We left the Adventurer's Guild and split up. Shera went for food and Rem went for supplies. We agreed to meet at the same city gate we entered the day before, since the Starfall Tower was beside the Man-Eating Woods. We had another long 5 hour walk ahead of us... not.

I went right to the gate and went outside, crossed the large drawbridge, and glanced around to find a good spot. I walked off of the road towards a group of trees and entered it, saw it was a great spot that was out of sight of the main road, and expanded it to leave a space big enough for a teleportation circle.

It was cheap and easy to use, so I transfigured the top layer of dirt and ground into stone and replicated the right pattern for the teleportation circle. I changed the name to Faltra and covered it with leaves to hide it. I cast the same notice-me-not and ignore wards I had on them in Danmachi, so only someone that knew about it, could see and use it.

I stepped to the tower I had arrived at and picked a spot beside it, created another one, and called it Starfall Tower. It would save us from having to walk so far, both ways, and we could deal with the quest fairly quickly. I covered it in dirt and the wards, then used the teleportation circle and returned to near the border city. I walked out of the group of trees and onto the road to wait.

Rem and Shera showed up a few minutes later, Shera with a large bag stuffed with food and Rem with a large backpack that she didn't struggle with. I waved at them and they walked over to me.

“I can take that if you want.” I offered and motioned to the backpack.

“I've got it.” Rem said, a bit defensively.

“Why didn't you store it?” I asked and motioned to Shera and her bag of food.

“MO!” Shera said and kept chewing on whatever she had in her mouth.

“Inventory magic is a specialized skill. It takes years to...” Rem started to say as I made a large cart appear on the road beside us. “Of course you know it.”

I stored the cart and wagged my hand at her backpack.

“Fine.” Rem said and shrugged it off of her back and handed it to me.

I stored it and gave Shera a smirk.

She swallowed loudly and hugged the bag of food tightly. “Still no.”

I laughed and walked off of the road.

“Where are you going?” Shera asked and walked after me. “We have to go that way, back towards the tower.”

“I know a shortcut.” I said, teasingly. “It's just through there in the trees.”

Rem gave me a pointed look and followed us. “This better not be a trick.”

“What if it's a magic trick?” I asked and her eyes narrowed. I chuckled at her doubting me. “What do you know about transportation magic?”

“That it doesn't exist.” Rem said.

“Portals? Teleport spells?” I asked.

“Teleport? What's that?” Shera asked.

I opened my mouth to explain, then realized they didn't have any base knowledge for it to make sense. “I'll explain later. For now, let's head to the Starfall Tower.”

“That's what I said before.” Shera said and dug a piece of meat jerky out of the bag and bit a piece off.

“Why did you want us to go into the woods?” Rem asked.

“Because.” I said and stopped in the center of the circle. “This is why.”

Rem's and Shera's eyes widened at the teleportation circle lit up and a flash of light later, we were beside the Starfall Tower. They made strangled sounds and stared at the summoning tower as if it was going to explode.

“The woods are right there.” I said and took their hands and led them over to the edge and went inside.

We walked along for several minutes before Rem shook herself and gave me an odd look.

“Yes, I'll teach you how to do that.” I promised and she nodded.

Shera swallowed the bite of meat she was chewing. “Where are we going to find a Madara snake?”

“They're over 20 metres long and usually lurk in the swamps, where they attack any prey that comes close.” Rem answered.

That's about the same size as Slytherin's basilisk in the Chamber of Secrets. I thought and looked around with my eyes and was surprised I didn't get any sudden information about the forest or anything else.

Shera yelped and stepped away from a puddle on the ground. “You should have said something before now!”

Rem shrugged and didn't apologize. I felt a shift in the air and stopped walking. My eyes focused on the trees not far from us. I couldn't detect anything, which was odd, because I should be feeling various animals and the trees, only I wasn't.

“We're supposed to be doing this quest ourselves, right?” Shera asked.

“Of course we are. Why?” Rem asked back.

“Do more people go in and out of the Man-Eating Woods than I thought?” Shera asked.

“No, since those that fear for their life, never go near it.” Rem answered. “Why?”

“You can sense them, can't you? In the woods.” Shera said.

Dammit, I knew something was going on. I thought and reached over to take Shera's hand. It took but a moment to copy her elf-given affinity for the woods and I could sense the presences, too.

“Is that true?” Rem asked me.

“There are about 10 people up there in the branches.” I said and pointed.

“They seem to be lying in wait for something.” Shera added.

“Yes, they're waiting for us, you dummy.” Rem said with a sigh.

“I'm not a dummy!” Shera exclaimed.

I let her hand go and patted her shoulder. “This is why Sylvie said it smelled fishy. It really was a trap for us.”

“Why would the Mage's Association set us up?” Rem asked, looking hurt.

“It wasn't.” I said and called upon a rarely used power that I'd had for a very long time. “Ice Age.”

A gigantic wave of magic spread out from me and covered everything with a thick layer of frozen ice. By everything, I meant everything within a 20 mile radius from where I stood. It was one of Serafall Leviathan's most powerful attacks and I held it back by a significant amount, so it would only cover the large forest.

“E-e-elemental m-magic... is c-c-capable... o-of th-this?” Shera said, her teeth clacking together as she shivered and hugged herself from the bitter cold. “I d-d-don't f-f-feel th-them a-a-anymore.”

I cast warming charms on her and Rem before I waved my hand at the nearby trees and used telekinesis to make 11 chunks of ice float over and I stood them up in a row in front of us.

“They're elves!” Rem exclaimed.

“C-Celsior?” Shera asked, surprised.

“You know him?” I asked and waved my hand at the ice chunk, which melted and I rewound time for him to just before he was frozen.

“Yes, he's the head of the Royal Family's House Guard.” Shera answered.

“Shera! I hastened to come here and rescue you!” Celsior said and drew his bow and knocked an arrow. “Slave trader! I'll have you return the princess of the Kingdom of Greenwood, Shera L. Greenwood!”

I barely stopped myself from freezing as the information about the royal family of elves jumped forward and reminded me that as he princess, she had several important obligations to her lands and her people. I looked over at her and she gave me a resigned look back, letting me know she didn't want to deal with this mess.

I looked back at the elf. “I'm no slave trader...”

“Silence!” He said and aimed the arrow at my throat, even though he was only about five feet away from me. “The Enslavement Collars are irrefutable proof! Release the princess from her collar at once!”

“I don't care about the royal family!” Shera shouted.

“Everyone in the royal family is worried about you.” Celsior lied.

“My brother doesn't need me, Celsior. He needs an heir!” Shera replied. “He just wants me to bear his child!”

“That's a very important duty.” Celsior told her.

“Did you just admit it's okay for a brother and a sister to have a child together?” I asked, surprised.

It was kind of rare to find anyone that was okay with something like that, since it was considered taboo for a reason. The chance for genetic defects was high, as was the chance for miscarriages. The reason I never worried about that was because my sperm guaranteed successful and healthy births every time.

“I don't even love him! It's not right to force me to marry someone when I don't want to.” Shera argued. “I refuse to return to our country. I'm going to live on my own from now on!”

“But, right now you are enslaved, aren't you?” Celsior countered with a smirk.

“I'm NOT! I am no one slave!” Shera shouted and stood proud. “I belong to myself!”

I felt this was the perfect moment to try and see if my existence was attached to the slave collars and silently dispelled the collar around Shera's neck. There was a sound of shattering glass and the collar glowed gold as cracks formed all over it, then it broke apart and dissolved into nothing.

Dead silence filled the space around us as the two elves and the cat-girl came to grips with what just happened. I also felt my tentative place in this dimension waver slightly, which gave me my answer. After a few moments, Celsior lowered his bow and eased the tension on the knocked arrow.

“That was impressive, especially for you.” Rem said to Shera. “To give up everything you know to go out on your own? I have to admit I admire that.”

None of us missed the fact she didn't even try to make the same kind of proclamation.

“It seems you speak the truth, princess.” Celsior said, staring at her bare neck. “However, you are too weak to live on your own. I must bring you back to your people, even if I have to do so by force.”

I shook my head as he raised the bow again and pointed the arrow at my neck. “You're an idiot.”

“I have no choice.” Celsior said and let the arrow go.

“Atlas!” Shera and Rem gasped.

I didn't flinch as the arrow hit and bounced off of my neck and fell to the ground. There was no damage whatsoever, not even a pinprick where the very sharp arrow tip touched me.

“Wha.... what are you?” Celsior asked, his hand shaking slightly as he reached for another arrow.

“That doesn't matter.” I answered. “What does matter is that you're wrong. I'm not a slave trader, Shera is much stronger than you, and you're going to regret making me your enemy.”

Celsior leaped backwards and skidded along the ice until he reached the closest tree and stopped. He pulled out a blue arrow and loaded his bow with it. A gale force wind started from the tip and I didn't freeze at all as I learned it was a Tempest Arrow, a highly valued range attack weapon that could pierce anything it was shot at.

“If you use that, you might actually manage to hurt me.” I admitted as I stepped forward to give him a clear shot without putting either Rem or Shera in danger.

“Of course! Tempest Arrows are prized treasures granted to us by his highness, the King of Greenwood!” Celsior shouted over the wind. “They are supreme arrows that can penetrate anything!”

The wind picked up and the elf smugly smiled.

“This will pierce right through you and your vile nature!” Celsior said and added some of his own magic to the arrow, probably a Swift spell to make it go faster.

“Atlas, run! Those arrows are bad!” Shera shouted at me.

“Pierce him!” Celsior shouted and let the arrow fly as quick as a flash.

Everyone looked away, even Celsior, because they didn't want to see me die. I felt a little sorry about that, since the arrow had one fatal flaw. It couldn't pierce what it couldn't hit. Just before it struck me, I grabbed it by the shaft and halted it an inch from my chest. The magic glowed brightly for several seconds and then dissipated, since the shot was wasted.

The two elves and the cat-girl stared at me still standing and then looked at the magic arrow I held in my hand.

“Thanks for the nice arrow. I'll be sure to make more of them later.” I said and waved Shera over. I slipped it into her quiver and she looked both shocked and happy.

“Thank goodness you're okay!” Shera almost shouted.

“You had a hand in summoning me, Shera. There's no way I would lose to someone so weak.” I said and she beamed a smile at me. I glanced down at her neck and back to her face. “Would you mind if I... you know.”

Shera nodded and I copied Rem's collar onto her.

I leaned forward and kissed her cheek. I felt the second connection form and sighed with relief. “Thank you, dear lady. You don't know how much that means to me.”

Shera gave me a look that said she might.

“Now.” I said and turned to face the male elf. “As for you...”

“Don't kill him.” Shera said and I glanced back at her. “I need him to deliver a message to my brother.”

“As you command.” I said and she beamed another smile at me.

Shera looked at the sole living royal family's guard. “Go back to my brother and tell him I'm never coming home. I don't belong to him and I'm staying here with my friends, Rem and Atlas.”

Celsior ducked his head and sighed. “Yes, princess.”

The three of us stood there and watched him stumble and slip along, since he was used to moving in a woodland area and not on an ice-covered wasteland. When he was out of sight, I moved the elf bodies encased in ice off to the side and pulled the Mage Guard forward.

“So, he's why?” Rem asked and I nodded. “We'll have to visit the Mage's Association to clear this up and tell her one of her personal guards tried to have us killed.”

I gave her a pointed look and she looked away for a moment, understanding that if she still had the demon lord soul inside of her, the guard would have been responsible for releasing it. She looked back at me and nodded. I took a bag out of inventory and cast an undetectable expansion charm on it, then tossed the chunk of ice with the mage's body inside.

Rem and Shera stared at it as I tied the bag closed and handed it to Rem.

“You're kidding.” Rem whispered and held it like it was going to explode.

I chuckled and took it back to tie it to my belt. “Now that we have that taken care of, let's look the Man-Eating Forest for every creature, plant, and rare ingredient we can find.”

Rem and Shera blinked their eyes at me and then looked at the ice age around us.

“Oh, don't worry about that.” I said and tapped my foot on the ground to dispel only the ice on the ground. It shattered and dissolved away into nothing, leaving the trees, grass, plants, and animals still frozen. I made two more bags and handed it to them. “You saw how that works. The one that gathers the most animals gets to have two desserts at dinner tonight.”

Shera's eyes practically lit up. “It's gonna be ME!” She yelled and ran off into the frozen forest, laughing and grabbing anything that was small and still frozen within reach.

Rem let out a long and drawn out sigh before giving me an annoyed look for making her work hard. She didn't say anything and walked off after her busty friend. I smiled and followed her after making my own bag. I was going to look for the bigger monsters, like those Madara snakes, just so I could compare it to the basilisk.

We spent several hours collecting all kinds of various creatures and plants, rare potion ingredients, and many of the quest requirements. It was Rem that had extensively looked at the quest board and had lamented that she could never go after the more lucrative ones because they were too dangerous. Now she was grabbing everything she could to rub it in everyone's faces.

We stopped for lunch and Shera happily shared what was left in her food sack. I added some new things to have enough for everyone and we enjoyed it, then we went back to gathering. I made more bags when they were needed and we didn't return to the city until nightfall.