I’ve Reincarnated into an Elf

Chapter 16

I casually raised my arm. I could still feel the healing energy left by the spirits, helping my body recover.

Most of my wounds still hurt, but the deep ones had already healed a long time ago. At this point, I could move around with no problem.

My right finger bones were still broken, and it hadn’t fully healed yet, but with time, it would get better.

Even if there were lingering aftereffects, it wouldn’t affect my ability to shoot arrows, and with the items or healing potions I’d get later, it would heal completely.

It wasn’t something to worry about.

“Ugh, argh.”

“Hey, son, you shouldn’t be getting up yet.”

I hid the pain in my joints and muscles screaming out and spoke calmly.

“I’m fine. Most of my wounds are already healed. I should go check on those guys.”

“Don’t lie. You’re sweating like crazy.”

My mom gave me a stern look, trying to make me lie back down, but I grinned and easily slipped away from her grip.

The sudden movement made my body scream even more, but I didn’t make my wounds worse. Muscle pain?

I could power through that. My breathing got heavy, and the cold sweat increased, but I pushed the pain down in my mind.

It was just about willpower.

“We don’t have time to waste here.”

Kelban, the main base of the beastmen, had fallen, and the monsters were sure they could fulfill their fate, sending nine war hammers to the Elf Forest.

The beastmen were pretty much in a situation they couldn’t come back from. That meant my original plan to unite and form an alliance with them was now impossible.

Still, I wasn’t going to give up on those little ones. I’d already made an oath with the forest, but more than that, it just didn’t sit right to abandon them now.

And honestly, I’d gotten pretty attached to them, so I wanted to help them with whatever they asked. It had only been two days, but I already felt this way.

I thought I was too easy, but I decided to just go with it. These were the first cross-species friends I’d made.

At first, there has to be some kind of advantage, right? It’s just the way it is.

I’m an elf, after all.

“Er!”

“I’ll rest later, I promise.”

“Later? When’s later?!”

I’ll listen to the scolding later.

I laughed and dodged my mom’s hand as I slipped out of the room.

“Mom, I’m not weak enough to be knocked out this easily…”

As soon as I opened the door and saw the village, I forgot what I was saying and froze, mouth open, staring in shock.

Outside the door, there were about thirty protectors lined up.

“May the peace of the forest and your mother’s blessings accompany your future. May the peace of El Rdael be with you.”

I stammered, not expecting such a sight, but as I recited the elf greeting and a simple prayer, the lead protector nodded at me.

“May the smile of the forest walk with you. Are you feeling well?”

The polite tone made me scratch the back of my neck without realizing it.

“Yeah, thanks. But, what’s all this…?”

“Oh, I see you’re surprised. Everyone gathered here because they wanted to confirm your safety.”

“Huh?”

I dumbly asked in confusion at his words.

“First, I want to express my gratitude to you.”

At those words, the lead protector and all the others in the line put their left fists behind them, raised their right fists to their hearts, and spread their index and middle fingers, bowing their heads.

This was the highest form of respect an elf could show to another.

“Glory to the forest.”

“Glory to the forest.”

In the sudden situation, I couldn’t follow the flow and fumbled. That prayer… it was for the protectors.

I wasn’t qualified to use it. So I had to scramble to think of a proper response, feeling the sweat of panic.

“Uh… I mean… I thank you for the forest’s praise…”

I awkwardly gave a response while adopting the same posture as the protectors in front of me.

Behind me, I felt my mother quietly approaching. I whispered as quietly as I could so the elves wouldn’t hear.

“Mom, what’s going on here?”

But my mom just looked confused and wide-eyed, not answering at all.

In this sudden situation, neither of us could say anything, and then the protector in front of us spoke again.

“My name is Irian Alscria. I am the Elf protector of the village of Ti Taen.”

An Elf protector was like the village chief of the protectors. In other words, the person in front of me was the top protector and one of the highest-ranking individuals in the village, though usually, the elders take on this role, so you don’t see it often.

It’s a rare position in frontier villages.

Even in our village, Le Ruiel, we only have three elders, and no Elf protector.

Anyway, the important thing was that the elf in front of me was someone equivalent to the three elders of our village.

I was stunned, but due to the pain in my body, I couldn’t really express my shock.

So, in a dazed voice, I responded.

“Uh… I’m Eldmir Arhitea of Le Ruiel.”

I was just introducing myself to show that I was nothing more than an inexperienced rookie who hadn’t even gone through the coming-of-age ceremony, but Irian and the protectors didn’t change their attitude.

They just smiled brightly, showing a level of respect I couldn’t understand.

Finally, unable to handle this confusing situation, I directly asked.

“Can I ask something? I’d like to be honest.”

“Of course, ask anything.”

Thank goodness.

“Why are you treating me like this? We’re strangers, even though we’re the same race.”

If they treated everyone like this just because they were the same race, my encounter with the three protectors from El Lien wouldn’t have been so hostile.

Irian, the elf who had introduced himself, made his smile even deeper at my question.

“By single-handedly facing and surviving against eight of the high-ranking monsters Warhammers, you’ve already proven your value. And not even a regular elf, but one who hasn’t even gone through the coming-of-age ceremony.”

“Uh…”

“The nobility of throwing your life away to protect the forest’s oath is something all elves should look up to. You are worthy of this kind of respect.”

“…”

Those words, which could be called praise, made me feel strangely hot.

I had never received this much praise in my life, not in this world or my past life, and I was overwhelmed by a strange sense of embarrassment.

“Uh, it wasn’t that big of a deal, so don’t make such a fuss.”

“Hahaha!”

Irian burst into laughter, and some of the protectors behind him seemed to hold in their laughter, their bodies shaking slightly. Some were even quietly laughing.

Wondering if I’d said something strange, I awkwardly looked at them when Irian suddenly said loudly.

“Did I hear that right? You’re downplaying the incredible feat of fighting eight high-ranking Warhammers by yourself!

Eldmir!

You should be proud!

Elves are one of the few races that value humility, but not right now! You’ve achieved something that will be remembered as a legend!

It wouldn’t be too much to say that El Rdael is watching over you!”

“Haha…”

From the perspective of someone who already knows the ending, I can confidently say that this isn’t such a big deal.

In the future, high-ranking bloodlines and such will just be filled with monsters, after all.

But considering that it’s still the tutorial phase, and I’m just a regular elf who hasn’t even gone through the coming-of-age ceremony… well, I guess it can be considered a great achievement.

Still, for some reason, Irian’s reaction felt exaggerated, and I awkwardly smiled. When he stepped closer, he said:

“Eldmir, you didn’t just survive, you personally defeated half of them. The rest weren’t exactly fine either. It was practically a total victory for you! How many people in history, much less a non-adult, could accomplish such a feat? Ancient heroes? Our ancestors, El Drasik? Hahaha! We’re truly witnessing the birth of a legendary hero!”

Are elves really this enthusiastic about honor?

His expression was filled with excitement, and I couldn’t help but feel that this was a new side of elves I’d never seen in my village.

It felt refreshing, and I unintentionally smiled the same way as Irian.

“But, what happened to the Warhammers in the end? Did you catch them all?”

I asked absentmindedly, but then realized it was a genuine question.

Even though I killed half of them and left the rest barely alive, they were high-ranking bloodlines.

I’m not trying to undermine the protectors in front of me, but the strength of high-ranking bloodlines isn’t something that can be handled by just 30 sentinels.

Why didn’t I think of that?

I’d been so focused on finding my mother and Atir that I put off dealing with the next most important issue.

“Are you talking about them?”

Only then did Irian stop smiling and adopt a serious expression.

“Eldmir’s contribution was huge. Fortunately, we were able to chase them down and wipe them out. It wasn’t easy, but because of the injuries sustained in the battle with you, it didn’t take too long.”

“Ah…”

I let out a sigh that I couldn’t tell if it was of relief, awe, or surprise.

No matter how much the enemies were wounded, the fact that they were wiped out was a big deal.

High-ranking bloodlines weren’t called “high-ranking” for no reason.

Aside from the fact that monsters worship the god of war, their high-ranking bloodline, the Warhammers, were known as the embodiment of war.

It wasn’t just a nickname.

It was the reason that they were said to be the descendants of the god’s power.

Even wounded, chasing after them wouldn’t have been an easy task for Irian and the protectors.

High-ranking bloodlines aren’t just strong; each individual is considered a tactical asset capable of turning the tide of war.

There are even some among them who possess overwhelming power, so much so that their presence could be compared to that of an entire army.

In games, players would call such beings “Named” characters.

Of course, none of the ones I fought were that extraordinary. If they were, I would’ve been dead in an instant.

But still, Irian and the protectors had accomplished something great.

“Thanks, but I only helped a little. Most of the work was done by us, not you.”

His words reminded me of what I’d actually done.

Yeah. I survived. I won.

Against high-ranking bloodlines.

Against the mosnter heroes.

I slowly started to realize the magnitude of what Irian was so excited about.

But I didn’t remember the process.

When I fought each of them, I thought I could handle it, but there was no way I could’ve beaten them all at once.

I was just overwhelmed with a kind of rage so intense that my mind went blank, and by the time I came to realise, I was already in a state where I couldn’t do anything.

I had already killed half of them, but I was still in a near-death situation.

‘Now that I think about it, I think I heard something like a system sound…’

It’s strange.

I’m still in the tutorial phase, so there’s no way I could’ve accessed any system.

Maybe I just mistook it for a ringing in my ears.

But then, what could explain what happened to me back then?

It was definitely one of those unknown skills, but I don’t have any knowledge of skills that could explain my situation.

What kind of skill, and what effect could have made me like that?

I thought I knew the game “Omega World” well, but it’s been nearly 20 years since I played.

Maybe I just don’t remember, or maybe there’s a skill in this world that wasn’t in the game…

I don’t know the answer.

‘Anyway, things worked out in the end, right?’

It’s all in the past.

And once I go through the coming-of-age ceremony, I’ll get my status window and my skill window will open, so if it was a skill, I’ll find out then.

I shouldn’t rush.

For now, let’s celebrate that I survived.

And more than anything, I should focus more on what’s happening to me right now.

“…Can I ask one more thing?”

“I’ve already said, ask anything.”

Irian smiled gently.

But this time, I didn’t smile after seeing his smile.

“The children from the Myoin tribe.”

Keris, Ershi, Esrin, Ketrid.

My guests.

“Where are they?