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chapter 47
“I’m Ersi.”
“I’m Esrin Kela. Nice to meet you!”
“I’m Ketrith… hello.”
Ellinis watched them for a while with an almost affectionate gaze, exchanging a few words, before turning back to Eldmir.
“Er, do you know why I came here?”
The way she asked made it clear she wasn’t here just to casually meet her student. Eldmir thought for a moment before replying.
“Is it about the alliance matter?”
“Yes.”
“I suppose it’s to summarize what happened at the meeting and to convey what will follow next.”
“That’s right.”
Ellinis smiled with pride at her clever student.
Sitting down again, she continued,
“First of all, as Keris mentioned, the meeting itself ended safely. You conveyed all the points you brought up, and everyone agreed with your opinions without major objections. Even those who had experienced the war were convinced, thanks to Elder Atracal’s direct persuasion.”
“That’s… a relief.”
Honestly, seeing how long the meeting took, Eldmir didn’t expect it to end favorably.
All the elves shared a general dislike for the beastfolk, and since most felt the same way about Eldmir himself, it seemed unlikely the meeting would proceed smoothly.
Ellinis smiled softly, as if understanding his thoughts.
“Of course, the atmosphere at the start wasn’t good. Everyone looked at Keris with hostility, suspiciously. It was like, ‘Why are there beastfolk here?’ That was exactly the look they had.”
“Yet somehow it went well.”
“Yes. Elder Atracal’s influence was strong, but the charisma your friend—and the king of the beastfolk—displayed…”
“Ah! Uh, Ellinis? That… I’d rather not—”
Keris cut off her words in embarrassment.
Eldmir’s curiosity only deepened.
“Why? I was listening carefully.”
“Uh… El, be quiet. That’s not the important part, Ellinis!”
Keris hurriedly tried to steer the conversation back on track, and Ellinis nodded approvingly.
“Alright then. Returning to the main point, I’ll tell you what the elders said.”
Ellinis cleared her throat, then awkwardly modulated her voice to imitate Elder Atracal.
“Through this event, you have proven the spirit of your forest and shown your devotion and love for it. What you were called in the past, or how we viewed you, does not matter. We understand your present contributions and look forward to your future actions… so they said.”
“Wow.”
Eldmir looked genuinely surprised.
“Teacher, you’re really bad at acting.”
“…Hmm.”
Ellinis made a defeated expression.
Iris laughed, and Eder quickly covered his mouth.
“Er…”
“Ah, teacher, we’re almost done with dinner. Would you like to join us? There’s plenty.”
Eldmir had prepared enough venison not only for himself but for her as well, including enough for breakfast tomorrow.
Ellinis opened her mouth, seeming to have much to say, but then shook her head.
“No, it’s fine. Let’s just finish the remaining conversation. It’s been a while since I’ve been home, so I should rest. Tomorrow, we can continue our reunion.”
Ellinis spoke calmly, maintaining her composed expression, though faint lines hinted at her underlying concern.
“Some traitors have likely already spread negative rumors about you. For now, Le Ruel will avoid interacting with other villages. Keris’ story must not leak outside. It’s not a finalized decision, but the surrounding villages will need time to consider the matter carefully.”
“That’s wise… but at least El Rel must be informed quickly.”
“That was also mentioned. El Rel should be notified promptly.”
Even if other villages are persuaded, it’s useless if El Rel is not convinced. Conversely, persuading El Rel could bring hope for the alliance. That conclusion seemed reasonable.
“Oh, and during the hunt, Eder noticed traces of people from other villages.”
Eldmir explained what he had heard from Eder during the hunt.
Eder nodded and added further details.
“There seemed to be about two or three of them. It felt like they were checking our village, scouting the area.”
“I see. We should report this to the elders as well.”
Ellinis pondered, organizing what she had heard.
At that moment, Eldmir noticed the cooking was complete and adjusted the fire. The smell of meat soon filled the air, exciting the Keris sisters’ keen senses. Their tails flicked frantically.
“It seems it’s time for us to step aside.”
Ellinis led Iris up from their seats. Eder awkwardly followed behind them, still lingering at not being formally introduced to the sisters. In the end, he remained more of a background presence than anything else.
“Come by the hall tomorrow. We’ll continue our conversation there.”
“Yes. Please go in.”
“And Er…”
Ellinis nudged Eder out and called Eldmir over. She gently stroked his head.
“You’ve worked hard.”
“…Thank you, teacher.”
With a smile, Ellinis withdrew her hand, waved once at the Keris sisters, and left, closing the door behind her.
When Eldmir turned back, the Keris sisters, ready for the meal, were watching him.
“Sis, it feels like more rivals keep showing up…”
“Quiet, little sister.”
Suddenly quiet, the four beastfolk girls stared at him eagerly, their eyes almost pleading. Smiling at the sight of their hungry expressions, he simply said:
“Let’s eat.”
And so, their day drew to a close once again.
The next morning, after a quick breakfast, I headed straight to the hall with Keris.
It was early, but I wanted to arrive first and wait. Besides, elves wake early, so there was no concern.
“Welcome.”
I thought I had arrived first, but someone else was already there.
“You came early on purpose?”
“Yes. I figured you’d be here around now.”
He must have something he wanted to discuss first. I led Keris to a seat and offered my morning greetings.
“Good morning, teacher.”
“Ha ha, even as an adult, you still call me teacher.”
I couldn’t help but smile.
“Well, even as an adult, I still have much to learn from you.”
“Oh my. I see.”
He smiled knowingly.
“How did you come to overestimate me like this? You know, soon you’ll be one of the few still calling me teacher.”
“It’s just that others have poor judgment. Everyone called me a heretic and insulted me, but yesterday proved I was right, didn’t it?”
“You sound as if you’ve defeated the villagers themselves.”
I just shrugged, saying nothing. It might seem childish, but honestly, I couldn’t help it.
Seeing my silence, he smiled, seemingly amused.
“Actually, it doesn’t matter what you call me. If you see me as a teacher, I become your teacher. If you call me by name, I face you as an elf. That’s the meaning of the title. In truth, the ‘me’ in front of you is almost entirely created by you.”
That was a philosophy unique to him.
“Really? So, to see the true teacher, I must call you by name instead?”
“Ha ha, don’t overthink each word. Take the sentence as a whole. Both my self as a teacher and as Ellinis are my true self. If you want to see the real me, you must first create your own ‘me.’”
My own teacher?
I tilted my head, confused yet intrigued.
“Um, Ell… your teacher.”
“Call me Ellinis.”
Keris interjected, her voice brimming with mischief.
“You mean you have something to say…?”
“Oh dear, I’m not sure what you mean.”
Keris seemed uneasy, while teacher remained composed, laughing gently with a hint of confidence. I felt left out, unable to fully understand.
Finally, teacher spoke directly to me.
“I have something I want to tell you, Er.”
Though she laughed softly, her gaze was serious.
“Elves are inherently slow to change. Or rather, we experience change gradually. With our long lifespans, we are insensitive to rapid change. Of course, compared to other races or continents, this is slow, but not in our own context.”
I understood. Elves live long lives; generations span hundreds of years. What other races accomplish over centuries barely registers to us.
“Those traitors who turned our harmony into ‘isolation’ took untold centuries. Now, we are correcting that.”
“I don’t expect it to be easy. I’ll just do my best…”
“Don’t, Er.”
“…Huh?”
I frowned at her sudden words. Don’t do your best?
She continued calmly.
“You’ll likely strain yourself trying to fit them, wearing the wrong clothes, twisting yourself to convince them. Don’t, Er. Find your way.”
“….”
“You said it yourself: harmony comes from mutual adjustment. Yet you’ve only tried to adjust to them.”
I felt as if someone had struck the back of my head.
“Don’t tailor your best to them. You can do better. You just haven’t found the method yet.”
“…Ha.”
I gave a bitter smile.
As teacher said, elves are slow to change. Changing their ideology in an instant is nearly impossible.
So I decided to change myself first. Not because of merging with Atir, but because I wanted to correct my own foolishness—the loss of my mother, the sacrifice of Atir.
Whether this is the right change, I’m not sure. I simply accepted it because I wanted to correct myself.
“Yes, that’s wise. If I find the right method, I can succeed as you said.”
“Well, Er… if there’s truly no method, sometimes overturning the entire system can work too.”
“That’s… unelflike.”
“Oh, so a newly adult child dares to lecture me on elf nature?”
She winked playfully.
“There are more unelflike people than you think. Stubbornness in such matters is being insensitive to change in a negative sense.”
I shook my head helplessly.
“There’s still so much to learn from you. Alright, I’ll consider that too.”
If all else fails, make a scene.
Even I, in the past, never considered such a tactic. I just let my emotions run wild and rampaged like a rogue. I never thought I’d learn this from teacher.
Indeed, life always has surprises.
