Ellina's Home

The cold northern wind carried a trace of Melanacchira's fragrance. It was said that this flower grew in the deepest parts of Elrina Forest and bloomed only on the coldest day of winter. The moment Melanacchira bloomed, every elf living in Elrina Forest would come to witness its beauty.

But ever since... the Demon King Rosa Kevin arrived, Melanacchira no longer bloomed in Elrina Forest, turning this beautiful flower into a legend.

"Hurts... hurts so much... where is... my sword..." The severely weakened Tiadam lay on a wooden bed, receiving treatment from the Forest Elf Chi.

"Hero, please do not move around..." Chi said as she sat on Tiadam. "I am purifying the curse within your body right now. Please be patient..."

"A... curse..." The weakened Tiadam closed his eyes and slowly recalled everything that had happened. At the time, he and his brothers had been resisting an invasion of undead creatures when a traitor stabbed him in the back...

"My sword—" Tiadam suddenly sat up. "Someone stole my sword!"

"Ow~" Chi was struck in the forehead when Tiadam abruptly rose, and she fell to the floor. "Hero... didn't I tell you... to be patient..." Chi said, clutching her forehead.

"I'm sorry..." Tiadam looked at Chi. "I lost control for a moment... Wait, where are my clothes?"

"Your clothes were stained with blood..." Chi said timidly. "But please do not worry. They are hanging out to dry now and will be ready soon. Please be patient a little longer..."

"Um..." Tiadam said as he looked at Chi, who had gotten to her feet. "You're a Forest Elf, right...?"

"Mhm~" Chi nodded with a smile. The sixteen-year-old girl had beautiful golden hair and snow-white skin. Her slender body looked somewhat delicate, and a thin pale-green dress covered her feet. Her bright blue eyes possessed a mysterious magic.

"Shouldn't Forest Elves live deep within the forest? How... did you end up inside Canfor?" Tiadam asked.

"That is because of Rosa Kevin's Curse, which made the entire Elrina Forest uninhabitable—" A young woman walked gracefully in through the door.

She had long, crimson braids. Her wheat-colored skin radiated vitality, and her strong, full figure was brimming with energy. Her violet eyes held a sharpness like a man's.

"You're also a Forest Elf?" Tiadam asked.

"My mother is a Forest Elf, but my father is a Flame Elf..." The red-haired girl sat beside Chi. "You're the descendant of the Hero? You seem quite a bit inferior to Okasht."

"Hey—Miss Elf, could you not lump me together with Okasht? I'm not very... familiar with him..."

"Um... let me say something..." Seeing Tiadam grow a little angry, the quick-witted Chi immediately changed the subject. "Her name is Deanna... She's the leader of our Ellina's Home. She and Kilis were the ones who rescued you this time."

"Rescued me?"

"That's right... Kilis, that bastard brat, and I rescued you from Yetara's perverted estate..." Deanna said casually.

"Yetara... Lord Yetara? But my last memory is of the sea of corpses in the southern district..." Tiadam desperately searched his mind, but he could not recall anything about being taken into Yetara's estate.

"What about this..." Deanna covered her face with a veil. "Do you recognize me like this?"

"The girl from my dream!" Tiadam recognized veiled Deanna at once.

"I don't know how Yetara fished you out of that sea of corpses outside the city, but fortunately, we arrived in time. Otherwise, that old monster would have eaten you." Deanna stood up. "I never placed any hopes on Heroes, but... since we saved you anyway, Ellina's Home welcomes you—"

As she spoke, Deanna extended her hand to Tiadam.

Tiadam: "Ellina's... Home..."

"Hey—Deanna." A boy of around fifteen came from the left side of the house, carrying two children of eight or nine on his back. "Deanna, bring that so-called Hero to the dining hall. If you wait any longer, Torila will eat all the breakfast."

"They are...?"

"My name is Kilis. This goblin is Kesas, and this wind elf is Maridra'an. They also put in quite a lot of effort to rescue you—" The boy introduced himself first. "My grandmother is the headmistress here—Archmage Deanna. My grandfather is Altami, the Water Elf seer. And my parents are two of the renowned Forty Heroes: Arlanfa, the Archer of the Lake, and Zoula, the Sealing Mage."

"Um... I've heard so much about you..."

Tiadam sized up the boy. He had short pale-green hair, bright blue eyes, and a Water Spirit totem drawn across his somewhat translucent skin. His refined appearance certainly suited human standards of beauty.

If you like this book, remember to add it to your bookshelf so you won't have trouble finding it next time.

At the request of many readers, VIP members can now enjoy an ad-free experience.

Click to view.

"Don't try to butter us up—" Kilis snapped. "If you truly want to bear the title of Hero, then show us your strength. Otherwise, we will never follow you to crusade against the remaining Demon Kings!"

"Crusade... against Demon Kings?" Tiadam gave a helpless bitter smile. "It's not that I want to repay kindness with ingratitude or anything. Although all of you saved my life, I usually don't have many plans, especially not plans to crusade against Demon Kings. Right now, I just want to return to the streets of the southern district, continue that job with no real future, and live a modest life without too many worries. Thank you, everyone—farewell someday! Oh, and the medical expenses... when I have money in the future, I'll personally bring it over."

Just as Tiadam was about to get out of bed and leave, Chi spoke with an adorably blank expression:

"Um, Hero... the southern district of Canfor is now full of undead monsters. Is your job hunting monsters?"

"Eh..."

"Ha—" Deanna let out a long breath. "You people should stop thinking so far ahead about crusading against Demon Kings. What you should do now is hurry to the dining hall for breakfast. If you wait any longer, Torila really will eat it all!"

"Okay—" Kesas, Maridra'an, Chi, and Kilis shouted in unison.

"Then... I won't stand on ceremony?" Tiadam said.

The group dragged Tiadam along to the dining hall where they usually ate. In the backyard behind the house grew hundreds of evergreen trees, each so large that even seven people joining hands could not encircle it.

"Come—Hero... follow us..." Chi said, taking Tiadam's hand. "This grove may not be large, but under Grandma Headmistress's magic, it is still very easy to get lost..."

Ellina's Home had appeared two years after Rosa Kevin's Curse descended. The decaying power of Rosa Kevin's Curse had transformed the once-fertile Elrina Forest into a truly barren land incapable of nurturing life. The year-round Black Snow had claimed the lives of tens of thousands of Forest Elves.

Most of the Forest Elves who had barely escaped Elrina Forest had already left Canfor, while Ellina's Home sheltered those who remained in Canfor but did not wish to leave their homeland.

"This... is your dining hall...?"

"That's right—" Chi said, smiling as she released Tiadam's hand. "Hero, please make sure to eat plenty."

"Uh... I'll try..."

Hundreds of deciduous trees had been planted across the spacious courtyard. At the center of those trees grew a magnificent rose. Its thorns were covered in emerald-green mountain vines, while its purplish-red blossoms opened and closed. Numerous Forest Elves stood beneath it, greedily inhaling the rose's fragrance.

"These flowers are called Melanacchira. During winter, Forest Elves rely on absorbing the vitality of these flowers to survive..."

At some point, Archmage Deanna had appeared beside Tiadam. "Ever since Elrina Forest was occupied by Rosa Kevin, these children have been displaced. Yet even after Rosa Kevin was slain by Okasht, their homeland never recovered... The curse spread across all of Elrina Forest, turning the once-fertile woods into a decaying land. With nowhere else to go, they can only stay here with me for the time being..."

"Even if you tell me all this, I can't change their situation..." Tiadam sat directly down on the grass. "I'm just a petty roadside robber. I have no power, no magic, and no faith. Let alone purifying Elrina Forest or defeating Demon Kings, I can't even be sure of my own livelihood right now..."

"So what..." Deanna lightly waved a finger, and a loaf of bread smacked Tiadam squarely on the head. "When I was your age, I couldn't use magic either."

"So you plan to teach me magic?" Tiadam said as he ate the bread.

"You are not the kind of person meant to learn magic... I can tell." Deanna smiled faintly. "You are a Hero... a Hero born to defeat Demon Kings."

"Hehe—" Tiadam lay flat on the grass. "Those words might suit my father, but... saying them to me is like playing music to a cow..."

"Your father, Elandor, was not a Hero, but he was a hero..." Deanna said.

"You knew my father?" Tiadam looked at Deanna.

"When we were young, we often drank tea together. Oh~ I still remember how Okasht was a three-year-old child who wet his bed back then." As Deanna spoke of the past, her expression seemed to return to those days. Her silver hair fluttered in the wind. "The Holy Sword can only decide who its master is, or who can wield it. It cannot decide who is a hero, nor what a hero wishes to protect. Elandor could not lift the Holy Sword, but that did not stop him from being a hero..."

"So what? Who still remembers him now... Everyone only remembers the Hero who slew the Demon King—Okasht—while forgetting Elandor, who once used his flesh and blood to block the monsters. Who cares that his son became a bandit, or that his wife died an untimely death?" Tiadam let out a long, long sigh. "Rather than risk my life to protect people I don't know, I would rather protect only those close to me. Besides... you say you knew my father, but when he died, you never offered help to my mother and me. Even now, I don't even know your name. Yet you want me to become a Hero and slay the remaining Demon Kings to protect others. Isn't that a little unrealistic?"

"Remembering only the strong... while forgetting ordinary people... that is humanity's common failing..." Deanna said nothing more to Tiadam. She merely pushed her wheelchair toward the giant trees and the elves. "My name is Mikhal Deanna. If you wish to leave, tell me early, and I will prepare food and some necessary money for you. It will not be much, but it should be useful. Of course, if you return, Ellina's Home will always welcome you..."

"Thank you for the food, but I'm full already. As for money, I don't need it. After all, I make my living without capital..."

"Is that so..." Deanna smiled faintly. "Then may Luviel, Goddess of Peace, protect you—"

Tiadam: "Likewise... likewise... I sincerely hope you live to a ripe old age..."