“I-I want to remain here.” He finally blurted out.

More surprise came over me, wondering if the Elven beauties finally got to my thick-skulled friend.

But, after Ivan told me his reason, I realized I was the unserious one.

Apparently, Clara—General of the Elf Kingdom Forces—had a Bond Magic Beast who belonged to the same kind of ‘Principality’ Class as Ivan’s Familiar.

The General had noticed this when she saw him fight in their combined assault and pointed it out.

And so, the Clara offered to help him in his quest to grow stronger.

“I want to take her up on her offer. I know I’m being selfish and impudent, but—”

“It’s fine, Ivan. You’ve finally found an opportunity for growth, right?”

How could I, in good conscience, stand in the way of that?

“Y-yeah…” He had replied me, still feeling slightly guilty for his pursuit of power.

It was unnecessary—though I was glad that he thought his role as an Envoy was also important.

‘He’s a loyal comrade.’

“Do what you must, Ivan. But know this… you must become stronger than ever when next we meet. That’s the penance you must pay for ditching us.” My lips curved to form a smile.

Ivan got emotional easily—was what I noticed yesterday.

“Yes! I promise to get much much stronger!”

Since that was what he wanted, I allowed it.

As a result, out group was one member short. But, I wasn’t overly concerned anyway.

Ivan’s role in the group was practically vague. It was good that he found what he wanted to do amid everything.

Besides, we were going to be getting two new members for our Expedition.

Yep, as expected, it was Freya and Lemi.

‘I want Lemi to come with me so I can teach her more about her new abilities, but what about Freya?’

As Princess, her presence was necessary—or so she said.

“It’s rude to wish to visit Fairy Royalty without Royalty on our end.” The Elf Princess added.

What she said was a load of crap, considering the Fairies didn’t care about that in the slightest.

‘Let’s not drag this matter on…’ I finally conceded to her clamour.

Either way, her participation was unavoidable. As a result, our group of six increased to eight.

“Welp, let’s get going, shall we?”

*************************

The journey didn’t take up to five seconds, thanks to my Teleportation Magic.

Thanks to my Automatons, who had practically surveilled the entire Western Continent at this point, I was able to easily locate and transport my comrades to the borders of the Elf Kingdom in the South.

What blocked out path was a massive wall of trees.

The large sea of green shrubs, undergrowth, and plump trunks made it seem like an impenetrable fortress.

A closer inspection of the trees also made it appear as though they were alive.

‘Creepy…’

Still, I was glad nothing had changed from my memories.

“What now?” A voice came from beside me.

My skin nearly jumped because I could sense the amount energy coming from the one who spoke.

“It’s in the way. Should I just tear it down?”

‘Heck no! Are you crazy?’ I thought, but didn’t dare to say.

Serah Crimson was a fearsome woman, so I had to use the best choice of words when dealing with her.

Especially after observing her fight with Aurora.

‘Why are women such a handful?’

“I’ll take it from here.” Freya smiled, stepping away from our group.

Her steps were light and gentle, and she moved in the direction of the thick forest walls.

“Where do you think you’re going?” Called out Serah.

She looked perplexed by the Elf’s sudden action.

I smiled slightly, looking at the expression of the others with me.

Bradford was still recoiling from the fact that his closest confidant—Ivan—was not coming with us. As for Fabian and Damien, they were uncharacteristically silent.

After being relieved of his position as leader, Fabian had become nothing more than an extra.

As for Damien, well… his case was a little more interesting.

Maria looked the same, though she smiled occasionally when we locked eyes. I returned her smile too.

‘We’ve been talking a lot more, after that night…’

I realized Maria was more interesting than she appeared, which made me want to talk to her more.

‘After this whole thing, we should host a get-together and have an extensive talk.’

Yeah, that would be for the best!

In any case, other than Freya, it seemed only Lemi and I knew what was going on right now.

“I’m going to request an audience.” The Elf Princess responded to Serah’s earlier question.

The barrier before us was no ordinary cluster of trees.

It was actually made using Magic Technology. Unlike the Elves, Fairies were not averse to Magic Innovations. In fact, they embraced it.

Evidence of this was how we were able to convince the Fairy King in the past thanks to the innovations I offered in exchange for assistance.

For a Fairy like Jane Ursula to have existed, it meant their society welcomed Magic Research with open arms.

As for the cluster of trees, if was a simple automated defense system.

While the appeared to be trees, the thick constructs before us were artificially produced.

Using special ores and dense materials, the Fairies created this large forest.

Added automated functions and Magic conductivity so they could control the trees freely, this entire area could serve several functions—from absolute defense to utter annihilation.

Each tree contained so much sophisticated tech and weapons of mass destruction—and were also overflowing with Mana.

If anyone were to attempt an assault, the System’s danger sensory functions would kick in and counter the force of the assault with an even greater one.

Most aggressors would end up dead as a result.

‘Well, not that anyone is stupid enough to attack them head-on.’ I smiled wryly.

“I am Freya Vindiel, First Princess of the Elf Kingdom. Please grant us entry into your sanctuary.” The girl raised her voice as she spoke.

For a moment, nothing happened.

However, that only lasted for a few seconds at most.

>DING!<

A sound rang out, and something like a board appeared in front of us.

System Recognition

Target: Freya Vindiel

~You have been granted entry into the Sanctuary. Other guests should state their identity and wait for recognition.~

Thank You For Your Patience