Ryan watched as the elf girl he had just met continued to massage his foot, completely unable to stop herself.
He tightly gripped the root of the tree where he was sitting.
The elf's fingers moved firmly across Ryan's foot, traveling from his heel to his toes and back again.
Helen and Mirian covered their faces with their hands, though their fingers were spread just wide enough to see everything that was happening.
"Watching this like this... it's very erotic," Helen commented.
"No. How embarrassing. Did I look like that in the dungeon?" Mirian asked with flushed cheeks.
"Stop looking... don't look at me..." The elf began to complain in a low voice, unable to stop her hands.
[Debt collection applied]
[Debt bonus: +50 Points]
[Debt bonus: +45000 XP]
After a few seconds, she was finally able to move freely.
"Kyaaaa! What on earth did you do to me, you filthy, perverted human?!"
'Here we go again.'
The girl tried to slap Ryan, but he caught her hand.
"Enough," Helen interjected. "Even acknowledging how absurd the situation is, I won't allow you to lay a finger on Ryan."
Helen placed her hand on her sword, and Mirian was already aiming an arrow at the elf with her bow.
"Agh..." The elf let out a panicked groan upon noticing the threatening aura of the heroines.
"Calm down, calm down. It's normal for her to react like that. And you, elf girl, that is due to a curse. Because you helped me, you are forced to fulfill an order, and since I didn't give one, your body reacted like that."
Helen and Mirian lowered their weapons.
"Are you serious? No... I'm sorry. Even though you helped me, I tried to attack you. Please forgive me." The elf lowered her gaze regretfully.
'And she calmed down that quickly?'
"It's fine. Don't worry about it, it's no big deal."
'What surprises me is that Helen and Mirian defended me, especially after those punishments.'
The elf girl stood up.
"Forgive my manners. I forgot to introduce myself; my name is Irina. Let's head to the village then. I will thank you properly."
After introducing themselves to Irina, they headed straight toward the village.
The village wasn't actually inside the forest itself; the entry was through a hole in a tree. Passing through it felt like stepping into another dimension.
Ryan couldn't help but compare its mechanism to that of dungeons. The so-called Elven Village felt incredibly spacious. Upon entering, two guards at the entrance pointed their weapons at them with suspicion.
But Irina explained to them that they had actually saved her life, and after some assignments, they left them alone.
"Stop harassing our guests," an elderly elf with a very long beard interjected. He wore glasses and held a staff, though he didn't require it to walk.
"Grandpa!"
"Hello, my dear granddaughter."
"Granddaughter?"
"Yes. He is the village elder and an advisor to the King, my father."
"What! You're an elven princess?"
"Yes. What, did I not mention it?"
"Of course not!"
"Heh, heh. I forgot."
'I hope nobody saw this elven princess massaging my feet.'
"I knew right away she was a princess because of the necklace around her neck," Helen interjected.
"True. I noticed it too," Mirian added.
"Then why didn't you say anything to me?" Ryan muttered, leaning close to Irina and whispering into her ear. "About that... you won't tell anyone what happened, right?"
Irina took Ryan by the arm and pulled him away from the rest. She sighed.
"Of course I won't say anything. That was incredibly embarrassing; I don't want anyone to know what I did."
'I hope that's the case. I don't want any trouble with this nation of elves.'
Then they returned to the rest, who looked at them strangely regarding what they were whispering about. But then the elder stood in front of Ryan.
"It's an honor to meet S-class heroes. It has been a hundred years since one last set foot in these lands."
"S-class heroes!" The guards gasped, making a scene, as did Irina.
"Yes. I used Inspect on them."
"Aww... I want to learn how to use Inspect."
"Ho, ho. You wouldn't be able to even if you trained for a hundred years; it's a skill exclusive to the support class. Unlike Analysis, which evaluates objects and creatures," the elder replied to his granddaughter.
The heroines commented that in the capital, only those in charge of the adventurers' guild and the merchants' guild had people capable of using Inspect.
Any class can use Analysis to check the attributes of items and creatures. But Inspect is the ability to evaluate each person's individual stats.
Due to the scarcity of support class members, it wasn't a skill seen every day.
'Well, it's normal that nobody wants to just be a support member.'
"But enough talk. It's clear you're tired from your long journey. Irina, take them to the east wing quarters; you'll be comfortable there."
"Yes, Grandpa. Whatever you say."
Irina guided them to the east wing, and they entered a little cottage built into a tree. It was quite cozy. They went inside and sat down. Irina stayed with them and told them they could stay as long as they liked.
She said her goodbyes, mentioning that she had to notify the king of her arrival and that they would organize a banquet to thank them properly.
She left, and they were left alone in the little cottage.
After a couple of hours passed, Irina returned. She told them that the banquet was ready and that the king was eager to meet the heroes who had helped his beloved daughter.
When everyone arrived, they welcomed them, and the rest of the elves murmured because it was the first time they had ever seen such high-ranking heroes.
Although the only one in the village who could use Inspect was the elder, he didn't mention at any point that Ryan was actually just a B-rank support, unlike his S-rank companions.
And just as everyone was celebrating, a guard came running in.
"We're under attack! The forest is burning!"