Training Addict Magician in a Growth-Focused Story

Chapter 97

When the elf mentioned they were almost there, Leon quietly summoned his magic sword through his consciousness.

"Are you still not going to say anything?"

[...]

But the magic sword remained silent, no matter how many times Leon called it.

'Is it planning to stay quiet until I receive the branch of the World Tree?'

Leon decided not to push the conversation further.

He didn’t want to engage in unnecessary bickering with the magic sword. After all, it wasn’t like he couldn’t use the sword; it wasn’t a major problem for now.

‘I really wish there was a way to fully control this sword.’

As they neared the vicinity of the Elven Forest, the elves became notably more silent. They looked far more tense than Leon and Erika.

Returning to their homeland after a year of running away, especially after being captured by slave traders and now coming back with humans, wasn’t an easy situation for them to navigate. Leon understood their predicament, so he refrained from unnecessary chatter and quietly followed their lead.

Before long, sounds of movement came from the thick foliage ahead of them.

"Stop."

A clear male voice rang out.

Leon instinctively sensed the flow of multiple mana sources ahead. Just as he prepared to cast a defensive spell, the flow of mana abruptly halted.

"Jeren... Princess?"

The owner of the voice pushed through the bushes and revealed himself.

It was an elf, a man with long silver hair faintly tinged with green, though the green was much lighter than Ariella’s.

"Why are you with humans, Princess?"

The male elf's cold expression grew harder.

"Could it be... Are you being threatened...?"

"Fez, it’s nothing like that."

Before the elf called Fez could jump to any strange conclusions, Ariella quickly intervened.

"These people saved us. I invited them here myself."

Fez, still confused, asked again.

"Invited? You mean, they saved you...?"

"I'll explain everything once we're in the village."

Fez looked like he wanted to ask more questions but held back and instead shifted his gaze to Leon and his companions standing behind Ariella.

"Are you saying you're bringing all these humans with you?"@@@@

"They are as good as benefactors, so there's no need to be so wary."

"..."

Fez’s expression remained suspicious, but without further comment, he gestured with his hand. Immediately, several other elves dressed in green garments woven from leaves and branches appeared. Each of them was holding ancient-looking staffs, and the mana that had gathered around them dissipated into the air. They had been ready to cast spells but canceled them.

Fez, too, put his staff behind his back and spoke slowly.

"You know very well that we cannot allow humans into the forest, Princess."

Ariella’s face showed a hint of guilt as she responded.

"I'll explain it properly to my grandfather."

Fez deliberated for a long while before nodding with a stern expression, as though suppressing a deep sigh.

"Since you say they are your benefactors, escort them to the inner area. And Jeren... stay here with me for a while."

"...Yes."

Jeren nodded with a darkened expression. As Ariella gave her a concerned look, Jeren shook her head and smiled, as if to assure her that she was fine.

Fez stayed behind with Jeren, while the other elves followed his orders and surrounded Leon and his group, guiding them deeper into the forest in silence.

Before long, thick branches blocked their path.

The leading elf touched the branches with his staff, and the branches shifted smoothly, forming a path.

The elf led the group through.

Once they had all passed through, the branches entwined again, blocking the way behind them, while a new path opened ahead. Powerful currents of mana swirled around them.

‘Is this a transportation spell?’

Leon was mildly intrigued by the unusual magic. It was different from the magic he knew, entangled with the forces of nature.

Though he, like the others, didn’t appear to age, Leon had no doubt this was Ariella’s father. They looked close enough to be siblings.

His piercing gaze fixed on Ariella. She instinctively lowered her head, then hesitantly raised it again.

"Are your childish games finally over?"

"...I apologize for leaving without permission."

"I don’t see any hint of remorse in that apology."

He narrowed his eyes at her.

"...I don’t regret it. I’ve told you before."

He pondered her words for a moment before giving a bitter smile.

"I seem to recall giving you permission, didn’t I?"

"You didn’t permit me to take a group of warriors like that."

He didn’t argue with her but merely nodded, though his expression remained cold.

"So you didn’t come back because you wanted to?"

It seemed he had already discerned Ariella’s true intentions.

His gaze then shifted to Leon.

Sensing it, Ariella quickly spoke up.

"When I was captured by slave traders in the human world, these people saved me."

"Slave traders?"

The coldness in his eyes suddenly sharpened, and he asked again, his voice tense.

"Did you say slave traders?"

"...Yes."

His expression hardened, and the chill in his demeanor deepened.

He kept looking at Ariella, as if the reality of her near-enslavement hadn’t fully sunk in.

"You were nearly made a slave in the human world?"

"I wasn’t actually enslaved, thanks to these people..."

Ariella carefully added, but it seemed her words didn’t reach him. His expression remained rigid.

The male elf who had guided Leon’s group also looked grim, his lips sealed tightly.

The air in the room grew heavy.

Ariella’s father remained silent for a long while before speaking in a low voice.

"And you still don’t regret it...?"

"...I have no regrets about wandering the human world."

Ariella stood her ground, her stubbornness matching her father’s. She didn’t retreat, despite her tense posture.

Leon watched the exchange quietly. He had refrained from using any detection spells, not wanting to disrupt the conversation.

Despite the tension, he wasn’t too worried.

The reaction Ariella’s father had shown—a disbelief mixed with repeated questioning—gave Leon a sense of certainty.

That reaction was mixed with a father’s concern for his child.

In the end, the conversation between Ariella and her father seemed more like a family argument than anything else.

As Leon quietly observed, Ariella’s father finally turned his attention toward him. Leon could sense a subtle probing of his mana, as if the elf was trying to gauge his power.

Leon responded by slowly raising his mana, attempting to assess the elf’s strength in return.

At that moment, the male elf who had guided them stepped forward, visibly tense.

"Using magic recklessly will—"

But Ariella’s father raised a hand to stop him.

"No, let him."

At his words, the male elf fell silent and stepped back.

Leon continued raising his mana, casting a detection spell. As expected, he couldn’t fully measure the elf’s power.

Given that his grandfather was the king of the elves, it was only natural that his son would hold such authority, both in power and status.

After assessing Leon’s abilities, the elf raised an eyebrow and asked.

"You seem young, yet your abilities are quite impressive. So, why did you follow my daughter here?"