Chapter 24 ~ She’s a Gold Elf!
“But didn’t the Academy post an official notice three days ago banning freshmen from entering Coleman Forest?” The tall Wood Elf rubbed his chin, deep in thought. “Miss Sophia should’ve had plenty of time to receive that message.”
“I can’t say for sure,” the Divine Child elf replied. “But I saw it with my own eyes.”
“If Her Highness Astrid finds out, she’ll be frantic.”
Naturally, the reason these four second-year elf students had hurried to Coleman Forest was because of Astrid—and because Sophia, who was currently trapped in the forest, was her twin sister. The two of them were the Twin Princesses of the Moon Elf Clan, beloved jewels of the Moon Elf King.
Earlier that morning, the Divine Child had accidentally seen Princess Sophia heading alone into Coleman Forest, and immediately rushed to follow her with his teammates.
Rumor had it that Princess Sophia harbored a rather unusual obsession with her older sister, Astrid. It bordered on extreme—from childhood, she had always resisted letting boys get near her sister, and had once declared, “One day I’ll marry my sister to protect her!”, and “I’d rather die than give her to someone else!”
Why Sophia had gone into the forest—especially after reports of Demon Race activity—remained a mystery to the elf students.
Fortunately, she seemed unharmed. Not long after, the four found the unconscious Sophia deep within the jungle.
“Miss Sophia!—”
“On guard!” barked the bespectacled Divine Child just as the others began checking on her condition.
The two others hesitated for a split second, then drew their weapons and scanned their surroundings.
“Divine Child, share the enemy’s location with us!”
“……………”
The Divine Child’s expression turned strange as he pointed toward a patch of bushes. “There’s something there, but I don’t sense any signs of life.”
The two male students exchanged a look, then cautiously moved in together, covering each other as they entered the underbrush. Moments later, they returned, dragging the body of a massive humanoid creature.
“What the—?”
they exclaimed, staring in disbelief.
“Looks like an orc, but it’s already dead,” said the tall student with the greatsword, eyes full of disgust as he dropped the corpse.
This thing—male elves didn’t even want to touch it.
“Dead?... Could Miss Sophia have done this?”
“No,” the Divine Child calmly analyzed. “This orc’s body shows signs of close-range alchemical damage. His mouth and neck—torn through all the way to the throat—were likely pierced by a flintlock.”
“Miss Sophia isn’t interested in alchemy and doesn’t know how to use a flintlock.”
That was the benefit of Divine Appraisal—an analytical edge only a Divine Child possessed.
“But the orc does have sword wounds—that part was probably her doing,” the Divine Child added, glancing at the elf scimitar stuck in the ground near Sophia.
“So you’re saying Sophia encountered this orc, engaged in battle, but fell into a disadvantage—and then an alchemist stepped in and finished off the orc?”
“That’s most likely what happened.”
“Jerrin, you mean to say someone else appeared during their fight and took down the orc?”
“To be precise,” Jerrin, the Divine Child, adjusted his glasses, “they showed up after the initial battle had ended.”
“There are no signs of alchemical usage where Sophia fought the orc, suggesting there were two separate fights. The other one likely took place nearby.”
“How do you know that, Jerrin? Was that also from your Divine Appraisal?” the tall Wood Elf asked, visibly impressed.
“No need for that.” Jerrin rolled his eyes and pointed to the banana leaf beneath Sophia. “You think she tucked herself in like that? Definitely not. And don’t tell me the orc did it.”
“That leaf had to have been placed by whoever jumped in. After killing the orc, they still had the presence of mind to lay something under Sophia. They also avoided harming her during battle—so the actual fight must’ve happened somewhere else.”
Just as Jerrin predicted, the strong Wood Elf soon found signs of alchemical residue and potion fragments nearby in the brush.
“Do we even have a freshman this skilled in alchemy?” he muttered. “To beat an orc without using Divine Authority… Even I couldn’t have done that in my first year.”
“Unlikely it was a freshman,” Jerrin said thoughtfully. “I’ve dabbled in alchemy myself. Beginners barely make effective healing potions. Offensive alchemy? That takes years of experience.”
“Of course, they could’ve bought the potions… But they used at least three on one orc. If they didn’t make them themselves, that’s pretty extravagant.”
“So after saving Princess Sophia, this person didn’t even leave a name…” the elf mage murmured with emotion.
Elves repaid kindness a hundredfold. Many lifelong romances began with a life-saving debt.
It sounded crude, but the truth was that the value of a favor wasn’t in the act itself, but in who owed you. Kindness couldn’t be bought, because its worth depended on the person in debt.
Even if just to establish a connection, shouldn’t they have at least left a name?
Because of this, the four students found themselves holding unexpected admiration for the mysterious good Samaritan.
“Maybe… Princess Sophia remembers?” All eyes turned to the still-unconscious girl.
After tidying up the battlefield, the four carried Sophia back to Coleman Academy.
Later, after some rest and recovery, Sophia leaned weakly against a plush bed. She could finally speak again.
“Thank you… Was it you who saved me?”
“No. When we arrived, you were already out of danger,” Jerrin shook his head. “Someone else saved you.”
“I think… I remember…” She recalled the glimpse of golden light she had seen before fainting.
“Your Highness, did you see their face?” Jerrin asked, his brow creased.
“Blond hair… Eyes like emeralds… A girl…” Sophia murmured, still dazed by the memory.
“Yes… she was a Gold Elf!”
“A Gold Elf?!” Jerrin froze, then chuckled softly. “Your Highness… could you have mistaken the hair color?”
“No, I’m sure I saw it clearly.” Sophia shook her head, her voice soft but firm.
“Blonde hair and emerald eyes, you say?” Jerrin folded his arms, head tilted down.
“That’s right. I remember her face.”
“That’s impossible.”
“Why not?” Sophia puffed out her cheeks unhappily.
“Because Gold Elves disappeared from the Kaleburn Continent a long time ago.”
“That’s right. Alongside Your Highness and Her Highness Astrid, the Gold Elves were also part of the ‘High Elves.’ But according to reliable texts, they’ve already gone extinct.”
“Extinct?” Sophia blinked in a daze.
“Who knows? Gold Elves are said to be kin to the Elf Mother Goddess. In myth, the goddess is always depicted as a Gold Elf. That makes Gold Elves the closest to Divine Authority. Many among them were likely demigods—or even stronger.”
“Their wisdom far exceeds our own. Even sages struggle to understand how they think,” Jerrin said with a shrug.
“Of course, extinction isn’t off the table either. Numerous texts note that Gold Elves had unbelievably low birthrates. Elves already have one of the lowest birthrates of any race, and the Gold Elves? They make the Moon Elves look fertile by comparison.”
“If natural factors wiped them out, that wouldn’t be too hard to believe.”
“Technically, the Gold Elves were our royal line. But when they disappeared centuries ago, the crown passed to the Moon Elf clan.”
“Even so, the current Elf King has never claimed to be the rightful monarch—he always says he’s ruling in place of the Gold Elves, acting only as their regent. Which makes me think… maybe they’re not truly extinct. Maybe the Elf King still communicates with them.”
“I figured, being a High Elf yourself, Your Highness would know something about them. But it seems…”
Jerrin glanced at Sophia, who clearly knew nothing about Gold Elves.
“If they’re still alive, probably only the Elf King would know where.”
“……………”
Sophia said nothing, mumbling inaudibly under her breath.
“Gold Elf, huh…”
She couldn’t be mistaken. The girl who saved her had to be a Gold Elf.
Where was she now? Why did she leave without a word?
Unaware, Sophia’s heart was already entwined with the mysterious golden-haired girl.
A seed had quietly been planted in the soil of her soul—and it had begun to take root and sprout…