My Alter Ego’s Path to Greatness - Chapter 53
#53
Elf (1)
This morning, the entire main temple was in an uproar.
This was because everyone was busy preparing to welcome the delegation from the Elven Kingdom.
“Everyone is busy.”
Except for us, the ones guarding the inside.
In response to Heinrich’s leisurely words, Rairin, who was guarding the passage leading to the gate with him, nodded calmly and answered.
“Because it suddenly became a decision. Compared to the scale of exchange in which even high elves participated, the period from when a decision was made to implementation was very short. “There is bound to be a lack of preparation.”
Just as she said, it was only a few days after the decision to cooperate with the Elven Kingdom was made, and things progressed quickly.
This was not a schedule that was rushed by only one side.
This is only possible if both sides agree and as quickly as possible.
‘Even if the church decided that it was urgent to track down the descendants of the Immortal King, is there something urgent going on in the Elven Kingdom?’
In fact, although the church said that all they had to do was prepare to receive the envoys, they were the ones who had to cross the sea.
There was no way moving between continents would be easy.
Still, rushing like this means that there is quite urgent business…
‘Whatever their purpose is, it is meaningless even if I think about it here.’
By obtaining the information first, we were able to buy time to strengthen the barrier, so that was enough for now.
“Still, I feel sorry that we’re the only ones having this much leisure time.”
“It can’t be helped. “This is our job.”
They are busy preparing to welcome guests.
Unlike the outskirt knights who were busy patrolling and reinforcing security in case of any untoward incident, the Radiance Guardian, in charge of internal security, was carrying on with his usual duties without any particular need.
‘It is said that the Heresy Inquisition Observation is responsible for checking the infiltration route into the interior of the Great Shrine.’
Of course, there were more things to worry about than usual, but even if you take all of them into account, it wasn’t as bad as they are now.
“You can think of our full-fledged work as starting when we welcome the delegation. “At that point, you won’t really have time to breathe, so don’t be too sad.”
“Oh no… I wasn’t sorry…”
As they were talking like that, a group of people led by a saint approached from the other side of the aisle.
“I guess it’s about time. From now on, I have to be really careful not to make even the slightest mistake.”
“yep.”
This was when they adjusted their posture and looked straight ahead.
“hello! Sir Heinrich, Lord Rairin. “Are you two in charge of security here today?”
The saint greeted brightly as people lined up behind her.
“Yes, saint. “You are going to welcome the delegation from the Elven Kingdom, right?”
“yes! I received a call from a temple in the east. Now you only have to go through the gate twice and you will be here.”
Of course, as the saint’s actions did not last for a day or two, the people here were all accustomed to dealing with the saint.
After naturally greeting her and chatting with her, Lairin immediately walked away and pointed toward the gate.
“Then there really isn’t much left. “Shouldn’t you hurry in and try it?”
“oh! Yes. “You’ve probably already done it once by now!”
The saintess nodded as she headed toward the gate, paused for a moment, and turned her head toward Heinrich.
Then, while looking at him blankly, I started thinking about something.
“…….”
“……?”
The silence that suddenly followed.
Heinrich could not help but smile awkwardly in the embarrassing situation where the attention of those around him began to turn to him one by one.
‘Why are you doing that? ‘You really didn’t say hello?’
When Lairin said hello, I bowed as well. Didn’t you see it?
I was wondering if I should say hello to him again right now.
“Sir Heinrich, shall we go with you?”
The saint said something unexpected.
“ah! To welcome the delegation from the Elven Kingdom. “There’s no need for two people to guard this place, right?”
People around her looked puzzled as she added hastily.
Certainly, as she said, there was no need to guard two aisles right now.
The faces of those who followed her inside were so glamorous.
Not to mention the saint herself…
high-ranking priests, including Archbishop Latius, who led the Immortal King’s punitive force, and high-ranking paladins, including two paladins.
They headed directly to the gate, and although there were one or two regular paladins, there was no difference in mana.
“Is there any reason why you want to take him with you?”
But that was that and this was this.
Because the security wasn’t set up in the first place for no reason.
If it becomes a habit to arbitrarily decide to move the security personnel, saying that it is okay now, there is a risk that there will be holes in the security system later and the system will be shaken.
As she was still a young saint, it was necessary to clearly inform her of that aspect.
When Archbishop Latius asked with a serious expression, the saint seemed uncharacteristically hesitant.
He saw the atmosphere and realized that he had made a mistake.
“I… want to give Sir Heinrich a lot of experience in advance.”
“Sir Heinrich Landgard is certainly a promising talent, but the current support from the church is by no means light. There is no need to care this much…”
No matter how much Heinrich proved his worth by showing unrivaled growth, too much favoritism could cause dissatisfaction in others.
Of course, since it is a main religious order with strong religious beliefs, an opponent with strong divine power will understand and accept it.
In fact, the fact that Heinrich, a newcomer, has been recognized by everyone without much friction so far may have had a big impact.
But isn’t the human mind controlled only by reason?
There may be people who feel ashamed of themselves and suffer from mental illness.
“that…! I can’t explain it well… but for some reason, it bothers me. “I’m interested and I want to take care of something…”
The saintess said in a panic as if making an excuse.
At her words, everyone’s eyes shifted back and forth between the saint and Heinrich.
“Hmm… that means…”
The archbishop, who was thinking about something, nodded slowly.
“If it’s a problem like that, there’s nothing we can do about it. “Then do it.”
Of course, there was no selfishness in their eyes at all.
Archbishop Latius and his companions agreed with an infinitely serious expression.
“Now that that’s the case, I think I’ll have to stay here alone for a while. Is that okay? Lord Lyrin Setri?”
“yes! No problem. “Please leave it to me.”
These are the words of a saint who is the closest being to the main deity.
That meant that she could not help but be influenced the most by the will of the Lord, unconsciously.
“Oh, I heard that you are a talent that the Lord is interested in, enough to receive a blessing at the Holy Knight ordination ceremony. Are you greedy for this? “Aren’t you interested in breaking the bones of heretics?”
A fierce-looking man with short black hair spoke to Heinrich with a grin.
One of the two paladins, he was the leader of the Black Moon Paladins who devoted his energies to hunting down warlocks and devil worshipers.
“It seems that Sir Heinrich is not interested in the Holy Knights. But if you change your mind later, don’t forget that our Silver Wings come first.”
Even Paladin Lord Tuskin sneaks in from the side.
The sudden attention from big names made me very uncomfortable.
It wasn’t a bad feeling to receive the favor of high-ranking figures, but…
‘More than that, was it because the saint was influenced by the main priest that she treated me particularly friendly?’
It was clear that Jusin was interested in him.
It’s true that he shows interest in me to the point of giving me a blessing.
This must have been a combination of that and the saint’s personality of favoring those with strong divine power.
Anyway, there was nothing bad about this side.
It helped right away.
“Hmm… If we delay any longer, it will be late. Now we’d better hurry.”
The group, including Heinrich, quickly moved to where the gate was.
Fortunately, there was no disaster as the delegation arrived before they arrived.
“The gate will be operational soon.”
Less than a minute after arriving at the gate room, I heard the words of the high priest in charge of the place.
“Whew~ I almost was late! But luckily it came at the right time! Ahaha….”
The saintess smiled cautiously, looking around at her surroundings.
He looked embarrassed, as if he knew he had done something wrong.
Uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuh huh huh…
Just then a blue whirlpool swirled around the center of the gate and began to vibrate.
After a while.
Figures coming out of the whirlpool one by one.
Nearly twenty people lined up immediately after leaving the gate.
…These were elves I had never seen before.
They soon approached us who were waiting on one side, led by the person in front.
“Welcome, delegates from the Elven Kingdom. Welcome to the Grand Shrine of Roselia. “I am Saint Hatianus, Riesta, a saint of the Catholic Church.”
When they got close enough, the saint stepped forward and offered words of welcome with a gentle smile.
Perhaps because it was a public event, he looked more serious and dignified than usual.
“Thank you for your hospitality. “My name is Lafori Granwood, a high elf of the Elven Kingdom.”
The handsome man with light blue hair in the lead placed a hand on his chest and lowered his head.
At the same time, the delegation members took the same posture.
That’s how the elf delegation set foot in the Great Hall of Roselia.
***
Due to the elf’s urgent request, a seat was quickly prepared.
The Jusin Church gladly accepted the understanding that they asked for help based on their own circumstances.
Heinrich was able to attend the conversation with the elves thanks to the saint’s consideration.
The Saint and Archbishop Latius stood behind the two paladins and accompanied them.
The Elven Kingdom side had two men and two men in attendance, excluding the high elf Lafori.
Those three would be the leaders of the delegation.
‘But it’s really amazing.’
Heinrich stood behind the saint and glanced sideways at them.
His main object of observation was Lafori Granwood, a high elf with soft azure hair that reached his shoulders.
The pure white skin, slim body, and pointy ears were just as I imagined.
The green pattern that seemed to resemble a tree drawn on the forehead was also unusual, but not surprising.
What caught my eye the most right now were his eyes shining like stars.
…It’s not a metaphor, it really shined like a star.
‘Wow, the pupils are star-shaped. Plus it’s gold.’
The deep blue irises and golden star-shaped pupils were twinkling like a morning star shining in the middle of the dawn sky.
‘Seeing as the other elves’ eyes are normal, it doesn’t seem to be a racial trait. High elf symbol? ‘Is it rude to ask?’
It was while I was glancing at him and thinking about something else.
“You seem to be amazed by my eyes.”
I flinched for a moment at Laforie’s sudden words.
It could have been a problem if the other person accepted it rudely.
But his words were not directed at Heinrich.
“Hmm… I’m sorry if you were inconvenienced. Those eyes are very beautiful. “It was like a star shining in the sky, and without realizing it, my eyes were taken away.”
The saint clears her throat and tries to calmly offer an apology.
…It seems like she, like him, was preoccupied with Laforie’s eyes.
“it’s okay. Because it was a story that was needed at the right time. These eyes are the mark of a high elf.”
‘also!’
Heinrich, relieved of his curiosity, listened to his words with a relaxed mind.
“I was also an ordinary elf at first. “They were chosen by the World Tree to have their eyes opened and were called high elves.”
High elves were a type of priest.
A bridge between the elves and the World Tree, the object of their faith.
“High elves are very precious to us. There are not many people qualified to become high elves. “Is it true that only two or three people are born in one generation?”
Of course, one generation in elves’ longevity was very different from that of humans.
And not all of them became high elves.
“When an elf with a natural aptitude grows up and meets certain conditions, he or she becomes selected by the World Tree and becomes qualified to become a high elf.”
It is said that if you are guided by the World Tree and reach the place where it is, you will eat the fruit given by the World Tree and become a High Elf.
“Currently, there are less than ten high elves remaining. Even so, most of them are older, so they are very desperate for new high elves to be born.”
Looking closely, it seemed like there were far less than ten people.
No matter how much you believe in the main religion, it would have been difficult to open up all the circumstances.
“But recently I was able to receive revelation from the World Tree. “A child with the qualifications to become a high elf was born here on the Ion Continent.”
In the past, most of these races migrated to the Enamel Continent, but there were quite a few who remained on the Aeon Continent.
It appears that one of their descendants has become qualified.
However, it seemed like there was no way he could reach the World Tree on his own.
“…I was sold as a sacrifice to a warlock through a slave hunter. “It hasn’t been long since we fell into their hands, but the longer we delay, the more dangerous it is, so we need to search as quickly as possible.”
There were limits to the information that could be known through the revelation of the World Tree.
That’s why we need a religious information network spanning the entire continent.
“We need as much detailed information as possible. The more accurate the likely location or the appearance of the subject, the better. “I hope the description of the surrounding scenery is as detailed as possible.”
Archbishop Latius, who had been sitting next to the saint and listening quietly, quietly opened his mouth.
“…I found out that he was led by slave hunters to somewhere in the northern mountains. “After it was taken over by the warlocks, I couldn’t tell the exact location of what they were doing.”
“The Northern Mountains are wide. In fact, most of the northern part of the Ion Continent can be considered to be included in the Northern Mountain Range. “Do you have any other information?”
“My appearance is no different from that of an ordinary elf, as I have not had my eyes opened yet. Appearance: Human age, mid-teens, light green hair and orange eyes.”
‘huh?’
“Well, first of all, we will mobilize the church’s information network as much as possible. Oh, by any chance, what is his name?”
“This is Cecily. Please as soon as possible. Because you never know when the four moons will fly. If there’s anything we can do to help, we’ll help as much as we can…”
‘Huh? ‘This…’
They began to discuss what to do next, but now it has become a matter of little importance.
***
“Hahahahaha—! “This is causing trouble!”
Harley laughed heartily and scratched the back of his head, to be exact, the black leopard’s scalp.
“Yes, little girl. “What’s your name?”
He asked softly, smiling as harmlessly as he could.
Of course, with a face full of blood, it just looked ugly.
“Cecely…I’m Cecily.”
An elf girl with light green hair and orange eyes.
It seemed like Harley found it first.