A Strange Human Indeed

I looked up into the treetops. Figures stood on the branches all around us, almost encircling us. Some tall, some short, some young, some old. They were clad in green ranger-like outfits, white silks, and garlands of leaves. All of them bore the same mark, long, pointed ears. Without a doubt, they were elves.

Their hostility was clear. Every bow was drawn, every arrow aimed at me, a human who held one of their kind in his arms.

“Put your weapons down,” commanded the same masculine voice from before. He raised his hand in a calm but commanding gesture. The voice came from directly in front of me.

An elf emerged. Middle-aged, with wavy grey hair and even a short beard, a rarity for his kind. His frame was broad, his presence imposing, yet he wore spectacles perched lightly on his nose. Dressed in deep green robes, he carried no weapon save for a dagger tucked into his belt.

Without question, he was their leader.

He appeared before me in an instant. It happened too fast for my eyes to follow; surely he had leapt from tree to tree. Was this his special skill? I remembered Sebastian, Father’s butler, had a special ability called 'Quick Step'. Was this the same?

“Right then, human boy,” he said, lifting his hand toward me. “Hand me over the elf girl.”

I had no choice. To refuse would mean Alice, Karen, and I would be skewered by a hundred arrows. I reluctantly complied.

“Smart choice, human.” The elf leader gave me a thin smile before his expression hardened. “Now, care to explain what happened here?”

“Y-yes!” I stammered. “She saved us from the Nachtmaw creature—”

My words rippled through the treetops. Elves muttered, panicked, the name striking fear into them. Distracted until now by fire and humans, they had forgotten the burning corpse nearby.

“Nachtmaw!” several cried, loosing arrows into the charred remains.

“Is it truly dead?” another shouted. Some spoke in Elandric, though their alarm needed no translation.

The leader, however, had already assessed the scene. “Thistam!” he barked, clearly a command to halt. The elves froze, ashamed.

“You fools,” he snarled. “You shame our race in front of humans.” His glare burned with rage, and the others lowered their heads in silence.

He exhaled, calmer now. “My apologies, human boy. So, you claim this girl killed the Nachtmaw?”

“Yes. She unleashed a strange energy through her arrow, then delivered the finishing blow. She fainted afterwards, but she isn’t injured, just exhausted.”

“I see.” His eyes narrowed. “Then I must ask… why is an elf helping a human?”

"..."

The weight of his gaze pressed down on me like a mountain. My tongue stuck to the roof of my mouth. Around us, the elves began whispering again, some condemning her as a traitor, others insisting she be cast aside.

But I couldn’t let them treat my saviour like that. I bit my lip, forcing words out. “She—”

“She was once saved by our Grandmother,” Alice interrupted firmly, stepping forward. Her voice rang with conviction. “True to her virtue as an elf, she saved us from the Nachtmaw.”

The forest fell silent. All eyes turned to Alice. She didn’t waver.

"..."

“…Hahaha!” The elf leader broke the silence with booming laughter. “I see. You sure are a strong one, young lady. Sharp-tongued, too. Your potential is frightening. I almost hope the day never comes when you stand against us.”

“Likewise,” Alice replied with a tense smile. The air between them bristled, as though blades of intent clashed invisibly.

“Very well.” His gaze shifted to me. “But you, aren’t you a man? Shouldn’t you be standing forward?”

His words stung. He was right. I had cowered behind Alice’s courage. Shame churned in me, but so did resolve. This time, I stepped past Alice and met the leader’s eyes head-on.

“Elias?” Alice’s voice trembled with worry.

“That’s better, boy,” the elf leader said, faint amusement on his lips. “Now speak.”

So I did. I told him of the ancient relic I had thrown into the lake, of how the elf girl wrapped her arrows in cloth and rice wine before finishing the beast with a final, empowered shot. Murmurs spread among the elves, but I pressed on.

“So the relic is in the lake,” he confirmed.

“Yes.”

“Good. If it’s sunk deep, it’s harmless. Still, I’ll send scouts to check the shores. If it falls into the wrong hands, disaster will follow once again.”

“And the forest fire? The Nachtmaw?” I asked.

“Oh, that?” He gestured to a mature elf girl. She raised her bow, chanting a familiar chant yet to a slightly different chant, “He Varun deva, anugraham kuru asya anarhasya.” Her arrow shimmered with blue light before striking near the blaze. A wave of water surged forth, quenching the fire in an instant. Only the Nachtmaw's corpse continued to burn.

“Wow,” I whispered, awestruck.

“See? This is the power of us elves, hohoho!” the elf leader laughed proudly.

“That was amazing,” I admitted.

“Eh?” He squinted at me. “No argument? No claim of human superiority?”

“Am I supposed to?" I pointed to myself, " I mean, that was incredible, I’ve nothing to complain about.”

"..."

He studied me for a moment. “You are a strange human indeed.” Then his expression sobered. “But anyway, this is likely the last time we meet. For your own sake, I hope it is. I do not wish to see you dead.”

Relief washed over me. According to the tome I had read in my first life, elves were dangerous and ruthless. Yet here, they seemed no different from humans, proud, fearful, but also composed. Still, one question gnawed at me: what would become of the elf girl?

"..."

I dropped to my knees and bowed before the leader. If a human noble saw this, I would be condemned as a traitor. 

But I didn’t care.

“Please!” I begged, my forehead nearly to the ground. Elves gasped.

“Elias! What are you doing?” Karen cried.

“Stand up!” Alice urged.

“Please, don’t punish her,” I pressed on. “She saved our lives, and perhaps even yours. If the Nachtmaw had rampaged further, this forest could have been lost. So, please!”

"..."

The leader was silent for a moment. Then he burst into laughter again, laying a heavy hand on my shoulder.

“You are a strange boy,” he said warmly. “Humble. Sincere. I have not seen such a human in centuries. Fear not, I will not punish her. She only did her duty. But I thank you for catching her.”

To my shock, the elf leader bowed his head. His followers stirred with unease, seeing their master honour a human.

“N-no, please, that’s unnecessary,” I stammered, flustered.

“Humble indeed.” He straightened, raising his voice. “Elves! Our work here is done, let us return!” Then, glancing at me, “I expect much from you, boy. Perhaps you will be the bridge between our races. You have good people at your side.” He smiled at Alice, the one who had spoken so firmly before.

“What about me?” Karen pouted.

“Oh? You were here too?” the elf leader teased with mock surprise.

“Elias! They’re bullying me!” Karen rushed to my side, burying her face in my chest.

The elf leader chuckled. “Until next time, boy.”

"!"

A gust of wind suddenly swept through the clearing. Leaves rustled, branches groaned, and a great shadow passed overhead. Our wyvern had returned, along with probably Father and Grandma.

The worst possible timing.

The elves tensed, bows snapping up once more.

“Wait!” I shouted desperately.