Chapter Summaries

After returning to the palace, Shien tried to make amends with Roxie by offering to take her out, and considered traveling to the Empire with Harvis. The chapter ended with Shien asking Roxie what had happened in the Imperial Capital during the past half month.

• Shien returned to the palace and apologized to Roxie for neglecting her while he trained.
• Shien offered to take Roxie somewhere for fun, and she eagerly asked where they would go.
• Shien recalled Harvis telling him that Warren Laifirut escaped an ambush after summoning a powerful Demonoid Larva.
• Rocket confirmed that the monster had overwhelmed him, and Shien suspected Moro had ties to the Primal Demon.
• Shien told Harvis to wait a month before traveling to the Empire with him, and Harvis agreed to remain in the royal capital.
• Shien asked Roxie whether anything had happened in the Imperial Capital over the past half month.

Shien asked Roxie about unrest in the Imperial Capital and learned that a Phantom Thief had been targeting noble households, possibly Tier searching for something. He decided to wait another half month for Tier while promising to take Roxie out for fun first.

• Roxie told Shien that a Phantom Thief had been breaking into noble homes in the Imperial Capital and had so far evaded capture.
• Shien wondered whether Tier was the Phantom Thief, and Roxie said it was possible she was searching the nobles’ homes for something.
• Roxie confirmed that no one had caught the Phantom Thief or found clues, easing Shien’s worry about Tier’s safety.
• Shien said he would wait another half month for Tier before traveling to the Empire if she had not returned.
• Roxie suspected Shien’s promised outing might be to the Imperial Capital, but he promised to take her somewhere for fun first.

Shien spent the day and night with Roxie in her bedchamber, provoking jealousy and hostility throughout the palace. He returned home the next morning to find that Lilith had worried over his absence and Lasha had reprimanded him.

• Shien stayed with Roxie all day and overnight, cheering her up while rumors of their intimacy spread through the palace.
• Anxi prepared to confront Shien, but Ria told him she had seen Shien and Roxie together during the spouse-selection tournament, and Anxi collapsed in shock.
• Shien sensed growing hostility from the palace's people, spent another night with Roxie, and left the palace the next morning on Yulin.
• Lasha told Shien that Lilith had nearly torn the house apart when he failed to return, and Shien promised to warn them next time.
• A burst of noise from the dining hall caught Shien's attention as he headed back to his room.

Shien learned that Merika had invited Vivian and Lumya to the Elven Village for its approaching Festival of Peace, but they could not attend because of their responsibilities in the capital. Shien asked to go in their place, and Merika explained that Elves rarely invite men from other races.

• Shien joined Vivian, Lumya, and Merika for breakfast and asked what they had been discussing.
• Merika explained that she had invited Vivian and Lumya to the Elven Village for the Festival of Peace, a celebration held every hundred years.
• Vivian declined because she had promised to help Ryley when she returned to the capital, while Lumya needed to receive and settle her younger sisters.
• Merika lamented that Vivian, Lumya, and Tier would not be able to accompany her to the festival.
• Shien asked Merika if he could go, and Merika said she had not considered inviting him because Elves were wary of men from other races.

Shien arranged to take Roxie and Merika to the Elven Village for the Festival of Peace, while Aiyi, Lasha, and Lilith joined the trip. After the kingdom approved Roxie's departure and Anima took Lidas back to the Divine Realm, Shien set the group to leave the next day and told Harvis to meet him later in Cosmos.

• Shien agreed to accompany Merika to the Elven Village and planned to bring Roxie to the Festival of Peace.
• Shien invited Aiyi, Lasha, and Lilith to join the journey, and all three accepted.
• Roxie eagerly agreed to go, and Ria persuaded the royal family and kingdom to approve her leaving the capital.
• Lidas opposed Roxie's departure, but Anima took her back to the Divine Realm after Roxie revealed that Lidas had tried to break up her engagement with Shien.
• Merika warned Shien that the festival was ten days away, so Shien decided the group would leave the next day.
• Shien told Harvis to travel to Cosmos and wait for him while he attended the festival.

Merika prepared to return to the Elven Village with Shien, hoping to have her rapidly growing mana examined and looking forward to sharing her home with him. She concealed her treasured flower crown and hurried to join the group, where Roxie was also ready to travel.

• Merika packed her supplies and worried that her inexplicably accelerating mana growth might threaten her life force.
• Merika reflected on her unrequited love for Shien and decided she would quietly watch over him and eventually return to the Elves.
• Merika retrieved the flower crown Shien had given her, kept it close beneath her clothes, and rushed out after hearing Yulin's roar.
• Merika joined the gathered group and apologized to Roxie for keeping her waiting.
• Roxie thanked Merika for inviting her to visit the Elven Village, and Merika assured her the Elves would welcome her.

Roxie, Shien, and their companions prepared to travel with Merika to the Elven Village for the Festival of Peace. After Merika bid farewell to Vivian and Lumya, Yulin carried the group from the royal capital toward Taiger Forest.

• Roxie chatted with Merika and tried to build a friendly relationship with her before Shien appeared with Lilith and Aiyi.
• Shien and Roxie agreed to travel without royal guards, and Merika worried about bringing such powerful guests to the Elven Village.
• Shien reassured Merika, then gathered everyone onto Yulin for the journey.
• Merika said an emotional farewell to Vivian, Lumya, and the servants and maids of House Poztut.
• Yulin took off with the group and headed for Taiger Forest on the kingdom's eastern border.

After a comfortable two-day flight, Shien’s group reached Taiger Forest, where Merika explained how the Elves came to be and why they revered Goddess Nadula. Shien wondered whether Nadula had intervened to protect Merika and asked Aiyi about the Goddess, but he still could not confirm the presence he had sensed during his battle with Aridia.

• Shien and his companions passed the journey chatting and relaxing, while Roxie noticed how closely Aiyi and Lilith clung to him.
• Yulin brought the group to Taiger Forest, and Merika explained that the Elves had emerged from the forest’s life force and regarded Nadula as their mother and creator.
• Shien asked Merika whether she had met Nadula and questioned why the Goddess had warned him to protect her from a noble; Merika doubted she had drawn the Goddess’s attention.
• Roxie suggested that Nadula had noticed something special about Merika, prompting Shien to recall the presence he had sensed during his battle with Aridia.
• Shien tried unsuccessfully to recreate his heightened perception, then asked Aiyi what Nadula was like; Aiyi described her as the ideal woman.

Shien and his companions flew through Taiger Forest toward Elven Village, where they found its protective barrier. Merika opened the way with an Ancient Elvish incantation, leaving the group poised to enter the village.

• Roxie described Goddess Nadula as genuinely perfect, and Merika heard a voice promise that she would meet the goddess.
• Merika warned that Legendary-tier monsters guarded Taiger Forest, but Lilith killed a hidden beast with a sudden surge of sinister energy.
• Yulin carried the group through the forest, where several monsters attacked and were killed; Shien's companions collected valuable parts from their intact corpses.
• Shien sensed Elven Village's barrier, and Merika confirmed they had reached the village's outskirts.
• Merika chanted an Ancient Elvish spell at the barrier, opening a path into Elven Village.

Merika opened the God Race barrier and led Shien’s group into Elven Village, a magical forest paradise. The Elf Queen sensed their powerful presences and hurried to investigate after learning a conflict had already broken out.

• Merika opened the barrier surrounding Elven Village, and Shien led the group inside.
• The Elf Queen sensed several powerful newcomers, including a presence she suspected belonged to the Dragon Demon, and summoned Leia and Nia.
• The Queen considered whether one of the human newcomers was the person rumored to be entangled with the Dragon Demon, then sensed that a conflict had begun and rushed to intervene.
• Shien’s group marveled at the enchanted woodland, and Merika welcomed them to Elven Village.

Merika brought Shien and the others into the Elven Village and explained how fairies grew into Elves. Their arrival was soon intercepted by a powerful force of Elven mages, whom Roxie identified as the Elf Division.

• Merika explained that fairies were newborn Elves nurtured by nature and that the Elves regarded Goddess of Nature Nadula as their mother.
• Yulin roared and scared away the fairies and butterflies, prompting Shien, Roxie, and Aiyi to scold her.
• Merika blushed when Shien and the others watched her warmly, then hurried to lead them farther into the village.
• Nearly a hundred Elven mages, all above Level 80, surrounded Shien's group among the Light Trees.
• Roxie identified the encircling mages as the Elf Division, the Elven race's powerful mage corps.

Roxie explained that the Elves' Elf Division was the strongest Mage Corps, and Shien's group encountered its members after entering the Elven barrier. Merika secured permission for her companions to enter the Elven Village, but Carol singled out Shien and forbade him from entering.

• Roxie told Shien about the Elf Division, its Legendary commanders, and the Elf Queen's near-victory over her teacher.
• The Elf Division confronted Shien's group and prepared to attack, but Merika came forward and recognized Carol.
• Carol and the other elves reacted with admiration to Roxie, Aiyi, and Lilith, while they stared silently at Shien and Carol grew wary of the group's powerful mana.
• Merika explained that her companions were guests attending the Festival of Peace and meant no harm to the Elves.
• Carol agreed to let Merika's companions enter the Elven Village, then pointed her staff at Shien and said he could not enter.

Shien asked Carol why she refused to let him enter the Elven Village, and she explained that his nature-rich aura could influence the fairies and pose a risk to them. Lilith attacked the Elves’ defenses until Shien stopped her, then he asked Carol again to let him in.

• Carol refused to let Shien enter, explaining that his strange affinity with nature could tempt the young fairies to follow him beyond the village and endanger themselves.
• Merika tried to reassure Carol, but Lilith prepared to attack when the Elf Division continued to block Shien.
• Carol ordered the elf mages to cast the Purifying Flower Curtain, but Lilith’s sinister aura battered through and shattered it.
• Shien told Lilith to stop, and the sinister aura vanished before it could strike the Elves.
• Shien told Carol that he could force his way into the village and asked if that was enough to prove she should let him in.

Roxie revealed herself as the second Princess of the Kingdom of Mithra and introduced Shien as her fiancé, startling the Elf Division with his reputation and his companions’ identities. The Elf Queen Sophie arrived, but her reaction to Lasha and Aiyi’s accusation left the meeting tense and unexplained.

• Roxie introduced herself to Carol and the Elf Division as the second Princess of the Kingdom of Mithra, then identified Shien as her fiancé.
• Carol and the Elf Division recognized Shien’s fame and realized that Aiyi and Lilith were the Dragon Demon and the Strongest Evil God.
• Sophie arrived with Leia and Nia, and the Elf Division knelt before their queen.
• Sophie, Leia, and Nia reacted with shock when they saw Lasha, while Lasha remained expressionless.
• Aiyi confronted Sophie for turning her away, and Roxie silently stopped Shien from pressing the strange matter.

Sophie welcomed Shien and his companions to the Elven Village, while Aiyi exposed Hero Mitra’s old pursuit of Sophie and its effect on Roxie’s view of her ancestor. Sophie allowed Shien to attend the Festival of Peace despite concerns about his unusual condition, leaving Carol to reconsider sending him away.

• Lasha bowed to Sophie, whose startled reaction and Aiyi’s hostility revealed that Lasha’s identity touched on a sensitive secret.
• Sophie apologized for her discourtesy and welcomed Roxie, then Aiyi revealed that Hero Mitra had once pursued the Elf Queen.
• Aiyi said Sophie had rejected Mitra, after which he became disheartened, founded the kingdom, and married his maid; Roxie struggled with the new account of her ancestor.
• Sophie greeted Shien and explained that he was only the second male outsider to visit the Elven Village after Mitra.
• When Carol raised concerns about Shien’s condition, Sophie said he was a welcomed guest and should be allowed to attend the Festival of Peace, pointing out that sending him away would hurt the child who recognized him.

Sophie stopped Carol and welcomed Shien’s group into the Elven Village after Merika pleaded for them. As Carol led the guests inside, Shien also brought Yulin along, despite Carol’s objections.

• Carol recognized Merika’s distress and stepped aside after Sophie intervened, though she still believed she had acted rightly.
• Merika pleaded with Sophie to trust Shien, and Sophie assured her that Shien would be welcomed as a guest.
• Sophie ordered Carol to give Shien’s group the highest standard of treatment, then departed with Leia and Nia.
• Carol led Shien, Merika, Roxie, Aiyi, Lilith, and Lasha into the Elven Village as fairies followed Shien.
• Carol objected to Yulin entering the village, but Shien refused to leave the dragon behind.

Shien and his companions entered the Elven Village, where Merika reunited with her people and the group received treehouse accommodations. With seven days remaining before the Festival of Peace, they began their leisure stay under Carol’s warning that the village’s plants and trees served as sentries.

• Shien and his companions reached the beautiful Elven Village and drew attention from its residents, especially because they had brought an adult dragon.
• Merika joyfully reunited with her fellow Elves while Shien reassured Roxie that she was prettier than them and praised Lilith as well.
• Carol led Shien’s group to the largest treehouse near the Queen’s Palace and explained the palace’s powers and its role in the Elves’ defenses.
• Carol told the group they could explore freely until the Festival of Peace began in seven days, but warned them that the village’s plants and trees could report suspicious behavior.
• After Carol left, Shien and the others agreed to choose their rooms and begin their stay in the Elven Village.

Rumors about Shien’s visit made the Elves anxious, and Merika tried to reassure them that he meant no harm. Sophie considered how to keep the village from provoking him, until Goddess Nadula instructed her to bring Shien to the temple the next day.

• Elves across the village questioned Merika about Shien, fearing that a male outsider would endanger them.
• Merika explained that Shien was kind and had a beautiful fiancée, but the Elf girls remained wary of him.
• Leia and Nia told Sophie that the Elves were upset about Shien’s visit and suggested revealing his powerful protectors and Roxie’s connection to him.
• Sophie decided the Elves’ caution was understandable but worried that their reaction might provoke Shien and cause trouble.
• Nadula revealed that Sophie should bring Shien to the temple the next day, hoping he and the Elves would build a good relationship.

After everyone else went to sleep, Shien ventured out to find a bathroom and was repeatedly chased off by Elves who avoided men. He confronted Carol, who explained that all men were treated that way in Elven Village.

• Aiyi, Roxie, Lilith, Lasha, and Yulin each went to bed or settled in for the night, leaving Shien alone.
• Shien noticed that Yulin was sleeping above the Queen's Palace and suspected her changing magic power might be leading her toward human transformation.
• Shien left his treehouse to ask an Elf where he could bathe, leaping safely down from the high branches.
• Several Elven girls fled in fear when Shien tried to speak with them, and he concluded that the village was excluding him.
• Carol appeared and told Shien that all men received the same treatment in Elven Village.

Shien asked Carol where he could bathe, then learned that Elves in Elven Village used rivers and lakes instead of bathrooms. Carol led him to a large hot spring reserved for the Queen, where he could wash.

• Shien asked Carol where the bathroom was, and she explained that Elven Village had none because Elves bathed in rivers and lakes.
• Shien imagined sneaking a look at the Elf girls bathing, but Carol warned him against acting on such thoughts.
• Shien suspected Roxie had left him behind because she knew about the Elves' bathing customs and planned to confront her later.
• Carol led Shien beyond the village to a large hot spring that Queen had used since childhood.