Rodenius, Principality of Kua Toine, elven holy land, Reen Noa Forest
The forest was dense and moist. It had large trees blocking the sky, forcing sunlight to filter through branches and leaves before it reached the ground. There was a small river nearby that was clear and pristine. The air was clean and slightly humid, filled with the sound of running water and chirping birds. A cool, gentle wind blew.
At the entrance to the Reen Noa Forest, the elven holy land, two high elves waited. Their names were Meena and Uor.
âI really donât like⌠letting humanfolk into the holy land,â Uor muttered.
In all his life, he had never seen any race other than elves enter the forest. Throughout all of history, the first and last time it happened had been when the coalition of races used the Reen Noa Forest, then called the Sacred Forest, as their final bastion against the demon lordâs invasion, back when the elvesâ god still lived among them. Now, races other than elves didnât particularly have any reason to enter the forest, except perhaps if there were an emergency.
âUor!!! You canât say that to our guests! The people coming today arenât just regular humans, theyâre from Japan! They rescued Kua Toine from Rowliaâs invasion, and they also helped our kin when they were being chased by cavalry while evacuating from their village! I also heard that Japan was the one who defeated the resurrected Demon Lord Nosgoorah in the Topa Kingdom.â
âMeena, youâre too gullible. You should first question whether the demon lord even actually came back, let alone whether Japan truly defeated it!â
While the two argued, they heard a sound like something chopping the air. They turned to look at the source of that sound.\nâWha⌠What is that?!â
As high elves, the pair spent most of their lives deep within the forest, so this was their first time seeing one of Japanâs vehicles, a helicopter.
âI-It canât be!!! A flying boat?!â
The story about the emissaries of the God of the Sun came to mind. Soon after, the helicopter landed in front of them and a number of humans came out from inside of it. Two of the humans wore gray clothing, while the other four had mottled-green clothing. One of the humans wearing gray, a middle-aged man, came forward.
âMy name is Nakamura, Iâm an archaeologist. I would like to express my appreciation and gratitude in advance for your guidance within your holy land.â
Japan saved the Principality of Kua Toine in its time of crisis. They were expecting them to be arrogant over that fact, so it was almost anticlimactic for Nakamura to bow this low before them.
âCome this way⌠itâs a bit of a hike.â\nThe Japanese investigation team followed the two high elves. Two hours laterâŚ
âHaah, haah, haah, are⌠are we almost there yet?â
The investigation team was completely exhausted.
âGoodness, are you already tired? Haha⌠I heard that you come from a land of capable warriors who defeated the Kingdom of Rowlia and saved the Topa Kingdom from the demon lord, so this is somewhat unexpected,â Meena laughed in response. âIt really is just a bit further, so please do your best.â
âThis place is crazy, though. Our compasses just spin in circles here, without a guide we would never have been able to get anywhere.â
âIn the age of myth, this place was used as the last stronghold for the coalition of races after they had been invaded by the demon lordâs armies. Unless you can hear the forestâs voice, youâll quickly find yourself lost.â
They kept walking. Thirty minutes later, they arrived at a grass-covered, dome-shaped building. Meena looked back and began to recite a story.
âThis building holds a treasure to the high elves. As you know, during the age of myth, the demon lordâs armies invaded Rodenius. The demon lordâs magic power was immense, so in order to oppose it and its army of demons, all the races banded together to form the coalition of races, an allied army. Unfortunately, the demon lordâs army was too powerful. The coalition of races suffered defeat after defeat, their strongest and most valiant warriors slain one after another. They had to retreat into the Sacred Forest, the elvesâ holy land.
\nâWhat the hell is going on?!â
Meena, concerned at the Japanese investigation teamâs strange reaction, asked, âWhatâs wrong? While this is our treasure, itâs also true that itâs not of this world, so why are you so surprised?â
The Japanese investigation team had frozen solid; it didnât appear that any of them heard Meenaâs question.
âThatâs⌠a ze.. a zeâŚâ
During World War II, the Zero fighter was a symbol of the Empire of Japan. At the start of the war, these planes dominated the air and were feared by both America and the United Kingdom as âthe Zero demonsâ or âthe invincible Zeroesâ whenever they appeared on battlefields.
The mystery only deepened.
Later, the Japanese government learned about this Zero fighter and decided to thoroughly research the mythology of this world.