Turn back time for a moment, to when Tyreal returned to the Great Forest and held the bow of Mother Forest.
The Imperial Ministry of Education was unable to hide its discomfort upon receiving sudden news.
“Is this… Are we supposed to believe this?”
“Given the name of the sender, we probably should…”
“No, but this still doesn’t make any sense!”
A piece of news had arrived from the Academy.
Sir Noah, the swordsmanship instructor, had suddenly made a move.
And by his side was an elf who was said to be his student, and it was the elf’s words that were the focus.
[The elves wish to hear the Empire’s thoughts on studying at the Academy.]
At first, it sounded utterly absurd.
They wondered if the elf, who claimed to be Sir Noah’s student, was provoking the Empire.
After all, the elves had always looked down on the Empire’s educational standards.
They had boasted that their magic and spirit arts were far superior, claiming that humans should learn from them.
Yes, it’s true.
No matter how hard humans try, they can never match the elves.
From physical abilities to lifespan, the gap is frustratingly wide.
And when it comes to magic and spirit arts, the two fields the elves excel in, the comparison isn’t even fair.
To put it into perspective, an elf who hasn’t even reached adulthood can easily surpass a decent human mage or spirit artist.
Even among the renowned mages and spirit artists, many have had elves as their teachers.
Or if not directly, their teacher’s teacher, or the one above that, was an elf.
This is why the elves look down on humans, especially their educational standards.
Your magic.
Your spirit arts.
Aren’t they all derived from us?
Why not just accept everything we have to offer and learn from us?
We, the wisest of the divine creations, are graciously offering you this mercy!
…Every time they spouted such nonsense, the Imperial Ministry of Education couldn’t help but grit their teeth.
[The elves are not coming to teach. They wish to learn.]
So when they saw this statement, it was only natural to wonder, “Have these arrogant elves finally lost their minds?”
“…Could Sir Noah be playing a prank on us through his student?”
“Given his personality, it’s not entirely impossible. Those who know him say he occasionally has a rather nasty sense of humor that’s hard to deal with.”
“But he’s never crossed the line to the point of causing trouble on this scale. Surely he wouldn’t do something like this involving both the Empire and the elves, right?”
They didn’t know.
They truly didn’t know.
What on earth was happening in the Great Forest?
At this point, they even began to wonder if this matter should be handled by the Ministry of Education at all.
True to their role as the Empire’s administrative body, they promptly relayed the news to the Imperial Household Ministry to seek guidance.
[This matter would be better handled by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.]
The Imperial Household Ministry was the voice of the royal family, and the head of the royal family was, of course, the Emperor.
Once the Emperor made his intentions clear, the Ministry of Education quickly handed the matter over to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
And as soon as the Ministry of Foreign Affairs took over, they received another piece of news.
“Elves have entered the territory of Baron Heiner, located near the Great Forest.”
“Wasn’t that how they usually entered our Empire anyway?”
“Under normal circumstances, it would have been a routine piece of news. But this time, it’s different. At least dozens of elves have arrived at once, and the number could grow.”
There were several reasons why the Empire hadn’t actively prevented the elves from entering.
For one, they were arrogant but not particularly hostile toward the Empire.
Their personalities were a bit unpleasant, but they had been quite helpful in many areas of the Empire.
And lastly, they came in such small numbers that it was almost impossible to do anything about it.
While the elves were strong, they were still just individuals moving around.
At most, they traveled in groups of three.
If they were with their kin, it was usually just two.
The largest recorded group of elves in history was four.
There had never been an official report of more than that.
But this time, the number had suddenly exploded to an unbelievable extent.
Dozens of elves had arrived.
A race that usually moved in single-digit groups had suddenly… why?
Had the elves, like humans, finally begun to change?
If it was a positive change, that would be good.
But what if it was negative?
What if they were no longer satisfied with the forest and had set their sights on the Empire?
The royal family’s inner circle surely had such concerns.
That’s why they wanted to uncover the true intentions through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, aware of these possibilities, prepared as thoroughly as they could.
However, there were a few things they hadn’t anticipated.
“If the elves want something, they might make unreasonable demands.”
The fact that the elves had no intention of making unreasonable demands, for instance.
“If dozens of elves are following, then the leader must be at least an elder. Someone of great age, which means they must possess immense wisdom and sharpness. We must be thorough.”
The fact that the one leading the group of elves was actually an elf who hadn’t even reached adulthood.
“The Academy matter might just be an excuse. They could have other ulterior motives. We must remain vigilant. Remember, not all elves are elves. There could be some sly ones among them!”
The fact that they themselves were trying harder than anyone to shed the label of being sly.
In any case, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs considered this matter to be of great importance.
However, the Foreign Minister was unable to attend personally due to an issue involving the reception of envoys from various kingdoms.
Instead, a deputy with full decision-making authority was sent, along with a team, to Baron Heiner’s territory.
Whether to form an alliance with the elves, to put things on hold, or to oppose them outright.
The decision rested in their hands, so it was no wonder the Baron was in a panic.
“Is this the place?”
“Yes, Deputy Minister.”
“For the place where elves first set foot in the Empire, it’s rather unremarkable.”
“Aside from being the closest to the Great Forest, it doesn’t have much going for it.”
“He’s right. And the Ministry of Internal Affairs has been keeping a close eye on this place.”
It’s a pity.
Being right next to the Great Forest, you’d expect a thriving noble family to reside here.
But if they were to push Baron Heiner’s territory too much, and it grew too large due to its proximity to the elves, that would be a problem in itself.
Those who grow with the help of external forces always carry the risk of turning their backs later.
Given that such cases had occurred more often than one might think, it was only natural to be cautious.
Thus, the Empire’s Ministry of Internal Affairs and the Noble Council secretly ensured that Baron Heiner’s territory remained “moderately” maintained.
Sometimes they subtly restrained its growth, and other times they provided support to prevent its collapse.
Baron Heiner would never know, of course.
He would simply think his children’s talents were exceptional.
The fact that his son and daughter had entered the Academy was also part of the Ministry of Internal Affairs’ arrangements.
If relations with the elves progressed positively, this territory could grow significantly.
In that process, the Ministry of Internal Affairs’ arrangements would undoubtedly be of great help.
The delegation from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs thought this as they made their way to the meeting place.
And there, waiting for them, was…
“Welcome. We’ve been expecting you.”
Like all elves, it was impossible to tell his age from his appearance.
But unlike the usual condescending smiles elves often wore when dealing with humans, this one was nowhere to be found.
Instead, they were greeted by a young male elf who seemed genuinely pleased to see them.
*
Tyreal had heard quite a bit about the Empire from Elenia, so he had some understanding of it.
The pinnacle of power was, of course, the Emperor.
However, it was impossible for one person to govern such a vast empire alone.
Thus, various administrative departments were established to handle affairs, and civil servants were recruited.
Among them, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs was responsible for matters outside the Empire.
‘We elves aren’t a nation, and I’m just a representative of the young elves from our village, so it’s a bit awkward…’
The fact that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs had sent someone meant they considered this matter important.
Elenia and Sir Noah at the Academy must have done well.
Or perhaps they applied pressure.
Whatever the case, Tyeal hurried to the meeting place to wait.
“Tyreal. Do we really have to go this early? We could just arrive on time.”
Seril, who had insisted on coming along, tilted her head in confusion.
It wasn’t like they were in a hurry or had done anything wrong.
She seemed to want to know why they had to arrive so early and wait.
“Seril. There are many ways to make a good first impression. One of them is to make the other party feel slightly indebted to you, giving you the upper hand.”
“Make them feel indebted? Are you trying to make them feel like they kept us waiting?”
“They won’t know exactly when we arrived, but they’ll definitely feel like they kept us waiting. And as you said, we’re not in a hurry, and we haven’t done anything wrong, yet we waited. Unless they’re complete jerks, they’ll feel a bit guilty.”
And most importantly, who are we?
We’re elves.
That arrogant forest-dwelling race.
From the humans’ perspective, it’s already surprising that we’re talking about exchange.
And instead of arriving late or on time, we’re arriving early?
“We tried to gain respect by flaunting our superiority, but we all know that didn’t work. So we need to change our approach.”
A memory from a past life surfaced.
There’s something to learn from everyone in the world. Even from fools.
At the very least, you can learn not to live like them.