Liya pushed open the mansion doors and stood in the courtyard, looking at the gathered crowd.
Leon was standing at the entrance of the mansion, and beside her was an elf with the same long, pointed ears.
The appearance of an elf naturally drew a large group of servants to watch.
Liya waved her hand, dispersing the servants.
Then, she set her eyes on the elf.
She had long yellow hair, fluttering lightly in the air.
White silk wrapped around her body, and her fair skin seemed to glow slightly under the sunlight.
Her body looked like she could barely stand, like a cold flower bud, standing somewhat uneasily beside Leon.
Leon walked to Liya's side and said respectfully, "Miss Liya, she says her name is Lacy."
The Lacy in front of her looked weak, but her personality didn't seem to match her appearance at all.
She lifted her chin slightly, a bit proud, and she too sized up Liya in front of her.
But when she heard Leon's respectful tone, she looked somewhat startled.
"Same… same race?"
"Why are you being so respectful to a mere human?"
Hearing Lacy's words, Liya raised an eyebrow.
This elf didn't seem very friendly toward humans.
"Shut up." Leon's cold voice sounded. From beneath her hood, her gaze flashed like a blade, coldly sweeping across Lacy.
Lacy seemed startled, staring blankly at her, but Leon only gave her the same distant, icy words, "I don't have your kind of 'same race.'"
The air around them seemed to tighten. Liya sensed the subtle tension and quickly stepped in to smooth things over.
"Hey, alright, alright."
"Leon is my family, she's just protecting me."
As Liya spoke, she gently patted Leon's back, signaling her to compromise a little.
She really didn't want Leon's attitude toward Lacy to lead to rumors and accusations that she had abducted an elf.
Oh, Cocotte didn't count.
Again, she was a contracted household employee.
Free to oppress.
"Okay, Leon, don't say anything more."
Hearing Liya's words, Leon finally relaxed her attitude, turned her head away, and fell silent.
Lacy still seemed unable to accept it, but Liya spoke again with a bright, cheerful smile, "I heard you want to find the elf queen?"
"I actually have some information."
———
Inside the mansion's luxurious hall, the air carried a faint scent of incense.
The grand hall was occupied by several enormous sofas placed at the center.
Long black-gold curtains draped down, covering most of the large windows.
Only a small amount of sunlight streamed through the gaps and the skylight above.
Liya sat on one of the sofas, while Lacy naturally sat across from her.
White, slow-moving clouds floated across the dome overhead, the deep blue sky reflecting before them.
Leon stood behind Liya, entirely in the posture of a personal guard.
"Why were you captured… mixed in with those demi-human caravans?" Liya asked Lacy gently.
For an elf, especially one as proud as Lacy in front of her, she naturally couldn't use a passive word like "captured."
So Liya immediately changed her wording.
Sure enough, the elf simply lifted her chin slowly, appearing extremely proud and confident.
"To find the queen, I left the Elven Forest and happened to run into that group of humans in the wild."
"They said they could help me find the queen, but on the condition that I go with them and help them with something."
"So I went with them."
She spread her hands, sounding extremely calm.
As if telling Liya that if she hadn't chosen to follow those people herself, she would never have been captured.
Listening to her words, Liya wore a look of full agreement and nodded.
"Then about those capt… those people you met, do you have any impression of them?"
"Huh? Impression?"
Lacy raised a finger to her chin. Her gaze flicked left and right, as if searching her memory for something troublesome.
"I just remember there was a warrior carrying a sword. He looked pretty strong, so I remember him a bit."
"Of course, he definitely wasn't stronger than me."
As she spoke, she crossed one leg over the other, spread her arms across the long sofa's back, palms open.
Thinking of the swordsman's appearance, there was a hint of disdain on her face.
Liya looked at her, clapped softly, and complimented, "Wow, so amazing."
"Oh, right, since it's early, there isn't much to serve. How about some tea?"
"Halnarsen? Please make a pot of tea and bring it in."
Liya called out behind her, then turned back to Lacy, "We only have tea here. You don't mind, right?"
Lacy gave an indifferent expression and waved, "Forget it, no matter how precious human things are, they're nothing special. Ordinary tea is fine."
"Back when I lived in the Elven Forest, I drank natural rain dew. Of course, our rain dew there wasn't ordinary rain dew."
"The elves would collect it and bless it with nature. It was unimaginably sweet. If humans like you drank it, you could even extend your lifespan."
Liya narrowed her eyes again and clapped lightly, tilting her head with a smile, "Wow, so amazing."
"Of course. There are many things you humans haven't seen."
Lacy listened to Liya's flattery with clear enjoyment, becoming even more proud.
Her chin remained lifted, as if she could float into the sky at any moment.
Liya said nothing more, she simply smiled quietly and watched her.
Lacy continued looking up toward the blue sky.
But… why did it feel like everything was shaking?
The expression on her face stiffened slightly.
Outside the room, massive rumbling sounds echoed.
It was as if the entire earth was trembling.
Lacy, startled, shrank her neck and covered her ears.
"W-w-what's happening!?"
"Don't worry, that should just be the sound of our family knights' daily training."
Liya explained with a smile, as if nothing unusual had happened.
Lacy looked at Liya in utter confusion.
"D-daily training? Something that loud?"
"It's nothing special. Their training is just carrying rocks, running laps, practicing horseback riding and such."
———
On the training grounds, rows of knights stood densely packed.
Each one carried a massive boulder on their back.
Those boulders were large enough to require three or four people to lift them, towering over the knights like small mountains.
Yet the knights moved as if unburdened, running back and forth across the vast training field with ease.
After a lap, they slammed the boulders down, kicking up a wave of dust.
The thunderous sound spread through the entire estate, like proof of their effort.
A cat-eared instructor wearing a training cap blew her whistle and shouted commands nonstop, "Next group! Continue!"
The demi-human training methods from the wild turned out to be unexpectedly effective for human knights.
Liya crossed one leg over the other and covered her mouth lightly with her hand, laughing softly as she said, "It's just normal training that anyone can do."
Lacy, "…"
Lacy still had no idea what kind of "training" could create such massive tremors.
But suddenly, an unbelievably terrifying pressure came from behind her.
As if a strong, cold beast hid in the shadows, staring at her.
Lacy's neck instantly stiffened, and beads of sweat appeared on her nape.
It felt like a massive shadow had blocked out the sunlight above her, enveloping her completely.
Soon, the shadow moved away.
A figure walked past her.
He was like a giant, twice the height of a normal person, with an immensely muscular body.
Even through his butler uniform, one could see thick muscles that looked ready to burst.
Like a huge bear standing upright beside her.
In his giant hand, he held a tray.
That tray, which would take a normal person one full hand to support, looked tiny in his massive palm.
On it sat an exquisite porcelain teapot, releasing the fragrance of tea.
The enormous bear-man used two fingers to delicately pinch a teacup, careful not to use too much strength, and gently placed it on the table before Lacy and Liya.
Then, holding the similarly tiny-looking teapot, he poured tea into their empty cups.
The tea level was perfect, neither overflowing nor too low.
Lacy stared in disbelief.
His massive body together with the delicate teaware looked completely incompatible.
But his elegant, practiced movements felt like they had been honed for a lifetime.
Lacy could not comprehend it.
After finishing, the bear-man bowed deeply.
A heavy, oppressive aura slowly spread from his body, engulfing Lacy completely.
"Please enjoy."
Lacy trembled so hard she could barely lift her hands. Her earlier pride had completely vanished.
"Th-th-thank… thank you… for the hospitality…"
Liya lifted her teacup, smiling at Halnarsen.
"Thank you, Halnarsen. You may rest now."
"Miss Liya, please give any orders as needed."
He bowed to Liya respectfully, and as he straightened, he glanced at Lacy.
Just that one glance made Lacy freeze like her soul had left her body.
Even after Halnarsen's enormous figure left, she still hadn't recovered.
The oppressive aura seemed to cling to her, refusing to dissipate.
Until Liya finally spoke, "Huh? What's wrong? You look uncomfortable."
"Ah, ah, huh? I-I-I'm fine! I'm perfectly fine!"
Hearing Liya's voice, Lacy finally snapped out of it, forcing a stiff smile.
Trying to soothe her embarrassment, she lifted the teacup and drank a mouthful.
But the next second, she clenched her lips shut.
'S-so hot!'
Even though her face flushed completely red, she didn't spit it out.
This temperature, she could handle it. She was an elf.
Forcing herself to swallow, she endured the burning pain.
Tears formed at the corners of her eyes, but she still put the cup down with pride.
"Mm… this tea… is not bad!"
Liya smiled, blew lightly on her tea, took a sip, and set her cup down.
"That man just now is the house butler. Don't judge him by his size, he's quite delicate and skillful."
"I knew you'd like the tea he brewed."
Lacy nodded vigorously, "Yes, yes, I agree completely."
Delicate and skillful?
She knew very well that was a bear-man.
The pressure he gave off was far too terrifying.
It felt like he could crush her with one punch.
Lacy felt like she had somehow stepped into a wolf den, and she regretted coming here.
Had she known, she would never have come to the Clavenna family.
Knights whose training shook the ground.
A terrifying bear-man.
'That bear-man must be their strongest fighter…'
Lacy didn't want to stay even another second. Forcing a smile, she said, "Um… let's get to the main topic, Miss Liya."
"Oh, you mean the elf queen? Well…"
Liya smiled gently, but that smile looked full of scheming, almost devilish.
"You'll have to ask my older brother. He knows more."
"Your… older brother?" Lacy froze for a moment.
Suddenly, an even more overwhelming presence crashed down onto her like a mountain.
For a moment, it felt like she had entered a silent world.
A blazing sun hung overhead, and she was surrounded by a lush forest.
And in that primeval forest, she suddenly saw two terrifying beings.
Two colossal beasts hovered in the sky.
One covered in molten lava, the other wrapped in countless vines.
The crushing pressure drenched Lacy in cold sweat.
Thump! Thump!
Clear footsteps echoed like someone descending a staircase, snapping her consciousness back to reality.
She looked toward the source of the sound.
Emerging from the shadows was a cold, sharp face.
Before she could see clearly, a faint, indifferent gaze sliced through her like a blade.
"I heard… you're looking for me?"