“Should I step away?”
The stranger elf looked at Faust and his companion, tilting her head as her long flaxen hair slid from her fair, slender shoulders.
“But if possible, I would like to watch from the side. I have never seen two such beautiful humans mating before.”
“An elf?!”
Viviana instantly switched to a combat stance. Along with a brilliant white light flowing through her palm, she produced a sharp longsword, pointing it at the elf who had suddenly appeared.
Even while enjoying time alone with her beloved, Viviana had maintained her perception and alertness toward her surroundings. Yet, until the other party spoke, she had been completely unaware of her presence.
While privately annoyed at her own negligence, alarm bells rang in Viviana’s mind.
This elf was terrifyingly strong—at the very least, far stronger than herself.
Facing the blade of the golden-haired girl, the stranger elf remained entirely unperturbed, simply continuing her inquiry:
“So, you aren't mating?”
“Excellency, are you... trying to provoke us?”
Just as Viviana was about to move, Faust reached out to stop her, offering the elf a smile.
“We aren't mating.”
“Is that so? How disappointing.”
The stranger elf sighed. She hooked the branch she was standing on with her toes and hung upside down from the tree.
Placing one's entire body weight on a thin, fragile branch was impressive enough, but this movement was a complete violation of gravity! It was a forceful defiance!
It was unclear how she achieved it, but the sight was truly shocking.
“I was quite looking forward to it. It’s rare to encounter something interesting here.”
The beauty of the stranger elf was exquisite, and her voice, clear as a silver bell, was so pleasant that one could almost overlook her outrageous remarks.
Faust proposed, “Excellency, it is a matter of fate that we meet. We happen to be having afternoon tea; would you like to join us?”
“Your Highness?”
Viviana immediately looked at Faust, whispering, “I... I have no certainty of defeating this elf. Even if I let ‘her’ out, it wouldn't be enough.”
The status of a 【witch】 was indeed noble, but for the moment, Cinderella's strength had not yet undergone a qualitative change... No, that wasn't entirely correct. In fact, Viviana’s occult attainment had grown at a staggering pace, roughly doubling her usual strength.
However, even if her combat power doubled, she was still no match for the elf across from them.
Faust shook his head.
“It’s fine. I believe this elf has no ill intent. Right?”
The elf scrutinized Faust upon hearing this, then gave a slight nod.
“Alright.”
She dropped from the branch, her toes lightly touching the lake surface as she walked across the water as if it were solid ground.
Once she reached the boat, Faust made a space for her, and she naturally knelt down before the tea table.
Seeing this, Viviana sheathed her sword and returned to Faust’s side.
In truth, her vigilance was somewhat redundant. According to the unspoken rules, the assassination or physical coercion of an occult noble was a taboo; almost no one would attempt such a thing.
In the past, Faust had thought this was a result of aristocratic society maintaining the transcendent status of the privileged.
The prince had been quite puzzled at the time, wondering if everyone truly adhered so strictly to martial ethics.
But now, Faust understood. This was likely a restriction set by the wheel of destiny. If extraordinary powerhouses were allowed to act lawlessly, many scripts simply could not be enacted.
“Thank you.”
The elf wasn't reserved at all. Once seated, she began to devour the snacks.
“Mmm... human food isn't that refined, but the taste is decent.”
Faust watched the elf stuffing her cheeks with pastries like a hamster, his eyelids lowering slightly.
“Your Highness, this is very unusual,” Viviana whispered to the prince.
Faust nodded. “I know what you mean.”
This fantastical world naturally contained more than just the human race, but it wasn't overly diverse—especially regarding elves. They were quite rare in human kingdoms.
This was because almost all elves originated from the ancient Zhexuan Kingdom, a land far removed from the Qingxi Kingdom.
Even for elves traveling abroad, they shouldn't be this far from their homeland.
Faust already had a suspicion. For a seemingly powerful elf to appear in a remote little place like the Qingxi Kingdom, such an anomaly had to be linked to Mephistopheles's arrangements.
He had mentioned finding an absolutely excellent teacher; could it be the woman before him?
While reflecting, Faust asked, “Excellency, might I ask your name?”
The elf with the long flaxen hair licked the chocolate from her fingers and answered without hesitation.
“My full name is a bit of a mouthful. For humans, you can just call me Mystoria.”
“Oh, so it's Miss Mystoria... Wait, Mystoria? Is it that Mystoria?”
Faust, who had been resting his chin on his crossed fingers, suddenly stood up and struck the table.
Mystoria stopped eating her biscuit and tilted her head.
“I don't know which one you mean. There are quite a few people with that name in my clan.”
The prince of Qingxi calmed his excitement and sat back down. Recalling the legends he knew, he listed them off perfectly:
“The world-renowned elf martial saint, the champion warrior of Zhexuan Kingdom, participant in the subjugation of great demons like the Mother of Vipers and the Lord of Phantoms, and the one who once crushed an entire imperial legion single-handedly! The hero with countless legendary feats!”
“Then that would be me.”
Hearing her grand achievements from the man's mouth, Mystoria merely responded indifferently, as if it were an insignificant anecdote about someone else, and focused on the biscuit in her hand.
Faust took a deep breath and continued, “Excellency Mystoria, how did you come to Qingxi? I recall Zhexuan Kingdom being... quite far from here.”
“Qingxi... is that the name of this human kingdom? I haven't heard of it. Your human kingdoms change far too quickly.”
The legendary elven hero first offered a sigh of lament, then shook her head.
“I don't know the difference between human nations. I recently got lost in this forest. I hadn't intended to travel in this direction, but the scenery here is nice, so I figured I’d stay for a while.”
Good, good. Mephistopheles, you’ve really done it. To actually kidnap the elf martial saint... as far as teachers go, there are few people who could be stronger than Mystoria!
Faust could hardly contain his grin. As for why Mystoria had "gotten lost," there was no need to wonder; it was certainly the work of Mephistopheles.
Is this what it feels like to have a fairy backing you?
He had speculated on who Mephistopheles might find as a teacher, considering various professions and identities, even fantasizing about a grail knight, but he never expected it to be a legendary hero as famous as Mystoria.
Rate on N.U.
