When she was young, Lily, like everyone around her, used to dream of living a happy life.
She hoped to meet a good companion like her parents did, someone she could rely on and love for a lifetime.
And from that relationship, she dreamed of having a child like herself, living a harmonious and fulfilling life.
After quite some time had passed, that dream finally came true.
She celebrated her coming-of-age ceremony, met the love of her life, and gave birth to a precious daughter.
Up until then, Lily believed without a doubt that everything was perfect.
“See you later.”
That was until the one she loved suddenly decided he wanted to see the outside world and left the village.
“…”
A huge hole formed in the happiness she had been steadily building, and through that hole, other things began to slip away.
Her husband, who had said he would only be gone for a short while, never returned, not even as time passed—no news, no word.
The other villagers told her it seemed like he wasn’t coming back and advised her to stop waiting and live her own life, but Lily refused to give up.
However, the greater the wait, the greater the disappointment—it was only natural.
Eventually, Lily became certain that he would never return and fell into deep despair.
If it weren’t for her daughter by her side, she would have completely broken down.
“Seril. You won’t leave Mommy’s side, right? Promise me?”
She made her daughter promise.
Her daughter would stay by her side forever.
That’s what they agreed to.
She wouldn’t let her daughter, who might take after her father, be tempted by curiosity about the outside world and abandon her too.
But as things often go in life, what happens once tends to happen again.
“Mom, I’ll be back.”
“Seril.”
“There’s something I need to do. I’ll stay by that fool’s side.”
Her daughter, who had suddenly disappeared from the village and then returned, declared her bold ambition.
Her eyes, her voice—there wasn’t even a hint of hesitation, which left Lily flustered.
“And while I’m out, I’ll look for Dad too. I’ll find out where he is and what he’s doing. And if I find him, I’ll bring him back home.”
Seril must have felt the absence of her father deeply too.
He wasn’t there when she was a child, and even as she approached adulthood, he remained absent.
And now, with her close friend also leaving, her heart must have been stirred.
The fact that she mentioned finding her father showed how much she had been longing for him.
Lily should have stopped her.
She wanted to stop her.
She wanted to ask if Seril was going to leave her too.
But she couldn’t bring herself to do it—perhaps because Seril had the same eyes as her husband.
That look of determination, even if there was a moment of hesitation, she knew Seril wouldn’t change her mind.
The moment Lily saw that look, she had to accept that she couldn’t stop her daughter.
In fact, she even smiled a little.
She was just like her father.
If there was something she needed to do, she would make the choice without hesitation and move forward.
She was ready to sacrifice anything for that goal.
“Lily, can I come in for a moment?”
This voice belonged to Hamara, her neighbor.
Some of the villagers were hostile toward their neighbors, but Lily wasn’t like that.
Hamara was also a decent elf, and they occasionally visited each other, maintaining a good relationship.
“I just heard some news from Hadishi. Do you want to hear it?”
Hadishi. Hamara’s daughter. Lily remembered her as a child who showed considerable talent in spirit magic.
She was quite curious, which was why she left the forest and ventured into the human world.
It had been a little over three years since then, and she occasionally sent news about herself and other peers.
“Let’s see. ‘Hi, Mom. This time, I fought a monster again…’ Ugh, this kid, really. Please stop fighting those stupid creatures.”
From the very beginning, Hamara let out a deep sigh, clearly frustrated.
But it was still an improvement.
At first, she had been furious, asking if all her daughter did outside the forest was brawl.
After all, she had taught her spirit magic, only for her to suddenly decide to learn martial arts instead.
If Hamara were Lily and Hadishi were Seril, Lily would have reacted similarly.
But as time passed, now that it had been over three years, Hamara had almost given up.
Her daily routine now included praying once a day that her daughter wouldn’t get hurt or run into trouble.
Though, to be fair, there were few creatures that could seriously harm an elf.
“And… um, Lily. Do you remember Kiyen?”
“Royen’s son, right?”
“Right. Royen’s son. I told you before, didn’t I? He entered a human academy.”
Lily nodded.
“This time, he became the vice president of the student council there.”
“Then who’s the president?”
“Probably a human, right?”
At that, Lily suddenly wondered how Royen would react if he heard this.
If his son had been pushed aside by a human and only became the vice president instead of the president.
Would he be angry at the human, or would he scold his own son for being surpassed?
“Royen seems to have resigned himself to it now.”
“Did you tell him?”
“Yeah. At first, he sighed deeply, saying his son had been surpassed by a human, but then he said, ‘Well, being vice president is still something.’ Given the difference in numbers, it’s actually a decent achievement.”
Something had changed.
Hamara, Royen, herself, and the other villagers.
A few years ago, they had all shown resentment toward that child, Tyreal.
But after Seril returned once, and as news continued to come in over time, things had gradually changed.
There wasn’t a clear turning point, but little by little, things were shifting.
“This time, the parents of the kids who went outside the village are thinking of forming a group.”
“A group?”
“Yeah. It’s nothing big. The kids are out there, and they must miss things from the forest. So we thought we could gather some things and send them once a year.”
“That sounds nice.”
For humans, sending something once a year might seem like too little.
But for elves, sending something once a year was actually quite frequent.
Especially considering the unspoken rule that they usually didn’t interfere in each other’s affairs.
…Come to think of it, the ones driving this atmosphere were mostly parents with children who hadn’t yet reached adulthood.
Whether it was a coincidence or calculated, if those children had already had their coming-of-age ceremonies, their parents probably wouldn’t have cared as much.
But since they were just on the cusp of adulthood, the parents couldn’t simply cut off their concern.
As a result, they naturally became more involved in matters outside the forest.
Even if they weren’t stepping out themselves to see and hear with their own eyes and ears.
They were waiting for news to come in and reacting to various events.
“The adults… their reaction last time wasn’t great.”
“It’s always like that. But lately, they’ve been quieter.”
“Surprising. Back when we were their age, they would have been furious.”
“There were a lot of factors. The incident with Mother Forest’s bow, and… your daughter, Seril, too.”
“I thought they’d eventually overturn it, citing age or something.”
Elven society is rigid. No, perhaps “rigid” isn’t enough to describe it.
Given their long lifespans, the years they’ve lived are valued more than anything else.
Since their talents in magic and spirit arts are similar, what ultimately sets them apart is usually time.
There are rare exceptions, but even they eventually conform to the order.
Why?
Because in this closed society, standing out too much means you’ll end up isolated.
And if you’re too isolated, you’ll end up alone, unable to blend in anywhere.
Even though elves value individuality, living completely apart from others isn’t an option.
Above all, they love their history and traditions, so they don’t openly rebel against them.
So, it’s only natural that those who want to change are a tiny minority.
Without the will, the thought, or the need, and without the desire to change, it’s only natural.
But this time, things didn’t go that way. This wasn’t just about the young ones anymore.
“Later, when you have time, Lily.”
“…”
“Do you want to go out?”
“Leave the village?”
“Yeah. Just step outside the forest for a bit…”
“Who would have thought Hadishi’s mom would be so full of curiosity.”
At that, Hamara chuckled and replied.
“We’re still young, aren’t we? We’re not like the elders, rooted in place and unable to move.”
“Hmm.”
“To be honest, yes. I’m curious. But the cost of satisfying that curiosity was too high, so I couldn’t do it. But now, it’s different, isn’t it?”
Once the floodgates are opened, they don’t close, and now it’s become a huge gap.
It’s impossible to go back to how things were before.
Even maintaining the status quo would be difficult.
It might not be now, but eventually, there will come a time when a choice must be made.
Either be swept away by the current, or use that current to reach places you couldn’t before in one swift move.
“Make the elves great again!”
Seril’s childhood friend, that young elf named Tyreal.
His words echoed strangely clearly in her mind.