It had been two more days of walking, and they were finally near the two elves' village. Lothar's stomach grumbled due to not having any food stuffed inside for the remainder of the morning due to the two elves wanting to reach the village faster.
"Tell me again why we're stopping?" Lothar asked with haggard breaths, sweat dripping down his face as he breathed in air through his mouth.
"It's because we need to explain some things about our village." Millana said as she sat on Lothar's shoulder.
"Could you please go down first? I feel like I'm going to fall…" Lothar weakly said as Millana shrugged and dropped to the ground, patting the dust off her shorts as she landed.
"… Weak." Elora clicked her tongue as she scanned their surroundings for any sort of threat. Even if they were near their village, that didn't mean that they were safe from any animal or monster roaming around. "Once we arrive, I'm putting you through a training regimen."
"Just what I was thinking…" Lothar exhaled out the air in his lungs as he steadied himself.
"Good." Elora nodded, and she went back to keeping an eye out for any threats.
"Now, first off, Lothar, do not, under any circumstance, give in to the taunts my people will give you." Millana said seriously, prompting Lothar to listen attentively. "I alone am enough of a buffer to keep them from harming you, but insults will still come to pass."
"Nah, don't worry. Insults are something that's common in my life." Lothar thought back to all those toxic voice chats back on Earth. The yelling, the screaming, and even the death threats that entered his ears were like music.
In short, he was so used to toxicity in the voice chat that most insults, whether in real life or in the virtual world, did not penetrate his thick head.
"Good, but be careful. If they decide to do something physical, just say my name, and they'll back off. Just don't go to any secluded spot, otherwise, my people would find a way to make your life miserable." Lothar hummed and accepted her conditions. Not that it wasn't needed. Lothar had plot armor, the most powerful skill in the world, possibly. Even the description itself told him that he could not be harmed, and even he himself could not do harm to himself.
"Wonderful. Now, shall we go?" Lothar nodded, his lungs no longer burning as he, Elora, and Millana continued the trek towards their village.
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"Damn… I expected tree houses, but holy shit, does this blow my expectations out of the forest." Lothar whistled as he bore witness to the magical and fantasy like houses that were made by the elves by carving out hollow interiors within large trees in the area.
Stairs and pulleys, working by either magic or physical labor, gave access to the platforms that were scattered all across the gigantic trees, more houses situated on each floor.
"I see that our aesthetics are to your liking." Millana smiled slightly as she walked forward, followed by Elora, who now relaxed slightly since they were in their home territory. Lothar, on the other hand, tensed up when he noticed various elves staring at him with varying degrees of disgust, curiosity, and hatred.
'Yikes, Millana wasn't kidding when she gave me her warning.' Lothar stayed close to the two elves he'd met a few days before and concentrated on walking, ignoring the glaring daggers thrust into his back.
One thing Lothar could appreciate in this place, however, was the fact that all the elves, young and elderly, looked drop-dead gorgeous. Hell, even the men looked like women.
'If the people back on Earth who had that fetish came here, I'm sure there would be a lot of femboys roaming around the land by now.' Lothar shivered as he thought about those thoughts. 'I'm fucking straight, and ain't nothin' happening to turn me away from being straight.'
Lothar followed the two elves in silence while ignoring the crowds' piercing gaze from all sides. A few minutes of walking later, the trio arrived at what seemed to be the biggest tree in the area. Double doors led the way inside, guarded by elven guards in fancy looking armor.
"Lady Millana! We are glad to see you are back." The elven guard on the right approached the two elves and bowed, the other following soon after. "But why bring a human?"
The guard raised his sword and pointed it at Lothar, who took a step back at the sudden hostility.
"Lower your weapon, Zelphar." Millana raised her hand, and the elf, now revealed to be Zelphar, acquiesced as he lowered his weapon, the butt of the spear handle landing on the ground with a soft thud. "This human is my guest. Treat him as you would have me. Elora, Lothar, let us head inside."
Zelphar nodded, but was still skeptical about Lothar. He still complied, since this was his lady's order. The other guard also complied, but didn't hesitate to throw a glare at Lothar.
Once inside, Millana was greeted by two elf maids, their work outfits reminiscent of the Gothic Lolita style, but without the lewdness, as portrayed in modern media.
Their skirts were long and showed little to no skin at all. They carried themselves with dignity as they served Millana, their lady and master, with their entire being, all while being polite and respectful.
Elora wasn't tended to by the maids, but that was par for the course, since she was a guard, not royalty, unlike Millana. Lothar was also given preferential treatment, if only at the command of Millana.
"Thank you, Penelo, Edea. You may return to your other activities." The two maids bowed and left us three alone. "Lothar, follow me, and do not separate."
Without dilly-dallying, Lothar followed the two elves, who remained silent for the most part as they traversed the inner rooms of the hollowed-out tree, various furniture made of wood stylishly placed along the corridors.
Paintings also hung from the walls, each of them distinct and eye-catching. It wasn't until a few more minutes that they came upon another door, larger and more decorated than the ones from outside.
Lothar couldn't help but marvel at the quality of the door. The wood was lined with gold-plating that formed an intricate pattern across its surface. Along the lines of gold, platinum crisscrossed here and there, forming another pattern pleasant to the eyes, but what caught Lothar's vision was the giant symbol of a flower coiled by a vine in the middle.
The door opened, and the room behind the doors was no less elegant than the door itself.
A giant throne appeared on a raised platform, with wooden stairs leading to the platform. A giant chandelier hung from the ceiling, magical bulbs shining down into the room.
All around the room, guards decorated in even fancier armor than before guarded the room with the utmost vigilance, none of them moving a muscle as they stood like statues.
Millana paid no heed to the glamorous room, opting to stride forward with the confidence a leader would have. Elora, being her faithful servant, followed the tiny elf into the room like a guard dog would, and Lothar could do nothing but stand there in shock and awe.
"Lothar, please come in." Only Millana's voice brought him out of his stupor, and Lothar followed the elves, the door closing behind him all the while.