we arrived much earlier than expected. But why do you ask?”

“It seems... guests have come.”

“Guests?”

Vierno turned his gaze toward the same patch of darkness Ludger was watching.

The forest at night was so black that nothing could be seen.

The only lights came from the starlit sky above and the faint glow of certain insects.

And yet, Ludger had seen something.

Just in case, Vierno summoned a spirit of wind and sent it to scout.

Moving silently, the wind spirit soon returned, delivering its findings through a whispering breeze.

“What...!”

Vierno was aghast.

At the border between Dentis territory and the edge of another domain, a number of unidentified elves had formed up.

They had noticed their presence—and were quietly building a perimeter to encircle them.

“Judging by your reaction, Mr. Vierno, this wasn’t something you expected either.”

And just as Ludger spoke, the enemy also realized they had been discovered.

Their subtle movements turned brazen.

Fwoooosh!

The Ater Nocturnus cloaking Ludger’s body swelled like a balloon, spreading out to form a wall of shadow around the group.

Arrows whistled through the night and slammed into the barrier.

Vierno lowered his eyes to one of the arrows that clattered weakly to the ground.

“That’s the work of the Shadewardens.”

“Is it common for elves of other families to linger so blatantly on another family’s borders?”

“Of course not.”

“Which means, Mr. Vierno, your main house must not be in a very favorable situation right now.”

“...That does appear to be the case.”

The only fortunate thing was that the enemy had yet to discern their true identities.

If they had known who this group really was, they would never have approached so openly.

“Alex.”

“Yeah.”

“Can you handle it?”

“You’re telling me to fight elves, in the dead of night, in their own forest, all by myself?”

Ludger nodded.

Alex let out a disbelieving laugh as he drew his sword.

“This’ll make for the best payback match.”

* * *

Sedina stirred and pushed herself upright.

She instinctively scanned her surroundings, but everything was cloaked in darkness.

‘Where am I?’

Her skull throbbed, her thoughts foggy, as if she were still in the middle of a dream.

It was as if her memory had been cut off halfway.

‘Did I... faint? But why?’

She recalled what she had seen before collapsing.

Yes. She had spotted a tail—a pursuer.

So she had followed Alex’s instructions, lingering in a crowded restaurant to lull them into a false sense of security.

‘But then... suddenly I caught a familiar scent.’

Sedina checked her own condition.

Her body felt heavy and drowsy, her mind wrapped in haze, like cotton soaked with water.

‘That smell. This lethargy. Could it have been a sleep-inducing incense?’

Her face stiffened.

She had blacked out, and when she awoke, it was in a place she had never seen before.

She had no choice but to accept the truth: she had been kidnapped.

‘This isn’t Rederbelk. Where on earth am I?’

Only then did Sedina notice she was lying on a soft bed.

Kidnapped, yet not thrown into a dungeon, but placed here?

‘And the air... it’s so fresh. The atmosphere feels strangely familiar.’

It felt like being back in her assistant’s chamber, decorated like a botanical garden.

No—this air was even purer, cleaner, filled with vitality.

“At last, you’ve awakened.”

From the darkness, a pair of azure eyes glittered like stars.

Sedina belatedly realized they weren’t gemstones, but someone’s pupils.

That was how completely this person had erased their presence.

“Welcome, child of Plante.”

The figure rose slowly from their seat and approached her.

As the distance closed and her eyes adjusted to the dark, Sedina finally saw the face.

Strikingly beautiful features, hair that shone in radiant colors, and pointed ears of noble lineage.

“How does it feel, to return to the homeland of your bloodline?”