I Don't Want To Work! - Chapter 161

CHAPTER 161

“How do humans know our language?”

“I told you. I’m a Wanderer.”

I chuckled, sweeping my hair back.

“Isn’t it more surprising that a Wanderer like me doesn’t know the ancient Elven language?”

“I find that hard to believe.”

The pursuer reached behind and drew a bow, nocking an arrow.

“How am I supposed to believe you’re a Wanderer?”

“It’s true.”

Do half-elves even exist?

This is outrageous.

The taut bowstring aimed squarely at me.

[Leave the forest. This is your final warning.]

The language shifted again. 

It was the language I used back in my first life, an ancient tongue I once deciphered poorly at the Tower.

It was a way to confirm my identity.

Well, not many speak this language now.

Most don’t even know how to pronounce it properly, as it exists mostly in writing.

[Would you please put that down?]

I summoned Shu subtly.

“This is truly your last warning.”

Before my words could finish, the pursuer, with a chillingly light tongue, let the arrow fly.

<Baaah!!>

Simultaneously, Shu appeared with a massive stream of water.

The torrent surged as if to engulf the forest immediately, and the arrows coming toward me were swept away, falling harmlessly to the ground.

“…!”

Just narrowly. 

One of the torrents even snapped the tree the pursuer was perched on.

The narrowly avoided pursuer tumbled several times on the ground before managing to stop.

“Kuk!”

Right in front of Lionel.

Why does he always roll towards him?

“I’m telling you I’m the Wanderer, why won’t you believe me?”

As I walked forward, waving my hand casually.

The massive stream of water seemed to gradually recede, as if not wanting to hinder my steps, then it vanished.

“I’m sure even the High Elves felt the effects of the potion I made. Should I recite the formula now? Or should I ask Ethaniel to vouch for me?”

Mentioning another Elven leader made the pursuer finally narrow his eyes.

“Well then, go and find out.”

I looked down at the still unsteady pursuer, gripping the boat.

“A Wanderer has come to meet your leader.”

* * *

“See, they’re letting us in.”

I shrugged at Lionel. 

We were now entering the High Elven village.

“That’s true. Even if you revealed yourself as Wanderer, I didn’t think they’d let us in so easily.”

I nodded lightly at Lionel’s words.

“After all, besides revealing myself as a Wanderer, someone who looks human came looking for their leader.”

It made sense there would be doubts.

If it were just one thing, they might have brushed it off somehow, but with the title of Wanderer added, it was hard to ignore.

“High Elves live for hundreds, even thousands of years.”

So, what happened 20 years ago would only be like a few hours ago for humans.

“So they must have known about my task.”

“Then why did you pretend not to know earlier?”

“Because the likelihood of my being alive was slim? And even more so, the likelihood of my coming here was even slimmer.”

Even if there were doubts, there must have been a thought like, ‘Could it be her?’

“My body wouldn’t raise eyebrows no matter when it died.”

No magic, no affinity with spirits, nothing.

Even inherently, I was so weak that a light blow could have killed me.

‘I survived because I truly knew my herbs.’

Otherwise, I’d have been buried long ago, really.

I looked at my carefully maintained body, nurtured with all kinds of elixirs, and clicked my tongue.

Perhaps if I just took one potion, my body would adapt, and its effectiveness wouldn’t diminish.

I had been switching between various elixirs for already five years.

Thanks to that, a body that would have been out of breath after five minutes of walking could now walk for an hour without a hitch!

Of course, after walking, I would almost collapse.

‘Anyway, it’s about time I returned to Mandragora. Should I make some potions in advance?’

It’s not a situation where I could afford to be stingy with honey.

Maybe I should soak some honey and try making Mandragora honey.

Now, I’ll drink it with my tea.

It tastes good and is good for the body.

‘It would also make a nice gift.’

As I entertained such useless thoughts, I waited for a moment.

“You’ve waited long enough.”

The pursuer who had aimed at me with the bow earlier returned.

“The Chief is ready to see you.”

“Oh, finally.”

I smiled broadly at the pursuer.

“Then please lead the way.”

“This way.”

The pursuer nodded lightly and began walking ahead. 

Lionel and I followed behind, strolling through the village.

‘…It’s exactly as I saw it in my dreams.’

The High Elven village was just as I remembered from my foggy memories.

Well-maintained stone paths, houses made of trees no taller than two stories at most, and one tall stone building that looked like a temple.

And behind it all stood a tree so gigantic it was hard to take it all in at once.

‘That’s the World Tree.’

The World Tree in my memories was engulfed in flames.

Somehow, just looking at it made me feel peaceful.

As if returning to my hometown.

‘Come to think of it, this is my hometown, isn’t it?’

I chuckled to myself as I followed the pursuer, stopping in front of a treehouse.

“What’s the matter?”

When the pursuer turned back and saw me not following, he furrowed his brow.

Well, where I was standing.

“This was my home.”

Because it was where I lived with my mother in my dreams.

There were no traces of the Titan attacks from 20 years ago in the High Elven village.

The houses that burned and collapsed in my dreams had all been restored.

The road that had been destroyed by the Titan attacks had been neatly repaired with new stones.

There was no trace of the past in the faces of the High Elves who glanced at me and Lionel.

But this house remained untouched, burnt, and collapsed as it was.

“Why leave this house as it is when everything else has been restored?”

“That’s…”

The pursuer, who hesitated for a moment, seemed reluctant to explain the High Elves’ situation to a non-elf but eventually answered.

“It’s because the Chief wished it.”

“…I see.”

I nodded lightly and resumed my steps.

“Was that where Master used to live?”

“Yeah.”

I answered quietly to Lionel’s question as we walked beside each other.

“My mother and I lived there. I don’t remember, but it seemed like we were happy.”

The High Elves were a highly exclusive race.

Living near the World Tree for a lifetime and the small number of their kind only heightened their exclusivity.

So, life wouldn’t have been easy.

The mother returned with a human child as the successor to the chief.

And a daughter, half-elf, and half-human, weak and unsure of when she might die.

It was easy to imagine how difficult it must have been.

It was apparent from the fact that the successor’s house was far away from the village.

They probably intentionally built the house in a remote area to avoid rejecting, prejudiced, and hateful eyes.

Yet, strangely, it seemed like they were happy.

Both my mother and I seemed happy in that house for some reason.

“We must have been happy.”

Feeling nostalgic for a time I couldn’t even remember, I absentmindedly played with my hair.

During that, we entered the temple in front of the World Tree.

Where my mother had once held me tight, fleeing from the flames, I was now walking slowly with my own feet.

“We’re here.”

The pursuer stopped where his steps had led us, in front of a door.

A slightly larger door than the ones we passed.

“The Chief is inside.”

“Do we just go in?”

“Yes.”

“Lionel.”

I turned my head to look at Lionel standing next to me.

“Um, will you wait here for a moment?”

“Of course. Go ahead, Master.”

To my surprise, Lionel nodded more sincerely than I expected.

“I’ll wait here.”

With that assurance, I nodded slightly at Lionel.

It was time to meet.

I couldn’t delay any longer.

I stood in front of the door for a moment, taking a breath. 

Then I reached out and grasped the finely crafted and exquisite handle.

“….”

I applied some force to the handle a few times.

Creak.

With a bit of force, I opened the door and stepped inside.

The room was half-terrace in style, with a view through half-open curtains beyond the terrace that showed the scenery of the High Elven village we had just passed.

The place I was led to seemed like a reception room in terms of a human mansion. 

In the center of the room, there was space for about five people to comfortably sit. 

‘No one’s here?’

I murmured as I closed the door and surveyed the room. 

However, I didn’t see anyone in particular. 

No, there was someone. 

Beyond the airy curtain dividing the terrace and the room, someone’s silhouette appeared and disappeared repeatedly. 

“Welcome.” 

As I approached, the other person also drew back the curtain and approached me. 

A white, unremarkable High Elven attire, golden hair so finely trimmed it barely touched the shoulders. 

“We welcome you, Wanderer.” 

Pink eyes stared back at me. 

It was my mother, Ronen.