Chapter 176: Who Was It? Who Dared Talk About My Age? (1) At Painfolt Artran's request, Lee Jinseo had come to the Keinua Continent expecting that his days there would not differ much from before.
Naturally, he introduced bunsik that the other races had never tasted. If there was anything different from the previous continents, it was only that he had prepared a large quantity of meat dishes at the elves' special request.
However, contrary to his expectations, the outcome was entirely different from the two continents he had previously visited.
Having made an immense contribution to restoring the World Tree's original power, Lee Jinseo became the benefactor of all elves, and the elders stepped forward, declaring they would grant any request of his.
The elven elders summoned every elf who had exchanged even a single word with Rainfolt ten years prior. Painfolt Artran spoke with each of them, gathering clues in his search for his twin brother.
Unfortunately, just as before, he failed to determine his brother's exact whereabouts. Still, hearing that his brother had left a favorable impression among the elves brought a faint smile to his face.
Thus, Lee Jinseo, Painfolt Artran, and the allied delegation spent a total of one month on the Keinua Continent, engaging in exchanges with the elves.
After completing their schedule and returning to the Francia Continent, Lee Jinseo's standing rose even higher.
Now bearing yet another title—Guardian of the World Tree—alongside Owner of the Sacred Relic, Administrator of the Divine Artifact, and Founder of Sacred Cuisine, Lee Jinseo returned together with the elven delegation. As a result, enormous crowds gathered at Falstead Castle.
Though it was the third time another race had appeared on the Francia Continent, the public's reaction to the elves was far more intense than before.
The reason was simple.
"So those are the legendary elves…"
"They look exactly like they did in the fairy tales I read as a child!"
"How could they possibly live in a way that makes them that beautiful?"
Unlike dwarves, they possessed human-like builds; unlike centaurs, they had two human legs. Aside from their pointed ears, the elves most closely resembled humans—and yet their appearance was incomparably beautiful.
As more and more people gathered just to see them, the knights of Falstead Castle were hastily mobilized to establish a protective cordon to prevent chaos.
"Why are you blocking us? We want to see the elves up close!"
"These individuals are official delegates representing the elven race! Diplomatic issues may arise if you approach any further!"
"At least let me have a single strand of that hair! Just one strand of that beautiful golden hair!"
Even so, people kept stretching their arms between the soldiers, attempting to pluck even a single strand of elven hair.
The crowd showed no sign of diminishing. While chaos erupted outside the cordon, the elves themselves were focused on something entirely different.
"S-so this is the land of humans I have only heard about."
"A continent filled with animals that provide meat… I truly look forward to it."
The young elves, setting foot on another race's continent for the first time, were even more excited than the allied delegation had been upon arriving at the Keinua Continent a month earlier.
"Look! That's not a spirit—it's an animal!"
"What? An animal?"
At someone's shout, the young elves rushed toward the nearest tree.
Though they were accustomed to seeing spirits in animal form, they had never seen a true animal—one that lived a short mortal life. They stared up at the squirrel perched on a branch with fascination.
"It's real! Not a spirit!"
"A real animal can move without mana."
"Unlike spirits, animals don't approach us."
Elves were naturally able to communicate freely with spirits, and spirits often approached them willingly.
The fact that animals, unlike spirits, did not approach first was something entirely novel to them.
And then—
"I wonder what squirrel meat tastes like."
"It's so small. Is there even enough to eat?"
"If Mr. Jinseo cooks it, I'm sure he'd make delicious squirrel dishes like bulgogi or samgyeopsal!"
A squirrel sat quietly on the branch, while the young elves stared at it with disturbingly warped expressions.
Sensing danger instinctively, the squirrel trembled and scurried to a higher branch. Watching the disappointed elves smack their lips, Lee Jinseo felt a chill.
If anything, those elves feel more like vampires than Lord Beryllus…
Even as they watched birds instead, swallowing visibly, Lee Jinseo folded his arms awkwardly.
At some point, Oswald Hamilton entered the cordon and stood beside him.
"I was under the impression that elves were a race that lived in harmony with nature…"
"Ah, you've arrived."
"The elves I see differ from what I imagined. They are indeed beautiful, but something is off. Thinking about eating a squirrel—is that even reasonable? It's not as though they are starving in a famine…"
The birds that had been perched on the branch took flight just like the squirrel, driven by survival instinct. The young elves, hopping and stretching out their arms toward the birds, looked anything but peaceful.
"If Your Lordship were unable to eat ramen for several hundred years, what would happen?"
"I would go mad! Every curly thing would look like noodles!"
"That is precisely how the elves feel right now. Now that they know the taste of meat, they will likely behave the same toward other animals."
"In that case, it cannot be helped."
Oswald Hamilton nodded, persuaded by Jinseo's apt analogy.
"By the way, did you not come with your son?"
Seeing that Aston Hamilton had not rushed over as expected, Lee Jinseo glanced around in confusion.
"He is at the workshop helping Miss Stella. Once he hears that you have returned, he will come."
"The workshop?"
"Miss Stella has been shut in there for half a month, determined to craft her own wedding dress."
"With Lady Stella's skill, there will be no issue. I truly look forward to it."
Before departing for the Keinua Continent, Lee Jinseo had given Stella a wedding magazine from Korea. It was far easier than explaining Korean wedding customs verbally.
Though most of the text was written in Hangul and she could not understand it, simply viewing the various wedding dress designs had satisfied her greatly.
"My son regrets not going to the elven continent, but Miss Stella seemed even more disappointed. That may be why she has thrown herself into making the dress."
"In that case, how about choosing the Keinua Continent as their honeymoon destination?"
"Honeymoon? What is that?"
Lee Jinseo explained the concept in detail. Hearing it, Oswald Hamilton lamented that he had never gone on one with his late wife.
He subtly asked whether he could accompany his son on the honeymoon, only for Lee Jinseo to warn him sternly that in Korea, such behavior would make him an insensitive father-in-law disliked by his daughter-in-law.
Meanwhile, the young elves continued exploring their surroundings to satisfy their curiosity.
They examined the knights' horses and imagined how they might taste. They touched ordinary flowers and trees and even picked up common stones, staring at them intently.
"Tsk, tsk. Acting so frivolously before other races—this will not do. Youngsters these days act without thought. Though I must admit, my body feels rather…"
"You as well?"
In contrast to the energetic young elves, some stood motionless, clearly exhausted.
"I had heard about it, but truly, the mana density on this continent is low. Could we even properly cast magic here?"
"Painfolt did mention it, but… there is far too little mana."
The elderly elven elders exhaled roughly, feeling their bodies gradually weaken.
Elves could live nearly a thousand years. Compared to other races, their outward aging appeared minimal.
However, unlike in their youth, they had neglected physical training over the centuries and relied increasingly on magic even to move. As a result, merely standing consumed mana continuously.
On the Keinua Continent, where mana filled the air, this posed no issue. But here on the Francia Continent, beyond the reach of the World Tree's blessing, mana was scarce.
Seeing the elders struggling from mana depletion, Lee Jinseo hurriedly set up tables and chairs from the Additional Trailer, while Painfolt Artran opened Interspatial Storage.
"Please, have this."
He distributed ice cream stored inside to the elven elders.
During their stay on the Keinua Continent, the elves had often seen him holding ice cream, so they were puzzled as to why he offered a snack in such a situation.
But after taking a single bite, they required no further explanation.
"Oh! My mana is recovering rapidly!"
"Mana potions taste dreadful, but this cold dessert restores mana while offering sweetness as well! Such a concept is unimaginable for elves!"
"Are you satisfied?"
The elders nodded vigorously toward the smiling Painfolt Artran.
"However, three times per day is the limit. I do not recommend exceeding that. For now, if we plant the World Tree's fruit in an appropriate place, your mana depletion should improve considerably. Let us see… a suitable location would be…"
"Oh! That's the World Tree's fruit, isn't it? So you truly went to where the elves live?"
A voice familiar to those of Falstead Castle and Dwarf Town—but entirely new to the elves—resounded from above.
The elven elders lifted their heads toward the shadow cast behind them and froze.
"T-that majestic presence… could it be…?"
"A d-dragon… as described in the historical records!"
"That's right! I'm a dragon! Welcome, elves!"
Whoooosh.
Charlotte descended swiftly through the air and polymorphed into the form of a human woman. The elves gasped again.
"It's truly been ages since I've seen elves. About five hundred… no, was it six hundred years?"
"It has been a long time, noona."
"Hm? You are…"
Narrowing her eyes, Charlotte carefully examined Beryllus, who stood among the elves.
"You're a vampire."
"Yes."
"And an elf as well. If I recall correctly, there was only one Elven Vampire. Your name was… Beryllus, wasn't it?"
"Yes. I am honored that you still remember."
"Really? Hey! It's so good to see you! How many centuries has it been?"
Genuinely delighted, Charlotte grasped both of Beryllus's shoulders tightly.
"When did you move to the elven continent? Before I went to sleep, you were living on the human continent."
"Circumstances led me there. In any case, I am truly glad to see you again."
"Likewise. Good thing you're a vampire. If you were another race, your lifespan would have been too short for us to meet again. I'm… truly glad."
Standing before a companion from a past she could never return to, Charlotte's eyes glistened.
"Oh dear, noona. At your age, shedding tears like this?"
"I'm still young by dragon standards!"
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