The Sinful Saint

"...I welcome you to this world and to the [Elven Forest]."

The elder at the head of the table welcomed Si Sheng to this world and their forest after the World Tree ascertained his disposition as friendly.

"I think we should introduce ourselves since this doesn't happen every day," said the elder at the head of the table, looking around at each elder as he continued, "My name is Fenulis Turlun Welfmire, I am the head of the Council of Elders, as well as the King of the Elves, but you may refer to me as Fenulis," so said Fenulis with a charming smile.

Going from the left of Fenulis, the elders introduced themselves.

"I am Bythre Helmer, the Head of the First Elven Magic Institution, you may call me Ms. Helmer or Bythre, whichever suits your fancy," so says the free-flowing Bythre. Although they are called "elders," they are undoubtedly beautiful and don't look a day out of their 20s. Bythre is a prime example of this. She has pale and supple skin, smooth and glimmering, golden hair, enchanting ocean-blue eyes, and a playful smirk etched onto her face making her seem like a young and spry woman.

'That's elves for ya,' thought Si Sheng to himself.

The elders that followed on the left were five heads of the noble lineages of the elves. Apparently, from what they explained, when the Elven Nation was established, thirteen elves fought back the disasters that impeded the elves peace and were the ones who founded the nation. Thus, they became known as the noble lineage among the elves. That is why there are thirteen seats at the Council of Elders, although not every seat is occupied by a noble lineage; for example, Ms. Helmer. Apparently, a war broke out about 400 years ago and a couple of the noble lineages were wiped out, leaving seats at the Council open.

Going to the right side, the elf closest to the king spoke next.

"My name is Gothrin Olbest, the Commander of the Elven Military," so said the gruff-looking elf, rippling with muscle and bravado.

The same thing repeated on the right side as what happened on the left side, except for the elf closest to Si Sheng. His position was a little odd to Si Sheng.

"My name is Renmil Libera, I am the Head of the Knowledge Sector of Ljosalfheim," so said the skinny, glasses-wearing elf, who took on the stereotypical bookworm type. By the way, Ljosalfheim is the name of the Elven City and Alfheim is the name of the Elven Nation, according to what Renmil said.

Thinking back to Earth, Si Sheng realized these were the exact names of the elven lands in Norse mythology. Pondering for a bit, he thought of something seemingly absurd, 'Were the Norse mythological tales based off of the tales of [Otherworlders] that came to Earth?' It was an absurd thought, but Si Sheng couldn't deny it, not believing in coincidences as large as that.

"Nice to meet you all. My name is Si Sheng. I look forward to staying in Ljosalfheim for the time being."

"We look forward to having you," Fenulis responded.

"Now that you'll be living here, we can't have you being idle. Is there anything you are able to do for us?" Ms. Helmer spoke after Fenulis with a coy smirk on her face.

'She reminds me of a cat,' thought Si Sheng, obviously not wanting to project his inner thoughts to the person they were directed at.

"I have a few [Skills] that will be of use to the elves, but there should be a give-and-take if I am to provide my assistance. It's not like I can't just leave if you aren't able to concede that much," replied Si Sheng, taking a hard stance.

"Hmm~? I like this boy, I'll have him enroll in the Magic Institution."

"!!!"

The room became noisy upon Ms. Helmer's remark. It was obvious that she was playing with Si Sheng with the sly smile on her face and the light laughter escaping her mouth.

"I object! A human isn't fit to attend the Magical Institution! Let alone as a transfer in the middle of the year!" It was one of the noble lineages who erupted at Ms. Helmer's declaration. You could see fury and disgust on his face as he looked between Ms. Helmer and Si Sheng.

"You would dare! You insolent woman! Have you not forgotten what they did 430 years ago?! Do you want a repeat of that?!!" The noble lineage was blown full of the winds of fury and took to insulting Ms. Helmer in his fit. Fenulis was next to speak.

"Firstly, calm down and sit down. Ms. Helmer as well, control your bloodl.u.s.t. We can't afford any internal strife right now. Personally, I believe it's a good idea for Si Sheng to attend the institution. He's at the right age and for him to be able to survive alone in this forest means he is adequate enough. Additionally, he will be able to adjust to elven culture while he stays at the academy instead of being thrown into the workforce without knowing the peculiarities of the elves. If you aren't happy with my reasoning and still want to bar him from attending, then we can vote on it. How does that sound?"

Fenulis made a solid argument after calming down the raging rocket and the dormant volcano. Every point he made was a logical reason as to why Si Sheng should attend the institution. Yet, the following answer came.

"I would like to vote on it. I still can't trust humans despite Si Sheng appearing friendly. They are undoubtedly scheming bastards, so I would like a vote to be had."

Despite the sound argument, the noble lineage remained indignant, refusing to acknowledge Si Sheng and continuing to be hostile towards him.

"I understand... Well then, if you all have thought about this enough, then we shall take a vote."

Fenulis started the vote. The elders raised their hands for either "for" or "against." It ended up like this.

"Five against and eight for. I guess it's decided then. Si Sheng, we would like you to attend the Elven Magic Institution for the time being, is this alright?"

Surprisingly, Fenulis gave Si Sheng the choice to attend instead of forcing him to attend, which Si Sheng admired. It was a good quality to have to be able to consider the other party's d.e.s.i.r.es instead of forcing your own in place of theirs.

"Well then, I will notify the three outside to take you to the institution when you leave, since that's where you'll be staying from now into the future."

Fenulis was about to call Taro, Jara, and Beyra back in when Ms. Helmer spoke up.

"Hmm~? I'll just export him myself. I am the Dean of the Magic Institution after all. While I'm at it, I'll help him get situated right away."

"Umm, Bythre, we still have other matters to discuss. I don't think I'd be appropriate for you to leave at such a time."

It was one of the noble lineages who spoke out again. He was a shy looking elf, but brave enough to speak up against Bythre's aggressiveness.

"It's not like there's anything I can't do in my office that I can do here. I don't see a problem with it~."

"Hah... Bythre, you're free to escort the boy, just remember to contact us after you're done."

It was Fenulis who concluded the conversation, not wanting to waste any further time. With that, he called the three outside and told them about what happened. Obviously, they were shocked, for a multitude of reasons.

"What?!? This creature attending the Magic Institution??? Are you crazy?! Only the best of the elves can even get in, let alone some creature we pulled from the forest!!" Jara was shaken due to the absurdity of the Council's decision. Who would believe that the creature they captured in the forest would end up attending the most prestigious institution in the kingdom? Jara certainly couldn't accept it. But, her outburst gained the wrath of certain noble lineages.

"Silence! We don't have the time for such foolish formalities. As for you, this "creature" is from the species called [Human]. They are just as capable as elves, given the right environment, and in a few cases surpass us. They are not beings so lowly as to be taken for creatures, they can never be underestimated," Fenulis responded to the outburst and cut it off before it could continue. "His name is Si Sheng, he is able to speak the common language now and will attend the First Elven Magic Institution. You will be classmates from now on, so try to get along."

"Understood..." It came from both Jara and the noble lineage feeling awkward after getting chewed out by King Fenulis.

Without another argument, Ms. Helmer got up and walked over to Si Sheng. Unsurprisingly, she stuck to him like glue holding onto his arm and acting all flirty, obviously trying to tease him, while leaving the hall with the three young elves in tow.

"Hah... I have a headache so early in the morning..." Fenulis flopped down after they left grabbing his head in a pitiful manner as gloom settled over him.