'My predecessor, I've avenged you. You can rest in peace now.'
Ren turned around and approached Elara.
"Thank… thank you for saving me." Elara bowed her head slightly.
"You don't need to thank me." Ren would still have killed them even if they hadn't harassed her.
Her eyes widened for a moment when she saw his soft smile.
'He looks completely like a different person.'
He previously looked like a devil king, but now, he was like an angel who had descended from the highest heaven.
"Hmm? What's wrong?" he leaned in slightly, causing her face to turn red like a tomato.
"No…nothing!" she turned around shyly.
"Hehe." He chuckled softly when he saw her cute behavior.
'She is a shy girl.'
He added in mind.
Ren suddenly remembered something important. "Ah, right. Can you tell me the way out of this forest?"
She turned to face him. "Way out of the forest? Are you lost?"
"Ehm!" he pretended to clear his throat. "… Let's just say I took a wrong turn somewhere."
"Hehe." She giggled.
'So, he got lost.'
She finally knew why he looked a little puzzled when she saw him earlier.
"Are you from the city?" she asked.
"Yes. I came to this forest to look for something, but instead of finding what I wanted, I ran into these two annoying old men." He could see most of his predecessor's memories, so he knew why he was in the forest.
"I also don't know which way leads to the city because this forest is so vast." She gave an honest answer. "But my mother and most of the adult men in my village do. How about you come to my village with me? I will ask them to take you to the city later."
"Sure!" he agreed instantly.
Then, she took him to her village.
Several minutes later, they reached their destination.
Shadowleaf Village!
The village was located in a valley surrounded by mountains, with a river flowing about fifty meters from the high wooden walls.
Inside the walls stood hundreds of wooden houses.
Small farms were scattered around the village, and thin smoke billowed from chimneys as the villagers went about their daily work.
Even though they lived far from the city, they were all happy. The villagers also treated each other like family because they still valued togetherness and unity.
"Hmm? Isn't that Elara?" Daniel, who guarded the gate, caught sight of her and Ren.
"Ah, right! But who is that young man?" the blue-haired man named Sean asked curiously.
"Is it her secret boyfriend?" Daniel joked around.
"Let's tease her." Sean grinned widely.
Once they were at the gate, Elara greeted Daniel and Sean.
"Hello, uncle Daniel, uncle Sean." Even though she was the village head's daughter, she was still polite to everyone.
This was one of the reasons why the villagers liked her very much.
"Elara, your boyfriend is so handsome. You caught a good one!" Daniel gave a thumbs-up. "Good job!"
"So, are you going to introduce your lover to your mother, Elara?" Sean asked with a teasing smile.
Elara's face instantly turned red. "He…he is my savior!"
"Haha!" Daniel and Sean laughed loudly when they saw her cute behavior.
Ren chuckled softly as he watched them.
'It seems like she is loved by the villagers.'
From their teasing, he could tell that she had a good relationship with them.
Sean approached Ren and wrapped his hand around Ren's neck. "Young man, what is your name? Are you from a nearby village?"
"I'm Ren from Valoria City." Ren gave an honest answer.
"Valoria City?" Sean was a little shocked. "So, did you meet Elara in the forest?"
"Yes." Ren nodded.
"Oh! Does that mean it was love at first sight?" Daniel didn't stop the tease.
"It's not!" Elara grabbed Ren's hand and dragged him away. "Ren, let's go to my house immediately."
She would die from embarrassment if they stayed longer because she knew Daniel and Sean would keep teasing her.
Ren didn't say anything and only followed her.
"Daniel, it seems like she can't wait to introduce her boyfriend to her family." Sean raised his voice so that Ren and Elara could hear it.
"Elara, tell us when your family has decided on the wedding date," Daniel shouted.
"Haha." They laughed when she walked faster while blushing.
"You seem to have a good relationship with them." He found their banter funny and warm.
"They just like to tease me." Despite that, she didn't hate them.
"So, are you a village head's daughter?" he asked.
"Yes," she replied. "My mother is the village chief."
"Your mother?" he said in surprise.
She still acted normally because she had guessed his reaction. "My father passed away when I was little, and since then, my mother has been taking over his duties as the village head."
"I see." He was suddenly curious about her mother because it was rare for a woman to be the leader.
Normally, they would choose a new village chief if the previous one died because women were considered incapable of carrying out the heavy duty.
Since her mother was able to maintain her status as village head, that meant she had something that made the villagers believe, respect and follow her.
Not long after that, they arrived at their destination.
Elara's house was quite big with a shady tree in front of it. Although it was surrounded by a wooden fence, its height was only about one meter, so they could see the house clearly.
After they stepped into the front yard, Ren saw a mature lady reading a book while sitting on a tree swing.
Her long black hair descended to her waist like a waterfall, and her full breasts matched perfectly with her slender and graceful figure.
She only had light makeup, yet it seemed as if her face was elaborately drawn by a world-class artist.
The name of the gorgeous woman was Aveline Moonvile, Elara's mother.
Aveline's violet eyes shifted from her book when the sound of footsteps reached her ears. The moment she saw her daughter, her beautiful face blossomed into a smile.
"Welcome back, Elara." Curiosity emerged within her as Aveline's gaze fell on Ren.
'Hmm? Who is he?'
She had never met him before, so she had no idea who he was.
"Are you my daughter's friend?" she asked with a gentle smile.
"Hello, I'm Ren." Ren introduced himself. "I met Elara in the forest an hour ago."
"Mother, Ren is my savior." Elara began explaining what had happened to her.
Aveline closed her book and rose to her feet. "Thank you for saving my daughter."
"You don't need to because they are also my enemies." Ren could tell from her behavior that Aveline was a gentle and kind person.
"Mother, do you know the way to Valoria City?" Elara asked. "Ren got lost in the forest and doesn't know the way home."
The corner of his lips twitched.
'She really knows how to make me sound helpless.'
He wanted to correct her, but decided against it in the end.
"Hehe." Aveline could not stop herself from giggling after seeing his expression.
'My daughter is so bad!'
Of course, she knew that her daughter didn't mean to embarrass him because she was a straightforward person.
"I do, but we don't go to the city every day," Aveline told him that it would take them four days to reach Valoria City.
Normally, they would only go to the city once every week or two because the journey was dangerous.
"We will go to Valoria City next week. Why don't you stay at my house for the time being?" Aveline asked.