116~ Racial Barriers
“Living off someone else’s success? Nah, nah, we’re mutually elevating each other, right?” The juice was spiked with alcohol, and as Dillin kept drinking, he got a bit tipsy, his words starting to wander.
“I think they’re doing all the elevating for you,” John pondered. “Maybe not even that.”
“As a friend, let me tell you, plenty of students are eyeing Tillysha right now. If you think leaning on her will let you coast effortlessly, beware—Tillysha might get snatched up by someone else one day,” John’s tone turned serious as he said this.
Dillin nodded, knowing John meant well and was speaking the truth.
The relationship between a divine maiden and a chosen one must be equal, like love—a balance where if one gets too close while the other doesn’t budge, it tilts. The same applies if they stray too far. Both must progress together towards one another.
If this balance isn’t maintained, one side might grow arrogant, resentment will fester, and eventually, the relationship will crumble.
Dillin understood this. He wasn’t the type to stagnate anyway. The problem was, this scenario John painted was virtually nonexistent.
The reason was simple: no matter what, Tillysha would never throw tantrums at him or run off with someone else.
After enjoying a good drinking session with John, Dillin staggered out of the restaurant.
This was a dining establishment in Coleman City. Dillin wasn’t currently on campus.
A gust of wind sobered him up a little after stepping out.
With not much alcohol in the juice and a poor tolerance, a few drinks were enough to get him drunk.
Dillin leaned against the railing by the roadside, still feeling a bit dizzy, looking at the night sky, unsure where to go, resolving to wait for the buzz to wear off before heading back.
“Excuse me, are you Mr. Dillin?”
“Huh?” The sweet voice, though familiar, felt distant and foreign at the same time.
The sound was familiar because he’d heard it before, but strange because he’d never heard its owner speak to him in such polite, detached tones.
“…You?” Dillin turned around to see the flowing, fiery dual pigtails.
“Litte?…”
“Do you know my name? Did Lady… Miss Tillysha tell you?” Litte’s pretty, cute face lit up in surprise.
“Ah, um, yes,” Dillin remembered he wasn’t Tillysha now and nodded.
“Good, that saves me a long introduction.” Litte, hand on her chest, gave him a polite but mechanical smile, a look that was unfamiliar to Dillin.
Every move Litte made revealed the distance and deliberate aloofness she was setting between them.
It wasn’t that there was anything wrong with her actions; Dillin and Litte hadn’t met many times, but since Dillin had been Tillysha until now, it gave him the impression Litte was suddenly growing colder towards him.
It wasn’t because Litte disliked or harbored bias against him; Dillin could sense this was rather due to cultural, conceptual, and racial barriers.
People have different social attributes and numerous roles and appearances, presenting differently to different people, and this was how Litte conducted herself with outsiders.
Following protocol, not seeking deeper interaction, graceful and composed yet maintaining a vast distance.
Dillin surmised she probably greeted other outsiders and strangers with this same mechanical smile.
No, one should say, most elves typically treat outsiders with this attitude.
Moreover, just now, the bow Litte made toward him might not even count as a proper bow but merely the interlacing of her hands at the abdomen, barely acknowledging his existence.
Ultimately, elves had many misunderstandings of human culture and ideas, and misunderstandings breed prejudice.
Elves were proud, their customs and traditions divergent from outsiders, making them rigidly traditionalists and thus exceptionally xenophobic.
So sometimes it’s not that elves disdain humans but that there is little common ground with those possessing different values and worldviews.
These were conclusions Dillin had drawn from personal experiences, and now he could understand the elves’ stance. Every home has its own problems; for races, it was the same. The elves’ xenophobia wasn’t merely arrogance but included many objective factors.
“Miss Litte, is there anything you need from me?” Dillin leaned against the railing, gazing at the silver moon in the night sky.
“Not particularly significant.” Upon noticing Dillin’s gaze pass over her without reaction, Litte was slightly surprised.
It wasn’t out of arrogance, but most human males, upon close contact with her, would linger their gaze on her figure. Even the more courteous ones would awkwardly look away, feigning indifference quite obviously.
Thinking about it more deeply, it made sense.
Being surrounded by beauties like Tillysha and Aistride of this caliber, he had likely built an immunity and thus wasn’t particularly struck by her looks.
“Do you know where Miss Tillysha is?”
“……That…” He did know.
“If you know Miss Tillysha’s location, please inform her the headmaster is looking for her.”
“Headmaster??” Dillin narrowed his brows in thought. “As far as I recall, the current headmaster is an Elder of the Moon Elves.”
“You just tell Miss Tillysha that,” Litte wasn’t planning to explain more to Dillin. In her view, this was internal elf clan business, irrelevant to him.
Besides…
She still didn’t trust Dillin’s character completely, and she was considering an opportunity to test him further.
“Could you inform me briefly what the headmaster wants from Tillysha?”
“Sorry, Mr. Dillin, I am not privy to these details,” Litte frowned slightly when Dillin addressed Tillysha by her first name. “It’s the headmaster’s will, not mine.”
“I see,” realizing his current status didn’t allow him to ask too many questions, Dillin nodded.
“Ah…” Litte’s furrowed brow deepened slightly.
This subtle expression didn’t escape Dillin’s notice. He guessed his faint alcohol breath probably made her uncomfortable yet it was impolite to mention it.
The smell wasn’t strong but not undetectable without careful sniffing, yet elves had exceptionally keen senses.
It was only natural; if it were himself, he’d similarly be uncomfortable conversing with a drunken person.
“I see, I’ll pass the message on after I have the chance.”
“Hmm. Besides, there’s another item entrusted to me by the Academy for you,” Litte said, pulling out a meticulously wrapped square gift box from behind her.
“Take it—it’s your reward as the champion. Of course, there’s more; the remaining rewards will be given during the award ceremony for you and Miss Tillysha.”
“Thank you.” Careful not to touch Litte’s hand, Dillin accepted the box from her.
“Then, I’ll take my leave. Excuse me for disturbing you, Mr. Dillin.” With that, Litte turned and departed politely, her fiery dual pigtails shimmering like flamboyant fire under the moonlight.
After watching the elf girl leave, Dillin’s thoughts wandered elsewhere.
It was obvious the headmaster’s summon wasn’t a coincidence.
For what? Was it because he won and was deliberately summoned for commendation? Impossible. Even with the previous matter with Aistride, the headmaster hadn’t personally sought him out or given specific criticism, merely a mild reprimand. Even for the Crown Cup champion, it wouldn’t merit the aloof headmaster’s direct praise.
Therefore, why would he be summoned?
Recalling the broadcasting voice and the crystal malfunction on that day, Dillin felt the matter wasn’t as simple as it seemed.
Could it be……
Nah, thinking this much didn’t help.
The Crown Cup award ceremony wasn’t until a week later. After the intense and captivating competition, the Academy thoughtfully arranged a week-long short break for the freshmen to relax their nerves. During this week, promoted students could go almost anywhere, provided they stayed within Coleman City.
After braving the cold wind for a while, Dillin became much clearer-headed. Having eaten and drunk his fill, with nowhere to go, he decided to return to his dorm. However, considering tomorrow’s plans, he couldn’t sleep in the boys’ dorm tonight.
Back in his room, he opened the gift box Litte gave him. Inside was a refined male tie-uniform, a gold-rimmed rose brooch, and a purple gemstone.
This was Coleman Academy’s formal student uniform, but Dillin’s differed in style from the others, separated into an outer coat and inner lining. The outer coat had cloak-like tails, decorated with gold-threaded stripes and blue crystal-embedded cuffs and tails.
The lower part consisted of a pants matching the coat’s color, with metallic luster crystal edges on the sides and legs.
This was the exclusive attire for the Crown Cup champion student. Walking down the street, especially the Academy’s street, it drew 100% attention, flaunting a stylish 13. However, it had one disadvantage—it was too conspicuous.
As for the brooch and gemstone, likely rewards for the Crown Cup, Dillin remembered another prize associated with the Crown Cup: the Crown Gem.
This purple gemstone was probably the Crown Gem for this year’s Cup, but according to the competition rules, it had to be personally retrieved by the participant to win, so he wondered who had created this loophole.
He carefully stowed away the box and clothes and headed out. After looking around carefully, he slipped into a secluded spot, and moments later, a dazzling platinum-haired girl emerged.
Tillysha pretended to flick a strand of hair behind her ear to subtly put on an earpiece. Only after confirming through a glass that she now looked like a human with human ears did she feel at ease.
She had planned to return to the boys’ dormitory tonight, but since the headmaster would see her tomorrow, she decided to be cautious and play the part fully.
Tillysha took the key ring warmed by her collarbone, found the key to her assigned dormitory at the Academy, which had her room number marked on it.
The girls’ dormitory was practically deserted at this time, much like the boys’, with most students out celebrating. Only a gatekeeper aunt was around.
Tillysha was glad for the peace. As she ascended to her designated room, her beautiful eyes blinked, doubting she might have come to the wrong room.
After hesitating for a bit, she squatted down, her chin cradled in her hand, and lightly poked the ‘little hamster’ huddled at the door holding something.
“……Mm??” The red-furred ‘little hamster’ groggily opened its eyes and stretched lazily.
“Did you sleep well?~” Tillysha smiled sweetly.
“…Waah! Princess, Your Highness!” Recognizing who was in front of her, Litte nearly bolted upright from the ground.
“Apologies, Princess! I was supposed to wait for you, but I fell asleep while waiting……”
“As I’ve said,” Tillysha interrupted Litte before she finished, her slim hand gently pressing against Litte’s lower lip, leaning in slightly to grin. “Don’t call me princess, alright?”
“Uh-uh!……” Litte turned red in the face from Tillysha’s gesture, hurriedly turning away and nodding vigorously.
At Litte’s reaction, Tillysha couldn’t help but chuckle.
This girl probably hadn’t ever been in love; a little teasing made her blush so easily.
Speaking of which……
Although she had spoken to Litte earlier, her attitude was completely different now.
However, even Tillysha might not have realized that, in front of her kin, she herself was more open than usual.
“Sorry! I just got done with the competition today; it was too exhausting, so I unintentionally fell asleep while waiting……”
“No problem, Little Litte actually has a pretty cute sleeping face, and I couldn’t resist watching for a while before waking you,” Tillysha said, her arms folded and smiling cheerfully.
“Uh-huh??” Litte’s eyes widened. “How long have you been here??”
“Hmm… I just arrived, about half an hour ago?” Tillysha said, pretending to think.
Litte felt like dying; her terrible sleeping face had been seen by Tillysha for nearly half an hour……
“I want to d*e……”
“Adorable! Just a while ago, you were even drooling a bit in your sleep~”
“Drooling?!” Litte frantically wiped her mouth but found it completely dry, with no trace of drool.
“Phew, just kidding, I just got here not long ago.”
“Princess!” Litte looked at Tillysha with a reproachful gaze, her soft girl voice tinged with a touch of委屈 and a hint of resentment.
“Sorry, you’re just too cute, Miss Litte, so I couldn’t help teasing.”
“Cute??” Hearing this, Litte covered her cheeks, a mysterious happiness filling her entire being.
The princess of the gold elves called her cute……
“Alright, no more fooling around, Miss Litte, you asked for my room number and came looking for me at my door—what’s the matter?”
“Ah, almost forgot… It’s like this, Princess, the headmaster wants to see you. If you have time tomorrow, he hopes you could meet with him.”
“Of course, even if you’re busy, it’s fine. The elder said to come see him when you have time.”
“Understood, I see.” This was the second time Litte had mentioned it to her, but it differed somewhat in detail from what she had said to Dillin—this was a more direct repetition of the headmaster’s words.
