The Gloomy and Timid Princess Heads to the Academy

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This is the great forest of the elves, existing only in the realm of settings. I was busy taking in the scenery around me, filled with the excitement of a country bumpkin visiting the city for the first time.

Although there was still an air of chaos lingering, it couldn’t be helped. When I inquired what had happened, an elf told me that they had all suddenly fallen asleep.

The reason was unclear, and the area around Mother World Tree was said to be almost annihilated, which only added to my unease. The elf briefly explained the situation before saying they needed to go manage things and hurriedly left.

Even considering that disturbing incident, it was still a beautiful place.

Lush greenery flourished all around, flowers bloomed haphazardly, and butterflies fluttered through the air as if this were a paradise.

Surely, Hoyeon would acknowledge some of that beauty. After all, they would compare it with their homeland.

Lost in my thoughts as I wandered aimlessly, I realized I had lost my way. But I wasn’t too worried. Anyone around would kindly answer my questions.

The reason most elves were strangely kind to humans had been hinted at in the original work. There was the speculation that they were a helper race created by the Goddess for humanity, along with Georg’s direct mention of playing the caregiver role, which was tiresome. Then there were the elves’ actions in the original work.

Although it wasn’t directly stated, it was evident that the Goddess created elves for the sake of humans.

…Well, the reason I was taking in the sights was that I was worried I might not see them again later. Not knowing Jeongho’s true character, it was hard to be certain, but if a war broke out, most likely everything would be destroyed. I hoped there wouldn’t be a war, but that seemed unlikely.

In the Q&A, Jeongho’s goal was described as a “world without conflict.” After several readers scratched their heads about what that meant, the consensus emerged that it meant conquering the world to eliminate disputes between nations. When I asked the author, they confirmed it.

What in the world is going on in the East? I still don’t know. If only I could exhale my complicated feelings in a sigh, how much easier life would be.

“…Sigh. Nothing seems to be going right.”

Looking back, nearly everything I had planned at the start of the term had failed.

Items and such turned out to be useless once I got them, or they weren’t even in that location. Events had all changed or disappeared completely.

Most importantly, my relationships with the heroines never stood a chance from the beginning. At least my relationship with Hoyeon was amicable, but it was essentially a one-sided dynamic.

She just wasn’t aware of her position as the dominant one.

“I’d like to hear what’s been going wrong; would that be alright?”

I was surprised not by who reacted to my mumbling, but by the voice of someone who shouldn’t be here.

I stifled a scream rising to my throat, and slowly turned my head to find Gloria standing there with a relaxed smile.

“…Lady Gloria? Weren’t you in recovery…?”

It had barely been a week since the church announced that the saint had awakened, and I wondered if someone who had only been awake that long should be wandering around like this.

“So I’m recovering now. How could there be a better place to recuperate than the great forest?”

“Ah… yes, that’s true, but… are you serious…?”

I couldn’t shake the feeling that it sounded somewhat like an excuse. If she weren’t an apostle, it wouldn’t have been the case, but being an apostle surely meant there must be a reason for her movement.

“Am I pretending to be sick or something?”

“Oh, no! I just wish you a speedy recovery.”

I thought about backing off before I got caught in some tedious conversation. I had a hunch that Hoyeon would be looking for me soon.

There was no benefit in making her wait, so I tried to hurry back when Gloria called out and stopped me.

“Wait a moment! If you’re not busy, could you answer one question?”

I could ignore her and leave, but that might make me suspicious, so it was probably better to reply. It wouldn’t look good to act that way towards someone from the church.

“Yes, of course. What’s your question?”

“It’s about Hoyeon. Since you’re close to Hoyeon, I thought you might know. Is it possible that Hoyeon is related to demons?”

Upon hearing Gloria’s question, my body stiffened involuntarily. I felt a bit guilty about it. The “God” she praises must be a demon.

…But this was a topic unrelated to the demons of this continent. Her God is in the East. And saying they were connected would undoubtedly end in trouble.

But what about me? Although I had purified and burned magic, I had magic embedded in me. Seeing that even the saint couldn’t recognize it, I felt as if Georg truly was right, but that didn’t ease my conscience.

“…No. She has no relation whatsoever.”

But, you know, I didn’t want to get caught up in any complicated matters.

“I see. Then… it seems it will become complicated. Thank you for your cooperation. Having a reliable ally like you is a blessing in itself. Take care.”

…But she’s not particularly trustworthy. After all, she lies quite often. I guess it doesn’t matter much. It’s unlikely I’ll see her again.

Hurrying my steps back to my room, I found the interior organized far more neatly than when I had left, and Hoyeon was stroking Yoonho nearby.

“Dokan, where did you go?”

I didn’t have to be in the room, and she hadn’t said she wanted to meet me, so it should have been me feeling wronged, but looking at her made my desire to argue go back into my mind.

Behind her angry expression was sadness.

“I went for a walk while taking a look around. I should have left a note on the desk, sorry. I should have known you were coming.”

Hoyeon, seemingly dissatisfied, continued to stroke Yoonho, then set him down, grasping my hand firmly.

“…Next time, just tell me. Being alone is lonely.”

“Got it, got it. But could you please let go of this for now? I feel like it’s about to break.”

“Ah… sorry!”

Phew. I really thought it was going to break. Even if it did, it would heal quickly. Though, Hoyeon seemed to want to avoid letting go of me, as she had wrapped her tail around my leg.

Looking at her like this, I couldn’t tell who really held the dominant position. Even so, it was true that she was in an absolutely superior position.

She was gazing at me as if wanting something. But the soundproofing wasn’t perfect like in a dorm, and more importantly, it was broad daylight.

“…Not now, Hoyeon. Let’s do it at night. If we can’t then, we can do it another time, okay?”

She seemed unpleased and headbutted me in the chest. But at least I could prevent anything from being announced to everyone. What a relief, what a relief.

—

Georg, no. Eliott was inspecting around the World Tree. He disliked being addressed by the name given to him as an elf, but ironically, someone wanted to call him that.

He felt like he was returning to a time when he believed he was the best. A one-of-a-kind genius, the revolutionary of magical studies, the archmage.

These were titles he had built up as a researcher, not as the wizard of a hero party. If it weren’t for the demon invasion, he would have lived his life helping those who upheld him.

However, his encounter with demons and heroes changed everything.

It changed simply from his body to drastically changing his ideology.

Why was it that he and his compatriots couldn’t do anything if they were “human”? What was the reason?

To uncover that, he plunged into what seemed like an unyielding inquiry. The structure of the body, the structure of consciousness, and the origin of the Goddess.

The relationship and commonality between mana, divine power, and magic. The fundamental connectors deducible from the spells he created that could interchange freely.

Everything pointed East. The land where the Goddess said all demons and dreadful things gathered, a place whose very existence was unclear.

Unfortunately, the White Royal Family’s Eldest Daughter was not much of a help.

Though her appearance was similar, he could only ascertain that she was a completely different native from the East.

Even that reckless girl understood that if she were to take her apart, irreversible consequences would arise.

If he were to dissect her, his research could have a significant breakthrough, but he didn’t want his inquiry to end there.

“…Then, it’s best I stick to hints that still hold some promise.”

Feeling something reminiscent of magic, but it wasn’t magic: the remnants of some unidentified power permeated everywhere, he speculated that things might escalate further.

Firstly, it was to find the source of the mana and divine power, and the origin of magic, as that power was surely the same force he felt while combating demons back in his time as the wizard of the hero party.

“Eliott, have you found out anything?”

An elder cautiously asked him if he understood the situation, but he shook his head.

“I’m not at a stage I can be certain of yet. Old man, if possible, can you seal this place? It seems like I’ll be stuck here for at least a week.”

“…A seal, if that’s what you want.”

If my hypothesis holds true, at the very least, everyone should have enough time to escape.

Muttering that to himself, he began to quietly prepare.