This world may be a fantastical dream for some. But for me, it's a waking nightmare. I am a half-elf. Under normal circumstances, this wouldn't pose a problem; however, life has not been kind. The Holy Kingdom has deemed elves heathen and has waged war against every elven kingdom, driven by a fervent desire to cleanse the world. My mother, a former slave, fell victim to this conflict. When her homeland was ravaged, male elves perished, and the females were sold into bondage to fuel the war.
It was the insatiable demand for elven slaves that led my mother to another continent. Perverts like my father were willing to pay exorbitant prices for more slaves, and after my mother died in childbirth, he swiftly replaced her with another elven slave, adding her to his harem. I was fortunate that my mother found herself in the United Kingdoms, a region that remained neutral amid the current Holy War and where free elves were prevalent throughout the central continent.
Yet, humans are not my only vexation, for orthodox elves regard half-elves as abominations. Even if the elves triumph in the war, there will be no safe place for me in a world where racial conflicts are waged on a global scale, and half-breeds like myself shall remain vulnerable.
I may lack the typical long elven ears, offering some chance at concealment, but when an entire religious sect, eclipsing the population of the entire Earth, is obsessed with exterminating our race, one's days are numbered. It is why I am striving to depart from this wretched planet as swiftly as I can. Besides, I had a life on Earth. I cannot abandon my mother and family there – they depend on me. I am determined to find a means to return home.
As I bided my time for Ron's 10th nameday to arrive, as I had foreseen, I found myself excluded from the grand celebrations. Surprisingly, Ron himself had wished for my presence, even going so far as to inquire about my birthday date to arrange a surprise. He had even gifted me a sword on my own birthday. Nonetheless, I was politely urged not to attend, the underlying sentiment being more a stern directive to avoid showing my face. My presence, it appeared, would be viewed as an affront to Lady Sara's esteemed family, who were esteemed guests at the festivities.
To ensure that I did not cross paths with any significant figures, I was granted permission to join the hunting party. I was equipped minimally, having already stashed away my savings of twelve gold coins and shouldering a trusty sword. I had readied myself to set my plan in motion.
Upon attaining the rank of an intermediate mage, or rather, successfully feigning it, I had begun to receive a modest allowance. Ron was insistent that I be recompensed just like any other mage in the service of House Duston, and it resulted in me receiving five silver coins each month, or one gold coin every other month. This sum amounted to a total of 12 gold coins, alongside a few additional silver and copper coins that I had pinched from the guards over the course of two years. With no outlet to spend the money within the castle, where I resided and dined with the guards, I deemed it justifiable to try my hand at a bit of light thievery. After all, I surmised, the guards would have squandered the funds on prostitutes instead; their hands were more than capable, obviating the need for such luxury.
While 12 gold coins may not seem a princely sum from the perspective of my former home, Earth, each coin held an approximate weight of 10 grams of gold, and even if we were to estimate the value of 1 gram of gold at 100 dollars, I had managed to amass 120 grams of gold over two years. In essence, the total equated to a sum of twelve thousand dollars. Admittedly, it was by no means a fortune, but it was sufficient to initiate my plans.
I harbored ambitions of accruing more wealth, either by acting as a mage or by peddling my family's magic circles to guilds and advisors for a princely sum.
As we arrived at the potent magical region, after enduring two arduous days in the saddle, venturing from the depths of House Duston's imposing castle, I called forth my divine sight, seeking the intricate flow of mana and tracking any potential existence of mana beasts within its domain. Remarkably, my reputation as a proficient scout amongst hunters granted me the privilege of advancing ahead of the rest of the party.
Once I had departed from the scrutiny of my fellow travelers, I perceived a pronounced dissimilarity between us and disembarked from my mount. With a resolute focus, I ceased my long-range vision, diverting my sole attention to attune myself to the surrounding mana flow, initiating the esoteric chant that would set my plan into motion