#53
Elf (1)
The shrine was buzzing from early morning today.
Everyone was busy preparing to welcome the delegation from the Elven Kingdom.
“Everyone seems so busy.”
Except for us, who were responsible for internal security.
At Heinrich’s casual remark, Lyrin, who was stationed at the passageway heading to the gate, nodded in agreement.
“It was suddenly decided. Given the scale of this exchange, even with the participation of High Elves, the time from the decision to implementation was very short. There’s bound to be a lack of preparation.”
As she said, it hadn’t been many days since the cooperation with the Elven Kingdom was decided, and everything was moving at lightning speed.
This wasn’t a schedule that could be rushed by either side alone.
Both sides had to agree and hurry as much as possible.
‘Even if the Church felt urgently about tracking down the Undead King’s descendants, what urgent matter does the Elven Kingdom have?’
While the Church only needed to prepare for the delegation’s arrival, they were the ones crossing the sea.
Traveling across the continent wasn’t easy.
Yet the urgency with which they were proceeding implied that they had a very pressing matter…
‘Whatever their purpose may be, pondering it here is pointless.’
Thanks to acquiring information beforehand, I managed to buy time to reinforce the barrier, so that was enough for now.
“Still, it makes me feel a bit sorry that we’re so relaxed while everyone else is stressed.”
“It can’t be helped. This is our job.”
Those busy preparing to welcome the guests.
Unlike the external Knights, who were busy strengthening their vigilance and patrolling in case of any untoward incidents, the Radiant Guards in charge of internal security continued with their usual duties without worry.
‘The Inquisition Officers are checking the infiltration routes toward the shrine, so…’
Of course, there were more things to pay attention to than usual, but even considering all that, it wasn’t as tense as what they were doing now.
“Our real work begins once the delegation arrives. By then, there won’t be a moment to breathe, so don’t be too disappointed.”
“Ah, no… I wasn’t disappointed…”
Just as they were chatting, a group led by the Saint approached from the other side.
“Looks like it’s about time. We really need to stay alert from now on to avoid even the slightest mistakes.”
“Yes.”
Just as they straightened up, focusing on the front.
“Hello! Lyrin, Heinrich. Are you the ones on security duty today?”
With a cheerful greeting, the Saint came up with a trail of people behind her.
“Yes, Saint. You’re heading to welcome the delegation from the Elven Kingdom, right?”
“Yes! I received word from the shrine in the east. We only need to pass through the gate twice to arrive here.”
The locals were all too accustomed to her behavior, given it wasn’t the first time for the Saint.
Naturally receiving her greeting and engaging in conversation, Lyrin quickly stepped back, pointing toward the gate.
“Well, it’s really only a short time left now. Shouldn’t you hurry in?”
“Ah! Right. They must have crossed the gate at least once by now!”
Nodding, the Saint started moving toward the gate but paused, turning to look at Heinrich.
She then stared at him, deep in thought about something.
“…”
“…?”
A sudden silence.
In that awkward moment where the gazes of those around began to converge on him, Heinrich could only muster an awkward smile.
‘What’s going on? Could it be because I didn’t greet her?’
He had at least nodded in acknowledgment when Lyrin greeted her. Did she not see it?
Just as he was contemplating whether to greet her again right now.
“Let’s go together, Heinrich.”
The Saint blurted out unexpectedly.
“Ah! To welcome the delegation from the Elven Kingdom. Surely, there’s no need for two of us to guard this place, right?”
Her hurried addition caught the surrounding people by surprise.
Indeed, as she said, there was no need for two people to guard the passage right now.
After all, the ones entering with her were rather illustrious.
Not to mention the Saint herself…
High Priests, including Archbishop Latinus, who led the Undead King’s subduing party, and High Knights including two Paladins.
With them heading directly toward the gate, having one or two regular Knights around wouldn’t make much difference.
“Is there a specific reason you wish to take him along?”
But that was that, and this was this.
There was a reason security was set up in the first place.
If things were deemed fine now and personnel began to move based on arbitrary judgment, there was a risk of leaving security gaps and shaking the entire system.
Given the Saint was still young, it was essential to clarify such matters.
“…Ah, I want Heinrich to gain as much experience as possible beforehand.”
“True, Heinrich Landguard is a promising talent, but the support provided by the Church right now is substantial as well. There’s really no need for you to worry this much…”
Even if Heinrich was proving his worth with his remarkable growth, excessive favoritism could stir discontent among others.
Of course, being part of the Holy Church, they would likely accept it if it concerned someone with formidable Holy Power.
In fact, Heinrich had managed to earn everyone’s recognition without any friction until now, also due to this influence.
However, human emotions don’t always operate solely on logic.
There might be someone feeling inferiority and developing mental struggles.
“Um… I can’t explain it well, but… I’m just worried. I suppose I find him interesting and want to look after him…”
The Saint stumbled through her explanations.
At her words, everyone’s gaze flickered between the Saint and Heinrich.
“Hm… So that’s what you meant…”
The Archbishop, pondering something, nodded slowly.
“In that case, there’s nothing we can do. Go ahead.”
Certainly, their expressions were devoid of ulterior motives.
With completely earnest expressions, Archbishop Latinus and his party accepted her decision.
“Since that’s settled, it seems I need to stay here alone for a bit. Would that be alright? Lyrin Setry?”
“Yes! No problem. Leave it to me.”
Those were the words of the Saint, the closest being to the Holy God.
This meant that she would subconsciously be influenced by the Holy God’s will the most.
“Oh my~ I’ve indeed heard that he is a talent that has captured the Holy God’s attention to the extent of receiving blessings during the Knight’s ordination. I find it tempting! Hey, are you interested in smashing the heads of those heretics?”
A rough-looking man with short black hair grinned at Heinrich.
He was the leader of the Black Crescent Paladin Order, who dedicated himself solely to hunting black magicians and demon worshippers.
“I’d say Heinrich doesn’t seem interested in the Paladin Order right now. But if he changes his mind later, don’t forget that our Silver Wings should be his first choice.”
Tuskin, one of the Paladins, chimed in.
Feeling overwhelmed by the sudden interest from these bigwigs.
While receiving goodwill from high-ranking officials wasn’t a bad feeling…
‘More importantly, is the reason the Saint has been particularly friendly toward me due to the Holy God’s influence?’
It was clear that the Holy God had some degree of interest in him.
It was a fact that he was showing enough attentiveness to even grant blessings.
It must have been a combination of those aspects plus the Saint’s personality, which had a tendency to favor those with strong Holy Power.
At any rate, it wasn’t a bad scenario for him.
It was directly helpful to him.
“Hm… If we delay any longer, we might be late. It would be best to hurry now.”
The group, including Heinrich, quickly moved toward the gate.
Fortunately, it didn’t happen that the delegation arrived before them.
“The gate will activate soon.”
Not even a minute after they arrived in the gate room, the chief priest’s voice echoed.
“Phew~ I almost thought we’d be late! Luckily, we made it just in time! Hahaha…”
The Saint chuckled cautiously while glancing at their surroundings.
She had a shy expression, showing she knew she had made a mistake.
Uuuuuu…
Just then, a blue vortex began to swirl and vibrate at the center of the gate.
A moment later.
Figures began emerging one by one from the vortex.
Nearly twenty individuals stepped out of the gate and immediately formed a line.
…They were the Elves Heinrich had never seen in his life.
They approached us from one side, led by the one at the forefront.
“Welcome, delegation from the Elven Kingdom, to Rosellia Temple. I am Liesta Saint Hatyandus of the Holy Church Order.”
As they got sufficiently close, the Saint stepped forward with a soft smile, offering her welcoming words.
Given it was an official occasion, she demonstrated a more serious and dignified demeanor than usual.
“Thank you for the warm welcome. I am Laforey Greenwood, a High Elf of the Elven Kingdom.”
The handsome man with sky-blue hair at the front lowered his head while placing a hand on his chest.
At the same time, the rest of the delegation adopted the same posture.
Thus, the Elf delegation set foot in Rosellia Temple.
*
Due to an urgent request from the Elf side, arrangements were made quickly.
Understanding their circumstances, the Holy Church Order readily accepted their request for assistance.
Thanks to the Saint’s consideration, Heinrich was allowed to attend the discussions with the Elves.
Standing behind the Saint and Archbishop Latinus, along with the two Paladins, he accompanied them.
The Elven Kingdom’s delegation consisted of two males and one female, in addition to High Elf Laforey.
So, those three were the heads of the delegation.
‘This is really amazing.’
Standing behind the Saint, Heinrich discreetly glanced at them.
His primary focus was on the High Elf, Laforey Greenwood, with soft sky-blue hair that reached to his shoulders.
His perfectly white skin, slender physique, and pointy ears matched his imaginings.
The unique green patterns resembling trees drawn on his forehead were intriguing but not remarkably so.
What truly caught his eye was his star-like sparkling gaze.
…Not in a metaphorical sense; it genuinely sparkled like stars.
‘Wow, his pupils are star-shaped. And golden too.’
The deep blue irises and golden star-shaped pupils shimmered like a bright star shining in the middle of the dawn sky.
‘The other Elves have ordinary eyes, so it doesn’t seem to be a trait of their race. Is it a symbol of High Elves? Would it be rude to ask?’
As he was lost in those thoughts and stealing glances, suddenly…
“Does my gaze seem peculiar to you?”
Startled by Laforey’s sudden remark, Heinrich froze momentarily.
It could have been problematic if the elf took it as rudeness.
Yet, I soon realized that he wasn’t addressing Heinrich.
“Cough! If it made you uncomfortable, I apologize. Your eyes are beautiful, resembling stars shining in the sky. I couldn’t help but be captivated.”
The Saint nervously tried to ease the situation.
…It seemed she too had been mesmerized by Laforey’s captivating eyes, just like Heinrich.
“It’s fine. It was, in fact, a necessary topic to discuss. This gaze is a sign of the High Elves.”
‘As expected!’
Heinrich felt relieved as his curiosity was addressed and listened attentively to his words.
“I started as an ordinary Elf. I was chosen by the World Tree, opened my eyes, and became known as a High Elf.”
The High Elf served as a sort of priest.
A bridge connecting the Elves with the World Tree, their object of faith.
“To us, a High Elf is incredibly precious. There aren’t many who possess the suitability to become one. Perhaps only two or three are born in a generation?”
Naturally, “a generation” for the long-living Elves was vastly different from that for humans.
Moreover, not all of them would become High Elves.
“When an Elf born with potential grows and meets certain conditions, they gain the eligibility to become a High Elf, chosen by the World Tree.”
Once guided by the World Tree to its location, should they consume a fruit bestowed upon them, they would undergo enlightenment and become High Elves.
“There are fewer than ten High Elves remaining today. Most of them are very old, so the birth of a new High Elf is desperately awaited.”
From the hints dropped, it seemed that there were well below ten left.
Even if they held faith in the Holy Church, it would be difficult to reveal every bit of their circumstances.
“However, not long ago, I received a revelation from the World Tree. There is a child born on this Ion Continent with the potential to be a High Elf.”
Though most of the mixed-race tribes had migrated to the Enamel Continent long ago, there were still quite a few remaining on the Ion Continent.
It seemed one of their descendants had attained that qualification.
However, it appeared that they weren’t able to reach the World Tree on their own.
“…They were taken by slave hunters and sold as a sacrifice to a black magician. Although it hasn’t been long since they fell into their hands, the longer we delay, the greater the danger, so we need to search quickly.”
There were limits to the information revealed through the revelation from the World Tree.
Thus, they needed the Church’s information network that spanned the entire continent.
“We require as detailed information as possible. It’s best if you can precisely describe where they’re likely located, the appearance of the individual, and as many surrounding details as possible.”
Sitting quietly beside the Saint, Archbishop Latinus finally spoke up.
“…We’ve determined that they were led by slave hunters to somewhere in the Northern Mountain Range. After they fell into the hands of black magicians, it became unclear what tricks they may have played regarding their exact location.”
“The Northern Mountain Range is quite vast. Virtually all of the northern part of the Ion Continent can be considered part of it. Is there any other information?”
“Their appearance is still unremarkable as they haven’t undergone enlightenment. They should look like any ordinary Elf, with the human equivalent of being in their mid-teens, green hair, and orange eyes.”
‘Huh?’
“Hmm, I will make sure to mobilize the Church’s information network as much as possible. Oh, by the way, what is their name?”
“Cecily. We kindly ask you to expedite this. We can’t predict when disaster may strike. If there’s anything we can do to assist, we’ll do our best…”
‘Oh? This is…’
As they began to discuss their subsequent actions, those issues became insignificant in light of recent revelations.
*
“Hahaha—! This is quite the dilemma!”
Halli laughed heartily as he scratched the back of his head, or rather, the head of a black leopard.
“Hey there, little miss. What’s your name?”
He forced the most harmless smile he could muster as he softly asked.
Of course, with his blood-splattered face, he seemed horrifically menacing.
“C-Cecily… My name is Cecily.”
An Elf girl with green hair and orange eyes.
It seemed Halli had found her first.
