Academy Saintess of My Chūni Writing Days

“The priest is that way.”

After walking behind Kihmuhir for a while, I finally arrived at the priest.

Auril was so big that just entering this ‘sanctuary’ made it seem very close, but in reality, the distance to right in front of Auril was quite far. It must have been at least 200 meters? It could be even wider than that.

Fortunately, there were no weeds around at all. Grass was growing shallowly on the flat, leveled ground. It’s as if someone has been managing it consistently, neatly arranged as if it reminded one of a soccer field, all at a uniform height.

If it weren’t for Auril, this space could have been the center of the region. The distance from the entrance to Auril felt like 200 meters, so without that gigantic tree, it would be an enormous open space.

“Is everything around here blocked off?”

A fairly high wooden wall surrounded Auril. The houses I casually observed while walking through the Elf village were mostly portions of trees that were carved and secured together, as if they had become one with the wood, but the wall surrounding this ‘sanctuary’ was thick logs that looked like cylindrical buildings.

You had to open a door and go through to get to the sanctuary, which was made to be accessible only after going through the opposite door to get out.

If most Elf buildings looked like modern art, then only the wall surrounding this sanctuary looked like a ‘man-made structure with a practical purpose.’

Although it seemed very vulnerable to fire as a wooden wall.

“Right, you can’t just let anyone in. Churches are the same, right? There are spaces that require high approvals to enter.”

I personally wouldn’t know since I hadn’t been there.

But now that I think about it, it would be tough to find such places even if I wanted to go. Considering the status of a Saintess, how many places would the church block if I said I wanted to enter?

That could be true if it was a place hiding high-level confidential documents, but at least for a religious space like this, there wouldn’t be a reason for me not to go.

“And we’re here to venerate Auril. This is also where Auril resides. We can’t let just anyone in.”

So in the church’s perspective, it might be like a meeting room. You can’t just meet the Pope, can you? There are plenty of beings who harbor negative feelings towards the church. Even if you meet, having a private audience would be incredibly difficult.

…Now that I think of it, I wonder why I’m just standing around like this.

It seems the notion of being able to elect the next pope was just a worry. If my standing in the church were that strong, they’d have immediately whisked me away to a place like this sanctuary made so no one could enter carelessly.

The ‘priest’s’ area was quite simplistic.

Right next to the base of Auril, there was a flat and wide stone slab. It wasn’t very high. It was just a bit higher than the neatly trimmed grass. At least in my view, it seemed far too low to be used as an altar.

“Here it is.”

So when Kihmuhir pointed and spoke, I was a bit flustered.

“Um, this is it?”

“Exactly, here. This stone slab.”

I stared at the spot Kihmuhir was pointing at. It was white and luxurious-looking, made of marble, but I couldn’t sense anything special beyond that.

But looking closely, signs of time were evident.

The corners were worn and slightly chipped, rounding out a bit. There were slight marks in the center. It wasn’t quite deep, but that section was oddly square and had a different color.

Ah.

“Am I supposed to sit here?”

“Yeah. We don’t need anything else from Remihar.”

So that square shape was probably the mark left by a cushion that has gradually developed over 500 years.

Even if it’s 500 years, does a cushion really wear down that much?

If they performed rituals once a year, that would amount to only 500 times. It’s plausible that the sharp corner was worn down, but if such a flat surface became smooth like that, wouldn’t it require thousands, tens of thousands of uses instead of just a few hundred?

Perhaps when Auril was first planted, a lot more holy power had to be poured in back then as well. When I first came to this world, Auril was just a twig I barely managed to bring over, and most of what I planted didn’t grow into trees and died.

In a desperate effort to keep that twig alive, it eventually grew into the current Auril.

Now Auril has become a solid tree needing management only about once a year.

Those marks etched into the stone are probably the result of the enduring effort since that time.

By the way, using the same stone for 500 years seems a bit odd too. Doesn’t that suggest they pulled it back a bit each time the tree grew? This could be seen as a reflection of the Elves’ unique conservativeness.

“Want to try sitting for a bit?”

“What posture should I sit in?”

“There’s no set posture. Just a position that makes it easy to call upon your holy power is fine. The important thing is Auril; it’s not about the formality.”

That sounded like something very fitting to say for an Elf who values formality more than anyone else, but I refrained from saying anything out loud.

I took off my shoes and stepped onto the clean stone slab. I went to the center, where many past priests’ marks remained, and knelt prayer-style, just like I used to at the convent.

The surface was hard and cold, but that was the same for both cathedrals and convents. Laypeople prayed seated on chairs, but clergy, including nuns, knelt and prayed on the bare floor. Possibly as penance or something.

I clasped my hands together and closed my eyes.

…Um, is this position alright?

Seeing that Kihmuhir wasn’t saying anything, that must mean it’s fine to remain this way.

“During the ritual, I’ll be here alone, right?”

“Yeah. No one will disturb you.”

Certainly, it feels much better to be without the elders whispering by my side.

Could it also be a tradition solidified while receiving help from the church? The Elves are extremely reluctant to external assistance, but they can’t maintain their holy relics without such help. The church would prefer not to help, but they give minimal aid to maintain political power.

I imagined that the interests of the two parties just barely aligned to result in this.

*

I wasn’t exactly what you would call a vegetarian.

It’s not like I avoided vegetables at all. When Korean stir-fried pork appeared, I would look for lettuce, and when I had pork cutlet, I’d look for pickled radish.

But to say my diet was predominantly vegetarian would be an exaggeration. I maintained a diet clearly focused on meat. When I was living with my parents, that might not be the case, but when I lived alone, I always ensured one of the side dishes had meat.

I didn’t even look at vegetarian restaurants when eating out, and even when having Korean food, I primarily focused on the meat dishes, leaving the other side dishes largely untouched.

After coming to this world, I still enjoyed meat. In the academy, unless excluding specialized meals for some vegetarians, meat was plenty. Maybe it was meant to imply that one should eat well and become a great hero. Whatever the reason, as long as it tasted good, I didn’t mind.

However, Elves do not consume meat.

It’s not because they care about the environment or animal rights like modern vegetarians. It was merely a matter of taste.

Most Elves usually eat according to the image we hold, but for young children, sometimes they have to eat meat or drink milk. Generally, children tend to eat meat well when young, but as they grow older, they can’t adapt to the unique smell of meat and gradually reduce it, ending up as nearly vegetarian adults with almost solely fruits, vegetables, and grains.

That said, even young Elves aren’t necessarily averse to vegetable dishes. In cases where they couldn’t speak and could only drink their mother’s milk, there were no opinions about food preferences, but once they learn to talk and begin to run around, they can express their own tastes, which makes their Elf parents’ lives quite challenging.

For example,

“I don’t wanna eat sausage!”

As the parents soothe and coax the child who is chewing on their sausage with an unhappy face.

“Come on, you need to eat protein to grow healthy. You need to grow up to be a respectable member of society!”

…Just by the sound of it, that sounds like something out of a classic dystopian novel, but anyway.

The dreams of the Elves from this world seemed quite similar. To grow well and become honorable members of society. To not fall behind anyone, and to perfectly complete their tasks so that society can continue cohesively.

And at the center of that life is Auril. Protecting Auril, helping it grow, and living happily for a long time under its beautiful golden shade.

There was no external world. They heard stories but had little desire to go out. Very few even wanted to go out, and many had never heard of a hero. At least, the Elves I spoke to at the evening banquet were like that.

If they were high-ranking Elves, they might understand, but on the contrary, it sparked less interest for me.

It was an issue that they lacked manners, but more so, they outright didn’t wish to talk to me. When I mustered the courage to initiate a conversation, they would just sweep me from head to toe, glance dismissively at my somewhat protruding chest, and swiftly turn away.

It could be that I hadn’t made a proper greeting during the day. At least it seemed that news had spread among the upper class. The ‘respected Elves’ aside from Ramihi showed no inclination to engage in easy conversation with me, regardless of gender or age.

“Are you enjoying the banquet?”

Ah, except for ‘Kihmuhir’, not even ‘Ramihi’.

The one speaking to me was Krah Kihmuhir, the elder chief. There was no sign of negative feelings as he smiled kindly while addressing me. Regardless of whether it was an act or not, he fundamentally had the traits of an old-fashioned stickler.

“Sometimes children’s stubbornness can outlast an adult’s folly.”

Eventually observing a young Elf chewing on a sausage, grumpily, under the influence of his mother, the elder stroked his beard.

Is he sincere?

That kid still ended up eating, though.

The image I had of the council of elders during our first meeting was worse than that. Isn’t it a bit mad for an old Elf to make such rude comments about the first person he meets just because he’s looking at his chest?

As I looked at him laden with such doubts, the elder smiled faintly.

“Then, do enjoy the banquet. I have some pressing matters to attend to.”

With a light nod, the Elf chief turned and left. His attitude showed he wasn’t expecting my gratitude either. His tone was gentle, but he certainly didn’t treat me as an equal.

Still, a sigh escaped me as I realized that this was probably the best treatment among the so-called respected Elves.

“Is the meal not to your liking?”

While I sighed heavily, Rene approached me quietly and asked.

“No, the food is delicious.”

In reality, that was true. The meats, like sausages, served for children were often imported and thus felt quite ordinary to me, whereas the pure vegetarian dishes made by the Elves were incredibly delicious.

Like I mentioned, I’m not a vegetarian. Yet, experiencing such tasty pure vegetarian takes was incredibly surprising.

Vegetarians often mimic meat using vegetables, but Elves don’t resort to such methods. Since actual meat-loving Elves are exceedingly rare, their cooking has developed to highlight the flavors of the plants themselves.

Stir-frying some unknown fruits alongside oddly shaped vegetables that I also couldn’t name, the mix was superb. That medley of vegetables sautéed in olive oil presented an enticing aroma and subtle sweetness that I had never encountered before.

There were spicy dishes made with peppers and various aromatic spices, and even without meat, the flavors were diverse and the textures delightful.

Of course, there were some dishes consisting of practically raw vegetables, which were basically just green plants. In terms of our senses, that would be akin to tartare or sushi. To be honest, I’m not really fond of those types of dishes, but the other delicious foods more than enough compensated for that flaw.

“But….”

With this said, Rene, who had been looking worriedly at my less-than-cheerful expression, soon nodded decisively and spoke.

“Saintess, could you spare me a moment?”

“Time?”

Honestly, the only duty I have in the Elf territory was this priest. The period of Remihar was five days long, and among those, the ritual would only take place on the last day, so time was quite abundant.

Indeed. The Elves had invited me as a guest but did not invite me to their ceremonies. Still, with the meals presented for a dignitary like myself, they did call me to the banquet in the evening, but that was it.

I would have to sit around unused for the next four days.

I didn’t know if that was a good or bad thing. While I didn’t have to keep clashing with the stubborn upper-class Elves, being left to my own devices wasn’t something I could view positively either.

Even the banquet was only for me. Not only the knights but also Aurira wasn’t invited, leaving the other humans in this village in an even worse state of abandonment than I was.

Naturally, I wouldn’t feel good about that.

Still, it did mean I had plenty of time.

“Yes, I don’t have any further schedule, really.”

In fact, after filling my stomach, I could disappear from this spot, and no one would say anything. Oh, people could say I was impolite and gossip behind my back. They could claim that I was ungrateful for not thanking them for the wonderful banquet invitation.

But regardless of what I did, they were bound to gossip anyway. So was there really any need for me to care?

“I have something I’d like to show to you, would you follow me?”

While I wasn’t sure of her true intentions, Rene was among the few Elves treating me quite kindly. I mean, to be clear, she treated me exceedingly politely. Probably due to ‘the difference in status.’ Also, aside from Rene, Elves who spoke with a level of familiarity still maintained a polite demeanor toward me.

The young Elves among the regular ones were innocent, even though the respected ones were so arrogant that it bothered me. Young regular Elves followed me and Aurira, seemingly overwhelmed by curiosity but maintaining a little distance like ducklings after their mother. Just watching them cheered up Aurira.

Of course, they did hide behind adults or trees or rocks, peeking at us from time to time. But even that was cute enough to cause Aurira and me to purposely glance back at them a few times.

“Sure, I’d love to.”

So, I decided not to dislike Rene unnecessarily. Whether or not she disliked me internally was irrelevant. Its invisibility to the outside world.

“Good, you won’t be disappointed.”

With a radiant smile, Rene said that.

*

The place Rene guided me to was atop a tall tree. Of course, it wasn’t as high as Auril, but among tall trees that stretched straight up in competition, it seemed to have emerged victorious, peeking its head above the others.

Although it was high, the Elf village’s attribute allowed for sturdy bridges among the trees, so it wasn’t dangerous at all. When I looked down, the bridge did shake a bit.

Seeing me tremble at the height, Rene wore a slightly apologetic expression. Honestly, I almost reconsidered my decision to treat her kindly for a moment.

Rene patiently waited until I was bravely inching closer to the tree, almost clinging close to it, instead of the railing.

“We’re almost there.”

The spiral bridge that wound among the trees led right up to the top of that tall tree, which ended at a sturdy platform supported by several posts.

Once I reached the top of the tree, I instantly felt the fear that had clutched me before disappear.

“Wow…!”

Letting out an exclamation filled purely with awe, Rene by my side chuckled softly.

“Isn’t it beautiful?”

Standing proudly with her chest out, Rene smiled like a child beaming with pride.

From the highest tree, I looked over the forest, resembling a well-maintained garden. It didn’t have the formalistic style of a manicured garden made by humans. However, trees that naturally grew with sunlight seemed to have developed their own individual rules for growth.

The trees were of similar height, with their canopies intertwined. Whenever the wind blew, as the branches swayed, it felt like waves smoothly rolling from the far end toward us in sequence, almost like watching the tides of the coastline.

Light poured through the branches of those trees. The lights emitted by the Elves living below ascended, wrapping around their leaves and stretching out into various colors forming veils in the sky.

And then, far away, the shining golden tree.

Even at this distance, Auril still looked majestic.

As if another tree had sprouted over the original one, Auril stood proudly, illuminating the darkened sky above, the brilliance of the golden light shining over the heads of shadowy trees.

Stars and moonlight would lose their beauty in its presence.

The contrasting white branches of Auril radiated beauty.

“Yes, it’s beautiful.”

As I gazed blankly at Auril, Rene hesitated for a moment before closing her eyes tightly and saying,

“Please don’t hate the Elves too much.”

“Was that how it looked?”

“No, um…”

Rene hesitated, contemplating her words before finally speaking with her eyes squeezed shut.

“I know the elders and some family members have treated you rudely, Saintess. But I think they only want to protect that beauty. U-um, they might have become a bit sensitive….”

As I remained silent, Rene’s voice grew small again.

Well, Rene wouldn’t know any of this.

Though she had been chosen to guide me, she was still just another common Elf. She had never ventured outside, and all she knew about the outside world was through the elders.

The way respected Elves treat common Elves isn’t significantly different from how they treat me. Either they openly ignore or speak kindly like the elder chief. Rene probably grew up watching this kind of treatment all her life.

The class structure solidifies without needing to speak about it, and in that process, the higher ranks are established to prevent the lower ranks from infringing upon their rights—

…Ah.

“All of them are fundamentally good people.”

“……”

Falling into deep thought, I suddenly asked Rene the question that popped into my head.

“Rene, who educates the Elves when they’re young?”

“Education…?”

Taken aback by my somewhat out-of-the-blue question, Rene still diligently answered.

“We gather together when we’re young to receive education. There are Elves responsible for teaching among us. We learn fundamental knowledge necessary to be Elves and skills to utilize our bodies. By the time we reach fifteen, we are assigned roles in society based on our specialties.”

“And the teachers, who are they?”

At my question, Rene blinked her eyes twice.

“The teachers are usually from great families. They are wiser and know much more than us.”

“Is that so.”

The solidified class structure.

The unchanging ruling class.

Education propagated by this ruling class.

…Culture that hasn’t changed for hundreds of years.

Perhaps they don’t realize that in order to despise humans so greatly, they shouldn’t have educated common Elves to harbor hatred toward them.

Common Elves believed I was here to help Auril. Most responses were kind. At least, the stories shared with the majority of these common Elves seemed closely aligned with what the church desired.

Perhaps it was in fear of drawing too much attention, or to prevent external information from leaking, they did this.

You can’t manifest hatred towards humans without understanding them, and once knowledge begins to seep in, the narratives of human culture inevitably do too.

The Elf society runs on collaboration, requiring every Elf to perform a role for it to function. The more properly it functions, a huge loss occurs when a single component is missing.

…I think I understand why an airport is built on the outskirts, why the once smoothly connecting roads were abruptly severed.

It’s no wonder the image of Elves had degraded. The number of Elves willing to step outside was incredibly small, and among those few, the ones who did were from a high privileged class.

Now it finally made sense why there was such a difference in reception when entering the village and reactions from the council of elders.

Following my arrangement of thoughts, I responded to Rene.

“Alright. I’ll try not to ‘hate’ them too much.”

Upon hearing my response, Rene beamed.

“Thank you.”

Her smile, illuminated by the light of Auril, was beautiful.

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