“We're here!”
Aila stopped in her tracks, and Lilith poked her head out from behind her. “Wow! Is this the Elf Royal City? It’s so beautiful!”
Looking at Lilith’s sparkling eyes and her undisguised wonder, a small sense of pride surfaced on Aila’s face. She gave a light cough.
“Lady Lilith, this is the main city of our elf race. As you can see, it may be quite different from human cities. Please follow me closely; I will first give you a general tour of the main areas.”
The next hour became a visual feast for Lilith.
Aila led Lilith through the city while Lilith looked around in every direction, her eyes full of curiosity.
After observing for a while, Lilith noticed that the people here were generally quite relaxed, lacking the bustle of human cities.
“Is this how you usually live your lives?” Lilith couldn't help but ask. “Do you spend most of your time using magic for planting? Doesn't it get boring?”
Aila blinked, seemingly never having considered the question. “Uh... isn't this normal? Magic and nature have always been a part of our lives.”
She thought for a moment and added, “Of course, not all elves are skilled in that kind of magic. Personally, I am more proficient in combat magic.”
Lilith: “...” Well, this was probably just the difference between elven and human life.
Just then, another elf walked over and reported something to Aila.
Aila nodded and then looked at Lilith with an apologetic expression. “I’m sorry, but I’m afraid I have to leave for a moment. There’s an emergency mission regarding magical beasts that I need to handle.”
“Huh? You’re leaving already?”
Lilith was a bit disappointed, but she quickly cheered up. “It’s fine, it’s fine! Just give me a map and I’ll explore on my own!”
“Alright, thank you for understanding.”
Aila took a rolled-up map from her small pouch and handed it to Lilith. “This is a simplified guide map of the Royal City. Just activate it with magic, and it will show your current location.”
“The main areas are marked on it. The text is in Elvish, but it will automatically translate into the Common Tongue once magic is infused.”
Lilith took the peculiar map, feeling a subtle flow of magic within it. “Wow, how sophisticated! Thank you, Aila!”
“You’re welcome, it is my duty.”
Aila continued, “However, since you are human, you might attract some curious stares. If you encounter any trouble, you can find me at the Forest Ranger Headquarters, or look for any elf wearing this leaf-shaped badge.” She pointed to a verdant leaf badge on her chest.
“Got it, got it! Go ahead and get to work!” Lilith waved her hand, already eager to study her magic map.
Aila gave a few more warnings about places to avoid before finally departing.
“Alright, now...” Lilith rubbed her hands together, her eyes shining. “It’s time for the great Lilith’s free exploration!”
She enthusiastically infused a strand of magic into the map.
Hum.
The map scroll floated up and unfurled into a green light screen in front of her. On the screen, a small, flickering dot of light indicated her current position. As she turned her head, the names of the buildings and paths on the map synchronized into the Common Tongue text she could understand.
“This is so convenient! Magic maps are way better than regular ones!” Lilith happily began planning her route. “First, I’ll head to the Honey Dew Market to get something to eat, then I’ll check out the sights.”
She tucked away the map and started walking toward the Honey Dew Market.
Three minutes later...
Lilith stood at a three-way intersection, her expression looking a bit awkward.
“Why do these three roads look exactly the same?”
She looked down at the light screen again. “The map says to take the middle path, but why is there a construction warning sign on it?”
Lilith: “...”
Whatever, she would just take a detour.
She plunged into the small path on the left.
Ten minutes later...
She successfully got lost and ended up at a small pond.
An elven couple who were being intimate on the shore were startled by her and quickly pulled apart.
“Ah, sorry, sorry! Please continue!”
Lilith turned and ran away as fast as she could.
Another five minutes passed.
“Have I seen this place three times now?”
Lilith began to suspect that the road design of the Elf Royal City incorporated some kind of magic circle specifically targeted at tourists with a poor sense of direction like her.
Just as she was considering whether to find an elf to ask for directions or simply fly, an enticing sweet aroma wafted over.
Lilith’s nose twitched, and she instantly threw her worries about being lost to the back of her mind.
It was the scent of food!
She followed the fragrance and, by some stroke of luck, stumbled right into the Honey Dew Market!
It was an open-air market supported by many giant mushrooms.
Various stalls were filled with pastries and fruits that Lilith had never seen before.
“Awesome!” Lilith cheered and rushed forward.
Lilith fully embraced her role as a tourist, wanting to try anything that looked novel and interesting.
Fortunately, since elves also accepted human gold coins and Lilith had about 300 of them in her storage space, the shopping process went exceptionally smoothly.
Soon, she was holding a cup of a beverage that continuously emitted rainbow-colored bubbles, with a piece of Moonlight Cake in her mouth.
“Mmm, this is delicious, and this drink is great too!”
At this moment, Lilith completely forgot about the battle with the First of the Four Calamities and the high-level magic books. “This Elf Kingdom really is a wonderful place.”
She wandered aimlessly while eating and drinking.
Until...
She wandered into a relatively quiet corner and saw an inconspicuous little stall.
The stall owner was an elderly elf wearing reading glasses.
The stall displayed various wood carvings—small animals, flowers, and even elven figures.
What caught Lilith’s eye was an unfinished wood carving tucked away in a corner of the stall.
It seemed to be... a humanoid silhouette with horns?
Lilith’s heart skipped a beat.
This shape... why did it look so familiar?
She instinctively leaned in closer, wanting to see it more clearly.
Sensing someone approaching, the elderly elf looked up, pushed his glasses, and gave a kind smile. “Young human guest, are you interested in my work?”
“Ah, hello, Grandpa.” Lilith pointed at the unfinished wood carving. “This... what are you carving?”
The elderly elf looked where she was pointing and smiled. “This? I’m not quite sure myself. I just carved it based on rumors from the outside world.”
Lilith: “...”
Lilith carefully studied the silhouette of the wood carving.
The more she looked, the more it resembled a demon. And a high-ranking one at that; low-ranking demons couldn't maintain a human form at all.
She touched her forehead; her horns were currently hidden by Veen’s concealment magic.
Lilith considered that Aila didn't know about Demonic Energy, only that there was strange magic. Given that the elf race rarely traveled far, most of their information came from the occasional elf returning from the outside. Thus, elves probably didn't know what high-ranking demons looked like.
Their impression of the demon race was likely still stuck on those non-humanoid, low-ranking demons.
Thinking this, Lilith pointed at the carving. “Is this wood carving for sale?”
“This one? It isn't finished yet, and it’s just a practice piece.” The elderly elf waved his hand.
“If you like it, guest, you can look at the finished products over here. They are all quite popular.”
Lilith looked at the exquisite and cute wood carvings of animals and flowers, then looked back at the horned humanoid silhouette.
“No, I like this one.” She took out a few silver coins. “Grandpa, sell this one to me. It’s fine even if it’s unfinished. I think... it’s quite special.”
The elderly elf was a bit surprised, but seeing the silver coins, he accepted them with a chuckle. “Since you like it, guest, then take it. But it really isn't finished; you can take it back and carve it yourself for fun.”
Lilith took the wood carving, planning to finish it herself when she got back—she would carve it to look like her.
She carefully tucked the wood carving into her personal storage space, thanked the elderly elf, and continued her stroll.
She raised her bubble drink and looked at the scenery before her.
“Vacations are great. Cheers!”
If she didn't have to go back and face that troublesome Calamity, it would be even better.
“Mmm, stop thinking about it. Eating and drinking is what matters most!”
Lilith perked up again and headed toward the next stall wafting a delicious aroma.
Rate on N.U.
