“Uhhahaha!!! My little ones!!! Come here!!!”
“Umm… is this really right?”
“I don’t know either…”
The two siblings were at a loss as they watched the utterly ridiculous sight of a young girl, still at the lower elementary school level, stretching out her hands and saying something that a grandfather might say.
Still, they awkwardly sat next to Estel, stiffened in place.
Estel had explained everything about her journey since coming to this world, but the siblings could barely understand half of it.
Whenever they tried to focus on the story, they couldn’t help but get distracted by the sight of the long ears twitching and the chubby cheeks puffing up. It made it impossible to concentrate.
“Umm… so, who’s who?”
“I’m Hyunsoo, and that’s Hanhee.”
“Yeah, grandpa?”
“Right! This big one is the older one, and this little one is the younger one! Yes! My little ones! Don’t you want to see your old grandpa?”
“We did want to see you, but we never thought it would be like this.”
“Me neither.”
Estel’s voice, which rang out as she pointed between the two siblings and laughed heartily, sounded exactly like a grandfather, but her appearance made it hard to know how to react, and the two of them had their heads in their hands.
“Uhh… so, who are you then?”
“Ah, hello. But, um… are you really the chairman of Hanseong Corporation?”
Eventually, Estel, who had learned the identity of her visitors, also called over Tene, who had been sitting absentmindedly in the square.
However, Tene, who had entered the room but couldn’t bring herself to approach the Evergarden family gathering, was fidgeting with her fingers and carefully asked Estel.
“Of course! I raised them from that little hole-in-the-wall shop!”
Estel smiled and nodded in response.
“Wow… this is really amazing…! I’ve only seen you on the news, mostly when it’s about embezzlement or corruption!”
“…Haha… How old are you? You’re so bold for someone so young…”
But the response she got, though not meant with malice, was as sharp as a knife, exposing his weaknesses. Estel almost dropped the cigarette she was holding.
“Wow… I’ve never seen a kid who says stuff like that with a smile.”
“…But they’re a good kid.”
Despite the sharp words and bright smile, Tene’s true nature wasn’t malicious, which was exactly what made the two siblings shudder, realizing there was no ill intent behind the comment.
“Ahem…! Former chairman. I didn’t expect you to come all the way here. When I first saw this logo, I had an inkling, but I didn’t think you’d actually come…”
“Ugh, stop calling me former chairman! Just call me grandpa.”
“…Yes, grandpa.”
“Elder, by the way, how did you…?”
“Well, that’s a good question. I’m young, but of all things, I ended up in this body…”
“…Cough, haahaha!! No, seriously…! I tried to hold it in, but…! What the heck is that?!”
On the opposite side, Darian, who had been maintaining a serious expression, finally couldn’t hold back and burst into laughter.
In her past life, Estel had always been big and in a high position, showing a bold and brash demeanor, like a typical tough man. But now, seeing her sit on a chair with her legs dangling off the floor, swinging aimlessly, Darian couldn’t help but laugh.
“Tch, yeah. From the looks of it, she really must be our granddaughter-in-law.”
“She’s exactly like the type who’d never back down.”
Estel, who was looking at Darian, whose belly was up from laughing, clicked her tongue and muttered.
Though they weren’t exactly enemies, whenever they met, the two would bicker. Estel would complain about how someone like that ended up with their precious grandson, and Darian would tease her, calling her an old, out-of-touch figure.
But now that there were children, they would exchange playful words, and after Rosaria and Felix were born, they’d talk and laugh together.
However, when Freya left the family to marry Darian, Estel almost lost her mind from rage.
“Hah…! If you see this, I wonder if the elder’s sons will believe it… Haahaha!”
“This is…! Oh my! I can’t believe this woman is our grandson’s wife. Our grandson deserves someone much better! Tch…”
“Grandpa, actually, I’m also holding it in.”
“Ugh. There’s not a single person I can trust.”
“But, you’re still cute! Being cute is the ultimate weapon, right?”
“Yeah, you’re right. Only our great-grandchildren are…!”
“I’ve changed into a woman! Grandpa, when you get older, you’ll grow up quickly too!”
whisper “Elves take at least a hundred years to mature to middle school level, so don’t say stuff like that.”
“…Ah…”
“Enough, enough!!! Let’s stop with the side talk and talk about your story!!!”
Just as Estel was about to get teary-eyed from the sympathy of her great-grandchildren, she realized that she couldn’t trust anyone, and she shouted.
“…I see, I’m starting to understand things to some extent.”
After the commotion passed, Estel nodded and muttered while exchanging information with Freya.
“Do you have any plans moving forward?”
“As I mentioned earlier, the goal is to raise the level of the fief to a certain degree.”
“Right, it would be best to stabilize the chaotic main base first and then take action.”
“Since this world isn’t the same as the world we knew, if we move recklessly, we could end up in trouble.”
“Given that, it seems your grandfather moved rather hastily.”
“Grandson, if you live here for just a few days, you’ll see. These long-eared worms will live like this for a thousand or ten thousand years unless they do something drastic.”
“The reason I moved so quickly is because of some special circumstances.”
“Still, I’m glad that your actions allowed us to find our way here.”
“Right… By the way, was it ‘Tene?’”
“Yes?”
“It seems that this person has been very helpful, huh? Honestly, when I saw that huge lizard outside the window, my heart just dropped.”
Estel still vividly recalled that moment. While she was busy changing the venue of the elder council meeting to a temporary office, a sudden and overwhelming pressure filled the air. She had dashed inside the building in panic and seen Tene from a distance.
Her heart had constricted, and her ears had been buzzing uncontrollably. Even though she was still far from Tene, her heightened sixth sense had reacted sensitively, screaming at her to run. She had struggled to suppress that impulse.
“Elves are quite sensitive to such things, huh? Is it still that intense?”
“Did that old man Gordon say it? It feels like watching something that isn’t human wearing a human disguise and imitating it… it’s a deeply unsettling feeling.”
Unlike Freya, who felt Tene was just a normal girl when in human form, Estel, especially being a pure-blood elf, felt a menacing aura even though Tene was in polymorph form and hiding her true appearance.
“Still, since I know her true form, I can relax a bit.”
“A lizard… but it’s not…?”
The reason Estel was able to stay calm until now was because she knew the terrifying creature was actually a modern-day high school student. It was somewhat amusing to see such a fearsome monster looking dejected because it had been called a lizard.
“Still, she’s been quite helpful. Since we know this world was based on modern-day creations, just knowing that the strongest being, who will appear in the final stages, is on our side gives us some peace of mind about the future.”
“Her combat abilities are also excellent. It didn’t even take her 30 minutes to travel from our fief to this vast forest.”
“Oh… I’m quite intrigued by that. This world, aside from certain special individuals, has very poor transportation, so I’m thinking that if we can dominate several sales routes, it could lead to a lot of good ideas right away!”
But, on the other hand, considering the overwhelming advantage of having such a fearsome ally, the current situation was closer to the best-case scenario than the worst.
“I’ve had a good idea.”
“Really?”
“The elves have enjoyed thousands of years of peace, and now, after this unprecedented incident today, they’re in complete chaos.”
“And in this situation, I’ve come up with a clear way to resolve things and boost the elves’ support.”
With a knowing smile, Estel thought of the elves outside who were feeling bewildered and unsure, then spoke confidently.
“So, Tene? Should I call you Tene?”
“Yes! Um… what should I call you? President? Elder?”
“Haha, just call me Grandpa.”
“Ah, okay! Grandpa!”
“But, Tene, there’s something I’d like to ask you…”
“…?”
Estel, still smiling kindly, looked at Tene and opened her mouth.
“What’s going on inside right now?”
“The princess is said to be talking with the dragon and the humans who control the dragon!”
“Really, who would have thought such a thing would happen in our lifetime…”
“World Tree… what are we supposed to do now…”
Outside the royal castle.
As rumors spread that the dragon had invaded the Great Forest and then entered the royal castle to have a conversation with the third princess, many elves gathered in front of Helio Plaza, the heart of the Great Forest, overwhelmed by anxiety.
This incident was especially shocking to the elves who had lived in peace for thousands of years.
A dragon had invaded!
And humans came along with it!
Even more unbelievable, they said the humans had tamed the dragon!
Impossible!
And those humans who had gone to their territories on the princess’s orders? They were said to have come too!
Could it be… that the humans had involved the dragon to take revenge?
What will happen to the Great Forest?
As people gathered and more rumors spread, countless theories began circulating, mixing small truths with gossip and wild speculation.
Despite this, all the elves gathered here shared a common fear.
What’s happening inside the royal castle? What does the princess think? Could the dragon suddenly appear and devour us for lunch?
Various anxieties and fears spread like a contagion, and the elves began to tremble in fear.
At that moment.
Whooosh—!
“Look, look over there!!! It’s the dragon!!!”
“Tenebrix Nox!!!”
At that moment, something far too large to be hidden by the royal buildings soared through the air, and slowly began descending to the center of the plaza, its massive wings spreading wide.
“We’re going to die!!”
“Run!!”
“It’s the end!!!”
“Did I die?”
“It was a pretty decent elf life.”
Half of the elves, completely panicked by the sudden appearance of the dragon, were frantically running away, while the other half stood frozen, accepting their fate.
Boom—
With its menacing eyes, sharp claws large enough to tear the ground apart with every step, and a thick, powerful tail that whipped like a whip with every movement, Tenebrix Nox stepped into the center of the plaza that had been left empty by the elves.
Standing tall, the dragon looked down at the elves, Then.
“Dear elf citizens!!!!!!!!!!”
“…What’s this?”
“Is that… the princess?”
“Look over there!!!”
Elves turned their heads at the voice coming from above, pointing their fingers at Tenebrix Nox’s forehead.
“I, the third princess of the elves, Celebrían Estel, am here!!!!!!”
There, standing proudly with her back straight, was none other than the elf princess, Estel, shouting out to the gathered crowd.