Ard, Pyria, Milia, and Mirea charged forward, rushing the King Treant. The monster moved sluggishly, dragging itself along massive roots that caused the ground to buckle and heave. Ace the Garuda and the other familiars unleashed elemental attacks to keep the beast distracted, while Ard and Mirea leaped through the air, slicing through the heavy branches and vines lashing out at them.

Pyria fired a concentrated fireball, incinerating the vines binding Lhoris's legs. As Lhoris plummeted, Milia lunged forward and snatched him out of the air. She planted a powerful kick against the Treant's trunk to propel herself away, soaring across the clearing before landing. She unceremoniously dropped Lhoris onto the dirt and immediately sprinted back toward the King Treant to help the others.

Seeing Milia return, Ard glanced at Pyria and Mirea. They gave him a firm nod. On his signal, all four of them leaped into the air at once. Ard swung his blade, unleashing a crescent beam of black light; Mirea fired four spinning wind blades that hummed like saws; Pyria launched a spear made of pure flame; and Milia raised her hands, summoning a freezing blizzard to lock the monster in place. Ard's black crescent fused with Mirea's wind cutters and Pyria's spear, merging into a single, devastating strike that slammed directly into the face carved into the Treant's trunk.

"Uooooong!"

The King Treant let out a guttural roar as it began to combust. It was engulfed in a fiery tornado, its face split wide open, before the entire mass was suddenly encased in a massive block of ice. As the four of them landed, Ard immediately lunged forward. He thrust Exgrandal—shrouded in black light—deep into the ice and the Treant's body, killing it instantly. The King Treant remained motionless inside the ice, its body still being consumed by the fiery tornado burning within. After Ard pulled Exgrandal out, the Treant's form began to wither and char inside its icy tomb. Ard stepped back to rejoin the others, looking up at the massive, frozen creature.

"Alright... it's over," Ard said as he stored Exgrandal back in his dimensional box.

"Phew... if I were alone, that would have taken forever," Milia noted.

"Yep, exactly. Because there are four of us using different elements, the King Treant looked easy... even though it really wasn't," Mirea replied.

"Where's Pyria?" Ard asked.

"Over there," Milia said, pointing toward Pyria, who was busy kicking the unconscious Lhoris.

They walked over to Pyria, who looked furious as she repeatedly kicked Lhoris to wake him up. Ard grabbed both of Pyria's shoulders from behind to stop her.

"Why? He's the one who lured that monster here," Pyria snapped, giving Lhoris's body another kick.

"Just leave it. Let him lie there while we finish eating, then we have to keep moving," Ard replied.

"He's right, Pyria. Even if he wakes up and tries something, we can handle him," Mirea added.

"He's so annoying. Why is he even following us like this... I'm seriously sick of him," Pyria said.

"You... actually care about him, don't you?" Milia asked, glancing at Pyria with a smile.

"How could I not care? He's my childhood friend, we grew up together. But he has the nerve to go around saying I belong to him, even though we just played together as kids and were never even a couple... it's infuriating," Pyria said, this time landing a kick right on Lhoris's face.

"Okay, that's enough. Let's finish our food while we keep an eye on him. If he wakes up, I have a few questions for him about last night," Ard said, pulling Pyria away.

"Ugh... fine," Pyria muttered, giving in as Ard led her back.

They returned to their previous spot and sat back down on the rocks to finish their meal, though all four of them kept their eyes on Lhoris, who remained sprawled out a short distance away. After finishing their food and water quickly, they gathered around him again. He still hadn't stirred. They looked around at the surrounding woods and then back at the unconscious elf.

"We can't exactly leave him here alone while he's passed out, can we?" Mirea asked.

"That's the problem. It's a huge hassle, but we can't exactly carry him with us either," Ard answered, scratching the back of his head as he stared down at Lhoris.

"What a pain," Milia added, shrugging her shoulders.

"WAKE UP, IDIOT!" Pyria screamed, delivering a kick to Lhoris's face hard enough to snap his head to the side.

Pyria's efforts finally paid off. "Ugh," Lhoris groaned, his hand reaching up to clutch the cheek she had just finished kicking. He slowly blinked his eyes open, only to find the faces of Ard, Milia, Mirea, and a red-faced, furious Pyria looming over him. As his consciousness flooded back, his eyes widened in a panic. He scrambled to his feet, lunging backward into a defensive stance.

He glanced frantically left and right until his gaze landed on the massive block of ice containing the shriveled, charred remains of the King Treant. Lhoris went pale. He slowly turned his eyes toward Ard and the others, but before he could say a word, a hand flashed toward his face.

"Slap!"

Pyria struck him so hard his head snapped to the side, a spray of saliva flying from his mouth. Lhoris clutched his burning cheek, his eyes welling up from the sting of the blow. "What was that for?!" he yelled.

"What is wrong with you?! First you try to kill me last night, then you stalk us and lure an ancient monster right to our doorstep!" Pyria screamed, stabbing a finger toward the frozen Treant.

Faced with her explosive rage, Lhoris opened his mouth to speak, but no words came out. He looked past her, seeing Ard standing there with Milia and Mirea both holding onto his arms. The shock on Lhoris's face instantly curdled into jealousy. In a desperate move, he lunged forward, grabbed Pyria, and whipped a knife from his belt, pressing the blade against her throat.

"Back off! Or she dies!" Lhoris barked.

"Thwack!"

Pyria slammed the back of her head into Lhoris's face, the impact breaking his nose and forcing him to release her. She spun around instantly, burying a kick into his stomach. Lhoris collapsed to his knees, gasping as his knife clattered to the ground. Pyria kicked the blade away and grabbed him by the hair, forcing him to look up.

"You really have the nerve to pull a knife on me?" she screamed into his face.

"I'm... I'm sorry. Please... stop, Pyria," Lhoris whimpered.

"Stop? You've got a death wish! You shot an arrow at me last night and now you're trying to slit my throat! What kind of demon has possessed you? Here, let me beat it out of you!"

"Slap!"

She slapped him again, sending him sprawling into the dirt with a bloody nose. Lhoris curled up, shielding his face.

"Go back to the village. If you follow us one more time, I'll kill you myself!" Pyria spat.

Lhoris couldn't find his voice; he simply nodded, keeping his head down. Pyria turned her back on him and walked toward the group. Ard watched her pass, then let go of Milia and Mirea to approach the fallen elf. He crouched down beside him.

"Mind telling me why you were following us?" Ard asked calmly.

"Humans aren't allowed at the sacred tree," Lhoris replied crossly.

"I have Headman Eledar's permission. Please respect your leader's decision," Ard said.

Lhoris fell silent, glancing at the frozen King Treant. He looked back at Ard, whose expression remained neutral and unfazed. It clicked in Lhoris's mind that if he fought Ard, he would end up just like that monster in the ice. Finally, after a long silence, Lhoris stood up and bowed deeply to Ard.

"I... I couldn't stand seeing Pyria with another man. I thought if I couldn't have her, no one should. That's why I fired that arrow... and why I tried to lure that monster to you. I'm so sorry. I've gone too far... I was wrong," Lhoris confessed, his voice heavy with genuine regret.

Ard studied the young man's face. He looked truly remorseful. Ard realized that Lhoris was just a hot-headed youth, much like Pyria, and hadn't yet learned to master his emotions—unlike Ard, who was an adult at heart. Ard placed a hand on Lhoris's shoulder.

"Forget it. Just don't let it happen again. Go back to the village now, and don't follow us."

Lhoris nodded. Ard stood, turned, and rejoined his companions. They crossed the bridge to the other side of the river. As they disappeared into the trees, a shadow flickered and materialized beside Lhoris. Seeing the pair of familiar boots, Lhoris didn't need to look up to know who it was.

"I'm sorry, Headman," Lhoris whispered.

"It's alright. Even though you followed them to apologize for last night, you accidentally led a King Treant to them. Luckily, they were strong enough to handle it. Since you've owned up to your mistakes, you may stay in the village; I won't exile you. Now, let's head back and let them finish their journey," Eledar replied.

"Thank you, Headman. Again, I'm sorry for nearly killing Pyria."

"I'll let it slide this time," Eledar said firmly. "But if you ever do something like that again, you're gone for good."

"I understand. I promise to keep my emotions in check," Lhoris vowed.

"Good. Now let's move before they spot us," Eledar said, turning back toward the trail.

The two began the long trek back to the village, Lhoris walking submissively behind the Headman. Meanwhile, on the bridge, Ard glanced back over his shoulder and smiled to himself before following Milia, Mirea, and Pyria into the deep forest.

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