"I apologize, Grandmaster. In the end, we were not able to find anything of importance in this place. All we did was waste our time here."

Shimi sounded sorry and responsible for having dragged the grandmaster into the elf village. It was not her fault, but Shimi was still feeling responsible for what happened anyway.

She knew how dangerous the village could get. She had not informed the grandmaster of the possibility of facing the Fenrir beast. And then the Grandmaster had faced it anyway.

"Stop thinking unnecessary thoughts. Do not forget, I was the one who dragged you to come to this village. Now throw those unnecessary thoughts out of your head and let us head back. Being here for too long will make my head hurt."

Keith pretended like he was feeling off and even clutched his head. But he did not have any such ailments in real life.

If anything, he just wanted to go home because this place gave him a creepy feeling. 

Ever since he had stepped into the Elf Forest, Keith had a sinking feeling that someone was keeping an eye on him. And it had not gone away for even a second.

"I…yes, of course. If that is what you want, Grandmaster, then that is what we shall do."

Shimi agreed without protest. She wanted to get away from this village as well so it worked out in her favor. 

The Elf Forest was as intimidating as before and the fog somehow looked thicker. Shimi gulped her nervousness down as she stepped into the forest.

She could not let it show that she was affected. She could not let the grandmaster down.

As soon as the pair stepped into the Elf Forest, the entrance behind them disappeared and only the fog could be seen. Shimi tried to light the fog with her powers but they did not work properly.

The deeper they went, the thicker the fog got. They even had to hold hands to ensure that they would not get lost.

Keith tried not to think too much of this but Shimi was red in the face once she had her hand in Keith's own. She could not believe that she was touching the Grandmaster in this comfortable way again.

"Pay attention. Something is heading our way."

Shimi quickly pulled her head out of her thoughts and looked toward the direction the grandmaster was facing. She could not feel anything but she did not doubt the grandmaster's words.

They watched with tense eyes as the fog began to show shadows heading their way. They looked vaguely humanoid and that caused the feelings of paranoia to become even sharper.

How could a humanoid person exist in this forest when it was the land of the dead? These shadows were likely an illusion of the forest created to make the pair put their guard down.

"Grandmaster, what should we do now? Do we fight to get out? Or do we try and let this danger pass?"

Shimi asked as she looked at what was happening. Her brain had gone blank suddenly and she did not know what else to do but to stand there and think about what she could do to help.

Keith looked at the scene in front of him as well but his feelings on this topic were conflicted. He wanted to run away, but his training was rooting him in his place.

Suddenly, they both watched a familiar face tear apart the humanoid figure and dash toward them. Master Hana was carrying Himeko in her arms as she made her way toward the Elf village.

"G-Grandmaster? What are you doing here? Were you not supposed to head back tomorrow?"

Hana asked, now coming to a stop suddenly. The knocked-out child in her arms did not even move an inch and Shimi found herself worried about her half-sister.

Would the elf-princess become a burden for their group now?

"Master Hana, it has been 24 hours since you entered this forest. I do not know what happened to you, but your condition does not look stable."

The Grandmaster looked Hana up and down in a calm manner. But his questioning look made Hana's face burn. Suddenly, she was unable to look the Grandmaster in the eyes and had to turn her head away in shame.

"I-I…the Fenrir beast is in this forest somewhere. It caught us off guard so we were unable to react in time. But next time, I will make sure to kill that Fenrir beast with my own hands."

Master Hana vowed with her eyes blazing. She likely did not know how difficult it was to kill a divine beast, but Keith decided to not tell her. 

"That is alright and all. But what should we do now? The shadows are coming closer and we are still at a disadvantage. Should we press forward, or should we go back?"

Shimi asked with a shiver rocking her body. She was not sure she wanted to go back to that haunted village but she also had no confidence in facing these monsters.

Both females looked at Keith for further instructions and Keith had to think about it.

They could head forward under Keith's shield but he doubted it would against humanoid enemies who were ghosts. And that was a theory he did not want to confirm right now.

"Let us head back to the village for now. All of you had a tough day and I can see you are about to collapse. I will not help you out even if you collapse."

Keith spoke this rather harshly but the two females only shook their heads and watched him fondly.

It was rare for the grandmaster to back down and head back. And if he was making such a decision, it meant that he cared for them. So, no matter what his mouth said, they both chose to believe in the grandmaster and his words.

"Alright, let us head back before these ghosts catch up to us. I do not think they can enter the village or get out of this forest."

Master Hana observed as walked past everyone else. She walked toward the village but more shadows stopped her path. 

Everyone navigated around these shadows to get to the village and then let out a sigh of relief as soon as they were in the village again. They had managed to dupe the system.

As expected, the Elf village was abandoned and quiet. Not a single soul was in sight and everyone chose to head to the main house to rest for the night.

Keith felt his mind being drawn to sleep as soon as his head hit the pillow. He did not dream that night but he did know he had a good night's sleep.

It was almost as if something was compelling him to fall asleep deeper and not think about anything else.

But when Keith woke up, it was in stages. Someone was caressing his hair and playing with the nape of his neck. The touch felt familiar and light, almost pleasurable.

Keith leaned his head more into that touch, wanting to feel more of that other person. And the female caressing his nape chuckled as a result.

As soon as Keith heard that noise of amusement, he was instantly alert and stood up in shock. He looked up into a pair of amused eyes and his body tensed up.

"Oh, do not be like that stranger. I was not doing anything to you. Rather, I was just trying to help you out since it looked like you were uncomfortable. Can you not feel my noble intentions?"

The lady asked, now sitting still in her seat. Her eyes looked kind and mysterious as they looked at Keith but he found this female to be suspicious. 

She was covered from head to toe in a reddish-black garment. Even her hands were covered by gloves and her face only showed a pair of eyes that looked kind.

There was nothing wrong with such attire on a normal basis, but Keith could not help but feel suspicious for some reason. And he knew he had no reason to.

"Who are you? And what are you doing here? Depending on your answer, I might or might not let you live."

Keith threatened as he quickly gained distance between himself and the female in front of him. She looked put out by Keith's actions and she even pouted as a result. But that curious light in her eyes did not dim away.

If anything, this female looked even more mysterious and alluring than before.

"Who am I and what am I doing here? I should be the one to ask you this question, stranger. You are not an elf and you are not a part of our associate clan. Then, how did you manage to cross over to this village? What are you?"

Keith wanted to express how confused he was over this ordeal. But for some reason, his body would not listen to him regarding it. It just went tenser and refused to pull itself up.