—Inside the mountain forest to the west of Akinashi Domain
(What a blunder! I’ve been played for a fool!)
The leader of the magic society Lost Forest—Alice Renren Lorelei—repeatedly cursed her own sheer recklessness for stepping into such a perilous realm amidst the dim woods.
There was no mistake about it. The circulating grimoire itself had been a trap. To think they could command such powerful Transcenders... Nine times out of ten, this was an assassin sent from her homeland of Lorelei.
(Since when did Lorelei possess the magical craft needed to bind Transcenders like that?)
Having faced them once, she understood all too well. Those Transcenders completely defied reason. Entities of such overwhelming might were likely a first in all recorded history for the elf race.
(No, that's impossible.)
Those were not beings an ordinary person could ever hope to form a pact with. Given that there were several of them, perhaps she had to assume some mutant monstrosity had emerged among the elves.
If so, the world's balance of power was about to shift overnight.
"Lady Alice, we are completely surrounded."
Hearing the utterly exhausted report from her battle-hardened subordinates, a sense of desolation washed over her, as if she were being dragged into an abyss. Suppressing the overwhelming urge to drop to her knees in despair, she cried out:
"Cut a path through! We're retreating at full speed!"
It was a desperate cry for an unattainable hope.
"You have passed the test."
From deep within the forest, a woman's clear, melodious voice resonated in their ears.
Then, foxes with gorgeous silver coats emerged one after another. Surrounded by the beasts, a woman with nine tails revealed herself.
Lustrous, silky silver hair flowed down to her knees, accentuating her fair, feminine figure. Her appearance, as breathtaking as a moonlit goddess, paired with exotic garments she had never seen before to create an otherworldly aura.
"P-Passed?"
"This was a trial set forth by my beloved Lord Husband. You have earned the right to play the role of the Hero."
Gliding toward Alice, she gently offered a single scroll.
"What is this?"
"An imperial decree detailing the plan. Strive your utmost in this little game."
With those final words, she vanished without a trace, as though she had never existed in the first place.
Judging by that female Transcender's tone, this had nothing to do with her homeland of Lorelei. In fact, contracting a Transcender of that caliber was, at best, a precarious gamble where one might break even. Normally, the summoner would end up enslaved instead. To captivate such an entity to that extent was simply beyond the capabilities of the elf race.
If they were not assassins from her homeland, then she still had room to maneuver.
Alice untied the ribbon to inspect the contents of the scroll.