Chapter 133: Elf (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 133: Elf (2)
Elves.
With a life expectancy exceeding 1,000 years, they are a race that, along with dwarves, represents the pinnacle of fantasy. Usually, thanks to that lifespan, they possess a distinct sense of elitism.
Fortunately, it is said that such elves do not exist in this world.
Or, to be more precise...
"Those kinds of elves are all dead."
It is said that the shitty humans of the past drove them to extinction.
"Of course, the elves who survived that era are the elves of today. But a major problem arose."
Elves are superior.
This wasn't a false statement.
Compared to humans, or any other race for that matter, they possessed an overwhelming lifespan.
Furthermore, most had a high affinity for mana, and about half of them possessed an affinity for spirits—a trait only a tiny fraction of humans are born with.
Even the other half, who couldn't actually command spirits, still had an affinity so high it was incomparable to a human's.
It wasn't for nothing that the ancients called elves the race of nature.
However, despite having all of that, they were utterly crushed by humans.
Of course, the process was reportedly filled with all sorts of human atrocities, including fraud, kidnapping, hostage-taking, and blackmail.
But to the pride of the haughty elves, those were all useless excuses.
And for good reason.
"Basically, they used to treat humans like flies. But if you get into a fight with a fly and lose, it’s a bit awkward to keep claiming you're the superior being, right?"
Except for themselves, the elves hadn't even considered other races part of "humanity."
And yet, those very elves had been defeated by humans, whom they considered the absolute bottom of the barrel.
To put it in human terms, it wasn't even like being bitten by a mad dog.
It was more like being defeated and enslaved by a cockroach that suddenly appeared in the corner of your room.
Therefore, no matter what excuses they made, they just looked pathetic.
So, the elves decided to change their direction.
They decided to assert their superiority through something that humans, and indeed any other race, could never hope to beat them in.
Namely...
"Pushing people around with their age."
It was the birth of the K-Confucian style Elf Boomers.
Joan Helias, the Academy Director.
She thought of a single wish she’d had since she stopped counting after the 100th time this year.
Ah, I want to throw everything away and just join some random Magic Tower.
Archmage.
That title belonged to only a very small number of all the mages on the continent. Once you had it, any Magic Tower would surely guarantee you at least an elder position.
…Except for Joan, that is.
"Ah… I want to retire…"
"Director, I can hear you."
"I’m saying it so you can hear me…"
"You shouldn't have accepted the bribe so readily then."
"I couldn't help it. They offered unlimited research support. What mage wouldn't take that bait?"
Before Joan was called an Archmage—back when she was evaluated as being the closest to becoming one—the Empire threw out the bait.
Joan had bitten it without a moment's hesitation.
And she had eaten it deliciously.
Thanks to that, she earned the title of Archmage.
She reached a position where she was respected by everyone.
She left behind numerous theses and, as a bonus, perfected a magic to overcome aging, gaining a youthfulness that didn't fall behind even when compared to the academy students.
…The problem was that, because of this, the Empire had her hooked through the nose.
Still, Joan didn't mind much.
Living with young children at the Academy was a surprisingly decent life.
She looked young on the outside, and it felt like her mind and soul were becoming younger too?
Being in the midst of youth made her feel like she was absorbing that energy herself.
…At least, until last year.
"I must be cursed."
What was the problem?
Certainly, Joan had been in a good mood when the Empire began investing massive amounts of capital to make this the continent's best academy.
After all, the Archmage McGregor, her distant senior, and the Sword Emperor, who was praised by all swordsmen, were coming to the Academy.
Perhaps because the Director was a mage, they had struggled to recruit martial-type personnel.
But the mere fact that the Sword Emperor was coming caused people who had previously rejected the Academy's scouting offers to come seeking employment of their own accord.
Until then, she thought her life would be even more of a smooth ride.
So why? Why did it turn out like this!
"Such a young thing."
"She's a 'young bitch,' Sister."
"Such a young bitch!"
Since maintaining her youth, Joan hadn't really cared about her age.
Sometimes, when people who didn't know her treated her like an academy student, it made her day.
However, that didn't mean she enjoyed being called a "young bitch."
I mean, I'm not exactly at an age where I should be hearing 'young bitch' anywhere else…
She was approaching fifty, but compared to those with a base age of 1,000, she was indeed a young bitch.
Thus, Joan was left speechless and had no choice but to keep her mouth shut.
"Honestly, young things these days."
"Back in my day, you couldn't even hold your head up if you weren't over 500."
"So, how old is our little baby? Are you even over 100?"
The elves seemed to pressure Joan even more at her silence.
"Enough."
With a single word from the elf who appeared last, everyone fell silent.
It was clearly a rehearsed act, but Joan remained silent.
Countless ancestors had proven that opening her mouth further would only lead to a bad time.
"What is important now is that the World Tree was included in the golem created by the Dark Mages. We can settle other matters later."
So you ARE going to settle them later…
Joan wanted to storm out and escape the Academy right this second.
"Yes, Lady Yerisha."
Still, she let out a small sigh of relief seeing all the elves fall silent at Yerisha's words.
"Yes, we also feel that point is—"
Just as Joan tried to pull herself together and continue speaking.
"Quiet. Just show us the fragment of the World Tree you found."
"……"
"You young thing."
"……"
Joan truly wanted to desert the Academy.
Yerisha - Humans are scary.
The preemptive strike was a success.
Yerisha thought so as she watched the Academy Director's limp, dejected gait.
T-They said establishing dominance is essential in relationships with humans!
Yerisha walked with a cold expression and disciplined steps, but in reality, she was in a state where she would burst into tears if someone so much as poked her.
Among the High Elves, she belonged to the "relatively" young group—young enough to be dumped with the tedious and dangerous task of interacting with humans.
Of course, she was young only by the standards of the exceptional High Elves.
By average elven standards, she was old enough to be considered a proper adult, and by human standards, she had lived through enough years to easily outweigh the history of a single nation.
But hadn't she learned from her ancestors that such things didn't matter?
—Humans are mostly weak. That is why they know how the weak should deal with the strong. They use all sorts of dirty tricks. They swarm in groups. If necessary, they will surround a forest and set it on fire.
During the era when hunting other races was common among humans, a surviving High Elf had spoken while trembling in fear, recalling the human atrocities.
—And among them… beings with immense power, who cannot be considered human, sometimes appear.
Monsters that even a High Elf could not defeat alone.
Such beings were born occasionally.
—Fortunately, most of them are on the kinder side. So, there is almost no chance of friction.
That's a relief, Yerisha had thought, feeling reassured.
—However!
—However!
—However!
—Eek!
Suddenly, other High Elves appeared behind her, surrounding Yerisha and speaking simultaneously.
—Dark Mages are different.
—Dark Mages. Those who are rejected even by other humans, those who exist outside the common sense of the world.
—They create curses with elven blood. They sacrifice bodies to summon monsters.
—Sometimes, they even make elven corpses move.
—And besides that…
—S-Stop it…
The elderly High Elves had brainwashed Yerisha to the point of trauma about how dangerous humans were and how terrifying the existence of a Dark Mage was.
This was because they didn't want a bright-eyed, young High Elf to walk the same path as the elves of old due to useless arrogance.
Yerisha had taken the lessons of her elders to heart.
…The problem was that she had taken them too well, and she was now filled with more fear of humans than they had ever intended!
Her cold expression was simply because her face had frozen up at the presence of the surrounding humans.
She looked like she was walking with discipline, but she was actually just barely moving her stiff, creaking body.
Consequently, when the door to the warehouse containing the wooden golem used by the Dark Mage closed, she was on the verge of wetting herself!
Fortunately, she managed to pull herself together with all her might, avoiding the shame of hanging her head before a branch of the World Tree.
S-So this is what the Dark Mage made!
Even looking at the remains of the giant golem, she wanted to cry as the stories about Dark Mages flooded her mind.
"How could they use a tree, a blessing of nature, like this…"
"Those wicked Dark Mages…"
"Lady Yerisha. Please, check for yourself."
But at the expectant gazes of the elves behind her, Yerisha maintained her expressionless—or rather, rock-hard—face and approached the golem.
T-Tentacles aren't going to suddenly come out of the wood and grab me, right? Or the wood will split open and Dark Mages will pop out to kidnap me. Or a magic circle will…
Despite all sorts of paranoid delusions, Yerisha did her job.
"Hmm…"
Tap. Tap. Tap.
She lightly tapped the outer wall of the golem, sensing the flow of mana.
It was the World Tree she had been with since the moment she was born.
Even if it had been used in a very distant era.
Even if it was once a World Tree, or perhaps one of the candidates that failed to become one.
The essence of all World Trees was the same, so there was no way she could be mistaken.
"This is……"
For the first time, emotion appeared on her face.
A bit of bewilderment… and clear anger.
"It is indeed the World Tree. Furthermore…"
As this was a fantasy world, some trees gathered mana.
Among them, some transcended ordinary trees like spiritual creatures and became what were commonly called divine trees—trees with special powers.
They were dream materials desired by every mage, possessing astronomical value.
And at the pinnacle of them all was the World Tree. Yerisha had encountered many items made from its branches.
That was why she could be certain.
"It's in a state of having been experimented on to the point of being altered—bordering on abuse."
Yerisha looked at the wooden golem before her.
Though it was currently collapsed and half-destroyed.
If it were standing whole, it would be quite a sight.
Even a high-ranking spirit probably couldn't have dealt with it easily.
If asked whether it was a powerful enough weapon to be worth using the World Tree, Yerisha would shake her head.
And for good reason.
It's too inefficient.
Compared to its size, the efficiency was poor.
If they had used that wood to make staves and distributed them to Dark Mages instead, their combat power would have been far greater.
That was why she was certain.
This was merely…
"A byproduct… left over from research."
In other words, the true purpose of using the World Tree was not the golem before her eyes.