A groan and a sharp retch broke the stillness the moment the hut vanished.
The spatially enlarged interior of Greito's house disappeared, replaced by dense forest and damp earth. The air was cooler here, heavy with the scent of moss and old bark. Towering trees rose in uneven columns around them, their canopies woven so tightly overhead that sunlight filtered down only in fractured beams.
Claire had already turned aside before anything could stain her boots. One hand braced against her knee, the other pressed lightly against her abdomen as she steadied herself.
Greito glanced at her briefly but did not comment while Ludwig waited. Birdsong resumed cautiously somewhere above them as the leaves rustled.
Claire inhaled slowly through her nose, exhaled through her mouth.
"Why didn't we just walk?" She asked without looking up.
"Because you would still be walking," Greito replied. "And it would take hours."
Ludwig nodded and added. "This forest is not friendly to strangers. All races of Ortus avoid it entirely."
She straightened gradually, brushing a stray leaf from her sleeve.
"I prefer a normal means of transportation." She said. "Teleportation is not one."
"I'll draw you a map next time." Ludwig answered with a chuckle.
She gave him a look that suggested she did not find that amusing at all before opening her mouth. "Let's go, I'm fine now."
Only then did Greito turn and begin walking.
The forest path was not obvious to strangers. Ludwig remembered that from the first time he visited after the village was established. But now, roots had been worn smooth by hooves and boots, but nothing was carved openly.
The illusion rune anchor remained where he had helped put them on a few years ago. Their carved lines were faint now beneath moss and creeping ivy, but intact. Last time he had walked this route, the fencing had been eaten by the passage of time. But now, a sturdier wooden stake framed the farmland plots that appeared between trees. The soil rows were also straighter than before.
"You guys expanded this section." Ludwig murmured.
Greito did not look back. "A little bit. We also reinforced after the kids left for your restaurant."
Ludwig nodded faintly. Satisfied that the money Vilera and others made was put into a good use by the village.
The huts began to appear gradually between the trunks. He remembered when there had been only scattered shelters patched together from whatever timber they could spare. Now each structure sat on a proper stone base. Timber beams had been treated with resin. Roof angles were steeper.
It was by no means beautiful. But at least, it could do the work it was intended to do.
He noticed the leather racks had doubled from the last time he visited. The drying frames were spaced more evenly than before. Firewood stacks were elevated now instead of resting directly on damp soil.
Claire walked beside him, fully steady now. Her eyes moved from fence to roofline to storage shed without comment.
The communal well came into view ahead. The old wooden pulley had been replaced with iron. That was new.
"Progress." Ludwig said quietly.
"A small one but necessary." Greito answered with something akin to a scoff.
Children stood near one of the huts, watching them approach with curiosity and fear alike. Ludwig recognized none of them individually, but he recognized the pattern. Fewer thin faces than before as well as fewer patched cloaks.
Still not abundance, but it was an improvement.
The storage building carved into the natural rise of the forest floor remained sealed with reinforced doors. He remembered helping them calculate the volume inside when they first relocated here. It had seemed sufficient at the time. But now, it was not enough anymore. If they continued like this, it was about time for him to enlarge the interior of the warehouse.
Though, he probably wouldn't have to do it now.
Claire slowed slightly near the structure.
"Seems like everything is tight here..." She said.
Greito did not deny it. "It's manageable."
As those words trailed, they finally reached the central clearing.
It had been smaller and crowder before. Now the space was wider, trees selectively cleared but not excessively. The largest wooden house stood where it always had, though the porch beams had been replaced with thicker supports. The roof also had been re-laid.
Ludwig paused for half a second, taking in the subtle improvements around the house. It finally had all that was needed to be called the house of the leader of the village.
Greito stepped onto the porch and knocked. And right away, heavy footsteps answered from within. When the door finally opened, Selena stood framed in the doorway, purple hair falling over one shoulder, red eyes sharp and aware. Her wings shifted slightly as she took in Ludwig, then Claire.
"Greito." She said first.
Then her gaze settled on Ludwig.
"Hero."
And when her eyes landed on Claire, she smiled.
"A human, a friend of the Hero I assume? Come in please."
She stepped to the side before waving them in.
The three quickly stepped into the house. The interior was warmer than the forest but carried no excess. It also had grown since Ludwig last stepped inside. Not in size, but in refinement. The beams overhead were thicker, properly sanded rather than left rough. The stone hearth at the center had been widened and reinforced with fitted slabs instead of stacked rock. Someone had taken the time to align them carefully.
The long table remained where it always had, positioned slightly off-center to allow clear lines of movement toward the back rooms. Its surface bore knife marks and ink stains, evidence that it served more than one purpose.
Then, there was a map lay rolled near one end. That was a new addition to the list of new things in this village.
Selena closed the door behind them. The forest sounds dulled immediately.
"Have a seat." She said, gesturing toward the table.
Greito took his usual place without hesitation, settling into the chair nearest the wall rather than the door. Then, he rested his forearms on the table and waited.
Ludwig sat in the opposite side of where Selena sat, giving himself a clear view of both the entrance and the hearth. Claire remained standing a second longer, eyes sweeping once across the room, then she sat beside Ludwig.
Selena lowered herself into her chair last.
"You rarely come without reason, Hero." She said, red eyes steady on Ludwig.
"Am I?" He chuckled as he answered the question with another question.
She folded her hands lightly over the wood and smiled.
"You are. So please, tell me what's on your mind."
Ludwig glanced once at Greito. But the minotaur did not intervene. So, Ludwig sit straighter before clearing his throat.
"You remember what I told you when I first moved you guys here?" Ludwig began.
"I remembered it clearly." Selena smiled. "You said this forest might either become our new home or our grave. But at least, we will survive easier here."
Ludwig couldn't help but smile bitterly at her answer. He was not really proud of his decisions back then. But in his argument, he didn't have much time to think about the bigger picture. He was in the middle of the war, so looking for the best places to relocate them into was not easy.
"You have turned this place into a home." He continued. "You reinforced structures, expanded farmland where you could, and built trade through the merchant I introduced."
Her gaze did not waver. "We are just doing what you brought us here to."
"And I'm thankful for that." He let a small pause settle before adding, "But you did not grow."
The words were harsh. But both Selena and Greito didn't react at all.
"As you know, Hero. The ward limits our expansion." She said.
"I do."
"And trade beyond certain threshold invites attention."
"I know."
She studied him for a moment longer. "But I don't think you are here to remind us of our limits, Hero. You are not that kind of person."
Ludwig looked at the succubus for a second before sighing. There it was, her reverent personality when talking to him.
"No." Ludwig rested his palm flat against the table. "I'm here because new options have opened up for you guys."
Ludwig took a breath for a second before continuing, his voice even. Then, he proceed to told the succubus what he told Greito earlier.
Selena's brows drew together faintly when he's done. "Another world? I presume you stumbled upon it with the power of your restaurant."
"Indeed." Ludwig nodded. "That city is not a hidden settlement. It is recognized. At least to some degrees. It also trades openly with some other places. It has formal leadership and a defined territory as well."
Greito shifted slightly in his seat but did not speak.
Selena asked the first practical question.
"Who governs it?"
"A slime." Ludwig said with a goofy smile. He had been waiting for this question.
As expected, that answer brought surprise to not only Selena's face but Greito's as well. After all, Greito hadn't even asked about it before, and without question, Ludwig didn't want to give him the answer.
"He is not what you imagine when you hear that word. He's strong, maybe as strong as me. He also holds the authority. But he... delegates. Yeah that's the word. He also integrates rather than conquers. His administration is also structured, he builds systems before expanding borders."
Selena listened without reaction.
"It is a city primarily composed of non-humans." Ludwig added. "Goblins, orcs, lizardmen, ogres, kijin, dragonewts. They are all former monsters who were hunted or marginalized elsewhere."
His fingers shifted slightly on the table.
"They have agriculture large enough to support growth. Workshops, formal districts, a functioning military that responds quickly. They have survived external pressure already."
Ludwig stopped for a moment.
"There, you will be just another resident. You will not be looked down upon, you'll blend quickly in my opinion. After all, that place is… kind. Even though the denizens were mostly monsters, they are all kind."
Selena did not smile at that description. She did not look skeptical either. She simply looked at him with her red eyes.
"If you believe moving there is better for us, Hero." She said after a moment, "Then we will go."
The answer came as expected. There was no hesitation nor calculation in her tone. Just an earnest answer. But precisely because of that, Greito's fingers pressed more firmly into the wood. Ludwig could also do nothing but sighed.
But the biggest reaction that Selena's answer got was from Claire. She let out a long sigh, a particularly long one for her before her hand moved to massage her temple.
Before long, she opened her mouth.
"Say, Selena, right?"
"Yes, my name is Selena, miss…" Selena looked at Claire and answered.
"Claire. Claire Russel."
Nodding, Selena answered again. "Nice to meet you, Miss Claire."
Claire flashed her a formal smile, a smile Ludwig came to know she only used when she was talking with someone she hadn't included in her little circle.
And to those people…
She was always as cold as sword and as blunt as a club.
"Selena, you are the leader of this village, right?"
"I am." She answered, still bright, as if she hadn't realized she just made a mistake.
"Then…" Claire let the words trail before continuing. "You cannot answer like that."
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