“Elanar, how old are you again?”
“I’m 2271 years old… cough.”
“Oh my, is that so… But our Elanar has really grown up. Being the leader of the Knight Order must make you feel like the world belongs to you now, right?”
“Not at all!”
“Is it hard for you?”
“Not at all!”
“If it’s hard, just say so.”
“I’m not having any trouble at all!”
BAM!
On Elanar’s back, Olgania sat cross-legged, with one leg crossed over the other.
No, she couldn’t even speak.
Elanar was the current leader of the Lotus Lake Knight Order at 2271 years old, but Olgania was a whopping 2892 years old, part of the ancient forest elves with far more experience and from a much older generation.
Of course, if you were to assess strength, both Olgania and Elanar could be considered S-grade hunters. However, in terms of simple experience, honor, and everything else, Elanar was just a fledgling in comparison to Olgania.
In human terms, Olgania surpassed even a 4-star general, being a rightful ruler of a nation, while Elanar could only be likened to a lowly 1-star general.
Of course, Olgania usually didn’t flaunt her authority over the elves.
They bathed together, slept together, ate together, sharing the same space, and casually chatted, forming a friendly and close relationship regardless of age.
But there was one exception when it came to Elanar.
That’s right; Elanar and Olgania were in a senior-junior relationship that had an 800-year age gap.
“Hey guys. Do you know what it was like when Elanar first joined the Knight Order?”
“Pardon?”
“The head of the Knight Order?”
“I don’t really know…”
In the meantime, the elves nearby were nervously waiting for an answer, tilting their heads at Olgania’s question.
“Olgania-sama, I’m probably the oldest here… but even I haven’t seen any stories from Elanar-senpai’s princess knight days.”
In the meantime, the otaku elf didn’t drop her act even in front of Olgania.
At this point, it seems like a very firm conviction.
“When she first joined the order, I was a senior. The moment she saw me, she said, ‘I will become a cool elf like Olgania!’ and started following me around all day.”
“The head of the Knight Order?”
“Oh my goodness…”
“That must have been adorable…”
“I imagine it would have been very cute if Elanar-sama, who must be over 180, followed you around all day.”
“Back then, Elanar only reached my waist.”
“Oh? Really!?”
The fact that the perfect, strong, and sharp-witted head of the Knight Order ever had a cute side!
The elves were already squealing and listening eagerly to Olgania’s words.
“Once, Elanar got separated while chasing after a group of human raiders during a mission and lost her way. It was her first outing, and she hadn’t memorized the terrain yet. It was nighttime, so using a spirit would attract the raiders, and Elanar, like a little child, cried as she searched for me.”
GASP! So cute!
“Oh, I wish we had a picture from that time!”
“The noble and strong Elanar…”
Whew, just imagining it is cute.
“Oh, Olgania… how long ago was that…?”
“Oh my, you don’t like it?”
“……..”
“I asked if you don’t like it.”
“Ah, no… I… don’t.”
“Hey. Why does your answer sound like that?”
“I’m sorry!”
“Hey, do you not like it? Answer me.”
“Not at all! I don’t dislike it!”
Aigoo, it’s a mess.
While the elves gathered like neighborhood aunties and gossiped, Lirisia was already writhing in hunger, trying to soothe her tentacles, which seemed to say they couldn’t stand the all-green diet anymore.
I mean, it’s fine to have discipline or whatever, but can’t they hurry up and take care of the diet…?
“By the way, Elanar.”
“Y-yes…”
“You look rather contorted for someone who’s not struggling. Am I heavy?”
“Not at all!”
“No? Then are you saying I’m wrong? Am I so heavy that it’s making you feel sick?”
“Uh, y-yes…?”
“Huh? What’s this? Our junior… You’ve been giving short answers all the time, but today your tongue seems particularly long, huh? Answering questions with more questions?”
“S-sorry!”
“What are you sorry for?”
Wow, holy crap…
And watching this scene, Lirisia was inwardly horrified.
What kind of military discipline is this…?
Aren’t these the noble elves of the ancient forest?
I can understand if some degenerate elf acts like that, but for the elves who worship the Great Mother Earth to be under a meat-eating prohibition—that’s a culture shock…
Now they have military-style discipline too?
Moreover, they didn’t even learn it from humans.
According to Olgania, this tradition of ridiculous discipline in the elven knight orders had been passed down for over two thousand years.
Reluctantly, Lirisia stopped soothing her tentacles and tapped Olgania, who was sitting on Elanar’s back, on the shoulder.
“What’s wrong, Lirisia work team leader?”
Olgania, who seemed to have already heard about Lirisia through Yeonseo and Shia, greeted her without surprise.
“Can you tone it down a bit? I know you’re angry, but in front of other elves, you might overstep your boundaries.”
“Oh my, boundaries? Lirisia-san, this is just a concise reprimand since I have a senior-junior relationship with Elanar. The outsourcing company bringing in the ingredients blatantly tried to shortchange our ancient forest, and Elanar’s sin in letting it pass isn’t light.”
Thanks to that, today’s meal didn’t include any meat, you know?
“On top of that, our fellow elves settling down here have to endure over 12 hours of labor a day, so the loss of meat is not something to take lightly.”
Well… I didn’t want to delve into when exactly the ancient forest elves became so carnivorous, which was traditionally the opposite.
Thinking too much would just make my head spin.
“I know it’s not my place to tell you how to reprimand your junior. But it’s mealtime for the others, so how long do you plan to keep grilling her?”
“Hmm…”
“And you said she’s the head of the knight order? Supposed to lead the other elves and protect this place in your absence; it’s not like you were sneaking in a reprimand behind closed doors. If you’re undermining her authority in front of the other elves in a public space, what do you think they’ll think?”
Shia, having once been the head of the Rose Order and the right-hand woman of Emperor Menelapie, had quite a bit of power in her previous world as well.
With over a millennium of experience, she had lived amongst power and knew how to navigate it.
“I can’t be certain if your elven political system is the same as humans, but even if you’re furious over not being able to eat meat, shaming your subordinate in front of others will have counterproductive effects in the long run. Or are you so heavy that you find it hard to get up? Should I help you up?”
Though it seemed that Lirisia was defending Elanar, what was truly important to her was ensuring that all the workers, including herself, got a decent meal soon.
Whether Olgania decided to punish Elanar or not wasn’t Lirisia’s concern, but if things continued on like this, everyone would have to eat the all-green nature diet.
‘Lirisia, you’re surprisingly rational.’
In fact, this wasn’t the first meeting between Lirisia and Olgania.
Before Lirisia assumed the title of work team leader and became a senpai, they had crossed paths before.
When Olgania first saw Lirisia, despite Lirisia having the same appearance as the recently deceased saint, Olgania felt an unusual aura emanating from her and regarded her with hostility. But Shia insisted that Lirisia posed no threat, and trusting Shia implicitly, Olgania decided to believe her words.
In truth, Lirisia had a very fierce demeanor; if provoked, it would seem perfectly reasonable if she were to crush someone’s spine or swallow them whole. However, over the past three weeks, she bore the title of the Witch of the Dark Star yet worked diligently under the scorching desert sun, often mumbling curses and complaints but, in reality, putting her all into the Yagada.
Especially in her role as the work team leader, it seemed her relations with other elves weren’t that poor, and she appeared to be quickly adapting to life here.
But what you see isn’t always all there is.
In reality, Olgania was laying a public embarrassment on Elanar to test Lirisia’s reaction.
‘Though she seems gruff and annoyed on the surface, is her essence still that of a saint? The way she glances at Elanar below her…’
Seeing a surprisingly human response from Lirisia, Olgania nodded and lifted her backside off Elanar.
“Lirisia’s words are right. Let’s moderate this punishment for Elanar. Now, back to the original topic. Elanar?”
“Yes, Olgania-sama…”
“Don’t look so scared.”
Olgania put on her usual gentle smile once again.
“I mean, come on. Just because I didn’t put any meat on the table, am I really going to take out all my frustrations from listening to the stupid human chatter in the National Assembly today and then being persistently ogled by Yu-jin at the Hunter Association?”
“……………. I’m sorry.”
Of course, the warmth in her voice didn’t go that far.
“Don’t worry, Elanar. The elves live harmoniously with nature, and I had to spend two hours persuading a crazy human lawmaker who said we don’t need to provide housing. It would be exhausting to plan meals with no meat when my only joy for today is to have some meat to eat and I see it’s not there while being scolded about the nature diet.”
“……….. sniff….”
In the end, Elanar must have realized the mess she had created since the tears welled up in her huge eyes.
It appeared Olgania was far angrier than Lirisia over the lack of meat.
“Hey, let’s stop this.”
“Sure, I think I lost my sanity for a moment there.”
“Seriously, stop. And what kind of overindulgence is there to worry about? Just check if the supplies or whatever are what they ought to be. If they’re not, just inquire with the supplier.”
“That’s true… sigh, but it’s not just about me…and…”
“But still, there are the elves here working hard for over 12 hours a day, and they can’t be happy with meals that miss out on meat…”
“That too… but… Yujin needs to eat as well.”
“Yujin? Who’s that… oh, is he the hero who used to hang out with you in your past life?”
“Exactly. I’ve noticed that recently he seems to lack energy when we sleep together late at night and if he doesn’t eat at least an elf dish blessed with life, he practically drops dead. If I don’t feed him that, he won’t last long. But what can I say? If you leave me for decades without taking responsibility, you’ve gotta own up to it.”
“What…?”
At that, Lirisia momentarily looked shocked.
“Just recently, he ate some pork stir-fry from the Nut Tree House, and he found it invigorating. That night, he fell fast asleep by 4 AM. Thanks to that, ever since, I have been bringing some meat dishes made by the Nut Tree House sisters every time I look for Yu-jin.”
“…….”
Lirisia pressed one hand against her forehead and shook her head.
I’m not hearing anything!
How did all these elves get so messed up?
“Anyway, I won’t harm any of you, so just get me the address and number.”
“Yes, certainly, Olgania-sama.”
“Oh, and ask if they like corn.”
“…….”
Looking at Olgania, Lirisia closed her eyes.
“I’m sorry, Bribie.”
“You’re not as crazy as those deranged elves.”
Compared to that insane elven whirlwind, you’re practically a fairy.
After that, Olgania and Lirisia started checking the list of ingredients that arrived at dawn.
The truth of the matter was simple.
The external supplier that provided the ingredients had received the payment in advance. What should have been a normal delivery to a human organization had turned into a strange situation after they discovered that their client was “over 500 elves.”
The supplier likely noticed some elves laboring nearby when they came to distribute their goods.
This in itself was not problematic.
Even prior to the migration, some elves from the other world lived among humans in Korea, so no one was surprised at the existence of elves.
The problem arose when the original supplier, realizing their clientele was elves, thought it was fine to shortchange them since they had already received payment.
“After all, elves eat plants and have small appetites.”
Thinking it was alright to deliver a mere bare minimum of supplies when the customer turned out to be elves, they had cut off the supply of the most expensive meats and instead filled the order with large quantities of cheap vegetables.
And with the remaining funds, the supplier pocketed the profit, probably without any awareness that a meat-eating prohibition had fallen upon the ancient forest elves.
Ultimately, the Hunter Association was made aware of this issue through Yeonseo, who had been introduced to this ingredient supplier.
Once they received that news, Yeonseo transported herself right in front of the head of the ingredient supplier to confront him.
Neither Lirisia, Elanar, Olgania, nor the elves at Yagada knew exactly what occurred.
Rumor had it that the head of the supplier begged endlessly, and eventually, a new supplier providing food for the elves was sourced through the Hunter Association.
The new supplier’s meat was simply exquisite and substantial, enough to satisfy the taste buds of the recently carnivorous elves with top-grade Hanwoo and pork raised at Daegwallyeong. To prevent the same issue from recurring, the new arrangement had the supplier directly manage and provide the products rather than having an intermediary involved.
“Yesterday’s meat was so good!”
“Right?”
“Bribie, today they say we’re having galbitang?”
“What’s that?”
“They say it’s a soup made with beef ribs! It’s a type of gukbap, they say?”
“Gukbap? That one came out once before, right?”
“Huh, when?”
“When you went to provide support at area 18. It was really delicious then.”
Today is galbitang…
After finishing up with the spirits of the sand, performing what was effectively a mix of intimidation and persuasion, Lirisia completed her tasks and returned to where the elves were resting.
Yes, galbitang…
It’s been a long time since I had that.
Using subpar cow meat or yak ribs in galbitang is incredibly unappetizing, but since we shouldn’t face any more food mishaps, I could look forward to the taste!
“That sundae gukbap we had last time was really tasty, so I’m excited to try a similar gukbap again!”
“Oh, the flavor of hot gukbap with rice mixed in plus a bit of spicy salad was fantastic!”
“You guys don’t know anything.”
Oh! Senpai! Are we finished?!
As the meal-preparing elves became visible from afar, Lirisia’s team of working elves waved their hands in fervent excitement.
After all, enjoying gukbap after a day of hard work truly is a cheat key…
“Wait….?”
“Hehe, look at this! www It seems like this fellow is dying to be eaten by me!”
“Wow, it looks delicious.”
“What are these noodle-like things?”
“It seems they mixed rice and noodles in this galbitang.”
“Wooah, there’s a lot of meat. The Nut Tree House sisters must have worked really hard…”
“Hey, everyone, stop.”
But then suddenly sensing something was off, Lirisia firmly grasped Bribie’s hand just as she was about to lift her spoon.
“Uh, Senpai? What’s wrong?”
“Don’t you smell something weird?”
“Something smells? Just the usual delicious meat smell, I think?”
“Team leader, don’t you think you’re being overly sensitive after the last incident?”
The elves trying galbitang for the first time didn’t realize it, but from the moment Lirisia caught a whiff, she became strangely uneasy.
The smell was undoubtedly identical to regular galbitang.
However, she had never come across a galbitang that smelled sweet like chocolate or candy.
“Hey, Senpai! No matter how senior you are, trying to take my food is too much!”
And notwithstanding Lirisia’s warning, Bribie took a spoonful of galbitang.
“I’ve been dying to eat meat!”
Slurp, munch!
“Delicious! Sooooo good!!”
“See? Bribie’s eating well, isn’t she?”
“……”
Slurp, munch!
However, soon after, Bribie’s pace of eating started to slow.
“Uh…?”
“Bribie…?”
Gulp. slurp “So good… Mmmm… Huh…”
“……”
Before long, Bribie’s face turned beet red, and she collapsed in her seat while still chewing her galbitang.
It wasn’t poison.
Bribie looked fine on the outside, and there were no signs of poisoning visible either.
“Huff, huff… huff…”
“U-uh, sister?”
“Bribie’s condition…”
She simply laid there with her rosy face, rubbing her thighs and exhaling low whimpers.
“Heh… huff… mmm… Senpai…”
“…Are you hurt?”
“My body feels… burning… I’m certain this is… at least 3000 times hotter… ugh…”
As she mumbled nonsense, it seemed like her life was not in danger.
‘These fools… what have they done to the food now…?’
And the pranks they were pulling were things that the other elves weren’t even noticing.
Sigh…
Lirisia let out a deep sigh before standing up from her spot.
“Hey, take care of her. Just in case, cover her with some leaves.”
“Y-yes!”
“Where are you going, Team Leader?”
“Where else? I’m going to catch those who’ve been messing around with the food.”
