Chapter 214
Chapter 214: The Elven Paradise
The place where Elves dwelled—the Elven Forest.
This forest did not exist at any fixed location on the continent.
Because it did not exist within reality, but resided instead within a far more peculiar kind of space.
Even within the game, gaining entry to the Elven Forest was an extraordinarily complicated matter.
Only Elves could pass freely between the Elven Forest and the real world.
Because Elves were free, and as long as they 'wished,' they could create a passage connecting the Elven Forest with the real world.
And so—
"If you want to enter the Elven Forest, it's simple enough—all you need to do is communicate with the Nature Spirit."
Cocotte sat on her cloud, patting the cloud beneath her with an utterly unbothered air:
"But almost no human is capable of doing so."
Communicating with the Nature Spirit was an ability that belonged exclusively to the Elves.
To an Elf, the Nature Spirit was like a powerful and benevolent mother—vast in patience, generous in grace.
Once an Elf found herself in danger, or was threatened or harmed, the Nature Spirit would step in of its own accord and punish the evildoers who had harmed or sought to harm them.
Beyond this, the Nature Spirit refused to communicate with any race other than Elves.
Viktor sat in a chair with both hands in his pockets, one leg crossed over the other, listening quietly to Cocotte's words.
Cocotte was saying all of this for no other reason than to dissuade him from any thoughts of entering the Elven Forest.
Of course, Viktor himself was well aware that the Elven Forest was not a place one could wander in and out of freely.
At his current stage, he had no way to enter it on his own.
The entire Elven Forest contained 7 separate fractured continents. At the very center of the entire Elven Forest was the location of the Divine Tree Yadh—the mother tree that nurtured the Elves, ceaselessly providing them energy without pause.
The remaining continents were divided into 6 distinct domains, each corresponding to 1 of 6 different natural elements.
To reach the Elven Forest directly and lay a hand on the Divine Tree Yadh was something that was virtually impossible to accomplish.
The 6 separate natural domains alone were more than enough to bar all outsiders from setting foot inside.
If the Elven Forest were truly that easy to enter, the Rether Family would not have spent so many years collecting only a few hundred Elves to work for them.
The vast Elven Forest, after all, was home to over a million Elves.
"You dislike the Divine Tree Yadh, don't you?"
Viktor said flatly.
Cocotte looked at Viktor calmly and let out a helpless sigh:
"I don't dislike the Divine Tree Yadh."
The Divine Tree Yadh was the birthplace of all Elves—like a mother to them.
But deep within Cocotte's eyes lay a faint trace of melancholy.
"I simply don't like the Divine Tree Yadh's way of doing things."
From the moment each Elf was born, the Divine Tree would bestow upon her a surname and a distinct mission.
But the Divine Tree would forcibly impose these singular missions and surnames on the Elves in this blunt, heavy-handed manner—without ever asking whether the Elf herself was willing.
All of this bestowing was an act of profound compulsion.
Cocotte found this behavior profoundly repugnant.
Because it had already gravely violated the very core of what it meant to be an Elf.
That was—'freedom.'
And so she had wanted to cast everything aside and leave behind the identity of the 'Elven Queen.'
To flee the Elven Forest, for no other reason than to live freely.
Even if that freedom was simply the freedom to sleep.
Viktor's brow slowly rose. He said in an unhurried tone:
"Would an Elf without a surname ever emerge from the Divine Tree Yadh?"
Cocotte paused, lifting her head:
"That… before I left, I had never once seen an Elf without a surname."
"If such an Elf were to truly appear, it could only be a mistake on the Divine Tree Yadh's part."
But the Divine Tree did not make mistakes.
Cocotte felt puzzled, and even somewhat unsettled.
How could there possibly be an Elf without a surname?
Viktor rose from his chair, hands in his pockets, and walked to stand beside Cocotte.
A broad, steady hand came to rest on her shoulder.
Her slight frame gave a subtle tremor, and she stared at Viktor in a daze.
Viktor radiated a powerful and self-assured air from head to toe, enough to make Cocotte's gaze momentarily fix on him in a daze.
Viktor's eyes locked on hers:
"I have always believed the Divine Tree to be nothing more than an external thing."
"Even without the Divine Tree, you are still the Queen among Elves."
The most powerful Elf—Cocotte.
No one would question Cocotte's strength, even now that she had grown so lazy she barely wanted to stir.
But there was no denying it: she was, in fact, the most powerful Elf to have arisen among the Elven race in thousands upon thousands of years.
Cocotte stared at Viktor blankly.
Before she could even begin to understand what Viktor was trying to say, he suddenly spoke:
"Come on. I'm taking you to meet an Elf."
"When you see her, you'll understand what I mean."
***
Blairstone.
This was the second most prosperous city in the entire Empire.
Shops of every kind were lined up neatly on both sides of the streets, filling the space around the 2 main roads almost entirely with buildings.
Carriages moved slowly along the road, their wheels rolling across the smooth grey brick with a crisp, clear sound. People walked shoulder to shoulder, expressions of contentment on their faces.
From time to time someone would push through the crowd and disappear into one of the shops on either side.
Heni followed behind Leah, while Leon walked on Leah's other side, hood pulled up to conceal her face, moving through the flow of people.
Leon kept watch over Leah at every moment—that was her duty as a guard.
The first time Heni came to Blairstone, her eyes were fixed wide open.
It was as lively and bustling as the Royal Capital, yet for Heni it felt entirely fresh.
Though she had lived in the Royal Capital for a long time, she had never wandered around as freely and easily as she was doing now.
Blairstone and the Royal Capital were different.
The Royal Capital saw throngs of nobles coming and going every day, and their silhouettes were never absent from the streets.
Blairstone, by comparison, was more modest in that regard. Here, one rarely encountered any particularly prominent figures.
The wealthy merchants and influential gentry who had settled in Blairstone frequently traveled outside for trade and commerce.
And it was equally rare to encounter any titled nobles here.
Because this was Clavena Territory.
Even if some prominent figure did come by, no one here stood higher than Leah and Viktor.
Leah looked over at Heni and asked with a smile:
"So, how do you like it? Does it make you want to settle down in Blairstone?"
Compared to the fast pace of life in the Royal Capital, the people of Blairstone lived at a far slower and more relaxed pace.
Heni gave a nod, then immediately shook her head.
"It's wonderful, I really love it, but…"
Though this was Professor Viktor's hometown, he himself would not be staying in Blairstone for long.
Heni understood that Professor Viktor was like a spinning top that never stopped—he was extraordinarily busy every single day.
So…
"I don't think this kind of life would suit me."
She would rather follow at Professor Viktor's side than live somewhere peaceful in ordinary mediocrity, accomplishing nothing.
Before she had met Viktor, Heni would probably have thought this place was wonderful.
"Is that so?"
Leah gave a knowing nod.
But at that moment, the crystal orb at her waist gave off a faint warmth.
As though she understood something, Leah turned to Leon beside her and said:
"Leon, go back for a moment."
Leon was slightly puzzled, her brows knitting faintly, her voice carrying a trace of concern:
"Miss Leah, but you'll be…"
"There's someone who needs you to go back and meet them."
"And besides."
Leah pulled Heni close in one motion, draping her arm around her shoulder and saying with a grin:
"Don't worry—I have a perfectly genuine Mage right here with me."
There's also Mr. Crocodile, actually.
Heni thought to herself with a touch of bashfulness, head bowed, not daring to say it aloud.
***
Swish! Swish! Swish!
A figure streaked across the city at high speed.
The sound of rushing wind exploded repeatedly in Leon's ears as she darted swiftly through the airspace above Blairstone's rooftops.
The sky grew dark. By the time Leon returned to the old Manor, the moon had already risen into the night sky, scattering its pale-white radiance across the earth below.
She sprinted at full speed all the way from Blairstone's streets to the gates of the Clavena Family's old Manor before finally coming to a stop.
Her face was calm. She wasn't even out of breath.
The guards at the entrance saluted respectfully when they saw Leon, then said:
"Lady Leon, the Master is waiting for you in the back garden."
The Master? Viktor?!
This time, Leon was genuinely caught off guard.
She had never had any real connection with Viktor before. She had never even revealed her identity as an Elf in front of Viktor.
Though she understood that Viktor had almost certainly known she was an Elf long ago.
She thought back to the last time Viktor had spoken her name aloud in front of her—and the wave of tension that had run through her then.
This time, with a faintly uneasy heart, Leon made her way toward the back garden of the Clavena Manor.
The back garden of the Clavena old Manor was immensely vast—boundless to the eye, like a great sprawling grassland.
Viktor stood in the middle of the open plain, both hands in his pockets.
The night wind was restless and stirring, buffeting Viktor's Coat, that streak of black dancing without cease beneath the moonlight.
Sensing someone's arrival, Viktor turned his head and looked toward Leon.
The Crow perched on his shoulder, its solitary eye flickering with an unsettling gleam.
"You're here."
Viktor's cool voice rang out.
Leon, however, had no idea how to interact with Viktor one-on-one. Her hands had nowhere to go.
In the end, as though surrendering entirely, she pressed both hands together and gave Viktor a bow:
"Master."
"What are your instructions?"
Viktor stood on the grassland, eyes slightly lowered, and reached out one hand to stroke the Crow's small, jet-black head.
"An Elf once told me that all Natural Elves have surnames."
"But her words raised a question in my mind."
His deep eyes settled on Leon. His voice came quietly:
"Tell me, Leon."
"What is your surname?"