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Deep in the forest with the fluttering white flowers existed a village, like a paradise protected by the forest.

“…Welcome to the heart of our homeland, the Flowery City Floria.”

The elf guiding them turned around at the entrance of the city, welcoming Crim and the rest.

The Flowery City. A very fitting nickname for the beautiful village in front of them.

A tall mountain with a snow-capped peak stood beside the village, and the pristine water from its melting ice flowed down through long aqueducts that spread across the settlement, creating a soothing soundscape of running water.

That water helped flowers and other wild bushes grow everywhere in the village, creating a scenery filled with natural beauty.

The houses were built with wood of matching natural colors, or white chiseled rocks, which also accentuated the feeling of nature in the village. All in all, the Flowery City was the perfect name for that place.

The group entered there, walking at ease alongside the elves. They had all grown comfortable with each other as they walked through the forest to reach the village, as Crim happily satisfied the elves’ curiosity about life outside of the forest, answering all their questions.

Somehow, Crim’s preconceptions about the nature of elves did not match those she had just met.

“So exactly where are we headed to now? I would’ve thought we’d be put in a guarded area for questioning before being allowed into the village.”

Crim thought they were being taken to a guard station or some other similar place, as they were an unknown group that had suddenly intruded on the forest.

But she saw various buildings that looked like guard stations, and they just passed by all of them. Instead, they were being taken deeper into the village.

“We’re going to the palace. You’re going to meet our queen.”
“What…?”

Hearing that response, Crim checked around her to see how the elves living in the village were looking at them… Half of them seemed intrigued by the visitors, and the other half seemed afraid.

And the strange thing was that there seemed to be some kind of invisible wall separating those who reacted differently into their own groups.

“…Somehow I feel like half of the people here aren’t looking at us like we’re invited to the palace…”
“I’m really sorry about that, but not all elves think the same. The people following me and I believe we should try to broaden our horizons and ally ourselves with other species, just like my sister…*Ahem*, Her Majesty and those in the reconciliation movement. That’s why we don’t hold any prejudice against you.”
“I was pleasantly surprised by how kindly thou didst treat me, but now I see that is not the case with all other elves.”

The village was ideologically split in half, between those who were friendly to foreigners and those who were not.

*…I was right to send Setsuna to recon ahead of us.*

Crim thought back to the ninja girl, who she had sent away on a secret mission before the elves surrounded them. Crim was trusting Setsuna to complete her mission correctly…despite her propensity of talking too much.

“No, it’s certainly not… There’s some history there. In the past, there was a time when bandits would constantly land on the southwestern shore, intruding in our forest and enslaving our people. That’s the reason why many elves are distrustful of foreigners, so I hope you can forgive them.”
“I see…but fret not, it’s not something that bothers me.”

While he apologized for them, Crim gave him a reassuring nod, saying that it did not bother her, so there was no reason to worry about that.

“But then why does the queen want to see us?”

Then it was Frey’s turn to ask a question he was curious about.

“Ah, that… Word has already reached us that the undead plaguing the great bridge connecting this land to the mainland have been purged, and the devil leading them driven away. We’ve also heard that all of it was accomplished by a group led by a young girl wearing the Red Lion Emperor’s cloak.”
“Then you knew who we were from the very start?”
“Yes, I’m sorry for pretending we were just watching out for demons… Let me introduce myself properly, I’m Sven, younger brother of Her Majesty the Queen.”

Pulling back the hood over his head, he held his hand to his chest and bowed, introducing himself as Sven.

After only revealing glimpses of it beneath the shadow of his hood, his handsome, androgynous face was now fully visible, with a braid of jade-green hair draped over his right shoulder.

And more eye-catching of all were his ears, clearly longer than those of the elves around him…and quite similar to those of Frey and Freya.

“Umm…I’m sorry if this is really blunt, but those ears…”
“So you’ve noticed? My sister and I, the queen, have inherited the blood of high elves, those closer to the forest and the spirits living in it.”

Freya hesitantly asked about it, and Sven confirmed it and even seemed rather proud of it.

It was clear he was trying to act like a dignified noble at that moment, but that clashed with his earlier attitude in a way that made him more endearing than anything.

And so, at the end of their path, they reached a rather small palace built with white stone in the center of a lake, the surface of which was adorned with floating lotus flowers.

They were swiftly let in without being asked any questions, something that was almost anticlimactic for such an important place, and soon found themselves in the audience hall of Floria’s palace.

“…Please stand up and try to feel at ease here.”

The elves dwelling in this forest were the guardians of the Fairy Village, a duty entrusted to them long before the founding of the first empire. They upheld this role with such deep respect that it bordered on reverence. They were considered just as vital as the old empire itself, and their land was deemed forbidden to most outsiders.

Everyone had knelt down out of respect to the queen of that land, especially seeing that she was concealed behind what resembled a bamboo mat used as a curtain. Only Crim merely held her head down, as she was the leader of the United Kingdom, giving her a high position as well. But the elven queen was also friendly with them, allowing them to relax.

“Sis- Your Majesty, you don’t have to reveal yourself…!”
“It’s fine, Sven. You see… I sense an interesting presence amongst them.”

Without listening to Sven, the elven queen stepped forward and out of the curtains concealing her.

“Woahh, it’s a flower princess.”
“She’s so pretty…!”
“Heheh, thank you very much. You two ladies are really cute too.”

Lycoris and Hinagiku had raised their voices without really thinking, but the queen did not hold it against them, instead just smiling amiably.

The queen was wearing a dress of multiple thin layers arranged like petals on a flower, and her face had a beauty unimaginable for humans.

Her ears were longer than the regular elf’s, just like Sven, marking her as a high elf like Frey and Freya. Her hair was a shade of platinum blonde, tied behind her back and so long that it trailed along the floor, held together in a light green mesh.

She was exactly what anyone would imagine an elven princess to look like, and she looked at her visitors with a soft smile.

“Welcome, young spirit of the night. I’m Florite, the queen of the elves living here.”

The queen introduced herself while taking hold of the hem of her skirt and giving a light bow. All of her movements were smooth and refined, entrancing those watching her…but Crim tilted her head, having noticed a strange term.

“Sister? What do you mean…a spirit of the night?”
“Yes, that’s what I said, Sven. Strictly speaking, she…the one leading the United Kingdom, isn’t a vampire as everyone believes. While still juvenile, she’s part of the ancestral Noble Red.”
“What…!”

Sven’s eyes widened with shock…while Crim felt a cold chill run down her spine.

*Ah…right…I forgot that was my species…*

That was something she had only read back when she started playing the game, and had completely forgotten about since everything was basically the same as being a vampire. Now she stared vacantly into the distance as she recalled all of that.

She had never expected that an NPC she was meeting for the first time would be the one to remind her…but she also noticed that the way the other elves in the audience hall looked at her had changed. At first, they seemed afraid of her, thinking she was a vampire, a demon.

Now they seemed to look at her with reverence, which was still a bit awkward, but at least it gave her hope that things would go smoothly now.

…At least until the queen spoke again and shattered that hope.

“And then…there’s the two standing behind. Why don’t you take off your hoods?”
“Ah, yes!”
“As…as you wish!”

The queen spoke with a very casual voice, somehow having seen what Frey and Freya were trying to conceal with hoods.

Despite her casual demeanor, she was still a queen and they could not ignore her direct orders, so Frey and Freya hurried to remove their hoods.

“Are they…”
“Those ears are longer than usual, just like the queen’s…could it be?!”

Unrest spread through the elves in the audience hall.

“Frey, Freya, were you two high elves just like me and my sister…?!”
“Yes, I noticed their scent right away, although I didn’t anticipate that there were more of us living outside the forest.”

While Sven looked really surprised, the queen merely smiled happily.

*She’s really friendly…but we can’t let our guard down around this queen.*

Crim was astonished by the queen, who had seen through every secret they had.

It was not uncommon for someone with otherworldly powers to be revered as a queen…like there was Himiko of Yamatai, who was said to be able to talk to spirits…or maybe Florite simply had some special Skill like clairvoyance that allowed her to read the minds of others.

And perhaps she could even sense what Crim was thinking about.

“Thank you for coming here, my fellow brethren living in the outside world. I, the queen Florite, together with all the people of Floria welcome you as well.” She smiled innocently as she reiterated her welcome to Crim and her group…