“Tyreal, can I ask you something?”
Kiyen, who lived next door, tilted his head repeatedly before speaking.
“Hadishi said that’s what he was going to do. He said that while learning at the academy is good for later, right now, he wants to understand exactly why we went through all that hardship.”
“Huh? No, no. I wasn’t talking about Hadishi!”
Oh?
But it’s hard to believe otherwise when you two had that strange atmosphere between you last time.
Even Seril had commented, ‘Shouldn’t those two be assigned together, whether it’s at the academy or dealing with monsters?’
I gave Kiyen a look, silently urging him to be honest, but he stood his ground.
Sigh.
I guess I’ll just have to let it go this time.
“What are you curious about?”
“Will this really make a difference? I understand studying with humans at the academy, and I get why Hadishi is handling those so-called monsters to help humans. But I just don’t see how making fruit jam is going to change anything.”
Ah.
So after all the talk of doing something grand and important, he’s disappointed that the task at hand is… making fruit jam?
“Kiyen.”
“I mean, it’s not like I’m complaining like some ignorant old folk. I just really wonder if this will actually work.”
“I’m not accusing you of anything. You asked, so I’ll explain.”
He’s one of the few among our people who followed along without objection.
If he needs a proper explanation, then I owe it to him. He deserves that much.
“Our elven fruit jam is the best in the world. Right?”
“That goes without saying. The fruits from the Great Forest are already exceptional, but add in the techniques perfected over countless years? It’s not just jam—it’s a masterpiece.”
“Exactly. But no matter how much we talk about the greatness of elves, it doesn’t really resonate with humans. At most, they’ll hear about it, but they won’t see it, feel it, or experience it firsthand.”
“So you’re saying they can experience it through fruit jam?”
Change can sometimes come from the smallest, most insignificant things.
Why do you think I proposed forming the Great Forest Academic Society?
Why did I push for showcasing fruit jam and letting them taste it?
None of us here are politicians.
Even those from noble houses, despite their upbringing, are only now entering their twenties. Everything is new and exciting for them.
At a time like this, something that catches their interest just enough can hold their attention far longer than expected.
“Humans love sweet things. Especially nobles. And those nobles are precisely the ones who can shift the perception of elves that has been ingrained for so long.”
“Hmm….”
“Rather than trying to shove elven history, magic, or spirit arts down their throats, approaching them with something light and easy to appreciate will leave a far stronger impression.”
The bigger, more striking steps will come later.
By now, some of our people should be preparing to test themselves against monsters, but first, they need to study their opponents.
If we start off too aggressively, it’ll only breed resistance and fear.
To get close to humans, we need to talk and act like them first.
“I think I get it. You want humans to come closer to us without feeling any distance. And to do that, instead of something complex and alien, you start with something simple, like fruit jam, that they can easily accept. Right?”
“Exactly. As expected of you, Kiyen! My father always said your magic skills were outstanding, and your intellect—”
“So. That’s not all, is it?”
Wait. Does Kiyen suspect there’s something more?
“I may not be as sharp as Seril, but I do know you, Tyreal. We grew up as neighbors, and I’ve seen enough.”
“That’s true.”
“And from my experience, when you have some hidden plan, your tone always changes—just like now. I *know* you’re keeping something from me.”
So just spill it already!
Hearing this, I could only sigh.
This is exactly why elven society is a problem.
We live too closely together—we know each other too well!
If humans had an intense competitive culture, ours was one of endless scrutiny.
“…If you’re going to press me like that, fine. But keep this between us.”
“What is it? What could possibly be behind all this?”
“The fruit jam… is just a smokescreen.”
“A smokescreen?”
Kiyen tilted his head, clearly finding my words contradictory.
After all, I had just spent all this time explaining why the fruit jam was important.
If it was just a smokescreen, then what was the real goal?
But there’s a reason I’ve been making everyone focus solely on the fruit jam.
“Kiyen. Humans are far more susceptible to external beauty than you might think.”
“That’s obvious. The elders always talk about it.”
“No, I mean beyond what they tell us. Even if someone belongs to a family they consider their enemy, once they fall for that first impression, they won’t be able to pull themselves out.”
The greatest weapon elves can wield against human students at the academy isn’t magic. It isn’t spirit arts.
It’s our appearance.
Our beauty.
Especially among young people in their early twenties, when attraction is at its peak.
It’s not about elves wanting change.
It’s not about making some interesting jam.
It’s about making their hearts race so wildly that they can’t think straight.
It’s about being so breathtakingly beautiful that they dream about us, long for us.
And through that, we’ll erase all the hostility they’ve ever felt toward elves.
However, there were certainly those who did not view this situation favorably.
The professors of the academy would be among them, as would the imperial officials who kept a watchful eye on this matter.
That was precisely why they had chosen to use the Great Forest Academic Society and fruit jams as a smokescreen.
The rapid increase in students’ affection toward the elves could be dismissed as mere curiosity about something new.
By making it seem that way, they could lower suspicions while demonstrating their influence as much as possible.
“…Does the Empire even realize that this is your true intention?”
“They might not. Or perhaps they do suspect something but lack a legitimate reason to interfere, so they’re just observing. Honestly, we’ve given the Empire so many gifts. They wouldn’t overreact to something like this.”
These students would eventually return to their positions and become members of the imperial aristocracy.
If they could rekindle the fascination with elves in those young minds, things would become much easier.
“So hurry up and make those jams, got it?!”
“Oh, what miserable luck. If I had known, I would have gone with Hadishi instead.”
“Haha! Too late, my friend. From now on, you’ll be making jams like a dog and presenting them to humans! Ah, but don’t let it show that you’re struggling! You know you have to smile in front of the young ladies, right? If you don’t, I’ll personally give you a special lecture from Professor Joker!”
*
“…”
Looking out through the window, the academy’s headmaster had a peculiar expression.
There, at the heart of the academy, was the “Great Forest Academic Society,” making its first appearance.
They had captured the students’ attention by offering fruit jams supposedly made in the ways of the Great Forest.
No—correction.
The fruit jam was nothing more than a front.
Honestly, how many of those students were truly there for the jam?
Some were drawn by magic, others by spirit arts.
And the rest?
Well, that was only natural.
‘These young students are far too easily swayed by appearances.’
When the proposal to admit elves into the academy had first been brought up, the headmaster had voiced his concerns.
Would the forest-dwellers cause trouble?
No, that was not the issue.
The younger ones might not understand yet, but as they grew older, they would come to realize.
Why did the Empire tolerate the arrogance of the elves?
It wasn’t simply because the elves were powerful.
Nor was it because they were unbeatable.
It was because they were a valuable stimulus.
Their presence transformed wariness and hostility into a drive for progress.
Elves might look down on humans for their lack of magic and spirit arts.
But in response, humans would simply become great in other ways.
Indeed, even with the elves right beside them, the Empire had never begged them for magic or spirit arts.
Instead, they had developed other fields, ensuring that the Empire remained steadfast and resilient.
Improving relations with the elves was necessary.
Open hostility must be avoided at all costs.
But at the same time, becoming too close—closer than before—wasn’t necessarily a good thing either.
The Empire’s higher-ups had accepted the elves’ proposal with that exact calculation in mind.
They believed that the forest-dwellers, being inherently arrogant, would eventually cause trouble.
And when that happened, the Empire could once again take the role of the patient, benevolent power, accumulating further leverage.
‘But the elves are being far more obedient than expected. Almost as if someone had pressured them… No, not a request. More like a threat.’
The headmaster clicked his tongue as he observed the scene in front of the Great Forest Academic Society’s booth—
Male students clearing their throats awkwardly, female students blushing.
He could do nothing but sigh at the sight.