Elves.

They are a race that often appears in fantasy worlds, characterized by their long ears, universally beautiful appearance, and exceptional longevity, living for several centuries.

This world was no different. Elves here lived for hundreds of years.

Some elves even had lifespans reaching up to 1,000 years, and with such an overwhelming amount of time, most elves possessed incredible physical strength.

However, this long lifespan came at a cost—making it difficult for the race to thrive, requiring tremendous effort to raise children, resulting in their small numbers.

Elves were created one day. This also meant that they were created by the Goddess.

However, there was an exception.

The tree most closely associated with elves—the World Tree.

The World Tree, said to reach the sky and be visible from anywhere, was the elves' friend and their home.

It was also a sacred being. In reality, the World Tree was a tree and, at the same time, a divine entity with godly status.

One day, the World Tree bore a great fruit.

Everyone was astonished. The World Tree had not borne fruit for thousands of years.

Moreover, there was only one fruit on that enormous tree.

So the elves waited for the fruit to ripen fully. They didn’t even think of plucking it prematurely. After all, the fruit falling to the ground meant it was the will of nature.

The fruit fell.

Amazingly, what emerged from the fruit was a child.

This child was extraordinary.

From birth, she possessed exceptional spiritual sensitivity and played with bows, the primary weapon of the elves, as if they were toys.

Furthermore, the lifespan granted by the World Tree to her was a staggering several thousand years.

Thus, the elves called her a "High Elf."

The one and only true child of the World Tree.

High Elf, Raquelia.

She was now traveling the world, away from the World Tree.

"Hmm... Where could Jörmungandr be?"

Raquelia tried to sense the presence of the giant serpent.

But she couldn’t sense him.

Could it be a sign that he had also grown over the long years?

Even with the overwhelming perception of the elves, which no other race could match, she couldn’t sense Jörmungandr’s presence.

"Well, I have a good idea of where he might be."

The Guardian Deity of the Kingdom of Trelrenia.

Just hearing that, it was obvious where he would be.

Knowing Jörmungandr's personality, he probably wasn't residing in the kingdom, but he must have taken up a position nearby to be its guardian deity.

With such casual thoughts, Raquelia headed to the Kingdom of Trelrenia and inquired about his whereabouts.

It was an easy task.

These days, the Kingdom of Trelrenia was a hot topic.

The Guardian Deity of the Kingdom of Trelrenia had appeared in the Holy Kingdom, personally saving worshippers and preventing a disaster from befalling the Holy Kingdom. That fact alone made Jörmungandr a subject of great interest worldwide.

It was only natural.

From the perspective of other nations, the Kingdom of Trelrenia had previously rejected even the proposals of the Holy Kingdom and hadn’t established a national religion, yet suddenly, they had declared Jörmungandr their guardian deity and national religion.

Moreover, the fact that this deity had visited the Holy Kingdom and prevented a calamity there?

And in the Holy Kingdom, he was referred to as the Apostle of the Goddess?

It was impossible not to pay attention.

This was delightful news for Raquelia.

"He always hated getting directly involved... Has he changed over the years?"

Well, it has been thousands of years.

With that much time passing, a change in personality was to be expected.

Nodding her head in agreement, Raquelia reached out her hand toward the sky.

——Whooosh!

A deep sound of wind.

Along with it, something translucent manifested.

"Hello, Sylphid."

[…….]

A transparent wolf-like figure.

A spirit covered in white wind appeared in the air and showed affection toward Raquelia.

Familiar with the spirit, she stroked its head and made a request.

"Sylphid, could you take me over there?"

——Nod, nod.

Her hand pointed toward where she sensed traces of Jörmungandr.

Hearing her request, the Spirit King of the Wind, Sylphid, expanded in size.

The Spirit King, now several tens of meters tall, nodded at her and gestured for her to climb onto its back.

"Alright, let’s go!"

——Whoosh!

A powerful sound.

With it, Sylphid kicked off the ground.

——Boom!

The scenery around them rapidly changed.

It wasn’t just a matter of moving quickly and seeing the surroundings pass by like a panorama.

The very space around them was shifting.

With every step Sylphid took, they traveled hundreds of kilometers in an instant.

They were far beyond the speed of sound.

This incredible speed demonstrated the power of the Spirit King.

Controlling the winds of the entire world, Sylphid propelled them forward with explosive force, striking the air in an instant.

Ordinarily, this would be impossible.

Even top-tier spirits could only create small hurricanes.

But the Spirit King was different.

For him, controlling the winds of the entire world was an effortless task.

And yet, not a single breeze touched Raquelia.

There was a serene calmness.

Even as the landscape changed slowly, Raquelia enjoyed the scenery.

"Haha..."

The speed was tremendous.

If someone else were watching, they wouldn’t even have realized something had passed by.

With a single leap,

The terrain changed drastically.

With another leap,

They found themselves in a snowy landscape.

Sharp, blue cold surrounded them like a knife.

A second leap,

And they were in a volcanic region.

Blazing lava surged, heating the earth to a scorching degree.

The intense heat that could incinerate even monsters washed over them, but thanks to the Spirit King’s power, the air around them remained pleasantly warm.

The terrain continued to change.

An endlessly vast lake.

A sea teeming with countless aquatic monsters.

A sky garden with no bottom.

All these changes in landscape happened with just a single leap.

That was the power of the Spirit King of the Wind, Sylphid.

He was no longer bound by space, his speed was overwhelming.

With the wind as his companion, he could go anywhere.

"Aha!"

Raquelia’s green eyes sparkled.

Her eyes were fully taking in the rapidly changing world.

Sometimes,

She would take Sylphid on journeys like this.

Every time she witnessed the changing world, it brought her immense joy.

Watching the world change every hundred years was incredibly fascinating.

They arrived in no time.

In less than 10 seconds, they had arrived at a massive gate.

"Hmm?"

Raquelia, having unsummoned Sylphid, tilted her head.

"Does Jörmungandr live in a place like this?"

Isn’t this a bit odd?

Even aside from everything else, it didn’t seem like he would create such a grand gate.

Besides, he doesn’t have arms.

Sure, he could open and close the door with his body, but that would be incredibly tedious.

"Well, I guess I’ll find out."

Raquelia opened the massive gate and stepped inside.

The interior was incredibly luxurious.

From the entrance, the walls were adorned with various precious treasures, and the outer walls were made of materials harder than steel, likely impervious even to high-level magic.

The further in she went,

The more doubts she had.

This place was far too extravagant to be Jörmungandr’s home.

He was someone who treated gold as if it were nothing. With such doubts in her mind, Raquelia eventually encountered a woman.

Bright red hair and eyes.

And her body was covered in black scales like armor.

But more importantly,

Something caught Raquelia’s eye.

"Why is that here...?"

Jet-black scales.

They emitted a soft glow and had a surface so smooth it could be used as a mirror.

She was extremely familiar with those scales.

"Jörmungandr...?"

And,

Who is that woman holding those scales so preciously?

As her mind filled with confusion,

The woman, who had been watching her with wary eyes, spoke.

"Who are you?"

"Me?"

"Yes."

That cold gaze.

And the way she was holding Jörmungandr’s scales so dearly.

It all stood out to her.

To be honest,

It really bothered her.

Why does that girl have those scales?

And why did Jörmungandr give his scales to her?

He refused when I asked for some scales.

Everything was a mystery.

At the same time, it was incredibly annoying.

That’s why,

Before she even realized it, she blurted out,

"I’m Jörmungandr’s girlfriend."

"…What?"

A completely dumbfounded expression.

Seeing that expression, Raquelia felt a sense of satisfaction and couldn’t help but smile.

"Didn’t you hear? I’m the girlfriend of the one whose scales you’re holding."

"Oh, oh..."

"So, care to explain? How did you get those scales?"

Raquelia’s eyes glowed softly.