Martial Elf

“You were particularly the mischievous one among my children.”

“You perplexed me from the day you were born, and when you would sit and meditate or move about languidly every day, I worried that something might truly be wrong.”

“Moreover, with what confidence did you enter the forest and fight great beasts almost every day, coming back each time with a bruise but still smiling as if you had accomplished something? It was quite distressing.”

“No, all of a sudden…”

Why bring up something I’d like to forget?

In the Elf village, this was a topic that was no longer spoken of due to an unspoken agreement through our physical conversations.

It has been a taboo history among the Elves ever since Palas teased you and, after a spar, ended up soundly beating you four years ago.

But as it is my mother, there’s no way I could be angry just for recalling my embarrassing past.

“Still, you were good at distinguishing between what you should do and what you shouldn’t, just like Demis. Your actions have never been solely for yourself but for everyone.”

“Even when hunting, you never hunted more than necessary. The forest you nurtured always bloomed abundantly, so Atira was always happy about it.”

“Regardless of anything that occurred, you never neglected learning; you were never hasty in your judgments and thought twice, so Saraswati always adored you.”

“Even when faced with all the dangers threatening the Elves, you stood at the forefront alongside Palas, and you and that child are great partners.”

“Although you are stronger than the other children, you always respect your siblings and love them humbly, so Anart couldn’t help but love you too.”

“All the work you take on harmonizes without discord, so Elmony always feels at ease handing things over to you, no matter the situation.”

Suddenly, I felt overwhelmed by excessive praise.

“Before I created you all, I watched for a long time as birds and small beasts would settle on my body and branches, building nests and raising their young, before eventually leaving. Especially when I saw the baby birds grow up and finally fly out of the nest, I always felt a sense of sadness.”

“Today, more than back then, it’s quite a bit sad. Every passing day feels increasingly lonely.”

Amid the warm feelings that felt like they were melting in, I also felt a sense of loneliness and a little regret.

“But in the end, everything must leave the mother’s embrace and find its own path. Besides, I’ve made you capable of becoming anything more than anyone, so there’s no way I can stop that.”

“Mother.”

“But as a mother, it doesn’t sit well with me to send my child off empty-handed, will you extend your hand?”

As I reached out, my mother’s outstretched branch wrapped around my wrist before transforming, becoming a bracelet, then snapping off.

“All the young ones below embellish themselves, so I’ve been worried about you having no adornments. It’s nothing special, but it’s a gift from a mother to her daughter.”

She says it’s nothing special, but the amount of good energy felt on my arm was extraordinary.

It was a bracelet made from the branches of the World Tree.

It was a precious item that no corrupting energy would dare to invade.

Though I had confidence in physical combat due to martial arts, dealing with Saraswati’s magic was a slightly different story.

In my past life, it was considered a legendary sort of sorcery, yet I still lacked some understanding and resistance to it.

Since sorcery was possible, it could not be ruled out that it might have developed into something akin to curses, already existing in the outside world.

Even though it had been utterly destroyed, there were still those in the forest who dealt with unnatural energies that were entirely different from general energy.

“Thank you. I’m really happy.”

“Good. I hope it’ll be of help.”

The roots that extended to make the bracelet cautiously embraced me, as if wrapping around fragile pottery.

That movement felt so tender that I too embraced it and closed my eyes.

For the first time in any life, I felt maternal love.

It was an emotion I had craved so much in my past life but never received, and before embarking on my journey, I indulged in it.

It was warm and cozy.

For a moment, I even considered not leaving.

“Yes, you all know that I am not omnipotent. Born from the chaos of the Father at the beginning, I came into existence with my siblings, each bestowed with meaning and spread throughout the world. I have taken on the role of deeply rooting myself here to nurture the still weak lives of this world.”

“However, I am merely a part of the ecological flow of this star, and this world has branches that reach beyond my grasp, while siblings who have come from a father like me are creating their respective rules in various places. Among them, some may be amicable, while others may belong to a sibling that represents opposing concepts to mine. They will not be favorably disposed towards you.”

“Didn’t you say at the beginning that there was no place your branches couldn’t reach?”

With a teasing smile.

“As a mother, it’s a pride that you call me the World Tree. Honestly, if I put it simply as ‘I stretch a bit,’ that would be too unremarkable in front of my children.”

I chuckled at her somewhat pouting demeanor.

I gently rubbed my cheek against a branch in an affectionate manner.

“Don’t worry. I’ll be the strongest.”

“You little rascal.”

I don’t know how long we embraced, but the branch that had held me slowly began to detach.

“Before you go, make sure to say goodbye to your siblings. They love and worry about you always.”

As it detached, it lightly touched my solar plexus and nudged me away.

“Now go. I hope you can obtain what you desire.”

Though I felt a sense of loss while gradually distancing myself from that warmth, I smiled as though to reassure her.

“I’ll be back.”

Then, I lightly hopped backward and fell.

◈ ◈ ◈

Demis was overlooking the village.

After finishing his daily duties, he would conclude his day by watching the civilization they were building from the spire of the grand tree house gifted by his mother to the High Elves, where important meetings among the Elves were held.

To imprint what they were creating in his eyes.

Typically, the other siblings were aware of Demis’s routine and did not bother him, but today was a little different.

In Demis’s field of vision, a star was falling from the sky toward the spire he stood upon.

Despite the unidentified object plummeting toward the spire, Demis’s expression remained calm.

Tap.

The fallen star landed with what seemed like a ridiculously small sound.

“A squirrel-like creature.”

Despite the teasing comment, the creature grinned mischievously.

Even if warned to stop because it’s dangerous, it wouldn’t listen.

The flower buds of Araya were located in the upper part of the World Tree, the Mother of Elves.

The altitude difference from this root area exceeds several lengths (km).

No matter how agile and swift the Elves might be, if it weren’t for Araya, that level of altitude difference could only mean disaster.

Demis sighed and shook his head.

It was a small creature, yet it was nimble.

And strangely enough, it was the strongest among all the Elves.

While Elves are generally stronger in physicality as males than females, larger builds tend to produce more strength.

Yet, paradoxically, the smallest and female among the Elves possesses the greatest strength.

Even the brave Palas had been beaten when he teased Araya about ten years ago.

The level was excessive, to the point where I sometimes entertained absurd thoughts about whether it wouldn’t be wise for all the Elves to not engage in a battle of strength against Araya.

From Demis’s perspective, who was in charge of discipline, having such an outlier was quite a burden, yet he found his little sister cute.

This little sister was not strong from the start.

Even so, she dedicated herself to the Elves more than anyone from the initial harsh pioneering phase and loved her mother, her siblings, and the other Elves.

A child who understands her mission.

Despite the potential chaos that might arise to oppose order, Demis loved this little child.

“Now, what brings you here today? You usually don’t come unless there’s something you need.”

“Then I’d just look like a bad little elf who doesn’t listen.”

“Isn’t that right? You’re the only one in this village who doesn’t even listen to my words at all.”

“Fenril? I feel like I could win against it now even on my own.”

Fenril is a wild god resembling a wolf that they encountered due to a clash of territories during the third year of the Elves’ pioneering period.

Nocturnal, especially during the full moon, it becomes even more ferocious, growing in size.

Just standing up, it would reach around 8 lengths (8m), and its body size exceeds 20 lengths, making it a true monster.

It’s not subject to the common lifespan of life in this world but exists as an entity that’s outside the rules, akin to Elves and their mother’s creature.

Though the Elves at some point began to call it the “Wild God” as a dismissal, it was a divine being that the common folk would have worshipped had there been any semblance of folk beliefs in this region.

It’s an exceptional hunter that consumes enormous amounts of food, with a range of activity that is tremendously vast enough to disrupt the entire ecosystem.

Unlike other wild gods, Fenril has ruled for a long time before the Elves arrived, yet eventually, it collided with them.

It was the monster that first caused Elven casualties during a period of stability when experience was building up.

Araya and Palas did eventually subdue it, yet Demis was seeing how severely injured Araya was for the first time, just as she was growing stronger day by day.

Especially the sisters cried profusely when they thought Araya might die, and since then, overprotection has become more intense.

Due to such circumstances, Fenril became a symbol of terror among the Elves and one of the legends.

Experiencing the death or severe injury of a companion is something that is hard to forget.

However, no matter how difficult adversities may be, overcoming them eventually becomes one story.

While it may not be the case for the High Elves yet, for the Leaf Elves, there have been children born who love and had offspring, and every time they misbehave or don’t follow the discipline that Demis created, it became a saying that, “Fenril will come for them.”

Before the Elves came to the forest, Fenril was a symbol of terror as the lord of the woods, yet it will be etched into Elven history, carrying on as a folktale.

In short, it is a tale of scaring disobedient little ones who break the rules of the group into listening.

But it was frustrating for Demis, the firstborn, to see the miscreant who caused such stories of concern for his siblings while half torn apart, and now wanting to create further worry.

“So what do you need now? You only visit when there’s something you need.”

“Hehe…”

“You little rascal.”

The little one, who was curling up and acting cute, gradually wiped the smile off her face.

“Demis.”

“Yeah.”

“I’m going to go outside.”

And with that bombshell announcement, Demis’s expression twisted beyond repair.

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