One Who Missed the Past

The sun is setting.

"Master, those elves are so foolish and stubborn. You've made it so clear, yet they still refuse to make a decision on the spot?"

Angela sat in the chair next to him, swinging her legs idly, her tone revealing obvious dissatisfaction and anger.

"The elves also have their own problems to deal with. We just need to wait. In any case, the Elf Goddess has agreed to provide us with assistance, so this matter should be resolved in a short time."

Listening to the sound of grass flutes drifting in from outside the window, Li Lin replied calmly. It was already evening, and the sound of the grass flutes was the work of the elves. Every evening, they would play their grass flutes to commemorate the passing of the day and to remind others of the time. The melodious and pleasant sound of the grass flutes echoed in every corner of the Island of Elves. As night slowly fell, soft and gentle light, like stars on the ground, began to illuminate the entire island.

Strolling through the Fairyland, gazing at the flowers on the ground that radiate a gentle, moonlit glow, one might even feel as if they are walking through a sea of luminous clouds.

The elves living on Elf Island don't need fire for light. On Island of Elves, the "Moonflower," which only grows here, is the best light source for the elves at night. They are magical flowers that bloom only at night and emit a faint glow. Although the light of one or two flowers is almost invisible, when large fields of flowers come together, they are exceptionally beautiful and provide enough light to illuminate Island of Elves at night.

The elves were no different at night than during the day, except that most of them had already returned to their rooms to rest and meditate in preparation for the next day's work. Perhaps because of the Queen's strict orders, although Li Lin strolled through this royal forbidden area that the elves valued most, not a single person dared to disturb him. Even the elven guards merely bowed to him from a distance before turning and leaving.

"This is the place."

Li Lin slowly ascended the steps, gazing at the curtain before him. Aside from guest rooms, elves rarely had doors; they always hung a curtain at the entrance to represent various meanings. If the curtain was completely lowered, it meant the host was not home or did not wish to be disturbed. If it was half-lifted, it was an invitation, or an invitation to someone's arrival; unrelated individuals were asked to leave. If the curtain was fully lifted, it meant the host welcomed visitors and they were free to enter.

The curtain woven from emerald green vines at the doorway was currently half-lifted, clearly indicating that the owner was waiting for someone to arrive.

"Nisi, are you there?"

Li Lin walked into the room and casually asked.

"You've come, Lord Luoxia."

With a slightly excited voice, Nisi appeared in front of Li Lin. She reached out her hand, and soon a breeze blew by, causing the curtain that had been half-lifted to fall completely.

"I never expected you would find this place."

"When you didn't want to listen in class before, you would always try to run home, and I had to catch you every time... It's hard not to remember that now."

Li Lin looked around the room with a sigh. It had changed a lot compared to before. The flowers and plants that used to line the walls were gone. In their place were heavy bookshelves and all sorts of magical items. "And frankly, I never expected to see these things in your room. Honestly, I can't imagine you would choose to become a mage."

I was surprised myself.

Sensing Li Lin's surprise, Nisi chuckled softly and then looked around curiously, clearly searching for something.

"Where is the lady who came with you? Why didn't she come?"

"Angela is resting now."

Li Lin wasn't lying, because he had strictly forbidden Angela from attacking any elves. Therefore, Angela wasn't as lively as usual. After complaining a few times about the elves' stupidity and dullness, she obediently crawled into the coffin to sleep. According to Angela, the coffin allowed Vampire Species to retain their power and prevent it from dissipating. Therefore, as long as she was inside the coffin, it wouldn't matter if she didn't drink blood. So Li Lin had no choice but to let her be. Although he had guessed that the little one wouldn't give up so easily.

"I heard this young lady is quite formidable; she actually gave those elders a thorough dressing-down during the meeting."

After inviting Li Lin to sit down, Nisi spoke with a slightly mischievous smile.

"Everyone on Island of Elves is talking about that young lady now. Not just anyone can pull off such a bold move in front of Her Majesty the Queen."

"The entire Island of Elves?"

Hearing this, Li Lin frowned. The afternoon's diplomatic meeting was confidential and could not possibly be revealed to anyone. Yet, someone was deliberately leaking this information.

"... So you guessed it all along?"

Seeing that Li Lin showed no surprise at all, Nisi was rather astonished.

"It's not difficult."

As he spoke, Li Lin shook his head with a wry smile, then took a sip of the sweet, hot tea in his cup.

"While I believe many elves fondly remember the peaceful and tranquil life they enjoyed when they were allied with the Magic Empire, not all elves share this sentiment. I also understand that many elves believe they are suffering attacks from humans precisely because of our Magic Empire. If they hadn't allied with us, the elven race wouldn't have been attacked, and they wouldn't be in such a miserable state today... Isn't that right?"

"... Just as you expected."

Under Li Lin's gaze, Nisi obediently lowered her head. At this moment, she did not look like a powerful mage at all, but rather more like the little child who had been scolded by Li Lin for being naughty.

"I was one of them."

Then, Nisi took a deep breath, raised her head, and bravely looked at the man before her. Although Li Lin looked much younger than he had a thousand years ago, his majesty and oppressive aura remained unchanged. In Nisi's eyes, the man before her was still the teacher she both loved and feared, unchanged.

"Lady Luoxia, this is my true feeling... If the Magic Empire hadn't allied with us elves back then, we wouldn't have been implicated when the Five-Nation Alliance invaded the Magic Empire, and my sister wouldn't have died... This is my true thought. You can call me selfish, you can call me willful. But to me, my sister is more important than anything. I never imagined I would be separated from her forever. Of course, I understand, I understand very well, that this wasn't your responsibility, nor was it the Magic Empire's responsibility. After all, you didn't start that war, but..."

"War is war after all."

Li Lin sighed and put down his teacup.

"For you, the past cannot be changed, but the present is different, isn't it? In your view, if I come here this time and form an alliance with the elves again, it might bring you disaster, just like it did a thousand years ago, wouldn't you agree?"

"That's exactly right."

Nisi lowered her head and nodded obediently.

"Among the young elves these days, there are quite a few who share this view. To be honest, Lady Luoxia, I don't think my sister will agree to your request anytime soon."

This time, the "sister" Nisi was referring to wasn't Ailinna, but the eldest of the three sisters—the current Elf Queen.

"Because of that war, the antagonism between the old and the young within the tribe was very serious. Not all the elves born during the war were willing to endure the nightmare it brought. They accused us of rashly starting a war with humans and of choosing the wrong side. But for us, it was a necessary move. The Magic Empire provided us with protection and assistance, and we naturally had to repay them..."

"This is completely unlike something you would say."

Li Lin stared wide-eyed in surprise at the fairy princess who, in his memory, had no interest in anything other than flowers, plants, and small animals.

How did you come up with these ideas?

Faced with Li Lin's question, Nisi gave a helpless wry smile and proudly puffed out her chest.

"Don't let my appearance fool you, Lady Luoxia. I'm now a court mage. Although the magic of the Magic Empire has been lost, fortunately, we elves have preserved a considerable portion of it. It would be a waste not to pass these down. Moreover, we need sufficient strength to protect ourselves; bows and arrows alone are insufficient to protect our country and people. It was then that I gradually understood these principles... This wasn't the Magic Empire's fault, nor was it ours. We made the right choice, but we didn't get the right result. Think about it: if we abandoned our alliance with the Magic Empire, would humans stop attacking us? After the Magic Empire's demise, my sister sent envoys to the Five-Nation Alliance several times in hopes of a ceasefire. But those humans completely ignored our pleas and continued to use cruel methods against the elves..."

At this point, Nisi clenched her fists tightly.

"I'm not reconciled. Why should we elves be treated like this? What did we do wrong to deserve this punishment? No... I understand perfectly well. We elves are too weak. Although we possess some great power, it's utterly insignificant in the eyes of the Five-Nation Alliance. We have no power that can impress them or instill fear in them... So, naturally, they won't heed our pleas."

"It seems you've matured considerably over the past thousand years."

Li Lin gently stroked Nisi's hair, gazing at the elf before him with a deep sense of emotion.

"That little brat who used to cry and make a fuss has matured a lot now."

I have to mature.

Nisi kept her head down, so her expression couldn't be seen, but there was a hint of heaviness in her voice.

"Since my sister no longer has Ailinna's help, then at least I should be able to help her in Ailinna's place..."

At this point, Nisi suddenly bit her lip, hesitated for a long time, and then raised her head to look at Li Lin seriously.

"Lord Luoxia, do you still remember when I suddenly left and stopped studying magic?"

"I remember it very clearly."

When talking about Ailinna, Li Lin's tone became much heavier.

"At that time, you suddenly decided to leave, and no matter what I said, you wouldn't listen. You clearly possessed the power of a mid-level mage and were about to break through to the level of a high-level mage, but you didn't plan to learn magic anymore... To be honest, I don't quite understand what you were thinking."

"... What was Ailinna's level back then?"

"He's merely a high-level apprentice; he can't even be considered a true mage."

Recalling the scene carefully, Li Lin answered with certainty, then seemed to have a sudden realization.

"... Back then, I was just an idiot."

Nisi didn't wait for Li Lin's question any longer; instead, she spoke up on her own initiative.

"You once told me that I possessed the most powerful magical talent among the elves, and that as long as I worked hard, I could reach the pinnacle of magehood. I was very proud and honored at the time. After all, gaining your affirmation was no easy feat. However, at that time, I didn't realize what Ailinna was thinking... You also know that at that time, Ailinna was focused on practicing the spellcasting techniques that only apprentice magic students practiced. Meanwhile, I reached the level of an intermediate mage in a very short period of time. We started learning at almost the same time, but we were at completely different levels. I also thought Ailinna was stupid; things that I could do easily, she couldn't do at all. So... when you taught me the advanced spellcasting technique 'Instant Spellcasting' to celebrate me, I quickly ran to Ailinna to show off."

At this point, Nisi's fingers trembled slightly as she gripped the teacup tightly.

"My sister was very happy for me, and then she asked me how long it had taken to learn such a difficult technique. I proudly told her that I had only practiced it a few times before I learned it. My sister's expression was a little complicated at the time, but I didn't take it to heart at all. It wasn't until that night, when I couldn't sleep because I was too excited and wanted to go talk to my sister, that I saw a scene that I will never forget—in the magic training ground, my sister was practicing over and over again. What she was practicing was just the most basic apprentice spellcasting technique. She chanted and made gestures over and over again, sweating profusely as she waited for a response. That kind of spellcasting technique would have been easy for me at the time. But for my sister, it was so difficult. I stood there dumbfounded, hiding behind the door, watching my sister practice until she had practiced it about three hundred times. Only then did a faint spark appear from her fingertips. It could even be said that it was not proper magic at all... But I saw my sister cry tears of joy."

The surrounding air began to tremble, and a faint breeze whistled along with Nisi's slightly trembling voice. Li Lin silently watched Nisi, already guessing what had driven her to leave.

"At that moment, for the first time, I felt so bored, so ugly. Why, why was it like this? My sister worked hundreds of times harder than me, yet she received absolutely no reward! And me? Why could I gain such power without even making any effort! It's so unfair...! Why did I foolishly run to my sister to show off? She worked so hard, yet she wasn't even a low-level mage. And I, so playful, easily became a mid-level mage! I started to feel afraid, started to hate myself. I didn't want to continue learning magic. Looking at my sister always made me feel like a despicable person, like I had cheated! I didn't deserve this glory and praise at all! So... I left you, left the Magic Empire. I even thought about leaving, abandoning magic forever. But in the end, I still became a mage."

"I see."

After listening to Nisi's story, Li Lin let out a long sigh. He looked at Nisi seriously and spoke.

"So, that's why you still haven't broken through the barrier of a high-level mage, is that right?"

"... As expected, you saw through it all along."

"You have an exceptional command of the wind."

As he spoke, Li Lin pointed to the air around him.

"Even among the mages I know, no one is more skilled or adept at this than you. Yet, you're still just a high-level mage? It would be strange if I weren't surprised... Now, I finally understand why you haven't done it, or rather, why you can't do it. However, Nisi, I think you're completely wrong."

"Why?"

Upon hearing this, Nisi looked up at Li Lin in surprise.

"Lord Luoxia..."

"Magic is a cruel art. I remember telling you when I was teaching you magic that everyone's magical talent is different, and their achievements will also differ. Magic is not fair. Those without talent, no matter how hard they try, can never reach the level that others can easily achieve... There will always be people with extremely high magical talent—like you, for example—and there will always be people with almost no magical talent—like Ailinna. Moreover, I once told Ailinna that her talent was very poor. Even considering the infinite lifespan of the elves, and calculating based on her efforts, at most she could only reach the standard of a high-level mage, and that's an exaggerated estimate. I told her this frankly, but do you know what her answer was?"

"What... is it?"

"But even so, I still have the strength to help my country and my sister." That's what she replied to me with a smile.

"..."

"Power is necessary and essential, but how to use it is a matter of different ideas for everyone... Ailinna doesn't simply want to pursue power; what she wants is far more important than a mage's rank, status, or power."

"...!!"

Nisi clenched her hands tightly, her body trembling slightly. Clearly, she understood why Li Lin had said those things.

"But... I, the me right now..."

"You know Ailinna better than I do. You should understand that Ailinna doesn't like seeing you like this."

"But, Lady Luoxia, I already..."

"It's not too late, Nisi. If you wish... I can get you into the Arcane Council and let you inherit the position of Arcane Mage."

"Why?"

Upon hearing this, Nisi finally widened her eyes in surprise and looked up.