"Should I step aside for a moment?"
The unfamiliar elf looked at Faust and his companion, tilting her head. Her flaxen hair slid across her pale, slender shoulders.
"But if possible, I'd like to watch from the sidelines. I've never seen two humans this beautiful mating before."
"An elf?!"
Viviana instantly switched to battle mode. As brilliant white light flowed through her palm, she drew a sharp longsword and pointed it at the suddenly appearing elf.
Even while enjoying private time with her beloved, Viviana maintained awareness and vigilance of her surroundings. Yet before this stranger spoke, she'd sensed nothing at all.
While cursing herself for being too lax, alarm bells rang in her mind.
This elf was terrifyingly strong, at least far stronger than herself.
Despite being held at swordpoint by the blonde girl, the strange elf seemed completely unbothered and continued asking, "So, you're not going to mate?"
"Are you... trying to provoke us?"
Just as Viviana was about to strike, Faust reached out to stop her and smiled at the elf.
"Nope, not mating."
"Is that so? What a shame."
The strange elf sighed and hooked her toes onto the branch she'd been standing on, hanging upside down from the treetop.
Putting all her body weight on such a slender, fragile branch was already astonishing, but her current position completely defied gravity! Incredible!
No idea how she managed it, but it was truly shocking.
"I was rather looking forward to it. Interesting things rarely happen here."
The strange elf's beauty was striking, her voice crisp and bell-like, pleasant enough to make one overlook her outrageous comments.
Faust suggested, "Since we've met, it must be fate. We happen to be having afternoon tea. Would you like to join us?"
"Your Highness?"
Viviana immediately looked at Faust and said softly, "I... I'm not confident I can defeat this elf, even if I let 'her' out."
The [Witch] destiny was indeed noble, but as things stood, "Cinderella's" power hadn't undergone a qualitative transformation yet... No, that wasn't quite right. In fact, Viviana's mystical prowess had grown extraordinarily fast, probably more than double what it was before.
It was just that even with her combat strength doubled, she still wouldn't be a match for this elf.
Faust shook his head. "It's fine. I believe this elf has no ill intentions. Right?"
Hearing this, the elf carefully observed Faust, then nodded lightly.
"Alright."
She dropped from the treetop, her toes lightly touching the lake's surface before walking across the water as if on solid ground.
Reaching the boat, Faust deliberately made room for the elf, who naturally knelt at the tea table.
Seeing this, Viviana sheathed her sword and returned to Faust's side.
Actually, her vigilance was somewhat unnecessary. According to unspoken rules, assassinating or using force to threaten mystical nobles was taboo. Almost no one would do such a thing.
In the past, Faust had assumed this was the result of aristocratic society collectively enforcing protections to maintain the privileged class's transcendent status.
The prince had been rather puzzled at the time, wondering if everyone really had such martial ethics.
But now Faust understood. This was most likely another restriction set by the Wheel of Fate.
If extraordinary powerhouses could act without restraint, many "scripts" would become completely impractical.
"Thank you."
The elf wasn't polite at all. After sitting down, she started devouring the pastries.
"Mm... Human food isn't as refined, but the taste is quite good."
Faust watched the elf stuff her cheeks full of sweets like a hamster, his eyelids lowering slightly.
"Your Highness, this is very abnormal."
Viviana whispered to the prince.
Faust nodded. "I understand what you mean."
This fantastical world naturally had more than just the human race, though it wasn't that diverse either. Elves especially were quite rare in human kingdoms.
Because nearly all elves came from the ancient Kingdom of Darkfold, a realm quite distant from the Kingdom of Aurum.
Even if some elves traveled abroad, they shouldn't stray this far from their homeland.
Faust already had a pretty good guess. An obviously powerful elf appearing in this remote little kingdom of Aurum, such an anomaly immediately brought Mephisto's arrangements to mind.
He said he'd found an absolutely excellent teacher. Could it be this person before him?
As Faust pondered, he asked, "May I ask your name?"
The flaxen-haired elf sucked chocolate from her fingers and answered without hesitation.
"My full name is quite a mouthful. For humans, just call me Mistoria."
"Oh, so it's Miss Mistoria... Wait, Mistoria? Do you mean that Mistoria?"
Faust had been resting his chin on interlaced fingers, but hearing the elf's answer, he slammed the table and shot to his feet.
The elf named Mistoria paused from eating cookies, tilting her head.
"I don't know which one you mean. There are quite a few people with the same name in my clan."
The prince of Aurum calmed his excitement and sat back down. Recalling the legends he knew, he recited them like treasured knowledge.
"The renowned Elven Martial Saint, champion warrior of the Kingdom of Darkfold, participant in battles against great demons like the Viper Mother and the Phantom Lord, who once single-handedly crushed an entire Imperial legion! A hero with countless legendary exploits!"
"That would be me, then."
Hearing her great achievements from the man's mouth, Mistoria only responded flatly, as if these were someone else's trivial anecdotes, focusing intently on the cookie in her hand.
Faust took a deep breath and continued asking.
"Miss Mistoria, how did you come to Aurum? I recall the Kingdom of Darkfold is... quite far from here."
"Aurum... is that this human kingdom's name? Never heard of it. You humans change kingdoms far too quickly."
The legendary elven hero sighed first, then shook her head.
"I don't know the differences between human realms. I got lost in this forest not long ago.
I wasn't planning to go this direction originally, but the scenery here is lovely, so I decided to stay a while."
Excellent, excellent, Mephisto. You really came through, managing to bring over the Elven Martial Saint herself. As a teacher, few could be stronger than Mistoria!
Faust's grin was harder to suppress than an AK's recoil. Why Mistoria would "get lost" didn't require much thought. It was definitely Mephisto's big hand at work.
So this is what it feels like to have a Fae backing you?
He hadn't failed to guess who Mephisto might bring as a teacher.
He'd considered various professions and identities, even fantasizing about a Holy Grail Knight, but never imagined it would be a legendary hero as renowned as Mistoria.