Chapter 3: “Old Elf”
Eleanor leaned closer to the summoning circle, stroking her chin, and began to study it, muttering to herself. Bai didn’t pay much attention.
“Is she… some kind of obsessed mage?”
One moment, she was a hyperactive, talkative elf, the next, she was focused and serious, a demeanor more in line with Bai’s preconceived notions of the pointy-ears.
But Bai didn’t know that Eleanor was muttering,
“This part seems a bit off. I just drew it casually, and this rune is incomplete…”
“And this part is completely wrong… hmm, could it be that I, in a moment of inspiration, actually created a summoning circle for silver-haired little girls?”
“No, I have to write this down. I need to summon more silver-haired little girls in the future!”
As she muttered, she kept glancing at Bai, making her skin crawl.
But then, she returned to her work, meticulously documenting the hastily drawn summoning circle.
Bai, bored, noticed the numerous books scattered around the room.
“Eleanor… can I look at these books?”
“Help yourself,” Eleanor said, not looking up, still focused on her work.
Bai pulled out a book from the messy pile and opened it, but she couldn’t read it.
It was all in elvish…
Although she knew some elvish, enough to recognize a few short phrases and words, she couldn’t read an entire book.
And from the few pages she had managed to decipher, she had seen some rather… explicit words.
“Lolita,” “yuri,” “embrace,” “clothes,” “bed,” “afterglow”…
She quickly put the book back.
In that instant, her impression of elves shattered again.
Eleanor was clearly reading these books. And since they were written in elvish, the author was likely also an elf…
“What is it?” Eleanor asked, sensing Bai’s gaze.
“N-nothing…” Bai blushed, quickly grabbing another book and pretending to read.
She thought of the book she had just seen, and Eleanor’s constant muttering about silver-haired little girls…
“Wait, am I in danger?”
“Hmm,” Eleanor replied, surprisingly indifferent, returning to her work.
Of course, Bai had no idea what was going through Eleanor’s mind.
“No, no, Eleanor, you only have one silver-haired little girl right now. Even though she’s very pretty and cute, you can’t get distracted!”
“I have to document this summoning circle before the magical traces fade. Once I’ve successfully replicated it, I can summon countless more silver-haired little girls!”
“And then, I’ll have a harem of silver-haired little girls! My goal is a sea of silver-haired little girls!”
With that thought, she looked up at Bai, her expression serious. “Bai, when the time comes, you will be my first wife.”
“Huh?” Bai looked up from the book she was reading, confused.
“You will rule the harem. I would feel at ease with you in charge,” Eleanor said, her expression so solemn that Bai almost felt as if she were being entrusted with a great mission.
“Please don’t joke, Miss Eleanor,” Bai said, moving away slightly, clutching the book. “I’m not interested in that sort of thing.”
“Hmm, neither am I,” Eleanor said, a lie, but just then, a knock came at the door, followed by a sharp, impatient voice. “Eleanor, open up!”
“Oh,” Eleanor looked towards the door. “It seems they can’t even let me stay for a few more days…”
“Who is it?” Bai asked, her hand moving towards her waist.
The dagger Lin Yan had given her was still there, though it had been slightly corroded by the void. It was still a decent weapon.
“A rather annoying person,” Eleanor said, reluctantly standing up and walking towards the door. “I’m coming, stop shouting.”
The old wooden door opened, and Bai saw a young elven girl, around Eleanor’s age, with fiery red hair—Eleanor’s, like her eyes, was a vibrant green.
“Hmph, Eleanor, the elders want you out of the sacred lands today!” the red-haired elf said, her nose in the air.
“Athena, when you relay the elders’ words, you should use their exact words. Otherwise, I could report you to the council for malicious misinterpretation, and that’s a serious crime,” Eleanor said, her voice tired. Although she had her… preferences, she wasn’t interested in Athena, who was over five feet tall, and besides… she was too old.
She only liked little girls.
“I… I… you…!” Athena’s face flushed red. “How dare you! If you do, I’ll… I’ll make you pay!”
“You’re already fifty or sixty years old. Can’t you be a bit more mature?” Eleanor rolled her eyes. “Just say what you have to say. I’m in a hurry.”
It was worth noting that although Eleanor said “fifty or sixty years old,” elves didn’t reach adulthood until they were over a hundred. So, Athena was only about fourteen in human years… though it wasn’t a direct conversion.
Athena finally suppressed her anger, her voice tight.
“Miss Eleanor is to leave the sacred lands as soon as possible and proceed to the Twilight Marsh. It is a matter of urgency… is that good enough for you!”
She hadn’t wanted to use the elders’ exact words. They had still shown Eleanor a certain degree of respect, given her past status as a prodigy chosen by the High Priestess.
Of course, the meaning was the same.
“I understand. Tell the elders to arrange for a carriage. I’ll be ready to leave soon,” Eleanor said, then slammed the door shut.
