With every step, leaves crunched beneath my toes. We moved steadily through the forest, sunlight filtering through the dense canopy.
"…"
Agnes, walking ahead, seemed uneasy and remained silent.
Anyone would be upset if a wild animal or something similar tried to enter their home on unsteady feet. That was exactly how she felt at the moment.
I was eager to ask why and how I had been betrayed in my past life, but it wasn't the right time to reveal my identity, so I held my tongue.
As I kept walking, Agnes, who had remained silent until now, suddenly called out to me without even turning around.
"Hey??!!"
"Yes?"
"What will you do when you meet the Queen?"
"It's not easy to live alone in a foreign land, so I'll ask to be accepted as a citizen."
"Huh? That doesn't even sound like a joke."
She scoffed and spoke again, still facing away.
"If you're serious, you'd better give up. There's no way she would allow it."
"Why?"
"Humans are a lowly species obsessed with desire. In the end, they even brought in the devil when they became corrupted."
Her words were true.
According to the story I heard in my past life, there were two races, humans and elves, on a huge continent called Elora.
Unlike elves, who loved stability and peace, humans pursued adventure and pioneering and quickly developed civilization.
However, as it was revived without fierce competition, the human kingdom had the side effect of excessive confidence.
With abundant resources, all humans enjoyed luxury and color, and as a result, Elora became overflowing with laziness and pleasure.
The story was that through such negative emotions, the Demon King from another world came over and wiped out all the humans, and by absorbing their turbid emotions, the Demon King became stronger and even threatened the elves.
Neither Elves nor the queen of the elf kingdom originally liked humans, but this incident served as an opportunity to further strengthen their hostility toward humans.
"It would be impossible for the Queen to let such a human into her kingdom, even if the sky were to fall."
"Okay…"
I feigned ignorance, but I knew firsthand that the Queen and her entourage despised humans.
'Rather than pretending, I want to know why that elf queen betrayed me. They wouldn't have killed me just because they hate humans… No, was that really the only reason?'
It seemed difficult to be sure what was right just yet, so I stopped thinking and went back to the conversation.
"Still, I have to ask for her permission."
"Foolishness. Really, useless stubbornness is just another human trait."
"Regardless, I have nowhere else to go but the elf kingdom. I'll enter it no matter what."
When I replied without a moment's hesitation, Agnes spoke again, sounding as if she had given up.
"Do whatever you want. I only need to hear about the medicinal herbs from you. If I get better safely, I will overlook your crime of arrogantly trying to have an audience with the Queen. Instead, don't let me see you again."
'Well, I think we'll see each other often from now on.'
How long had we walked in silence this time? At last, we reached our destination.
As a human, I could never pass through the castle's main gate alone, but with Agnes—the leader of the Queen's Order of Knights—entry was effortless.
'It's still amazing.'
A grand royal castle towered into the sky with breathtaking elegance.
It was a sight befitting an elf queen, yet standing before it again, only two thoughts crossed my mind.
First, confronting such a formidable force head on alone was impossible.
Second, despite condemning human greed, the elves—living lives so similar to humans—didn't seem all that different.
Anyway, as promised, I told Agnes about an herb that could cure poison.
And without knowing what consequences the herb would bring, we finally reached the Elf Queen's throne room.
A lavish throne rested at the summit of a towering staircase, its grandeur impossible to ignore. Seated upon it was Nermedia, the leader of the Elven Kingdom, exuding an air of regal elegance.
Her gaze fell upon Agnes, and with a voice as smooth and graceful as a gentle breeze, she offered a simple greeting.
"Welcome, Agnes."
There was a time when I admired the Queen's old-fashioned beauty.
Not just her, but the other elves as well, including Agnes.
I hoped that if I, as a warrior, helped them defeat the demon lord, I would be recognized as a member of this country and I would be able to get a little closer to them.
Of course, as you know, those expectations were shattered.
"Agnes, Commander of the Wings of Dawn Knights. I've returned and now greet the queen."
With those words, Commander Agnes lowered to one knee, showing her respect.
Standing beside her, I followed suit, bowing my head in silence.
"I was worried because you went out alone. Why didn't you take other elves with you?"
Nermedia's gaze as she looked down at her knight commander was filled with affection, her tone soft and warm, as though speaking to a beloved daughter.
It was her nature to uphold her queenly dignity at all times.
In my past life, I had found it all so beautiful, but now I saw the truth. Beneath that exquisite exterior lay a cruel disposition and a deep contempt for humans.
One day, I would strip away that mask and make her regret the betrayal she had wrought upon me.
"The sisters of the Knights seem to be exhausted from the recent ongoing investigation… I apologize for any inconvenience caused."
"As long as Agnes is safe, that's it. But I'll have to hear about the results separately later. Some two-legged beast has set foot in the sacred castle."
Although she speaks sarcastically to people she was meeting for the first time in a classy tone, she doesn't even look at me.
Unlike me, who clicked my tongue inwardly, Agnes bowed her head even more.
"I have no shame. I met him by chance in the forest, and he said he wanted to see the queen even if he had to die, so I had no choice…"
The story about how I helped the dying Agnes was omitted, but I didn't bother to correct it.
This was because Agnes' divine order was to keep what happened in the forest a secret.
It wasn't a bad idea to cooperate with her request and give her a debt, so I gladly accepted it.
"Not only did you allow this man to live, but you were too soft-hearted to bring him here. It would have been easier to simply ignore the monkey's cries. So, tell me, human—why did you want to meet me?"
It seems as if she doesn't even want to make eye contact with humans and ignores me until the end.
So Agnes got to the point instead of me.
"It is not easy to live alone in the forest Elora, so he hopes to become a member of our elves kingdom."
"Oh my!! How can a beast become one of us? That is impossible."
I was rejected without even a second of hesitation.
Without giving me a chance to say anything, Queen Nermedia continued the conversation again without me.
"Anyway, I wondered how the destroyed humans remained, and it seems there is land beyond the sea surrounding Elora. Are there other humans there, too, Agnes? I don't think it would be very pleasant if something like that came across the sea again."
"I'm hearing this news for the first time as well…"
"Ha…"
Nermedia let out a sigh, one that revealed her true feelings, as if questioning whether she should really waste her time speaking to that monkey.
Soon, her gaze shifted to me.
"What's your name?"
"My name is Dayke."
This name has no special meaning. It was just engraved on the belt I was wearing.
"Okay, Dake. You can answer my question, right?"
"Before I crossed the sea, I had never seen another human or elf."
To be honest, I don't know what was in there, but these elves have no way of knowing anyway, so I just lied.
As if that was the answer the queen had been hoping for, she nodded slightly and looked down at her own knight.
"That's a good thing. I'm done talking now… Agnes? Please see this person out."
"Yes, Queen."
It was clear that her intention wasn't to send me away but rather to keep an eye on me, preventing any further actions.
"Now, stand up. Do you remember what I said? I told you clearly that you, a human, have no place here."
"…"
"I told you to stand up."
Despite Agnes' words, my knees remained glued to the floor, unwilling to move.
"Give up while we're still being kind to you. Are you going to come to your senses only when you're kicked out by force?"
She grabbed my arm, attempting to pull me up, but I clung on with every ounce of strength I had.
A brief struggle ensued, and eventually, her voice grew heavy with frustration.
"How long are you going to hold out? If you don't follow this, I won't stand still."
Agnes pulled out her sword and pointed it at me.
She didn't attack me right away for fear that my blood would stain the throne room floor, but her eyes were full of displeasure as she looked at me.
Still, there was obviously a reason why I didn't budge.
'Isn't it time for her to come?'
"Stand up, now!"
"Ha... Really??"
As the queen sighed, following Agnes' shout, the nearby elf guards began to approach me.
"If you can't walk on your own, we'll help you."
With the queen's words as a signal, the guards tightened their formation, their spears closing in.
The sharp blades were drawing nearer, only a small push away from making contact. The tension in the air was thick, and it felt like the moment a command was given, my body would be pierced.
At this point, my heart, which had been calm until now, began to beat busily.
No matter how much they don't want to dirty this place with my blood, it was clear that if I keep holding on, they'll eventually kill me.
'Come now, please!'
"It's a waste of time, guard."
It was a time when the deadly force of the tip of the spear became stronger following the queen's call.
"Oh my!"
'She's finally here!'
Everyone's attention shifted to the elf who had suddenly opened the throne room door.
Standing in the doorway was Iril, the kingdom's princess and the queen's daughter.
The person most startled by her appearance was none other than the Queen herself.
"Baby, why are you here? Isn't it time for you to be in the garden?"
"I came here after hearing that a human had come to visit the castle. Since Mama hates humans so much, I was worried they might cause trouble... I'm relieved it wasn't too late."
"…"
"Agnes… Why are the guards pointing their spears at that person? Did that person do a great disservice to my mom?"
"Well, that is…"
"Tell me, Agnes."
As Agnes reluctantly explained the situation, the princess looked at me with a face full of pity.
"It's too much to try to chase away someone who came to me because they have nowhere to go alone, Mama."
"Baby, he is a human. A human so filthy and ugly that they even brought the devil with them. So how can you accept him? It's something I cannot do, even for your own safety."
"Not all humans are like that, like Alvin!"
The moment the princess uttered my name, my heart sank.
Even as I tried to remain composed, she continued speaking.
"Alvin was a good human being who loved peace like us elves. Mother, you too knew that!"
Iril was the only elf among the main elves in the castle who had shown me favor previously.
While the Queen and the Knight Commander only used me as a means to exorcise the Demon King, she was the only one who treated me as a comrade.
The sight of the mother and daughter fighting like this was a sight I had often seen in my past life.
As soon as Lilly heard that Momma was being mean to me, she would immediately come running and take my side.
Then, the predetermined scenario was for Nermedia, who was exceptionally weak towards her daughter, to take a step back with a bitter look on her face.
"Iril, that person is not Alvin."
"But he's a good person like Alvin. Look at that desperate face. He just needs a place to live. Please, Mom. Please help him. Please?"
"Baby, please…"
'Good. Luckily it went as planned.'
Ever since I asked Agnes to take me to the royal castle, I had been planning on getting Iril's help.
Just as she had done to me in my past life, Iril would try to help the lonely human, while Nermedia, as always, would never be able to refuse her precious daughter.
How did I know that Ilil would come to her throne room?
According to my memories of my past life, Iril, who had just become an adult at the age of an elf, was always in the royal castle, so she was very interested in what was happening inside and outside the castle.
And the royal castle's maid elves also liked to talk about other people, and stories that reached their ears would quickly spread throughout the castle.
The visit of humans who were thought to be extinct is a huge issue in itself.
The maid who saw me entering the royal castle would naturally spread the rumor to her colleagues, and it was sure to reach the ears of the princess, who liked to chat with her maid.
'That's why Iril came here.'
Everything was as I expected.
However, the princess's story that followed was quite unexpected.
"We couldn't do anything for Alvin. He even jumped into the sea of fire with the Demon King to protect us. It's thanks to Alvin that we live so peacefully, so we should repay him by helping people like him."
'I jumped to my death with the devil, so it seems like she doesn't know the details.'
"If you don't do him a favor, I won't talk to you anymore!"
"Baby, what is that...?!"
Nermedia couldn't help but be shocked by her daughter's bombshell remark, one that would have stung even if it were placed directly before her eyes.
Beads of sweat formed on her forehead, as smooth and pale as drawing paper.
"Yes, but dear. Wouldn't the elf sisters be afraid if there were humans in the kingdom?"
"The elf sisters outside the castle don't hate humans as much as mama. The only ones who hate humans this much are Mama and a few elves inside the castle!"
"But suddenly living with another race…"
Nermedia's momentum, which had been upright until a while ago, has weakened significantly.
I think it was time for me to step forward.
"Add me to the knighthood!"
"I beg your pardon?"
"What??!"
The Queen and the Commander of the Knights were both surprised at the same time at my remark.
"If you take me, I want to fight for the peace of the kingdom like that Alvin. Also, if I live in the barracks as a soldier, I won't be able to get involved with the elves outside the castle."
"…It's not wrong. Besides, if you stay with the knights, you won't be able to do anything foolish."
"Then Agnes. May I ask you to take care of this human?"
"Yes?"
"No matter how much I think about it, I think it will be the safest to leave him to Agnes."
"Humans to me, our knights…"
Agnes was speechless, as if she never dreamed that the arrow would come towards her.
It was a completely different situation from before, when she loudly shouted that there was no place for humans here.
'Isn't it daunting to have to live with humans again?'
No matter how difficult it was, could one really defy orders from superiors?
The knight commander's next response came slowly, her voice barely above a whisper, as if she had completely given in.
"...All right, Your Highness."
"Well, now that it's settled, let's all head out. Baby, are you feeling better now?"
"Yes. Thank you, Mom! As always, I have nothing but trust in you!"
"I really love my daughter. I shouldn't be this weak-hearted as a queen… Huh, no. Now go back to your room."
Unlike me, who had a light expression due to a smooth start, Agnes, who became my boss again, looked like she had chewed shit.
That sight was extremely refreshing so I said with a grin.
"I told you, didn't I? I said I'd get inside the castle no matter what."
"…"
"Please take care of me from now on, Captain?"
In the end, her eyebrows furrowed even deeper, as though she had come into contact with a poison far worse than the one still lingering in her body.