High Elf, Reina

Elf Forest.

The lush, green forest, centered around the massive World Tree, held a refreshing coolness that could be felt with every breath.

Giggle.

Groooan.

The whispers of spirits and the roars of ents occasionally echoed through the forest, announcing that this was no ordinary land.

The homeland of the elves, and the sacred ground where the first High Elf, the ancestor of all elves, was born.

In this land filled with nature and spirits, elves with white skin, pointed ears, and beauty surpassing humans lived in groups.

The parts that had once been tainted by the Demon King’s invasion were almost completely purified, and the elves had recovered their power to the point of regaining their past glory. Worry and anxiety were nowhere to be found on their faces.

Except for one person, the village chief and first elder of the elves, Mukeun.

“…Are you serious?”

Mukeun, with his long white beard, asked as he faced the holy platinum-blonde elf standing before him.

“Yes. I said I would go as an envoy to establish relations with the humans.”

She was the High Elf Reina.

The only High Elf who directly served the World Tree, she possessed the most powerful strength among all High Elves in history, and was the closest being to the World Tree.

It could be said that the complete restoration of the Elf Forest, as well as the unprecedented golden age it was experiencing, was all thanks to Reina’s awakening after the Demon King’s invasion.

She was the elf whom the elves trusted, admired, and revered the most, second only to the World Tree.

Such a High Elf had suddenly declared that she would go outside the forest, so the elder was understandably beside himself.

“But why would you want to associate with those inferior races? We no longer need their help. In the past, all we gained from interacting with inferior races was a ruined forest and devastated land.”

Elves generally considered short-lived humans to be inferior and often looked down on them.

Of course, it was true that the empire, a nation created by humans, held the hegemony of the continent, but the elves believed that the reason they held the hegemony was because the elves had not yet fully exerted their power.

Some elves with extreme views even thought that the elves could have stopped the Demon King’s invasion on their own, even without human help.

Arrogance.

This was the most basic attribute of the elves.

And the first elder was no exception.

Humans were an inferior race.

Now that the Elf Forest was healthy again, the elder believed that there was no need to interact with them.

“It’s true that short-lived humans are inferior. I also know that most humans are not worth talking to.”

And that was the same thought that the High Elf Reina had.

Humans were an inferior race.

But the difference between Reina and other elves was that.

“But the Goddess’s Knight, Yuris, is different.”

She acknowledged Yuris, who had saved the Elf Forest and the World Tree.

Of course, other elves also acknowledged Yuris and the hero, but Reina’s feelings were a little different.

It was admiration.

Gratitude for the one who saved the land she was supposed to protect, and admiration for the one who effortlessly accomplished what she could not properly do.

Reina was thinking of taking a short break now that she had finished purifying the forest, which was her assigned task.

Of course, she hated having to be among the humans she found disgusting for that purpose, but there was no other way.

Yuris was also human, and she was loyal to the empire.

“If you want to meet her, you can just invite her.”

“I don’t think the empress would accept.”

“……”

Elder Mukeun sighed.

“So that’s why? You sent a messenger to the humans without the knowledge of my council of elders.”

“Wouldn’t you have stopped me if I had made an official request?”

“…Probably.”

“That’s why. I want to have a day off for the first time in a while.”

“I understand. Then, the escort……”

“It’s okay. Who would want to go to the human world?”

Mukeun was flustered by Reina’s firm refusal.

“Don’t say that. Who would refuse to protect the High Elf?”

“I want to watch Yuris-nim become an undefeated knight from the sidelines. I don’t want others to interfere with that process. Besides, if I forcibly take those who don’t want to go to the world of inferior races, only accidents will happen.”

“But High Elf-nim……”

“I can protect myself. With my mother’s blessing and the whispers of the spirits, I can deal with any enemy.”

“……”

“Surely you don’t think I can’t do it?”

“Of course not. It’s just……”

“Just?”

“Humans are an inferior race, but sometimes they can be scary. Sometimes, extraordinary beings like Yuris and the hero appear.”

Reina smiled at those words.

“I was wondering what you were going to say. I’m the one who stands shoulder to shoulder with such extraordinary beings. I hope you don’t worry about that.”

It was an arrogant statement, as befitting an elf, but Mukeun could not refute it.

She was an elf who deserved to be arrogant.

The strongest elf among the elves.

The most sacred elf.

The elf who received the most blessings.

“I understand.”

Mukeun bowed his head and decided to follow her opinion.

No one in the Elf Forest could refuse her.

Even the first elder, the head of the council of elders, could not continue to refuse the High Elf’s words.

“Let’s prepare.”

The empress’s order was.

-Go to the entrance of the Elf Forest and greet the High Elf who is coming as an envoy.

It was an essential mission for future exchanges between the empire and the elves, so it was a mission that must not fail.

Yuris sighed deeply and headed to the Elf Forest.

“Then I can’t go again.”

She was planning to take a vacation for the first time in a long time to go to Max’s Fantasy Theater.

Not just the average 3 hours, but to enjoy it a little longer.

‘So I deliberately held back for a few days and didn’t even masturbate.’

Because of that, just looking at her subordinates’ faces reminded her of their appearances during the fantasy, and she was going crazy, but now she had to go on a business trip.

And it was an overseas business trip.

But she couldn’t disobey the empress’s orders.

Yuris was the Goddess of Victory, but before that, she was the commander of the First Knights of the Empire.

“Are you going alone?”

“I have to. If I take you guys, arrows will fly from the Elf Forest.”

“That’s true. The elves like the commander, not us.”

Yuris was the hero who protected the Elf Forest from the Demon King.

It wasn’t for nothing that the elves specifically chose Yuris as the right person to escort the envoy.

She was the hero whom the elves acknowledged next to the hero.

“Hmph.”

In the past, she liked these acts of being revered.

It was not only a way to imprint that she was a truly necessary being, but also a symbol of her victories.

She felt that all of her honor and status were necessary for the empire and the empress.

For her, who was absolutely loyal to the empire, it was a great honor.

But now, it was just an obstacle preventing her from going to the theater.

“There’s no way around it.”

She rode her horse to the western part of the empire, which bordered the Elf Forest.

It didn’t take long to get to the west.

Unlike the east, it bordered the Elf Forest, which was a definite ally, so the infrastructure was well-established, and teleportation connecting cities was very active.

Thanks to this, Yuris was able to reach the border in less than a day.

“It’s lush.”

Yuris, who had crossed the border of the empire and was riding her horse into the Elf Forest, arrived at the border of the forest, where she could feel the clear air that cleared her head.

And as Yuris reached that area.

Saaa.

She felt several killing intents aimed at her.

“I am Yuris, the commander of the First Knights dispatched from the empire. I have come to the forest today to escort your country’s envoy.”

There was no answer from the forest.

Only a moment of silence.

Yuris also knew that there were those among the elves who did not acknowledge that she had saved the Elf Forest.

It was perhaps natural that those proud people did not acknowledge her.

The Elf Forest would have defeated the Demon King even without Yuris?

Honestly, she didn’t pay much attention to their words.

The battle at that time was just one of the many battles she had won.

But apart from that, it was difficult to tolerate the fact that they were showing hostility to her, who had come to escort the envoy.

She may have shown Max her losing side every time, but Yuris was a symbol of victory who had never been defeated in reality.

If she wanted to, she could deal with all those who were emitting killing intent towards her right now.

“Are you trying to fight?”

The moment Yuris finished speaking, a person jumped out of the shadow created by the forest.

An elf with sharp features and brown hair.

“The High Elf-nim has not yet arrived. Please wait a moment.”

“The High Elf is coming?”

“Haven’t you heard? The High Elf has volunteered to be an envoy to talk to you inferior races directly.”

At the elf’s words, Yuris recalled the first time she fought in the Elf Forest.

The High Elf who was as pure as a child.

The sight of her trembling with fear of the battle with the Demon King.

‘She’s risen to a position of respect among the race in just a few years.’

It was an un-elf-like growth rate.

Originally, it took about 50 years for an elf to become an adult.

‘When I saw her a few years ago, she looked like a teenage girl.’

She was waiting while thinking that.

“You’ve arrived earlier than I expected, Sir Yuris.”

She heard a voice so beautiful that it tickled her ears.

“Reina-yang?”

“It’s been a while.”

The elf defense forces guarding the border stirred at the sight of the High Elf bowing her head to Yuris.

“No matter how much of a savior she is, why is the High Elf……?”

“The High Elf is bowing her head……”

“The opponent is an inferior race.”

They were all surprised and gaped at the High Elf Reina’s actions.

It couldn’t be helped.

Usually, the elf defense forces in charge of guarding the border were among the most extreme elves.

They were the most elf-first group among the other groups because they thought they could give up their lives for the revival of the elves.

In front of such people, the High Elf bowed her head to a human, an inferior race, so it was a natural reaction.

“I wanted to meet you. The guardian of our forest.”

“You’ve grown a lot.”

“Yes. Sir Yuris too…… Your image has changed a lot. The aura you give off feels more diverse than before.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes. How should I say it…… Did you perhaps fall in love with someone?”

“……”

Yuris couldn’t say anything to the question of whether she had fallen in love with someone.

However, the first person that came to her mind was someone else.

It was Max.

“I, I don’t know what you mean. Someone I like? I, I have dedicated myself to the Empire.”

“I thought so. I knew it.”

Reina smiled brightly and approached her.

“There’s no way Lady Yuris, who protects the Elven Forest, would like a lowly, inferior species. I believed in you.”

Yuris felt that Reina’s smile as she looked at her was a little different from other people’s smiles.

Something was…

‘Sticky.’

Reina took another step closer.

“Let’s go. I want to see the human kingdom.”