How Could the Villainous Young Master Be a Saintess?

“You’re saying that forest from before didn’t even count as the true barrier??” Vinny looked thoroughly baffled. That forest had already been dangerous enough. He had assumed that was the barrier around Eternity Forest.

“Of course not. That still doesn’t count as the true barrier. It’s only the entrance to Eternity Forest. The barrier that truly protects elf lands lies farther behind it,” Vera explained to Vinny. “However, Student Vinny, all we can do is bring you to the entrance of elf lands. Whether or not you can pass through the barrier depends on whether you have truly received the approval of the golden leaf and the elders.”

“Is that so?” Vinny raised a brow.

This place was still forest, but compared with that primeval forest from before, with its absurdly rich ecology, this one at least had paths. It wasn’t so overgrown with green vegetation that you couldn’t even see where the road was.

Vinny sensed footsteps in the woods on both sides. When he looked over, he found several Wood Elves carrying baskets on their backs, dressed in elven-style clothing and hollow-strapped sandals, gathering herbs in the forest.

It was his first time seeing this many elves.

“In the western forest grow many herbs and wild vegetables our elves use in medicine and food, so our people often step outside the barrier and come here to gather them,” Vera said from the front as she led the way, explaining things to Vinny. “Sometimes, if they can’t find the herbs they need here either, they go even farther out.”

“I see.” Vinny now had a better idea why elves sometimes got snatched by slave traders. Most likely, the herbs they needed couldn’t be gathered within Eternity Forest, so they took the risk of leaving elf lands, only to run straight into human slavers.

No wonder lawless scum were always lurking around this area. So they were camping out here to try their luck, seeing whether a few elves would wander out of the forest to gather herbs despite the warnings.

Hm, that smells good. A kind of pure, natural herbal fragrance.

Though who knows whether it’s coming from the herbs... or from the elves themselves.

Vinny remembered that Shicodale carried a similar fresh scent. Was it because elves basically ate a vegetarian diet, so even their bodies smelled nice?

As he walked, Vinny observed Eternity Forest along the way, trying his best to ignore the line of gazes fixed stubbornly on him from the side.

That blue-haired human really is a descendant of the Goddess, the great-grandson of Saintess Sophia??

Naina stared at Vinny with suspicion and thoughtfulness written all over her face.

She wasn’t human, and she didn’t know much about human civilization, but no matter how she looked at him, he didn’t seem like it.

“Miss Naina, aren’t you supposed to be serving as a scout and guard for those clansmen gathering herbs?” Vera suddenly said.

Naina understood the hidden meaning in Vera’s words. She realized her gaze had been lingering on Vinny the entire time. This was a discreet reminder that she was being rude and that she ought to go back and do her job.

“Ah, right, I almost forgot. While carrying out my scouting and escort duties just now, I noticed something unusual. I wonder if Miss Vera could spare a moment to speak in private?” As Naina spoke, she stole a glance at Vinny without making a sound.

“Whatever it is, Miss Naina can say it here.”

“It’s not exactly something fit to say out loud.” Naina scratched her head, her eyes darting around.

“Well...” Vera let out a light sigh and looked at Vinny hesitantly.

“Hm? Why are you looking at me, Miss Vera? Don’t mind me. If you two have something to discuss, go ahead.” Vinny didn’t care in the slightest. He even slowed his pace on his own and pulled some distance between them, letting the two have their private conversation. He had no intention of eavesdropping.

“Thank you for your understanding,” Vera said gratefully.

“Lady Vera, do you really believe that blue-haired young man is a descendant of the Saintess family?” Once Vinny was far enough away that he couldn’t hear them, Naina finally dared to speak more boldly, though she still kept her voice low for fear Vinny might overhear.

“What [N O V E L I G H T] do you mean?”

“Lady Vera, forgive my bluntness, but any nun you pull out of the Church of the Dawn in the village would know that the most obvious mark of a Facilis descendant is pink hair and heart-shaped pupils, and House of Facilis has never had a male heir.” As she spoke, Naina stole another glance at Vinny. Only after seeing that he was still looking into the woods on either side, clearly not paying attention to them, did she continue. “Not only is that human a man, but his hair color and eye color don’t match at all. Do you know the rumors people whisper in human cities?”

“That’s enough, Naina. If this is all you wanted to say, go back to your duties.” Vera’s expression didn’t change.

“Lady Vera, I’m serious. That human is really suspicious.”

“Naina, do you know what Carillian Academy is?”

“I’ve heard a little. That’s the human academy the Second Princess attends, right? But I don’t think a piece of clothing is enough to clear someone of suspicion.”

“Naina, keep your voice down.” Vera cast her a look. “Go back to your duties.”

“...Yes.” Seeing that Vera had no intention of listening to her, Naina could only leap helplessly up into the treetops and return to her post.

“Has Miss Naina left?” Vinny walked back up after her departure and asked when he saw Naina heading into the woods.

“Yes. Her task to begin with was to protect those clansmen gathering herbs, so she has duties to carry out and cannot conveniently accompany us into the village,” Vera said.

“Oh, I see.” Vinny nodded. He didn’t care much either way.

The two of them reached the end of the forest path. Here stood a statue of the Mother of Earth, just like the one by the stone bridge before. The difference was that this statue held a glowing leaf in its hand.

“Mr. Vinny, what is it?” Vera asked in confusion when she saw Vinny come to a halt.

“Well... there’s no road ahead.” Vinny looked strangely at the scene before him.

Right in front of them, a stretch of densely grown conifer woods blocked the way.

It was so dense there wasn’t even room to set a foot down. Unless someone cut through the thicket, there was no path at all.

“We’ve arrived at the [All-Forests Barrier].”

“This is the barrier protecting elf lands??”

“Yes. This is the home of the elves. Other than elves themselves, only those who have received an invitation from the elves may set foot here,” Vera explained.

Vinny took the golden leaf from his chest. At that moment, the leaf showed no reaction at all, which inevitably made him wonder whether the “ticket” Ronilei had brought him for elf lands would actually work.

If it didn’t work, was he supposed to walk all the way back again?

By way of demonstration, Vera stepped forward. The gold-edged strapped sandals on her feet fully revealed the pale, jade-like skin of her feet, each rounded toenail like a rosy little jewel.

Then, with one step forward, her graceful figure disappeared into the forest, as though an invisible wall stood there.

Vinny stared in astonishment at the magical sight. A living person had just vanished right in front of his eyes.

Come to think of it... is the [All-Forests Barrier] of elf lands also a kind of Divine Authority?

Was it left behind by the Mother of Earth?

“Mr. Vinny, you can try now.” A moment later, Vera’s voice came from within the barrier. She then stepped back out from inside it, reappearing prettily before Vinny once more.

“However...” Vera hesitated for a moment. “Mr. Vinny, if you are not truly the person invited by the elves, then you will be repelled by the [All-Forests Barrier]. As for what would happen then... I can’t say for sure myself.”

“So please think carefully before making your decision.”

The hidden meaning in Vera’s words was obvious enough: if Vinny was an impostor pretending to be the invited guest, backing down now might at least save his life.

The one truly invited?

Vinny didn’t hesitate long before making his decision.

Even if those Golden Elf elders did not regard him as someone truly acknowledged by them, he still had Milian’s acknowledgment.

So he put the golden leaf away, raised a leg, and reached out with one hand to feel ahead. He found that half his arm sank into the barrier.

Vinny froze in surprise for a moment, then continued forward.

The scene before him opened up all at once. A blinding white light flashed across his field of vision, and by the time his sight recovered, the landscape before him had changed.

The dense conifer forest was gone. In its place was a path leading toward a settlement with a completely different style ahead.

Many girls with pale skin, striking looks, and pointed ears moved back and forth through the settlement in airy, light clothing.

The air was filled with a fresh fragrance and a sense of comfort. Breathing in that air made it feel as though every cell in his body had been filled with vitality.

As a Camella native, Vinny had traveled abroad before. As a foreigner, he had been to the Tyrel Empire.

But as a human entering a non-human village, this was the first time.

For the first time, he truly felt that he had entered a city-state filled entirely with another race, a place where he alone was profoundly out of place.

“It seems Mr. Vinny has passed the trial of the [All-Forests Barrier], and the invitation you received was sincere indeed.” Vera’s voice came from behind him. She had also arrived after passing through the barrier.

“So this... is elf lands?”

“That’s right. Welcome to the realm of the elves, Mr. Vinny.” Vera swept her staff lightly and spread her arms.

“As a first-time visitor, you probably don’t understand elven customs very well, so offending someone without meaning to is hard to avoid. Please stay close to me.” With that, Vera took the lead again, still guiding Vinny along.

“Then I’ll be in your care, Miss Vera.” Vinny hesitated over how he ought to address Vera. If he were to address her according to age, he could probably call her something like ma’am, auntie, or grandmother. But that would definitely be impolite, so he decided to stick with the all-purpose “Miss.”

“You’re welcome. You are a guest of the elves. This is only what I ought to do as a priestess,” Vera said with a nod.

Vinny followed behind Vera as they walked the path toward the village. Along the way, it was inevitable that some elves would see him.

When their eyes landed on Vinny, this unfamiliar stranger, their first reaction was confusion. The village was only so large, and everyone knew everyone else. A stranger standing among them was something easy to notice.

Going by the hair color, they first assumed he was a fellow Sea Elf. But after taking a closer look, they realized his ears were not pointed.

The elves froze for a moment, then all understood Vinny’s identity. One pair of delicate eyes after another widened, jaws dropping in shock.

A human—it was actually a human?!

The Wood Elf villagers passing through stopped what they were doing, each with a different expression, all staring in stunned disbelief at Vinny as he walked the path.

After confirming again and again that he really was a genuine human, all the elves wore expressions of utter disbelief.

It had been nearly a century since a human had last entered their village.

Still, even if none had come in person, they had heard again and again of the vile things done by slave traders after the constraints of the Tyrelis Ancient Empire disappeared. And the destruction of Moon Elf territory in particular had landed like a bombshell.

While elves rejected humans, they also lived in constant unease, afraid their own homes might become the second Moon Elf kingdom.

Vinny caught all kinds of emotions in the gazes cast his way—shock, vigilance, wariness, hostility, fear, rejection, and more.

“Mom, is that blue-haired big brother one of those Sea Elves who live by the shore? But why are his ears different from ours?” an innocent elf child asked his mother.

“He’s not a Sea Elf. All right, stop looking.” The elf mother covered her child’s eyes, as if afraid that looking at Vinny might somehow have a bad effect on the child.

“Then who is he? Ah, his ears are different from ours. Is he one of those humans everyone talks about?”

“All right, we should go home. Stop saying things like that. Just pretend you didn’t see anything today.” The elf child’s father hurried his wife and child away from the scene.

“Why is a human in our village??” Quite a few elves looked at one another, seeing the same unease and fear reflected in each other’s eyes.

“No idea. But he’s walking behind Lady Vera, so... it should be fine, right?”

“My fellow clansmen, please stop whispering. This gentleman was invited by the elders and has passed the trial of the [All-Forests Barrier]. Do not be overly anxious. Please go back to your own affairs and do not lose your manners or your hospitality toward a guest.” Vera lifted her staff and spoke up in time.

Since the priestess herself had said so, the elves dispersed one after another despite still harboring doubts. Even so, quite a few continued sizing Vinny up from the shadows, with no telling what they were thinking.

“My apologies. I’m afraid I made you a laughingstock. It has been a very long time since my people last saw a human. In most of their world, there are only elves, so seeing you naturally startled them,” Vera explained.

That was pretty obviously more than surprise, wasn’t it? Vinny thought silently.

“Yes. I understand,” Vinny answered.

“Up ahead is a Wood Elf village. I am the Earth priestess of that village,” Vera said.

“Your elders live there?” Vinny asked with a frown.

“Of course not. This is only one Wood Elf settlement. The Golden Elf settlement lies farther in.”