The robot quickly cleaved the soldiers, while Maea and Traine fled with the surprised elves.

　Apparently, the elves also sensed that Maea and the others were not the enemy.

　I let out a sigh of relief at that image and leaned back against the backrest.

''It looks like things have managed to work out.

'Yes. But now we have no more time to spare elsewhere, but...

　I nodded with a wry smile at Eira's line.

''That's right. Well, we originally planned to go speedy this time, so as not to be distracted by the emperor.''

　While following up on that, he was a bit impatient inwardly.

　If the emperor would hear about this in as little as a week, then the imperial capital would have to clarify the whereabouts of all the elves within a week.

　Aifa seemed to be able to predict the whereabouts of nearly half of them, but Ditsen and Yuri hadn't been able to show much success due to their fumbling.

　Fortunately, each of the elves seem to be engaged in some kind of work, and they often move around surrounded by soldiers.

　In other words, as long as the timing is right, we will be able to find them soon enough.

''The rest will depend on luck, I guess.

　I muttered a small, small word and I let out a breath.





[Elf]

　A strong wind blew.

　A cloud of earth smoke rose and the sound of the belated collapse of the sturdy stone wall could be heard.

　By the time I confirmed this, the Imperial soldiers had already been blown away.

''Ni, brother...!

　I put one hand on my sister's back, unable to respond well to her trembling voice and the sensation of her tugging on the hem of her clothes.

　At any rate, in front of me is the figure of a golem that looks like an awkward square box. The golem stands quietly, as if its previous movements were a lie, and slowly turns its face towards you.

　From behind it, two figures with robes deep in their eyes appeared. They are in the shadows and only part of their faces can be seen, but they are probably both women.

　It must be the creator of this golem.

''........Oh, you guys.......''

Come on! Run!

　Who are you? Just as I was about to ask, the woman running in front of me shouted this in a strong tone.

　She is young. The feeling in her voice is young, like a child. And there seems to be no hostility.

''Okay....

　He replied briefly and pulled his sister's hand away.

　He didn't expect her to agree immediately, but he felt the woman was taken aback.

''Well then, follow me!

　But the woman quickly changed her mind and started running in front of us without even looking at us. As my sister and I looked at each other as they passed us in the blink of an eye, we were approached by the next person who arrived.

''Aifa-san asked me to do you a favor. Please follow me, please.

　After being told that, I understand.

''..... Brother!

　My sister let out a bouncy voice.

'Finally, you're moving!'

　I nodded and then said that and we ran after the woman.

　Finally, the time had come.

　It would have been easy for us to escape on our own, but if we did, the rest of the family would definitely be in trouble. With that in mind, we were unable to move or disobey, and a long time had passed.

　Because they are the most important family members who have lived together for so many years, they understand that we all feel the same way. That's why they couldn't move even more.

　From the soldiers' conversations, I knew that Aifa, who was an excellent sorcerer, had been elected as a court sorcerer.

　When he first heard that, two thoughts ran through his mind. One was the thought that for whatever reason, Aifa, who had achieved a certain level of status, might be able to help everyone.

　And the other is a deep sympathy for Aifa herself, who understands this and has been bound by the chains of duty, responsibility and mission.

　If I were in the same position, I would not be able to live every day in peace.

　If I don't act quickly, my family may end up living apart as tools of the Empire.

　If I don't act quickly, the old man may not even be able to return to the forest, and may end up living on a stone.

　If I don't move fast enough, the emperor, who is obsessed with the spirit tree, might torture my family.

　That horrible imagination would eat away at my own psyche every day, silently killing me.

　So I'm glad that Aifa has finally acted, and I don't blame her if she fails. All I will do is understand what Aifa is trying to do as quickly as possible and do what Aifa wants me to do. If any one of us dies, it will be a scar that will leave a lifelong mark on Aifa.

　I can't die, and I won't let him die.

'Let's do it, Char.

Yes, brother!

　My sister has the same feelings. I ran over the cobblestone road while nodding at each other with Char.





[Violette]

　I stroke my fingertips over the soft, tactile bedding and look out the window. It's a deep blue sky, the kind you can't see from the ground.

　A clean bed, a variety of astonishing amenities, and a spectacularly delicious meal.

　It's an incredibly comfortable life. Up in the sky, where nothing can come, it would be like a promise of peace and tranquility.

　However, therefore, there is no strong stimulus as there is on the ground.

　There are no criminals, no wars, no starvation, and a country in the sky where time flows quietly and slowly.

　In that one room, I squint and exhale.

''Well what an uninteresting country.''

　With that, he sat up from the bed and approached the window.

　I look out the window at the landscape of the island and naturally sigh. The beautiful white houses and trees, the view is the same every day.

I'm sure there are several countries on earth that I don't even know about, different cultures, different races, different magic...

　Muttering, I open the window.

　I sniff at the calm and open my mouth.

'Giving in and taking away all sorts of different things ... there's nothing else like it.

　As I said this, a soft breeze that didn't seem to be above the sky softly caressed my cheek.

　It's as if it comforted my rotting heart, which is also annoying.

''........It will be difficult to escape on your own, won't it?

　The person called Taiki seems to be a very good-natured person, but under the current circumstances, he must not be expected to go easy on you. It's not going to be wise to fight that golem that had an aerial battle with Aifa.

''After all, the surest way would be to persuade someone who can set me free.

　In other words, it's Taiki. Fortunately, he seems to be moving several golems at the same time right now, and Taiki's concentration must be far below normal.

''Now it's just a matter of whether we can get out of this room, I guess.

　He muttered to himself and headed for the door and opened the single-opening door. Then I saw the figure of a golem standing on the wall on the other side of the passage.

''I would like to see Taiki-sama...........................What am I doing here?''

　I somehow spoke to the golem and moaned in embarrassment.

'I'll have to think of a different way to do things....oh?

　I was about to go back into the room, but stopped when I noticed that the golem had turned around and stopped.

　The golem had turned the side of its body towards us and was facing the back of the passage.

''No way.........''

　Muttering this, I stepped out of the room and stepped out into the passage.

　At the same time, the golem walked to the back of the passage.

　I stared at its back in amazement, and I opened my mouth.



　Utterly, there is no common sense in this country.