I was alone in the forest.
None of my companions were around.
Had we been transported to different locations?
Still, this wasn’t enough to make me panic.
After all, we had the skill of telepathy.
『Ah, ah, test, test. Today’s weather is clear. Today’s weather is clear.』
I even had enough composure to throw in a little joke.
…areh?
『Hey, someone, answer me!』
No response.
In that case, I should try teleporting back to the entrance of the 33rd floor.
「Release: Dungeon Warp.」
I cast the spell—
But nothing happened.
Areh? What’s going on?
Could it be that in this reconstructed ruined world, neither telepathy nor teleportation magic works?
「Release: Short Warp.」
I tried teleporting a short distance forward—
And it worked.
So, magic wasn’t completely disabled.
That meant this place was still within the dungeon.
After all, magic couldn’t be used outside.
Even so, I didn’t panic.
Why?
Because this world would reset after two hours.
I took out my pocket watch and checked the time.
Normally, the rule when lost is to stay put, but since I only had two hours, my best bet was to search for the Elven village.
However, the dense undergrowth made moving in a straight line difficult.
So, I looked up, found a thick, sturdy branch, and—
「Release: Short Warp.」
I teleported onto it.
Now I had a much better view of the surroundings.
Next, I should aim for that spot—
「Release: Short Warp.」
Teleportation magic required a one-minute cooldown after two uses.
Even so, it was still far more efficient than walking.
Using this, I should be able to find the Elven village.
After teleporting a few more times—
「A scream!? 」
I heard a woman’s scream.
At the same time, I sensed the presence of both monsters and a human.
Turning toward the source, I spotted a monstrous creature, resembling a mix between a tiger and a wolf, attacking a young girl.
Beside her, a basket filled with flowers lay on the ground.
She must have been out picking flowers when the monster attacked.
I knew that saving her in this memories of the world wouldn’t change anything—
But even so, before I could think, my body—
No, my mouth—moved on its own.
「Release: Short Warp.」
I teleported right above the tiger-wolf and drove my sword straight into it.
It was stronger than a Bite Wolf Leader, but not by much.
…Wait.
The monster isn’t disappearing?
Oh, right.
In this recreated world, monsters wouldn’t vanish upon defeat.
The same thing happened with the black panther before.
「Are you alright?」
I asked the girl.
「××××××」
She tilted her head and said something—
I couldn’t understand her.
I had completely forgotten, since I spoke with Tuna so naturally, but the only reason she could speak fluent Japanese was because Danpon had given her a language skill. She originally couldn’t speak it at all.
Areh? But in the world of the Nightkins, I wasn’t treated with suspicion despite the language barrier.
Yet this girl was clearly puzzled.
Was something different here?
『Can you hear me?』
『Huh!? Telepathy!?』
『Ah, good. You have the telepathy skill. Thank you for saving me. My name is Milery of Handelmas.』
『Oh, I’m Ichino Taira.』
『Ichi-no-Taira-sama? Thank you for rescuing me from danger.』
Something felt off about the way she split my name, but Milery lowered her head in gratitude.
So I could communicate through telepathy even without understanding the language.
This was a huge discovery.
If everyone in the world learned telepathy, the language barrier would disappear.
…Wait a second.
Why can I use telepathy with Milery, but not with Milk and the others?
And why isn’t she wary of me?
To her, I should be an unfamiliar, non-Elven race.
『Ichi-sama, are you a traveler? I’ve never heard of a Taira Village—are you perhaps from another continent?』
『Uh, yeah. I’m not from this continent. I was traveling with my companions, but I got lost.』
…Ah, I get it now.
Yeah, I figured it out.
In this world, only Elves exist.
So even though my ears aren’t pointed, the thought that I might not be an Elf hasn’t even crossed her mind.
She probably just sees me as a slightly unusual Elf.
And one more thing—
I realized something about their names.
Elves seem to include their village name at the end of their full name.
I thought Handelmas sounded familiar—
Right, Tuna’s full name had a similar ending.
Milery is “Milery of(no) Handelmas Village.”
And she must think I’m “Ichi of Taira Village.”
If I corrected her, it might make things suspicious.
Better to let her keep the misunderstanding.
『I’m looking for my companions. Has anyone passed through here?』
『No… Oh, but the only place nearby is Handelmas Village. Perhaps your companions went there?』
『That’s possible. Could you take me there?』
『Of course! Today is actually our festival, so if you’d like, please join us! I’d also love to properly thank you.』
Without any suspicion, Milery offered to guide me to her village.
『Ichi-sama, could you help carry the Tiger Wolf? Its meat is delicious, and the whole village will be so happy!』
Tiger Wolf meat…?
Neither tigers nor wolves sound particularly appetizing…
Is this really edible?
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