NOVEL NEXT chapter 20
20 – Elf
You may not have known (obviously, because they rarely appear), but there are elves in this world!
Long and pointed ears. Ivory-like white skin. Eyes as blue as a lake. A beautiful race with beautiful platinum hair that seems to be woven from gold.
A species that loves nature, harmonizes with wildlife, and frolics with spirits in the forests and meadows.
And yet they dare to cut down trees and harm the sacred nature, these crazy eco-fascists…
No, that’s not it.
Elves are not even a separate species. They can mate with humans and have children without any infertility issues.
They’re just friends with slightly pointy and long ears. That’s about it. The genetic difference is as significant as between dogs and wolves.
And as you know, dogs and wolves belong to the same species. Well, dogs come in big and small sizes, with long or short ears, so there’s nothing particularly strange about it.
Elves, as we can’t precisely determine what happened to them, are immigrants who came in large numbers from a continent called “Arelia” around 3000 years ago, where they used to live.
At that time, except for certain areas, most humans on the Tirea continent were living primitively, hunting and surviving. But the elves brought their advanced culture and systems from their original continent, enlightening and developing those ignorant idiots. It must have been some ancient civilization or something.
Anyway, elves almost never retain their original characteristics after mixing with humans for 3000 years.
That’s why you haven’t seen elves. Actually, there might even be elven blood in my distant ancestors. Elves reside in the hearts of all of us…
But the phrase “almost never retain their original characteristics” also means the opposite: “Some do retain those characteristics.”
Now, there are still those who retain the features of elves, which you can no longer see even if you rub your eyes.
First, there is the House of Ill Menuir, located right in the middle of Tirea’s continent. Just by looking at the name, you can sense that something is different; they wanted to proudly show their elven origin by naming it in Elvish or something…
Nonetheless, Ill Menuir is a fairly established imperial family, which managed to preserve the identity of elves through tremendous efforts of tearful intermarriages among those who possess the typical elven traits for 3000 years, establishing their country 500 years ago.
Second, there are the elf factions who refuse to mingle with those ignorant beings, saying, “How can we associate closely with those uncivilized folks? That would bring sorrow to our ancestors.”
They used to be quite a prominent force until about 1000 years ago. However, they ultimately couldn’t resist the passage of time and ended up intermarrying with humans due to various reasons. Now, only a few of them remain.
Just by listening, the remaining individuals seem to be pure-blooded, but how could they not have a single drop of human blood mixed in after 3000 years? Still, it can be said that they have a purer elven lineage than the House of Ill Menuir.
Anyway, the reason I’m telling you about these elves…
“Hello, my lord~! My name is Nirserra!”
“A genuine elf, aren’t you.”
A true elf appeared in Silverwood.
“…Nice to meet you, Nirserra…Yang?”
I spoke respectfully to the elf named Nirserra. Because most of the remaining elves in this era are either from noble or royal families. At the very least, they are mostly high-ranking nobles.
Since the elves have mainly intermarried with the ruling class since their arrival on this continent, this is only natural.
“Oh dear, there’s no need for formalities.”
“hahahaha… How could I not…”
“But seriously…”
“I couldn’t tell if the elf was being sincere or teasing me.
As I was taken aback by the elf’s words, the grandfather appeared.
“Oh my, I should have come out first to greet you. I’m truly sorry, Your Highness.”
“Oh! It’s really okay~.”
“I almost messed up if you had used informal language.”
I broke out into cold sweat. After all, she was a noble, and a princess at that!
“And when did you leave Hwangjeok? Why do you still call me ‘Your Highness’?”
“hahahaha, excuse me. Edric, this is Nirsela, who used to belong to the Ernimir royal family of the Ilsar continent. She is a great scholar who has studied numerous subjects while wandering the continent and she will surely be of great help to you.”
“Yes, yes.”
“Nice to meet you, Viscount!”
“I look forward to working with you…”
“Ahahahaha, you have a cute side to you!”
Nirsela laughed and shook my body back and forth with both arms. She was much stronger than I thought, and I couldn’t resist, flapping around like a long balloon at a gas station in my past life…
**
Nirsela seemed to be quite a famous person in this world. Even Ailen and Satria knew who Nirsela was and were fawning over her like they had just seen a celebrity. Wait a minute, was I the only one who didn’t know..?
According to Nirsela, she was born among the elf population of the Ernimir royal family, which was known for its strong desire to be more elf-like than anyone else.
The Ernimir family was thus eagerly looking for a way to marry into full-blooded elf families. The full-blooded elves, after being subjected to the Ernimir family’s passionate pursuit and exceptional treatment, inevitably had to ‘repay’ them. This was a common occurrence throughout history that is also the reason for the significant decline in full-blooded elves.
Nirsela, who was of such a precious lineage, had to live quite a difficult life, always being forced into various strange traditions and rules under the guise of being an elf in her household. It was said that she became a rebellious child, suffering from physical punishment and constant opposition from her family.
Perhaps due to the Ernimir family’s obsession with elves, they imposed many strange restrictions and ceremonies on their family members, claiming to follow the traditions of the ancient elves. Despite their family’s opposition, Nirsela managed to escape at the age of fifteen and set out on an adventure, wandering the continent and achieving various great feats.
“It must have been quite dangerous traveling alone in this world.”
“Well, in the beginning, there were many dangerous situations. I almost became a slave…but now, it’s okay!”
“Why is that…?”
“Because I’ve become quite strong too! If you don’t believe me, let me show you!”
“No, you don’t have to show me…”
“Here it goes!”
Whoosh!
Nirsela shattered the wooden drawer/table in the room with her staff. Wait, was that thing meant for physical attacks?
“Well, did you see that? Does this prove that I can defend myself enough?”
“…”
“Oops! How did this happen…”
Startled, I stared blankly at the drawer that doubled as a table. It was then that Nyricera, realizing what she had done, scratched her head and became flustered.
I decided to ignore it since there was nothing much one could say about a mere broken table in front of an esteemed person like her.
“But if you escaped from Ernimyr when you were fifteen, how old are you now?”
“My Lord?”
Suddenly, a chill filled the room. Startled by the sudden temperature change, I looked at Nyricera.
The mischievous person from a moment ago seemed to have disappeared. Nyricera tilted her head slightly, looking at me with lifeless eyes.
For some reason, seeing her staff pointed towards me, I couldn’t help but feel an icy shiver crawl up my spine. I bowed my head deeply, lowering my gaze.
Seeing me in such a state, Nyricera spoke coldly with an impassive voice.
“Ahahahaha. My Lord, asking a lady’s age is a serious breach of etiquette.”
“I-I will keep that in mind, Lady Nyricera…”
“It’s okay~ We can start learning now. That’s the reason I came to Silverwood, after all.”
“Is that so? hahahaha…”
“In that case, before we begin our lessons, let me tell you one rule that you must abide by, my Lord.”
“W-What rule might that be…?”
“From now on, when you address me, call me ‘Nuna.'”
“Yes…?”
“Just call me that.”
Once again, Nyricera narrowed her lifeless eyes and pointed her staff at my neck.
In the end, I had no choice but to yield to her threat…
“Nyricera Nuna, Lady Nyricera.”
“Hmm. For now, I’ll be satisfied with that.”
Though I felt some dissatisfaction, Nyricera thankfully withdrew her staff from my vicinity.
“Since today is our first lesson, shall we start with the basics of Lutenian script?”
“Yes…”
“My Lord?”
“Yes, yes. Let’s proceed as you wish, Nyricera…Nuna.”
“hehehehe, I like your eagerness to learn. You have the qualities of an excellent student.”
“Damn it…”
Inside, I resented my late grandfather. Why did he assign this crazy lunatic to me?
I was transcribing the Lutenaire characters from the textbook. It seems that people in this era also knew that there was nothing as effective as writing them down to memorize.
Of course, I wasn’t just scribbling on paper for punishment, but rather writing with proper concentration and pronouncing each character aloud as I wrote.
As I repeatedly wrote the characters, I sometimes got bored and had a genuine curiosity, so I asked Niresera.
“Niresera-nim, by the way, why did you become my private tutor?”
“Hmm? Is there any reason why I shouldn’t?”
“No, it’s just that you seem to be a renowned scholar in this era, so I wondered if it’s appropriate for you to teach basic characters in this remote countryside…”
After hearing my words, Niresera pondered for a moment and then answered me.
“Well, the biggest reason is that I received great help from Duke Lurein, but personally, I found Marquis interesting.”
“Interesting?”
Niresera pointed at me with her index finger placed on her chin.
“To think that someone who experienced the tragic death of parents and siblings at the young age of 15, and faced sudden external invasion without any preparation, could succeed in protecting the territory’s people until the duke’s support arrived. I was curious about the person who achieved such feat.”
“…I’m sorry.”
Niresera’s words made me feel dejected. Well, if I were to compare it to my previous life, I’m still like a second-year middle school student who can’t even master the alphabet. How pitiful must I look in Niresera’s eyes?
“But still, you seem to have some special qualities. Something different from your peers of the same age, something mature…”
“..!”
“Well, you still have a long way to go to meet my standards though.”
“…”
I felt my strength draining away. How much longer do I have to endure this pain?
Seeing me like that, Niresera smiled and patted my back.
“It’s just the beginning, and you’re already feeling so down? Come on, let’s study hard!”
“Yes…”
“You’ll be taking the exam in 30 minutes, so brace yourself if you make even a single mistake♡”
Thump!
Niresera hit the table (which she had just brought) with a thud!
Startled by the heavy sound of the thick wooden table, I hastily wrote down the Lutenaire characters, using all of my concentration.
In the end, I made one mistake and received a strong smack on my buttocks as punishment.