----- Lutz -----
I stand in front of a mirror, half-dressed. Although I was doing my morning routine while talking to RAM and the Goddess, I haven’t made any progress on it ever since the mad god appeared and took RAM away.
But I won’t get any closer to solving any of our problems if I just keep standing here, looking at my reflection.
Today’s too important. I can’t let this defeat affect what I need to do.
RAM, wait for me…
With a snap of my fingers, the rest of my clothes appear on my body. Although I look as sharp as usual, I can see the hints of a dulled edge, no doubt from the feelings I’ve forcefully bottled up.
Fortunately, it’s not something other people would be able to detect, so it won’t impact the ceremony.
After a few final preparations, I step out of my room. The living area on the other side is familiar, but it’s not a place I see often. Elves have their own style to their construction, with a natural charm and very little use of composite materials like pastes or plasters.
By the time I get to the living room, most of the other girls are already waiting for me. Even if recent events only slowed me down by a few minutes, that’s enough time for me to be one of the last to arrive.
“Good morning.” I greet them all at once.
“Morning master!” Alishia smiled at me wagging her tail almost like a dog.
“Morning.” Belle gives me a casual wave.
Lumina smiles at me. “Morning, Sir Lutz.”
Elise nods from her usual position beside the princess.
Tylith yawns in place of a greeting, though that’s because she was out late fulfilling her own special mission last night.
And as for Laya…
She can see right through me, huh?
Her elven eyes stare into mine, as if she can see the recent events with the mad god that happened only a few minutes ago. She doesn’t actually know the details, but it’s obvious she can tell I’ve buried something.
But today is her special day, so there’s no way I’m going to let it impact the ceremony in the slightest.
“How do you feel, Laya?” I make sure my tone doesn’t reflect any of the frustrations I feel deep down. “Are you ready to take the ultra rare position of Prime Elder?”
“Mmm.” She recognizes my intent and focuses on what’s important. “Even we elves need a singular leader during times like this.”
“Just like when Myra led your people in the first Great War.”
“Yes. Now, it’s my turn to finish what she began.”
I put out breakfast for everyone, egg bagel sandwiches with different meats in them, sausage, bacon, ham, or for Alishia, all of them. Lumina looks at my creations with curiosity but she eats it like the burgers I've grown famous for…at least from Alishia anyway. Everyone has grown used to my Earth foods so there's no complaints or questions about it. Alishia of course dives into the triple meat supreme bagel. Elise smiles as she watches Lumina enjoy her breakfast. She definitely seems to enjoy her princess experiencing simple joys like breakfast with friends. I nod at her with a semi forced smile.
After our breakfast, everyone stands in the center of the living area, still dressed in their usual morning outfits. But we can’t exactly go to such a prestigious ceremony like this.
With a blink, our clothes change to something far more fitting. Each of us are dressed in a traditional, elven style, the same one they use for special events.
In short, they look like kimonos, except with a bit of added flare from a layer of thin cloth that drapes around the outfit in a unique manner, depending on how the wearer desires.
The obvious exception amongst us is Laya. As the central figure of the ceremony, she’s wearing a style that’s long since gone out of fashion. It’d be akin to a modern Italian dressing as an ancient Roman.
While that may be a bit of an exaggeration considering Laya’s outfit still has visual similarities to modern elven garb, her people can no doubt pick up on the intent behind her choice of outfit for the ceremony.
After all, Myra was said to have worn similar clothes when leading the elves against the demons during the first Great War.
As I send all of the food back to my [Inventory], a hand blurs across the table. Alishia stuffs one last bagel into her mouth, her cheeks puffed from her last minute snack.
“What? They're tasty!” She defends herself.
By the time we reach the door, the bagel has become nothing but a memory.
The outside is just as dark as one would expect, considering there’s still an hour before sunrise. But with our enhanced senses, it might as well be noon.
A small path sits in front of the house we slept in last night, kept lightly trodden by the elves who visit here from time to time. Normally, this place is quite deserted, with only a few elves staying in the area, and only for as long as they need.
That’s because the houses lined up on this path aren’t homes. They’re not meant to hold a family and provide a safe place to nurture the next generation of elves. Rather, they’re for visitors who’ve come to seek the last bastion of aid available to any who’ve exhausted their other options.
Since elves are a communal bunch, it’s rare for them to be so desperate that no other elf would be able or willing to help them. But there are times when it can happen, like with Kymil.
He and his father sought to trade with humans, something which was unpopular with most of the other elves. Because of that, he was ostracized from his community, which eventually led him here, to the Ancestral Glade.
Despite her personality, the elves consider the Astral Dryad to be a divine protector, almost on the same level of the Goddess. Kymil came here in search of answers, not knowing how to rectify his desire to trade with humans with the reluctance of his people to do so.
He doesn’t really have to worry about that now, though. He finally got what he wished for, as he makes weekly trips to the Azure Springs Resort, the hotsprings where Kalyn and the other adventurers stay.
Although Kymil managed to meet the Astral Dryad during his visit, many other elves aren’t so lucky. From what I hear, over half of the people who come here end up getting sent back home without ever stepping foot inside the Ancestral Glade. That’s just how selective they are about who gets to disturb their divine protector.
Or rather, there’s really only one man making that decision, a person hand-selected by the Astral Dryad to oversee the visitations.
That man is the Conservator.
When I first came to the elven lands, even I had to seek his approval before entering the Ancestral Glade. Fortunately, I had what amounted to a hand-written invitation from the Astral Dryad herself, so getting in was easier than I thought it’d be.
But the same can’t be said for other elves. And since it’s common knowledge that any who seek to meet their divine protector must have an extremely good reason to do so, it’s rare for them to even come here unless they truly believe they need her guidance.
However, despite the houses here often remaining empty, that’s not the case today.
As we step onto the trail lit by moonlight, I can already see other elves who got up before the sun. For every one outside, there are several more still indoors, getting ready for the ceremony. For the first time in who knows how long, the houses near the Ancestral Glade are filled to capacity in preparation for Laya’s ceremony.
I wave to a familiar face. “I knew you’d be up early.”
Kymil steps onto the path ahead of us. “My time in the military conditioned me to wake up well before the sun rises.”
“I was always more of a night owl before coming to this world, but I eventually managed to adapt to a morning schedule. Now, it’d probably be even tougher for me to go back to my old ways after all this time.”
Kymil joins us on the lightly trodden path. “Then you should simply continue as you are.”
“Can’t argue with that logic.”
We’ve come to a stop at the point where a temporary house connects to the path, most of us looking at the closed door that leads inside. It’s next door to where Kymil stayed for the night, and within those walls was an elven woman that I hadn’t seen in quite a while.
“At least she’s already up.” I track her mana, which is moving around the house.
“Who?”
“An elf that I specifically requested to be here today. She lives east of the Ancestral Glade, so I haven’t seen her ever since we stopped that army of fiends from showing up in the Forsaken Wastelands.”
“Back then?” Kymil recalls my first visit to his lands, where that battle took place. “Ah, you mean…”
“Thalia. All she ever cared about was her research, so I figured I’d never see her again if I didn’t put in the effort to make it happen.”
Despite staring at the house, nobody appears from the doorway. Either none of the elves inside have learned the formerly lost magics like [Sense Mana], or they’re simply not using the spell at the moment.
Whichever the reason, it could be up to an hour before Thalia emerges from within. After all, the ceremony is set to begin shortly after sunrise. Surely, even she wouldn’t be late to it.
“Do you think she’d be in a worse mood right now because she had to wake up early, or do you think she’d be more upset after the ceremony because she had to sit through it instead of working on her research?”
“From the short time I spent with her, I’d say she’d be equally upset, just for different reasons.”
“Guess I’ll just wait until after so I can–” I cut my words short. “Nevermind.”
The door to the house opens, and to our surprise, a tired looking elf appears. As soon as our eyes meet, I can see the disdain she has for my entire existence. I ignore that, of course, and give her an innocent wave.
“Hey, Thalia. Been a while, huh?”
She walks out and shuts the door, as if her goal had been to escape all the activity and energy within the house.
“Why do you look so happy?” Thalia stops just within casual speaking distance.
“What’s there to be sad about? We’ve got another crisp morning filled with an entire day’s worth of possibilities.”
“I’d rather look at potion efficacy quotients than be anywhere near you.”
“Oh, speaking of potions. I recently learned a few new recipes.”
Thalia’s elven ears perked up. “New recipes? What kind are we talking about here?”
“All kinds, and among them are some that you can craft at your level. After the ceremony, maybe I’ll have time to show you one or two of them.”
“You have bought 5 minutes of my amusement, make it count boy.”
“Then how about joining us right now? I’ll make sure you have a front row seat for the ceremony.”
“We aren’t going to be sitting down.”
“Technicalities.”
Thalia does in fact join us. She obviously doesn’t want to stay in the house with all the other elves who were using it last night, which isn’t surprising considering how anti-social she is. A true outlier amongst her people, but her research is for their benefit, so she’s not an outcast like Kymil was.
After a short walk, we arrive at our first destination. It’s another elven building, but it’s not a house. It’s more of a mix between an administrative office and a courtroom. Elves come here to be judged on whether or not their plight is worthy of meeting the Astral Dryad for advice, with the one passing judgement residing inside.
The Conservator.