Moduo Peak Forest.
In a forest several kilometers from the Moss Hide Gnolls, the dead branches and fallen leaves in a small clearing had been swept aside, revealing rich black soil. Stones formed a circle on the ground, with burning firewood in the middle. It was an elf campfire.
The Elf Ranger—Wells—sat on a stone by the campfire, poking at the flames with a stick. His eyes were unfocused, his thoughts scattered, and his brow was deeply furrowed.
"Ugh... I've been looking for over half a month, and I still haven't found my little sister. Could something already have happened to her...?"
Whenever he imagined those inhuman horrors befalling his own sister, terror and rage rose within him. He jabbed at the burning logs with the little stick in his hand.
Crack!
The dry stick snapped from the force. Wells jumped in fright and hurriedly looked up at the female elf sitting motionlessly across from him. Seeing no sign that he had disturbed her, he let out a breath.
In truth, he had initially held no goodwill toward this Advanced Stage Druid who had lost his sister.
But over the past days, he had witnessed the effort she put into the search and rescue. He could no longer speak harshly to her as he had before. They had reached an agreement: they would find the missing Tilly together.
To that end, Wells had taken on the role of guardian whenever the druid cast her spells.
After a long while, the motionless druid's eyelids twitched, and she opened her eyes. Her green gaze was filled with exhaustion as she rubbed her throbbing temples.
Controlling birds in flight while sharing their vision consumed mental energy, not to mention that she was controlling four birds at once.
"Did you find anything?" Wells asked