A Great Being (10)

“A High Elf, thought to be extinct thousands of years ago, has appeared!”

“It’s a High Elf who has lived for 10,000 years. She’s been alive since the mythical era!”

“The Order of Light has completed all verifications. The Saint brought directly by the High Elf is the true Saint!”

The news spread in an instant. It didn’t take long for the news to spread across the continent via people’s mouths, reporters who came rushing like the wind, and newspapers, riding spatial jumps.

It might have been different if Isilia had ordered the Order to keep it strictly confidential. However, she didn’t do that.

“It’s too late anyway.”

She gave a wry smile at her identity that was shaking the world. Although it was something she had prepared for, it was true that actually revealing her identity and trying to act openly was burdensome.

“I think it’s rather better. After all, due to your unique appearance, you couldn’t act freely anyway, High Elf.”

“That’s true.”

She nodded at Arisa’s words. Although she could pass as an ordinary girl if she cleverly hid her ears, there were clear limitations to that as well.

Her brilliant silver hair and beautiful features alone could attract everyone’s attention. Even Laila wasn’t attracted to Isilia because she was an elf.

She was attracted solely by her appearance. Since she had given up on truly acting like an ordinary girl, her behavior also drew attention.

In other words, even if she hides being a High Elf, it’s impossible for Isilia to live as freely as she wants anyway.

“The ancient High Elf has come out to the world and said that unless all people join forces to fight against erosion, the great calamity that ended the mythical era will strike this world again… This should have an effect.”

“Since I’ve revealed my identity anyway, there should be something to gain from it.”

Isilia, along with revealing her identity, also revealed to the world what needed to be done. She warned about the calamity that even the executives of the Order couldn’t properly grasp, and insisted on fighting against it.

Although there are no noticeable effects yet, the stone has already been thrown into the lake.

How big those ripples would grow was something to be watched.

“Then will you really carry out the next plan? You said you’d give teachings to the hero and Saints?”

“Teaching is just an excuse, I intend to help with what I can help with.”

She shook her head at the word ‘teaching’. She knew herself that she wasn’t at a level to teach something to others.

All the power she currently possessed was the power continued from the past and the power gained when awakening as an elf. Those two were all. She didn’t have the deep knowledge and skills gained from living for 10,000 years as others misunderstood.

Instead, there were certainly areas where she could help, including knowledge of the distant past that only she knew.

“Others won’t think that way.”

“Whether they think of me as a teacher or not. What others think is not my concern.”

She shrugged at Arisa’s point. The water spirit peeking out from the teacup in front of her was nodding its head.

* * *

“A girl with brilliant silver hair and deep red eyes, but inside she’s a 10,000-year-old High Elf. Looks like she finally took off that stuffy hood.”

“I just thought she was a special elf… There are ordinary people with white hair and red eyes too, aren’t there?”

“Can that be compared? I knew from the beginning it would turn out like this.”

Ethan threw down the newspaper and laughed loudly. As if he felt completely relieved. In contrast, his trusted subordinate who had met Isilia with Ethan couldn’t take his eyes off the newspaper with a dazed expression.

“But it seems the High Elf has no intention of revealing her relationship with us. She sent her companions separately and only took one elf with her as an attendant. Did you check the spatial jump entry records?”

“Yes, they should have moved together with Laila’s group, but surprisingly, there are no records at all. They are all still staying in the same place.”

“I don’t know how she did it, but it seems she can even manipulate the entry records written directly by the responsible mage. Don’t dig into it any further.”

High Elf Isilia revealed her identity to the world through the Order, but clearly, adventurer girl Isil is still staying in a distant city.

Ethan knew this was her intention and refrained from action. It was obvious that Isilia still had no intention of letting go of her grip on them.

“A kind and wise adult from long ago will give teachings to the hero and Saints. Huh.”

He sighed as he looked at another newspaper. He didn’t know what kind of face she made or how she manipulated the Order, but the Isilia that Ethan knew was far from a benevolent teacher or elder.

The Isilia he saw was just a cocky youngster acting on her own whims or a cruel boss that even the underworld organization members were afraid of.

‘It’s going to be a mess.’

Ethan shook his head as he imagined how surprised people would be when that mask she’s wearing breaks. Even he thought people wouldn’t believe that the noble 10,000-year-old High Elf started by taking over an underworld gang from the beginning.

“Commander! There’s a message from Commander Lestia!”

“Ah, right, there was that side too.”

At that moment, another subordinate came running breathlessly. At the same time, he smirked at the name of Ernst Lestia mentioned by that subordinate.

Laila’s father, Ernst Lestia, was also one of the people who had seen Isilia. He probably didn’t think that the being he tried to use as a mere slave would be such a big shot.

“As long as Laila is sticking right by her side, there shouldn’t be any problems anyway.”

There was no need to worry about that side. As long as Laila, his only daughter, is with Isilia, Ernst can’t be hostile to Isilia even if the sky falls.

He just needs to advise him to keep his mouth shut more tightly. However, Ethan, who deliberately stuck close to Isilia, would probably incur deeper resentment from Ernst for openly snatching away his daughter, but that was something he had to endure inevitably by acting on Isilia’s orders.

‘Surely there aren’t others besides us?’

As he got up from his seat, he glanced at the city visible through the window.

He was certain that there would be people who would react to this news spreading across the continent now, that is, those who could be called Isilia’s ‘limbs’, not just himself.

And that certainty was clearly true.

“The time has come.”

“P-Professor?”

As Renia jumped up, her startled disciples flinched. Regardless, Renia’s ears and tail, which had been drooping, were moving more actively than ever.

“There are still many foolish and ignorant people in this world, and we haven’t been able to properly inform them of what crisis we’re facing. Now that she has come forward directly, the situation will surely change.”

Renia’s face was flushed. Meeting Isilia by chance and conducting an investigation into erosion based on that meeting, uncovering the truth, was Renia’s own achievement.

But there were still many people hindering Renia. Those who envied and were jealous of her for achieving outstanding accomplishments at a young age, ignorant and foolish people who couldn’t easily break their beliefs, and so on.

There were countless times when she wanted to rely on Isilia’s authority at such times.

If she revealed to the world that she was a person who existed in the mythical era 10,000 years ago, as Isilia had shown her, who would deny it?

However, Isilia chose to move behind the scenes, and instead, Renia had to stand at the forefront and face all attacks alone.

But now she didn’t have to do that anymore.

“Quickly prepare the report and invitations! We’re going to have another presentation, so urge them to come! Tell them I received a direct request from her!”

“A-Alright!”

Renia pushed her disciples to set up another meeting.

She intended to beat down those who had slandered her and refused to believe her without logic or evidence, just for their own benefit, at this opportunity.

‘Just her revealing herself has made the world abuzz.’

After sending out all her disciples, she sat down heavily at her desk again with a somewhat calmer feeling.

And she picked up the newspaper in front of her. In fact, it wasn’t just her office that was in an uproar.

Even places not directly related to Isilia were showing great interest.

After all, a person from 10,000 years ago has appeared. It’s known as a matter of course that elves live for several hundred years, but this wasn’t just a mere few hundred years.

A person who lived in an era where all records and traces have been denied and disappeared has appeared.

‘Will history itself change? Or is it not to that extent?’

Although she had thrown it aside due to the urgent problem of erosion, Renia was actually a scholar studying and researching that era.

A single casual remark from Isilia could be evidence and testimony that would shake the academic world. Other scholars would try their best to meet her somehow, but she was fine.

After all, she was one of the few people who had made a secret agreement with that great High Elf.