Summary of the last chapter
The elven child Souta helps is actually a girl despite looking like a boy.
Her name is Arezel.
She requests Souta to takes her along to the country of elves.
The carriage keeps its advance in the forest.
The forest is still dark, but the atmosphere becomes brighter as there"s a travel companion now.
They’re riding side by side on the coachman seat.
「By the way, is it fine to leave those kidnappers as they are? 」
「You"re asking that now?… Well, that’s okay. It’s all depends on their luck if they"ll be attacked by monsters or not, and if they survive, they won’t bother to do bad things.」
Answers Souta while he recalls what happened before Arezel woke up.
「Somehow, I feel like I"m doing something bad …. What the heck did you do to them?」
「… I think it"d be better if you don’t ask about that. There are some things in this world that are better if you don’t know them.」
Seeing the smile on Souta’s face, Arezel nods as she trembles.
「S-Souta-san, may I know what you made with Carena?」
Arezel asks that to forcibly change the flow of conversation.
「It’s Ambrosia for Stone Fever. Because I didn"t have the equipment, I decided to borrow the equipment from Carena’s shop. Somehow, I end up being helped by her.」
Hearing Ambrosia, Arezel puts her hands on her mouth from surprises.
「Ehh! Doesn’t that require a dragon’s liver? Is Souta-san, possibly, a considerably wealthy man? 」
Only a few people know the old recipe now, so Arezel"s question isn"t strange.
「Ahh no, it’s not like that. I don’t have enough money, but various things happened and it got arranged somehow.」
Souta tries to cover up the actual story, but it just makes the answer sounds suspicious.
「… … Just forget that.」
Arezel laughs at Souta"s troubled face.
「Ufufu, to show such a face. My first impression about you is a calm, cool person, you know.」
「I’m also a human being. I sometimes feel troubled just like I did now, I also get angry sometimes. I usually try not to show my emotions too much.」
「That’s fine, I also cry and get angry. I also cry when I get yelled by my master when I try to look for materials alone.」
「… … Do you mean you were kidnapped when you tried to look for materials? 」
Says Souta while staring hard at Arezel.
「Gulp! Nooo … Ahaha, that’s… because I’m also fine this time, so everything is good right? … Ehehe.」
While averting her gaze, she’s fiddling with her hands, and cold sweat can be seen on her forehead.
「It’s good that you’re saved this time. But I’m going to tell your master.」
「N-No way. Souta-san, please help me. She got so angry before, and if she knows I was almost kidnapped this time…」
Arezel hugs her own body, shaking in fear, and her face is blue.
「This"ll be a good medicine, prepare to get scolded since you made your master worried.」
He places his hand on Arezel"s head.
「That’s right, I guess. I’m sure I made my master worried… I must apologize. I want to see her soon.」
Souta doesn’t say anything to Arezel who looks down while wiping her tears, and he just continues to pat her head.
A little while after she stops crying, Souta pulls back his hand.
Arezel raised her face to fit the movement of his hand.
「Have you calmed down? Let’s leave that for now and think about the problem you that’s right in front of you first.」
「Yes, it’s the immigration examination.」
Arezel"s immediate reply echoes.
「No … It"s how to get out from here. Have you not noticed? We’re moving around the same place from a while ago.」
Souta denies Arezel’s answer and points to a tree.
「That tree does look familiar… Then, are we really going around the same place? 」
Souta nods.
「I remember it because it has a distinctive shape, and there are no other trees that have a shape like that. The hole in the ground and the blooming flowers as well. Since it’s already the fifth lap, there is no way I made a mistake.」
「Five laps!? Why didn"t you tell me sooner!?」
「Well, you were crying. Also, I thought that was just my imagination on the second lap, and after that, I was just checking to make sure.」
Understanding it’s her own fault, Arezel blushes.
「That is … I’m sorry … I am sorry, but what the heck happened? When I came to this forest before, this was not the case …」
「Was it so dark before? It’s the same darkness as the night even in the daytime.」
Arezel shakes her head.
「It’s indeed dark because there are many trees, but for it to be this dark…」
As they hear a wolf-like cry from the distance, Arezel clings to Souta.
「S-Souta-san, what should we do, we’re swallowed by the forest!」
「Something"s strange. I feel some kind of presence since entering the forest, but it’s unclear … ….」
Souta stops the carriage in front of the ending point of the loop.
「The boundary is around here?…. Should I try to do something?」
Reaching the boundary, Souta invokes s.p.a.ce magic and erodes its boundaries with his own magic powers.
For Souta, it looks like there is a thin film in front of him, and what he needs to do is repaint the red film with his own color.
This trap is the kind that connects the end point with the starting point, making everything that pa.s.ses through come back to the starting point.
Souta unravels its mechanism by combining appraisal skills with s.p.a.ce magic.
After putting in magic power for a while, all the film is repainted by Souta’s magic power. All Souta need to do then is just remove the magic power, and that will sever the connection.
「It should be good with this, but why on earth are there such things?」
「Amazing! Souta-san is amazing! You can do such a thing too?」
By removing the closed s.p.a.ce, it feels like the weight on Arezel is released as well.
「You don’t need to be surprised. Isn’t the one who made this trap just negligent in making it?」
In truth, the trap could only be disarmed because it’s Souta who disarmed it, but he acts as if it’s not a big deal.
「Is that so? But it’s still amazing you know … but, I wonder if my magic isn’t good enough so that’s why I couldn"t see the magic trap?」
Arezel folds her arms and thinks about it.
「Oi, how long will you stand around, we’re gonna start moving soon.」
Souta urges Arezel from the coach seat.
「Ah, please wait!」
After confirming that Arezel gets on the carriage, Souta exchanges a look with Ed and departs.
「Hmm?」
Souta senses something and looks back, but all he sees is darkness.
t/n: nothing to say here, just want to tell you guys, next release of headless dullahan might be bulk release of more than 2 chapter, so please wait patiently
p.s what do you expect from a story about a new game+ where the mc basically only doing side quests on the 2nd run,
romance or harem, or comedy i guess