“Elcia, is this the same situation as before?”
“……Yes. However, there are too many of them now.”
Right now, we were surrounded by countless elf warriors.
All the elf warriors had stunningly beautiful faces, fitting of the name “elf.”
But even that beauty could not mask their battle-hardened experience and sharpened hostility.
In particular, their tense appearances seemed to suggest that no negotiation would be accepted.
The spear tips they held were worn from handling, but the blades were managed so meticulously that they gleamed as though brand new.
The exposed forearms and backs of their hands had bulging veins and a few small scars.
All of these facts hinted that the elves surrounding us were warriors fighting for their lives.
Their spear tips aimed in our direction efficiently, taking full advantage of the group’s military formation.
The distance between the spear tips and us was about 20cm.
With just a little force, they could easily stab us.
Meanwhile, an elf who seemed to be the leader shouted at us.
“What are you doing! Hurry up and tie them up!”
“””””Yes!!!”””””
Then, a few of the elf army started approaching with ropes.
But before they could get close, I jumped in first.
“This isn’t what matters right now! The World Tree has been attacked!”
Confusion started to flicker in the eyes of the elf warriors.
Then, the leader elf shouted even more angrily, as if trying to regain control of the situation.
“Are you saying you intend to refuse the orders of the High Elves!!”
“Hey, idiots!!! The World Tree was actually attacked by some unknown assailant!!”
“Stop spouting nonsense!!”
As the clash of opinions between me and the leader elf grew, the elf warriors began to stir uneasily.
The elves started to panic one by one.
Someone pointed upward and screamed.
“Look, over there!! Smoke is coming from the World Tree!!”
Thanks to that, everyone’s gaze shifted to the World Tree.
Sad gasps began to echo from all around.
Seizing the opportunity, I spoke to the leader elf.
“Old man! We rushed down in a hurry! We need to save the World Tree now!”
“Don’t lie!”
“No, f*ck, the World Tree is really under attack!”
With a flustered expression, the leader elf turned to Elcia and asked.
“Ershiana, is this true?”
“……It is a fact that the World Tree is in peril.”
“I understand! Everyone, head to the World Tree!!!!”
“””””Yes!!!”””””
‘Idiots, as soon as it’s related to the World Tree, their heads solidify.’
[Let’s take this chance to escape.]
At that moment, an enormous telepathic voice came from the World Tree.
It was loud enough that the entire Forest of Elves could hear it.
「I am fine, so immediately capture those f*ckers!!!!!!」
“Ah, f*ck.”
The World Tree, which had been playing dead until Hyeji left, ordered us to be targeted the moment Hyeji exited.
Seems like it can think more than I expected.
Meanwhile, the elf warriors quickly judged the situation.
Turning their steps toward the World Tree, they again surrounded us and aimed their spear tips at us.
“I didn’t say ‘Did we kill them’ this time.”
“……I’m sorry. It appears the miss said that earlier.”
“You b*tch, seriously.”
“Shinwoo, should we kill all these bastards?”
Hyeji, growling and preparing to fight, was stopped since there was no need to use her here.
If Hyeji fought, it would turn into an indiscriminate massacre.
Instead, I quickly moved behind Elcia, grabbed both of her arms, and held them behind her.
Then, I manifested the dagger from the magical power tattoo on my right hand, pointed it at Elcia’s neck, and said.
“Listen here, you f*ckers! Do you want to see the World Tree’s representative die?”
The elf warriors stood frozen in surprise, exchanging glances without moving.
It was clear they hadn’t expected this at all.
To further escalate the chaos, I shouted even louder than before.
“If you don’t want Ershiana to die, clear a path right now, you ear goblins!!”
Finally, confusion and commotion began to spread among the elf warriors.
Seeing the elves in turmoil, Hyeji and Jeong Ahyeon backed me up.
“Ershiana will bleed! We messed with the wrong mad dog!”
“Look into that man’s eyes! Those are the eyes of a crazed man who would kill Ershiana!”
However, the elf warriors hesitated, still not willing to step aside.
They merely showed faces of doubt, thinking, ‘There’s no way he’d actually do it.’
Then Hyeji and Jeong Ahyeon scowled even more and yelled loudly.
“Aren’t you going to move your spears? If you don’t move quickly, this crazy guy will chop off Ershiana’s arm!”
“Just one arm is a blessing! He’s the kind of scum that would gut her while she’s still alive!”
“Hurry up and step aside! Every second you hesitate, the madman will cut off another finger!”
“Why are you aiming your spears there? Because of you, it seems like that f*cker will cut off Ershiana’s ears!”
“F*ck, are you guys subtly cursing at me?”
Just then, Elcia began to tear up and spoke with a trembling voice.
Her emotions were rich enough to rival a seasoned actress, and her expression was incredibly vivid.
Anyone who didn’t know would genuinely mistake her for a hostage.
“Ugh… Why do I have to go through this… Please save me… Please..”
“Shut up. If you keep that up, I’ll cut off your wrist. Kim Shinwoo.”
“Why are you crying over something you did? If you keep crying, I’ll pluck out those eyes. Shinwoo Gongja.”
‘Why am I the one being the main character, you f*ckers.’
[Even so, it’s working well! The elves are backing off!]
It seemed to be effective as the elves slowly began to retreat.
However, there were still many elves blocking the way.
I casually pushed Elcia toward the spear aimed at us. She immediately began to scream in a crazy way.
“AHHHHHHHHH!!!! Help me!!!! Someone just stabbed me with a spear!!!”
“No, no!!! I didn’t stab you!!”
“You guys really are f*cking bastards. No matter what, you stab the representative.”
“D-Don’t lie!!”
“AHHHHHHHHHH!!! Someone’s stabbing me from behind too!!!!!!”
“No, crazy girl! Wait a minute!”
Suddenly, Hyeji kicked me in the leg.
“Hey, Kim Shinwoo, have you lost it?”
“Is the Gongja a noble elf now? Getting excited in a situation like this?”
“F*ck, I’m seriously unjustly accused.”
The wrongly accused elf warrior shouted and protested, but was dragged away by the other elf warriors.
Seeing that, the leader elf urgently issued a command.
“Do not harm the representative! Clear the way!!”
“””””Understood!!”””””
“And contact the Korean government and the Academy!”
“””””Yes!!!”””””
Then the elf warriors retreated more actively than before.
Of course, my sentiment was just sh*t.
“…f*ck, at this rate, I won’t be able to walk in society.”
“Shinwoo, if things get too tough, come to our house.”
“Why? Are you going to give me a job or something?”
“U-um… similar…”
[Seriously, you frustrating idiots!! Someone just charge in already!!!]
‘Why are you all in such a panic? Getting out first is the priority.’
Hyeji, after saying that, avoided eye contact and was now unable to speak properly.
It seemed she couldn’t voice herself anymore.
In any case, as soon as we escaped from the encirclement of the elf warriors, we quickly ran towards our goal.
The destination was none other than the gate.
Since things had gotten so tangled, I planned to escape through the gate and think about what to do later.
At that moment, someone suddenly jumped out right in front of me, and I tensed up and prepared to defend myself.
The figure was…
“You are the ear goblin?”
“That’s me.”
None other than Elcia’s escort elf.
She was loaded with our belongings in her hands.
“I thought it would come to this, so I packed early.”
“Oh, you finally became useful.”
“……I’m ashamed.”
The escort elf replied gloomily, lowering her head.
Then she looked at Elcia and gently said.
“Ershiana. Escape from here and be sure to find happiness.”
“……Thank you. I’ll pay back the borrowed money when I get the chance-.”
“Ah, you should give that to me right now.”
“F*ck.”
When it came to money matters, the escort elf was strict.
I gave a light tug on the bags, but they didn’t budge an inch.
It seemed like a reflection of her resolve not to hand them over until she got paid.
Only after Elcia had settled all debts did the escort elf finally hand over our belongings.
“Then everyone, I hope we meet again when the chance arises.”
After bowing to us with grace, we dashed toward the gate.
After running for a while until I could hardly breathe, we finally reached the gate.
“Phew, I’m gonna die. Anyway, let’s go back to the Academy.”
“Gongja, but first explain the reason.”
“What reason? Why we are being pursued?”
“Not that, the reason why you attacked the World Tree in the first place.”
“Oh, didn’t I tell you earlier?”
“Hey, Jeong Ahyeon. Is a reason necessary? If Shinwoo wants to break it, he should just break it.”
‘Wow, f*ck. Hyeji is so reliable. So cool.’
[Now that’s a real protagonist.]
I quickly summarized what had happened with the World Tree to my party.
The World Tree asked us to leave Elcia behind.
Even though Elcia is mixed-blood, she was deemed talented, so they intended to use her for breeding.
And then they even dared to utter the word ‘parents.’
The reactions of my party after hearing my story were varied.
Hyeji was extremely furious, while Jeong Ahyeon wore a self-mocking smile, looking somewhat deflated.
Elcia, on the other hand, showed a bitter smile while seeming thankful.
“Ah, f*ck! I should’ve killed all those bastards!”
“Sigh… In the end, trash disguised as parents exist everywhere.”
“Are you seriously calling your mom trash while going off like that? Are you trying to die from a rage fit?”
“Hey, I know you’re angry, but hit them, not me. It hurts like hell…”
“……Thank you all for your concern.”
Especially Hyeji seemed unable to calm down easily.
It must be because she had special memories associated with her mother.
In conclusion, the World Tree had put a leash of ‘representative’ on Elcia, intending to use her for its own desires.
Even though the selection of representatives had been through voting, early on, the balding ear goblin had been the likely candidate.
However, as a result, the current representative for the World Tree was Elcia.
Now that the situation had turned out this way, they were trying to utilize her to the maximum until justice was realized.
“Let’s head back to the Academy for now.”
“Well, the vacation is about to end.”
“I wasted too much time at the Unicorn shrine.”
“Husband! I know the coordinates!”
Elcia, seemingly back to her usual self, approached the gate to set the coordinates.
And the moment Elcia approached the gate—
“Do you have something urgent to discuss?”
A cold voice rang out.
