He ran onward, panting, staggering, yet the two girls never seemed to get any closer. It felt like the path was growing longer and longer for every step he took.
"Wait… Please wait, Mary, Fran!"
After what felt like an eternity of running, he finally caught up to them.
"Please… don't you remember me?"
They turned around. They weren't little girls anymore, but grown women, dressed in magnificent clothes fitting for their positions. Meanwhile, he was still a boy, dressed in the tattered rags of a street-dwelling orphan.
He reached out towards them, desperate for an answer…
Then, with the brilliant flash of a sword, his arms were severed. A fitting punishment for daring to reach above his station—
-ooo-
Elt opened his eyes and gasped. He saw only the plain ceiling of his bedroom in Sasha's church, and a quick glance at his arms confirmed that they were very much intact. Even so… he felt a dull ache roughly halfway down his forearms, a reminder of the nightmare he'd just experienced.
Just… a nightmare. It never happened. It'll never happen…
It had been a week since that brief encounter with Wilmarina, but it seemed Elt hadn't fully gotten over it.
Elt placed his feet on the floor and stood up. He picked up his clothes, which were piled on the floor, and began dressing himself. His previous day's clothes had already been deposited in a basket for washing.
It's not like I'd ever be stupid enough to actually try and touch them. And it's not like I'll even meet Fran—no, Princess Francisca—again.
Once he was done dressing, Elt ran his hands through his hair to determine its status. There were some hairs sticking up, so he did his best to flatten them.
Finally, Elt left his room. There were already orphan children running around: some carrying food or tools or the basket of laundry as part of their chores, others chasing each other in games.
"Big Bro Elt is here!"
"Did you sleep in again?"
"Come and play with us!"
Elt smiled and approached his fellow orphans. But no matter how much he tried to distract himself, he couldn't help but notice how thin they were, even with Sasha and—more recently—Elt and Primera supporting them.
At one point in the past, Sasha had considered selling off her fine clothing in an attempt to improve living conditions for her charges. Primera, of all people, had had to stop her by pointing out that this would stop her from being taken seriously by the Lescatian aristocracy, thus reducing the money she could earn for the orphans.
While we scrape and save just to get by, the people in the castle can eat whatever they want, wear whatever they want, most don't even have to risk their lives…
Elt shook his head to get rid of these thoughts. He couldn't let his bitterness rub off onto his younger siblings, lest they do something foolish to a noble and get themselves killed.
I have to remember my place. I have to remember my place.
That's how we can all be happy.
-ooo-
Only after doing various chores, playing with the other orphans and eating breakfast did Elt leave the church. Normally he wouldn't have had time for these things, but there was no training for his unit today: Captain Mersé had given them all a day to rest and recuperate. After all, there was no point training so hard that they destroyed their own bodies.
Sasha had already left, though Elt wasn't quite sure what she was doing. She was still oddly tight-lipped about why she was so exhausted lately.
Could she be… doing something she's ashamed of?
Elt knew enough of the world to know about what a beautiful woman might be doing to earn money, if she discarded her scruples. That kind of work was an everyday occurrence in the slums. But Elt dismissed this possibility: the aristocracy of Lescatie couldn't possibly be involved in such things.
Still, there must be something going on, even the youngest kids have noticed it. Should I try asking Primera what she thinks? Even if she a loner, she's also noticed Sasha's tiredness…
While pondering this dilemma, Elt walked through the slums towards the nearest market. If he was lucky, there might be some good deals today.
This journey was dangerous for most people, who'd be pickpocketed of all their money if they were lucky, or left face-down in an alley if they were unlucky. But Elt had spent years growing up in these slums. Even while distracted, he avoided the most dangerous areas and constantly looked over his own shoulder to avoid being ambushed.
Is there anything else I could do to help? Any side jobs I might be able to do when I'm off-duty?
Elt eventually turned around a corner into one of the city's cleaner streets. It was early morning and there were dozens of people milling around. None of them paid Elt a second glance—soldiers being as common in Lescatie as pigeons—and that suited him just fine.
Until, a few minutes later, someone called out to him.
"Excuse me… could you be Elt? From Hero Mersé's unit?"
Elt stopped and looked at a woman in a blue dress and brown travelling cloak. He didn't recognise her at all, no matter how much he scoured his memory. She didn't look or sound like a soldier or slum-dweller, ruling out almost all possibilities for a stranger who'd know about him.
"Um… yes, I am," Elt replied. "Sorry, do you have business with me?"
"Yes!" the woman said, her green eyes twinkling. "I've heard you regularly meet with a half-elf, so I was wondering if—"
"Please, keep your voice down," Elt interrupted.
Now there were more people looking at the two of them. While two people talking in the street was normal, half-elves—or anything to do with elves—weren't exactly common in Lescatie, or in human cities in general.
"Sorry about that," the woman said, biting her lip guiltily. In a softer voice, she continued, "Oh, I should introduce myself. My name is Druella, and I'm something of a travelling scholar. Specifically, my field of study is history. But while I've learned quite a bit about human history, I haven't been able to learn much about elven history."
That was only natural. The elves were infamous for their isolation from the wider world. They were so isolationist, in fact, that some people actually claimed they were just a myth used to stop anyone from exploring the monster-infested depths of forests.
"But then I heard that one of Lescatie's heroes is a half-elf," Druella said. "She doesn't seem to like interacting with others, but I heard that you act as her contact, giving her instructions from the Order."
"That's true," Elt admitted. "I understand what you want. But I have to tell you two things. First, if I brought you to her, she might actually run away. Second, she's… I don't think she'd be willing to tell you much about elf history."
If he was being honest, Elt didn't think Primera even knew much about her mother's people. She never brought it up in conversation and seemed to own no elven mementos. If she ever had such knowledge, she'd probably done her best to forget it. But Elt wasn't going to reveal his friend's private information to a stranger.
"Perhaps, but it's still worth a try, opportunities like this are very rare," Druella said. "And you wouldn't go without compensation. How does ten copper coins sound for your time?"
"Well…"
Ten coppers was a decent sum of money, equal to a full day's work even though Druella's request would take Elt no more than an hour or two. And while Primera would be displeased at having to talk to a stranger, she'd understand if it was for the sake of the orphans.
I was already thinking about side jobs… and this would be a pretty easy one.
The only question left was whether or not to trust this random stranger. It was possible that Druella was actually an enemy who wished to rob Lescatie of one of its heroes, and wanted Elt to guide him to her… but in that case, why target Primera instead of the more senior Sasha or Mersé? No, that didn't make any sense.
"I can help you with that," Elt said. "Do you want to go now?"
"Yes, certainly!"
Elt thus began leading Druella towards the east gate of the city. The beginnings of a large forest lay close to this gate, and that forest was where Primera spent most of her time. During the short journey, Elt's new companion had a lot of questions.
"How often do you talk to your friend?"
"What is it like, living in the slums?"
"How often do you get free days like this?"
Elt had never met anyone so inquisitive about his life. The wealthy never even thought about the lives of the poor, much less asked about them. The poor already knew what the slums were like and didn't need to ask. Still, he did his best to answer her questions.
Whenever he had the chance, Elt asked questions of his own. Foreigners didn't come to Lescatie all that often, and most of the ones who did had no desire to talk to a common soldier.
"How did you become a scholar?" Elt asked. "Were your parents scholars as well?"
"No, it's… a little more complicated," Druella replied. "I spent much of my early life travelling the world, seeing new things and dabbling in many kinds of work."
"Sorry… what do you mean by 'dabbling'?"
"Oh, it means that I was just trying out many kinds of work, never settling on a particular one."
It was embarrassing for Elt to show his lack of formal education like this. Luckily, Druella didn't seem to mind. Given that she was relying on a soldier to bring her to a half-elf, it made sense that she was... odd in various ways.
Travelling the world… huh.
That was something Elt would never get the chance to do unless he was sent out on an expedition to foreign lands. Even then, he'd be focused on fighting and surviving instead of sightseeing. And he didn't have the luxury of picking whatever jobs caught his eye, never worrying about where his next meal was coming from.
Of course, he didn't say a word of this to Druella. It was foolish to offend the person who was paying him.
"A few years ago, I came to the academy that Welsple is famous for," Druella continued. "After seeing what their lessons were like, I decided to stay and earn a degree there."
"The Saint Welsple Academy… I've only heard stories about it, but it must have been hard to get a degree there."
"Well… I had a slightly unfair advantage, since I had plenty of books on history—and other topics—at home," Druella said.
"What was your home like?" Elt asked. "Your family?"
"It was comfortable, to say the least," Druella replied. "My parents… used to be warriors of some renown, but eventually they settled down to start a family. I have three older sisters, all skilled in their own fields… I guess that's part of why I left home in the first place, to make a name for myself."
Another thing that Elt couldn't help but envy. He was an only child and would forever remain that way.
Now Elt was starting to regret asking this question in the first place. It gave Druella the opportunity to ask about his family in return. While Elt could just answer using his new family at the church, he'd inevitably think about his late parents.
About how they'd served House Noscrim impeccably, only to be fired abruptly due to Elt's stupidity. And because of how their employment had ended, no other noble house would hire them.
About how they'd slowly wasted away, unable to do well in menial jobs. And as they grew thinner and thinner, they also grew more and more bitter. Towards the end, the nights in that small house were filled with shouting and accusations of blame, while Elt hid under the table.
I was afraid of them back then… but now, I can only feel sorry for them. If it wasn't for me… they'd still be living in a comfortable house, they'd have more children by now.
-ooo-
Twenty minutes later, they'd left the east gate and stepped into the forest. The densely packed trees and shrubs soon obscured all sight of the city walls. Combined with the cacophony of animal calls and rustling leaves, it was like stepping into an entirely different world.
It's beautiful and kind of relaxing… I can see why Primera likes being out here. Even if I wish she came home more often…
Elt made his way through the forest with practiced ease. He stepped over the tree roots or natural pitfalls, even the ones well-hidden by leaf litter, and avoided touching plants that were thorny or poisonous. At first he also called out verbal warnings to help Druella make her own way, but stopped when he realised it wasn't necessary. The odd scholar was moving through the forest like it was nothing more than a well-kept garden.
She has travelled around the world, and it sounded like she did a lot of that on her own… It makes sense she knows this sort of thing.
"Living out in the wilderness, away from humans, is just like the stereotypical elf," Druella commented. "Yet according to you, she hates elves?"
"Well… people are complicated, I guess," Elt said. "She doesn't really fit in with humans or elves, so…"
Personally, Elt also thought that Primera was more in touch with her elf heritage than she let on. But that was another thing he'd never say in public.
Eventually, they arrived at Primera's location. She didn't stay in one spot all the time, instead having a group of spots that she moved between depending on her mood, the weather and the time of day. It had taken considerable time and effort for Elt to figure out her pattern.
At this moment, Primera was lying on a branch of a tree. Her hair, bow and most of her clothing were green, making her almost impossible to spot against the mottled green canopy. However, her long and pointed ears were still visible. She was in a relaxed posture at first, but straightened up as Elt and Druella approached.
"Hello, Primera," Elt called out, waving one hand.
"You again…" Primera said. She looked at Druella and her eyes sharpened. "And who the hell is this?"
This was no way to speak to another person, but it was perfectly normal by Primera's standards. At least she hadn't reached for her bow yet.
"This is Druella, a scholar who's interested in history," Elt said. "She asked to come with me so she could talk to you, to learn about elf history."
"That's right, and—" Druella began.
"I'm not some parrot who'll talk whenever you want," Primera said sharply. "Just leave me alone."
Most people would have given up at this point. Even nobles would be reluctant to press a hero into doing something against their will, and Elt was merely an orphan from the slums. But Elt knew how Primera thought.
Elt bowed his head slightly. "I'm sorry for bothering you, but this is important."
Primera froze. She knew Elt only used words like "this is important" when referring to Sasha's church and the orphans. After a few seconds, she sighed.
"Ugh. Fine…"
Elt turned towards Druella. "Okay, you can ask her any questions you want."
"Before that, there's something I ought to show you both," Druella replied.
In the next moment, before either Elt or Primera could ask what she meant, Druella changed. Her conservative travelling outfit was replaced by something so scandalous that Elt immediately averted his eyes. But he still caught a glimpse of horns, bat-like wings, a spaded tail and shimmering white hair.
A monster! Elt realised. And not just any monster—
"Get away from her!"
At the same time as Primera's words, there was a blur of motion. An arrow appeared in the ground next to Druella, accompanied by a small explosion.
Elt then noticed that Druella was slightly to the left of her previous position. It wasn't that Primera had missed—for she never missed, Elt knew that very well—but that the lilim had managed to dodge.
"Please, I'm not here to hurt you," Druella said calmly. She lightly dusted off some of the dirt from the explosion that had landed on her.
Elt backed away while drawing a dagger from his belt—since this was just a day of relaxation, he hadn't brought his spear along. He didn't fancy his chances against one of the infamous lilim, especially since he hadn't fought a monster before, but he wouldn't go down without a fight.
Dammit, I can't believe I let her trick me like that! Did she—Did she influence me with her magic!?
"Like anyone would believe that!" Primera shouted.
Rather than staying still, Primera jumped to the branch of a different tree, where she immediately vanished from view. This was magic inherited from her elven side that allowed her to hide, even in plain sight, as long as there was vegetation nearby.
A few seconds passed, then three arrows shot out from a different branch of the tree—Primera must have secretly repositioned herself to get an advantage.
But none of the arrows struck Druella. The lilim stepped from side to side, dodging the arrows seemingly without effort. One arrow hit a tree and created another small explosion, a second hit the ground and scattered frost, and the third generated a piercing screech that forced Elt to cover his ears.
It looks like the part about being a lilim wasn't a lie… Is there anything I can do?
Elt was watching the situation intently, trying to find an opening where he could intervene. But it was all happening too fast. Primera kept moving around and disappearing from view before firing more arrows. If he approached Druella, he'd just get shot in the back by his own ally.
This is the difference between a hero and a normal person… just like Mimil mentioned earlier… but I can't just watch! Think, Elt, think!
Wait… whatever she wants, it isn't just to kill us. Otherwise there'd be no point in showing her real identity to us. In that case…
An idea came to Elt's mind. It was incredibly dangerous, but unless he left the tried-and-true path, he could never be of use to a hero.
Elt raised his dagger and brought it towards his own neck.
"Wait, what are you doing!?" Druella exclaimed.
Elt's body suddenly froze in place. He couldn't move his dagger-arm anymore. He couldn't even move his eyes to keep track of the battle. Only the pounding of his heart in his chest reassured him he was still alive.
It wasn't clear what Druella had just done… but the results of Elt's brief distraction were obvious. An explosive arrow hit her square in the face, causing her to yelp.
"Okay, that's enough!"
With this declaration, Druella snapped her fingers. Tentacles of pure darkness appeared from her shadow and, faster than arrows, reached up into the trees. Primera was dragged down to the ground and bound securely.
"No, no, no!" Primera shouted. "I'll never let you corrupt me!"
If Primera had a single hand free, she'd now probably pull out her own dagger to slit her throat. Again, Elt mentally kicked himself for falling for Druella's trickery.
"Like I said earlier, please calm down!"
Druella's dark tentacles pulled away Primera's bow and quiver, then—instead of just tossing them aside—deposited them gently against a nearby tree. One tentacle did the same with Elt's dagger.
"I have no plans to hurt you," Druella said. "I'll release you now, so please… refrain from attacking me further."
The tentacles uncoiled from Primera and, at the same time, Elt was released from his paralysis.
"You… what are you playing at?" Primera demanded, though she didn't try to snatch up her bow and quiver. "There's nothing you could say that would…"
Primera glanced at Elt fearfully. Elt immediately guessed her thoughts: she was afraid that Druella might use him as a hostage to coerce her, one of Lescatie's heroes.
And we can't do anything to stop her, Elt thought grimly. Even a magically charged arrow to the face didn't hurt her at all! If this is what one lilim can do, how haven't they conquered Lescatie already!?
For a moment, Elt saw a familiar figure. A young woman with blue hair and eyes, wielding a sword of legend to drive back the lilim. But there was no point in hoping for reinforcements so far from here. It was quite possible that she didn't even remember him anymore and, even if she did, a common soldier had no right to call on Lescatie's greatest hero.
"Then I'll get straight to the point: I want to stop Lescatie from killing innocent monsters," Druella said. "There are multiple ways I could go about that, but I'd prefer to do this with the agreement of Lescatie's people, as much as possible."
"That's ridiculous," Elt said, unable to restrain himself. "Lescatie will never bow to monsters, no matter what you do!"
Druella sighed. "It's a difficult problem, clearly. But I won't just use words to persuade you. Tell me, have either of you been outside of this country? Have you ever been to Court Alf, or to Dragonia, or any other place?"
Elt frowned at these words. He'd certainly heard of these places. Court Alf was an archipelago in the south sea inhabited by various sea monsters, who preyed on local shipping. And Dragonia was a mountainous nation somewhere to the north where dragons ruled, treating humans as mere livestock. But he'd never been to either place, or anywhere else outside Lescatie's borders.
Meanwhile, Primera remained silent. Elt knew that she'd come from outside Lescatie, having wandered here after the loss of her parents. But she never liked to talk about her past even to him. She certainly wouldn't reveal it to an enemy.
"I'll take that as a no," Druella said. "Then I'll let you see some of the wider world for yourselves. A little warning, this might make you feel dizzy…"
Red light filled Elt's vision. He flinched, raising his arms in an attempt to protect himself.
Then the light vanished and he, Primera and Druella were no longer in Lescatie.
"What the—!?"
"Where have you taken us!?"
Instead of trees and shrubs and grass, they were now surrounded by high walls of white stone. And Elt could now smell a faint saltiness in the air.
"Please keep your voices down, we don't want to cause a disturbance," Druella said. Surprisingly, she'd reverted to her previous disguise as a human scholar. She also looked slightly tired, though that could just be an act.
Elt glanced around and saw another surprise. His and Primera's weapons were lying against one of the walls.
Why bring those along as well? Is she trying to make us lower our guard? And…
"Where have you taken us?" Primera repeated, her voice low but menacing.
"Al Mar, the largest island of Court Alf," Druella replied easily.
"You teleported us!?" Elt said.
It sounded like a lie. Teleportation was a feat from the legends, and she'd done it so easily? Even a lilim couldn't be that powerful…
But when Elt looked up at the sky, he realised the sun was near its zenith, indicating it was around noon. Yet he and Druella had met Primera mid-morning.
Different parts of the world are at different times… I've heard of it before, but it sounded like a fantasy until now…
"As I said, I want to show you two the wider world," Druella said. "So please follow me. You can pick up your weapons, but please don't use them. You'd frighten the locals."
Druella began walking towards the exit of the alley. Elt and Primera looked at each other warily, then retrieved their weapons and followed the disguised lilim. It wasn't like they had any other options.
When they left the alley, Elt immediately skidded to a stop. His jaw gaped open in an undignified manner.
To begin with, he saw a magnificent street paved with white stones. Sculptures of colourful rock—no, coral—lined each side. A canal ran down the centre of the street and boats floated on its surface.
The street was filled with many kinds of monsters that Elt had only heard of in stories: mermaids, merrows, sea bishops, scyllas, cancers, sirens. Some walked on the sides of the street, some swam in the canal and others rode one of the various boats. They were all female, and all incredibly beautiful… a heretical thought that immediately made Elt pinch himself hard.
But there were humans here as well. And they didn't look they were forced to be here by the threat of violence. Nor did they have the mindless grins that monster thralls supposedly had. They were smiling and laughing in a completely natural manner, even those who were hand in hand in monsters.
If Elt ignored the fins and scales and tentacles, it was a sight that wouldn't be out of place in Lescatie during a festival.
"How… is this possible?" Primera murmured. "This… This has to be an illusion, a trick…"
"Even I can't make an illusion this good," Druella said. "But if you don't believe me, how about you talk to some of these people for yourselves? Just don't mention you're from Lescatie."
This time, Druella didn't take the lead. Only when Elt started walking uneasily in one direction did she follow after him, along with a visibly reluctant Primera.
"Elt," Primera whispered, quietly enough that most passers-by couldn't hear. "Keep an eye out for openings. If it looks dangerous at any point, I'll buy you time—"
"I don't think we could ever escape," Elt whispered back. "But… thank you."
Primera might see herself as worthless, but she was a hero of Lescatie. She was worth a hundred of a common soldier like him.
But now wasn't the time for such thoughts. Now they were approaching one of the monsters, a mermaid, and the man cheerfully walking beside her. The mermaid had two legs instead of the usual fish tail, but these were covered in blue scales and ended in webbed toes, ensuring no one would mistake her for a human.
It's now or never, Elt thought. Primera isn't good with strangers, so it's up to me. Since it's noon now…
"Um, excuse me," Elt said. "I was just wondering if you knew about… any good places to have lunch at."
Elt had prepared himself for any possibility, up to and including this strange couple suddenly attacking.
He wasn't prepared for this couple answering with "Yes, if you go around that corner, you'll find a great place to eat!" and "You have to try their storm salmon, it's absolutely delicious!"
And in the midst of his confusion, Elt noticed that these two spoke with a distinct accent, emphasising their foreignness.
I've never heard this accent before, is it a southern one? Lescatie isn't exactly a place that tourists visit, so there's not much chance to hear foreigners speak…
"And have you two come here to get married as well?" the mermaid asked.
"You make a really cute couple!" the man said.
Elt blushed crimson to the tips of his ears, as did Primera.
"W-W-We're nothing like that!" Primera replied. "There's no way that—that someone like me could ever be with someone like him!"
The mermaid and man looked shocked.
"Sorry, but the three of us are actually here on business," Druella said, having hung back until now.
"Oh, sorry for the misunderstanding," the man said. "Then whatever you have planned, I hope you have a good day."
The couple walked off. Even as they left, the mermaid shot one last look at them. It wasn't the look of someone who meant them harm, but rather it was… scepticism?
"So they're… getting married?" Primera said. "Even though they're… a monster and a human?"
"Of course!" Druella said. "Monsters are all female, so how did you think we survived as a race without human men? Of course, there are couples who have children without getting married, for various reasons… But most of the time, those who come to Al Mar have come for its wonderful wedding facilities."
That certainly explained the high proportion of happy couples here. Even if the idea of happy marriage with monsters felt… bizarre to Elt.
"And while I just said 'couples', there are more extended kinds of marriage," Druella said. "Just look over there."
Elt and Primera followed Druella's gaze to a man walking alongside three monsters: a mermaid, a scylla and a strange monster covered in green fronds. The sight made their eyes boggle.
"But… how?"
"Won't they… get jealous of each other?"
"There can be problems, but nothing that can't be solved as long as you talk to each other," Druella said. "If you put in the effort, all kinds of love can work… like that between a half-elf and a human."
Primera clenched her fists tightly. "Shut up, or I'll rip out your tongue right here."
Elt understood her point. A hero of Lescatie, even one discriminated against for being a half-elf, was far higher in status than a common soldier from an orphanage. For that reason, Elt had never entertained any thoughts of being with her romantically… even if he knew her true personality under her acerbic exterior, even if he admired her bravery and skill.
Druella sighed again. "Your ignorance of monsters and the wider world isn't the only problem to solve… but that can wait for later. Right now, you need to see more of what Court Alf has to offer!"
With that, Druella walked off. The other two hurried after her, not wanting to be left behind in this strange island where monsters and humans coexisted.
-ooo-
The next five hours were as exhausting as they were… bewildering.
First, Druella led them to the restaurant that couple had recommended earlier, then she ordered lunch for all three of them. Elt and Primera were very reluctant to accept this, not least because they'd heard stories of monsters entrapping humans using delicious-looking field. Yet there were people all around them eating without a care, so the atmosphere eventually led them to take their first bites.
Elt froze with the spoon in his mouth.
This… is better than anything I've ever tasted, even better than Sasha's best cooking, Elt thought. Even I got told right now that it's poison, I'd probably keep eating it.
At the same table, Primera was similarly frozen in place while Druella was casually eating. Elt supposed that this food was nothing special for a lilim who'd been raised in luxury and travelled all around the world.
"Well?" Druella asked, a slight smile on her lips. "What do you think?"
"It's… delicious," Elt conceded reluctantly.
Primera swallowed and then harrumphed. "Well, it's not bad, but it could be better."
"What!?"
One of the passing mermaid waitresses stopped and turned towards Primera.
"Just what about our food left you unsatisfied?" the mermaid asked frantically. "Was it not warm enough? Or too warm? Did the texture not agree with you? Did you want more or less salt?"
"What—that's—I didn't mean—" Primera spluttered.
Elt felt like laughing, but he had to help out his friend. He therefore interjected, "She does like the food here, she's just having trouble being honest about it."
Primera glared at Elt with enough force to make most people cower, but she didn't deny his words.
-ooo-
After that, they attended one of the weddings that Al Mar was apparently famous for. This was the first proper wedding ceremony Elt had ever seen: in the slums, there was never the time or the money for anything more than a simple family dinner, if even that.
The wedding took place in a magnificent temple of white limestone decorated with colourful murals—all of which depicted scenes of love and marriage. Conversely, there was not a single depiction of the Chief God anywhere. Half of the temple was sunken underwater for the benefit of the aquatic guests.
The temple interior was filled with monsters and humans and even a couple of dwarves—it was the first time Elt had seen the short, stout folk. A blue-finned sea bishop stood at one end of the temple to preside over the ceremony. Everywhere were white flowers and exuberant music and cheerful laughter.
It was a scene that Elt never expected to see with his own eyes.
It was a scene just like a wedding from a fairy tale.
Elt's group had arrived towards the end of the actual wedding. When the groom and bride finally kissed, Elt felt only a sense of vicarious joy at them coming together. Druella clapped loudly, while Primera pretended disinterest even as she sneaked glances at the couple.
All of the Order's teachings say this is an abomination. But… can all this happiness really be wrong?
…Druella might only be showing us the best parts of monsters. But even then, that's completely different from what we're all taught of monsters, that they're vicious creatures who only want humanity's ruin.
And… I've seen plenty of humanity's bad side myself.
Not long after, the bride threw the wedding bouquet—a bundle of brightly coloured corals—into the sea. According to Druella, this was a local tradition in which the bouquet would float towards the next couple likely to get married.
"Hmph, it's just silly," Primera said. "How can colourful rocks know something like that?"
Elt caught Primera stealing glances at the bouquet. He decided to say nothing.
Does she want to get married as well? But with who? The only unmarried man she interacts with is…
Elt shook his head. There was no point in letting impossible thoughts cross his mind.
-ooo-
After the wedding, Druella teleported them to another island of Court Alf. This was Nevia, the Island of Passion.
It was also a beautiful place of canals running amidst buildings, but its colour scheme featured more pinks, reds and purples. The walls were painted with elaborate murals, depicting all kinds of scenes from heroic adventures to passionate love. Gardens of roses filled the air with a sweet, almost dizzying fragrance. The tunes of a hundred songs danced through the streets, delighting the ears of all who heard them.
For this island, Druella had recommended that they ride one of the boats, or gondolas as they were known locally. Elt had soon realised why: it was a deeply relaxing experience that allowed him to just enjoy the atmosphere. Even Primera just sat in the gondola and allowed a rare smile to cross her face.
Though Primera became irritated again when they left the gondola. This reason for this? One of the local merrows approached Elt, swaying her hips in an embarrassingly salacious manner.
"Hey there, cutie!" the merrow said. "Want me to show you around Nevia?"
Elt blushed to the tips of his ears.
"He's. Not. Interested," Primera retorted, looking as if she was about to draw her bow.
"If he's not interested, he can say it himself, right?" the merrow said. "So, what do you think?"
"Sorry, I'm not interested!" Elt said.
That sent the merrow away, disappointed. But it still left Primera in a bad mood for a while.
It probably didn't help that, during the next twenty minutes, three other unmarried monsters approached Elt.
Even if monsters aren't evil as we always thought, they can be really… forward, Elt thought. And why do they keep approaching me!? I'm not handsome or rich or charming in any way, I'm just an ordinary person. Are monsters just that desperate for men?
It was one of the many, many things that now weighed down on Elt's mind. And Primera's, without a doubt.
For years, Elt had been training as a soldier to fight monsters. He had the personal goal of helping Sasha and Primera support the orphanage, but ultimately he trained with monsters as his intended enemy. They were the forces of darkness who could only be driven back by human courage and effort.
And now… now it wasn't so simple. Now they knew, beyond all doubt, that monsters were people as much as them. Even knowing that Druella had shown them a biased perspective couldn't change all of the happiness and cheer they'd just seen.
-ooo-
After watching a magnificent performance at the Nevia Theater—about a race between two rival pirate crews to obtain hidden treasure—Elt was too drained for anything else. Every aspect of his worldview had just been overturned, so seeing anything more would simply overwhelm him. Judging from the way her eyes were swimming, Primera was in a similar situation.
Fortunately, Druella seemed to notice their plight. Instead of leading Elt and Primera to another dazzling experience, she led them to a quiet alley.
"This is only two of the islands, and you've barely seen anything of these two," Druella said. "But I think it's about time for me to take you two home."
Indeed, the sun was now getting low in the sky. While Lescatie would be in an earlier time—a concept that Elt still had trouble grasping—he didn't want to be away from there for more than a few hours.
"We've… seen more than enough," Primera said. "But now I've got a question for you. What the hell do you want from us? And why us, specifically? We're not even that important to Lescatie."
"Primera, that's not true," Elt protested. "I mean, it's true for me, but you're—"
"A hero?" Primera simply shook her head. "I'm just one of many heroes in Lescatie, and they only keep me around because of that. I don't have a family name, money or anything else. If they heard even a rumour that I'd talked to a lilim, they'd see me as a traitor and send out orders to kill me on sight."
Elt wanted to protest that this wasn't true. But it would just be arrogant of him to claim he knew Primera's situation better than she did.
"If you want the honest truth, I'll give it to you," Druella said. "Both of you are able to make a difference. And in addition to that, I'd like your help in meeting with certain people you're connected with."
Primera looked confused for a moment, presumably since she had few social connections. Then she nocked an arrow to her bow and aimed it at Druella. "There's no way you're getting anywhere near our church!" she shouted.
Both Primera and Elt were indeed connected to Sasha, a prestigious hero. In addition to that, Elt was trained by Merse and regularly interacted with Mimil. But even with a changed view on monsters, and even with a lilim in front of him, Elt grasped his dagger.
"But if you disagree, that's fine," Druella said, not making any move to defend herself. "I've shown you the truth, it's your choice on what to do with it. And Sasha Fullmoon is… well, it would be better if you found that part out for yourselves."
Red light enveloped the three of them. It faded to reveal that they were again in the forest east of Lescatie, with unkempt trees replacing orderly buildings. Even after the teleportation, Primera kept her bow aimed at Druella.
"Elt, I promised you ten copper coins at the start of the day," Druella said. "Since this took longer than originally implied, here's thrice the amount."
Druella took out a small bag, clinking with coins, and held it out towards Elt. The young soldier froze in place, unsure whether or not to accept it. Eventually, Druella simply deposited the bag on the ground.
"And I'll just leave you one last thing…"
Druella took out another object. It was spherical and looked somewhat like a large white pearl, but on closer inspection it glowed with faint red light. She held this out to Elt and Primera.
"If you ever want to contact me again, just talk while touching this," Druella said. "And you don't have to accept this if you don't want to."
Druella left the pearl on the ground and took a step back.
"This is farewell for now. Oh, and one last thing: remember that there's nothing wrong with people of different backgrounds falling in love."
Druella was enveloped by her own shadow rising up, then disappeared into black particles.
That… was something I'll never forget, for many reasons, Elt thought. Even now, I'm wondering just what she's planning…
Elt turned towards Primera, about to ask her opinion, only to see that she was blushing furiously.
"Primera…? Are you okay…?"
"Don't talk to me!"
While shouting this, Primera jumped up into the trees and hid herself from view. It wasn't an unexpected reaction: even at the best of times, the half-elf was unsociable, and right now she was unsettled by shocking revelations.
Still, it's almost like she's… no, that can't be.
Forcing himself to stay focused, Elt shouted upwards, "Primera! Sorry about this, but I'd like your opinion as well! What should we do about… Druella's gifts!?"
There was no reaction for ten whole seconds. Elt almost considered leaving and allowing Primera to calm down, but then he got a response.
"We can't take them into the city… but I doubt we could destroy them easily, especially that weird pearl. And even picking them up to throw them away somewhere might be dangerous."
"Then I'll try piling up dead leaves on top of these two things so no one can find them," Elt suggested. "And it's just the two of us who come here in the first place, so there should be… well, not zero danger, but at least random people aren't likely to stumble over them."
"I'll pick a different spot from now on," Primera said, still out of sight. "There's no way I'm spending any time near something a lilim left behind."
Elt kicked leaves over the money bag and pearl until these were thoroughly covered. But even if they kept Druella's gifts far away from any other people, that still left one question unanswered. A question for which there were no easy answers.
"Primera…" Elt said. He hesitated for a moment. "I've never had the chance to fight monsters before. But I know you have…"
There was a soft sound, almost inaudible over the rustling of leaves in the wind. But Elt had known Primera long enough to recognise her sighing.
"…I've fought them, alright," Primera said. "In the year I've spent as a hero, I've killed more than thirty of them. I even felt a little proud of it, since it was pretty much the only time I ever got praised. Now…"
Primera didn't finish that sentence, and there was no need for her to do so. Elt could easily deduce that she was feeling guilt and self-doubt, wondering if all of those monsters had truly deserved death.
"Primera," Elt said. "I know you prefer to be out here on your own, but… please. Come into the city with me, to Sasha's orphanage. You'll be safer there."
If Elt was being truthful, even being at the orphanage was no guarantee of safety. Druella had already made a mockery of Lescatie's defences by strolling in and out without being detected, and she could easily subdue a hero of Primera's level without being injured. But he couldn't bear to just leave his friend out here on her own.
Elt opened his mouth, about to try persuading Primera again, only for the half-elf to drop to the ground next to him. She still kept her face turned away.
"…I'll go with you," Primera said. "Even if I couldn't defeat her, I won't just wait around and let you go back by yourself."
"Thank you," Elt said, smiling.
"Quiet," Primera snapped back, but now there was no real bite in her words.
The two of them began walking back to the city. After taking a few steps, Elt glanced back at where the pearl was now hidden.
I'm still not sure what just happened. Did we really meet a lilim, or some other monster—or even a human—pretending to be a lilim? Did we really get teleported to Court Alf, or was all that an illusion?
Is any of this even real, or is it all some… incredibly weird dream?
AN: Primera's stealth magic is something I invented for this story. It seems fitting for an elf's fighting style.
I considered including a tour of Dragonia as well. I decided against it since I've shown Dragonia in the prequel but haven't shown anything of Court Alf until now.