"The situation has been communicated to all races of the Enamel continent, including the dwarves of Titania."
"Since there hasn't been a direct connection before, the response has been somewhat lukewarm, but this time it's really serious, so we need to instill more caution."
"The fact that he can traverse spaces at will means we don't know when the Immortal King will appear on the Enamel continent, so we must prepare."
This was the only building directly connected to the World Tree, the conference room of the Elven Kingdom's palace.
Naturally, the participants of this exclusive meeting were all equally splendid.
Including the queen, high elves, and the cores leading this country in various fields were all gathered together.
"We have requested related information from the order. We know nothing about this era's Immortal King except for the information Mr. Laphory has found."
They were devising countermeasures for the crisis that had arisen.
All previous Immortal Kings had stirred in the Ion continent, so the elves and other races suffered no special harm apart from the loss of the troops they had dispatched.
In both cases, they fell before crossing the sea, so the mainland of the Enamel continent was unaffected.
However, this era's Immortal King showed extraordinary traits from the start, putting them on edge.
Being able to invade the sanctuary of the holy temple ignoring spatial constraints means that he could cross the sea between continents at any time.
Since Laphory had sent information to the Elven Kingdom before moving to the Enamel continent, they were able to start preparations quickly.
They warned neighboring countries, raised the alert level, and dispatched regular patrols to detect dark magic in each area.
"Sigh... At a time when we should be celebrating the birth of a new high elf, what is this situation?"
As the important discussion concluded and there was time to catch a breath, the participants began to express their complaints one by one.
Of course, a festival was planned in the capital for several days after Cecilie awakened, but due to preparations for the Immortal King, the duration and scale of the festival had to be significantly reduced.
Originally, it was supposed to be a grand national event, so the gap is considerable.
"Still, it's fortunate that Cecilie appeared at this time. It was about time for me and the queen to retire."
"That's right. There were many concerns, but this has alleviated some of them."
The elf queen nodded at Laphory's gentle words.
The term of the elven throne, elected among the high elves, lasted until retirement, so she had been in her position for quite some time.
"By the way, Mr. Laphory, didn't you bring another promising individual from the Ion continent? It's already widespread that he received a branch from the World Tree during the opening ceremony."
"Ha-ha, from our first meeting, it felt like the World Tree was interested, showing I was not mistaken."
When the queen mentioned Harris, Laphory smiled proudly.
"His talent is so outstanding that he's growing at an incredible rate. I see a high chance of him qualifying."
Harris, another promising individual who came to them right after saving Cecilie.
Laphory brought him to the Elven Kingdom and enrolled him in the kingdom's top educational facility, the "Drasha Academy."
Hoping he would receive the best education and qualify as a high elf.
"It seems he and Shaphiron will form a good bond. Their situations are somewhat similar."
High elf status is not inherited, but she, like him, was born with a special aptitude.
Truly a blessed birth.
"If they become friends, they can be of help to each other."
For this reason, he made sure Harris could receive education alongside her.
He had no doubt that this kind girl would take good care of Harris.
Laphory thought of his beloved only daughter, obtained at a late age, with a gentle smile on his face.
***
Lunchtime at Drasha Academy.
It was a pleasant time, leaning against a big tree, enjoying a sandwich while watching the street performances of elves in the cool breeze.
Hmph, why dont you try to be a bit more cultured? How long are you going to act so vulgarly like a mercenary?
Shaphiron suddenly approached, picked a fight, and then, without waiting for his reply, haughtily turned and walked away.
...Did she really come all the way here just to say that?
Harris leisurely leaned against the tree, watching her retreating figure while munching on his sandwich.
And to think, that girl is that mans daughter...
Laphory had sky-blue hair and deep blue irises, clearly sharing traits with her.
High elves get to use the surname Granwood upon becoming one. And since elves are a matrilineal society, Silvesti must be her mother's surname.
Suddenly, I remembered the last time I saw him, smiling happily thinking of his family with a gentle expression.
And slowly, that image overlaid with the picture of the finicky lady looking at me with a slightly scrunched face.
Hmm... Its hard to associate her with that nice gentleman.
Even though I hadnt been here long, I could tell that everyone found her difficult due to her arrogant, dismissive attitude, filled with a sense of superiority.
Of course, there were those who followed her, but they didnt seem like equals in a friendship.
People are the same everywhere, I guess. Elves are no different. But she seems particularly sensitive around me.
From what I had observed these past few days, she usually kept to herself, looking down on others from a distance, without actively picking fights with anyone.
Except with Harris himself.
Still, its just like a childs tantrum. Better to ignore it. Itd be bothersome to get entangled with her. Especially since that gentleman is my sponsor right now.
Moreover, since I had asked Laphory to process the branch I received as a gift from the World Tree, it wouldnt be good to create conflict with his daughter.
Ah... Such nice weather...
The sunny weather, the cool shade of the trees, the gentle breeze.
Harris indulged in the drowsiness, closing his eyes and enjoying the elves' singing from afar.
Actually, the biggest reason for his recent laziness was the World Trees influence and the Affinity with Nature he acquired, which made his body increasingly comfortable as he continued to train it.
I could force myself to move anytime, but just letting it be seems to benefit my affinity. It feels like its good for my mental and physical stability too.
Was this what it felt like to become one with nature?
Harris embodied this oneness, not moving from his spot until lunchtime was over.
...Feels healing.
Thoughts of Shaphiron Silvesti had long since faded.
After all, there was no need to get involved, and as long as they kept their distance, there shouldnt be any problems.
***
Thats what I thought.
Harris blankly stared at Shaphiron standing in front of him.
She, too, was glaring at him with a slightly furrowed brow.
They ended up facing each other like this due to Drasha Academys spirit magic class.
Uh oh, the moment came when the professor deliberately put them in the same group.
Now, with everyone in their groups, and since we have new students, lets review as well. Though you all might already know, communion with spirits is very important. And as we get into advanced lessons...
Communion with the spirits, beings of nature, was essential for a spirit mage.
And for elves, there was a very effective secret passed down related to this...
It was through dance and song.
No wonder Ive seen so many performances in the streets since coming to the Elven Kingdom.
Elves, being loved by nature itself, could harmonize with spirits through their every movement and the resonance of their voices.
The sound of instruments played by them was no different.
It was a privilege and secret unique to elves, something spirit mages of other races could only dream of.
"Additionally, this method prevents one from becoming overly immersed in nature and becoming lazy. Well, even if you do immerse yourself, you might just become a bit lazy, but isn't it better to be diligent?"
Harris could immediately tell from the professor's ongoing lecture that this was not someone else's story but his own.
But it seems I've become more than just a bit lazy.
Even now, I was only forcibly moving my body by concentrating my mind; if I let my guard down for a moment, I would immediately slump down right there.
Falling into a state of extreme tranquility brought peace to my mind and was quite helpful in relieving stress, but...
Indeed, it was a bit bothersome. So that was a side effect of excessive immersion.
Being next to the World Tree, a source of natural power, and having skills like "Child of the World Tree," "Spirit Magic," and "Affinity with Nature" that all related to affinity, Harris was deeply connected.
And there was also the bracelet of high elf he received from Laphory.
Thanks to this, the spirit of lightning 'Watt' had recently become a lower spirit, and the fire spirit 'Kali' and wind spirit 'Pascal' he contracted a few days ago were on the verge of evolving.
Considering the time he had been learning spirit magic, his progress was unbelievably fast.
"Speaking of which, there will be a festival for the new high elf Cecilie soon, right? Stages will be set up all over the capital that day..."
The professor trailed off, looking around at the students listening to him with a mischievous smile.
"Ive arranged a special stage just for Drasha Academy. It's quite central, so perhaps Cecilie herself might see it."
The room buzzed with the noise of excited students.
"Now, work together in your groups to prepare your own performances. Well assess how well you can commune with the spirits based on the days performance."
After the lecture, time was allocated for group members to discuss their ideas.
Besides Shaphiron, Harris's group included two other elves.
"Wow! To be in the same group as Shaphiron and Harris! I'm lucky to work with celebrities. I'm Timer Coffin. Nice to meet you!"
"......"
A lively man with an oblivious aura and a timid woman who cautiously bowed her head in greeting were my group members.
"Nice to meet you. It's quite surprising to be suddenly thrown into group activities. I'll do my best not to be a burden."
Harris greeted them as warmly as possible.
I had heard about the notorious group assignments, but now I was worried I might be the weak link.
With less than a week left until the actual performance, and being a new transfer student with no preparation, the situation was daunting.
But Shaphiron, who was in the same group, seemed just as
troubled.
"Why... with someone of no pedigree, a mercenary... Why? Why me?"
She frowned and muttered to herself before closing her eyes and taking a deep breath.
"Sigh... Since it's come to this, there's no helping it. So, do you know any dances or songs? Anything will do."
Her tone implied she expected nothing, looking down on him without any expectation.
It was a natural reaction, given that he had only recently started learning spirit magic and had been a mercenary before that.
The other group members also turned their attention to him.
Though they didn't say it out loud, they were likely worried.
"Do you have anything? We can adapt to you."
...Being so blatantly underestimated actually makes me want to prove her wrong.
Of course, I had no experience with their dances and songs, so performing them immediately was out of the question.
I had seen a few performances on the streets, but they were all different.
But does it have to be traditional elven song and dance?
This wasnt about following a set ritual but about using racial traits to resonate.
If they could harmonize with the spirits, the genre shouldn't matter, right?
"Hmm... There is a song I used to sing back in my hometown..."
I cleared my throat lightly and cautiously started to speak.
After all, I had a history of playing the guitar and being quite the singer during my school days.
What if we add Harris the elfs voice to that?
Above all, I was someone who had never scored below 80 in a karaoke machine.