Chapter 18 – The Miracle of Myth (3)
‘Elves, like others, are one of the races that began to appear in the records of this world from the day of the end. They are characterized by a long lifespan and beautiful appearance, with blonde hair and green eyes being their symbols. They tend to be nature-friendly and reject human civilization. They live scattered in tribes across the continent without a representative force, and due to their small population and tendency to avoid exposure, they are classified as a rare species.’
This is universal knowledge about the elves living in the current era.
Patrick recalled this information, which he had accepted without doubt. Of course, since he had mostly picked up knowledge through hearsay, he knew that if he wanted to learn more about the elves, he would have to study separately, but he had not done so.
“Hmm, blonde hair and green eyes.”
Moreover, he was currently confused about whether the knowledge he had was indeed correct. Up until now, it seemed mostly accurate, but just yesterday, that had been shattered.
If his eyes were not deceiving him, the elf girl he had seen clearly had radiant silver hair and dark red eyes.
‘Is she mixed-blood?’
Mixed-bloods exist among elves. Half-elves have only pointed ears, but they are not long, and unless he thought of it this way, it would be impossible to fit the pieces together.
‘But, what about the power she showed…’
There was a more significant issue than whether she was an elf or not.
He had clearly witnessed the curse of corruption, which was considered insurmountable, being purified by her power.
No matter how he applied all his experiences, he had never heard of such power existing in a single elf. So, it would be more appropriate to interpret that it was not that she was special because she was a rare elf, but rather that she herself was special.
“Ugh! Since when did I start thinking so hard about things!”
Patrick shook his throbbing head and neatly set aside his thoughts. After all, with his limited knowledge, the answers he could derive were limited.
‘I’ll just go and ask her directly.’
He looked down at the note in his hand. The address written on it was the one the errand-boy had delivered, where Rina and Iriliana were staying.
Having inadvertently become the main character in the werewolf hunt, Patrick had to find them to resolve the situation.
‘Don’t be scared. You’re a 13-year veteran adventurer.’
With preparations complete, he fiddled with the sword at his waist and bit his lip.
In fact, it was rare for someone like him, who had gone through all sorts of experiences, to be this nervous. He tried to shake it off, but it was difficult to forget the red eyes that seemed to be watching him, their depths unreadable.
Ultimately, as he arrived at the hotel entrance and headed up to the room, his anxious heart did not change much and only heightened his tension.
“Adventurer, the guest you mentioned has arrived.”
‘Amateur adventurers are staying in expensive places now.’
The luxury hotel had excellent service. Patrick glanced at the well-dressed staff kindly guiding him, reflecting on his own circumstances as he stayed in a cheap inn, and let out a hollow laugh.
“Come in, Patrick.”
He heard Rina’s voice from inside. Clearing his throat unnecessarily, Patrick opened the door and stepped inside. The room was filled with luxurious wooden furniture, exuding elegance and an antique charm, as if a part of a grand mansion had been transported there.
“Good morning… to both of you.”
Inside, Patrick awkwardly greeted Rina, who was seated awkwardly at the table, and the maid girl who was pouring tea for her. Just a day ago, he wouldn’t have had any doubts about such a scene, but now it was different. Everything felt awkward and strange.
In reality, Iriliana was only learning simple maid duties from Rina at the moment.
To keep up her ‘acting’ for future use.
“Well, since we all know each other now, what’s the harm?”
Iriliana checked that the door was closed and removed the frilly hairband she had been wearing. As she removed the maid hairband that had hidden her long pointed ears within her hair, they were revealed once again.
Rina, having naturally stood up as if to offer her seat, stepped aside, and Iriliana similarly sat down in that chair, crossing her legs and swinging them.
“You seem to have many questions?”
“So, in the end, the real concern is not Rina, but rather you, isn’t it? Iriliana.”
“Exactly.”
“No wonder. It was too polite for someone just doting on their maid. Pouring water first or asking for opinions every time.”
Patrick, who had been tense, sighed as he cleared up his doubts. In hindsight, their actions were not entirely natural.
He had simply overlooked it because he had never imagined such a thing would happen.
“Patrick says your acting is lacking?”
“Ugh…”
As Iriliana chuckled and looked back at Rina, Rina, who cleared her throat, buried her face in her hands.
“Does this mean that my identity, which I accidentally discovered, can be taken as truth since you called me here again without silencing me?”
“About my identity? Your guess isn’t wrong. Since the matter has occurred, I thought I’d use each other for our mutual benefit.”
Patrick was still wary of Iriliana. Iriliana, whose response was not particularly awkward, faintly smiled at his mention of silencing.
In reality, she could have done something if she wanted to. She could have asked Ethan to handle it, whether it was poison or something else.
The only reason she didn’t was for other methods, as she had just mentioned.
“I plan to continue with adventuring as I have been, and I need your strength, which you know quite well. What I mean is, both Rina and I don’t know much about it.”
“That’s not difficult, but… is that really all?”
“That was all, but things might change a bit due to what happened yesterday.”
Iriliana shrugged. The connection with the tower that had fallen a thousand years ago was still a variable for her as well.
She had yet to decide how to act immediately.
“What exactly is your identity? Are you an elf?”
At this point, Patrick couldn’t help but muster up the courage to ask. She was definitely not an ordinary elf. In fact, regardless of her race, she was a mystery herself.
She had the appearance of a slender and beautiful girl, yet the aura she emanated was entirely different.
“How much do you know about the elf race?”
“Well…”
At that, Iriliana turned the question back to him. A slightly flustered Patrick recounted everything he knew about elves.
And Iriliana smiled with a strange expression upon hearing this.
“Is it that well known that the origin legends of elves, such as high elves, are not widely known? I’m a high elf. I might be quite different from the elves you know.”
“High elf, the origin of elves.”
Patrick’s eyes widened. The appearance of a new type of elf beyond what he had known thus far.
It was certainly a fact that made everything he had experienced up until now possible, and just that was already a huge shock.
The fact that this new elf was of the same race as the ancestors of the elves of the present age was a fact that was hard to believe easily.
‘If I let him know this much, he’ll probably accept it when I put him to work without complaints.’
Seeing Patrick’s astonished face after hearing such shocking news, Iriliana’s eyes widened.
She deliberately refrained from mentioning a thousand years ago or the mythical era. Just this much would ensure that Patrick could not easily back out.
“Then why don’t you go to the other elves and operate separately like this?”
“They are living just fine on their own, so there’s no need for me to interfere.”
‘Honestly, they are complete strangers.’
Patrick was surprised that she, as a high elf, didn’t go to other elves with strong kinship.
However, that was his misunderstanding, as currently, Iriliana had little kinship consciousness. It was not long since she had started to identify herself as an elf.
Feeling affection for descendants who had passed a millennium would not fit her current situation.
“Let’s move on from this boring talk and start our tasks for today. It was unexpected for the werewolves to come at us, but thanks to that, we can receive the reward.”
Iriliana, who had momentarily observed the awkward atmosphere before breaking into a smile, got off the chair, put on the hairband again to cover her ears, and wrapped her cape around herself, pulling up the hood.
Rina also prepared to go out, having understood the meaning of that action, and the last to respond, Patrick, came out of the room with a bewildered expression.
“We’re heading to the town hall. They’ll likely give us the reward personally.”
Still, Patrick was a seasoned adventurer. As soon as he stepped out of the room, he changed his demeanor and, as usual, became the guide of the party, leading them onward.
‘Somehow, it feels like I’ve stepped into a place I shouldn’t have.’
Of course, his keen intuition warned him that the very moment was dangerous, but there was no escape route anymore.
Since Iriliana was quietly following from behind, watching him, that in itself was a declaration that she would not let him go.
