Before Orion could say a word, Iris immediately responded, "We are in the garden, which is a place where we Prismerions get our food, and anything that we need to sustain our lives."
Seth shifted his attention to Iris and nodded in understanding. Still, the frown on his face did not loosen up.
"That should mean that she is here, right?" Seth asked as he turned to take a good look around the garden once more.
Already knowing who Seth was talking about since the warriors had asked them some questions, which they had used to learn about each other little by little while Orion was away, Iris nodded in response.
"Yes, if she's anywhere in the Prismerian kingdom, then I can assure you that she is here," she responded.
After receiving confirmation from Iris, Seth's gaze met Orion's. It was as though they had a tacit understanding of what they wanted to say without uttering a word to each other.
It was easy for Orion to discern that Seth also wanted to know what had happened when they had gone unconscious, but he had already promised to explain everything to them properly later. As such, he quickly shifted his attention towards the several tiny incoming humanoid beings in the distance, whom he recognized as the Pixies, approaching them rapidly.
Initially, Orion was relieved, thinking the Pixies knew their current location and had come to help. However, as he squinted his eyes and observed them heading in their direction armed with pointing sticks and small metal spears, Orion realized that they might have perceived them as intruders, considering how they had just materialized out of thin air.
He wasn't the only one who noticed; everyone else could see the multitude of armed pixies approaching.
"STOP!" Iris screamed at the top of her lungs, immediately racing forward and standing protectively before Orion.
The other Crystalforge clan's warriors followed suit, positioning themselves defensively in front of the remaining warriors.
Observing the Pixies persisting in their advance, Iris and the other members of the Crystalforge Clan promptly activated their clan abilities. Almost immediately, a thick crystal wall materialized in the air before them, some sections smooth while others were rough, and it quickly extended to the ground.
The Pixies came to a sudden stop in mid-flight, their realization evident as they recognized the identity of the intruders.
Taking note of this, Iris and the other Crystalforge warriors swiftly dissipated the crystal wall they had conjured, choosing not to escalate the tension with the Guardians of the Garden any further.
The Pixies diverted their attention from the peculiar newcomers, briefly examining them before their gaze shifted to Orion.
Instantly, their eyes widened in surprise upon spotting him. Some hurriedly went to alert the tree nymph of Orion's return, while others charged toward him, aiming to corner him.
"Don't worry, I don't think they want to harm me," Orion reassured Fifi, his words directed at her as she seemed ready to take action when she noticed the Pixies approaching.
Reluctantly, she halted her steps, observing the relaxed expression on Orion's face. She watched as the Pixies circled around him, forming a small hurricane of small humanoid-winged figures buzzing around him.
…
After a few minutes of anticipation, Orion spotted a familiar tree nymph with a deep blue upper body and a light crimson lower body. She was clad in a tight vine, short dress, swiftly heading in his direction.
It was Saria!
With teary eyes filled with emotions, she raced towards him, not slowing down until she arrived before him.
Before the eyes of everyone, the hurricane of pixies immediately dispersed into the air.
Some sighed in relief as they returned to their previous activities, while others lingered to watch and keep an eye on the unknown figures following Orion.
"...Orion.. Hicc… Hiccc… I thought something bad had happened to you! Why didn't you come back and tell me you're okay? Why.. Hicc… Hiccc~~" Saria cried out emotionally, wrapping all four limbs around Orion as if afraid to let him go.
"Hicc… I was so worried that you had died, and I wouldn't be able to see you again," she added.
Orion embraced her, preventing her from falling, and gently comforted her. Using his right hand, he calmly brushed her hair, gazed into her teary eyes, and said, "I'm sorry for making you worry."
"Alright. But don't do it again," Saria responded, staring at Orion with swollen, teary eyes and a firm expression that was almost too cute for him to resist.
Upon hearing Saria's words, Orion responded firmly, "Okay, I won't do it again," tightening his grip gently around Saria before jokingly adding, "Although I don't mind this, however, what do you think would happen if rumours about us spread around the Village because of our closeness?"
Saria buried her head on Orion's shoulders, "I don't mind," she said, her voice almost as small as a mosquito.
"Hahaahaa… If that's the case, then I think you should tell it to their faces so they can hear you clearly," Orion said.
Even if he wasn't consciously trying to get another tree nymph partner like Anara and was just trying to help her recover, it seems that his charm was too strong for her to resist. Well, not that he was complaining since he planned to have a big family after all.
However, just in case, he would have to find out the reason why Anara had given birth prematurely and the solution for Grace's current condition so that the same thing doesn't happen again.
Saria, however, withdrew her head from Orion's shoulder and stared at him curiously before she shifted to the side. Her eyes first landed on the Crystalforge clan's warriors before they landed on Fifi and the rest of the other warriors.
Both her eyes immediately widened in disbelief. She examined them briefly, looking at their familiar tulga, the weapons in their hands, and the bags hanging behind their backs just to make sure that she wasn't just seeing things before she came to the conclusion that they were really here.
