"My… surname?"
Leon was utterly confused. She had never thought about this question.
Because she had been born without a surname.
Ever since she was driven out by those so-called "clansmen," she had wandered aimlessly through the human world.
With a strong sense of justice, she was like a lone adventurer traveling the world, making her home wherever she went.
She was passionate about punishing evil and promoting good, robbing the rich to help the poor.
Some of the humans she saved would even turn around and bite her in return, repaying her kindness with hatred and anger.
But once they saw her long, pointed ears, their attitude would completely change because she was an elf.
So she put on a mask and pulled up a hood.
She hid the race that made her feel disgusted with herself.
To do what is right, one does not need a race, nor any kind of name.
And so, she spent decades like this in the human world.
She saw every kind of human emotion, joy, fear, happiness, disgust…
Like a huge interwoven net, trapping everyone within it.
And she was an outsider, observing that net from afar.
Until one time, when she hid her face and came to the Empire.
Just as she was preparing to rescue a group of demi-humans imprisoned by humans at the port, she saw a little girl.
The little girl stood on the broad shoulders of a bear-man, waving her arms excitedly, her eyes sparkling with stars.
The bear-man, like a wild beast, charged into the crowd of demi-human traffickers, smashing into them and scattering them, the sound of bones breaking clearly reaching her ears.
That little girl saved those demi-humans and kindly shared food with them.
Clearly, to humans, those demi-humans were beasts that couldn't communicate with, yet she treated them all the same.
As if completely ignoring the contempt between races.
Leon could clearly feel that the little girl truly regarded those demi-humans as people who could communicate.
'Then… what about me?'
At that moment, Leon thought of herself.
An elf with no surname, who didn't even have a name.
So she was expelled by the elves, driven out by her own kind.
And what was laughable was that even elves did not treat her as a fellow clansman, yet humans would show her great respect simply because of her long, pointed ears.
As she lowered her head and smiled bitterly, she felt someone tug at her pant leg.
That adorable little girl stood in front of her, looking up, stretching out her small hand and offering her a piece of bread.
"Are you very hungry? Mr. Halnarsen said you've been staring at us for a long time."
Leon's heart trembled slightly.
As if possessed, she took off her hood and removed her mask.
She wanted to see how the little girl in front of her would react once she saw her clearly.
But the other party remained calm, seemingly not surprised at all that she was an elf.
She just struggled to raise her hand higher, still offering the bread toward her.
"You're an elf? But elves also need to eat."
Leon blankly took the bread, and only then did she see the little girl break into a happy smile.
Sunlight poured over her face, and a hazy halo lit up behind her.
"My name is Liya. What's your name?"
"..."
'I don't have a name.'
"You're very pretty, but not as good-looking as my brother."
"I like the way you hold your head up. That way everyone can see your eyes, they're as beautiful as emeralds."
———
"Can I give you a name?"
"Lift your head, raise your face, starting from now, I'll call you Leon!"
In a daze, Leon suddenly snapped back to her senses.
She took several steps back, becoming alert.
'An illusion, when did it start?'
The moment she raised her head, Leon's gaze met that of the crow.
In its single eye, that eerie and sinister light still flickered.
"So that's how it is."
Viktor nodded, as if he fully understood, his hands tucked into his pockets.
"Because you had no surname, you were driven out by the elves."
"No wonder, as an elf, you dislike other elves so much."
At the same time, however, Viktor felt puzzled.
'They were both elves born of the Yard Divine Tree, so why did Leon have neither a surname nor a name?'
'Could it be that, in the eyes of the Yard Divine Tree, she was a defective product?'
He quietly examined Leon.
Leon slightly lowered her body, looking at Viktor with those clear, emerald-like eyes.
Under the moonlight, they shone brilliantly.
"Mm, they really are very beautiful eyes."
"I've never doubted Liya's sense of aesthetics."
Leon looked at him just like that and spoke calmly, "So then, now that you know all this."
"What do you intend to do to me?"
Viktor did not respond, nor did he make the slightest move.
He simply stood there calmly, as if waiting for something.
Suddenly, Leon froze.
She felt a warm embrace wrap around her from behind.
A gentle breeze swept past, brushing the hood off Leon's head, revealing her golden hair and pointed ears.
Her flowing golden hair swayed in the air, and Leon leaned stiffly into that warm embrace, not knowing how to react.
Until a gentle voice sounded by her ear, "Child, you've suffered a lot. (In Elven language)"
Elves were supposed to be an equal race, and with no material needs, there was naturally no hierarchy among them.
Even the Elf Queen could not use her status to arbitrarily oppress other elves.
And those elves should never have expelled a fellow clansman from the Elven Forest for any reason.
Even if that elf had no surname.
Cocotte stood behind Leon, looking at her gently.
"I will, in the name of Yard, grant you the respect you deserve."
Before this, Cocotte had never had any intention of returning to the Elven Forest.
But now, for Leon, for her clansman who had been forced to endure such oppression, Cocotte was willing to go back and seek justice for her.
She released her hands from Leon's shoulders, jumped down from the cloud, and stood barefoot on the grass.
Leon was a little dazed, staring blankly at Cocotte in front of her.
Watching her walk barefoot across the grass, dense natural energy swirling beneath her feet.
Wherever she passed, the soil gently bulged, and soon countless flowers broke through the ground, budding and growing vigorously.
With each step she took, a flower bloomed beneath her feet, releasing a strange and fragrant scent.
Like an elf dancing beneath the moonlight, freely leaping across the vast grassland.
The flowers responded to her call as well, gradually spreading outward, emerging from the grass.
[The will of nature shall manifest from the earth. (In Elven language))]
As the words fell, a shimmering green light burst forth from the ground and began to swirl around Cocotte.
[The void that connects the worlds, gaze upon us when the bright moon hangs high. (In Elven language))]
The green energy gradually gathered together. A massive gate slowly became clearer within the light, and finally burst forth countless petals, forming several clusters of flowers that surrounded Cocotte.
On the gate, it seemed a benevolent woman was carved, holding a bouquet of flowers, eyes lowered, smiling softly.
Cocotte was completely surrounded by flowers. She turned her head and glanced at Viktor.
"Viktor, help me out."
The moment she finished speaking, a flash of azure light passed through Veiga's eyes.
Viktor and Veiga's magic had long since been linked, flashing together in blue.
[Connection successful!]
In an instant, astonishing magic power erupted from Viktor's body, like ocean waves surging dozens of meters high.
The petals across the grassland were swept up entirely, multicolored tidal whirlwinds surging toward Viktor.
When they reached the flower clusters around Cocotte, the plants around her all grew even more vigorous, beginning to grow wildly.
Across the entire grassland, beneath the multicolored sea of flowers, a towering giant tree suddenly burst forth, as if trying to pierce the thin night sky.
Leon looked at the towering tree rising from the ground, feeling a sense of familiarity and deep shock.
"This is… the Yard Divine Tree?"
[Souls filling the sky below, the forest shall bring you home. (In Elven language))]
Cocotte slowly opened her eyes, hands clasped before her chest as if in prayer.
[Grace of Nature]
BOOM!
Dense natural energy surged like a wave. Countless runes around the gate twisted, dozens of patterns intertwining with one another.
The woman at the center lifted her head and opened her eyes as well, raising the bouquet in her hands.
Her figure gradually scattered along with the petals.
A massive azure divine tree rose violently amid the blooming flower clusters, piercing through the thick floral tide and shooting straight into the sky.
Its crown was lush and vast, extending hundreds of thick branches that completely covered the surrounding area.
From the branches of the divine tree hung six lamps of different colors, among which the red, green, and white lamps were already lit.
The trunk was covered with countless runes and magical patterns. Majestic magic power flowed within, layers of faint blue light spreading across the surface of the trunk, breathtakingly beautiful.
Blue leaves gradually grew, like crystal-clear amber, reflecting a mysterious glow under the moonlight.
Its deep roots burrowed into the earth, as if embedded at the very center of the world.
A blue passage seemed to extend toward the pale moon, dreamlike and hazy.
After finishing all this, Cocotte wiped the nonexistent sweat from her forehead.
"Phew, so tired. I really worked hard for this."
Then her body tipped backward, falling from the tree crown toward the ground.
With a "whoosh," a cloud darted forward and steadily caught the falling Cocotte.
"This is the reflection of the Yard Divine Tree connecting to reality. We can directly travel to the Yard Divine Tree from here."
Lying on the cloud, Cocotte spoke with a hint of pride, "Hehe, this is something only the queen can do."
Viktor's eyes gradually returned to normal. The crow flapped its wings, the blue light in its eyes slowly fading.
He walked over to Leon and patted her shoulder.
Leon was already so shocked that she couldn't move, staring with her mouth wide open, her pupils expanded several times over.
"Let's go."
"Go beat up everyone who bullied you and humiliated you back then, all of them."
Confidence gleamed in Viktor's eyes, his tone carrying a touch of arrogant swagger.
As if to tell everyone...
"Tell them you're a member of the Clavenna family."
"Your surname is, Clavenna."
═❀═❀═❀═❀═❀═❀═
[email protected]/XenosX
🥳Joining P@treon keeps me motivated and eager to work diligently, so please consider joining.🥰