I’ve Reincarnated into an Elf

“A princess, huh… Mother, I don’t know what brought them all the way out here, but their existence must be valuable to the Beastmen. It could be quite an opportunity, don’t you think?”

I’ve experienced moments like this in games, where I always take action when such opportunities arise.

I’ve held hostages and used them for leverage, or when saved them, earned their gratitude, and later received rewards. Of course, choosing the latter option only applied when the opponent was a fellow tribe member or someone I could consider an ally in some way.

“Then the Elves and Beastmen will have to cross an irreparable river.”

Elysia placed her hand on Eldmir’s shoulder.

“Eld, even between races with strained relationships, harmony can be achieved if there are efforts from both sides. Killing them off immediately just because they’re enemies is not the only option. Think about it, Eld. How all races lived during the primal era. How our ancestors lived.”

“…I don’t know if the Beastmen are making such efforts or remembering that era.”

Elysia warmly smiled.

“That’s where tolerance comes in, creating harmony.”

“What kind of harmony is that? Just accommodating each other.”

“I have to accommodate first, and then the opponent will learn to accommodate us. That’s the way of opportunities, Eld, remember?”

Elysia looked at the Beastmen.

“It could really be an opportunity. A chance for harmony to transcend violence and achieve reconciliation.”

Elves never initiate a fight.

They are a race that thoroughly accommodates their opponents.

That’s why Elves were considered a non-aggressive race, and even if the direction of that harmony led to conflict, they were beings who never forgot the memories of the primal era.

The reason they were the first to be eliminated is precisely because they sought harmony with all races.

“Like the primal era… Is that what you mean?”

“Yes. Like the time when everyone lived in harmony and happiness.”

It’s an overoptimistic fantasy.

There’s no way the relationship between the Beastmen and the Elves would become so smooth just because they saved a few girls in front of them. Elysia probably just wants to rescue those girls.

“It’s a serious matter, Mother. Not just you, but all the Elves. Among all races, only the Elves desire that era so much.”

There are individuals who reminisce about or admire that era, and even some groups or organizations, but not an entire race.

That’s why Elves were the first to be eliminated.

“I don’t think this choice will go well for the Elves. Reconciliation with the Beastmen? I can’t even imagine it. Still, I follow Mother’s choice purely…”

Eldmir trailed off.

For some reason, he couldn’t say what he intended to say.

Why?

He just wanted to say he was following Mother’s request, but for some reason, those words didn’t come out.

It was like a small whisper of denial, a misconception that he wasn’t following the choice because of that.

With that brief notion, Eldmir’s mind became complicated.

Although it was a fleeting thought, it was enough to unsettle his mind.

Countless thoughts rushed through his mind like lightning.

What, what is causing this feeling?

What is the identity of these elusive thoughts?

Eldmir swallowed the confusion and let out a sigh.

“Let’s go. If we want to save him, we need to heal that warrior right away.”

After saying that, Eldmir waited for Elysia to descend first.

Part of it was because he didn’t know much of the Beastmen language, but mostly, he felt hesitant to casually talk to the opponent he had been fighting fiercely against until now.

Thinking about it, he silently criticized himself for still being inexperienced.

With those thoughts in mind, Eldmir followed behind Elysia.

That’s how this world is.

You never know when the moment to kill your opponent will come, or when you’ll be killed yourself.

Even when this world was just a game, Eldmir had experienced countless deaths.

He needed to be prepared.

The Beastmen sensed the presence of Eldmir and Elysia and showed heightened vigilance, baring their claws and teeth. Their tails swelled, and growls echoed from their throats.

Even while dying, the beastman warrior managed to raise his stiff tail.

To indicate their non-hostile intentions, Elysia raised both hands and spoke towards them.

“We are not your enemies, children of Kelga.”

Kelga refers to the Beastmen’s god and the first beast.

“Do they understand the Common Continent Language?”

“We are Beastmen, not beasts. Elves.”

“Hmm.”

Eldmir whispered to Elysia, worried if they could understand the Common Continent Language.

Surprisingly, it was the dying wolf warrior who answered instead, speaking in Elvish, not the Common Continent Language.

He spoke slowly, in a voice that barely held on, one syllable at a time, intermittently.

But the most surprising thing was not his ability to understand the Elvish language but rather that a Beastmen, an animal-like being, could grasp any Elvish at all.

Eldmir briefly showed a perplexed expression before composing himself and bowing with a serious face.

“I apologize, Beastmen warrior. I didn’t mean to offend you.”

This time, he carefully chose the language of apology, the Common Continent Language.

“….”

The Beastmen warrior stared at Eldmir, wide-eyed, as if trying to comprehend his reaction.

The nearby Beastmen girls, who had also shown hostility earlier, hesitated with their claws and nails still exposed.

Eventually, the Beastmen warrior nodded slowly, barely managing to keep his rough breath steady.

Eldmir felt conflicted as he looked at the Beastmen warrior, who now seemed powerless.

Was he really about to kill these powerless beings just moments ago?

Unilaterally.

“Beastmen, as long as you abide by the forest’s etiquette, we will treat you as guests.”

Elysia spoke warmly to them.

As if the appearance of Elysia surprised the Beastmen girls, who exchanged bewildered glances and then turned their gaze to the Beastmen warrior in unison. While they might not be twins, their sisterly connection made Eldmir barely suppress a smirk of indifference.

“What… are you up to?”

Elysia slowly raised her hand to the struggling Beastmen warrior, who could barely utter words.

“Artir.”

-Tsk. This is not my forte.

Although Artir grumbled, he obediently followed Elysia’s intention and summoned his strength. His body glowed brightly, and then the flames emanating from the light shot towards the Beastmen warrior.

The flames flashed for a moment, and then they seemed to seep into the Beastmen warrior. The Beastmen girls were taken aback and wavered uncertainly.

One of the girls misunderstood the attack and even drew her claws, rushing towards Elysia.

“Calm down, kitten… I mean, little one.”

She couldn’t be more than ten years old.

With a simple wrist hold, Eldmir easily subdued the young girl’s haphazard attack. Though slightly surprised by the formidable strength of the Beastmen, she was no match for Eldmir.

Still, it was a bit astonishing to feel this level of force from a little girl of the Beastmen, especially considering the gentle nature of the Catkin tribe. While it might not be surprising if it were the Wolfkin or the Bearkin, the Catkin, especially such a young one, seemed unexpected.

Eldmir calmly rotated the body of the girl, who roared like a wild beast and gently spoke.

“Look, little one. We didn’t attack your protector.”

The area where the flames seeped was gradually diminishing.

But those flames were not ordinary; they were the flames of a spirit that could selectively burn only what it intended to burn. Even if it were a conceptual thing, if it fell under the light category, it could be ignited by the mysterious flames.

The flames were burning the “wounds” of the Beastmen warrior.

It was not a primitive method of simply cauterizing the wound for hemostasis; it was literally burning the concept of “wounds” itself.

“Kahrrrrrr?”

As the Beastmen girl realized this, her eyes widened in surprise.

Feeling his strength draining away, Eldmir slowly released his grip on her.

The girl, now completely free from Eldmir’s hand, quickly returned to her protector’s side.

“Can you heal everything, Mother?”

“It might be difficult to heal everything. The wounds are deep. Even if we burn everything within the range of the healing flames, there might still be aftereffects.”

That’s right. Healing flames are not all-powerful.

“We didn’t come here to harm you.”

Elysia said, and the recovered Beastmen warrior began to breathe more evenly.

“We accept your goodwill.”

In response, the surrounding Catkin girls started to tremble nervously. They exchanged guarded glances and poured out words of obvious wariness, all in the Beastmen language, which Eldmir could hardly understand.

Calmly listening to the girls’ talk, the Beastmen warrior, who had been listening quietly, eventually responded in the Beastmen language. The small yet distinct voice left the girls speechless and unsure of what to say.

Eldmir, who thought they had persuaded them well enough, added a few words.

“You’ll need our help to pass through this forest.”

“…I don’t trust you.”

The oldest-looking girl among the Catkin girls spoke up.

The girl who seemed to be in her mid-teens stepped forward, slightly ahead of the other girls.

“This is the Elf Forest, and you are travelers passing through. As long as the forest permits, you are guests of the Elves, and it is our obligation to welcome those guests. We are here only to fulfill that obligation and have no hostile intentions.”

Elysia calmly spoke.

Her calm tone held a warmth unique to Elysia, and it left the Catkin girls puzzled.

Observing the easing of their wariness, Eldmir suddenly had a thought and asked.

“You must be fleeing from the Orcs. What do you think is the probability of those Orcs chasing you into this forest?”

Based on Eldmir’s previous life experience, the probability of Orcs entering the Elf Forest was quite high. To commit a massacre in the Elf Forest meant preparing for a full-scale confrontation with the Elves, or it would simply be a reckless act of suicide for those hopeful of dying.

Most Orcs were fools, as he learned from playing as an Orc in the game.

He never entered the Elf Forest when he wasn’t fully prepared for a full-scale confrontation or when he had no purpose other than simple reconnaissance.

Even then, he mostly went in and out unnoticed. If he got caught, well, he would just have to die.

In any case, there were times when young and enthusiastic Orcs were on the verge of charging into the Elf Forest, but the player version of himself would stop them.

This meant that the current Orcs might also be in a state of uncontrollable frenzy.

That was because most Orcs, except for their chieftains, were generally foolish.