Chapter 7
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 7
Chapter Title: Breysarun, the Elf City
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Eirana followed Leria along the forest path.
With the guidance of the forest fairy, Leria kept sneaking glances at Eirana as they walked.
'Why does she keep peeking at me like that?'
She thought she was being discreet, but from Eirana's perspective, it was blatantly obvious.
Eirana wasn't the type to take the lead in conversation with her sociable charm, so as they traversed the forest path, silence hung between the two.
Finally, unable to bear the quiet any longer, Leria gave an awkward smile and asked,
"Um... aren't you tired?"
They had been walking nonstop for hours already.
As beings called forest fairies, elves found strolling through the woods no different from walking on flat plains, but other races were not so fortunate.
This was an unavoidable issue even for dragons, given their differing innate constitutions.
"No."
Eirana shook her head. If she had asked how much farther they had to go, the conversation might have continued, but her curt reply cut it short.
"Augh..."
Leria, with her lively personality, let out a groan at Eirana's response.
Silence reigned over the space once more.
Awkward time passed again.
Eventually, Leria stopped walking and said,
"We're here."
"We're here?"
Eirana furrowed her brow and looked straight ahead.
What lay before her was a dense forest thick with vegetation. Not a trace of life or civilization anywhere.
As Eirana felt puzzled, a rustling sound came from the bushes.
Eirana's eyes sharpened in an instant.
Then, a woman with green hair and red eyes tinged with age lines emerged from the underbrush.
"Lady Rocana, I'm back. And we have a guest."
At Leria's words, Rocana glanced at Eirana before approaching her and asking,
"A dragon?"
"Yes."
Eirana nodded, impressed by how calmly and accurately the woman had identified her.
Rocana lightly waved her hand at Eirana.
The forest shimmered, revealing the scenery of a hidden city.
Eirana's face showed surprise at the sight.
She now stood in the heart of an elven city.
"Welcome to Breysarun."
Leria beamed as she welcomed Eirana.
Having entered the elven city of Breysarun, Eirana looked around.
The architecture and living environment were utterly different from what she knew.
The elves' buildings, carved from living ancient trees, felt incredibly novel to her.
She had read about it in books, but experiencing it firsthand was astonishing.
The village atmosphere was serene overall, with young elves playing with spirits catching her eye.
As Eirana was lost in the elven city, Rocana—who had heard about her from Leria—faintly furrowed her brow.
"You brought someone whose name you don't even know into the city?"
"I, I forgot to ask."
Leria shrank back as she replied.
To be precise, she had been too intimidated by Eirana's presence to ask.
Rocana let out a short sigh at Leria's response, glanced once at Eirana following behind her, and said,
"You must be Lady Eirana, granddaughter of Lady Leranas."
"Lady Eirana?"
"Yes."
She seemed like someone seeing elves for the first time. And crucially, she was a hatchling.
The only silver dragon hatchling bold enough to roam Leranas's territory was her granddaughter, Eirana, the mistress of the area.
"I've heard of you too."
Leria clapped her hands together.
Elves were quite familiar with dragons. As such, rumors from dragon society reached them easily.
Among them, she had heard tales of the beautiful and kindhearted hatchling Eirana.
The rumors about Eirana appeared to have been distorted beyond recognition, almost to the point of corruption.
Leria, who had been exclaiming in admiration, realized this and made a puzzled face.
'She doesn't match the rumors at all.'
Beautiful, yes—but her personality didn't seem pleasant in the slightest.
Still feeling the pain on her scalp, Leria grimaced.
What if clumps of hair fell out when she washed it later?
As she worried, Rocana asked,
"The spirit contract?"
At Rocana's question, Leria stiffened, then screamed,
"I, I forgot!"
In the chaos of being chased by Eirana, she had completely forgotten about the contract.
As Rocana gave a wry smile at Leria's distressed expression, a commotion arose from behind.
Turning around curiously, they saw a group of elven children gathered around Eirana.
The elven kids surrounding Eirana whispered about her ears in fascination, poking her with fingers and tugging her hair without hesitation.
Leria gasped in horror at the sight.
Rocana sighed lightly at the children's behavior in the city and said something in Elvish.
The children startled and scattered in an instant.
Eirana looked puzzled as they fled like they were escaping.
"What's with them?"
"I told them you're a dragon."
The elven children, who had mistaken Eirana for human, got scared upon hearing she was a dragon.
Feeling a mix of emotions at their reaction just from learning her identity, Eirana scratched her cheek.
Rocana then resumed guiding Eirana.
They soon arrived at a clearing dominated by a colossal tree.
As Eirana marveled at the massive tree—so tall she had to crane her neck painfully yet still couldn't see the top—
"Welcome, Miss Eirana of the Silver Clan."
A gentle voice addressed her.
Looking toward the source with curiosity, Eirana saw a man of indeterminable age smiling warmly.
The reason his age was hard to gauge was his aura.
He seemed seasoned with years at first glance, yet also brimming with youthful vigor.
Feeling that mystical vibe, Eirana sensed another question.
The man knew her.
"I never told you my name."
"Rocana informed me via spirit that a guest had arrived. As for knowing your name, let's just say you're famous, Miss Eirana. In any case, welcome. I am Ballond, lord of this city."
'Famous? Me?'
As Eirana made a strange face at Ballond's answer, he turned his gaze to Leria.
"Leria, did the spirit contract go well?"
"Eek!"
Leria, who hadn't even glimpsed the spirit's face, let out a groan.
Ballond looked puzzled at her reaction.
Rocana and Leria, who had guided Eirana all the way to the lord, soon departed.
Eirana then accepted Ballond's invitation and entered the giant tree.
Ballond explained it was the World Tree, equivalent to a human lord's castle.
Guided by Ballond into the living wood, Eirana looked around in wonder.
The interior structure resembled human buildings.
Arriving at what seemed a reception room, Eirana sat in a chair as Ballond personally served tea and cookies, saying,
"I apologize for not having proper refreshments."
"It's fine."
Eirana shook her head and sipped the tea.
The bitter flavor cleared her mind.
As she closed her eyes slightly to savor the lingering aroma—
"A guest?"
Crash!
At the sudden voice from behind, Eirana leaped onto the table in a defensive stance.
The man who had spoken without any presence looked slightly surprised at her reaction.
Eirana glared at him with narrowed eyes.
He looked human, but the aura he exuded was anything but.
After staring for a moment, Eirana stepped down from the table.
Ballond tidied the messed-up table and said,
"Lord Sylphid, please refrain from startling our guest."
At Ballond's words, Eirana raised an eyebrow.
Sylphid. A name Eirana knew well.
"The Wind Spirit King, Sylphid?"
Sylphid smiled faintly at Eirana's question.
"Erannis's daughter?"
After a brief commotion, Sylphid asked in surprise, scanning Eirana up and down.
Undeterred by his gaze, Eirana simply sipped the tea Ballond had poured.
Sylphid, observing her, looked puzzled.
"For someone that woman raised, you have a surprisingly docile personality."
"You know my mom well?"
"I've met her several times when she was young."
He said Erannis had lived in Leranas's lair during her hatchling days.
This elven city had existed even before Leranas inherited her lair.
And the city lords had always contracted with the Spirit King across generations.
He appeared as a young man outwardly, but as a Spirit King, his age was impossible to fathom.
It wasn't strange that he knew Erannis from her youth.
"What was Mom like as a kid?"
Eirana asked with curiosity.
She had asked Erannis multiple times about her hatchling days, but her mother always dodged the question.
Once, when she pressed persistently, Erannis had clenched her fist with a smile, forcing Eirana to drop it.
Sylphid's expression turned subtle at Eirana's question.
Lord Ballond closed his eyes with a wry smile.
Eirana narrowed her eyes at the two men's reactions.
"Leranas raised her well."
"Grandma did?"
Leranas had a temper as foul as Erannis's.
That Leranas had done well at childcare was unexpected to Eirana.
"Thanks to Leranas, Erannis's personality improved."
"Huh?"
"What do you think of your mother?"
Sylphid looked baffled at Eirana's openly dubious expression.
Letting out a hollow laugh, Sylphid rubbed his chin, reminiscing about the past.
"Back in her hatchling days, Erannis had such a unique personality that many said she might become a demon dragon."
Eirana furrowed her brow at Sylphid's words.
Demon dragons—those who abandoned their kin and fled to the demon realm.
For Eirana, hearing that her mother Erannis might have become one was far from pleasant.
Sylphid chuckled at Eirana's glare.
"Don't glare like that. It's all in the past."
Despite Eirana's fierce gaze, Sylphid remained composed.
Ballond, watching their exchange, was the surprised one.
Eirana's demeanor was not that of a hatchling sheltered her whole life.
"Well, you seem like quite the unusual dragon yourself, not unlike Erannis."
Sylphid narrowed his eyes.