Chapter 30 ~ Back Home, and the Mysterious Art Book
After two weeks, Dillin and Yimi returned to Coleman Academy. The journey was smooth as butter, and although the carriage was still a mixed bag of characters, this time no one dared to blatantly ogle Yimi.
On the carriage, whenever anyone cast Yimi an interested glance, they’d catch Dillin’s ever-grinning face, and just like that, their interest evaporated. They’d hastily pretend they were doing something else entirely.
Seeing this pattern play out repeatedly, Dillin couldn’t help but marvel at the allure of the Gold Elf charm—it drew humans like moths to a flame, even when her identity was concealed.
Craving beauty or even desiring it is a natural instinct, Dillin thought to himself, having once been human himself. He understood how irresistible these feelings were, so he didn’t dwell on it too much.
Though Coleman Academy wasn’t his true home, after a spell of rugged camping, it felt warm and inviting to return.
Hand in hand, they entered the campus. Since it was still vacation time, the academy was peacefully quiet, lacking its usual vibrancy.
When they arrived in front of the Crown Villa, Yimi realized she didn’t live there—she wasn’t on Dillin’s team. That meant she’d have to live separately once back at school.
“…” Yimi didn’t say a word, just quietly lowering her head while tightening her grip on Dillin’s hand.
Dillin, naturally perceptive, noticed the slight pressure from her tiny hand and couldn’t help but smile.
“Ah, we’re back at school already. Time flew by, huh?”
“We’re not on the same team, so from here on, we’ll go our separate ways.”
“Do you know where your team’s dorm is? Let me walk you there.”
“…” Yimi felt her heart sink at the thought of being apart from Dillin.
Living like other students, they’d go their separate ways. Even if they crossed paths, they’d merely exchange pleasantries. Dillin had his own teammates, and she wasn’t even one of them—she wasn’t much more than a distant kin.
Feeling suddenly estranged, Yimi realized how insignificant she was to Dillin. Shouldn’t she expect that? But the thought still brought a pang of disappointment.
Ever since she’d appeared inexplicably at Coleman Academy, she felt like a rootless dandelion without a place to call home. She couldn’t merge with the people or things around her, sticking out like a sore thumb in the landscape.
In both the human world and now the elf world, she felt like an outsider.
Finding a fellow elf, even one who’d tried to harm her, like Tillysha, brought her a flicker of belonging—like a weary traveler finding a kindred spirit among strangers.
Being pulled from the water and warmed by a campfire, she couldn’t let go of the warmth, no matter how reluctant.
Though she tried to deny it, her innermost feelings betrayed her. She, Yimi, didn’t want to leave Dillin.
And yet, how could she voice such a shameful desire?
Dillin had been watching her reactions closely and knew it was time to stop teasing this tsundere golden lass.
“You know, our team has one spot left, and we could use a divine son. Your divine son talent far surpasses mine. Why not stay with us and fill the divine son role?”
On hearing this, Yimi raised her head, quickly suppressing her joy and maintaining her poker face. “Do you really think your divine son talent is inferior to mine?”
“Of course. Isn’t that obvious? You saw through my disguise at a glance, proving how much stronger your divine son talent is.” Dillin praised her some more.
“This divine son role clearly suits you better. I’m already handling both divine roles, and that’s quite a stretch.”
“Che, f-fine. Since you said it.” These words clearly pleased Yimi. She turned her head, pretending to be reluctant but secretly beaming with pride.
“But…” Dillin changed gears.
“What?” Yimi tensed up. “Do you worry if I’ll get along with your teammates?”
“No, it’s just… our dorm rooms are tight, and there may not be one for you. So, you might just have to sleep on the couch.” These words left her feeling they’d been mere pleasantries, and now he had to find a way to turn her away.
“…”
“Haha.” Seeing the poor girl on the brink of tears, Dillin smirked, pretending to scratch his head.
“Oh, my bad! I remembered wrong. We actually have plenty of rooms; adding you won’t be an issue.”
“…” Realizing Dillin had her right where he wanted her, Yimi glared at him, muttering under breath, “Trashy woman, I’ll get you back someday.”
Dillin unlocked the house’s gate and opened the door of the villa. After their two-week absence, dust had collected on the tables, so a bit of a clean-up was in order.
This villa, managed by Brilliant Sun and Moon, usually employed a cat-eared maid for cleaning, leaving the others to maintain personal hygiene.
With a long vacation ahead, Dillin planned to give the house a thorough clean.
Looking around the room, Yimi felt a strange sense of familiarity with this place. Reasonable enough, given it had some elvish flair, which naturally felt close to her.
“You’re just walking in?” Dillin put a hand on Yimi’s shoulder to stop her.
“You’re not even changing your shoes?”
Yimi nodded absently, crouched down, and slowly took off her small leather shoes.
The architecture of this villa must have stirred some distant memories, for it gave her an eerie deja vu feeling, as if she’d returned to her long-missed homeland.
“Wait!” A sudden stop.
“?” Yimi paused, confused.
“Why do you want to walk in dirty feet? It’s already dirty enough!” Dillin slipped on a pair of slippers.
“? But I’ve already taken off my shoes.”
“Even so, after all the fights and walking, your feet must be pretty sweaty. And who knows, you might have foot odor too.” Dillin smirked.
“You! Where’s the stink? Where? Saying such baseless slanders!” Yimi’s round, chubby cheeks puffed up like a blowfish.
“I smell it? Foot odor, you say! And you haven’t proven it yet! Practically no one accuses a girl of foot odor deliberately!” Yimi’s irritation got the better of her, spouting a string of ridiculous protests.
“You disapprove of me, but I disapprove of you more! Always stomping around barefoot in your stocking, during battles too! You’re dirtier than me, and you’re probably the one with foot odor, not to mention your whole family too!”
Yimi was like a cat with its tail stepped on, furiously lashing back, but to Dillin’s eyes, utterly harmless.
“And how do you know I have foot odor if you haven’t smelled me?” Dillin teased her.
“O-of course! You stink enough to wake me up in the middle of the night!” Yimi lied. In truth, she’d been sleeping with Tillysha, whose room wasn’t that smelly, actually a little fresh and minty.
“Well, if that’s true, you’d better sleep on the couch then. I’d hate to wake you up in the middle of the night with my foot odor.” Dillin waved his hand.
“Mph! …” Yimi had no words. This horrid trash woman had gone too far! …
Ignoring her completely. She’ll glare at him, and they’re cutting ties for five minutes!
“Here, these are your slippers. Don’t make a mess.” Dillin placed a pair of cute pink cat-shaped slippers near Yimi’s feet.
Yimi looked down and saw a pair of cute pink cat slippers fitting her perfectly.
“…Did you prepare these especially for me?”
“Hardly. These belong to one of my teammates, and your height is about the same.” Dillin replied while walking in.
“Her break is on, and she probably wouldn’t mind you borrowing them. None of the others’ slippers suit your size.”
Wearing the butterfly accessory on one side of her hair, the boy magically transformed into a girl.
“Okay, no more teasing, but you do need a shower first.”
“Hmph…” Yimi turned her head.
“You know, I wasn’t lying. After so many days without bathing, even a Gold Elf can start to smell.”
“…” Hearing that, Yimi still chose to ignore him but acted honestly.
“No need to use the dormitory bathhouse. We’ve got private bathrooms in the rooms. You can use mine.”
Yimi walked upstairs on her small white feet, not forgetting to humph once as she left.
And Yimi herself needed a shower. Despite days of outdoor wandering, not even dipping her toes in water, she too felt uncomfortable, though Gold Elves seldom get dirty thanks to their unique constitution and goddess protection.
Using her room’s bathroom, Tillysha slipped out of the oversized male clothes and tossed them with laundry, wrapping herself in a milk-colored towel, barely covering her peaks.
Reaching the third floor, she heard the shower running. It was Yimi using water crystals.
Tillysha glanced at the rooms and stepped into one—Aistride’s.
Since the vacation, their rooms’ keys were left on the doors. Just walk in to take a bath.
Tillysha took off her shoes and entered the bathroom when she stepped on something.
Looking down, it was a paper magazine.
Why was it in the bathroom? Maybe Aistride forgot to take it out.
Tillysha picked up the magazine, considering where to put it, when the cover caught her attention. It was so peculiar, so bold that she doubted this wasn’t any regular book.
But that’s impossible. Aistride, the eldest daughter of the Moon Elf King, such an unsullied princess—surely not a book with improper content.
Surely it’s an art magazine. Art can be edgy. Decent magazines dress up, but risque ones go all the way; their purpose transcends!
Tillysha flipped casually through it. She thought it’d be about models, fashion, or avant-garde art styles.
As she continued reading, her expression became increasingly baffled.
Okay, to her, this was a bit too avant-garde, too difficult to understand, even for her.
From the dialogue, it was rather like the comics she read in her past.
Still, it fell within acceptable boundaries.
“Aha~ seems the sensitive spot is here, see, see~” Tillysha read a line in a dramatic tone, her face full of confusion.
All the characters were girls, like one hugging another from behind, both flushed.
Did the artist create this by using innocent virgins as muses? Yes, using that concept for art.
Understanding that, she thought she had cracked the artist’s intent.
But as she read more, Tillysha still didn’t quite understand it. She did know a bit about art, including that of elves and other races, but even with all her knowledge, she couldn’t interpret it.
A feeling of indescribable weirdness washed over her.
Flipping to the end, she noticed the characters were all young women, often with golden and silver hair.
For her, this was art, albeit a little too forward. Was her taste of art out of date?
She’d have to consult Aistride when she returned.
Volume Four: The Truth About Ruglien
Prelude
When living in a new environment, organisms generally adjust habits.
After the shower, Yimi’s damp golden hair rested on her shoulders. Now fragrant, she sat barefoot on the couch Tillysha had just tidied up, book in hand, gazing at the warm sunlight outside. A gentle breeze swept over her face, drying her wet hair a bit.
Seemed like, nothing bad or unadjusting.
Her gaze shifted indoors, observing an elegant figure. The blonde now wore a white chef’s apron, holding a broom and a dustpan, cleaning like a homemaker.
Oddly, Yimi had the impression that she was watching an elder sister handle home affairs while supporting her younger sister’s education.
“Raise your feet.”
Tillysha was sweeping under the couch, and Yimi obediently sat cross-legged to make room.
How long would it take to clean such a large villa? Yimi offered to help but was politely yet snootily declined—this aristocratic young lady was deemed useless and likely to be more of a hindrance than a help.
Though irritated, Yimi couldn’t deny Tillysha’s cleaning prowess.
She wondered why Tillysha, a noble princess of the Elf King’s second daughter, knew so much.
With time left till school restarted, Yimi was curious about Tillysha’s teammates but also grateful for the remaining solo time. When more people came, Tillysha would surely be busier.
Sipping some light tea, Yimi glanced at Tillysha working hard and thought,
“You mentioned before that you have a Moon Elf on your team?”
“Yes, she’s the princess of the Moon Elves, doesn’t talk much but is a kindhearted child.” Tillysha spoke with a tone reserved for appraising juniors, accurately describing reality.
Since recovering part of her memory, Tillysha’s perspective had shifted. At over a hundred years old, she now viewed Aistride as a junior.
Reflecting on it, the initial ambiguous relationship they had felt a bit unnatural, almost scandalous.
Tillysha paused, looking at the bookish, chubby-cheeked girl sitting on her couch, focused, with golden eyelashes fluttering like butterfly wings. The honey-hued hair framed her like a blanket, hiding her porcelain thighs.
Worried earlier that she wouldn’t adjust, Tillysha realized it was unnecessary.
Prophetically, divine children often possessed intense curiosity. When lost in a fascinating book, time seemed to vanish.
By sunset, Yimi put her book aside, rubbing her belly. At the same time, Tillysha finished cleaning.
“So, what’s for dinner?” Yimi, childlike, slumped on the soft couch, relaxed, bored.
“Do you forget that you’ve never lived in Coleman Academy?”
“Back then was different. Now, someone’s taking care of you.” A life of freedom before, now caged, not the same at all.
“Let’s eat at the cafeteria.”
“You can’t cook?”
“After so long, do you think we have ingredients?”
Tillysha chuckled, “Still, the one responsible for cooking isn’t me.”
“Then who?”
“Let’s go; I’ve cleaned up.” Tillysha removed her apron, hanging it behind the kitchen door.
“Shall we eat?”
“That’s on the way. I have someone to meet.”
“Who?”
“Even if I told you, I doubt you’d recognize him.” Tillysha slipped on her over-the-knee student socks and black leather shoes, earning a stunned look from Yimi.
“Walking barefoot is pretty impolite unless you’re using your domain. Outside, I wear shoes too.” Tillysha noticed Yimi’s surprise and explained with a sarcastic smile.
Tillysha held Yimi’s hand, and they walked shoulder to shoulder out of the Crown Villa toward the northern part of the campus.
Yimi wondered why they were heading north, where mainly teachers and administrators had offices. Students usually avoided this area, fearing a run-in with their homeroom teachers or subject teachers who might criticize them.
Tillysha had no intention of deviating left or right from the path straight ahead.
Yimi wanted to warn her: ahead was a dead-end, just a wall.
But then, Tillysha clearly knew better. Could something intriguing be behind this wall?
At the dead-end, Tillysha touched the wall, concentrating. When she reopened her eyes, her hand had submerged into the wall.
Yimi watched in amazement.
“Don’t worry.” Tillysha softened, taking her hand, stepping into the wall with her.
Inside the wall stood a towering spire reaching the heavens, crystal lamps floating in the air, filling Yimi with awe.
Feeling the familiar air, Yimi scanned around. The hooded wanderers gliding within the spire gave her a sense of warmth and closeness.
“You don’t need to disguise yourself anymore,” Tillysha nudged Yimi. “Here, we are all our own.”
“You mean?”
“Lady Tillysha,” a robed figure holding a preserving implement noticed Tillysha and approached, paying his respects, briefly glancing at Yimi, understanding her presence as approved by Tillysha, thus treating her with respect.
“Who might this be?”
Before the man could ask, Tillysha removed Yimi’s disguise, playing with her hair, signaling her not to worry.
Upon seeing the elf’s pointed ears, the man guessed correctly and bowed deeply to Yimi.
“My apologies, how should I address this noble guest?”
“My name is Yimi…” Being referred to as ‘noble guest’ was an unfamiliar experience for Yimi.
“Noble Yimi, it is an honor to meet you,” the man removed his hood, revealing a handsome face with flowing silver hair. “I am Kace, originally from Veil City.”
Yimi had already guessed the identity of the maintenance staff in this spire but was still surprised to identify a compatriot.
Kace introduced himself from Veil City, one of the ancient homes of the Moon Elves, now fallen to Demon Race territories. His origins spoke volumes of his loyalty.
“Princess Tillysha, is Noble Yimi your sister?”
“Not exactly. In terms of lineage, Yimi is of the same race as me, possibly sharing ancestry if we trace a few generations back,” Tillysha clarified.
Even among Gold Elves, there were distinctions between royalty and commoners, just like the Moon Elves had different levels of nobility.
Incidentally…
“Indeed, finding another Gold Elf alive is a delightful development,” Kace was visibly delighted.
Tillysha glanced at Yimi, who claimed to have suddenly appeared in Coleman Academy, yet the academy’s top management were none the wiser.
This led them to many questions.
“Mr. Kace, I am here to meet Elder Didelai.”
“Ah, Elder Didelai happens to be present. I’ll summon him. The Dean must be overjoyed to learn of another Gold Elf,” Kace said excitedly.
“Besides, I have another matter to request from you.”
“Anything at your service, Princess.”
“Perhaps you may find this unbelievable, but this child has been a student at Coleman Academy and it baffles me to know who admitted her and when. I need to verify these records.”
“Understood,” Kace nodded.
Kace glanced at Yimi then at Tillysha, wanting to say more.
Princess Tillysha discerned his intent. “Mr. Kace is curious if Yimi has recovered any past memories about the Elf Sacred Tree’s whereabouts?”
“To our regret, Yimi says she has no recollection. Since she can remember, she has been Coleman Academy’s student.”
“I understand,” Kace bowed.
They were led to the central reception area of the tower where Kace left. Along the way, they encountered many cloaked elves bowing respectfully as they saw Tillysha and Yimi.
Seated under the crystal lamps in the tower’s center, Tillysha appeared composed, while Yimi grew shy due to the unfamiliar surroundings.
The tea aroma filled the elegant white porcelain cups, their golden surfaces reflecting the crystal light. When Yimi was feeling anxious, a shadow emerged, followed by steady footsteps.
Yimi’s tea cup slipped, the tea spilling. In her panic, the teacup and spilled tea froze mid-air, like a paused video. Miraculously reversing physics, the tea returned to the cup, and it was neatly placed before Yimi as if nothing had happened.
“The tea is still hot. Please be careful,” a warm voice reminded her, followed by measured footsteps.
A tall silvery-haired youth appeared, smiling kindly, radiating the elder’s gentle regard.
Perhaps out of apprehension, Yimi shrank closer to Tillysha.
“Elder Didelai.”
“It is a rare pleasure to see you, Princess Tillysha, during your break,” Didelai sat down, pleased, eyeing Yimi’s timid demeanor.
“And this must be Noble Yimi. My pleasure.” Didelai spoke respectfully yet warmly, yet Yimi couldn’t shake an uneasy sensation.
“What brings you to me, Princess Tillysha?”
“Hmm.” Tillysha didn’t deny it. “Indeed, I recalled some things.”
“Ah, so Princess found it convenient to share your recollections with me now?” Didelai’s face lit up.
If Princess didn’t want to reveal the recovered memories, she wouldn’t have come to the Tower of Sages especially for this.
“Elder Didelai, how much do you know about the birth of the Demon Race?” Tillysha paused before asking.
“Hmm? The birth of the Demon Race?” Didelai was puzzled, pondering why Princess asked this.
“According to various races, the story varies, but from the Elven perspective, Demons emerged from another world. However, it’s also been pointed out that parts of Demon language overlap with ours. That’s one of the doubts. We cannot deny completely the possible links, but it’s unsubstantiated for now,” Explained Didelai.
“Could Demons once be Elves?”
“……Oh?” Didelai sat upright, surprised. “An intriguing notion, but why would you think that, Princess?”
Tillysha elaborated on her insights about the connections between grudges and the existence of Demons.
“……I see. Is that what you’ve recalled?” Didelai seemed uneasy with this revelation.
Naturally, the concept that Demons might once have been creatures of Light races remained mostly speculative, often dismissed as absurd.
