There’s a saying: Among the forest kin, there are no secrets.
It doesn’t mean that elves are everywhere and nowhere at the same time.
Nor does it mean that their pointed ears allow them to hear everything.
Elves are, by nature, a race with an affinity for spirits that surpasses the average.
Of course, there are exceptions like me, who fall below the average, but we are the minority.
Most elves can at least summon lower-level spirits without much difficulty.
Even if they don’t form contracts, they can materialize spirits enough to exchange greetings.
Yes, it’s through these spirits that they hear many stories.
That’s why it’s said that there are no secrets among elves.
Additionally, there are those who travel from village to village, spreading news, so it’s even more so.
“So, you’re Tyreal. The young one who broke the bow of Mother Forest.”
For that reason, when I arrived at a village I had never visited before.
Even though I met the elder of this place, whom I had never seen before.
I wasn’t too surprised that they knew quite a bit about me.
“Why did you do such a thing? Do you know how important the bow of Mother Forest is to us elves?”
“I don’t understand what you’re talking about.”
“You don’t understand?”
“The bow of Mother Forest existed to prove oneself. And I proved myself. The reality is that I couldn’t even string the bow, let alone draw it.”
The elder of this village probably wants to blame our village for damaging a sacred artifact.
If one family sees another as a rival, then villages see other villages as rivals, and elders see other elders as rivals.
It’s only natural for a race that is always eager to prove their superiority over others.
Anyway, the problem is their long lifespan.
When you live so long, it’s hard to get along.
“And, by the way, it might not have been damaged. Perhaps it was destined to disappear the moment someone proved themselves, as decreed by the gods and the World Tree.”
“Do you think that makes sense?”
“Since no one knows for sure, I don’t think it’s entirely impossible.”
Yes, it was precisely this point that allowed me to lead the young elves despite the elders’ opposition.
No one had ever strung the bow of Mother Forest, let alone drawn it.
How could they know that the moment someone strings and draws it, it would break, making them the sole proof?
Anyway, this way, it emphasizes that someone from another village has handled a sacred artifact.
It’s true that the string broke, but it’s also true that it was strung in the first place.
Plus and minus.
The end result is zero.
Nothing lost, but nothing gained.
Then there’s no reason to bring up the affairs of another village, which suits me just fine.
“But, Elder. From what I hear, it seems the person who came from my village only told you about that part and left out the rest.”
“Hmm?”
In that sense, this is where the real beginning lies.
The competitive spirit that spans centuries.
A plan to stimulate it and ultimately lead to change.
“Currently, many young elves from my village have banded together and ventured into the human world.”
“Oh? Did you put them up to it?”
“Not put them up to it, but I showed them the reality.”
“Reality?”
“Yes. I told them that humans regard our noble forest kin not with respect, but with fear. Not with welcome, but with discomfort.”
At my words, the village elder snorted and didn’t hide his sneer.
After all, humans are a foolish race incapable of understanding elves.
Why should we bother trying to change their minds? he added.
“Your words are correct, Elder. We are elves, and they are humans. There’s no reason to care about their opinions. Yes, I agree with that part.”
“But…”
“However, due to certain actions taken by our forest kin, all elves are now viewed in a negative light. It is our duty as descendants to correct the mistakes of our ancestors and elders.”
This isn’t about pleasing humans.
It’s about preserving the pride of being an elf.
Just because humans are wrong doesn’t mean we are.
It’s about recognizing our own faults.
The vulgarity that doesn’t suit our forest kin.
The senseless cruelty and violence.
When you talk like this, you inevitably hear one thing about elves.
“Until now, our ancestors ventured out of the Great Forest into the human world out of curiosity, interest, or personal desire. While they may have had some positive influence, they also caused harm to humans.”
“That is…”
“I know. It’s not something we need to concern ourselves with. They’re not even elves, so why should we care about them?”
I realized that no matter how much I talked about understanding and consideration for other races, it wouldn’t mean anything to the elves.
It’s better to just stimulate what they love so much.
“As I said, I, and the young elves of our village, are not doing this for humans, but for our forest kin. Not for their safety or misunderstandings, but to cleanse the name of ‘elf’ and restore its nobility so that all beings on the continent will praise it once more.”
â…â
“This is not a childish runaway or a rebellious journey. This is, yes, a pilgrimage. An ascetic practice. Everything is to make us elves great again.”
I know how to persuade elves because I am one.
Even if I can’t persuade them, I know how to make them listen to my opinion.
It’s simple.
Just say, ‘Elves are the best.
And if we do this, we’ll be even better.’
Just hype them up.
Show them the heights and tell them we can reach them.
How can there be such foolish beings?
You’ve seen how childish this race is.
You might think that long-lived races are all wise and intelligent, but that’s not the case.
Of course, they have a lot of experience from living so long.
But that doesn’t mean ‘everyone is a sage.’
With such long lives, they can’t help but love themselves more than anyone else.
At the same time, because they love themselves, they don’t want to miss any opportunity to shine.
Some of them vent this by going out into the human world to teach.
Others replace it with the strange goal of guiding humans to the path of the elves.
So, what are we doing to make the elves shine?
It’s not difficult.
And if we succeed, we’ll shine even brighter.
We are taking it upon ourselves to cleanse the stigma attached to the name ‘elf.’
Something that would never be thought of within the Great Forest.
But it’s quite an attractive endeavor!
“…Why have you come to our village?”
“I came to see if there are any who would join us on this glorious but arduous path.”
“…”
“Moreover, the bow of Mother Forest guided me here for the first time.”
As I subtly showed the necklace, the elder’s eyes widened.
He couldn’t believe it, but he could feel the sacred light and the energy of the bow of Mother Forest.
I held up the necklace and brought it closer to the elder.
Look at this light, this sacredness, how it radiates even more in this village!
“Did you really, truly handle that sacred artifact?”
“Neither I nor our village are foolish enough to lie about something as significant as a sacred artifact.”
“…Yes, that makes sense.”
The elder, who had been stroking his chin, quietly looked at me.
As if asking if I had more to say.
No, I could see the anticipation in his eyes.
Yes, he must be eager to hear what comes next. The request.
Are there any elves in this village who would join me?
“Well, I’ve said all I needed to say, so I’ll take my leave now.”
“Huh? Wait a minute. What do you mean, take your leave?”
“Why would I, who hasn’t even undergone the coming-of-age ceremony, leave the village and venture into the human world? I need to explain my reasons to other villages as well.”
I didn’t come here to beg for companions.
I came to spread the word.
Our village isn’t asking for help from other villages.
Even if no one agrees, we will march forward under the banner of doing this for the elves.
With those words, I left this village and headed to another.
*
A few days after Tyreal left, the spirits began to whisper.
A young elf is speaking with a voice different from the rest of the kin.
Not that elves are still great, but that we must make elves great again.
That we must restore the brilliance to this name that has been tarnished by time.
“Elder, the atmosphere in the village has been strange lately.”
â…â
Of course it is.
The spirits are all talking about that elf who drew the bow of Mother Forest.
The older ones will be more fixated on the fact that the sacred artifact was damaged.
They couldn’t do it themselves, so it must be hard to accept someone else succeeding.
But the younger ones are different.
They’ve always been the ones the elders used as a reason to push them.
A young elf, who hasn’t even undergone the coming-of-age ceremony, did it.
Of course, they’re curious.
How did he do it?
What was he thinking when he did it?
And most importantly, why does he say we must make elves great again?
“They say the bow of Mother Forest chose our village first…”
“Didn’t they say that whoever handles the sacred artifact will become a great one? That’s why the elders kept pushing us to learn magic and spirit arts.”
“Does this mean we should follow that elf, Tyreal, and leave too?”
Starting from the first village Tyreal visited, a wind of change began to blow, albeit slowly.
*
“By the way, Tyreal, did the bow of Mother Forest really tell you which villages to visit?”
“No?”
I fiddled with the necklace as I answered Seril’s question.
“It just keeps glowing. I just added some flesh to the story.”
“…You’re really stretching the truth.”
“It’s not a lie. The fact that it keeps glowing could mean it really is guiding us.”
If you believe it, then it becomes true.
Yes, if you believe it.