We approached the house, and Alesia opened the door without hesitation or knocking.
The inside of this temple-like house was dark, unlike the bright outside area. There was almost no light at all, save for the candlelight sitting in front of a wrinkly old elf sitting on a small podium with his legs crossed.
His long hair reached the floor, and he closed his eyes, constantly concentrating on using the skill.
"Elder."
Alesia called out to him, but he displayed no reaction whatsoever. His concentration was impressive, gained over the years of constantly using <Sunflash> magic.
If I were to use <Appraisal> on him, I had no doubt he at least had Lv 6 or even Lv 7 <Concentration> passive skill.
The headmistress didn't seem to mind about not being heard. She just walked toward him and pointed her finger, creating a small lightning arrow on the tip.
That… Wasn't it dangerous?
"Head–"
"<Lightning Bolt>"
Before I could stop her, she had fired the lightning arrow toward the elder. I could've stopped it, but she definitely had a plan in mind, or this was just the way she used to get his attention. Besides… That wouldn't be enough to kill this old elf.
Zap!
"Shit!"
The lightning arrow hit the elder, and his body jolted as he cursed loudly. He opened his eyes, and his face morphed in anger.
"You again, Alesia! How many times do I need to tell you not to bother me at this time? Go away! I need to maintain this skill to help the world tree hold those monsters! Balance is important!" He spat out loudly before returning to his previous position and used <Sunflash> again with closed eyes.
However, Alesia didn't like that and sent another <Lightning Bolt> at him. This time, the elder deflected it with a barrier as he grinned, opening one eye to mock the headmistress.
"Do you think I won't see that?"
"I see." Alesia nodded and lowered her finger. "Then, how about this?"
As she said that, five lightning arrows, each ten times bigger than the previous one, showed up around her. They crackled loudly and illuminated the room, allowing me to see around this unexpectedly empty area.
The elder's face paled at the sight of Alesia's pissed face.
"Hold on! If I got hit by that, I would faint and couldn't assist the world tree." He quickly said, raising his hand to stop her.
Surprisingly, he was still able to maintain the <Sunflash> and used it constantly in this situation. It just showed how skilled he was.
'Although he seems to be a little too soft-hearted toward Alesia.' I thought as I watched them continue their exchanges.
"I can do that in your place for a few hours, elder." She said, controlling the five <Lightning Bolts> to get closer to the elder. "It's been a hundred years since we last met. To think you wouldn't greet me and just continue sitting there."
"Stop, stop!" The elder heaved a long sigh. "What did you want? And why did you bring a human to this place?" He asked seriously, glancing at me.
His gaze was hostile, much like he was observing someone he hated for a long time. It wasn't like he had a hatred toward me, but probably more like a human in general because he didn't call me a young man and just human.
And since earlier, when we first teleported to the outside of the village, he had already noticed my presence.
'That's why I felt that gaze. His <Clairvoyance> was truly above Alesia. Even when I heightened my senses, I could only detect it subtly. And he didn't use magic items as a support like what the headmistress always used to observe the Royal Academy.'
"He's someone who will make you thank him, elder," Alesia replied calmly, canceling the skill she had prepared to murder the elder. Then, she turned toward me and gestured, "You can introduce yourself to this grumpy old elf."
"Who are you calling grumpy?! I am only more than 800 years old! That means I am only 500 years older than you and not old at all!"
"That's a hundred years ago. Now you're nearing a millennium old." She retorted. "Anyway, that's not important. Student Arthur… Just show him that." She pressed.
Did she mean the Paladin crest?
That was certainly the fastest way to prove my identity. Also… According to what I heard about the balance and stopping the monster earlier, I became curious about it.
Did the world tree have any relation with the being beyond the waterfall?
To get that answer, I might need to make the elder less hostile towards me. Because Alesia gestured to me to show my Paladin Crest, this must be the key to gaining the elder's trust or something like that.
So, I didn't spend a lot of time and immediately activated the extra skill, creating a golden Castitas Church symbol above my head. It shone brightly in this dark room, illuminating all corners and the elder's shocked face.
"That's!?" He rose from the podium, jumping.
The elder was so surprised that he forgot to maintain the <Sunflash>. The outside turned dark almost immediately, and there wasn't a sign that Alesia would use the skill to substitute for the elder.
I was about to ask her about that when suddenly…
"Finally!!"
The elder shouted loudly and threw his hands in the air. He approached me with a fast speed, unbefitting of his age, and grabbed my hands with a wide grin on his face. The Paladin Crest disappeared as I stopped the supply and looked at the elder, confused.
"Oooh, after more than 300 years the Goddess has answered my prayers! I can finally stop and sleep at night with this! The balance has been restored! Praise you!"
This old elf was truly spirited. He even jumped around the room and did a cartwheel, ignoring both me and Alesia.
"Is he truly the elder of Elves?" I asked the headmistress while watching the elder laugh loudly while kicking the small podium he sat on earlier.
"Unfortunately." Alesia sighed, holding her face in pain. "He's the oldest man alive. And…" She looked at the elder.
Right now, he slumped over on the floor and didn't move. His face looked satisfied as he snored loudly.
This old elf… He actually fell asleep.
"It seems like he fell asleep." I finished her sentence.
