Chapter 254: Strange Elf

"Hmm... Training a new party from scratch, huh?"

Regis thought out loud as he took a stroll in the streets of the Central District.

The meeting he had with Aurelia and the others earlier made a few ideas pop into his mind.

’Since we’ll need to train a new party, then maybe I can consider other races. After all, the Adventurer Guild isn’t a human-only organization...’

Regis had already considered this the moment he heard Aurelia’s words that they needed one last party.

’Of course, it’s not like this is going to be easy...’

He knew fully well that even in a city as inclusive as Harmonia, the hidden discrimination that exists between races, particularly the one others had towards humans, just could not be normally seen on the surface.

After all, this was something that had existed for generations spanning hundreds, if not thousands, of years; thus, it was something that had been deeply ingrained in the minds of the people.

’But still, it’s good to keep it in mind...’

At that moment, he had just arrived at the plaza of the Central District.

This was not only the heart of the main district, but also the heart of Harmonia itself.

Looking for a nearby bench to sit on, Regis made himself comfortable as he observed the lively surroundings.

The central plaza was where the inauguration of Harmonia had taken place.

And since then, this was the first time Regis had taken the time to linger here, as he had gone to Montrelle City immediately afterward.

His blood red eyes wandered around carefreely.

The floor was made with a mix of what looked like bricks and a marble-like material, which was both light to the eyes and seemed to reflect the sunlight softly.

Sounds of water splashing came regularly from the large fountain at the center, where a few birds occasionally landed to drink.

A variety of stalls also lingered at the periphery of the plaza, making it so that the space was wide enough for leisure walking and resting.

There were people of different races present, families of differing races eating some food in front of stalls, a beastkin and a human woman couple eating cotton candy, some old male humans and teenage-looking elves playing chess, and many more.

"Big Sis, faster, faster! There are birds this way, let’s feed them!"

"Alright, alright, be careful not to trip~!!"

...

The sound of cheerful laughter tickled Regis’s ears, and he could not help but look toward its source.

However, what greeted his eyes made him pause and take a second look.

A beautiful elven girl was surrounded by kids of different races.

She was carrying a pouch of bird feed with a smile as she talked to the children around her.

There were two reasons why Regis was captivated by this sight.

The first was the clairvoyant-like instinct that he developed as he continued to become stronger.

It was currently making him feel that this elven girl was special.

Of course, he could not exactly pinpoint the specific aspect that triggered his instinct.

The second was her hair.

Elves were commonly known as the stewards of nature.

They were nature lovers, and nature loved them just as equally.

And thus, they were naturally known to possess features that would link them to forests and the like.

Said features could include hair or eyes colored green, representing the forest; brown, representing the earth; and silver, representing their novelty and their connection to the World Tree, among other things.

Another thing was that all elves were beautiful and unaging, serving as a testament to their timeless beauty and longevity.

However, the elven girl before him had pitch black hair and eyes.

Not like the pristine obsidian black features of the Grava Familia, but the kind of pitch black that seemed to swallow light itself.

"Interesting..."

Regis could not help but mutter under his breath.

However, what he did not expect was for the elven girl’s long ears to twitch as she turned towards him with her brows furrowed.

Such a reaction made him want to facepalm, ’How could I forget that the elves’ long ears aren’t just for show!?’

Regis wanted to bury himself in a hole.

Both beastkin and elves were known for their sharp senses; thus, this was a blunder on his part.

The elven girl’s reaction did not go unnoticed by the children around her as they all looked towards Regis’s direction with puzzled gazes.

"Huhp!"

One of the children, a beastkin boy, suddenly gasped.

His reaction caught the elven girl’s attention as she crouched slightly while still keeping her eyes towards Regis.

She then whispered, "Do you know him?"

The beastkin boy took a moment before he replied softly, "Yes... no..."

"Eh? What is it, really?"

It was the elven girl’s turn to be confused this time.

The other children beside the boy also nudged him, "Hey, do you know him?"

"Why is he staring at Big Sis like that?"

"Maybe he’s a perv..."

...

’You know I can hear you, right?’

It took all of Regis’s strength to stop his lips from twitching as he slowly stood and walked towards them.

This action of his caused the group to take a step backward.

They watched him walk until he was now a foot away from them.

The elven girl’s eyes squinted slightly, as if on guard for anything that might happen.

Regis did his best to present his ’kindest smile’ as he slowly raised both of his hands.

"Hey—"

However, before he could speak, the beastkin boy finally spoke.

"That’s him!" He said as he pointed towards Regis.

"What do you mean?" The other children around him became more confused while the elven girl put her other hand in the pocket of her dress with a serious expression.

"Come on, don’t you recognize him?" The beastkin boy spoke to his friends.

"Eh? What are you talking about?" A dwarven girl replied with a confused expression.

However, one of the human girls in the group seemed to have realized something, "Wait, snow white hair and blood red eyes... he’s a human and is a teenager..."

"Oh, is that Regis!?"

"Wait, you’re right!"

...

"Huh?"

This time, it was Regis’s turn to be confused.

The elven girl’s brows relaxed a little as she asked the children around her, "Who is he?"

"That’s Regis, one of the few Expert Adventurers in Harmonia! He’s also the youngest among them!"

The beastkin boy’s eyes shone like stars.

Regis was taken aback as he looked at the children who now had shining eyes of curiosity standing before him.

He then crouched and pointed to himself, "Hey kid, how do you know me?"

"How could we not? We always see you in the bulletin!" One of the human girls replied, almost shouting.

"Right!"

"We also always look forward to the quests that you take!"

"R-Really?" Regis felt so overwhelmed that he could not help but stutter, not sure how to react.

The beastkin boy then grabbed the hem of Regis’s shirt as he asked, "C-Can we call you Brother Regis?"

"Sure, why not?" Regis replied with a friendly smile, making the children erupt in cheers.

At that moment, one of the dwarven girls spoke out loud with her eyes closed, "C-Can you play with us, Brother Regis? We were just about to feed the birds."

’You call feeding birds playing? Well, it sounds fun...’

Regis thought, but just as he was about to reply, the elven girl intervened.

"Maybe Regis is busy? Let’s not get ahead of ourselves, okay?"

She patted the head of the children as she gently smiled towards them before looking towards Regis with a smile that was not a smile, "Sorry for taking up your time, we’ll go on our wa—"

But just as she finished speaking, Regis smiled.

His smile made the corner of her eye twitch, prompting Regis’s grin to widen.

"You know what, it just so happened that I don’t really have anything to do today..."

His words caused the children to look at the elven girl with pitifully hopeful eyes.

After a moment of silence, the elven girl sighed in defeat, "Of course, we can invite Regis to play."

The children erupted in cheers once more.

The elven girl led the way while holding the hands of a human girl who seemed to be the youngest among the lot, while Regis was being dragged by the beastkin boy and a few others by his sleeves.

"Hey, Brother Regis." The beastkin boy called.

"Yes?"

"Can you tell us stories of some of your quests?"

Hearing his question, the other children, even the youngest, held by the elven girl, took a look at Regis.

"I don’t see why not. They really aren’t a secret..."

Seeing him becoming closer with the children, the elven girl merely glanced at him expressionlessly.

At that moment, the young human girl she was holding pointed in a direction, "Birb!"

Her shout caused the elven girl to giggle, "It’s a bird, Lily. B, I, R, D, bird!"

"Birb!"

The youngest, named Lily, still seemed to be unable to pronounce the word correctly.

Just like that, a slow yet eventful day began to unfold.