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This meant he wasn\'t exactly an expert in interacting with non-humans, but that was nothing a bit of good old-fashioned experimenting could fix.

Of course, he didn\'t immediately jump to summoning demons. That sounded like a quick way of seeing if he\'d be lucky enough to have a third life, and he didn\'t feel like abandoning his new family yet.

But the town of Floria held everything he could ask for. Wandering adventurers from all over the country came by to try their hand at the Green Ocean\'s hidden treasures, and though they didn\'t often have time to entertain a local kid, even just observing how they behaved was enough to give him an idea of what to expect. Then there were the few non-human residents, like Elia and her family, who were exuberant beyond anything he knew, or even old Ogden, the local alchemist, who claimed to be half kobold.

Admittedly, Nick\'s mom had told him it was more likely that he had been the unfortunate result of a potion experiment gone wrong that coated him in reptilian scales rather than the spawn of a human and a kobold, two species that weren\'t known to be able to reproduce together without magical aid. But he was weird enough to be helpful anyway.

None of that prepared him to face an actual fae.

Old Nick\'s grandfather had been extremely clear that he was to avoid giving anything away to the immortal beings, from his name to his word. "Avoid them entirely if possible, and if not, do not offend them and treat them as politely as you would royalty" had been his words, and he\'d stick to them in this new world too, unless he saw significant proof that they weren\'t the same type of being.

Which I doubt since fae are known to travel between worlds. I\'m sure some are nastier and some kinder, but it\'s better not to risk it.

"I have to say, I expected another foolish Druid trying to steal control over the forest. Not a kid barely old enough to have a class."

The dryad\'s voice was so mellifluous that it almost sounded fake. The smile she directed his way prevented any possible resentment from forming. She stepped closer, extending a hand as if to reach for his.

"Never heard of stranger danger?" Nick casually replied, stepping back and looking just above the fae\'s shoulder. He wouldn\'t make the mistake of not responding, but inviting a discussion with a being he couldn\'t understand felt like a foolish decision.

Luckily, rather than take offense, the dryad chuckled. Her leafy mane rustled with the movement, perfectly framing her face.

Sensing that Elia was overcoming her initial surprise and was about to speak, Nick grabbed her wrist and pulled her back. A stern look was enough to shut her up for the moment.

"Yes, you mortals and your tendency to lose sight of your young can have some consequences." She replied. "That still doesn\'t explain why you felt you had the right to take control of my territory, little human."

Nick felt the weight of the dryad\'s words settle around him like a noose tightening. Her tone was light, almost playful, but there was an underlying edge to it that he couldn\'t afford to ignore. She was testing him, toying with him, and one wrong word could see him bound in some fae contract, or worse.

I don\'t know what\'s worse than that, but I\'m sure she\'ll find something. Immortal beings have to be good at avoiding boredom.

He kept his expression calm, careful not to show any signs of unease. He had to think quickly and choose his words even more carefully.

"I didn\'t claim anything," Nick replied smoothly, keeping his gaze respectfully averted from her piercing eyes. "Just momentarily used what I had at hand to survive. The wolf threatened us, and I protected myself and my friend."

The dryad raised an eyebrow, her smile widening. "Using, you say? How interesting. And yet, this land belongs to me. The roots you used are mine, as are the trees that grow from them. So, what you call \'using\' feels more like taking what\'s not yours. Don\'t you agree?"

Nick knew where she was trying to lead him. Admitting that he\'d taken something without permission would be akin to confessing a debt. Once he owed her something, the dryad could demand repayment in ways far beyond his ability to satisfy. That was how fae worked in his old world\'s legends, and it looked like they were the same here—using honeyed words and twisted logic to ensnare those foolish enough to make mistakes in their presence.

He wasn\'t about to fall into that trap. Nick had trained for years by reading through terms of service and innumerable subscriptions to save money. Few could match a megacorporation when it came to greed.

"That would be the case if this were your land," Nick said carefully, "but this part of the forest isn\'t just yours. The outer reaches of the Green Ocean have long been under joint control with the kingdom of Illumia. The kingdom protects the roads, the towns, and the people who live along its borders. The laws of reality acknowledge this, and since there\'s been no claim to this land by the forest\'s residents in all this time, it stands to reason that those who protect it also have the right to use it. I acted within those rights."

The dryad\'s smile faltered for just a moment, her eyes narrowing as she regarded him with renewed interest. Clearly, she hadn\'t expected such a well-reasoned response from a child. But instead of anger, her amusement deepened, and her form seemed to shift subtly. Her features became less human, more otherworldly, as though she were dropping some of the pretense of civility. Her eyes glowed brighter, and her leafy hair seemed to rustle with a breeze that wasn\'t there.

"Clever little mortal," she purred, slowly stepping closer. The air around them thickened, and mana pressed down upon them like a heavy blanket. Elia stiffened beside Nick, instinctively forming claws, but Nick subtly shook his head, warning her to stay calm. This wasn\'t a fight they could win with brute strength. Just the mana the fae was expelling to intimidate them was enough to eclipse his entire pool, and he wasn\'t about to reach for the leyline below his feet now that he knew there was a guardian. That would end any remaining civility, which was their most potent protection.

"You dance well with your words. But you forget… my roots stretch deep. This land is mine in ways your kingdom could never understand. The trees, the earth, the air—they all answer to me. And you used them without my blessing."

Her smile grew sharper and more predatory, and Nick could feel the pressure in the air increasing. Mana swirled around the dryad like a storm, thick with power and menace. The trees groaned and twisted without her uttering a single word, showing a mastery he had never been capable of. She wasn\'t just toying with them anymore; she was sizing them up, testing how far she could push before he broke.

Nick kept his face calm, even as his heart pounded like a drum. He hadn\'t been this tense since that time in Nepal with the crazy monks trying to achieve enlightenment by dropping a mountain on their head—and that of every nearby settlement.

"And yet, you didn\'t stop me," he pointed out. "If this land was solely yours, if your control was so absolute, you could have intervened at any time, but you didn\'t. Which means you recognized, at least in some small part, the right of use that comes with the kingdom\'s protection. If you\'re suggesting I\'ve been rude, then I apologize, but I acted within the bounds of that right."

The dryad tilted her head, her smile fading into something more serious. "Apology, hmm? That is an interesting word. But apologies do not erase debts. And your actions, little human, have created one."

Nick tensed. This was it—the moment she\'d try to bind him. He couldn\'t allow that to happen, not even through a seemingly harmless promise. He was about to respond when Elia, who had been silent up until now, suddenly stepped forward, her voice steady despite the tension in the air. "We didn\'t come here to take anything from you," Elia growled, her eyes locking onto the dryad\'s. "We were just trying to survive. If that\'s a crime, then maybe the rules need to change."

Nick winced internally, but the dryad only laughed, the sound echoing eerily through the clearing. "Oh, little fox, you have fire in you. But fire burns bright and quickly in your kind. Best not to speak of things beyond your understanding." The dryad\'s gaze returned to Nick, her expression calculating. "Very well, mortal. I won\'t press this… debt further. You\'ve argued well enough to avoid it, for now. But remember, your kingdom\'s laws do not so easily apply to this forest. The next time you take what\'s not yours without permission, I may not be so forgiving."

With that, she turned, her form dissolving into the tree\'s bark as if she had never been there. The pressure in the air lifted, and Nick released a breath he hadn\'t realized he\'d been holding.

"And so I told her off! And let me tell you, that damn plant lady certainly wasn\'t expecting it! She ran away immediately after I showed my claws!"

Long beyond any care about the image he was portraying, Nick groaned in his hands, shrinking in his seat as if that would protect him from the consequences of what had happened.

To be sure, he was glad they had avoided dying to a rabid beast and even more so that his first encounter with a fae ended in just a scare, but he would have really appreciated it if Elia could have kept her mouth shut for half a second after their return to civilization.

If he were honest, Nick would admit that they couldn\'t avoid telling the truth. The whole mess might have seemed almost too fast to believe while he was living through it, but apparently, it had taken them well over two hours to reappear after they first left, and that was enough time for the priests supervising the children to realize they were missing and call upon the vicar.

Emerging from the forest unharmed had been enough to stem the worst of it—luckily, no one had sent for his mother yet—but they couldn\'t avoid explaining their disappearance.

He would have done so without a problem, despite how tired he was feeling after all that happened, but Elia had jumped into it before he could gather the words, and interrupting her would have just shown he thought he needed to hide something.

Vicar Alexander had allowed the foxgirl to complete her tale with a carefully neutral expression that slowly started to shift into stony disapproval. Still, to his credit, he didn\'t raise his voice.

"I have lived here for thirty years. For eighteen, I\'ve been the vicar. Never have I seen a dryad emerge from the deeper woods, especially not to confront two kids." His voice was closer to a hiss than Nick felt comfortable with. "In all your fantastical explanation, neither of you remembered to tell me why the dryad appeared."

Elia blinked, likely surprised that the older man was so mad about what she thought to be a fun adventure. "Oh, that\'s because Nick used her roots!"

Oh heavens. Why oh why can\'t she keep her mouth shut for once?! Aren\'t foxes supposed to be sneaky?

Nick resisted the urge to gulp when the vicar\'s frigid stare turned to him. Yeah, he wasn\'t wiggling out of this one.