"Captain Tut, are you awake?"

When I heard this familiar voice, I immediately looked up at the forest ahead, only to see Jot and the rest of the warriors and Fen walking out of the forest not far away, unhurriedly, and when Fen saw me, he immediately lunged at me and stretched out his tongue to lick my left hand affectionately.

"Haha~ It's so itchy. ”

In the face of Fen's kind gesture, I stroked its plush head with my right hand dotingly, and felt my caress Fin's rub against me.

(Fen had a hard time fighting Hoeil before, as I vaguely remember that he seemed to have been hit by several arrows when he fought with Jot and the others against the ten elves...... ）

While I was still gently stroking Fen's hair, Jot and the other warriors were already standing not far in front of me, and they greeted me with concern when they saw that I had woken up from my wounds as before.

"Great!The Tut Warrior is awake!!"

"I thought the Warrior Commander might really... Die, at that time, I was obviously injured so badly by those elves......"

"Anyway, our Captain Warrior is still alive! If Captain Tut dies, we don't really know what to do. ”

"Captain Tut, it's good that you're not dead!!"

"That said, our Tut warriors have a hard life, and we won't be afraid to fight the elves before us if we want to fight the elves again!!"

Listening to the concerned greetings from everyone standing in front of me, a warm feeling emerged in my heart.

While I was still listening to the greetings from the warriors standing in front of me, Jot walked up to Ireni and fell to her knees in front of herene.

"Thank you. I know my thanks may be insignificant to you, but I'm going to say 'thank you!'. If you hadn't healed Captain Tut, the mortally wounded Captain Tut would have died at that time. ”

Looking at the forest elf Irene sitting on the bed formed by vines in front of him, Jot said respectfully on his knees.

"That's... Stand up, I'll save Tut even if you don't come to me. So you don't have to thank me......" Hearing Jot's thanks, Rainee was a little embarrassed.

Jot stood up at the hearing of what the forest elf Ireni said, and when he saw me sitting next to Irene, he smiled frankly at me.

"Jot, how many casualties did the team that experienced the previous battle with the elves cause?" I subconsciously asked Jot, who had just stood up.

"Except for a few unfortunate warriors who were mercilessly killed by the elves, the other seriously wounded warriors and your mount Fenr were healed and sheltered by the magic circle you cast, and their injuries gradually recovered to minor injuries. Hearing my inquiry, Jot had to give me a detailed report on the casualties in the team.

Some of his companions were killed in battle...... If my strength is a little stronger, is it not that the warriors who died at the hands of the elves will not die?

I sighed softly at the thought of this, and my heart became heavy.

"Jot, bury your dead companions here. I looked at Jot and said calmly.

"Understood. By the way, after the Tut warriors have buried their dead comrades, are we going to leave for the rest of our lives?"

Hearing what I said, Jot was about to turn around and move with the other fighters, but the next second he stopped, as if he had thought of something to say to me.

"Wait, I still have some questions to deal with. Looking at Jot with a serious face, I said calmly.

"Understood!" Jot replied to me very dryly, and then he turned to face the warriors in front of him.

"Everyone, let's bury those dead comrades-in-arms and companions here, we can't let their dead bones not be cold!" looked at the soldiers who had been with him for a long time, and Jot shouted in a loud voice and an awe-inspiring tone.

"Got it!Don't worry!!"

As soon as Jot's words fell, the warriors moved to their feet, some digging pits for the burial of the corpses, others carrying the bodies of their dead companions.

Looking at Jot and the other soldiers who were working their own while directing the soldiers and assisting in the operation, I felt inexplicably moved in my heart.

"Na Na~ Tut can see that you are a very good warrior commander, and you are very serious and caring when you treat your subordinates. In the battle with Hoyle, you made a decisive decision as a Warrior Captain, and for that reason you are definitely a good Warrior Captain. ”

While I was still thinking about something, Irenee's sweet voice reached my ears, turning my attention to her, who was still thinking.

"Hmm... I'm not really a good warrior commander......" I silently lowered my head and whispered at Irenee's words.

"Don't be confident, it seems to me that you really did a good job as a warrior leader against the 'Special Forces' led by Hoyle, think about it, if you didn't stop Hoyle at that time, all the warriors in your team would probably all die at the hands of those elves. ”

When Irenee heard my whispers, she gently patted me on the back with her left hand and encouraged me.

"Really?"

Hearing Irenee's encouragement to me, I scratched my cheek with the index finger of my right hand and said embarrassedly.

"Oh, you're still so unconfident, believe in yourself a little!, you know, you're one of the 'chosen ones!!!

"I'm sorry. Seeing that Irenee was a little angry, I had to apologize and whisper.

Hearing my apology, the originally slightly angry expression on Irene face instantly relaxed, and she looked at me with a smile on her face again, and then she seemed to remember something and asked me.

"By the way, Tut, is there anything else you want to ask me?"

"Irenee, if I can see you and talk to you in the future? I mean, can we use some kind of magic to talk to each other at any time?"

"Huh?" Irene froze instantly when she heard me say this.

(Was that what he said to me? If so, isn't it...... ）

"Tut, what did you just say to me?" said Irene in disbelief, cautiously asking me what she had just heard.

"I said how would I meet you if I were going to see you again in the future and talk to you, and that we could talk at any time with some kind of magic?"

As soon as I spoke, Irenee's face flushed, and her eyes looked at me with a frank face in a little panic.

(This...) This... Is this implying anything? He said he was going to see me again and talk to me at any time?!

The thought of this, Irenee's flushed face turned even more embarrassed, and when she turned back to see me, who was caressing Fen, her originally somewhat flustered eyes became even more flustered.

"Stupid, why would you say such a thing to me?!Even if Tut said that, I wasn't ready to ...... you" Suddenly, Irene whispered in a hurrying voice, but as she reached the last few words, her voice gradually became very quiet.

"Clams?"

I couldn't help but wonder when I heard what Irenee said, as if there was a huge question mark hanging on my face at this moment, and even Fen, who was leaning at my feet, showed a confused expression.

But when I saw Ireni with a blushing face and a head bowed and didn't speak, I instantly understood something!

"That's... I'm sorry, I may have misunderstood me, and I meant just talking...... After all, I have other things I want to ask you for in the future!" I quickly explained to Ireni who was sitting next to me with a blushing face.

"I see......" Ireni blushed even more as she blushed her cheeks when she heard my explanation.

Irene and I didn't say anything more, but rather that we were in a very awkward atmosphere right now.

"That's... Can I ask a question?" After a few minutes, Irenee was the first to break the silent embarrassment and whispered to me.

"Yes. I nodded and smiled at Irenee.

"Why do you want to be able to talk to me at any time, or even see me at any time?" asked Erenee as she looked at me apprehensively.

"To be honest, I need your help, I have such a plan for the near future......" Looking at Ireni sitting next to me, I was frank about what I wanted to talk to at any time.

"What's the plan?" asked Irenee suspiciously, hearing what I said.

"That's right......" I nodded, ready to tell Irenee my plan in detail.

About five minutes passed......

“...... That's exactly what it is. ”

I carefully informed me of the plan, and listened carefully to what I said, and after listening to what I said, Irenee's brow furrowed, but after a while, the frowning brow relaxed again.

"I'm surprised by your plan, tell me Tut how do you plan to get rid of the goblins chasing you?" Ireenee asked, looking at her calm face, with some surprise.

"I'll have my own way, but I'd like to ask you to help ......us once Finr and I enter the verdant forest," I smiled at Irene and said in a nonchalant tone when I heard Ireni's question.

"Well, I respect your plan, despite the many holes in your plan. Irenee nodded at me, as if in recognition of my plan.

"Stretch out your left hand. Irene gestured to me sitting next to her.

Hearing Irenee's request, I reached out my left hand in front of her in the next second, and when I saw that I reached over my left hand, Ireni gently placed her right hand on my left palm.

(Irene has a warm and soft hand...... ）

When Irenee's right hand touched the palm of my left hand, the emerald green light slowly enveloped me and Irenee's hands, and Ireni opened her mouth slightly to begin chanting a spell using magic.

"The magic of the forest is a sign between you and me, and I use the hymn as the link between you and me. ”

Irenee kept chanting a series of incantations that I couldn't understand, and these spells didn't seem to be chanting spells that used universal magic, but the language of the elves.

As Ireni recited the last mantra, the emerald green light that enveloped my left hand and Irenee's right hand disappeared in an instant, and seeing this scene, Ireni subconsciously took away the right hand that was placed on my left palm.

(Is it done?huh?is it?)

Just as I was a little puzzled by Irenee's sudden outstretch of my hand, I was surprised to find an almost transparent and invisible pale green mark on the palm of my left hand.

If you don't look closely at it with the naked eye, this pale green mark is difficult to spot, and the size of the mark is not too large, but it can be said to be small and delicate.

"That's it, try channeling mana into your left hand. Seeing that I was scrutinizing the mark on my left palm, Irenee reminded me to try channeling magic to my left palm.

"Hmm!"

I nodded affirmatively to Irenee, and then skillfully transported my magic power to the palm of my left hand, and when the magic power reached the palm position, the original transparent and invisible mark instantly became deep and visible.

"Try to speak into that mark. After seeing the quietly changing mark on my left palm, Irenee spoke to me.

"Good. As I spoke, I brought my left palm close to my mouth.

"Can you hear me, Erenee?"

I whispered into the mark on my left palm, and when I finished speaking, Irenee, who was sitting next to me, suddenly looked back at me and smiled at me.

│Tut, I hear you. │

Suddenly, a soft voice sounded in my head without warning, and the look of surprise and surprise that came out of my face when I heard this voice was unreserved.

"Don't be so surprised, from now on as long as you use the mark of your left palm, you can talk to me at any time and I will do my best to help you. Looking at me with a surprised face, Irenee smiled and said to me.

――――

In the distance, after Jot and the other soldiers had buried their dead comrades, Jot wiped the beads of sweat from his forehead with his left hand, which was not too dirty.

Just when Jot was about to walk towards the Tut Warrior Chief, there was a lot of movement in the forest in the distance behind him, and when they heard this movement, all the soldiers were immediately vigilant, and when Jot saw this, he immediately adjusted his team and put on a formation to deal with the enemy.

Looking at the forest that had just come out of the movement in front of them, Joat and these warriors stared at the front with all their attention, and because they were too nervous, some of the soldiers in the team at this time had overly nervous cold sweat on their foreheads.

Could it be that the elves who had fought with them just now have returned?!!

Under the watchful eyes of Jot and his warriors, out of the forest ahead came a sizable army of goblin warriors, cavalry, and shamans, and the shamans in armor and cavalry protected the shamans in the ranks.

"You're finally here!" said Jot, looking at his compatriot in front of him, with emotion.

"Well, you're a warrior in the Tut Captain's team, right? It's hard work for your team to hold on to the green woodland alone!" a warrior who seemed to be leading the team said to Jot, standing at the front of the group.

"It's not hard!"

――――

“...... Tut: Looks like your reinforcements are coming~" Irenee looked at the goblins in front of her who had just come out of the forest, then turned her head and smiled at me.

"Really?"

I looked up at what Irenee said, and saw Jot talking to the warriors who had just come out of the forest.

(Those were supposed to be the warriors sent by the patriarch to support us...... ）

"Looks like it's time to say goodbye...... Tut: These are the two swords and staff that you knocked out of Hoyle in the previous battle, so get them. Looking at me as I was thinking, Irenee said indifferently to me, and slowly placed my lost 'Lost Black Talisman' and 'Frost Jade' and Staff in front of me.

"Irenee... Thank you for doing so much for me, I would have died if you hadn't treated me at that time. If I could, I would like to repay your kindness to me......"

I looked at Ireni sitting next to me, and a thought popped up in my heart, and then I mustered up the courage to say something serious to Irene, but after a while, Ireni still didn't respond to me.

(Hmm, why didn't Ireni speak?)

With this question in mind, I looked back at Irenee, and I saw this scene......

What should I say???......?

Hmm~ What should I say?!What should I say to Tut?

What do you want him to do in return?

I think it's too much, but you can't let him do that kind of thing with me, right≧_≦?!

I'm so embarrassed!!

At this time, Irenee was thinking about something, and when she saw the blush on my face beside me, it turned even redder, as if it was a ripe peach~

.........

"I said Irenee~ You haven't hugged a stranger yet, right?"

"Huh, why do you want to hug people you don't know? If you want to hug, I've hugged my sisters. ”

"Poof~ No, no, the feeling of hugging strangers and hugging sisters is completely different!How about it~ You'll know when the time comes......"

............

Just when Ireni was still struggling, she suddenly remembered what her sister in the World Tree Forest had said to her, the words of hugging... That's not too much to ask, right?

"Tut, can you... Hug me (whisper)?" Looking at me sitting on the sidelines and caressing Fen's hair, Irenee said that she had the courage to say to me.

Hearing Irenee's words, I was still caressing Fen's hand, and I stopped stroking Fen's hand and looked back at Ireni with a slightly confused expression.

"Can it be anything?" I asked, confused.

"Hiss~ a hug, I mean let you hug me (loudly)!" Hearing my unexplained question, Irenee blushed and said to me angrily.

(Irene just said let me hug her, right? Why would she ask for that?)

I couldn't believe my ears when I heard what Irenee said, and when I pinched my face with my hand, the burning pain convinced me of the reality in front of me.

"Okay. I said as I stood up and opened my hands to Irenee.

Seeing this, Irenee also stood up and brought her body slightly closer to my arms, and when her body pressed against mine, I could clearly feel some kind of elastic touch pressing on my chest. Forgive me, O supreme elven goddess, for my willfulness......

Ereni leaning on my arms gently hugged my waist with her own hands, and I didn't make any overly obvious gestures, just quietly felt the regularity of Ireni breathing in my arms.

It's really not the same as what my sisters said......

Erenee felt a completely different feeling from when she hugged her sisters, and this feeling of being grounded and reassuring made her feel an inexplicable sense of security......

"I'll see you later, Tut. ”

Just when I was helpless about this, Irenee's gentle voice came out of my arms, and when I was about to say goodbye to her, Ireni leaned on my arms and turned into countless lights the size of fireflies, dissipating in front of my eyes.

│By the way, I forgot to tell you a little. Some of your elven bloodlines are now in a semi-awakened state, keep up the good work, Tut!│

Just a few seconds after I stood still, Irenee's majestic voice rang out in my head.

(Keep up the good work?Okay!After all, I'm going to continue to get stronger in the future!!)

I put the Lost Black Charm and Frost Angelica in front of me into the slightly broken scabbard, and then I put the small staff in my waist bag.

"Captain Tut!" Jot, who was in front of me, shouted to me and motioned for me to go over to them.

(Well, let's go!)

"Let's go, Finn!"

I kindly called out to Fen beside me, who immediately followed me when he heard my call.

Hearing Jot's shout, I walked towards the front with a determined gaze, looking at the other soldiers who were looking at me with a steady and respectful face, and there was no confusion in my heart at this time!

* * * * * *

Embark on your way back to where the Goblin Army is stationed......

"Today is really exciting, I didn't expect us to meet the 'Einsatzgruppen' led by the elven prince in the verdant woodland. I almost thought we'd be wiped out......" a slightly tired goblin warrior in armor said to the other warriors beside him.

Hearing the warrior's words, the warriors walking around him were amazed.

"Are you part of the team led by Captain Tut?" asked another warrior beside the goblin warrior to the left, uncertain.

"Yes, you know, it was terrible for us and the Tut Warrior Commander to fight the Elven 'Einsatzgruppen' alone in the green woodland! ”

The tired goblin warrior replied helplessly, spreading his hands.

"Be quiet, be quiet, know that besides you, the other Warrior Captains are also fighting their own battles!!" said a muscular warrior in a deep voice as he walked beside the tired goblin warrior to the right.

The goblin warrior was tired of hearing this, but the other warriors were opened up by the muscular warrior.

"Anyway, Captain Dott, what's going on on their side?"

"I don't know... The situation on their side may not be so rosy......"