"Seriously?!" you are flabbergasted by the revelation.

"Yep!" Anna puffs up her chest. "That was three hundred years ago though!"

"Three hundred years?! Celia and Leronil have mastered the alchemic arts then, right?!"

"Well, not really!" Anna shoots down your enthusiasm. "They were terrible students. Not a single lesson penetrated their thick skulls. Celia was the better of the two since she at least picked up on how to detect poison."

Hearing those words, Celia perks up and grins smugly. Anna notices the woman's self-satisfied smile and quickly says, "That's not a compliment, moron."

Celia pouts in response.

"So you kicked them out for being useless?" you ask.

"No," the Elder places her hand on Celia's head, "that decision was out of my hands. It was fun while it lasted though."

"Meaning?"

Anna seems reluctant to share the events surrounding the termination of the elves' apprenticeships. That is until Celia musters the will to tell you.

"Leronil was first to go due to his responsibilities as the son of the chief," she solemnly reveals. "Being the child of a great man is harder than you think. He was forced to leave his alchemist training and join the Elderwood Warriors."

"Responsibilities?" you're curious as to what she's referring to.

"In his youth, Leronil's father—Chief Ginta—was prided as the village's strongest warrior. An unbeatable force to be reckoned with. Naturally, everyone looked to Leronil with the same set of unrealistic expectations."

Anna folded her arms and averted her gaze. "I remember him looking so gutted when he came back from the council chamber. A majority of the Elders were opposed to him studying an 'effeminate' trade, whatever that means..."

You stare down at the spring water and peer at your reflection. You haven't an iota of knowledge in what makes skills better than others. As a being who has mastered every skill in your possession, you were under the impression that all skills have their place in the world.

And the concept of feminity being attached to specific trades certainly doesn't help this confusing point.

"How'd he end up a scout if he trained to become a warrior?" you inquire, twirling your wet hair.

"That's because Elder Grimdal, the man who was absent from the council today, barred him from the Elderwood Warriors," Anna sighs. "He, like everyone else in this village, has high expectations for Leronil."

Celia jumps to her feet in a fit of rage. "Even after being kicked out of the hobby he loved and enduring years of harsh training, Leronil was still deemed unfit to join the ranks of the soldiery! And it's all because of that Grimdal guy!"

"As consolation though, Chief Ginta formed an entirely separate group for Leronil. The Elderwood Scouts—of which the boy was made leader. But in truth, that didn't pan out as he hoped," Anna stretches her arms and tries relaxing her muscles a little more.

"That's right! The public ridiculed the move and painted Leronil as some daddy's boy when it wasn't his choice to begin with!"

"Honestly, there's no doubt in my mind that Alimarc had a hand in convincing the chief. That sly geezer's had his eyes on the throne for who knows how long. Having the boy go on dangerous missions with little to no manpower could only benefit a snake like him."

"Yeah, with Leronil out of the picture, Alimarc has a good chance of becoming the next village chief. In fact, that's probably why we were sent to take care of the Garden Beast!"

You glean a lot of information from their fiery back-and-forth. It is somewhat overwhelming, but as Celia and Anna are no longer fighting, you simply listen and nod.

Celia drops back down with a solemn expression on her face and hugs her knees. "That's why I left as well. I couldn't stand seeing that idiot spend all his time alone in an empty barracks."

"Welp, I also encouraged her to join him," Anna laughs. "I even asked Fidri and Anya to tag along when they came of age last year."

"Oh right, were they also apprentices of yours?" you shift your gaze to Anya.

"Anya and Fidri? Nope," she scoots over to the young elf and wraps her arm around her, "I came to meet them under completely different circumstances."

"Huh..."

"Long story short, I discovered a cure for a rare illness Fidri had as an infant and saved his life. His parents were so grateful they named their daughter after me."

"Ah! So that's why your names are so similar!"

"Yep," she brings Anya closer to her. "She's a living reminder of my deeds as an alchemist. I would visit them from time to time, just to check you know?"

The elves' display of community warms your heart. You can tell how close these pointy-eared folk are just from hearing them talk about each other. Their conversations always emanate an indescribable level of love and care, even the heated arguments.

It makes you a tiny bit jealous. There is a part of you that wishes you were born into this big family.

"By the way, you mentioned Anya reaching adulthood last year," you change the subject, lest you grow any more envious of the rapport these elves have with one another. "She must be the youngest of the bunch, no?"

"Hm?" Anna fastens her eyes to the young girl's body. "I guess she is still growing!"

"W-where are you looking?!" Anya scolds the woman.

Celia laughs herself silly as Anna tries to explain herself.

You lean in closer to the girl as if conversing with a child and you ask, "How old are you, Anya?"

"U-um..." she pivots on her butt toward you, "I'm turning 182 next year!"

Your heart drops. You've only been on this planet for half a century.

Ergo, you are the youngest person in this hot spring.

And you give her a deferential bow. "I apologize for my attitude, Elder Anya."

"I-I'm not that old yet though!"

That concludes your time at the bathhouse. You and the gang head back to the changing room and dry yourselves with a fresh stack of towels. Scanning the shelves though, you realize your clothes and equipment are gone.

"E-eh?" you exclaim. "Where's my stuff?!"

"Oh, don't worry about that," Anna nonchalantly says. "I've made a few arrangements, including cleaning and transporting your items to the inn we're meeting up at."

You breathe a sigh of relief. "You should've just told me. I almost had a heart attack."

"Sorry, sorry, I just wanted to surprise you is all!"

"Surprise me?"

"As your traveling clothes are being washed by my acquaintances, I thought I'd provide you with some traditional elven clothing."

And Anna brings out a beautiful fur dress. Its glossy brown exterior is immaculately designed and its thick hem is decorated with an assortment of colorful tassels. The garment is accompanied by a pair of leather sandals and you are stupefied by the complexity of the outfit.

[Fur Dress]

Description: A beautiful brown deerhide. Not only fashionable but warm too.

Quality: Flawless

Weight: 2.0

Your shirt and overalls are practically rags compared to this.

"Are you gonna keep staring, or will you wear it?" Anna waves it in your face.

Your desires get the best of you, and you quickly slip into the outfit. When you're done, Anna holds a mirror up to you. And you cannot believe the girl you're looking at is you.

Your skin is as clear as a sunny day and your white tresses are as smooth as silk. The elven clothing only accentuates your cleanliness.

"Woah, not bad Garden Beast!" Celia is impressed.

"You look like a princess!" Anya is taken aback by your beauty.

Your cheeks flush with embarrassment. You're not used to compliments.

And so you cast your gaze to the ground and stand pigeon-toed. "T-thank you..."

Anna taps you on the shoulder and smiles at you. "What are you getting all flustered for? Have more confidence in your attractiveness, Nameless Seer!"

"Me? I'm not that attractive. Aren't I weird with the white hair and mismatched pink eyes?"

"You're only weird if you think you're weird, girl. Just because you're different doesn't mean you're any less of a cutie."

You scratch your chin, slightly sheepish. "You act like a creepy old guy sometimes, Anna."

"What the heck's that supposed to mean, you pure maiden?"

"I-I'm not a pure maiden!"

The banter continues into the night and Anna leads you to the inn where the Mystfox and the boys are waiting.

Upon reaching the entrance though, you're surprised by what you're looking at. Or rather, unsurprised.

Leronil

Wood Elf [♂]

Level: 43

HP: 29980/30000

Fidri

Wood Elf [♂]

Level: 19

HP: 14985/15000

The two men are covered in scratches and bruises. Sitting next to them unscathed is, of course, your friend.

"What in Gaia's name happened to you two?" Anna asks.

"You don't... want to know," Leronil grits his teeth, trying to maintain his composure.