Leon placed one hand over her chest.
"I…"
The words Viktor had spoken made her heart tremble slightly.
A surname.
To elves, a surname was something extremely important.
A surname determined an elf's duty and identity.
But Leon herself had no surname.
As the head of a house, Viktor possessed the authority to grant a surname to outsiders.
Unlike elves, who could only wait for the divine tree to bestow one.
In human society, nobles could do such a thing.
Leon lowered her head, repeating the four characters "Clavenna" over and over in her mind.
This was something even Miss Liya could not give her.
Before this, Leon and Viktor were not close at all, they had only met a few times.
Though there were only a handful of encounters, each one had left a deep impression on her.
Even so, Leon's impression of Viktor could hardly be called good.
At the very least, those few incidents were not enough, in Leon's heart, to overturn the terrible image Viktor had left on her since childhood.
And yet, why would he…
Viktor kept his hands in his pockets, glanced back at Leon, and offered no further explanation, "If you still have doubts, then after we're back, go ask Liya."
Then he turned his back to her, facing the faintly glowing blue passage.
"But for now, I want you to carry the surname you have now."
Stepping across the towering rune-covered giant tree beneath his feet, blue ripples spread out with Viktor's footsteps, like a deep blue lake suspended in midair.
A bright white full moon hung in the night sky, illuminating the entire lake surface so that it shimmered like scattered stars.
A fierce wind whipped Viktor's black coat, making it billow wildly under the moonlight.
"Then, follow me."
As his words fell, Viktor reached out, and Cocotte below immediately floated up.
He grabbed her clothes and lifted her up.
This lazy elf truly lived up to her reputation, even in such a short span of time, she had managed to fall asleep.
Being lifted like this by Viktor, she finally woke up, blinking her eyes as she felt her body inexplicably floating, momentarily stunned.
"Huh? Haven't we reached the Elven Forest yet?"
Viktor lowered his head and glanced at Cocotte.
"We're almost there."
Skimming across the lake surface, leaving behind a long sky-blue trail, Viktor and Cocotte together plunged into the deep blue passage.
The white cloud hurriedly followed behind Viktor and slipped in as well.
Only Leon was left behind, lifting her head to gaze at the deep and mysterious blue passage, her emotions incredibly complicated.
Her golden hair danced in the raging wind, each strand distinct, flowing freely.
'Family.'
That word felt far too distant to her.
Even after Liya had given her a name, she had never dared to imagine becoming family with Liya.
In Leon's eyes, Liya was like an untouchable star, dazzling beyond reach.
She was the white moonlight in her heart, the person Leon had resolved to protect for her entire life.
Leon placed her hand over her chest and took a deep breath.
"I am willing to live for the name you have given me."
Her gaze firm, she stepped onto the rippling blue lake.
Amid wave after wave of ripples, she walked forward with resolute and heavy steps, entering the deep blue tunnel as well.
As the three of them disappeared, the surroundings gradually returned to calm.
The violent winds slowly died down, leaving only the reflection of an immensely massive divine tree, piercing heaven and earth, scattering silvery light.
Countless stars adorned the edge of the entire blue lake. Silver light poured down, gradually soothing the rippling surface until it became still.
———
[The Elven Forest]
Thick, flourishing trees rose from the grass, their dense branches and leaves gradually blocking out the golden daylight, sunlight filtering down and lifting petals that danced in the air.
Morning dew shimmered with crystalline light, hanging upside down on branches and blades of grass. Even the gray stones were tinged with dampness, and petals poked their heads out from the cracks.
A pair of eyes stared intently at the constantly growing flowers, filled with curiosity.
Only when the flowers fully bloomed did a pair of sapphire-like eyes peek out from the weeds.
Above those blue gemstones was an extremely cute face, long golden hair tied up high, revealing a pair of pointed ears.
She picked the freshly grown flowers and placed them into a woven wooden basket. When she turned her head, she saw countless elves just like herself, all with long pointed ears, playing and frolicking throughout the forest.
Some hung upside down from branches, drinking dew. Others climbed up into the tall canopy to pick fruit.
Some lazy ones hid behind rocks, lying among wildflowers, fast asleep.
Even when seen by others, they showed no reaction at all.
An elf picking fruit suddenly called out to the others, "That's enough!"
As soon as the words fell, the sleeping elves all stood up. The elves collecting dew landed on the ground, and together they passed through the forest and gathered in an open clearing.
Golden daylight gradually descended, and then an incomparably massive giant tree, scattered with silvery stars, stood at the center of the land, coming into the elves' view.
Its roots stretched for hundreds of miles, interweaving into a vast crisscrossing network, like an endless vein of life.
Silvery-white starlight seemed to dot the trunk, delicate and elegant, like countless stars in the sky twinkling faintly among the branches.
Not a single elf spoke another word. All of them knelt devoutly toward the giant tree and began their morning prayers.
Soft voices rose and fell, chanting in complex, unintelligible languages.
This was an elven custom, after the harvest was complete, they would always express gratitude to the spirits of nature.
The divine tree seemed to hear their prayers. Its branches swayed with the breeze, scattering flecks of silver light.
The enormous trunk stretching for hundreds of miles looked as though it were wrapped in a galaxy, flowing down toward its roots.
A group of elven guards stood watch beneath the silver shroud at the base of the divine tree, wearing wooden armor and gripping silver wooden spears, solemn and imposing.
After some time, an elf slowly descended from the sky.
She wore a pure white long dress, a wreath woven from grass and flowing with green light on her head. In her hand, she held a wooden staff, her expression solemn.
Stepping on falling green leaves, she landed steadily on the ground.
When the guards saw her, they respectfully saluted her, "Greetings, High Priestess."
The Elven High Priestess, Vinia Jekedela.
The surname Jekedela had, for generations, been the guardians of the Yard Divine Tree.
The High Priestess constantly inspected the divine tree's body, preventing any possible danger to their mother from spreading.
Vinia smiled gently and nodded to the guards, greeting them one by one.
Seeing the High Priestess's smile, warmth rose in the guards' hearts.
Despite her exalted status, she treated guards like them with kindness and equality.
Yet in truth, Vinia had never thought that way.
A smile hung on her face, but the ugliness in her heart contrasted sharply with her outward beauty, 'A bunch of ignorant fools, do you really think that just because I smile, I see you as equal to me?'
'My surname is that of a noble priest, and you are nothing more than guards.'
'As long as Her Majesty the Queen doesn't return, I am the most noble elf among all elves.'
Clever as she was, Vinia never showed this. She maintained her smile, holding her staff as she walked toward the divine tree.
She lifted her head and looked up. The massive trunk soared into the sky, piercing through the clouds.
"Yard Divine Tree, please allow me to observe you, and expel all dangers beyond the sacred spirits."
As Vinia's prayer left her lips, the staff was slowly planted into the ground.
Green starlight radiated from the staff, sending out waves of green energy that spread outward, gradually climbing up the divine tree, sweeping across the thick trunk again and again, causing it to glow with soft green light.
After several waves passed, the staff's light gradually subsided.
After the daily inspection, the High Priestess, as usual, sensed no abnormalities within the divine tree.
Today's work was done. She could return and rest.
Just as Vinia was about to leave, a guard suddenly spoke up and asked her, "High Priestess, when will our Queen finally return?"
Vinia turned toward the voice, her lips parting slightly as she lowered her eyes to look at the guard.
She narrowed her eyes and smiled kindly, a gentle aura radiating from her body.
"Don't worry."
"The divine tree will always protect us."
Though she said this aloud, her heart was calm, 'The Queen? She abandoned all of us long ago.'
Vinia firmly believed that even without Cocotte, the Yard Divine Tree would never allow the elves to slowly march toward extinction.
After all, elves were born from the Yard Divine Tree.
In the end, for the continuation of the elven race, it would surely choose another elf to become queen.
Vinia looked forward to serving that brand-new, unknown Elf Queen.
She had always believed this.
Of course, not every elf was as wise as she was.
That was why she needed to constantly comfort these ignorant masses, so that the elves would never forget hope, and could look forward to each new day with beautiful expectations.
"The Queen's return is inevitable. We only need to wait patiently."
She clasped her hands to her chest, then spread them wide, as if embracing the divine tree, her eyes filled with eager anticipation.
The guards gazed at the High Priestess's sacred posture with deep admiration.
Feeling their worshipful stares, Vinia felt secretly pleased.
But suddenly, a sensation like an earthquake spread out, and the entire base of the divine tree began to shake violently and repeatedly.
Vinia no longer bothered maintaining her composure. She looked around and asked in confusion, "What's happening?"
All of a sudden, three phantasmal figures transformed into three beams of differently colored light, climbing up the divine tree and gradually merging into it.
A storm rose at the same time. The sun grew increasingly red and golden, and the grass and trees underfoot began to grow wildly.
All the elves in the Elven Forest sensed it. They stopped what they were doing and looked toward the divine tree.
In a daze, it seemed they saw...
High in the sky, a long white figure swimming among the clouds.
Seeing the blazing sun, the storm sweeping the land, and the wildly growing vegetation, they felt as though something awe-inspiring had arrived.
It made them feel reverent and submissive, wanting to kneel once more toward the direction of the divine tree.
That same emotion climbed into Vinia's heart as well. With her vast experience, she instantly sensed the source of that power.
"…Calamity?"
Suddenly, a clean, white little hand patted Vinia on the shoulder.
Vinia snapped out of her daze and lowered her gaze from the divine tree above.
It was an elf.
She sat atop a pure white cloud, her back to the divine tree.
Golden light surged forth, and her body seemed wrapped in a halo, making her look incomparably sacred.
"Yo, Vinia."
"So you were really looking forward to my return this much."