“Inner turmoil? Hmm… but Sylvia doesn’t have any inner turmoil~”
“Eh?”
The little elf girl’s answer, given after much deep thought, actually left Keti a bit stumped. ‘No… she doesn’t have any inner turmoil? How am I supposed to play this out then?’
“Well, I feel like you look a bit disappointed, Big Sister. You didn’t come here with some kind of mission, did you?”
“Ah, no, no. I’m just a very warm-hearted person.”
Keti twitched the corner of her mouth awkwardly, then took a deep breath. Why did it feel like this little fellow was so difficult to deal with? She was like a total brat.
‘Was Sylvia always like this? She doesn’t look anything like the expressionless version of her adult self.’
Did elven personalities change that much as they grew up? Uh… thinking about it carefully, it seemed reasonable.
After all, it took much longer for an elf to grow up than a human. Maybe because they lived so long, they gradually became less lively.
Despite saying that, Keti really did come with a task — the quest from the temple.
“Hmm… since that’s the case, why don’t you help me out, Big Sister? Although I don’t have any worries… it seems my older sister has been deeply troubled.”
“If you can resolve her inner turmoil, then mine will naturally be resolved too~ After all, Sister’s business is Sylvia’s business.”
The little Elf Maiden looked at Keti with an expectant gaze, making the silver-haired girl nod thoughtfully. Was this actually a Chain Quest?
“Alright then. Lynn, let’s head over with Sylvia and take a look!”
“Sigh… before that, Miss Keti, could you first ask your future comrade who her sister is?”
Her enemy looked at her with a helpless expression, leaving Keti a bit speechless. This… who cared who she was? Solving the problem was all that mattered.
In this entire Elf Village, the only person she knew was Sylvia. Keti felt that whoever her sister was didn’t have much to do with leaving the Secret Realm.
However, since her enemy had spoken up, the little elf girl answered the question for Keti.
“Oh, my sister? Hehe, her name is Celthina. She’s the most talented Mage in the entire Elf Village. She’s a super-genius destined to become a Mage Executive in the future. She’s also my idol, and my most, most, most beloved sister~!”
“Pfft — !”
Eh? W-Wait, Celthina? That name sounded a bit familiar, haha…
‘Isn’t that the name of the Mage Executive who just led me through the gate? That elven lady…’
Good grief. She had to admit Sylvia’s description of her sister was accurate. Celthina really did become a Mage Executive in the future, and her talent was indeed high.
‘But is Sylvia actually such a sister-fanatic? Her eyes practically glow whenever she speaks about her sister… However, I don’t recall Sylvia ever mentioning her family before.’
She certainly didn’t know that Sylvia’s sister was that Mage Executive!
‘To think there was such a terrifying existence among my teammates — she’s practically royalty… *hiss*… No wonder this fellow used to wave her weapons around at the drop of a hat.’
‘She would cut people down the moment she went dark, seemingly unafraid of any consequences. So that was why?’
Keti felt a chill run down her spine just thinking about it. ‘Had I ever offended Sylvia before? Hmm… it seems that getting involved with Lynn has already offended her!’
‘It’s over… what should I do? I feel like life after leaving will be 100 times scarier than my current situation.’
Forget… forget it. She couldn’t stay here forever anyway; she would deal with it once she got out. But this trip to the Secret Realm was truly an information overload. There were so many things she hadn’t known before.
Thus, Keti took a deep breath and smiled at the little girl in front of her.
“Alright, in that case, can I trouble you to lead the way, Sylvia? I’d like to meet your sister as well.”
“You got it~ Hehe, Sister has been in a bad mood lately. I’ll catch a beautiful human girl to cheer her up.”
“I’m here too, you brat…”
Her enemy muttered from the side, but the little elf girl completely ignored him.
Before long, Keti arrived at a riverbank under the little elf girl’s guidance. There, an Elf Maiden with braided hair sat aimlessly by the shore, staring blankly at the flowing water.
Her mood did indeed seem quite poor.
Keti scratched her head, then turned around to instruct Lynn and the little elf girl.
“I’ll go talk to her alone. Lynn… hmm, you stay here and watch. If I can’t handle it, then you come over since you seem to understand her better. As for Sylvia, go play somewhere else. Just wait for my words. I’ll make sure your sister happily sends us out of the Barrier!”
“Understood!”
Consequently, Keti took a deep breath, walked slowly to the Elf Maiden’s side, and sat down next to her.
Celthina clearly noticed the newcomer. She slowly raised her head, sized the girl up, and then gave a disdainful smile before lowering her head once more.
“A human? That’s quite rare. Why are you in this village?”
“Well, I’m a traveler, I suppose. I came to the Elf Village to experience the local customs so I can tell my students what the home of the elves is like when I go back.”
Keti narrowed her eyes and smiled, projecting a friendly attitude. Unfortunately, the Celthina before her didn’t care for the goodwill the girl was radiating. She only let out a cold laugh and shook her head.
“Even within the Fairy Land, this place is quite hidden. Usually, I’m the only one who comes here. You, a mere traveler, must be quite capable to find such a spot.”
“Uh, well… by accident? As you can see, I didn’t know the way. I just wandered around and stumbled upon this place…”
“Hmph, drop the act. Sylvia told you to come, didn’t she? That child is so boring… to think she’d dare speak to a member of a foreign race like you…”
Celthina exposed the real reason Keti was able to come here in one go. That was really a bit awkward for Keti.
However, it didn’t matter. The silver-haired girl pinched her chin. In any case, her mastery of being thick-skinned had already reached a high level under Lynn’s influence. Thus, she immediately waved her hand and continued to smile.
“No, no. Who’s Sylvia? I don’t know her at all. I just saw you, a beautiful Miss elf, sitting all alone by the river. I was afraid you might do something drastic, so I rushed over to chat with you!”
“Hmm… so, you seem to be in a bad mood. Do you need someone to vent to? I’m highly qualified for the job! To tell you the truth, back in my Adventurer Party, my most important role was cheering up girls!”