HPV 11

The priest and the mage, who had known each other for a long time, spoke casually even as they exchanged serious matters.

They would walk endlessly beyond the border, and at the end of it, his magic would subdue the black dragon.

“Sounds good. Are we leaving tomorrow?”

“This is not a picnic.”

“There’s no need to go back to the mage tower to pack. Everything I need is with the beauty… Your name is Riarun? No last name?”

Penzey had practically volunteered from the start. He could never resist any chance to escape the mage tower.

When Yurichen said they still had to wait a little longer, Penzey pressed him—what were they waiting for? Yurichen replied that I wasn’t the person from the prophecy, and that one more person was still to arrive. Penzey muttered the prophecy must be flawed.

“That god sure has poor taste, leaving Ria out of the prophecy. One more person, huh? But there’s no way someone prettier than Ria’s going to show up. That would throw off the balance of nature.”

“Do you think the prophecy is a beauty pageant?”

“Of course not. It was doomed the moment I arrived. But if I had to rank people, only Yuri and Ria would be contenders. That swordsman is more of a handsome man than a beauty, so he’s out. And the big guy standing by the door… even if you gouged out my eyes, I couldn’t call him beautiful…”

Yurichen nearly got into a fight with Penzey. But he managed to hold back, knowing Penzey wasn’t truly being blasphemous—he just enjoyed getting a rise out of people.

A fine meal was prepared for the envoys at the palace. The moment I stepped into the modest banquet hall, I was completely enchanted.

Every plate and dish looked like a blooming bouquet. Delicious aromas wafted from all directions. I couldn’t even tell if what was on the plates was meat or vegetables disguised as meat. What was clear was that rare ingredients from all over the kingdom had been harmoniously arranged on one table.

No one from the royal family showed up. Not out of disregard, but because our envoy had been secretly formed.

‘If a royal had been here… it would’ve been a mess.’

We were a ragtag bunch.

Banwes didn’t take a seat here, either. Paronai, though skillful with a sword, fidgeted like a lost child in this fragrant, glittering place. Yurichen sat at the head of the table but, being a disciplined priest, didn’t touch the luxurious dishes.

‘Better eat before Paronai devours it all.’

I quickly began spearing food with my fork. Bliss exploded on my tongue.

Penzey pulled out a chair and sat across from me. With a thud and his legs splayed out, it wasn’t exactly graceful. He rested his chin on his hand and watched me with amusement.

“Your cheeks are bouncing around. Even with that ravenous look, it doesn’t look bad—not just because you’re beautiful.”

It wasn’t like I was shoveling food mindlessly. I had once been a candidate for cult leader, after all—I remembered my table manners. To Penzey, I probably looked like a noble with a big appetite.

Penzey struck up a lively conversation with Paronai. I took the opportunity to keep Banwes from starving.

I pushed all the plates I had sampled to Banwes. Without turning around, he grabbed the food with rough hands and stuffed it into his mouth, or sometimes just picked up the whole plate and emptied it in one go. He kept his back to us the whole time to avoid showing his unmasked face.

Whenever he set down an empty plate, I replaced it with another.

Penzey watched the smooth, silent exchange with narrowed eyes.

“You can use spirits’ powers.”

“What are you talking about?”

“You love animals.”

Banwes didn’t bother reacting to that. He was eating food he’d likely never tasted before in his life, but his shoulders and movements stayed steady.

What ruled him was caution and the instinct to survive. He probably didn’t even have time to wonder whether the food was poisoned.

“It’s strange, though. Just because Ria touched it doesn’t mean any poison would disappear.”

At some point, Paronai had started calling me comfortably like Penzey did. And then, surprisingly, Banwes responded.

“If I die from poison, I’ll blame Riarun, not the chef.”

I was about to snap back, but my mouth was too full, so I just swallowed it down.

Paronai devoured his food like a starving beast, while Penzey acted like the food was nothing special—barely eating, mostly drinking. He didn’t even pour into a glass, just drank straight from the bottle, earning a disapproving look from Yurichen.

“Shall we toast?”

He pushed an entire bottle of fruit wine toward Paronai, but for me, he poured it into a glass. The yellow liquid gave off a heady scent of alcohol mixed with a sweet fruit aroma.

I was of age now, but I had never actually drunk before. I was curious about the drink said to make people feel either good or terrible. Still, I declined—for Yurichen’s sake.

‘The temple forbids alcohol entirely. They might not accept me if they find out.’

But Yurichen didn’t even glance at my dutiful refusal… instead, he suddenly stood up and left the banquet hall. He told Paronai to watch over us in his stead.

“Where’s he going?”

Paronai asked with a faint hint of worry. I answered for him.

“For something important.”

Both of them turned to look at me. Yurichen stared at me through the clear lenses of his glasses.

As expected, we weren’t gathered here just for a meal. We were also here to meet the last member of the group.

[A delegation of elves has arrived to pay respects to the king.]

The elven forest in the east overlaps partly with the kingdom of Echinaire. Unlike elves who dwell solely in forests, humans live in deserts, plains, and mountains alike—so the elves proposed a peace treaty to the humans.

Still, elves do not live alongside humans. On our side of the land, even seeing an elf once in a lifetime is rare.

Likewise, any human who enters the elven forest is forcibly expelled, according to the treaty of territorial non-intrusion.

And yet, if a human stayed in the elven forest for a long time under the protection of an elf…

A short while later, Yurichen returned with a small boy in a trailing green robe.

“The elven delegation arrived for trade. This time, they brought a new condition. They asked us to take care of this child.”

Paronai must have sensed something. He stared intently at the boy, and then parted his lips.

“This kid’s the last companion.”

The boy kept his head lowered as though he heard nothing anyone said. The doll-like impression he gave off was even stronger than Banwes’s. At least Banwes wasn’t arrogant.

Paronai stood up, studied the boy’s face closely, and then protested to Yuri-cheon.

“He’s too young.”

“He’s just reached adulthood.”

“No way. You’re telling me he’s eighteen? He doesn’t even look fourteen.”

Because of the elves’ influence, Bzhan’s growth had temporarily slowed. But before long, he would return to a normal pace of development… and age like any other human.

Still, Bzhan firmly believed he was becoming more like an elf. Or rather, he refused to face the truth that he wasn’t.

“Say what you want, but I am an elf. Don’t try to judge me by human standards.”

A low and clouded voice came from that youthful face—one that didn’t match at all.

No one but Paronai looked surprised. Yurichen knelt and spoke gently.

“The elves did not accept you. You must live as a human now.”

Penzey, who had no interest in someone not truly elven, tilted his bottle and added his unsolicited opinion.

“Let’s just say they abandoned you. Makes it simpler.”

“Penzey.”

Paronai said firmly, rebuking him.

At those words, Bzhan suddenly lifted his head. I tensed, knowing exactly what would happen next.

Bzhan would draw a bow from under his robes and fire at Penzey, and Penzey—without even blinking—would cast a silent spell to hang Bzhan from the ceiling. The meal would turn into chaos.

But just as Bzhan reached for his bow, he noticed me—the only person here who shouldn’t be.

His dark green eyes trembled. Then, he rushed toward me and gripped my hand tightly.

“~~~~~~!”

He started speaking rapidly, but I couldn’t understand a single word. It must have been an elven language—his voice sounded like someone singing with just the movements of their lips. Dizzy from the sound, I interrupted.

“Sorry, but I can’t understand a single thing you’re saying!”

Bzhan blinked in confusion and stopped speaking.

A small hand gently touched my cheek. I flinched at the warm contact, and then his fingers slipped through my hair to touch my ear.

…Ah.

He had just checked the shape of my ear beneath my hair.

Not a long, elven ear—but a round, human one.

Bzhan’s arms dropped with visible despair. I was flustered by the sorrow and disappointment in his eyes.

Penzey was the only one laughing.

“You tricked a kid who’s lived with elves his whole life! I’ve seen a lot of beauties, but you—this is a first!”