"How is it?" Forest suddenly asked Suho and his party for their impressions.
"…" No one answered.
Forest wasn't really curious about the answer either. He already knew, even without them saying anything.
"Isn't it beautiful?"
Suho and his party were currently touring Elvenwood, guided by the high elves. Suho's impression flowed from his mouth.
"Honestly… it's beyond that."
"Huh. Thank you." A smile appeared on Forest's lips at Suho's sincere answer. The other high elves walking with him also had proud smiles on their faces.
Elvenwood.
This green city where the high elves lived was more than just beautiful. How could the inside and outside be so different with just a giant transparent barrier between them? A fierce battle was still raging beyond the barrier, but within, a world that seemed to exist only in fairy tales unfolded. The fresh, green lawn cushioned their feet with every step. Lush trees lined the path on both sides.
"These trees are the houses we live in." As he said, each tree had large doors and windows with high elves coming and going. Suho asked,
"Did you build these structures yourselves? With magic?"
"It's not something grand like magic. Just 'harmony'."
"Harmony?" When Suho tilted his head at the strange answer, Forest spread his hands with a knowing smile. And then something amazing happened.
Rustle
Following his touch, colorful flowers popped out from the lush lawn and bloomed.
Even though the air was still, the stems swayed as if waving to him. A warm smile appeared on Forest's lips as he received that greeting. Even without eyes, it was as if he could actually see them.
"See? Everything in our village was created thanks to our harmony with the spirits. As I said, we are nomads who wander without a destination. But wherever we settle, the spirits come forward and prepare a place for us to live. It's truly harmonious."
"…Spirit magic?" Forest's words stopped for a moment at Sirka's sudden question, he looked back and smiled kindly.
"Huh. Calling it Spirit magic… I also went through that phase before becoming a high elf. It was so long ago that I hardly remember." Sirka's eyes welled up a little at his tone, which was like that of an adult talking to a baby. But it wasn't a good time to argue. A small stream appeared before them, and Forest stepped onto it without hesitation.
Rustle.
Tree branches sprouted from under his feet and intertwined. A rainbow-shaped bridge across the stream was created in an instant. Forest naturally stepped on it and went across. Sirka's eyes widened. It wasn't spirit magic! She couldn't feel any mana flow during the bridge's creation. Forest continued speaking like a grandfather reciting an old tale to his granddaughter,
"See…? Young elf who follows Sillad. For your tribe, living in the snowy fields all their lives, spirits would have always been a 'harsh cold' that you had to fight and endure to survive. But that's quite different from the truth."
"…"
"Since ancient times, we elves were not a race that fought against nature, but a race that lived in harmony with it. And the numerous spirits born from nature were our friends and kin."
"…" Sirka couldn't say anything. She felt the weight and experience of time in Forest's words. So she finally nodded and politely asked him for advice.
"How can I become a high elf?"
"Uhaha." Forest burst into laughter instead of answering. The other high elves around him also laughed.
"To ask such a question."
"Trying to run before you can walk."
"Haha. Not everyone can become a high elf just because they want to."
"There's no special method or trick."
As Sirka made a sullen face at being suddenly ridiculed, a luscious fruit sprouted from the end of a branch next to her. Forest handed it to Sirka.
"Here, eat this. This child wants to give you a present because you're cute." Sirka inadvertently received the fruit with both hands. The high elves around her began to offer words of 'advice'.
"This is it."
"It's not something you achieve through effort."
"You have to be chosen by the spirits."
"…Chosen?" Forest nodded at Sirka's question.
"Yes. It's not something that comes with effort. For an ordinary elf to become a high elf is a blessing from the spirits. Here, try it. The gifts from the spirits are sweeter than any other fruit."
"…" Just as Sirka was about to put the fruit in her mouth,
"Don't eat that."
Suddenly. Cha Hae-In's hand appeared and snatched the fruit from her.
"…Uh, why?" Sirka, bewildered at having the treat taken away, looked up at Cha Hae-In.
"You shouldn't eat food that strangers give you." For some reason, Cha Hae-In was looking at Forest with a slightly angry expression. He could sense that despite not being able to see, and assumed an awkward expression.
"Huh. The fruits that the spirits give are not dangerous to elves at all. Rather, they're a tonic that makes you healthier and more beautiful."
"Thank you for your kindness, but it's up to the guardian to decide what to feed a child."
"Guardian?" Forest had a bewildered expression, looking like he just had heard something very strange.
"Aren't you human? Why is a human acting as a guardian for an elf?"
"What does race matter? Sirka is like a daughter to me."
"That's absurd. Even if that child isn't a high elf, she wouldn't need protection from a human." Forest, from beyond the green blindfold, stared intently at Cha Hae-In. Then he glanced at Sirka again and tilted his head.
"Come to think of it, I didn't ask. Just who are you?" Forest was finally curious about Cha Hae-In's identity.
He already knew that the child of shadow, Sung Suho, was the Shadow Monarch's offspring. He also knew that Sirka was a descendant of the Monarch of Frost. But Cha Hae-In, who was between them, was just an ordinary human, so he didn't pay much attention to her. But how dare a mere human take away the gift of the spirits from a descendant of the Monarch of Frost? The fact that Sirka seemed to think it was natural was also incomprehensible.
"I am…" Just as Cha Hae-In was about to reply,
"Don't answer that." Suho's hand suddenly stopped her.
"You shouldn't carelessly give out personal information to just anyone. Especially to suspicious guys like them." Suho's eyes, which had been leisurely looking around Elvenwood like a tourist, were now filled with hostility.
"…Suho?" Cha Hae-In's gaze fell on the back of Suho's head.
[Well done. If it's revealed that Ms. Cha Hae-In is Master's lover, it will only endanger her. Of course, it will eventually be known, but there's no need for us to say it first.] Beru's small face suddenly appeared and whispered in a voice that the elves couldn't hear. Then he glared at Forest and the high elves with narrowed eyes and climbed onto Suho's shoulder.
Bzzz—
A flying insect suddenly flew from somewhere and landed on Suho's other shoulder. It was a bee with yellow and black stripes.
"…Hmm?" Forest's expression suddenly hardened when he saw the insect. It was natural for the child of shadow to have shadow soldiers around him, but that flying insect wasn't a shadow soldier.
"Why are you reacting like that? Have you never seen a bug before?" Suho smirked at Forest. But contrary to his tone, Suho's entire body was tense and ready. Forest and the other high elves' expressions hardened even more.
"W-wait. Don't tell me you…"
"Ah, well. I guess you might have never seen it before. I haven't noticed a single insect in Elvenwood so far. It's quite strange. No insects living in a place full of flowers and trees..."
Bzzz—
Even as he spoke, more and more bees were gathering on Suho's shoulder. And they began to transform into the form of a beautiful woman.
'…!'
"Th-the Plague Monarch?!"
"How is the Queen of Insects here?!"
[Ah, that's a good title. I'm destined to become that soon.] 'Queen Bee Arsha' responded with a delighted smile to their openly flustered reactions. She looked at Suho again and pointed at the lush trees around them. At the numerous buildings where the high elves lived.
[As expected, there are humans trapped in the basement of those buildings.]
As soon as she finished speaking, the expressions on the faces of the high elves, smiling kindly until now, disappeared. Turning into those of soulless puppets.
"Ah, dear. So it has come to this." Forest muttered in a troubled voice.
Whoosh—
A chilling silence fell. The warm and cozy wind that was swirling within Elvenwood had stopped. The lush leaves withered and turned desolate at a rapid pace. The paradise on earth turned into a barren wasteland in an instant.
"…It would have been easier for everyone if you had just passed by quietly."
"Really? I had a feeling it would be like this."
Slash! Slash! Slash—!
Kamish's Wrath appeared in Suho's hands. Two daggers slashed at one of the tree buildings, creating black trails.
Crack—!
And what was revealed inside…
"S-save…"
"Ugh…"
The screams of people dying, bound by tree roots, filled the place.
"Oh-oh my god." Sirka's eyes widened at the shocking sight.
On the other hand, Cha Hae-In, who hadn't let her guard down even for a moment since entering this place, already had Baran's Longsword in her hand. And Suho, who had Arsha scout the surroundings early on, was also ready for battle.
"They said high elves were a gathering of losers who failed to become Monarchs. What the hell were you doing here?"
"Losers? That's an interesting expression, child of shadow."
"Losers? Are you in a position to say that to us?"
"Losers? You're the one who can never become a Monarch unless your father dies."
"What? Why are you suddenly so angry? Did I hit a nerve?"
Whoosh—!
A ferocious energy erupted from the high elves, whose expressions disappeared in an instant, filling Elvenwood. As if to confront it, the shadow that spread from under Suho's feet also spread on the ground.
[Using Skill: 'Monarch's Domain'.]
In this tense situation where a fight could break out at any moment,
"…Ah." Sirka finally realized what Sillad meant when he said that they failed to become Monarchs. No wonder she felt intimidated from the moment she saw the high elves.
"You guys… have already been devoured. By the spirits."
The moment she said those words, For the first time, real expressions appeared on the faces of the high elves.
"Devoured?"
"Devoured, you say?"
Smirk— A cruel smile appeared like that of a person savoring something. And at that moment, their faces,
Crack! Crack!
The slender and beautiful bodies of the high elves began to be covered in dry bark.
"We… will devour you."
Crack!
And the blindfolds they were wearing until now were torn off, revealing the eyes hidden beneath. Instead of useless eyeballs, Starpieces were embedded there. Two highly refined Starpieces were shoved in.
"Even if you're the Shadow Monarch's offspring, you're just a human."
"You're not the Shadow Monarch himself."
"Regret setting foot in Elvenwood."
Whoosh—!
At that moment, all the flowers and trees of Elvenwood, which was a paradise on earth, attacked Suho and his party from all directions.
"Even your father, the Shadow Monarch, will never know what happened here."