EXTRA CHAPTER 1: THE WORKAHOLIC

**Kuro**

In the aftermath of the invasion of Cherwoods, I opted to stay in the elf realm for several more weeks even as when I was expected at Chersea soon. For one, the work in driving out the Seductress may be over, but her minions—born out of her malicious and corrupting miasma—remained. These monsters plagued the ancient dirt roads criss-crossing Cherwoods, complicating the rebuilding efforts as the remnants of the native elvish population were afraid to return from the cities they’ve taken refuge. The misunderstanding brought by the disguise of Sir Gerard didn’t help us either, as we had a hard time convincing the Cherwoods elves that I was a different person. Fortunately, the Lord Ingwer was there to help convincing them, and the matter was put in the back seat as more pressing matters came to rear its ugly head.

“…”

So, as the overall commander of the Elvish Expeditionary Forces—the only remaining viable army in Cherwoods, I had to direct the clearing operations to maximize our limited personnel and resources.

Second in our problems list was the rebuilding efforts itself. See, while the elves of Cherwoods and the Chersean elves came from the same ancestry, their cultural background vastly differed. The former saw their Chersean brethren as ‘traitors’ and ‘barbarians’, leaving their land in times of its great need and having been ‘tainted’ by the conveniences of the human and beastmen worlds.

For the Chersean elves? Well, they were relatively well-off in the urban setting that was Chersea and Cherwind, so they looked at their ‘forest-dwelling brethren’ with a combination of fascination—because of the natives’ ability to ‘talk’ to the trees—and contempt. The Chersean elves, while they lost their skill in communing with nature, gained another ‘skill’: the talent to ‘read the mood’. They knew immediately if they were warmly welcomed, or if someone’s just playing nice to them.

I can’t help but think that perhaps this is because of their experiences with humans, whose cutthroat culture of ambition and betrayal is well-known, even in my old world.

“…”

As such, the cooperation between the two peoples were precarious at best; held only by the ‘thin thread’ of their belief in the ‘Elf Saint’ and the army that she brought to Cherwoods that saved the land from the Seductress.

Honestly, I don’t think the natives should learn the Chersean elves’ active cooperation with their ancient enemy, the Demons. So, I gave the soldiers a ‘gag order’ to keep the tensions from escalating.

Well, that took care of that issue…for now. With those things considered, it was wise that I should remain here to keep the Chersean elves from doing something we couldn’t stop. The ‘barbarians from the human lands’ outnumbered and outgunned the elves of Cherwoods, and the last thing I wanted was to wipe off a culture that had persisted for so long. It’s the reason we launched this ‘invasion’ in the first place!

But damn, why can’t these guys just get along when both of them are weak to alcohol and are closet perverts?

Now, third reason of my prolonged stay was the unfinished project I left in the hands of the late Lord Gerard: the Cherwoods Grand Canal. Designed to bring water from the Gulf of Cherwoods and into the interior regions of the ancient forest, it was supposed to save the elvish people from the advancing sands of the South. However, with the arrival of the Seductress, the work stopped. The natives—forced to dig it to the point of death—wouldn’t cooperate in its completion, not even when Her Holiness, the Lady Hinwe, pleaded them to.

Well, it’s not that I couldn’t understand their sentiments. The Lord Gerard—based from the testimonies of the former captain of the Elvish Life Guards, Sir Eldarv—purposefully ‘enslaved’ his people while wearing my disguise, in an effort to discredit me. Still, I was pissed they squandered the chance to save themselves from the impending natural disaster…

As such, I instructed the Chersean elves to continue the work. I didn’t want to repeat the mistakes of the Lord Gerard, so I gave the soldiers the option to volunteer, just to ‘set an example’ to the natives of what awaited them if they ‘worked’ for me. Of course, I took it upon myself to shell out money from my own pockets; good thing the Elf Saint also gave her share of finances, as she claimed, ‘this is my realm, so I’ll take responsibility for it’.

Ah, it’s nice that the Lady Hinwe is back to her usual self—the hard-working, wise elf lady of the legends.

Though, yes, Her Holiness didn’t give up on her ‘vices’. She remained a hardcore ‘weeb’ and dedicated ‘otaku’. Now that there’s a booming industry of graphic novels, comics and cosplaying in Chersea and Cherwind, she would always make sure she had the time to check out the newest releases.

I guess, as long as she doesn’t run from her duties, it’s a welcome respite from the stressful work of rebuilding her realm. And that’s the fourth reason I stayed here in Cherwoods longer than I should.

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During the reconstruction, the Elvish Expeditionary Forces made the grounds of the Saint’s Tree Palace complex its primary base, as it was the safest area while we’re busy clearing the land of the monsters the Seductress left. While I was fine with just sleeping in the tents, the Lady Hinwe gave me my old quarters for my accommodation, after I refused her offer of letting me use one of her palace rooms. See, I didn’t like the idea of staying in a place where a lot of people were murdered recently; it’s just in my cultural DNA, see?

The topic of death and the afterlife was something that was quite a taboo to me and my compatriots. In my country, we avoided talking about it, for fear of triggering the premonitions. However, each year, we celebrate the day of the dead with retelling of scary stories…no matter how stale and repetitive those tales were.

“…”

Any case, back to the issue at hand. The Elvish Life Guards were wiped out by the Seductress, with almost all of its members ending up as ‘food’ for her. The only exception was the Sir Eldarv, who escaped the grisly death, thanks to the efforts of my spy, Cerdan. Her Holiness’ household (servants and other staff) was also annihilated, save for the Lady Meanor. We discovered their emaciated corpses, wallowing in their own blood, strewn all across the Saint’s Tree Palace, with many of them refusing to accept their inevitable and horrific demise. Hands reaching out for help, mouths agape, probably in a last-ditch attempt to fight and live. And their faces…god, I wish I can just blot it out of my mind.

Because of those, the Tree Palace was virtually empty, and I avoided visiting the place as much as I could.

“…”

It’s quite ironic, if I think about it. I was once a ghost as well, back in Cherflammen.

Well, as such, it was necessary to ‘stuff’ the Saint’s Tree with people once again. The Elf Saint’s Life Guards’ Regiment had to be reconstituted from scratch, and we also started a recruitment drive for the new batch of maids that was to serve Her Holiness.

Honestly, the willing people was the least of our problems. Though the Lady Hinwe may be unpopular with the native elvish population of Cherwoods, her subjects from Cherwind and Chersea adored her. As such, when we started the recruitment, a lot of the Chersean elves volunteered to serve her.

And yes, a lot of them have ulterior motives.

Of course, the positions for elvish maids were still unavailable, given that the only females with us were the natives of Cherwoods, who distrusted their saint to varying degrees. While the Lady Meanor—now serving as the Lady Hinwe’s head maid—sent recruiters back to Chersea to bring female elves to serve her mistress, the soldiers of our army took over the needs of Her Holiness for the meantime.

“…”

And coincidentally, elves were known ‘closet perverts’, as Eris had repeatedly told me before. It didn’t help that the Lady Hinwe was never bothered by peeping toms, seeing their lust-driven antics as ‘nature in action’.

As the only one possessing ‘human common sense’ in the sea of elves, I won’t stand for it, even if for Her Holiness it was fine. So, I hurried in re-establishing the Life Guards’ Regiment, dedicated in guarding the Elf Saint with all their heart—and lust. These elves who were too enamored with her, they would keep everyone else from peeping…including their comrades. It was also convenient that our base was inside her place, because we’re able to reconstitute the new regiment within days.

“…”

Fighting fire with fire, as they say, or in my case, fighting horny with horny. I guess it’s better than having guards of doubtful loyalties serving beside Her Holiness. Look unto it like I gathered weaboos and otakus all over Chersea and Cherwind, and made them in-charge of protecting their ‘waifu’s’ smile. Only, those weaboos are armed and trained to kill.

“…”

Still, I didn’t think this kind of arrangement should last for long. While the ‘core’ of her guards would serve Her Holiness as close in security, we should also show a sense of ‘unity’ to the rest of Cherwoods. I already planned on expanding and recruiting more members of the Life Guards from the native population, so as not to make them feel alienated. After all, it was those ‘issues’ that would eventually lead to explosive confrontations, if it was left to linger.

Haa…good thing I was used to this kind of work, since it’s what I do—as a public-school teacher—before. Everything went through Sir Greg’s table: the students’ grades, the lessons I had to teach for the day, the physical measurements I needed to submit to our main office for some weird reason. Likewise, nothing in Cherwoods would happen without my tacit approval; that soon, word reached me that elves, seeing my work ethic refer to me as the ‘human fixer’.

“…”

At least, from what I understood, it’s a positive assessment on my character. Maybe the word ‘fixer’ just had a ‘bad taste’ for me, since in my country, it had a different, and negative, meaning. Anyway, I needed that here, since the Lord Gerard did well in destroying my reputation among the elves of Cherwoods.

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**Hinwe**

Just like what the ladies back at the Holy Palatial Gardens had warned me before…

“My Kuro maybe like that, but you shouldn’t let him do everything, or he’ll really do it.”

“My master really loves to torture himself with work, and it’s up to us to keep his mind off it.”

“Sir G? Please remind him to take a rest. Please, Lady Hinwe?”

This guy, Kuro, really immersed himself in solving the problems he shouldn’t have bothered about. This guy was really something; ever since I met him, he impressed me more than once. He might love to meddle, but he was always willing to help on issues he—as a human—should’ve left as it was. I mean, compared to us, Kuro’s life was just but a sliver…he should enjoy his life more.

Like, dude, we just finished kicking the ‘Seductress’ ass back into whatever hell she came from, and a huge part of the effort was because of Kuro. Yet, here he was, dabbling with the affairs of my people that I should be resolving, instead of him.

“…”

But well, it’s not like I didn’t want Kuro to do that. Honestly, having this guy around running errands in my name puts me at ease, leaving the ‘heavy’ and ‘important’ matters for him to solve instead of me stressing about it. However, my pride as an elf—which he built up as well—couldn’t take it, so I felt like I had to ‘pitch in’, even if it’s just to make his burdens lighter.

And so, following what the Lady Madelaine advised, I looked into Kuro’s heart of how I should help him…in any way I could. What I saw in him was what the others had cautioned me about, still, I couldn’t help but feel disappointed.

I can’t help him much. This human is unique from his kind I’ve encountered before.

“…”

Unlike the humans, we elves value something else, namely, our ‘place’ in our society. Compared to them, chastity and sexual relations were in second place, though still relatively important. This was the reason my people were disappointed in me before, whom they considered as someone to run into whenever they encounter problems they couldn’t solve. Humans, on the other hand, were ‘sexually active’ people…or at least, that’s how I observed them.

And I think, it would be easier for me if Kuro was like that. At least, it’s easy to give him a ‘reward’ for his labors.

Instead, what happened?

“Kuro, if you’re looking for some place to stay, I’ll permit you to use a room in the tree palace of your own choosing.”

“Sorry…someone died there, so I’m kind of wary.”

“Scared of something you call ‘ghosts’ appearing at the foot of your bed?”

“Y-Yep,” he nodded, clearing his throat to hide his embarrassment. “And please, don’t just casually read my mind.”

“Strange that you fear the spirits of the deceased when you already died once. Anyway, how about you sleep with me in my room? Meanor already cleaned it, so you should be fine.”

“I’ll sleep in the tents. I’m used to it.”

“I can’t allow you to. And this is my palace, so the last word is on me.”

“P-Please,” I could see a trace of redness on his cheeks. “Anywhere but in your room, Your Holiness. I-I mean, look, it’s for our good. I respect you; please don’t just give your chastity to me so easily!”

“What’s wrong? I like you…no, I love you! As a man! Sleeping with the lady who loves you is normal!”

“That’s exactly why! We’re not even married!”

“It can come later! You should release your burdens and enjoy a lady’s company every once in a while!”

“You’re the Saint, Your Holiness!”

“And I’m also a lady whose heart yearns for you.”

“S-See you later, Your Holiness!” Not wishing to prolong our conversation, Kuro stormed off to the military camps on the palace grounds.

Damn it. I’ll get you next time, virgin lord.

----------

Okay. It’s not like I could help it. Look, in the eons I lived, I’ve dealt with countless of human males…starting from when I ascended the holy throne of Cherwoods. We elves were reputed to be fair to their eyes, and so I could see in their hearts the lust they directed at me whenever I talked to them.

Kuro, however, was different. Like what the Lady Madelaine said, he’s someone that reeked of temperance. Yes, there were moments he was full of lust, but instead of acting on his instincts, he would beat himself to avoid it.

If anything, Kuro reminds me of those ‘wimpy’ characters I’ve read in the mangas…especially the ones found in romantic-comedy stories. He’s someone who would surely earn the ire of those ‘basement-dwellers’ commenting in the aggregator sites I used to visit because he ‘can’t touch’ a girl, when in reality, he does that out of respect to them…to us.

As such, I love teasing Kuro. But, now that I’ve seen how ‘devoted’ he was at whatever he set his mind in, I couldn’t help but tell this guy to “enjoy your life for once, damn it!” Believe me, I kept sending him ‘signals’; but while he was aware, he would still refuse getting involved in ‘compromising situations’ with me. He was fully committed to his vow of ‘no sexual relations before marriage’.

Such a commendable human, if you ask me. I mean, if it’s someone else, I may have already lost my first time long ago. Sometimes, I wish I have his mental fortitude.

“…”

But, in any case, as someone getting helped by him, I could also see in his heart that he was slowly getting burned out by the responsibilities he carried. I knew I have to act soon, or Kuro would end up exhausted sooner than he thought.

The question is…how can I help ease his mind?