Three travelers arrive at a remote frontier village after two days on the road—and the welcome is almost too warm. Makoto, still finding his footing in a world not his own, notices it first: the villagers' smiles are too uniform, their laughter lands in perfect unison, and for a settlement that claims to treasure travelers, there's not a single cart or horse to be seen. Beside him, Hikari feels it too, the way the hospitality seems pasted on. Only Jilfray, the silver-haired elf with twin swords
Valgamna - Silver Encounter — In the Forest of Verdia
The wind swept through the trees of Verdia, the Great Forest. The leaves in the canopy rustled, and the sound rippled all the way to the distant ridge before drifting back again.
The smell of deep green. The smell of damp earth. And beneath it all, faintly mingled, the smell of blood.
Jilfray Amylite Maury came to a halt at the forest's edge. Her silver hair, falling to her waist, streamed in the wind and glimmered white. Her clear, blue-tinged eyes gazed quietly down at the ground beneath her feet.
The undergrowth had been violently trampled. Broken branches. Gouged earth. Blackened, dried bloodstains dotted the ground, trailing off toward the depths of the forest.
(A pack of wolves.)
Without a word, Jilfray read the tracks left in the soil. Forest wolves. Roughly a meter and a half long. Alone, their threat level was C-rank, but because they moved in packs, the actual danger was far higher.
Today's request at the Morris Adventurers' Guild had been the extermination of those very forest wolves. There had been sightings of a pack menacing the settlements, and the bounty was fifteen gold per pelt.
Jilfray rested her hands on the twin blades hanging at either hip. Two slender swords. One blade was engraved with the elven word for "wind," the other with "stillness." The twin swords, Sylva, forged by an elven smith. They were the things she always kept on her person, to survive in this world.
(Something's been driven into a frenzy.)
From the amount of blood and the breadth of the trampled undergrowth, the pack numbered around seven. The tracks were those of hunters pursuing prey.
Jilfray's expression did not change. She simply walked on, quietly, deeper into the forest. No rise or fall of emotion. The dispassionate bearing of one who merely carried out her requests. That was her everyday.
---
Even at midday, the forest was dim.
Ancient trees over five hundred years old blotted out the sky. The light that filtered through fell in thin threads onto the damp ground. Moss and leaf mold lay thick beneath her feet, sinking softly with every step.
Jilfray walked without a sound. Her gait was light as wind—even when she stepped on dead leaves, they barely whispered. Her long silver hair caught the light slanting between the trees and shimmered like moonlight.
(The smell of blood is close.)
She sharpened her senses. An elf's sense of smell was keener than a human's. Within the scent of blood, she noticed another smell mingled in.
The smell of sweat. The smell of fear. And the smell of humans.
(Two... no, more than that.)
Jilfray's brow shifted, just slightly. There were people deep in the forest. Not mere travelers. Defenseless footsteps, unaware of the terror of this forest, came drifting from afar.
Without hesitation, she headed toward the sound.
---
"Hah... hah...!"
Sawaki Makoto's breathing had already reached its limit.
His heart pounded violently deep in his chest. His lungs burned. His feet caught on tree roots again and again, and his knees were scraped raw and bleeding.
"Hikari, run...!"
Makoto shouted, glancing back over his shoulder. His short black hair clung to his forehead with sweat. His dark eyes were wide with terror.
"No, wait, Makoto...!"
Hasha Hikari's voice trembled. Her chestnut hair, falling to her shoulders, was in disarray, and tears welled in her bright brown eyes. Her knees shook with every step.
"I can't... I can't run anymore..."
"Don't say you can't run! They're coming from behind!"
Makoto grabbed Hikari's arm and pulled her along by force.
From behind, he could hear it. Ragged breathing. Low growls. And countless feet kicking off the ground.
It was the forest wolf pack.
The two of them, having only just wandered in from another world, had no sense of the land, no weapons—they were simply fleeing for their lives. They didn't even know that this forest was called Verdia, the Great Forest, a place of danger.
"Why... why is this happening..."
Makoto bit his lip.
A few hours earlier, the two of them had woken in an unfamiliar forest. On their way home from school, they had suddenly been wrapped in light, and when they came to, they were here. What had happened, why they were here—they understood nothing. All they knew was that this world was not the one they knew.
While wandering the forest, they had encountered the wolf pack.
"Ah!"
Hikari caught her foot on a root and fell.
"Hikari!"
Makoto spun around in a panic. Hikari lay on the ground, her face twisted in pain. She must have twisted her ankle—when she tried to stand, her strength seemed to fail her.
"Makoto, my leg..."
Hikari's voice shook on the verge of tears.
Behind them, the sound of the wolves' feet closed in all at once.
Makoto's body trembled with fear. His legs froze. He wanted to run. Right now, from this place. But to leave Hikari behind and flee—that, he could not do.
(What do I do... what should I do...)
Makoto stood before Hikari on trembling legs.
"Hikari, get back."
His voice cracked. A pathetic voice. He knew it himself. No weapon. No strength to fight. A mere high schooler had no chance against a wolf pack.
"Makoto, no, run...!"
Hikari grabbed his sleeve and pulled. Her hand trembled in small, rapid shivers.
"How could I run...!"
Makoto shouted, his voice shaking.
Through the gaps in the trees, the wolves came into view. Beasts with gray fur, over a meter and a half long. Sharp fangs. Starving eyes. One, two, three... they emerged from the darkness one after another.
"...Hikari, listen."
Makoto spoke, his throat quivering.
"I'll draw their attention. While I do, you run."
"What are you saying! That's absolutely not okay!"
"I'm telling you to run, so run!"
Makoto raised his voice. Even he didn't know what he was saying. But there was only one thing in his mind.
(Hikari, at least—I'll save her, no matter what.)
The wolf pack slowly encircled the two of them. Low growls. Saliva dripped from between sharp fangs onto the ground.
Makoto spread both arms to shield Hikari. On trembling legs, he stood there, desperate.
"Come on... come on, you bastards..."
His voice shook. Tears welled. He was scared. Terrified beyond help. But if he ran now, Hikari would die.
One of the wolves leaped.
—In that instant.
The wind blew. The leaves of the trees rustled all at once. The threads of light swayed.
And from between the trees, silver hair appeared.
Jilfray Amylite Maury.
Without a word, she drew her twin swords.
Clink.
The sound of them leaving their sheaths echoed faintly in the forest's stillness.
And then, she moved.
---
For a moment, Makoto couldn't understand what had happened.
The silver hair flowed like wind. The next instant, the neck of the wolf that had leaped was separated from its body. Fresh blood sprayed into the air.
"Eh..."
A foolish sound escaped Makoto's mouth.
Without even turning, Jilfray stepped toward the second wolf. Her movements were without waste, flowing like a dance, graceful in every motion.
The twin swords gleamed. A single flash. The second wolf's belly split open. Its entrails spilled onto the ground.
The third wolf leaped from behind her. But Jilfray, as if sensing it with her back, spun around.
Shhk.
The sword in her reversed grip pierced the wolf's throat. Blood sprayed in droplets across her silver hair.
The fourth, the fifth. Seeing their companions fall one after another, the wolves halted for an instant. But the instinct of starving beasts would not permit retreat. The remaining wolves leaped all at once.
Jilfray's expression did not change. She beheaded one with her right sword and pierced another's heart with her left. Her movements were precise as labor, not a shred of emotion to be felt.
The last one. The large wolf that seemed to be the pack's leader faced Jilfray, growling low. It was a size larger than the others. Its eyes were the eyes of a hunter.
Jilfray readied her twin swords. Her quiet eyes fixed straight on the wolf's.
The wolf leaped. Jilfray did not move. The wolf's fangs closed in on her throat.
—In that split second.
Her body flowed sideways. The wolf's fangs cut through empty air. Jilfray drove both swords simultaneously into the wolf's flank.
"Gyaaaaaa...!"
The wolf's death cry echoed through the forest.
Jilfray pulled out her blades and flicked off the blood. Red droplets traced an arc onto the ground. Then she glanced at the fallen wolves and sheathed her twin swords.
Clink.
That sound alone lingered long in the forest, wrapped in stillness.
---
Makoto had lost his words. Before fear, he had gasped. What had happened before his eyes did not seem real. Silver hair. Blue-tinged eyes. Long, pointed ears. An elf of beauty so flawless it seemed not of this world.
She slowly turned toward Makoto and Hikari.
"...Follow me."
Her voice was low and dispassionate. There was no warmth to be felt. Yet, strangely, it was not unpleasant. It was simply quiet.
"This isn't a place to linger."
Jilfray said only that, and began to walk.
"Amazing..."
Hikari murmured softly.
Makoto came to his senses and hurried to Hikari's side.
"Hikari, are you okay? Can you stand?"
"Yeah... probably."
With Makoto's help, Hikari managed to get to her feet. Her ankle hurt a little, but not so much that she couldn't walk.
"Um, please wait!"
Makoto called out to Jilfray's back as she walked away. Jilfray did not turn around.
"If you're coming, come quietly. This forest isn't safe yet."
Makoto and Hikari exchanged glances. Then, in silence, they followed after her.
---
The three walked through the forest without a word.
Jilfray led the way. Behind her, Makoto and Hikari walked at a slight distance. Watching her back, Makoto turned many things over in his mind.
(Who is this person? Why is she so strong? Why did she save us?)
There were so many things he wanted to ask. But from her back drifted a cold air that seemed to refuse conversation.
"Um..."
Hikari timidly opened her mouth.
"Thank you very much. For saving us."
Jilfray did not answer.
"Um, my name is Hasha Hikari. This is Sawaki Makoto."
Even so, Hikari did not stop talking.
"...Jilfray Amylite Maury."
Jilfray gave her name, briefly.
"Jilfray... -san?"
"No need for the honorific."
"Then can I call you Jilfray?"
"...Do as you like."
Hikari's expression softened, just a little, with relief.
"Jilfray, why were you in that forest?"
"A request. I took an extermination request for the forest wolves."
"A request... oh, like an adventurer?"
"Yeah."
Jilfray's replies were always short. But Hikari didn't give up.
"That's amazing, being an adventurer. You're so strong."
"You can't survive unless you're strong. Especially in this world."
Jilfray's voice was as dispassionate as ever.
"This world...?"
Makoto couldn't help cutting in.
"Jilfray-san—no, Jilfray. Have you noticed that we're not people of this world?"
Jilfray slowed her pace, just slightly.
"Your clothes aren't from around here. Your shoes aren't made for walking in a forest, either. And the way you moved when you fled from that wolf pack was completely amateur."
"...Yes. That's right."
Makoto admitted it honestly.
"We woke up in that forest before we knew it. We have no idea what happened, or why we're here..."
"I see."
Jilfray said only that.
"...You're not going to ask? Where we came from, or anything?"
"Not interested."
Jilfray's words were cold. But to Makoto, they didn't feel like a lie. She truly wasn't interested. This person did not pry into others' circumstances.
(But she saved us.)
Makoto thought, watching her back.
(Even though she wasn't interested, she saved us.)
Somehow, that seemed strange.
---
The forest's exit drew near. Bright light showed between the trees. The light of the outside world.
Jilfray was deftly stripping the pelts from the wolves she had slain. To take them back as proof of the request. Her hands moved with practiced ease, without waste.
"Wow..."
Hikari couldn't help exclaiming.
Beyond th
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