Chapter 58
Chapter 58
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 58
Chapter Title: High Elf Reina's Delegation
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Elf's Forest.
The vast, lush expanse of greenery centered around the giant World Tree was so refreshing that its clarity seeped into every breath.
Kyarruruk.
Groooar.
Whispers of spirits and the roars of ents echoed sporadically through the woods, a reminder that this was no ordinary land.
The elves' homeland, the sacred site where the first High Elf—the ancestor of all elves—was born.
In this realm brimming with nature and spirits, elves with porcelain skin, pointed ears, and beauty beyond human limits lived in close-knit communities.
Once tainted by a demonic invasion, that corruption had nearly been purged, and the elves had regained enough strength to reclaim their past glory. No trace of worry lingered on their faces.
Except for one: Mukrin, the village chief and 1st Elder.
“...Are you serious?”
Mukrin, his long white beard trailing down, faced the elf before him whose sacred platinum blonde hair gleamed like starlight.
“Yes. I volunteered to go as a delegation to build ties with the humans.”
She was High Elf Reina.
The sole High Elf who served the World Tree directly, the most powerful in all of history, and the being closest to it.
One could say the Elf's Forest had reached perfect restoration and an unprecedented golden age entirely thanks to Reina, who had awakened after the demonic invasion.
Excluding the World Tree itself, she was the elf the others trusted, admired, and revered above all.
For such a High Elf to suddenly declare her intent to leave the forest—it was enough to drive any elder mad.
“But why bother mingling with those inferior species? We no longer need their help. All our past dealings with them ever brought us was a ruined forest and barren earth.”
Elves fundamentally viewed short-lived humans as inferior and dismissed them with contempt.
True, the human empire currently held continental hegemony, but the elves believed that was only because they themselves hadn't wielded their full power.
Some with more extreme views even claimed the elves could have repelled the demons on their own without human aid.
Arrogance.
It was the elves' most fundamental trait.
And the 1st Elder was no different.
Humans were inferior species.
With the Elf's Forest restored, there was no need for further exchange—that was the elder's stance.
“Short-lived humans are inferior, yes. And most of them aren't even worth conversing with. I know that.”
High Elf Reina shared the same view.
Humans were inferior species.
But the difference between Reina and the other elves...
“But Yuris, the Goddess's Knight, is different.”
...was that she acknowledged the one who had saved the Elf's Forest and the World Tree.
Of course, the other elves acknowledged Yuris and the Hero as well, but Reina's regard was of a different kind.
It was admiration.
Gratitude toward the one who saved the land she was meant to protect, and longing for the one who had effortlessly succeeded where she had faltered.
With the purification of the forest—her sworn duty—complete, Reina now craved a brief deviation.
Of course, it meant inserting herself among humans she found repulsive, which was unpleasant, but there was no alternative.
Yuris was human, after all, and loyal to the Empire.
“If you wish to meet her, simply invite her.”
“I doubt the Empress would accept.”
“...”
Elder Mukrin let out a sigh.
“So that's why? You sent a messenger to the humans behind the elder council's back.”
“An official request would have been blocked, wouldn't it?”
“...You're probably right.”
“Exactly. It's been ages since I had a day off, too.”
“Understood. In that case, allow us to provide escorts—”
“No need. Who would want to venture into the human world?”
Mukrin was taken aback by Reina's firm refusal.
“Please don't say that. Protecting High Elf-nim is our duty—who would refuse?”
“I want to observe from her side why Yuris-nim became an invincible knight. I don't want anyone interfering with that. And dragging along those who despise the inferior species' world would only lead to accidents.”
“But High Elf-nim...”
“I can protect myself. With Mother's blessing and the spirits' whispers, I can handle any foe.”
“...”
“Surely you don't think I can't manage?”
“Of course not. It's just...”
“Just?”
“Humans may be inferior, but they can be frightening at times. Outliers like Yuris or the Hero occasionally emerge.”
Reina laughed at that.
“What's this? Standing shoulder to shoulder with such outliers is none other than me. No need to worry on that front.”
Arrogant words befitting an elf, but Mukrin couldn't argue.
She was an elf who had every right to that arrogance.
The strongest among elves.
The most sacred.
The most blessed.
“Understood.”
Mukrin bowed his head and resolved to honor her wishes.
No one in the Elf's Forest could refuse her.
Not even the 1st Elder, leader of the elder council.
“I'll make the preparations.”
The Empress's command was clear.
- Proceed to the entrance of the Elf's Forest and greet the High Elf arriving as a delegation.
It was an essential mission for future exchanges between the Empire and the elves—one that absolutely could not fail.
Yuris let out a heavy sigh as she headed for the Elf's Forest.
“This means I can't go again.”
She had planned to take a rare vacation to visit Max's Hall of Illusions.
Not the usual three hours, but something longer.
[I deliberately held back for days, even skipped masturbation.]
Just glimpsing her subordinates' faces conjured illusions from her sessions, driving her to the brink of madness—and now a business trip?
An overseas one, no less.
But she couldn't defy the Empress's orders.
Before being the Goddess of Victory, she was the Empire's 1st Knight Order Captain.
“Heading out alone, Captain?”
“That's right. If I brought you all, arrows would fly the moment we entered the Elf's Forest.”
“Fair point. It's you they like, not us.”
Yuris was the hero who had defended the Elf's Forest from the demons.
It wasn't as if the elves had specifically chosen her to escort their delegation.
She was simply the hero they acknowledged next only to the Hero herself.
“Whew.”
In the past, such honors had thrilled her.
They affirmed her irreplaceable role and served as symbols of her victories.
Every bit of her honor and prestige felt vital to the Empire and the Empress.
For someone of her absolute loyalty, it was immense glory.
But now? It was nothing more than an obstacle blocking her path to the theater.
“No helping it.”
She mounted her horse and rode toward the Empire's western border, which abutted the Elf's Forest.
The journey west wasn't long.
Unlike the east, the firm alliance with the elves meant solid infrastructure—teleport networks between cities were highly active.
Thanks to that, Yuris reached the border in under a day.
“Lush.”
Crossing the Empire's border line, she urged her horse into the Elf's Forest, arriving at the boundary where the crisp air cleared her mind like a tonic.
The moment Yuris entered that domain...
Saaah.
Several killing intents locked onto her.
“I am Yuris, 1st Knight Order Captain dispatched from the Empire. I have arrived at the forest to escort your delegation today.”
Silence from the woods.
Only a brief hush.
She knew some elves refused to acknowledge that she had saved their forest.
For such a prideful race, it was perhaps inevitable they wouldn't accept her.
That they could have repelled the demons even without her?
Honestly, she didn't pay it much mind.
That battle was just one of countless victories in her record.
But separate from that, the open hostility from those meant to be her charges was hard to stomach.
She showed defeat endlessly to Max, but in reality, Yuris was the undefeated symbol of victory.
If she willed it, she could wipe out every last one radiating killing intent right now.
“Want to fight?”
The instant her words ended, a figure leaped from the shadows cast by the trees.
A brown-haired elf with a sharp demeanor.
“The High Elf-nim hasn't arrived yet. Wait a moment.”
“A High Elf is coming?”
“Didn't you hear? The High Elf herself volunteered as the delegation to converse with your inferior species.”
At the elf's words, Yuris recalled her first clash in the Elf's Forest.
The High Elf, innocent as a child.
Trembling in terror at the thought of battling demons.
[It's been not even a few years, and she's risen to a position of reverence?]
Growth speed uncharacteristic of an elf.
Elves supposedly took around fifty years to reach adulthood.
[When I saw her a few years back, she looked like a pubescent girl.]
She was lost in such thoughts when—
“Earlier than expected, Sir Yuris.”
A voice so beautiful it tickled the ears rang out.
“Reina?”
“It's been a while.”
The guardian elves stirred as the High Elf bowed toward Yuris.
“Even if she's the savior, why is High Elf-nim...?”
“High Elf-nim, bowing...”
“To an inferior species.”
They gaped in shock at Reina's actions.
It was understandable.
The elf defense forces manning the borders were among the most radical of their kind.
Believing they could sacrifice their lives for the elves' resurgence, they were the most extreme elf supremacists of all groups.
For the High Elf to bow to a human—an inferior species—before such elves was a natural trigger for outrage.
“I wanted to meet you. The guardian of our forest.”
“You've grown a lot.”
“Yes. You too, Sir Yuris... Your image has changed so much. Your aura feels more vibrant, more varied than before.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes. How to put it... Do you have someone you like?”
“...”
Yuris fell silent at the question about someone she liked.
But the first person to surface in her mind...
...was Max.
“W-what are you talking about? Someone I like? I-I'm a body devoted to the Empire.”
“Of course. I figured as much.”
Reina flashed a bright smile and drew closer.
“Someone like Sir Yuris, protector of the Elf's Forest, wouldn't fall for a lowly inferior species. I believed in you.”
Yuris sensed something off in the smile Reina directed at her—different from the others.
Something...
[Clingy.]
Reina took another step forward.
“Shall we go? I'm eager to see the human lands.”