There is a term called ‘heterogeneous discomfort.’
It refers to a psychological behavior where one feels discomfort and displeasure towards beings with appearances different from one’s own.
If humans were monsters, they would likely feel extreme disgust towards such differences.
For example, beings that walk on two legs like humans but have the heads of pigs, wolves, deer, or other creatures.
They have limbs like humans, but their actions or the sounds they make are utterly chilling.
The fact that they harm humans would be the most decisive factor, but the other aspects cannot be ignored either.
In that sense, we elves held a significantly advantageous position.
“Excuse me. So, this jam is really made the same way the elves in the Great Forest used to make it?”
“By the way, would it taste better if we used fruits directly from the Great Forest?”
“This is fascinating. Our baking club wants to try making cookies with this jam. Would that be possible?”
Both male and female students gathered in front of the Great Forest Academic Club booth at the academy.
They seemed genuinely interested in the jam, asking various questions.
But everyone knew.
They weren’t really here for the fruit jam.
Look at that.
The female students blush every time the male elves answer their questions.
On the other side, the male students look like they’re about to die of happiness when their hands brush against the female elves.
It’s as if everyone has completely lost their minds over the beauty of the opposite sex.
Are they love-struck fools?
Are they just immature kids?
That’s nonsense.
It’s only natural for humans.
To pursue someone beautiful, pretty, and charming.
Would you be any different?
It’s not for nothing that terms like ‘nation-toppling beauty’ or ‘top-tier predator’ exist.
Of course, even those so-called beauties or top-tier predators can fall from grace.
For example, if they were to say, “Yes, you uncivilized and ignorant human, shut your mouth. Your breath stinks, so could you just go away?”
No matter how pretty or charming they are, their appeal would undoubtedly be halved.
Our ancestors and elders have always spoken and acted in such a manner.
Intoxicated by their elven identity, they treated humans not as humans but as mere animals.
There were some who didn’t, but unfortunately, those who thought that way were the majority.
“Yes, this is made exactly the way our forest kin have always made it.”
“Hmm. Of course, it would be better with fruits from the Great Forest. But this is already quite good.”
“As for using it in other clubs, we should discuss that further among ourselves.”
Let’s not embarrass the elves and get the whole clan cursed by meddling too much.
Thanks to prior warnings, our elven friends were handling things better than expected.
From the start, they were already fed up with magic and spirit arts before even reaching adulthood in the village.
Parents constantly compared them to neighbors, pushing them to work harder.
They thought they were doing great, but looking around, they realized they weren’t, which left them frustrated.
In such a situation, being among humans and receiving their sparkling gazes?
If they had grown accustomed and indifferent over time, it might be different.
But at this moment, even the clan members would genuinely engage in this situation.
Whether human or elf, it’s only natural to feel good when someone values you highly.
“…”
As a guest rather than a student, I didn’t intervene directly.
I simply stood at a distance, observing the good atmosphere between my kin and the humans.
The humans at the academy are young, and most of the elves who followed me are also young.
They can be impulsive, emotional, and easily swayed at times.
But that also makes them flexible, quick to adapt to change, and easy to befriend.
‘Think long-term, think long-term.’
The lifespan difference between elves and humans is at least double.
Sometimes it’s even triple.
The students here won’t age and die at the same time as us.
By the time we’re in our prime, they’ll already be on the verge of meeting their ancestors.
And they’ll tell their children and grandchildren about the past.
They’ll talk about the elves, how they were sometimes arrogant and annoying.
But they’ll also say there were good aspects and that they were decent beings.
That would be a good thing.
Moreover, most of the students here are from noble families.
The rest are commoners with talent.
They are the future pillars of the empire, so this is a good first step.
“Here you are. You must be Tyreal.”
Turning my head, I saw a human with half-white, half-black hair approaching.
Clearly, someone of high status.
Polite, but the aura was different.
“I am the old man serving as the headmaster of this academy. Hmm. It might sound strange to you elves, but…”
“Even though elven and human cultures are different, it’s natural to consider the time lived relatively, not absolutely. Headmaster.”
The time lived may be similar, but the time left to live is clearly different.
After all, I am still a young elf who hasn’t even undergone the coming-of-age ceremony in the village.
Even if the other party is human, I can still treat them with respect due to an elder.
“Thank you for saying that.”
The headmaster, who had been glancing at the club booth, looked at me and spoke.
“The Great Forest Academic Club started with elven-made fruit jam. It’s not a bad idea.”
“Is that so? Among our kin, there were worries that it might be seen as offering something trivial.”
“Students are here to see, hear, and learn new things. How could anything be trivial? Learning about a new world includes experiencing its specialties.”
As I said, the fruit jam is a smokescreen.
And judging from the conversation, the headmaster caught on.
He’s saying, ‘This way, we can reduce the students’ wariness towards elves. Furthermore, it helps erase the impression that others are merely infatuated with their looks. Not bad.’
“However, while the students might not know, their parents can’t help but express concerns. The incidents involving the forest kin that resurface in everyone’s memory from time to time.”
Next to experience, the most frightening thing is the teachings passed down through generations.
The fear and wariness humans have towards us elves stem from that.
From an elven perspective, one person’s actions become at least two generations of stories for humans.
If those stories get distorted, we go from being a long-eared race to damned kanphs.
The headmaster is asking.
Can we really erase that?
The young ones are flexible enough to change, but what about the older, more rigid ones?
“That’s precisely why we don’t plan to stay at the academy for long.”
“Hmm?”
“Coincidentally, I have two acquaintances with some connections in the imperial political sphere. I’m thinking of stepping into what humans call high society through them.”
“…I’ve never heard of an elf making jokes before.”
The headmaster’s reaction is less than enthusiastic.
Understandably so, since an elf saying such a thing is hard to believe.
An elf entering human high society?
It’s almost like them wallowing in mud.
Why do elves tend to look down on humans as inferior?
It’s because of their violent tendencies and the way they fight among themselves.
And at the peak of that, power, politics, and its byproduct, high society.
If an elf were to enter that high society, what would the reaction be?
“I’m serious.”
As if I’d waste time on meaningless jokes.
My expression, my voice.
The headmaster, realizing I’m serious, lets out a sigh.
“Are you sure about this? If this news reaches your homeland, it won’t be taken well.”
“Probably not. Just entering the human world is already uncomfortable, but willingly stepping into their domain is another matter.”
When I brought this up to one of my acquaintances, Elenia, her reaction was similar.
She said that no elf has ever done such a thing, and it could easily become a pretext for the elves in the Great Forest to attack.
But to ensure that the changes starting at the academy aren’t derailed, it’s necessary.
“Elenia, do you know why the parents of the elves who followed me from the village didn’t actively stop their children?”
“Because they have faith. Faith that their outstanding sons and daughters won’t face major issues in the human world. So they let them go, albeit reluctantly.”
“On the other hand, what about the parents of the human students at the academy? If they knew an elf was in the same space as their sons and daughters, what would they think?”
If we leave a good impression on the academy students for the future.
And if we make our presence known to the nobles, the backbone of the empire, for the present.
Even if the village elders or adults reprimand me for this, I won’t mind.
‘In the process of making elves great again, I don’t necessarily have to be great myself.’