NOVEL NEXT Chapter 2: Minus and the Elven Village of Lost Joy
A month after Minus left the Northern Lands, she found herself in an ancient, massive elven village while traversing into the Southern Lands. To Minus' surprise, she was welcomed grandly, the elves in the village all treated her like she was the goddess herself.
Minus felt both confused and surprised. It wasn't like she didn't expect to be well-known among elves—after all, she was one of the Three Great Mages, with her raw power and mana being relative to Serie's. However, she hadn't expected to be welcomed this grandly and massively, especially since she was now despised by the Empire and branded as a warmonger.
The usually lazy elves bustled to set up a welcoming ceremony for her with a vast array of decorating magic, so despite being confused and surprised about the grand celebration, Minus happily went along and even gave a heartfelt "thank you" speech to the village. It wasn't typical of elves to host large, decorative celebrations for anyone, especially since they rarely expressed their emotions openly.
It was an hour before the celebration wore down. The cheerful elves in the village calmed and led Minus to an empty house in the village for her to use.
Before Minus went inside to get some rest, she asked the elves, "Why is this house empty? Did the previous owner abandon it? I sense faded long ago hints of mana."
To her question, the elves grew quiet, almost emotional. "This house wasn't abandoned by the previous owner. The previous elf who lived here died from poisoning… her name was Milliarde... the reason you sense little hints of mana is because her body is preserved and lies at a safe resting place we created for her that is near her old home… if you'd like we can show you her resting place." "Tell me more about Milirade's story first, it seems like she meant a lot to you elves." Minus intriguing asked. "The day she came to our village, she brought with her 'Boshaft—the Emperor's Wine,' which was said to be the finest spirit in the world, given by a great emperor of the continent long ago."
"The wine tasted horrendous, but to our surprise, it brought this village great laughter and joy, which hadn't happened in centuries." An elf, one of the elders, older than most other elves in the village answered with a tinge of sad nostalgia.
"Hmmm... I see. If I may ask, what was the thing that brought you elves of this village great laughter and joy the first time?" Minus asked, intrigued.