Deep within the forest covered by the darkness of the night
Countless lights shimmered between trees, the entire forest was shining, a country
A land hidden within the forest, illuminated by the natural aura of its people
Long golden hair, pale skin, and elegant pointed ears marked their appearance
Lived happily inside their own county ruled by their king
The king lived inside the palace with the cardinals leading the elf country
A lone figure walked through the royal corridor
Tall and elegant, with long golden hair flowing behind him
Platinum light armor covered his body, hidden beneath a jade-colored robe
A majestic crown adorned his head, the symbol of the Elf king
He walked alone toward the royal library
Until someone ran toward him
"My lord! Please wait" a voice called from behind
"What's the matter" the king turned
A young male elf hurried toward him
"The Cardinals wish to speak with you. They are waiting in the meeting room"
The king frowned
"Again, for what?"
The messenger hesitated
"I don't know for sure, but I think I've heard they were talking about the dark elves"
The King's face darkened
"Tell them I won't come to the meeting; also tell them I will not agree to whatever they say"
"B-but, My lord"
Without another word, he turned and continued toward the library
The messenger could only bow and leave
The king stepped into the library
Silence greeted him
His brows furrowed
"Fruscia?" he called, but no answer
Then he wandered around while kept calling the name
"Where is she, she said she found something interesting"
He kept walking around the library, only the sound of his footsteps filled the silence of the library
Step…step…step
Then another step, farther than ever
His feet falling to the unlimited void
"What?"
He looked down at his feet
To his surprise, his foot was already touching the floor
But somehow his front feet felt like it hasn't hit the ground
"What the-?"
Then suddenly the ground rushed toward its face, he was falling
He threw his hands forward to catch himself, but somehow, he couldn't feel his hands
He closed his eyes and prepared for the impact
Then nothing happens, slowly he opened his eyes, his head already on the ground, he couldn't feel the pain… or he couldn't feel his body anymore
Slowly his vision blurred, he couldn't think of anything
He knocked out
In other side, Auel walked inside the guild bar
Laughter and conversation filled the room
Auel entered quietly
The atmosphere was lively as usual, yet his expression remained unreadable
As Auel walked toward their usual table, someone called out to him
"Hey Auel, didn't your kingdom summon you back?"
Auel stopped and starred at him for a while
"What do you mean?" he walked closer
"You came from Koutzlo, right?"
"Yes"
"I heard the demon army has been causing trouble there, right?"
"Yes" Auel answered casually
"What? Why don't you go home and help them?"
Auel stared at him for a moment, then shrugged
"Why should I?"
The man blinked
"What do mean why, I heard the king even called every adventurer from Koutzlo to get back and beat the demon army"
Auel silenced for a moment
"Well, that's my answer, the king already asking for help, I'm just a mere adventurer"
Auel walked away
"And also, they have the best magic academy there why should I help them"
He arrived at Erin and Rikka's table
They just finished breakfast
"So, you're ready?" Rikka asked
"Yes, let's go"
Then the three went toward the quest board
But before they could reach it, the receptionist approached
"Excuse me, you're Auel right?" she asked politely
Auel nodded
"The Guild Master wishes to see you upstairs"
"Why?"
"I'm not sure. He also asked for your entire party"
The three exchanged glances
"Thank you for the information"
The three then walked upstairs toward the guild master's room
Auel opened the door and inside they saw a man sat behind a desk
A big body with a black curly hair, it was the guild master
"Are you Auel?" he asked
Auel nodded
"Please take a seat"
Then Auel looked at the center of the room, 2 couches facing each other
One was empty, while 2 figures sat on the other couch and 2 figures stood behind the couch, familiar figures
They were the Black Turtle
Helen and Ashley sat on the couch while Gramm and Gill stood behind them
"Yoo, long time no see" Gill greeted them
The three bow to them and sat on the couch
"So, why are you looking for me?" Auel asked toward the Guild Master
"Well… I'm not the one who is looking for you, Gramm is the one who recommended you to me, that's why I'm looking for you"
Auel starred toward Gramm
"Why?"
"The Guild Master asked me if I know any smart guy to complete a quest, and I thought maybe you are the best person for that"
"So, what kind of quest are you talking about?" he starred back at the Guild Master
"Ok let's start talking about the quest, but first you have to accept this quest first before I could tell you what kind of quest is this"
"Why?" Auel frowned
"The person who gave this quest don't want other people to know anything about this quest"
"So, I need you to accept this quest before I tell you what kind of quest is this so you can't cancel this quest midway"
Auel silenced
"Hey don't you think it's kinda suspicious" Rikka whispered "What if this is the same kind of quest like the other time"
"Yeah, I know about it" Auel whispered "but looking at Gramm here, maybe they will be working together with us"
"Gramm said that they need smart guy, that's mean that this quest is not a combat quest" Auel continued
"And also, if we have to fight, Gramm's party is strong enough to help us"
"Well… you're not wrong about that"
Then they nodded at each other
"Ok we'll accept the quest" Auel said
"Well, thank you, I'll take care of the quest paper later, and let me explain the quest for you"
"I want you to go to the elf country"
"Elf country?" Erin asked
"Yes, the quest handler is an elf and he said that they need help from outside of the country"
"Hang on, aren't the elf country is closed off from the outside environment?" Auel asked
"Yes, that's why the quest handler is going to show up at the gate and let you in"
"Wait, closed? What do you mean by that?" Rikka asked
"That is why we are going to go there" Helen answered
"The reason that the Elf country is closed is because the Elf King is gone" Gramm followed
"The Elf King is gone!" Erin shocked
"Yes, and the quest handler is asking for help to find the Elf King" Gramm continued
"Wait what?" Rikka asked
"That's why Gramm is looking for you" Ashley pointed her finger toward Auel "they said that they need smart guy from outside the Elf country"
"He said that he needs at least a party for this quest" the Guild Master continued
"At first I picked the black turtle, but then the quest handler said that he doesn't need a strong party for this quest"
"And here you are" Gramm said
"But why the elf need outsider to help them looking for their missing king?" Auel asked
"That's also a problem" the Guild Master answered "he didn't say anything about that"
"But knowing that the Elf country has been closed for almost 2 months, that's mean the Elf King has gone missing for the same duration"
"That's why I said you need to accept this quest before I tell you the content, if any outsider knows about the information that the Elf King is gone, the elf country will be attacked"
"Are there any other information that the quest handler gave?" Auel asked
"Nope, he will explain everything himself when you meet him"
"H-hey, this is becoming more suspicious" Rikka whispered "If I remembered the Elf king is still the same right?"
Auel nodded
"Then how come he gone missing, he the member of the hero's party. What if it was a nightmare again?"
Auel silenced
"There nothing we can do, we already accepted the quest" Auel whispered
The he leaned toward Erin
"What about the scroll process, have you translated it?"
"Y-yeah, I've fully translated it, I-I think I can use it once"
Auel silence for a while
But be careful it could fail
Sihr's warning echoed in his mind
There is no guarantee that the scroll could save Erin, but we also have accepted the quest
Then Auel looked at the Guild Master
"So, when are we going?"