Volume 3 - CH 23

Act 3-23: Lost Forest vs Silver Fox Squad

Mountain and Forest Region west of Akinashi—

（What a blunder! We have been caught in such an obvious trap!）

The leader of the sorcery association 【Lost Forest】, Alice Renren Lorelei, couldn’t help but contemplate again and again the grievous mistake she had made to come to the forest, which turned out to be a den of otherworldly monsters.

At this point, she couldn’t help but realize that the rumor about that grimoire was nothing more than bait to lure them into this trap. Someone, possibly an extremely powerful transcendent being, might have been the one who spread that rumor. Alice was almost convinced that this transcendent being might be an assassin from her homeland.

（Since when did Lorelei(Elven capital) gain a magic circle that enables them to make a contract with such powerful transcendent beings?）

The reason she knew she was facing a transcendent being was that she had met one before. Thus she knew that transcendent beings were beyond common sense. And the powerful transcendent being before them might be the most powerful one in the long history of the elves.

（No, something doesn’t feel right.）

The transcendent beings before them were abnormal. And seeing their number, Alice guessed that some sort of mutant had been born in the elf tribe, which explained why they could have a contract with many transcendent beings.

If that were truly the case, the power balance in this world would change in a single night.

「Alice-sama, we’re surrounded.」

Upon hearing the report from one of her veteran subordinates, Alice gritted her teeth as she refused the temptation to just sit and cry.

「No holding back! We’re going to charge forward with our everything!」

She shouted to raise her subordinates’ morale despite it seeming impossible.

『Okay, you guys passed the test.』

At that moment, a beautiful voice that came from the forest shook their eardrums.

Then, silver-haired foxes came out of the forest. Standing in their center was a woman with nine tails behind her.

Her skin was as white as pristine snow. Her glossy, silky silver hair grew until it reached her knees. Given her beautiful appearance along with moonlight shining over her, it looked as if a goddess descended on this world, truly an ephemeral spectacle.

「P-Passed?」

『This was a test for you by My Dear Hubby. And right now, you people have gained the qualification to become a hero.』

She arrived in front of Alice and gave a scroll to her.

「What is this?」

『Written in there is an imperial edict. Do your best to play your role as per that script.』

After she said so, her presence vanished as if she never existed in that place.

That female transcendent being’s voice convinced Alice that the other party had nothing to do with her homeland. Rather, one could say that being able to make a contract with a transcendent being of that level was the greatest fortune in one’s entire life.

In these situations, the reverse would happen. The contractor would become the servant of the transcendent being due to the overwhelming difference between the two sides. Thus, it was impossible for the elves to get the attention of such a high-level transcendent being.

Since the other party wasn’t an assassin from her motherland, Alice had a chance to survive this situation.

Thus, Alice untied the string that fastened the scroll and read its content.