[Alice POV]
That was another close call.
I never expected we'd nearly lost the chance to remain at the settlement for the second time.
It's a good thing that the Great Lord Shariradevi was fairly reasonable for someone with such an intimidating aura. I almost wet myself just by talking to her earlier. Luckily, I didn't.
"I'm sorry, you two."
Cyrene suddenly turned towards us and apologized, her voice weakening as she lowered her head in shame. Elinalise and I looked at each other in confusion before returning our focus to the pink-haired elf girl.
"Sorry for what exactly?" I asked, tilting my head curiously.
She glanced at us hesitantly and said, "I couldn't defend you both from Her Grace's scrutiny."
Ahh, now I get it. It's somewhat understandable that she feels so guilty for not being able to stand up to an imposing figure.
"It's alright, Cyrene," Elinalise reassured gently. "You did everything you could to protect us."
"She's right," I agreed, nodding my head in agreement. "Besides, if it weren't for your efforts, I wouldn't have mustered the courage to confront the elder myself."
When Cyrene heard our words of forgiveness, her face lit up and she let out a sigh of relief.
"Thank you for cheering me up," she muttered earnestly. "Anyway, shall we keep going?"
Elinalise and I both nodded in reply, then Cyrene turned back and led us into the barracks.
While walking, I noticed some notable locations within the sector. This includes a vast, open clearing with wooden targets in the distance, an obstacle course made out of cut wood and vines, and a more linear field with stone walls flanking the sides and the far end.
"Welcome to the barracks," Cyrene announced. "Here we have different facilities to train our settlement's scout rangers, watchguards, and even mages."
Oh? Did she just say mages? This means I could practice my mana control here if we're lucky enough to settle here permanently.
"So the people here practice magic, huh?" I blurted out.
"Of course!" Cyrene responded enthusiastically. "In fact, history says that our ancestors were the ones who created magic in this world."
"Really? That sounds interesting," I commented, pondering how the ancient elves had initially developed magic spells back then.
Eventually, we arrived in front of a massive stone building resembling a colosseum, with huge trees acting as natural pillars, while an even larger ancient tree loomed behind the structure.
While marvelling at the scenery, Elinalise couldn't help but be amazed.
"Wow... Where are we right now?" she asked curiously.
"We are at the border between the barracks and the academia," Cyrene explained. "This right here is the lecture hall, where elves come to learn.
"I see... how about the massive tree behind it?" I chimed in. "Is it part of the academia?"
Cyrene shook her head in response. "Nope, that one is THE academia itself."
Following her answer, I raised my gaze towards the ancient tree and studied it intently. Unlike the homes in the residential sector, this one looked far older beyond belief, its bark black and thick with countless glowing markings etched across its surface.
Bridges spiralled around the trunk while platforms dangled from different angles, crowded by many elves all throughout various spots of the tree.
Just looking at it made my head hurt.
As we continued walking forward, I started noticing the attires of the elves within this sector were drastically different from those we had seen elsewhere.
Most of them wore thick robes embroidered with intricate patterns instead of leather armour or practical worker clothes. Some carried stacks of parchment leaves while others discussed matters that sounded too complicated for casual conversation.
"These people feel completely different from those at the earlier sectors," I remarked quietly.
Cyrene nodded knowingly in response.
"That's because they are all scholars, sages, and researchers," she explained. "The academia exists to preserve knowledge, study magic, and uncover new discoveries for the settlement."
Wow... So this is basically a geek sanctuary just for me.
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As Cyrene continued explaining the importance of the academia, I noticed a small number of elves approaching us from the lecture hall.
Something about their expressions immediately bothered me.
Their gazes weren't curious like the bystanders' from before, but rather, they were arrogant.
One of them eventually marched forward ahead of the others. He was a tall elf with slicked-back silver hair and sharp eyes hidden behind thin crystal lenses.
The moment he saw us, the elf scowled in disgust.
"Just what are you commoners doing here, loitering about the sacred grounds?"
His condescending tone instantly killed the atmosphere, causing Elinalise to hide behind me.
Cyrene instantly stiffened before forcing out an awkward smile.
"G-Grand Sage Caelreth," she greeted nervously. "I was only giving these newcomers a quick tour of the—"
"Silence."
The scholar abruptly cut Cyrene off before turning his attention to Elinalise and me.
Almost immediately, his brow rose in recognition.
"Oh?" he mused haughtily. "So you two are the outsiders whom Great Lord Shariradevi nearly chased out earlier."
Ugh... Seriously?
This guy has the same energy as a college professor who fails students for breathing wrong.
I felt irritation bubbling inside me, but before I could say something, Cyrene quickly walked in front of us defensively.
"Their situation had already been resolved, Grand Sage," she argued carefully. "So there's no reason for us to involve ourselves in that matter."
In response to her interruption, Caelreth narrowed his eyes in offense.
"How bold of you," he replied sharply. "Women like yourself should know better than to speak over a sage."
The surrounding scholars gossiped among themselves while Cyrene shrank back.
"But Grand Sage, we don't want any trouble," she pleaded timidly. "If you want, we'll just—"
"Silence!"
The arrogant scholar dismissed Cyrene again, causing her to freeze in place.
"Those who fail to respect proper order deserve retribution," Caelreth declared cockily. "Even more so when they dare challenge men of higher standing, such as me."
As those words left his mouth, I could feel my blood boiling from anger.
Wow... This bastard is a piece of shit. I can't believe someone like him exists in this world.
Looking at Cyrene, I noticed her body was trembling, clearly afraid of provoking him further.
The moment I saw that, something inside me snapped.
You know what? Screw this guy.
I separated myself from Elinalise and walked past Cyrene before speaking.
"Hey, dickhead."
The scholars around me gasped in disbelief, and the bastard's eyes twitched.
"What did you just call me?" he demanded, his voice lowering further.
"I said you're a dickhead," I repeated boldly. "Anyways, you said women shouldn't speak over a condescending bastard like yourself, right?"
For a second, I paused before continuing.
"Does this mean you look down on the three archaic sisters governing this settlement?"
Upon saying those words, Caelreth's arrogant facade cracked.
"You insolent little bitch!"
His face twisted in fury, veins clearly popping from his forehead.
"You have no idea what you're talking about!"
Great, I successfully ragebaited this bastard.
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[Third POV, earlier]
Somewhere in the academia, Shariradevi walked into a huge dome-shaped hall with terraced seats surrounding half of its vicinity. In the center of the room stood a desk, and behind it sat a figure concealed beneath layers of shadow, playing a certain board game.
Without hesitation, the orange-haired elf woman walked towards the figure and banged both hands against the desk, almost knocking everything placed upon it.
"Hey, big sis, guess who I ran into earlier?"
The figure remained unfazed by Shariradevi's upbeat tone. Instead, she calmly moved one of the pieces on the board before her, prompting an opposing piece to slide on its own.
"You know this place is a sacred ground, right?" she scolded sternly. "Also, judging from your mood, I assume you encountered those two outsiders."
Ignoring the reprimand, Shariradevi crossed her arms and flashed a confident grin.
"Yeah, and it turns out they weren't as bad as I expected."
"Oh?" the figure reacted, shifting another piece forward. "Then by all means, enlighten me."
At the request of her older sister, Shariradevi started recounting the encounter she had with Alice and Elinalise, from the moment she met them at the bowyer's station until after she left them behind. The tale flowed smoothly as another enemy piece made its move on the board.
"And that's how those two ended up staying in the settlement."
After listening to the entire narrative, the figure captured one of the enemy pieces and let out a sigh of disappointment.
"So let me get this straight," she murmured sharply. "You almost managed to intimidate those two into leaving, only to be swayed by the one who recently spoke our language in the end."
Offended by her older sister's remark, Shariradevi's eyebrow twitched slightly, prompting the opposing piece to advance riskily.
"Oi, don't say it like that!" she snapped back. "The young lass had the guts to speak, which is more than I can say for half the people around here."
"Guts alone are meaningless without reason," the figure argued calmly, seizing another piece with precise control. "A desperate animal may also bear its fangs when cornered."
The response immediately soured Shariradevi's mood, her teeth gritting in frustration.
"If you're so smart, why don't you go see them for yourself?"
Clack...
Hearing the remark, the figure paused and accidentally let go of the piece she was holding to the board, which caused the opposing piece to seize it.
A brief silence filled the hall afterwards.
Then—
"Ugh..."
The figure sighed and rose slowly from her seat, causing the shadows to shift slightly around her form. Seeing that, Shariradevi smirked triumphantly.
"What? Did my comment upset you that badly, or was it because the game beat you?"
The figure glanced towards the unfinished board before turning her back entirely.
"Neither," she answered calmly. "I simply believe it's time for me to assess those outsiders."
With composed steps, she walked away from the desk.
However, just before leaving the hall completely, the figure paused.
"And for the record," she added without turning back, "I didn't lose because I was upset."
A faint sound echoed behind her as one of her pieces shifted across the board by itself.
"I lost because I chose to."
Following those cryptic words, the figure moved on, leaving Shariradevi alone within the vast chamber. Finally, the orange-haired elf woman couldn't help but laugh and talk to herself.
"Good luck, young lassie—"
---------------------------------------------------
Meanwhile, outside the lecture hall, Alice stood her ground against the Grand Sage Cealreth, whom she angered with an absurd question that made the nearby scholars and even Cyrene utterly stunned. Elinalise, however, remained silent, concerned about the escalating situation unfolding before her.
"You have no idea what you're talking about!"
As the sage shouted, he raised his arms towards Alice, intending to grab her by the throat.
"Cease this foolishness!"
Just as Caelreth could lay his hand on her, a cold, deep voice echoed throughout the area.
Everyone within the vicinity turned their heads towards the source of the noise and noticed a massive silhouette coming out of the entrance of the lecture hall. Their aura was gloomy and cold, enough to send a chill down every scholar's spine.
Alice, on the other hand, noticed something else.
She realized that the closer the figure approached the exterior of the building, the more their towering height seemed to shrink unnaturally.
Wait... Why is it getting smaller?
Eventually, sunlight hit the individual's face, revealing their true appearance.
The figure turned out to be a petite elf girl with braided blue hair and piercing cyan eyes. She wore an oversized robe embroidered with elaborate patterns alongside a brimless conical hat that almost compensated for her short, childish stature.
Her expression remained calm, yet her mere presence suffocated the atmosphere more than Caelreth's earlier outburst ever could.
She scanned the whole crowd, taking note of their faces, before letting out a tired sigh.
"I've only spoken to my sister for a moment, only to hear a ruckus as soon as I came out," she muttered coldly. "How unacceptable."
Hearing the elf girl's disappointed comment, the scholars backed away in fear, while Caelreth rushed forward and knelt before her.
"Oh, Greatest Lord Manovidya, please help us!" he pleaded desperately, his earlier arrogance falling apart. "Those awful outsiders were causing a commotion in our sacred ground! Please, you have to—"
"Silence..."
The single word instantly shut Caelreth up, freezing him in place.
Even the surrounding air felt heavier afterwards.
Manovidya's gaze slowly shifted towards Alice's group before returning to the kneeling sage.
"I hate loud noises," she stated directly. "Especially when they come from sages incapable of keeping their opinions to themselves."
Caelreth's face paled immediately, his teeth gritting in frustration.
How does she know? It doesn't matter. I'll just blame that blonde bitch instead.
"B-But Your Grace, that outsider over there offended me as well as—"
"Really?"
The petite elder tilted her head upward, looking down on the sage taller than her.
"From what I observed upon arriving," she continued calmly, "you were the one attempting to humiliate someone in front of your entourage."
Some scholars collectively stiffened, knowing they were accomplices to a scheme.
Caelreth, however, was completely baffled by her guesses.
Why does she keep knowing my plans? Once I'm done here, that blonde bitch is done for.
The sage opened his mouth to argue further, only for Manovidya's eyes to narrow faintly.
"Would you like me to repeat what's going through your mind just now?"
"EEEEEEKKK?!"
That single response made Caelreth collapse to the ground, his mouth foaming in horror.
Seeing that, the elder turned towards the scholars and pointed at the unconscious sage.
"Can someone drag this loathsome fool out of my sacred ground ASAP?"
With that command, they dashed forward to retrieve Caelreth's body and fled, leaving Alice's group and some perplexed bystanders behind.
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On the other side of the narrative, Aerion, the green-haired elf, arrived at a small shop tucked within the residential sector. Stepping up to the counter, he dropped his sack onto its surface with a dull thud.
"Hey Laden, do you have a minute?"
At the sound of his voice, a plump elf with brown hair turned around from the shelves behind the counter.
"Oh? Aerion, where have you been?" he asked curiously before eyeing the sack. "And what is this supposed to be?"
Aerion untied the rope around the sack and pulled the opening apart, showing several empty glass bottles inside.
"I went to a human city and got my hands on what they call wine bottles," he said, scratching the back of his head. "I thought maybe I'd trade them."
Laden picked one up and inspected it carefully, rotating the glass beneath the light.
"And what am I supposed to do with these?"
"Well..." Aerion paused briefly before responding. "You could fill them with juice or something and sell them again."
Hearing the dubious business proposal, the shopkeeper raised an eyebrow before letting out an exhausted sigh. Turning away from the counter, he rummaged through the nearby shelves and came back with three items.
"Here, I'll give you a morsel of deer meat, a bag of sweet berries, and an amber shard."
Aerion stared at the items before giving Laden a look of disappointment.
"That's it? I thought there would be more."
Laden sighed once again, rubbing his temple.
"Sorry, mate, but the grand sage just decreed that human items are now worth less in trade."
Hearing that explanation, Aerion's eyes widened instantly.
"Seriously?! That's complete bullsh—"
"Out of the way, commoners!"
Before he could finish his cursing, a disruption erupted nearby. Aerion and Laden instinctively turned towards the street outside the shop.
"Coming through!"
A group of frantic scholars rushed past, dragging an unconscious Caelreth across the path.
The sight left both elves stunned.
Laden blinked several times before glancing back at Aerion.
"What in the world happened to him?"
Aerion simply shrugged.
"I have no idea."