Blackwood Forest.
Ever since the Blackwood Elf singers finished watching 'Léon: The Demon,' they've started viewing Gallolie as a pitiful, destitute and homeless orphan of a girl. Even the person that was closest to her, the person she depended on, the demon hitman Léon, was killed by that abominable human law enforcer.
No matter how Gallolie tried to explain to them that it was a movie, that things were all not real, they still continued to show great motherly concern for her.
Perhaps this would be considered to be the influence of a movie?
Gallolie sat up on the bed created from vines. She took a glance out the window. She was currently staying in a wooden house in the elves' residential district. This place was surrounded by the tranquil forest.
Even though the elves were very hospitable toward her, Gallolie was still not used to living in the Blackwood Forest.
Or, in other words… she's feeling restless.
The serious expression on Madam Schroder's face as she sent away Gallolie caused her to be unable to sleep properly.
Could it be that something happened at home?
Being in the Blackwood Forest, Gallolie was unable to get in touch with her mother.
Feeling uneasy, Gallolie held the pendant she wore around her neck. Inside the pendant was the leaf of the World Tree. It was the WIFI router that she carried around with her.
Being in the Blackwood Forest on her own, the Mage Forum and the fans of her camp were the only things providing Gallolie comfort.
While she was browsing through the Mage Forum's 'camps', she discovered an interesting post.
It was an announcement from the 'Weissenasche Theater.' Weissenasche Theater was a new camp established by Joshua. Weissenasche Theater would post film reviews and other news concerning movies.
Even though the Weissenasche Theater's camp does not possess as many followers as Gallolie's camp or Belle's camp, it was still being followed by a lot of movie fans.
Gallolie was one of the followers. Two hours ago, the Weissenasche Theater's camp made an announcement.
'Preparations are being made to film the next movie.'
That short update was enough to evoke Gallolie's curiosity and caused her to enter a state of restlessness.
Ever since Gallolie left Norland, she has been thinking about the next time she would participate in the filming of a movie.
But, she was now in Farucci, far from Norland. Even if she was to take a ride on a legendary griffin, it would still take her a week to return to Norland.
'Mister Joshua, is it possible… for you to reveal to me the details of the new movie?'
Even though Gallolie wouldn't be able to participate in the movie, her curiosity caused her to send a message to Joshua to inquire about the movie.
'It's a movie about the affection between a person and an animal. Unfortunately, it does not possess a role suited for Miss Gallolie to play."
Joshua replied back to Gallolie's message very fast. Of the people using the Magic Network, very few of them were able to get in touch with Joshua using such a method. Gallolie was one of them.
Affection between a person and an animal?
After Gallolie read those words, the vines locking her room shrinked away. A giant brown bear was crouching outside her door.
The brown bear was the companion of the Elven Elder Safran. Its name was 'Ayte.' Whenever Gallolie would come to the Blackwood Forest, she would always ride on Ayte's back to enter the forest's interior.
Moreover… sleeping in Ayte's fur was extremely comfortable. It was even cozier than her own bed.
"Young miss, it's already noon…"
Gallolie's elven bodyguard Flay walked into her room. The brown bear was carrying a wooden vine basket in its mouth. It placed the basket on the floor. Extremely delicious looking fruits were inside the basket.
"It's because my mother hurried me out of my room in the middle of the night last night."
Gallolie walked out of the special wooden house. As the brown bear lowered its head, Gallolie extended her hand to stroke at its neck. Purring sounds came out from the brown bear's throat. It seemed to be enjoying it.
"It's like a cat."
At this moment, Gallolie became very interested in the movie about the affection between a person and an animal.
When she was planning to open up the magic network interface to ask Joshua if he could tell her concrete details about the movie, the gentle brown bear seemed to have detected something. It raised its head, looked to a side of the forest and bared its fangs.
"Flay, what's going on with Ayte?" Gallolie immediately retrieved her hand from Ayte. As for the brown bear, it immediately turned around and started running toward the other side of the forest.
"In that direction is the Bramble Plaza… If the elves patrolling the forest discover injured humans in their patrol, they will bring them to the Bramble Plaza."
As the Blackwood Elves had reached a peaceful coexistence with the Duchy of Blackwood, they had always provided a certain amount of aid to the humans that accidentally entered their forest.
But, due to the Brass Dragon, the Protector of the World Tree, suffering from ailment, the Blackwood Elves had prohibited humans from entering their forest, much less bringing them so deep into the forest.
"Flay, bring me there."
Ever since Gallolie came to the forest, she had a bad premonition. Flay hesitated. But, in the end, she accepted Gallolie's order.
Guided by her elven bodyguard, Gallolie soon arrived at an empty space covered in unknown flowers and grass.
There were already a lot of elves gathered here. When Gallolie arrived with Flay, the brown bear Ayte was roaring worriedly.
Gallolie noticed that a human was lying in the center of the open lot. His wounds were very serious. Practically his entire body was covered in scarlet bloodstains. Perhaps because he had lost too much blood, he had fallen unconscious.
Two young elven priests were currently treating that human's injuries.
"You all shouldn't have brought him back here!"
"But, Elder Morav, if we are to ignore him… he… wouldn't be able to live for much longer…"
An aged elven elder was criticizing three young elves. Gallolie did not pay much attention to their conversation as her focus was fixed onto that human.
Suddenly, the pendant on her neck started emitting a faint green light. Suddenly, one of the three young elves pulled out a dagger from his side and thrust it toward the elven elder.
Everything happened too quickly. By the time Gallolie blinked her eye, blood had splattered across the garden floor.
The other two Blackwood Elves immediately reacted to what was going on. They attempted to stop the 'elf' that was acting out of control. But, it was already too late. The flesh of the injured human on the ground started to expand in size.
Before Gallolie could properly catch sight as to what was going on, Flay covered her eyes.
"Ayte! Bring Young Miss away from this place!"
Flay shouted at the brown bear. Knowing its role, the brown bear lowered itself so that Gallolie could get on its back.
"Flay… what… happened…?" Gallolie held the brown bear's fur. The shaking ground made it so that she cannot see the surroundings clearly.
"It's only a minor accident."
Flay took a glance at the open area they've just left. It was covered in blood and body parts. All the elves that were near that human had fallen to the ground. Only the 'elf' that pulled out its dagger toward the elder was still standing there.
Flay resisted her grief and anger from losing her kins. She patted at Ayte's back.
"Ayte, bring Young Miss to the insides of the World Tree! Go!"
The brown bear roared. Before Gallolie could ask her elven bodyguard more questions, the brown bear started to, with Gallolie on its back, run toward the interior of the Blackwood Forest. Only Flay remained.
Flay stared at the only surviving 'elf' on the plaza. Somehow, the image of the final survivor of the Frost Elves, Tylene, appeared in her mind.
Gray… mist? Flay opened her eyes wide. She could see gray mist slowly pervading through the forest from afar.
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