----***----
Evangeline
The barracks housing the expedition members were located close to the baron's residence. As Alice and I neared the building, the raucous atmosphere inside was immediately noticeable. My ears picked up the lively sounds even before we reached the door.
Upon entering, we were greeted by a boisterous scene. A large group of men in armour, clearly soldiers, were cheering enthusiastically. The center of their attention was David, triumphantly holding a massive pint of beer.
Around him lay three men, either asleep or knocked out by the heavy drinking. The crowd chanted in unison, "Another one! Another one!" David, to the crowd's delight, obliged by downing the entire cup in one impressive gulp.
He then inverted the cup, showing that it was completely emptied, a signal that earned him an even louder round of applause.
The bartender, keeping score, announced, "David, 24th victory in the drink competition, setting a new record of 44 pints!" This made the excitement in the room soar to new heights, with some soldiers even stripping off their tops and beating their chests in a primal display of celebration.
Alice quickly covered my eyes with her hands, but I protested, "I’m not a child; it’s not that shocking." Just then, David, spotting me, shouted, "Ayyyy! She’s here boys! Welcome our most valuable support, Eeeeeevangeline!"
The entire barracks turned to cheer for me, causing Alice to pinch David's ear and drag him away, signalling for me to follow.
Once we were away from the rowdy soldiers, Alice gave David a light slap on the face. "How many times have we told you? You're too old for this much drinking. Where are the others?" she scolded.
David, still grinning, replied, "Ow, I'm hurt. Don’t worry, I’m not that drunk yet. The others are at the cemetery right now." His tone shifted to something more solemn at the mention of their location.
We all made our way to the cemetery, where the rest of the platoon was gathered in solemn remembrance before four tombstones. Among them, I recognized Scout's and Chad's.
Paul greeted me with a simple "Good to see you're back," while George and Jeanne continued their prayers. "We couldn't bring ourselves to face our friends' families during the official ceremony. Companions’ death is sadly something we've grown accustomed to, which would look bad to grieving civilians" Paul added with a heavy heart.
Acknowledging Paul's words with a nod, I took a moment to pay my respects to Chad and Scout, remembering our brief but significant time together.
Once everyone had finished at the cemetery, we slowly returned to the barracks. George, Paul, Ferdinand, Gordon, Fred, and Florian soon excused themselves after some small talks, expressing their gratitude and bidding farewell, aware that our paths were unlikely to cross again. They encouraged me to visit them if the chance ever came up.
David then took a moment to speak with me. Kneeling, he expressed his gratitude for my role in keeping them alive, asking me to not be burdened by any guilt for the losses we suffered.
"If you're ever interested in joining the army, I'd be proud to recommend you," he offered, “there will also be a gift waiting for you at the room the baron gave you”. Before he could continue, the baron's butler arrived, summoning him away. David hastily invited me to visit his family sometime, saying it was near the bakery of the Gerble’s family and left with the butler.
Jeanne, who has been waiting on the side, seized the moment and grasped my hand excitedly "Eva, Prometheus himself appeared in my dream! I really, really don’t know how to express how grateful I am." she then slipped something into my pocket after a quick hug “this is not much but it will be helpful to you, don’t hesitate to go to the church if you ever need something else. Take care”. She bowed and departed.
In the quiet aftermath of the departures, Alice and I were the only ones left. She broke the silence with a hint of awkwardness, "Well, it seems I don't have much to add. Would you like to visit the city? I can show you around if you want."
Feeling a need for some alone time, I replied cautiously, trying not to sound dismissive, "Alice, I'd actually like to explore the city on my own, if that's alright?"
Alice, displaying the concern of a protective parent, responded, "Oh, okay. Just make sure you're back at the baron's residence before nightfall, alright? And please, don't trust any strangers who offer you free candy from their caravans. Oh, and take this," she added, handing me a small emblem bearing a crest. "It's to ensure the guards don't hassle you, seeing as you're the only elf around here."
Gratefully accepting the emblem, I stepped out of the barracks, eager to discover what the city had to offer. As I walked away, a sense of excitement bubbled within me at the thought of finally seeing some civilization.
The city turned out to be a typical example of the medieval European aesthetic so common in fantasy genre light novels.
The streets were bustling with civilians going about their day, merchants calling out to potential customers.
Just as I was about to seek directions to the Church of Prometheus, to check on the archives, my attention was captivated by the tantalizing aroma of freshly baked bread.
It felt almost as if I were under a spell, my feet leading me to a bakery with a delightful array of baked goods artfully displayed in the window. My eyes sparkled as I gazed at the assortment, drooling slightly as names like 'Éclair au chocolat,' 'religieuse,' 'profiteroles,' 'madeleines,' and 'quatre quart' danced through my mind. 'Is this heaven?' I wondered to myself.
My evident drooling caught the attention of an elderly lady who emerged from the shop, inquiring if there was anything I wanted to buy. Overwhelmed, I blurted out "everything" in a moment of excitement, but quickly corrected myself, "I... I would love to have some chouquettes."
The old lady gave me a perplexed look, "Chou...quette? I'm not familiar with those. We have éclairs, but no chouquettes, I'm afraid."
Flabbergasted by the absence of such common pastries, I retracted my request and instead purchased some profiteroles. As I indulged in my treat, I pondered, 'No Paris-Brest, chouquettes, millefeuille, or macarons? Why?' Resolving to leave that mystery for another day, I asked a merchant where the church was.
Arriving at the church, I found it almost deserted, save for a nun busy relighting candle. "Excuse me, could you direct me to the archives?" I asked.
To my surprise, the nun turned around, revealing herself to be Jeanne. "Eva! What a coincidence to see you here so soon. I'm a bit busy, but I'll show you to the archives," she responded.
We navigated through the church's back corridors, eventually stopping in front of an ornate door. "Have fun!" Jeanne said before heading back to her duties. Pushing open the door, I felt a wave of magic wash over me: it ressembled my space magic.
An elderly librarian greeted me: "Welcome, traveller. Are you looking for a specific book or just browsing?"
Remembering Prometheus's quest message about understanding the elf god's hostility towards him, I inquired, "Do you have any information on why the elf god holds a grudge against Prometheus?"
The librarian closed his eyes briefly, prayed while holding a marble card that he then gave me when he was done. The item was simple looking and is adorned with a lightly shining rune. "This will guide you to what you seek. Just follow the light particles that appear when you touch the artifact."
Following the trail created by the card, I realized I was in a massive library, far too large to fit inside the small church. It was a pocket space! My wonder at this magical feat was interrupted by the card announcing, "You have arrived at your destination."
I picked up the scroll highlighted by a halo of light, titled "The Sixth Demon War, Prometheus’s Greatest Shame."
"Dear reincarnators and transmigrators, this message is intended solely for you. It is written in a language that only you can read, understand, or even mention among the other sentient beings of this world.
During the Sixth Demon War, I reincarnated a group of talented individuals from Earth, the perfect line up. They possessed the ideal knowledge and skills necessary to become heroes capable of defeating the demons. Initially, they were a beacon of innovation : much of what you see in this world today can be attributed to their efforts, unlike the previous groups, which consisted of ordinary people or kind-hearted souls.
However, after they vanquished the Demon King, the intoxication of their newfound power proved too much. Typically, heroes would either retire, explore the world, or embark on journeys to maximize their abilities.
But the heroes of the Sixth War? They chose a different path. They established a mercantile empire to dominate the world, destabilizing numerous countries.
Thankfully, they soon grew bored with their conquests. While some eventually settled down to lead more respectable lives, one of them went on a more controversial path: he decided to form a harem.
I have no objection to love, or having multiple consenting wives THAT ARE LEGAL for all I care but his version of a harem was twisted and morally bankrupt. Eartheners who later investigated his actions described it as, I quote: "the guy wanted a harem of elves, beastkin or anything that walked the world for his BDSM dungeon. Especially chil-"
Disgusted, I threw the scroll away, not wishing to learn any more about the details. 'I don't need to know more to understand why the elf god still hold a grudge' I thought. I returned the scroll and left the library, spending the rest of the day exploring the city's blacksmiths, jewellery stores, and clothing shops, trying to erase the disgusting information from my mind.
With only 50 silvers left, I decided it was best not to make any purchases and save it up for until I get to the capital, where there will be most likely greater choices.
As night began to fall, I returned to my room at the baron's residence. There, a wooden box awaited me on my bed, accompanied by a note from David and a childlike scribble from his daughter that read, "Thank u for saving dad," complete with a drawing of what appeared to be an elf healing a knight who was bonking a giant spider with an oversized sword.
Curiously, I opened the box to find a pair of long walking boots crafted from sturdy leather with steel reinforcements at the toe, heel, and sides, a perfect blend of comfort and durability. Trying them on, I walked around a bit, `how did they get the perfect size? Whelp let's not think about that.` I thought, silencing the still forming invasive thought. I then remembered to check my quest tab since I escaped the forbidden forest.
Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.
Quest completed!
You have received:
+ 5 base endurance and strength
Epic [Talisman of offuscation: Stigmatas]
The talisman materialized in my hands almost instantly. It was a simple yet elegant necklace, crafted from silver, and featured a beautiful pink quartz at its center. I quickly casted [Identify] on it
Epic [Talisman of offuscation: Stigmatas]
Made to hide stigmata of all races once worn. This artefact can take all shape and form when received, to be hard to notice or identified by appearance only. Only the wearer can Identify the artefact once worn. Others will only see :
Common [PinkQuartz Necklace]
+ 50 mana
Artefact effect:
+ 500 mana
+ 50 magic defence
+ 5 mana regeneration
I quickly put on the necklace. Glancing down at my hands, I noticed that the runic marks that had once been visible were now invisible.
There was a knock at my door, and a maid's voice followed. "Miss Elf, dinner is ready. Please, follow me." She guided me to a grand dining room where the baron, Alice, and Lily were already seated. The room was spacious, with many vacant chairs, but only one was set for me.
Another maid gestured to my seat as I entered. "Welcome, Evangeline. We hope you enjoy the dinner. The baron specifically requested your presence here to discuss a few matters, rather than having dinner sent to your room," she said.
The dinner started with a fresh tomato and apple salad, followed by a hearty main course of roasted turkey and potatoes.
As I was about to dig into my turkey leg, the baron decided to talk. "We've had further discussions with David about your healing abilities and other matters.
We've arranged for you to do some paid training at the infirmary every morning. After lunch, you'll have etiquette training, and the rest of the afternoon will be yours to spend as you please," he outlined.
I nodded in agreement, seeing no reason to object to a part-time job and lessons that would likely occupy less than two hours of my day. Besides, it would give structure to my otherwise free afternoons.
During the meal, Lily, who was seated to my right, bombarded me with questions about my life. I shared the part of my story before encountering the human expedition and the Arachne fight. When her queries became more probing, Alice interjected, gently reminding Lily that it was impolite to forcefully delve too deeply into someone's personal history.
When the conversation turned to magic, she revealed she was a fire and light mage, limited to using light for offense because she hadn't taken the healer's oath. I mentioned my healer class, free from such restrictions, which surprised her which led to her asking how I got this choice, but the baron interjected, explaining it was a matter of racial differences and that her path to similar abilities lay in achieving great feats.
As we finished our discussion and I savored the creme brulee, Lily proposed spending the afternoon together over tea and casual conversation. Understanding the importance of getting to know her better for my role in her protection, I agreed to meet with her twice a week for these casual get-togethers.
Once dinner concluded, I bid good night to everyone and returned to my room.
----------------------------------------
For the next three days, I followed a condensed version of the training regimen I had learned in the forest. Then, the morning of my first visit to the infirmary arrived. A maid came to wake me and lead me to my assigned coach.
The coachman, a man in his forties, appeared distinctly weary and unenthusiastic. He greeted me with a lackluster "MhHey," and as soon as I boarded, he set off without further conversation.
Throughout the journey, we remained silent. We left the barony's walls, passing through extensive wheat, potato, and sugar cane plantations before reaching a military camp. As I disembarked, the coachman simply said, "See you in four hours," and drove off.
Upon my arrival at the military camp, two soldiers immediately ushered me into one of the larger tents. Inside, healers bustled about, tending to soldiers with various injuries. The senior healer approached me briskly. "Hello, Miss Evangeline? You're the temp? Here's your task: Minor injuries, block F. After your shift, see the guard outside for your pay. Good luck," he said rapidly before returning to his duties.
Navigating through the tent, I located block F, where another nurse was already busy with patients. "Finally, you're here. Guess you know your job but I'm goin' to add some details. More serious cases go to block E, rest cases that needs time to chill go to block G, and those ready to return to duty are discharged. Understood?" she explained quickly before leaving.
With soldiers continuously arriving, I plunged into the task of healing, trying to prevent getting overwhelmed. The pace was relentless, turning what were hours into what felt like days. By the end of my shift, I was mentally exhausted from the repetitive, low-mana healings.
The nurse returned, signaling the end of my shift. At the guard's tent, I received 10 silvers for my pay and noticed I had leveled up in my Essence Weaver class. A satisfactory outcome, considering the level up.
The same coachman, now looking even more despondent, was waiting to take me back.
Upon returning to the baron's residence, a maid delivered lunch to my room and informed me of an etiquette class in the ballroom scheduled for an hour later.
After finishing my meal, the same maid escorted me to the ballroom, where I was greeted by Alice. She welcomed me with a cheerful demeanor, saying, "I will be your etiquette teacher, hopefully you won't hate me after this."
We began with lessons on greeting etiquette, covering how to properly salute various ranks such as nobility, foreign nobility, officials, royalty, and foreign royalty. The nuances, particularly the angle of the bow, varied significantly depending on the person's status. Overall, the first lesson went smoothly and wasn't too boring.
As the month flew by, the work at the infirmary grew increasingly challenging, and the pace of leveling up in my Essence Weaver class slowed significantly.
I had some time chatting with the soldiers while I treated them. I learned that they came from the Arachnid front. Apparently, I only met one of multiple Arachnes that were amassing their forces underground while we escaped the spiders, and now the situation was grimmer. Still no news of the human heroes coming to help, and many soldiers think that the lack of elven reinforcement must be due to politics.
Some even asked me why my kind didn't help yet, but I could only shrug and tell them I was living alone until I escaped with the expedition that informed them of the incoming invasion. This seemed to be reasonable enough answer to their enquiry, since the worse response I had was an exhausted sigh.
The etiquette lessons? They were even worse: they became progressively more tedious and incomprehensible. The initial week was manageable, but by the second, I began to understand why such training was never liked in light novels. By the third week, I found myself utterly bored with it.
During the month, I had the opportunity to engage in afternoon teas with Lily, who was surprisingly quite the introvert. She shared many stories about her brothers' accomplishments at the academy and the battlefield but rarely spoke of her own. It was evident that, despite the baron's affection for her, she felt unworthy of it and her self esteem was greatly lowered by her brothers' perceived greatness.
According to her, if she wasn't on good terms with the duke's son, her father wouldn't have been so caring. Since I unfortunately didn't know the baron well, all I could do was listen to her and offer some encouragement.
When other nobles joined our tea parties, they often exchanged mere pleasantries with Lily before immediately shifting their attention to me, leaving her in the corner. The content of our discussions were centered around the recent fashion, the military achievements of a relative or even marriage proposal.
Though I was merely an employee to the baron, witnessing Lily's loneliness stirred something in me, echoing the times back on Earth when the house was empty and Grandpa was occupied with multiple jobs. I decided to ask her to only do one on one tea parties instead of inviting those snobs that were getting on my nerves.
Her response revealed that normally, her invitations were ignored. However, when she mentioned a high elf would be present, everyone became interested. She hoped to use this newfound attention to make friends and add interest for me, as she considered herself quite dull.
This inspired me to incorporate training yard sessions into our weekly meetings at the residence, as small talk wasn't exactly my forte. This way, we could also delve into the magic books provided by the baron, preparing ourselves for the academy and practicing the basics.
As for Lily, she was a challenging case. Despite having access to both light and fire magic, she could only produce minor flames or faint light particles from her fingers for a brief period before turning pale due to mana strain.
Alice occasionally assisted us, but this often resulted in her feeling pity for Lily. Nevertheless, Lily's level of ability was typical for an average 14-year-old human. However, it was widely believed that her skills would improve significantly after her fifteenth birthday, particularly following her awakening ceremony at the Prometheus Cathedral in the capital.
Alice took me aside after a session to suggest that I undergo the same ceremony, unless I was already 120 years old. This led me to ask, "Why?" She explained that among elves, when they reach the age equivalent to 20 human years, they must undergo another awakening ceremony at Yggdrasil, the world tree, to receive its blessing.
Noticing my confusion, Alice gave a brief history lesson: In terms of years lived, elves and humans age similarly, but their maturity rates differ; one human year of maturity equals five years for an elf. Elves experience two awakenings: the first reveals their abilities to their community, and the second showcases their advancement, affirming their right to travel freely the world while carrying Yggdrasil's blessing.
Upon learning that I was 80 years old, Alice remarked that I was an unusual case, as junior elves typically had handlers when venturing outside elven cities.
The necessity for handlers stemmed from three reasons. First, it was to safeguard young elves from rogue plague mages who might exploit their vulnerability, using them as experimental subjects for spell development.
Second, elf blood, particularly from the younger ones, was highly coveted for illegal blood or demonic rituals.
Finally, the magic of younger elves remained highly malleable until their second awakening. This flexibility in their magical abilities made them ideal apprentices for those seeking to cultivate a long-term representative of their own magical lineage, a elven youth was often the target for trafficking or kidnapping regardless of where they went.
Following her explanation, Alice reiterated her advice, cautioning me against following strangers who lure with promises of sweets or other enticing offers that seem too good to be true. Her brief lesson highlighted the significant risk I faced from slave traders, making me acutely aware of the large target on my back.
----------------------------------------
Alice's announcement at the conclusion of our last etiquette lesson came with a tinge of sadness: "Tomorrow, you will be going to the capital. Remember, you'll be accompanying Lily to the academy. Take the week to familiarize yourself with your accommodations and the academy facilities."
Curious, I asked her, "What about you?" Her response carried a note of melancholy, "I can't accompany you, sadly... I still have much of the world to explore before my father calls me back home for an arranged marriage."
She hugged me and said "I wish you the best, Eva. Please be safe, and hopefully, we'll meet again in the future." With tearful eyes, she advised me to pack my gear and go. After one last heartfelt hug, I returned to my room.
On my desk laid a heavy purse of 200 silvers, the result of my hard work at the infirmary. While this was nice, I had something more urgent to do.
It was time to check the updates on my status, which I had decided to leave unmonitored until the end of the month for more noticeable progress.
Evangeline, Woodlands High Elf youth (Fae touched) LVL 12
Age: 80
Health: 550 / 550 (+8)
Mana: 2450 / 2450 (+98)
----------------------------------------
Base stats (points available : 30)
Strength : 20 (-10)
Endurance : 25 (+1)
Agility: 25
Intelligence: 144 (+42)
----------------------------------------
Main class: [Elven Essence Weaver] LVL 10 / 40 :
[Essence, Vitae's hand: Minor]
[Photosynthesis]
[New skill available]
Secondary class: [Novice Space Mage] LVL 15 / 30 :
[Cantrip]
[Dimensional Bag]
[Displace]
Lineage skills:
[Identify]
(New, awakened)[Runic Body: (Unselected)] Intervention is needed
[Locked]
...
Passives:
[Corellon's Blessing]
[Prometheus's Blessing] [Locked]
[Unseelie Court affiliation]
[Woodlands High Elf lineage]
[Half Fae]
I decided to start with my stats. Since I was going to a relatively safe academy and assist to mostly magic classes like Lily, I used 22 points for Intelligence and 2 for the others.
Next, the new skill for my healer class. I could finally take the Treant creation one! Let's check the new choices anyway.
[Mind of Benevolence]
This ability allows you to enter a temporary state where your healing spells from the [Essence Weaver] class are significantly enhanced. The trade-off is that you won't be able to use spells from any other classes while in this state. The duration of this enhanced state depends on your level.
[Treant: Heritage]
This skill offers you the opportunity to inherit a skill from a treant, either one you have defeated or befriended. To inherit a skill from a defeated treant, you must achieve victory without external assistance and solely using spells from your [Essence Weaver] class. In the case of befriending a treant, the treant itself consents to choose and pass on a spell to you.
They were actually decent choices, especially the heritage one, since my lack of offensive spells on both classes could be fixed with it. Since I didn't need any of them yet, I left this choice for later.
Finally, the lineage skill. It looks like the [locked] was still here but now I had [Runic Body] unlocked? Is it somehow related to the stigmatas? I had to check it out.
[Runic Body]
The dream of many druids and elves. Only Fae touched or rune mages have access to this blessing. The runes on the chosen one now serve another purpose than being a pretty mark of social standing.
Select one of the following elements for heightened resistance against them.
•Dark
•Light
•Curse
•Fire
•Water
•Wind
•Earth
•Blood
•Illusion
•Poison
•Space
•Void
'So many resistances... But I can only choose one... Ugh should I go for poison due to the baron's warning? A resistance to it would give me the possibility to test Lily's meals before they reach her without to much consequences.' I thought.
I was also drawn to the idea of developing resistances against Void, Space, and Blood magic, as those types of magic unnerved me. However, faced with a choice between duty and personal convenience, I opted for the first option. Dying from poisoning at an early stage of my life or allowing Lily to suffer the same fate leading to me being made into a pariah were both red flags I had to deal with as soon as possible.
[Runic Body: Poison] Selected.
This grants you immunity to any poison of mortal origin. It's important to note, however, that while the poison wouldn't affect you, it wouldn't be purged from your body, meaning it could still harm others if transmitted. Upon ingesting poison, a sharp, stabbing pain will be felt, followed by a brief experience of the poison's effects, but without suffering any actual consequences. Contrary to what the name suggests, this immunity also cover venom.
Having finished my preparations, I gathered my few belongings: the armor I wore and my coin purse. I headed to the stables to collect my two Doebbits, which had been cared for by the baron's men. Arriving at the courtyard of the residence, I found Lily already waiting, her luggage being handled by two maids. The baron and Alice were engaged in a discussion with the coachman nearby. Upon my arrival, we promptly boarded the carriage. As it started to move, the baron and Alice ran behind the carriage for a short distance, waving and wishing us a safe journey. I noticed the baron's eyes were brimming with tears.