Ch.158158. Farewell

To be honest, I don’t clearly remember what happened after that.

Since I was trying to maintain my consciousness while being bound to a mortal form, I don’t know the exact details of what occurred, but regardless, I received more than satisfactory compensation for being involved in this incident.

The gold coins, which can only be described with the cliché expression “enormous” as no other word could capture their quantity, were merely the beginning.

There were also five sets (35 pieces) of magic accessory items crafted by artisans directly under the Elven royal family, and two pendants imbued with the power of the two main deities of the Elven pantheon—the “Sun God” and the “Moon Goddess.”

The latter pendants, in particular, ensure that anyone wearing them receives treatment as an honored state guest of the Elven Kingdom, regardless of who they are—essentially granting me a form of diplomatic credentials.

Beyond mere material rewards, this bestowed upon me a certain social status and honor.

And these were just the tip of the iceberg among the honors and positions conferred upon me.

The most notable was the “Honorary Count” title bestowed on me.

Although it’s a non-hereditary title that cannot be passed down to descendants, and the material benefits attached to it amount to just a small stipend for maintaining dignity…

The key point is that despite being honorary, I can be treated as nobility within the Elven Kingdom.

For convenience, we evaluate noble ranks using the five-tier system established in Japan, but in reality, the nobility system in this world is closer to a three-tier structure consisting of Duke-Count-Baron.

The Marquis title was originally derived from the position of a border count that Japan inserted into the system, and the Viscount title is actually closer to an assistant to a Count.

Of course, it’s not that these titles don’t exist at all—the Marquis and Viscount titles do exist separately from border counts and count assistants.

…Though most were created due to political circumstances.

Anyway, this honorary countship can be considered close to that of a high noble of a country, and while no separate territory is granted, there are also no responsibilities attached, so it has its pros and cons.

If I had received a formal countship, I could have been granted land within the Elven Kingdom, but in exchange, I would have been formally incorporated into the kingdom, establishing a feudal relationship requiring loyalty to the crown.

In contrast, such honorary positions are exactly what they sound like—positions that carry only honor.

Besides honor, there are no other benefits, but there are also no responsibilities or obligations to bear.

Starting with this honorary countship, which was granted in consideration of my essentially foreign status, the Elven Kingdom bestowed various honorary positions upon me.

Honorary Professor at the Elven Magic University, Honorary Brigadier General of the Elven Kingdom Army, Honorary Member of the Elven Royal Guard “Golden Lion Order,” Honorary Advisor to the Elven Royal Knights “Phoenix Magic Knight Order,” and even Honorary Diplomat of the Elven Kingdom.

With five honorary positions, each providing enough pension to live comfortably, I could literally live a luxurious life just on the annual pensions alone…

And titles or honors bestowed by the Elven Kingdom—arguably the closest thing to a hegemonic superpower in this world—carry value far beyond what meets the eye.

Of course, even excluding these honors and positions, I’ve already reaped tremendous benefits in material terms.

This is because the Forest Dragon egg that I requested during the compensation negotiation process was included in the list of material rewards.

This dragon egg—a pureblooded dragon species whose name alone would place it at the top of any priority list—holds “unspeakable” value.

Apart from everything else, it’s an egg of a pureblooded dragon species that can reach the upper echelons of power simply by growing, but what makes it even more significant is that this dragon is specifically a Forest Dragon.

Ordinary dragons are a species born with high intelligence and an innate greed—a greed for treasures of high value.

This greed goes beyond simple desire; it’s one of the core pillars that forms their soul, which is why dragons as a species can never escape this desire throughout their lives.

The only difference is how this desire manifests depending on the individual dragon’s disposition, and in that sense, Forest Dragons cannot be considered particularly malevolent in terms of their nature or temperament.

If Gold Dragons are synonymous with good-aligned dragons as “Guardians of Order,” and Red Dragons represent evil-aligned dragons as “Man-eaters,” then Forest Dragons are the epitome of neutral-aligned dragons as “Guardians of the Forest.”

True to their name, these pureblooded dragons make forests their habitat. They are distinguished by antlers reminiscent of reindeer and deep dark green scales, and they consider the forests they inhabit to be their most valuable asset—hence their title as the “Guardians of the Forest.”

Dragons as a species are innately capable of casting magic without learning—this is completely different from having an aptitude for magic.

Literally, they can use magic without separate training, and as they grow, they naturally become able to use stronger magic as easily as moving their bodies.

This innate magical ability typically varies by species, and Forest Dragons specialize in “nature magic” focused on forests.

Additionally, unlike most dragon species whose desire is for “ownership of forests,” these dragons desire to “protect forests,” making coexistence entirely possible when necessary…

[…”Master, why get an egg you can’t even make a contract with?”]

“Ah, about that. Actually, it’s a gift for my mother.”

The most important advantage is that they can become the perfect partners for skilled druids like my mother.

After all, the reason I obtained an egg that I couldn’t even form an animal friend contract with was precisely because of my mentor.

※ ※ ※

After receiving all the assets from the Elven Royal Palace, Sophia and I prepared to say our goodbyes, finally ending our stay in the Elven Kingdom.

“Grand Master Hecate, thank you for everything!”

“Thank you sincerely for guiding the Seer in magic!”

“…Yes. Farewell.”

After expressing our gratitude to Grand Master Hecate who had helped us throughout our stay, and sending thank-you messages to other acquaintances we needed to contact, our basic preparations were complete.

“Sophia, shall we go now?”

“Yes!”

All that remained was to leave the Elven Kingdom that we had grown somewhat accustomed to.

Looking back, the gains from this journey to the Elven Kingdom were truly beyond imagination.

For me personally, I not only acquired tremendous social positions but also received education as an advanced druid, and furthermore, gained a loyal “Rabbit Knight Sir Lancelot” as my animal friend.

Meanwhile, Sophia’s growth under Grand Master Hecate’s specialized training was equally remarkable.

“Sophia, you seem different somehow?”

“…Do I? I’m not sure about that, Seer, but seeing how Gregory says so, I suppose something must have changed about you too.”

Despite her words, there’s a smile on Sophia’s face.

Gone is her usual blank smile; grinning broadly, she has surprisingly built a foundation to advance to the advanced level through our journey in the Elven Kingdom.

Most druid magic is less about academic learning and more about personal achievement and reaching a certain state of mind, which is why education doesn’t necessarily bring about special changes.

While wizard magic restructures the handling of mysteries into an academic form, druid magic is closer to mental training.

Since it begins and ends in the realm of the mind, external intervention in the form of education doesn’t yield much achievement.

However, celestial magic stands somewhat apart from this principle, because it isn’t exclusively the domain of druids.

Just as some shamans and witch doctors handle primitive wild magic, some wizards and sorcerers deal with celestial magic.

Of course, the celestial magic handled by sorcerers—innate wizards—isn’t much different from that of druids, except that it doesn’t resonate with the mysteries of nature, but wizards’ celestial magic is closely related to astronomy and celestial physics.

Thus, while the methods differ, the results are similar, and thanks to this, Sophia was able to form the foundation for advancing to the next level by receiving specialized education in that field from Grand Master Hecate.

…It feels a bit strange for me to say this, having reached the advanced level in my teens, but Sophia is only in her mid-twenties.

[[[Waaaaaah—!!!]]]

Anyway, with all this growth behind us, Sophia and I awkwardly looked at the welcoming crowd seeing us off at the port as we boarded the passenger ship bound for the Frankish Kingdom.

It was obvious that the current Elven administration was trying to promote us actively, perhaps to bury the disaster that occurred at the “Garden of Bacchus.”

Of course, there was no need to be overly concerned with such political circumstances, so we simply waved back to the elves sending us off, in the spirit of enjoying the moment.

And then, not long after this grand departure from the Elven Kingdom…

“…What are we going to do about this?”

“I really don’t know…”

We found ourselves, as has always been the case, caught up in some incident and stranded on a deserted island.