I won’t bother discussing what happened to the three Kanps who attempted hijacking afterward.
What’s important is that they are currently tied up with my tentacles in a corner of the plane, “without a scratch.” They seem to be much calmer and quieter compared to our first encounter when they were all wild and pointing arrows at me like Kanps.
No matter how much they are Kanps, they are still beings of Humanity with intelligence and reason.
Above all, I’m not a fucking racist.
I might not know about humans from other Earths, but I had been comrades with elves who had my back for a long time in my previous world.
How can I not treat elves who fought alongside me against the Demon King as humans?
They also treated me as a human, even though I’m a Mangja Seongnyeo (Saint of the Dead), so despite being from different worlds, even if it’s an elf who does nothing but act like a Kanp from the start, I want to recognize them as intelligent beings with whom I can have a conversation as equals.
After all, in the end, I don’t kill people, so isn’t that fine?
Thus, the plane successfully arrived at the Elf Great Forest.
The landing area was a public space quite a bit away from the Elf Great Forest.
With a good number of spirits residing in this place, the solid ground and well-structured rocks were entirely fixed to the sky, giving it the feel of an airport close to a location where planes can take off and land. It was also one of the few channels through which elves could communicate with the outside world.
And as soon as I got off the plane, I found myself facing a massive army of Kanps aiming all sorts of arrows at me.
They had charged their arrows with various elemental spirits, including wind arrows, fire arrows, and lightning arrows, which could blow up a tank with a single shot.
“Wow, what a warm welcome.”
“…….”
“…Did the Association not say anything?”
Upon hearing my words, the crew member lowered their head apologetically.
Even though only I can step foot on the Elf territory, the crew and the pilot had to stay on the plane, but at least they are also acting as trainee personnel who were dispatched directly from the Hunter Association.
“Yes, I’m sorry. There is indeed a request letter stamped with the seal of Elder ‘Dawn Bud Olgania’ at the Association. We’ve also informed the Association that Hunter Isia would be coming to see Elder Olgania and received permission. We certainly didn’t expect this situation…”
“Ha, I see. It can’t be helped.”
I stepped forward, indicating that it was fine.
“Stay inside. Don’t worry about me.”
“…Please be careful, Hunter Isia.”
“Yes.”
Unlike me, their bodies are ordinary humans.
If even a single arrow were to fly, they might get hurt.
“Identify the intruder!”
Fortunately, they didn’t immediately shoot arrows right off the bat.
Yeah, we are intelligent beings and civilized people.
Let’s talk. Talk.
“I’m Hunter Isia from Korea.”
“This is the Great Forest. You should know that you shouldn’t trespass here.”
“It’s unclear which rank I hold, but I’ve come upon an elf’s request. I believe it was all discussed above…”
The one speaking to me was a lavishly blonde female elf who stood at the front of the elves.
She was quite tall, with a slender model-like body, and oddly enough, her chest was significantly larger compared to her long limbs, making for quite an interesting figure.
While she wasn’t as big as Teresa or Menelapie, her figure was nonetheless very appealing.
“Oh, a request? Whose permission did you receive for that?”
“From the Association…”
“Do you think the Hunter Association or any human organization is above our will? Perhaps somewhere else, but the owners of this Great Forest are us. Even if a god descended here, they couldn’t disregard our will or that of our mother!”
The blonde elf raised her hand in disbelief.
As she did, the elves behind her became even more hostile.
Ah, please don’t shoot. Don’t do it.
I’m not sure if I could handle them without getting hurt.
Even Teresa has always dissed my so-called ‘tact’…
“We didn’t hear any news about anyone coming from the start. You’re just a simple intruder. How bold of you to intrude at such a sensitive time.”
“Elaran!”
At that moment, several elves shouted at the blonde elf, who seemed to be their leader.
Considering they were using such a respectful term, it seems Elaran, the blonde elf, was their chief.
“That vile woman is holding our compatriot captive!”
“What…?”
“Gyaah?! Mirinae!”
“…How dare you capture our compatriot…!”
When I turned around, I saw three young elf guards I had caught earlier getting freed by another elf’s spirit and being supported by it.
Realizing that their comrades had been captured by me, several elves snapped their bows in a tense standoff, and the spirits attached to their arrows surged with attack energy.
Oh no, are we really going to fight?
“Ha….”
[Miracle – Divine Manifestation]
As the massive tentacles emerged from my waist, the elves’ faces turned pale with shock.
“…!”
“W-what is that..?”
“Are you not human?!”
“A monster!”
“What a dreadful creature in our mother’s land…!”
Even Elaran, who initially spoke to me, had her expression filled with hostility as she drew her sword.
At the moment she drew her sword, countless spirits coated the surface of the blade in flames, ice, wind, and lightning, clearly preparing for battle.
“In the name of Elaran, Chief of Dawn, I designate this vile creature as a pest! All children, raise your bows!”
“““Yes!”””
Even though I’m a Mangja Seongnyeo, being treated like a monster like this still stings.
But what can I do?
Those elves were already poised to attack at the slightest pretext, and once they saw their compatriots in my grasp, there was no room for dialogue anymore.
But don’t worry.
No matter how things go, in the end, nobody will be hurt or die.
Ha, if only Menelapie were here… breaking things or forgiving is her specialty, but arguing isn’t really my strong suit.
“Ha, ha! Elara…nar…”
“…!?”
At that moment, the tension in the elves aiming their arrows seemed to lessen at the sight of an elf who had arrived riding a small bird.
“Oh, Olgania?! What is going on here… No, stay away! If you get closer to that vile creature…”
“Stop, stop… Ha, ha….!”
Olganiya.
I remembered that she was the elder elf who had issued the request for an S-grade hunter through the Hunter Association.
Given her title of Dawn Bud Olgania, she must be of considerable high status, but for an elder, she seemed quite young.
True to her name, Olganiya had a very delicate and fragile appearance, reminiscent of a bellflower.
While one can’t easily tell an elf’s age, Olganiya looked as if she wouldn’t be older than the late elementary school years in human terms. Maybe around 12 or 13 years old?
It was quite a sight to see her platinum hair swaying with her short, delightful strides.
“I, ha… huff…”
Dressed in a beautiful outfit seemingly woven from the World Tree’s leaves, Olganiya ran towards me, pulling her arms wide as if to protect me from the elves.
“Are you okay?”
“Eek, eek… I’m struggling… huff, huff…”
“Shut up, vile creature! How dare you speak to Olganiya?”
“Be quiet!! Haa… ha…”
“What in the world…”
It seemed Olganiya had rushed over and was still trying to catch her breath, visibly panting.
[Miracle – Great Healing]
“Ha, ha… huh?”
“Breathe slowly.”
“Huff… ha…”
“Are you alright?”
Upon hearing my words, Olganiya began to touch herself as if checking her body and suddenly seemed much better.
She bowed her head toward me, then raised it to face other elves who were still on guard.
“This person is here under a direct request from the Elder! Everyone, lower your bows!”
“……”
“Elaran, what should we do?”
The other elves looked to Elaran, who stood out as their commander, seemingly in a state of panic.
Of course, although she was younger, Elaran found herself troubled by Olganiya’s high status as an elder.
“Olganiya, it may be disrespectful to say, but Elaran, the head of the Lotus Lake Knight Order, has received no word from the Elder Council whatsoever.”
“What?!”
“Unless we receive proper notice from the Elder Council, we cannot bring any unidentified outsider into the Great Forest…”
“But…”
“I am sorry. However, my duty is to prevent the intrusion of any unknown miscreants into the Great Forest. Since I have received no word from the Elder Council, this person cannot be considered one sent on an errand from the Elder Council.”
Olganiya looked at me with a ‘What should I do!?’ expression after hearing the elf commander’s remarkably firm words.
But what do you want me to do?
Given Elaran’s words, Olganiya seemed to squirm, visibly flustered, trying to figure out what to do.
Now that I think about it, this young elf called Olganiya holds quite a high position as an elder, right?
“Olganiya.”
“Yes..?”
“You are an elder, right?”
“Y-yes…?”
At my sudden question, Olganiya responded while trembling.
From the look on her face, she seemed to have fallen into a panic and didn’t know how to react.
“If you’re an elder… that’s like being the king in terms of humans.”
“Y-yeah… Technically, it’s closer to a triunvirate, but…”
“Then why not say that I’m not just someone invited by you, but rather a guest Olganiya has invited?”
“Ah…!”
“There’s no culture for throwing out a guest invited by an elder, right?”
“T-that’s true!”
It seemed as though my suggestion struck Olganiya as a wonderful idea, and her eyes widened with excitement.
“Commander Elaran!”
“You called, Olganiya? If you wish, I could dispose of this vile miscreant right away…”
“Not that! This person is a guest I invited!”
“….?”
At that, Elaran’s eyebrows twitched.
Despite being addressed as an elder, a much younger girl was openly lying in front of her, yet the seasoned commander must have known the truth.
“You already knew about this vile creature from the start?”
“Yes, of course! That’s why I invited them!”
“……”
Elaran stared at Olganiya as if scrutinizing her.
However, no matter how much a young girl spouts nonsense, Olganiya is still an elder.
Even if she doesn’t have notice from the Elder Council, by saying that a guest personally invited by her is standing before them, it reduces Elaran’s justification for expelling someone who was invited by an elder.
“Understood. Olganiya… it doesn’t seem you’re lying.”
“Phew…”
Don’t let out that sigh of relief just yet.
“Everyone, lower your bows! This is a guest of Olganiya!”
“““Yes!”””
Finally, it seemed the hostility of the elves lessened noticeably.
The entry procedure is indeed troublesome here…
Afterwards, the elves’ aggressiveness noticeably dropped.
No, it wasn’t just the aggressiveness that waned; a subtle lingering hostility remained.
It’s not because I’m a Mangja Seongnyeo that they’re hostile; they likely just feel uneasy about the presence of an outsider in the Great Forest where the World Tree resides.
Still, what I could feel up until now is that… the Great Forest of the elves is quite different from what I had imagined.
I mean, since I’m in this world, it was somewhat expected to find computers or TVs around.
A huge TV made of wood hanging in the elf plaza is a curious sight, but what’s more important is the elves themselves.
The Great Forest, which one could say is the birthplace and kingdom of elves, is supposed to be bursting with vitality.
That was the case for the elves in my previous world, and it was written in the information about the Elf Kingdom on the Hunter Wiki.
It was said that elves become the most vibrant in their forests, and if they are there, they’re free from any harmful diseases.
“Cough, cough!”
“…..Haah.”
Yet, the sight of the elves in front of me wasn’t as pleasant as I thought it would be.
Many elves were coughing as if they had caught a cold or some infectious disease.
At first, some elves looked at me curiously, but soon they walked away with lifeless expressions.
Not every elf looked weak, but at least a considerable number of elves seemed quite frail.
‘…This doesn’t seem like a simple monster invasion.’
I felt a sense of impending complications, but first, I needed to learn the reason Olganiya had invited me here.
“You can stay in this room.”
And after quite a bit of walking, I was assigned to a rather spacious and eco-friendly room by Elaran, the knight commander elf.
“I apologize for the rudeness earlier, human.”
“It’s fine.”
Right. We are intelligent beings and civilized people, so if there’s a misunderstanding, it’s important to resolve it through words. If there are any lingering problems, we should understand each other with a broad mind.
“However, I must warn you of one thing, human.”
“What is it?”
“Olganiya is the last daughter of the World Tree, our mother. It wouldn’t happen, but if you were to lead Olganiya astray or implant false words into her, I, Elaran, head of the Lotus Lake Knight Order, will never let that slide…”
Instead of reciprocating with a sharp tone, I just looked at Elaran with a cheerful smile.
After all, one smile is worth a hundred words. It is said that a smiling face is not something one should easily touch.
“…….”
“There’s no need for concern. By the way, when is mealtime?”
“I’ll send someone later…”
Whether my sincerity got across, Elaran also stopped speaking sharply and let out a short sigh.
“…Then, you should get some rest. And yes, my apologies for earlier.”
With that, Elaran closed the door and left.
Indeed, the smile of a saint really works well.
They said it’s a room provided for guests, and the bed woven with vines and leaves was quite comfortable. The scent of what felt like phytoncide from inside calmed my mind and body.
Fortunately, the accommodations are top-notch.
Knock, knock, knock
“Shia, it’s Olganiya.”
After a while of unpacking in my room and enjoying the scenery outside, Olganiya came to visit me.
She mentioned going to talk with the other elders about how I was treated earlier, but she seemed to have hurried somewhere.
“Phew, I apologize…”
“It seems you didn’t have a smooth talk with the other elders?”
“Yes…”
In the end, it turns out I’m not a formally requested hunter, but rather just a personal guest of Olganiya in this place.
Naturally, there’s a difference.
If I were a hunter sent on a request, my area of activity would be greatly increased, and I would be granted rights close to extraterritorial privileges. But as just a guest of Olganiya, my area of activity and rights are naturally limited.
“It seems the other elders opposed this request from the beginning?”
“That’s right… Just now, the elders scolded me for calling someone on my own, and… I barely managed to remain here in the Great Forest under my authority as my guest. I’m really sorry, Shia…”
I suspected that.
Receiving a request under the elder’s name, then hijacking a plane, and as soon as I land, being met with dozens of elves drawing their arrows told me the communication up top wasn’t running smoothly.
Yet, I held no anger.
From Olganiya, I felt no trace of deceit or malice, and even Elaran, who had spoken harshly to me earlier, had no real ill intent against me.
If no malice exists, then there’s no need to respond to malice.
If there are no opponents filled with bad intentions, then holding onto anger is pointless.
If you wait patiently and hope things will resolve themselves, they usually do.
“Let me introduce myself formally. I’m Shia, the Mangja Seongnyeo. I’m the last daughter of the World Tree, Olganiya Parchelotisphia.”
“…Can I just call you Olga?”
“Yes, please.”
“But Olganiya…”
“Yes?”
I suddenly looked at Olganiya to clarify something that had come to mind.
“I never introduced myself as the Mangja Seongnyeo, and yet how do you know my name?”
“Ah……….”
At my words, Olganiya blushed and awkwardly glanced between the floor and me.
“Well…”
I easily guessed the reason.
Olganiya either has a personal connection with Yujin or Yujin might have sent information about me to her beforehand. Olganiya must have been aware of me, a person with “S-grade” capabilities, who hadn’t received formal qualifications.
Of course, that’s not a terribly glorious matter; that’s likely why Olganiya was hesitating to speak.
But I had no intention of getting angry or feeling like I was being deceived by Yujin.
If there’s a hardship and someone in need of a request, I have no choice but to answer. Since I came all this way, seeing the elves suffering from various ailments… how could a saint possibly walk away?
Moreover, although Olganiya is an elder, her authority doesn’t seem too enormous. Unless this young elf boldly declares that she will do something behind my back, I can be understanding with a generous heart.
“…Chijidan…”
“Yes?”
“Do you know the ‘13 Chijidan’… or ‘Mangja Chijidan’?”
How could I not know?
In the past, through a mistaken drone camera operation error, my Hunter broadcast aired.
Thanks to that, I ended up unintentionally serving Wyvern eggs as stew from the Kurtala Mountains while the broadcast was simply live without my knowledge.
The first proper broadcast I did was ‘Fried Centipede Dragon’ from Rotten Mountain, but many viewers also showed up for the Wyvern stew broadcast.
While skimming through the Hunter Gallery looking to see my name, I learned that there were actually 13 viewers who had witnessed my very first broadcast.
The Legendary 13.
Mangja Chijidan, for short, Mangchi-dan.
They’re still the die-hard viewers who pop up every single time I go live.
KawaiiHorned, Shishiro Botang, LeafFriedSelling, ChickenStoreFail… and more, they’re all frequent faces, and they’ve been let be in kindness as they are my adorable viewers.
But how on earth does Olganiya know that…
“Could it be…?”
“…My nickname is ‘LeafFriedSelling’. I’m a member of Mangchi-dan. I’ve been a fan since your first broadcast, Shia…”
“…….”
Seeing Olganiya turn red and twist her body, I slapped my forehead.
Oh no… this is dizzying.
