Elf Dinner and Sweet Misunderstandings
‘Forget this village's problems for now—I’ve got my own stuff to handle.’
After finishing the village tour with Silleia, we returned home to find a mouthwatering dinner spread out on the table.
“Come on in, kids~”
Silleia's mother, Rune, welcomed us surprisingly warmly.
I figured it'd be super awkward after what I saw earlier today.
Her overly kind attitude left me at a loss for how to respond. Whether she sensed my discomfort or not, she kept chatting with us.
“You're Seha, right? I'm not sure if it'll suit a human's taste, but I put a lot of effort into preparing it.”
The table was filled with veggie-heavy dishes, just as you'd expect from elves.
Ugh, but I hate eggplant.
I quickly shoved the eggplant side dish aside, but I was so focused on listening to Rune that I barely had time to eat.
“Seha, you're starting training tomorrow to prepare for going outside the forest. Ivelin, the search team leader who brought you to the village, will handle your basic physical conditioning.”
She was talking about that snobby elf who'd been rude to me. The thought of training under such a rigid guy already gave me a headache.
He's not gonna make me do eight rounds of guerrilla exercises like in boot camp, is he?
With my pathetic stats—Durability: 2, Strength: 3, Agility: 4—I probably wouldn't last a minute before begging for mercy.
Her next words were even more unexpected.
“And I'll be your magic instructor. You might have heard from Silleia, but I'm pretty decent among the elves, you know?”
“Whoa, really?”
Learning magic from her sounded reassuring. Even after seeing what happened with Silleia earlier, she was still treating me kindly. I could already imagine her soothing me with that soft, gentle voice.
How did such a noisy, hyper daughter come from a mom like that?
Elves don't reproduce like humans with crystals; they come from seeds given by the World Tree, so maybe that's just how it works. Still, a mom's a mom, I guess?
Throughout dinner, she kept sharing stories about Silleia.
“So, about Silleia—she slept so much as a kid, you wouldn't believe it. At first, I was worried because she hardly spoke and just slept all the time, but now she's so hyper it's exhausting. And then when she was twelve, she went to the lake and—?”
“Mom! That's a secret!”
“Hehe, okay, got it. Elves have their secrets sometimes, of course.”
Rune smiled playfully, while Silleia puffed up indignantly. It was a relief that we'd mostly cleared up our misunderstandings despite the bumps along the way.
I almost got busted if anyone asked why Silleia's hand was in my mouth.
I was ready to make excuses about having mouth ulcers and getting treatment, but luckily, no one pressed the issue.
Silleia's embarrassment paved the way for this harmonious vibe—sacrifice of the few for the many.
The relaxed atmosphere finally eased my tension, and I started enjoying the dinner properly.
The standout dish was the Taladria. According to her, it's a traditional elf favorite. Potatoes baked until they carry a buttery aroma, drowned in melting cheese and tomato sauce. If I had to compare it to modern food, it'd be lasagna with potatoes.
It's a combo that can't possibly taste bad, but the ingredients from this vitality-rich village elevated it even more.
“Wow, this is really good.”
The praise slipped out before I knew it. To make cuisine like this without meat! I'd had zero expectations after learning elves were vegetarians, so the shock was beyond words.
The special sauce salad and stir-fried bean sprouts with mushrooms were excellent too—except for the eggplant banchan, of course.
I tried it anyway, figuring one bite wouldn't hurt, and boy, did it hurt. I quietly scooped the eggplant onto Silleia's plate and suddenly remembered a question for Rune.
“But aren't elves strict vegetarians? Is cheese and butter okay?”
“Of course. It's fine as long as we haven't taken life ourselves. Milk is a gift the forest beasts happily share with us. We manage the forest in return.”
She had a point. Elves live in tree houses, after all. If they couldn't even use milk for veggies, they probably wouldn't remodel trees into homes.
After the meal, Rune offered us tea.
No after-dinner coffee here—it's after-dinner tea culture? Dinner exceeded expectations, so the tea's bound to be great too.
As I daydreamed about the tea, Rune stepped away to prepare it. Silleia whispered to me, careful not to let her mom hear from across the room.
“Hey, Seha. You know magic too?”
I whispered back, matching her volume.
“Yeah, I've always carried my staff around.”
“Oh, right.”
Silleia slumped, her mood visibly souring. Even if her hyperactivity had worn me out a bit, seeing her openly sad tugged at my heart.
I could let it slide, but maybe I should ask why.
Silleia might be emotionally volatile, but this seemed like there was a story behind it. She'd shown maturity now and then, talking about investigating the World Tree's weakening, so it was worth asking.
“Surprised I'm a mage?”
“No, not that—but you're gonna learn magic from my mom?”
“Yeah. So what?”
“Mom's actually super scary. You might get your soul stripped bare learning from her. Maybe run away now...”
Thwack—I flicked her forehead.
She looked pitiful with tears welling up, but no means no.
“You can't talk bad about parents who raised and fed you. That's why you get scolded.”
“Ughhh.”
How do you handle an elf who's 130 but still so immature? If she'd been born in my country, Confucian respect for parents and elders would've kept her in line.
Am I breaking the elder-youth hierarchy by hitting someone ten times my age?
Now that I thought about it, yeah. The awkward silence made me cringe, and with Silleia on the verge of tears, I hurried to comfort her.
I got up, went close, and gently rubbed her forehead with my thumb.
“My hands are magic healing hands. Better now?”
“Ooh, it really is! Doesn't hurt at all!”
“I'll blow on it too. Whoosh—that'll make the pain fly away completely.”
That's how the director used to comfort me after scoldings back in the day. Punishment for mistakes, then soothing words and pats. The song about Daddy's healing hands always chased away my sadness.
I got used to hearing I had no parents, but seeing a kid disrespect theirs is hard to watch.
Flicking a girl I just met today was definitely over the line. I must've gotten annoyed without realizing; good thing it ended without issue.
Blowing softly on her forehead lifted Silleia's gloomy expression completely.
No matter how noisy she is, this is her best look.
Just as the heartwarming moment wrapped up, a glass shattering echoed from the kitchen, breaking the silence.
“Kids...?”
Our eyes snapped toward the kitchen. Rune stared at us, oblivious to dropping her teacup.
“I knew about you two, but could you keep the lovey-dovey stuff in private?”
“...”
I had my hands on Silleia's shoulders, leaning in close. Our faces were maybe 5cm apart as I blew on her forehead—we were staring into each other's eyes.
To a third party, it screamed pre-kiss intimacy. We'd already been caught earlier with me sucking her finger, so I had to clear this up.
“No! It's not what you think—!”
“I'll head to my room first. Don't stay up too late~”
Rune bolted to her room. Only clueless Silleia tilted her head in confusion.
