Author: Himezaki Shiu	Original Source: Syosetu
Translator: Jiro	English Source: Re:Library

Project GB is an official initiative by Re:Library.

Travelling by a horse drawn carriage was time-consuming. The shaking wasn’t as bad as I had expected, but whatever could shake was still shaking.

“Lullus, are you okay?”
“Yes, I’m fine, big sis.”

A few days after Sarok had informed us of his true identity, a carriage appeared to take us to the Tree of Spirits.

Since we didn’t have that much stuff to pack, we set out immediately, but the pace with which we were moving was quite slow. Moreover, the carriage went through the woods. If I were one to get sick in vehicles, I’d have kicked the bucket by now.

Still, the shaking wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be. I couldn’t think of a way to improve this anymore, but that was probably because of my limited knowledge. Given that I had zero knowledge when it came to suspensions, I doubted I could enhance it further.

Besides, had we taken this road using a vehicle made on Earth, I’m sure the shaking would’ve been way worse. Despite everything, this world still had a lot to offer technologically.

(Wait. Maybe it’s because of the speed we’re going with. I can definitely see that being the case.)

“Ladies, we’ll be taking a break,” a voice called out.

It was essentially just Lullus and me in the carriage, surrounded by about five knights, including Sarok. Altogether, there were nine of us on the journey. Meals, campsites, and lodging were all provided for us, making the trip very manageable.

Still, it probably would have been faster if we had just run. That aside, this way of calling out to us was Sarok’s way of letting us know it was time to take a break and eat.

If you’re wondering why it was Sarok calling out, well, that was because he was simply more familiar with us. It was also possible that the other knights were at a loss about how to treat us.

After all, the legendary Ancient Elf was just a young girl. And they’d never seen my abilities despite hearing that I’d cleared an A Grade request.

Sarok was the only one who’d seen me in action, and that was only when I’d killed those Armored Boars, which wasn’t exactly an accurate display of my true strength.

Besides, even I didn’t know just how powerful I was. I also didn’t know how strong Lullus was. I’d only seen her spar with the Wind Dragons, but she’d defeated them with just a flick on their foreheads, so I couldn’t gauge her.

Soon, the carriage stopped, and we went to rest.

I didn’t need a break at all, and I was certain Lullus didn’t either, but Sarok reminded us that the horse needed rest. That was a given. Yet, I still thought it would have been faster to run.

But perhaps the horse-drawn carriage was meant to show us that they wanted to treat us nicely.

“I wonder how I’ll be treated at the Tree of Spirits.”
“I heard that you’ll be placed in a special category, Miss Finis. You’ll be somewhat like royalty, though not with the same level of power.”
“In other words, a decoration.”

Well, that was about right. It would be extreme to place me at the top of the nation simply because we belonged to a legendary race. On the other hand, if I were given no status at all, the nobles might try to take advantage of me.

One approach would be to place me in a high position without granting me any actual power for now, allowing me to feel valued while keeping me in a favourable mood. If I performed well and earned achievements, I might even be married into royalty, which would grant me real authority.

That would likely be the approach that humans would take, but I didn’t know if the same would apply to the Elves.

(Maybe I’ll just own the Ancient Elf act. It does seem like it’ll be fun.)

Right now my goal was to take the spirit, tell it to live until the end of the world, and then go to another kingdom. I was hoping everything would go smoothly, as I was planning to check up on the Fraus and Nigel Kingdoms.

Suddenly, one of the knights came running up to me, looking concerned, as I sat under a tree with Lullus.

“Bandits have appeared.”
“If that’s the case, we’ll stay hidden in the carriage. You don’t need to worry about us; fight to your heart’s content.”

After saying that, I quickly returned to the carriage alongside Lullus. Naturally, I wasn’t going to fight. Defending us was the knights’ responsibility, and I wasn’t going to take that from them¹.

Besides, it probably made things easier for them, knowing they didn’t need to worry about us.

I decided to spend the time watching from the carriage. I’m impressed they noticed those bandits. I didn’t sense a thing.

As I observed the surroundings, I estimated there were perhaps 20 figures surrounding us. They were passing through the dense forest, making their way straight at us.

Once the bandits entered the knights’ range, the Elves began attacking from a distance. Gradually, the bandits’ numbers thinned, and only eight of the original 20 or some managed to reach the knights.

Even then, each Elf knight had to handle more than one opponent.

“You Elves are savage! How could you shoot at us just for getting close?! You only care about yourselves!” a voice grumbled.
“You’re the one who started complaining out of nowhere!” another voice responded.
“Damn you! Stay high and mighty all you want then!” the first retorted.

I couldn’t help overhearing the conversation and, peeking through the gaps in the carriage, saw that the bandits consisted of Beastmen. There were other races among them, though I doubted any Elves were involved.

The Beastmen looked mostly human but had animal-like ears and a tail, while their limbs appeared more animalistic. The one who seemed to be their leader resembled a tiger, and the one beside him looked more like a cat.

“What do you think about this conflict, Lullus?”
“They’re probably after money.”
“You don’t seem interested at all.”
“That’s because I’m not.”

I was trying to figure out my feelings on the matter while we spoke, but Lullus’ feelings just made me even more confused.

“So do you think we’re getting closer to the spirit of this kingdom?”
“Hmph… I feel like we’re slowly getting closer. I can feel its presence getting stronger.”
“I see. So a spirit’s power grows stronger the closer you are to them?”
“That is correct.”

If that were true, this dispute might turn more complicated. Everything was likely to become complicated once we reached the Tree of Spirits, but this event was certainly one that would lead to my plans going haywire.

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