Chapter 177: Who Was It? Who Dared Talk About My Age? (2) Charlotte wiped the tears streaming down her cheeks with the back of her hand, her face crumpled, while Beryllus wore a smile from ear to ear.
As a long-lived being, Charlotte had watched countless companions with far shorter lifespans depart before her.
Though she had saved the world from crisis multiple times, she had never been able to prevent the deaths of those beside her. To forget her grief, she periodically sank into prolonged slumber.
For her, this reunion with Beryllus was deeply meaningful.
"Had I known you had awakened, noona, I would have come to see you much sooner. I truly apologize for the delay. I had forgotten that you cannot leave this continent due to your bond with it."
"Why would you apologize for that? I'm simply overjoyed that you're standing before me alive!"
"If that's so, then why are you making that face? I'm genuinely happy to see you again. Do you not remember what you said when we parted? That we should try to live smiling as much as possible?"
"Did I say that…? I did? Ah, that's right. As expected, you're younger than me—your memory is better."
Charlotte gradually regained her smile as she recalled the words she herself had forgotten.
Even so, tears continued to fall, and Lee Jinseo hurriedly handed her an entire box of tissues.
"Whew, I've finally calmed down. As one grows older, the only thing that increases is tears. Sniff! Sniff!"
Only after using up half the box did Charlotte finally stop crying, blowing her nose repeatedly with the remaining tissues.
"Judging by your expression, you want to ask me for something, don't you?"
"I thought it might not suit such a touching reunion, so I refrained from speaking and tried to convey it through my expression instead. You noticed immediately."
"I spent a hundred years with you. I can read you at a glance. So, what is it?"
After confirming that Charlotte had finally calmed down, Beryllus pointed toward the elder elves standing with Painfolt Artran.
"You see those young elves over there? I cannot simply stand by and watch them struggle on the Francia Continent where mana is scarce. So I plan to plant the World Tree's fruit you saw earlier. However, it will require a considerable amount of mana to make it sprout. I was hoping you might assist."
Those elder elves are 'young'… to them, I suppose.
Lee Jinseo had initially found the term odd, but once he recalled the ages of those speaking, he quickly nodded in understanding.
"Do not worry. As a dragon, my body overflows with mana. Come to think of it, it has been a long time since I have seen a World Tree standing on the human continent rather than the elven one."
At present, there was only one World Tree on the Keinua Continent. Yet in the distant past, the fruit of the World Tree had been planted and grown on other continents several times, as recorded in historical texts.
Though such trees were far smaller and emitted less mana than the one on the Keinua Continent, they could grow enough to sustain elder elves residing on the Francia Continent.
"Since the topic has come up, let's finish this quickly."
Flash.
Radiating intense light, Charlotte reverted to her true dragon form and gestured toward her back with her massive right forelimb.
"Hey. Get on."
"Yes."
The other elves trembled in fear at the sight of her sudden transformation, but Beryllus calmly climbed onto her back as though it were nothing.
"It truly has been ages since I last rode on your back, noona. It feels quite nostalgic."
At his playful remark, Charlotte smiled faintly and began to flap her wings.
"Hold tight!"
Whoosh.
With a rush of wind, Charlotte soared into the sky and came to a halt midair.
Ascending above Falstead Castle, she and Beryllus surveyed the area carefully to determine where best to plant the World Tree's fruit.
"To ride so freely upon the back of such a supreme being… Lord Beryllus's tales were no exaggeration."
"Then the stories he told us must all be true as well? The tale of sealing the Dark Dragon after a desperate battle?"
"It seems likely. If one fought alongside a being like that, what could be impossible?"
The elder elves gazed upward in stunned silence as Beryllus waved enthusiastically from Charlotte's back.
"Ah… I am already growing fatigued."
"Lord Painfolt, if it would not be impertinent, may I have one more ice cream?"
As their mana once again began to deplete, the elder elves sought ice cream once more to restore their strength while enjoying its refreshing sweetness.
"As I said earlier, three per day is the limit."
"In that case, we must choose carefully. Lord Painfolt, which do you usually prefer?"
"I enjoyed the previously eaten NuXbar, but I find myself wishing for something with a firmer texture. Since it is a cold dessert, should it not possess the hardness characteristic of ice?"
"If that is the texture you desire, there is BoXbar, though I personally question whether it should truly be called ice cream."
Perhaps because they had realized how many varieties existed, the elder elves no longer accepted whatever Painfolt offered. Instead, they asked for recommendations or chose for themselves, seeking a wider range of flavors.
Painfolt Artran, who adored ice cream above all else, opened Interspatial Storage filled with various kinds—including his beloved NuXbar—and satisfied their requests.
They look like elderly people whose blood sugar has dropped.
Watching the elder elves lick their ice cream and visibly regain their vitality, Lee Jinseo felt a pang of sympathy.
"Whew, there are too many people! I had no idea it would be this troublesome just to see this so-called elven race!"
"They're as slender as Geshtain said. Figures—they live without eating meat, so of course they look like that."
Meanwhile, a group of dwarves who had pushed through the cordon approached the young elves, who were still staring upward at the sky.
"So you must be the so-called pointy-ea— ahem! A slip of the tongue! You must be the elves Jinseo spoke of, one of the two great races alongside us dwarves. Welcome to Dwarf Town."
Kohel, master blacksmith of Dwarf Town, stroked his beard as he examined the elves.
"Let's see… sturdier than I expected. How about we begin with some friendly exchange between races?"
In Kohel's left arm was a soccer ball.
"Hey! If it's blocked, don't force it—back! Now!"
"Pass it over here!"
"Yes! That's it! You learn quickly!"
The way to enjoy soccer was simple.
Using hands and arms was forbidden. Kick the ball into the opposing goal.
With just these straightforward rules, anyone could enjoy it. Thus, soccer had become a widely accepted sport even in this world, and the elves, newly introduced to it, adapted quickly.
"Charge straight through! Go!"
"Yes! Kick it hard!"
Following the dwarves' shouted instructions, the elves moved swiftly.
Naturally, they made repeated mistakes at first, as other races had when first encountering soccer.
But before long, the young elves grasped the clear and simple rules and began racing across the field freely.
Thwack!
"What? Why is that shot so powerful?"
"He didn't use magic, did he? No… he didn't?"
The opposing dwarves, who had underestimated the elves, were stunned to concede the opening goal.
Meanwhile, the dwarves on the same team swarmed around the elf who had scored.
"Ho! A goal after only fifteen minutes! Remarkable! What is your name?"
"M-my name? It is Allensia…"
Allensia, one of the scouts of the Aras Tribe, stammered her name under the dwarves' enthusiastic pressure.
"A soccer league is currently underway here. Unfortunately, one of our starting forwards returned home for urgent matters, leaving a mercenary slot vacant…"
With the second league nearing its end, every point mattered. Recruiting a skilled player was more urgent than ever.
Kohel, captain of Dwarf Team Two, could not let such an unexpected gem slip away and began persuading her.
"I must return to my homeland once this schedule concludes. I am grateful for the offer, but it is not a decision I can make alone…"
"You are a talent meant to remain here! Why return? What do you desire? I heard elves favor bows. Would a few crafted from adamantium suffice? Or perhaps…"
He offered all manner of incentives, leaving Allensia drenched in cold sweat.
"Hm… is that truly enjoyable?"
"I cannot understand how such vigorous movement could be fun. Perhaps it is simply youth?"
Meanwhile, the elder elves seated in the stands watched with little enthusiasm.
Having spent centuries—some nearly a millennium—lost in leisurely contemplation, soccer's constant running seemed chaotic to them.
"Is there not a game one can enjoy more leisurely, with minimal movement?"
"In that case, how about this? Please wait a moment."
Shortly thereafter, Lee Jinseo returned with a chessboard.
The ultimate game for passing time at length would have been Go, but it required too much study to enjoy properly, so he abandoned the idea.
Chess, however, was met with unexpectedly favorable reactions.
"So if I move this piece shaped like a horse here… I have captured the opponent's piece!"
"We, who live long lives, should pass time like this—not dash about frivolously on a field unless chased by monsters."
"Youngsters these days do not know how to enjoy proper pastimes."
"I like soccer. Does that make me frivolous?"
At the sudden voice behind them, the elder elves turned and froze.
Charlotte, having planted the World Tree's fruit and seen it sprout, stood there with a raised brow.
"Among you, who has lived more than two thousand years? Raise your hand."
None of the elder elves raised their hands.
Only Beryllus quietly lifted his, and Charlotte waved him aside with her left forelimb.
"You're exempt anyway. The rest?"
"I-I am one thousand thirty-two this year…"
"What? Only a thousand? Still a baby."
Hearing Keras's age, the oldest pure elf present, Charlotte scoffed.
"When I was your age…"
As Charlotte began speaking, the elder elves straightened their posture and listened intently.
Lee Jinseo watched anxiously as the true elder, wielding overwhelming age, addressed those who had just moments ago been lecturing others.
"Oh, so the knight can capture the queen like this."
"Lord Beryllus, is it truly all right to leave the elders like that?"
"It's fine. To be honest, I have long found their constant references to age irritating. I intended to say something myself, but it worked out better that Lady Charlotte stepped in. She will be far more effective than I would."
Ignoring the sermon unfolding nearby, Beryllus calmly continued his game of chess with Lee Jinseo.
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