Chapter 7:

CINDERELLA VISITS THE ELF VILLAGE (1)

Becoming the #1 Idol in Another World


Holding the little elf girl's hand tightly, I stepped out of the cell, my legs aching from running and fighting. In front of us stood a narrow, winding staircase leading upward—the only visible exit.

I beckoned for her to stay close and follow behind me, and she nodded silently.

We hurried up the creaking wooden steps, and as we reached the top, they opened into an old, dusty warehouse—wooden crates stacked haphazardly, with chains and ropes strewn across the floor.

Then, I pushed open the main door.

And froze.

A thick jungle stretched out in every direction. Towering trees loomed over us, their leaves blotting out the sky. The air was humid, filled with chirping bugs and the cries of distant creatures.

And then—suddenly—silence returned to my ears.

“Just… where exactly am I?” I muttered, taking a cautious step onto the damp forest floor.

I had no idea where to go. North, south—what even was north in a place like this?

I turned to the girl for answers, but she was already pointing toward a narrow path that disappeared into the trees. Her small face was unusually serious.

She gave me a nod.

I didn’t know why, but I trusted her. Maybe she knew this area. Maybe it was instinct. Either way, I didn’t have time to question it.

Without hesitation, I took her hand again and ran.

We dashed through the jungle, dodging vines and leaping over roots, deeper and deeper into the unknown. My lungs burned, and sweat drenched my back. I could barely feel my legs.

Finally, when I could run no more, I dropped to my knees, gasping.

I let go of the little girl’s hand and collapsed onto a patch of moss. My chest heaved as I struggled to catch my breath.

“Just... a second...” I wheezed.

Once my breathing steadied, I reached behind me—my fingers brushing against the small chain pocket at my waist. My phone! If it still worked, I could—

I pulled it out, only to feel something cold and wet.

“Damn it!” I groaned.

Water dripped out of the charging port and down the side of the screen. The display was black and broken.

I stared at the useless device, frustration rising in my chest… but then something unexpected happened.

I laughed.

First, it was a small, helpless chuckle. Then it grew into full-blown laughter, uncontrollable and wild.

“Pfft... hahahaha!” I doubled over, clutching my stomach. It hurt—from exhaustion, and maybe a little from the ridiculousness of it all. But I couldn’t stop.

No more notifications popping up. No threatening emails or disgusting comments on my social media profile.

It felt... good. Like a weight had finally lifted off my chest. And maybe it helped that I got to blow off some steam too.

“You’re weird, lady,” a small voice piped up.

I paused mid-laugh, blinking at the little elf girl who was watching me with a puzzled expression.

“There’s absolutely a perfectly valid reason I’m laughing,” I said quickly, waving my hands, embarrassed. “It’s not like I usually laugh for no reason or anything…”

She tilted her head. “Then why are you talking to that shiny, colorful stone?”

I blinked. “You mean... my phone?” I held it up.

She looked even more confused. Almost like, she’d never seen one before.

“You don’t know what this is?” I asked, but before I could explain, another realization hit me. My eyes widened.

“Wait... you can understand me?!”

“Yes?” she said as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

“Since when?”

She tapped her chin thoughtfully. “Hmm... I think since your chains broke.”

“I see.” I still wasn’t sure if it had anything to do with the chain, but that didn’t matter right now.

I crouched down to meet the girl’s eyes. “Are you okay?” I asked gently, glancing around the forest to make sure no one had followed us. “I think we’re far enough from that place.”

“I’m fine now,” she nodded.

“Just who were those people?” I asked. “And... where are we exactly?”

She looked down, her voice quieter. “They were slave traders. They captured me when I wandered too far from my village.”

“Village?”

She pointed behind her as if referring to this vast jungle. “This is the Great Forest of Lunaria. My village should be nearby.”

“Wait... Lunaria Forest? Never heard of it. That’s not anywhere in Japan…”

She gave me a curious look. “Japan? I’ve never heard of that place.”

My stomach dropped.

This wasn’t just some forest outside Tokyo.

Wherever I was... it wasn’t my world anymore.

"Just what is going on...?" I murmured, staring up at the canopy of trees swaying gently above. "I’m sure I was going to die... I remember falling from that bridge. There was no way I could have survived that drop."

“My name is Eri. You were badly hurt and bleeding when I found you,” the little girl said, concern shining in her eyes.

That’s not a Japanese name. Is she a foreigner? I wondered.

Right… I remembered now. That small figure trying to dry me off with a cloth.

“You’re the one who was trying to help me… Thank you.”

She gave a proud nod. "The fairies told me you were in danger and that you might get badly sick, so I did my best to help."

Fairies...? I blinked, unsure. So, she was still at that age where imagination and reality blurred together.

Still, she had a kind heart. That much was clear.

Just then, my stomach let out a loud growl, echoing awkwardly into the woods.

I clutched my belly in embarrassment. "I must’ve been knocked out for a while... I haven’t eaten anything."

"I know!" she beamed, jumping to her feet. "Wait here."

She rushed over to a nearby tree, raised both hands, and began waving them in slow, graceful motions—whispering something softly to the bark.

I tilted my head, watching in amusement. "Is she... talking to a tree? How cute.”

But the moment I thought that—the impossible happened.

The tree moved.

Its thick branch creaked and lowered slowly—deliberately—until its limbs hovered just above the girl, heavy with plump, pink fruits.

My eyes widened. "H-Huh?!"

My jaw nearly unhinged. I rubbed my eyes, convinced I was hallucinating. But the scene didn’t vanish.

There she was, calmly plucking fruit from the tree’s lowered limb.

She bowed politely to the tree—the tree—then ran back to me with her tiny hands full of berries.

“Here, eat these,” she said, offering them to me with a bright smile.

I looked back, and the branch gently raised itself and returned to its normal position, as if nothing had happened.

Still stunned and starving, I grabbed one, took a bite—then instantly freaked out.
“W-What just happened? How did you do that…?”

She tilted her head, confused. "That was wood magic. Don’t you know? All elves can do that."

"Magic? Elves...?" I echoed dumbly.

So all this wasn’t some underground trafficking ring selling exotic-looking humans with special abilities to perform in a circus troupe.

"Are you okay?" asked the little girl who claimed to be an elf, noticing my stunned expression.

I—No! No, I’m not okay! I just saw someone talk to a tree—and it listened to her!

"I can’t believe it? If you can really use real magic? Then why didn’t you use it before, when you were captured to escape?” I half-laughed, half-shouted.

The little elf girl blinked, then nodded calmly. "Of course. But earlier, I couldn’t use magic. They put magic restraint chains on me, so I couldn’t call for help. Now that they’re gone, I can ask the fairies to guide us back to my village."

Even as she said that, a soft green light flickered into existence in front of her. A tiny glowing orb, like a living firefly, floated forward—and the trees ahead began to sway in its direction.

The path was revealing itself.

"See? This way," she said, pointing.

My mind reeled.

"Magic... restraint chains... elves... fox-eared girls... enchanted forests..."

I took a deep breath. “No. No, no, no. This can’t be happening. Doesn’t stuff like this only happen in anime or web novels!”

My heart pounded as the realization finally sank in.

“...Don’t tell me. I’ve somehow ended up in another world?”

I stared at the berries in my hand. The little elf girl. The glowing green orb of light.

Everything felt too real.

“This doesn’t make any sense. Isn’t all that reincarnation or transmigration stuff for... shut-ins and jobless gamers?!”

I clutched my head as panic rose.

“I’m not a NEET! I had a life! A career! A future back home! Aspirations!”

I began pacing in frantic little circles, mumbling to myself.

“Did I die? Was it... that stupid Truck-kun? Don’t tell me I got hit by the infamous truck and got reincarnated!”

“What’s a Truck-kun?” the elf girl asked innocently.

I ignored her question, spiraling into existential dread.

“Why me?! I lived a proper life! I wasn’t a saint or anything, but I never did anything that bad.”

I started counting on my fingers.

“Okay, I cut in line sometimes. And maybe knocked out a few people—but only because they really annoyed me first! Otherwise, I was a decent human being!”

I dropped to my knees.

“So why me? What went wrong?”

Steampocalypse
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