Berikut adalah terjemahan lengkap bagian "Hari ke 24" ke dalam bahasa Inggris, sesuai permintaanmu:
Day 24 – Tripoint of the Allegmaine Kingdom, the Valtoria Forest, and the Papacy of Saint Oder
"It looks like we'll have to take a detour through the Valtoria Forest," said Charles from the front seat.
"Why?"
"If we follow the usual route, we'll enter the Papacy of Saint Oder. There's a checkpoint up ahead. They're extremely hostile toward demonfolk. Of course, we don't want to deal with them."
"Wouldn't the detour take a lot more time?"
"Of course. But this is still within our agreed 35-day timeline from yesterday."
"If we kept going along the main route, how many days would it take to reach Nothredam?"
"Just five days faster. But that's not worth the risk. It's better to detour. What do you think? Try asking Clarissa."
I turned to look at Clarissa. Unfortunately, she was still sound asleep on my shoulder. "Clarissa's still asleep. But I'm sure she'd agree."
"Alright, then. We'll turn toward the Valtoria Forest."
From what I know, the Valtoria Forest is home to the elves. The area is still covered by dense woods that block out most of the sunlight. We immediately turned left, onto a narrower path than the main road.
The vast grasslands quickly turned into a forest filled with towering trees. The trees here are so dense that only a little sunlight makes it through. As far as I could tell, the forest was dominated by oaks, pines, birches, and maples. I didn't know how old these trees were, but some of them must've been ancient.
"Hey Charles, aren't you from around here? From Valtoria?"
"Yeah, you're right. Why?"
"So why did you decide to leave the forest and explore the world?"
"There are many reasons, but let's just say I got bored. Life in Valtoria is too monotonous. Every day is just waking up, eating breakfast, tending the fields, gathering firewood, and studying magic. But outside of Valtoria, I'm free to do all sorts of things."
"Wait, did you say studying magic? Elves study magic too?"
"Of course. Here, magic is like a way to raise your social rank. If your magical power is strong enough, you can become a High Elf."
"High Elf?"
"High Elves are the top leaders of the elves who live in Valtoria. There are 13 of them, and three even serve on the Magic Council of the Southern Empire."
"By the way, where are the elves? I haven't seen a single one during this whole journey."
"Elves aren't like humans who live just anywhere—they live in designated villages. In this forest, there are two elf villages. The northern one is the largest and most populated, and that's where the High Elves live. The southern village is small and sparsely populated. It borders the Demon Kingdom to the west and is near the battlefield between humans and demons. That's why most people prefer to live in the north."
"Hmmm… I'm curious what their village looks like. Charles, can you take us there?"
"No can do. It's too risky since we're traveling with a demonfolk."
"If they hate demonfolk too, then why are we going through here in the first place?" I asked, a bit annoyed.
"There are only guards when you enter a village. As long as we don't veer off into one, we'll be fine," Charles replied confidently.
Our carriage suddenly jolted—it felt like we had just hit a tree root. The bump caused Clarissa's head, which had been resting on my shoulder, to jolt and smack into the wall of the carriage. She woke up, rubbing her head.
"What's going on, Charles? Drive properly, will you?" Clarissa grumbled sleepily.
She yawned and rubbed her eyes.
"A-a-ah sorry, I think we just ran over a tree root," said Charles.
"This place… I think I recognize it…" Clarissa muttered softly.
"Oh yeah, sorry we didn't ask your opinion. We decided to take the detour through the Valtoria Forest instead of going into the Papacy of Saint Oder," said Charles.
"You were sleeping so soundly that I didn't have the heart to wake you," I added.
"Well, that's fine. I don't feel like dealing with those holier-than-thou types anyway," Clarissa said sincerely.
"But how long will it take if we go this detour route?" Clarissa asked.
"Only about a day longer than the main route, but that's worth it to avoid the risk," I answered.
"Well, if it's just a one-day difference, then it's no problem," Clarissa agreed.
The sun was rising higher, now almost directly overhead. Charles led us to rest near a small lake not far from our path. I stretched out my legs and breathed in the fresh air. Ahhh… no air this fresh in Japan. I couldn't believe it had already been 24 days since I arrived in this world. I've learned so much about this place. Honestly, it's not that different from my old world. In fact, many plants from Earth still exist here. Fascinating—it means this world isn't entirely alien, but more like a branching version of the same universe. No, the parallel world theory is just that—a theory. Even in quantum physics, it's speculative. But if this really is happening, then the theory is true. That would mean there are things not found in my world, like certain vegetation or geographic features, that do exist here. Magic might be one of those things too. Heh… this just keeps getting more and more interesting.
"Akira, why are you smiling to yourself? What's up?" Clarissa asked, walking by me.
"Nothing. Just daydreaming," I said.
"Hm… what kind of daydream?" Clarissa sat next to me.
"It's too complicated for someone like you to understand. Even people from my old world probably wouldn't get it."
"Well, excuse me, Mr. Know-It-All," Clarissa teased.
"Sorry to keep you waiting." Charles came over after feeding and watering the horses. He sat cross-legged beside me.
"What were you two talking about?" Charles asked curiously.
"Nothing important. Just small talk," I replied.
"By the way, Charles, is this forest just a regular forest where elves live? Is there nothing special about it?" I asked, breaking the silence.
"Ehmm… well, pretty much. But lots of magical artifacts have been found in this area. One of them hasn't even been touched by anyone yet."
"Whoa… does the artifact hold incredible power?" I asked.
"Absolutely. It's called The Eye That Knows Everything, though people just call it God's Eye. Supposedly, it looks just like an ordinary eye. Its power is immense—they say it can grant any wish you desire," Clarissa answered.
"Even so, no one's ever been able to obtain it," said Charles.
"Why not?" I asked, now even more curious.
"No one really knows. When you stand before it, it'll ask you what you want. Then it'll ask what makes you interesting. The problem is, most people can't answer either question. The God's Eye seems to be bored by people's knowledge and achievements. Any accomplishments—like massive territories, powerful magic, or physical strength—get dismissed outright, as if they're just mundane," said Charles.
"Many have tried—kings, grand mages—but they've all failed. That's why the artifact is considered impossible to obtain," Clarissa added.
Hmm… looks like I've just stumbled upon something interesting. One way or another, I will get that artifact someday.