Before entering the forest, Ryder glanced back and noticed that none of his men were there.

[Gained 50 fame for discovering Lightning Valley Forest]

"Not bad," Ryder muttered as he walked inside the Lightning Valley forest.

He had received 2 treasures during his coronation, 'Robe of Extreme Defense' and 'Boots of the Wind Blessing.' Ryder had removed both of them and kept them in his storage. His crown and his Moon Scythe were already in his storage ring, and he had also changed his clothes to normal adventure clothes.

As Ryder stepped inside the forest, he didn't see anyone, but after he walked for around 200 meters, he started having a feeling as if he was being watched.

He looked here and there as if he was lost and he was trying to find directions. He also pretended to be worried and tired as if he was walking for quite some time.

"Stop right there!" After around 10 minutes of observation, an elvian guard finally took action.

An arrow was fired that landed in front of Ryder and stuck on the ground.

Ryder looked in the direction where the arrow came from and noticed a girl standing on a tree branch.

She held a bow in her hand, and it seemed as if she was ready to fire the arrow if Ryder made a movement.

The girl looked mostly like a normal human girl, but she was quite tall. She was even taller than Ryder. It seemed as if she was at least 7 feet tall.

She wore a green dress that stuck tightly to her body and highlighted her curves even more.

"You have infiltrated the territory of the Royal Kingdom of Dark Elves! What do you have to say for yourself?" the girl asked.

"Why do you even have to ask, Raphtalia. Just capture him and take him to the Royal City. It has been a long time since we last saw someone getting executed for infiltrating the kingdom. It's going to be fun," Another Elf's voice came. Ryder turned back and saw another woman standing on a tree branch.

"Looks like a lost sheep to me," Another woman came out of the shadow as she commented.

"Are their only girls here? Not that I mind," Ryder thought as he glanced at the guards that kept coming out of the shadow.

"Migu! There's no need to go inform the king. You can stop hiding. It's just a weak guy," the first girl said as she looked to her left.

A person came out of the shadow. After seeing over 20 female elves, it was the first male elf he saw. The male was quite different compared to the females. Instead of being taller like the girls, he was even shorter than Ryder. He was just 5 feet tall.

"I am sorry if I unknowingly entered your territory. I'm new here, and I was lost. I thought that I would find water inside the forest, and that's why I entered. I'll leave right now," Ryder pretended to act scared as he told them.

"Hehehe, You're quite a cute human! But you can't leave now that you have entered our land," The elf guards came down from the tree as they all started walking towards Ryder.

"Hey, I'm just a single kid! You don't need to bring all your army to catch me. I'll leave and won't ever come back," Ryder said, but the guards didn't stop.

"Don't worry. We know that you're not dangerous, but that's not why all of the guards that were assigned here had come down. It's just that it's been so long since we last saw a human. We are all quite intrigued," the leader of the elves, Raphtalia, said. It was the same girl that had fired an arrow at Ryder.

"The citizens would be quite excited to see another execution of the impure humans. Even the King would be happy. It has been so long since someone dared to enter our land," she further said.

"I am sorry," Ryder said as he looked down.

"It's too late to be sorry for infiltrating our land," the male elf said sarcastically.

"I'm not sorry for that," Ryder answered him.

"Then what are you sorry for? Raphtalia asked as she frowned.

"I'm sorry for spoiling your fun. I believe that your king and your citizens might have to wait longer to watch a human's execution," Ryder said with a wry smile on his face.

"What do you mean?" The leader asked with a confused look on her face.

"Rale? Time to get to work!" Ryder said casually as he looked into the girl's eyes.

The girl could see a slight smirk on Ryder's face, but before she could even move, Rale appeared in front of her like a ghost as he grabbed her neck as he raised her in the air.

The girl tried attacking Rale with her hand, but her attacks were just like soft cotton hitting on a concrete wall. Rale wasn't hurt in the slightest.

20 other demons of Rale's team appeared behind the other guards and placed their hands around the guards' necks as they twisted their heads.

The guards fell down to the ground.

Only the leader was awake now, and she was in Rale's grip.

"There weren't any other guards, right?" Ryder asked Rale.

"Yes, Your Highness. We didn't find anyone else," Rale replied.

"Good," Ryder said.

"I once again apologize for spoiling your future entertainment of watching a human die," Ryder said, smilingly. He could still see the girl struggling to free herself.

"Anyway, now that we're in a better situation let me ask you a few questions. Please be honest when you answer," Ryder said as he gazed at the girl.

"W-who are you?!" the girl asked in surprise.

"I guess you still don't realize it. I'm the one that's going to ask questions," Ryder said as a smile formed on his face.

"Rale, tie her hands and put her down. If you keep her like that, she might lose consciousness before answering all my questions," Ryder told Rale.

"You guys spread out in the forest and keep an eye on the surroundings. Tell me if you see someone coming!" Ryder told the other demons.

The demons disappeared as they spread out in the forest and followed Ryder's commands.

Rale also put the girl down and tied her hands behind her back.

"Alright. Now that we're done let's begin," Ryder said as he stepped towards the girl.