Even though it was a great victory, there was no parade or extravagant celebration. The elves didn't really do such things, having been used to rustic and simple lifestyles. They did send us off with a huge feast, though it was simple fare, such as fruit and honey lathered meat, and juice. Elves didn't seem the type to brew wine, but the juices tasted heavenly, almost like elixirs.
They formally thanked us for our assistance, and though the human parties who had come from all over the world offered to help with the reconstruction efforts, by the time we woke up the next morning after the feast, we saw that there was no need for our aid at all.
Using magic and their close ties with the World Tree, the elves had used wood spells to rebuild their homes and regrow entire forests. Of course, it wasn't miraculous to the extent where they could restore whole swathes of forest instantly. Even so, it was impressive enough to see sprouting buds dot the entire landscape of what used to be devastated wastelands just a few nights ago. It would take time, yes. Weeks, maybe even days. But the beginning of reforestation was already visible after one whole night, the sprouts already reaching out to the sun above.
After that, the human parties began to return home. We were no exception. The elves had promised rewards of herbs, spirit stones or other treasures in exchange for our aid, but the payment would be handled through adventurer agencies. Well, adventurer being the catchall term for whatever we were, whether we were cultivators, shamans, mages, warriors, priests, alchemists, druids, knights, smiths or whatever class we had chosen to specialize in. Morten Pedersen split off with my group once we reached the roots, having finished his liaison duties.
"I'm due for a long vacation," he said with a grin.
Prior to our return to the base of Yggdrasil, we dropped by the elvish enclaves that we had visited during our ascent. Whether it was Noctwood, Springwood or Murkwood, we stopped by the villages to say hello and bade our farewells. I didn't know if we would ever return to Yggdrasil again, and though I very much wanted to because I enjoyed the beautiful splendor and rich natural mana that permeated the enormous tree, life had a way of not going the way we wanted.
The elves were grateful, as I anticipated, having learned the news from their fellows through whatever esoteric means they employed, whether it was transmission through magic or messages carried by spirits. I now understood that the elves in Yggdrasil could communicate with the Sylphs, and had been relying on them to convey messages and pass on requests.
Much like Sylvie and Silvia, who were fairies.
We were sad to see Morten go, and even though he wasn't exactly a renowned powerhouse, I still viewed him as an integral part of the group. He had done an excellent job of protecting Sylvie and Silvia when they were casting their spells, providing close combat protection while they were launching their magic from range. We owed him a great deal.
"What about you?" I asked Sigmund after we returned to the coastline city where my family was currently staying in. Though I had spent the last week or so climbing Yggdrasil with Myria, Sylvie and Silvia (as well as Morten, Eliza and Sigmund), the original reason why we were able to fly here was because my mom had received a job from the marine biological research center here. However, I doubted Sigmund was going there. He was probably returning to Germany. Like Morten, he had become an important member of our party, and I was loathed to see him go. It wasn't just because he was one of the strongest warriors I had the fortune to meet, but also a comforting presence. His calm personality made him a great person to be around.
"I suppose I'll be returning home to take a break for a while," he replied. "I haven't had the chance to rest in a long while, and this war against the dark elves has taken a toll upon us all. I will certainly appreciate the breather."
"I can totally relate to that." I nodded.
Sigmund smiled and offered me a hand. "It has been an honor fighting by your side."
"No, not at all. The honor is all mine."
"Mine too," Myria added with a bow of her head. Sylvie and Silvia nodded.
"Thank you for your help. If it weren't for you, we might have been annihilated by the incredibly strong enemies that were present."
"Somehow I doubt that." Sigmund chuckled softly. "You are resourceful and intelligent. You would have figured something out."
"You overestimate us," I said with a laugh.
"Nonetheless, if I have the chance, I would love to visit Hua Xia," Sigmund said, a look of contemplation on his face. "I've heard much about it, and I would like to explore the wilderness there. I have heard of the powerful spirit beasts that roam in the forests and plains deep within your country, as well as the breathtaking landscapes. Oh, and dragons." He raised a hand to stroke the hilt of his Balmung. "Where there are dragons, there will be a role for me."
"Oh, right. You have the Dragon Slayer attribute." I nodded.
"Not all dragons are evil," Myria admonished. "We shouldn't be tracking down and hunting each and every one of them."
"Of course," Sigmund responded diplomatically. "I don't mean dragons who are minding their businesses. But as you are well aware, not all spirit beasts are peaceful. There are many who remain hostile to us humans. If there ever arises a need, especially if you encounter a powerful dragon enemy, do not hesitate to call upon me for aid."
"Yeah, sure." I smiled and gave him one last firm handshake before letting go of his newly repaired gauntlets. "We'll be counting on you when the time comes."
And with that, our newly made friends were gone. I watched Sigmund depart, and then the girls and I went on our way.
Oh, speaking of girls, Eliza was conspicuously absent. She had elected to stay behind with the other elves to continue the repair and restoration of the enclaves. Now that the threat was gone, we no longer required elven guides to lead us around Yggdrasil. Also, we humans had proven that we could be trusted, and so they no longer believed they needed to keep an eye on us.
The guides were more like supervisors because the elves were wary of us humans before, but now that we risked our lives and even sacrificed so many of our number to defeat a shared enemy, the elves respected us and withdrew our chaperons.
Speaking of sacrifices, when I glanced up at Yggdrasil, I could see a procession. The dead had been wrapped in shawls and transported in masses, and the elves had made use of wood magic to create a convoy, passing the bodies down to the base of Yggdrasil for proper burial. Already, officials from various ministries and bureaus were waiting at the trading post situated in the roots of the World Tree, cataloguing and identifying the dead, and then sending them back to their home countries for the respective funerals.
I wondered if Wang Teng was among them. Probably not. There were a few cultivators who had lost their lives in the war, but not as many as I had feared there would be. I had kept my distance from them, having become wary thanks to Wang Teng's stunts. It was really sad that I was more suspicious of my fellow countrymen than I was of people from other countries.
Seriously, I didn't know why there were so many "ruthless" edgelords in Hua Xia who believed in the nonsensical adage of "might makes right" or "strong eats the weak." It was people like Wang Teng and other "ruthless" cultivators who gave our country a bad name. Worst of all, all the overseas readers began to believe that their extreme beliefs were representative of "Chinese culture" or that all people of Hua Xia behaved like them. It made me sick to the stomach.
"Let's go back to the condo they reserved for my family," I told Myria, Sylvie and Silvia. They nodded and accompanied me toward the direction of the sea. However, we didn't get very far when we heard a neigh of a horse, and its galloping strides.
"Please wait!"
A familiar voice called out to us, and I turned around in surprise, recognizing the owner. No, she wasn't Eliza, but she was indeed an elf we had met during our expedition to Yggdrasil.
Ardena, the Sword Saint.
She pulled on the reins and guided her horse to a stop in front of us before jumping down gracefully. She lowered her head and cupped her hands in greeting.
"Before you leave, there are a few things I wish to ask of you." She hesitated and raised her head before looking away shyly.
"What is it?" Myria asked impatiently. She stood protectively between me and Ardena, her hands on her hips. "Just so you know, Jun Wen is my fiancé, so don't get any funny ideas and hit on him."
"What? No!" Ardena exclaimed, flustered. "Where do you even get such a preposterous idea from in the first place?!"
"Oh? I thought you were here to propose to him or something." Myria still looked suspicious. "Because he defeated you in a sword duel and is the only man to have achieved that feat, so he's the only one worthy enough to be your husband or something like that."
"No! Of course not! When did I ever say that?!"
"I don't know. You tell me."
"You've been reading way too much manhua, manhwa or manga." I groaned and placed a firm hand on Myria's shoulder before gently pulling her back. "Please stop putting Ardena on the spot. She's clearly not here for any of those stupid clichés. Besides, I didn't defeat her on my own. You contributed as well. So did Long Wang and Xiao Huo. It wasn't a fair one-on-one fight. We won through overwhelming her with our numbers."
"I wouldn't say it was unfair," Ardena said. "I had a greater cultivation realm, so it would be unrealistic of me to demand a one-on-one fight. The fate of the world was on the line, so we all had to do whatever was necessary to obtain victory. I do not begrudge you that."
"So why are you here?" Myria asked stiffly. She still didn't trust Ardena, being wary of the latter's ethereal beauty. She should really learn to relax. I was a faithful person, and I wasn't some misogynistic cultivation protagonist who ran off to have a harem while demanding that all my wives remain loyal only to me. Like, double standards, much?
I honestly didn't understand the comments that the existences beyond the fourth dimension made. So a guy was an alpha chad for having a harem even though he was effectively cheating on his wife and being super indecisive and irresponsible by sleeping with multiple women, but if any of the girls in his harem hooked up with another guy who was not him, they started screaming NTR, and the protagonist would rage and call her a slut before humiliating her (and probably destroying the guy she "cheated" on him with). Yet, no one bats an eyelash when he sleeps with another girl. Do the fourth dimensional existences really not see the hypocrisy, misogyny and double standards in this?
Nah, never mind. I could hear some of them screaming at me for being "woke" now. No, I was just being respectful toward women. I would never demand something from them that I myself wouldn't be able to do. How could I demand fidelity from Myria, for example, if I wasn't going to be faithful to her myself and go build a harem? So it was okay for me to sleep with multiple women, but not for her? Even though she was a royal princess and of a higher status than me? Was it because women should be treated differently from men?
Rubbish. Both these cultivation protagonists and fourth dimensional existences should look into the mirror and be ashamed of themselves.
"Hello? Midgard to Jun Wen." Ardena was waving her hand. I blinked and snapped back to the present, looking apologetic.
"Sorry. You were saying?"
"Yeah, I was asking if you could take my younger sister, Arrone, as your disciple."
For a moment, I wasn't sure if I had heard her right. I stared at her with my mouth wide open, and then I shook my head.
"What? You want me to accept your sister, Arrone, as my disciple?"
"Yes. Your swordsmanship was topnotch. I feel that she can learn much under your tutelage. As such, I hope you can become her master in swordsmanship."
"Are you mistaking me for Yushin or something? This isn't Slave Knight of the Elf!"
"I knew it! I knew you were scheming something!" Myria shouted hotly.
"…I can't believe it." Silvia was covering her face and giggling. "I mean, I should have expected this ever since I heard the name Ardena, but I didn't think we would actually be enacting out what happened in a R18 manhwa."
"Don't worry," I assured her with a straight face, much to the disappointment of the existences beyond the fourth dimension. "Nothing of the sort will happen. Our reality is rated General Audiences, after all."