Rambling North, Walking South

A few days after the Demon King's magic broadcast shook the world, in the small, ruined kingdom of Ironholm, a group of elves had gathered to bid farewell to the enigmatic hooded figure who had rescued them from that earthly hell.

"Is it truly time for you to depart, Lady Silvia?"

Before her, the red-haired elf bowed deeply with profound respect to her benefactor.

"Yes, I must go."

Once known as the "Crimson Fierce Leg"—a legendary warrior whose precise, devastating leg strikes could slice through fire and lay waste to entire legions—Kaikarjukka now carried a remarkably calmer, more serene aura.

"I see. I understand."

Although the personality reinstallation process in the factory had allowed her to retain her mental sharpness and spared her from severe cognitive damage, the traumatic experience had permanently tempered her once impulsive, fierce nature.

(I still remember when I saw that monster's power during the broadcast... For a moment, my fighting spirit was completely extinguished.)

Adding to that, as she recalled watching the Demon King's overwhelming power alongside the hooded figure, she had felt there was no hope left.

(I truly came to believe that no being on this earth could ever stand against him...)

...And yet, despite all of that, everything changed the moment she saw it.

"In that case, I wish you the very best on your journey, my lady."

At that moment, peering out from beneath the dark hood, sharp, electric-blue eyes shone with an overwhelming excitement.

"Thank you."

In that fleeting instant, Kaikarjukka remembered the crushing, unimaginable pressure that had radiated from the hooded figure right as the broadcast ended...

(Having felt that pressure firsthand, even if only for a second before it vanished... I am certain.)

That aura, that feeling—when Kaikarjukka experienced it for a split second before it faded into nothingness, she finally understood.

(If there is anyone in this world capable of defeating that monster, it is her.)

...She understood the true kind of monster that the young hooded woman standing before her eyes actually was.

"This is a map showing the path to the realm where the Demon King resides."

Beside her stood another elf with short hair and large, harmless emerald eyes, handing her the map along with a bag of supplies as a gesture of gratitude from all the rescued elves.

"However, it is likely outdated due to the havoc wreaked by the Demon King and his allies, so please be very careful."

Once known as Cecilia Sicilia, "Great Emerald Eyes"—a brilliant strategist and tactical commander who guided entire armies with flawless battle orders—the young woman was now a shadow of her former self.

"No problem."

Exposed to constant neurological overload in the factory, the once-brilliant elf had been left with permanent scars, losing her analytical brilliance and becoming a noticeably airheaded, simple-minded person.

"Will you... will you really be alright...?" "Or will you even be able to read the map...?"

Yet despite that, Cecilia Sicilia still retained traces of her core essence...

"Or will you even be able to read the map...?"

Because part of her intellect endured, she asked with concern while bitterly lamenting her current condition.

"...I'm so sorry... If it weren't for my own stupidity, I would still be able to comprehend the information written on the map..."

"I'll be fine. I'm still better at this than mom."

During the time the figure of "Silvia" spent alongside the elves, it was revealed that she possessed an abysmal sense of direction bordering on the absurd.

To the point that when they previously asked her in disbelief how it was even possible for her to get lost while walking in a straight line, she merely offered a naive, confused expression in response.

"D-Don't worry about that, Cecilia!"

Interrupting cheerfully, the elf Puruapaupnika appeared, speaking between nervous tics as she grabbed her friend by the shoulders, shaking her gently in an attempt to lift the emerald elf's spirits.

"We just... we just have to trust Lady Silvia!"

Standing before the exit gates, the elf with navy-blue hair swept back—once known as "Blue Steel Arm," whose iron-shattering fists had collapsed multiple war fronts—moved her body energetically, trying to disguise her current state.

"If I had fully recovered... I would undoubtedly follow you without a second thought to support you on the front lines!"

Puruapaupnika explained with determination in her voice, though a second later her tone dropped with a tinge of bitter resignation.

"But... in my current state, where my body still doesn't respond properly... I understand completely that I must stay behind."

Despite her cheerful demeanor, the cruel reality remained.

"Yes, you are weak."

Whenever she attempted certain movements, her body failed due to severe delay in her motor control, coupled with brief episodes where she froze entirely.

"Ouch! You didn't have to be so blunt!"

As a result, among the trio of elite elves, she had suffered the most from the experience in the "factory," having had the misfortune of being the very first elf from the village to be captured.

"...But being weak doesn't mean being useless."

Nevertheless, the hooded figure of "Silvia" broke the silence with those brief words, offering them one last look from beneath the shadow of her hood before turning around.

"See you around."

With that, she began her solitary march, leaving the devastated city of Ironholm with a firm step.

"My lady..."

"..."

"...Good luck."

Watching her depart in silence into the distance, the three elves remained standing at the outskirts of the small kingdom.

"Wrong way."

Yet as they watched her silhouette recede, they noticed the imposing presence of the Great Spirit of Earth, Eldora-Gideon, rising beside them—the entity the young woman had left behind to aid in protecting and defending their sanctuary.

"?"

And thanks to his interference correcting the hooded girl's path—preventing her from walking in the completely opposite direction just a few meters after leaving...

"""Will she really be alright?"""

...the three elves murmured, deeply concerned for her journey.