I Got a Fake Job at the Academy

Chapter 747 - Side Story 20: Finding Oneself (2)

A vast and dense forest untouched by human hands. This place, which has preserved its ancient appearance intact even amid the advancement of science, was the woodland where elves resided.

At the center of that place where everything was dyed in refreshing green, a pitch-black dot appeared.

The black hole that arose by forcing open a gap in space soon increased in size, expanding to the extent that an adult could pass through.

From within that smooth mirror-like shadow, a man slowly revealed himself.

A flashy black frock coat that fit his body perfectly and a sword stick cane with a raven embossed on it. Long hair that reached down to his lower back.

His upright posture standing on two legs and his sculpture-like beauty as he looked around were, ironically, very fitting for the forest backdrop.

"It seems I've arrived properly."

Rudger closed the gate created by Aether Nocturnus.

The shadow that had contracted to a single point seeped back into Rudger's body as he briefly recalled the magic he had deployed.

'The distance of the coordinates has increased. The accuracy has also improved. And above all, smooth movement is possible.'

The spatial movement coordinate magic that Rudger had used until now was a kind of trick that moved through shadows as a medium because in this world, the act of leaping across space was not permitted.

That was one of the measures Lumensis had taken to prevent the birds in the cage from escaping.

Within that, Rudger created coordinate magic to evade the god's eyes, and went through many trials and errors while using it inside the cage.

'If it had been before, it would have been impossible to move such a long distance at once.'

Even when he came to the elven forest last time, Rudger had to board a military airship provided by the Roschen family, not through spatial movement magic.

But now it was different. The cage's oppression had disappeared, and many of the limits on the coordinate magic he handled had been lifted.

He could now move across very long distances on the continent in an instant.

'Of course, there's the limitation that it must be a place I remember the coordinates of and have visited.'

Even that limitation didn't really apply to Rudger, who had looked around various parts of the continent. Normally, he would have been reluctant to use it for fear of overlapping with various obstacles like trees or rocks, but now there was no need for that.

'It's certainly good that it's become more convenient in many ways. This way, I can minimize the time it takes to travel around the continent.'

The process of going to any place was also meaningful. If one skipped that process all at once, the meaning of looking around the world would fade somewhat.

But since the original purpose was to find his identity by meeting connections from the past, he had to endure it.

'More than that, even though it's been a long time since I've come here, it's still as dense as ever.'

Even though it was broad daylight, the light couldn't properly shine down because it was blocked by giant trees. But instead, or should I say— between the moss-filled trees, clusters of light reminiscent of fireflies were gently illuminating the surroundings.

"Walking after a long time wouldn't be bad either."

Rudger slowly walked the forest path. There was nothing that could be called a path, but for Rudger, it posed no obstacle whatsoever.

As he walked through the heart of the great nature on two legs for the first time in a while, old memories came flooding back.

What had happened in the elven forest. The incident where Ventmin Lifrey, one of the First Orders, had kidnapped Sedina.

'That was also quite a shocking affair in many ways.'

Ventmin had tried to control the World Tree to turn the entire continent into forest. From a macroscopic perspective, her actions were very pro-nature, but not for the living beings inhabiting that land, precisely, for humans.

'If things had proceeded according to her plan, probably more than 90% of humanity would have disappeared.'

The same would have been true for beast-men, dwarves, and other demi-human races. That way, elves would have become the rulers of the continent.

But things wouldn't have flowed unconditionally according to Ventmin's intentions. If such a thing happened, the Holy Kingdom of Bretus would have stepped in.

'Well, ultimately it was something that didn't happen.'

Both Ventmin's ambition and the Holy Kingdom of Bretus' aspirations all crumbled like sand. The world welcomed the possibility of transformation along with peace.

The seeds of possibility that had been planted before would now sprout and grow at a dazzling speed.

How long had he walked while thinking such thoughts? Rudger stopped walking and looked around.

Right. Since he had walked alone for so long in the middle of this forest, they must have caught on by now.

Above all, this forest area was elven territory. As long as plants existed, there was no way to avoid their eyes here.

Nevertheless, the reason they hadn't taken any action until now wasn't because they were wary of the suddenly appearing intruder.

"We welcome you to our forest."

Elves appeared one by one in front of Rudger and greeted him with discipline.

They had seen Rudger come and knew who he was and where he came from.

That's why they treated Rudger with courtesy and respect. The man who appeared before them was one of the saviors of the elven kingdom and the human the queen cherished most.

"Did I make you wait too long?" 

"Not at all. Rather, seeing you enjoying the great nature, we were satisfied along with you." 

"I see. There's nothing more unsightly than being a guest and wandering around everywhere, wasting time. I have a purpose for visiting in the first place anyway. I'll ask for your guidance."

The elves bowed their heads and cleared the way.

Creak creak.

The surrounding trees moved on their own and opened a path. Some trees used their roots to level the ground, making it comfortable for them to walk.

People would be surprised if they knew this fact. This space that was too packed for even one person to move through was actually a path more highly automated than anything else.

Rudger, who moved more than five times faster than originally expected, soon discovered a massive citadel standing tall ahead.

The elves' homeland and their most solid citadel, Renard-Tirone.

The citadel that had once collapsed had been rebuilt more solidly than before and was displaying its magnificent appearance.

If before it had the beauty of stone construction, now plants had been added to it, giving it a much more pastoral atmosphere.

The massive castle gate opened by itself and someone walked out.

Confident, large strides. A female warrior who, despite being an elf, possessed charisma and ferocity far more intense than any average great man.

"Wow. I heard you came back, but I never thought we'd face each other like this." 

"It's been a while Ambella Burke."

Ambella Burke, once the head of a vassal family that served the Plante family, was demoted to the outskirts of the forest by the Lifrey family.

But now, having regained her former glory, it had long been since she returned to her rightful place.

"Somehow you haven't changed at all from when I last saw you three years ago." 

"Hearing that from an elf gives me a strange feeling."

Ambella squinted one eye and laughed loudly.

"Hahaha! I'm not teasing, it's sincere praise!"

"If you say it that much, I'll be happy to hear it. Above all, such an important person has even made the journey to welcome just me."

"Keke. For someone saying that, you don't look nervous at all. Well, don't feel too burdened. Since you're someone the queen values greatly, I have to pay special attention." 

"The queen, is it?"

Ambella, who heard Rudger's murmur, gestured for him to follow her.

"Rather than explaining, it would be better to see for yourself. Let's go."

Rudger walked through the elven capital following Ambella's guidance. Every time he passed by, elves looked at him with fascination. For them, the sight of a human, just one at that, receiving Ambella's guidance seemed quite fascinating.

Wasn't this treatment that even considerable high nobles or royalty wouldn't receive? Naturally, the elves' gazes couldn't help but be colored with curiosity about who that man was.

Having entered the inner castle, Rudger looked up at the majestically standing World Tree.

The World Tree or the Elemental Lord of plants.

That thing, just like when he had seen it before, was still large and magnificent, shining with subtle beauty.

'But I mustn't be deceived by that appearance. That thing, if it wanted to, possesses tremendous power that could easily destroy a country.'

It wasn't for nothing that Ventmin had tried to turn the entire continent into a forest using the World Tree's power. She attempted it because it was possible.

The World Tree was that strong, to the extent that it should be called a strategic biological weapon. Thinking about how much hardship he went through to deal with that thing at that time, it was enough to make him laugh hollowly.

Still, well, ultimately everything was resolved well. On the throne of that lofty World Tree, there no longer existed any dangerous person.

The current owner of the throne was the teaching assistant he had taught directly.

The inner castle possessed more splendor than could be seen from the outside. The elven treasures arranged inside were enough to make one's mouth hurt to even explain.

Above all, Rudger's interest had been consistently directed toward only one subject since coming here.

"Last time you went down, but this time you're going up high." 

"Well, that's about right."

Ambella, who had dismissed even her subordinates and was guiding Rudger alone, answered while gazing at the scenery outside the window.

"If you're stuck down below, it's too pitiful, isn't it." 

"Is that your opinion, or the opinion of the person who was moved?" 

"It would be correct to say everyone's opinions coincided."

Finally, Rudger arrived at the high place of the citadel where the cradle was located.

The top of the citadel was woven with countless vines. And at its center was a spring connected to the World Tree.

The spring water wasn't ordinary. It was the sap of the World Tree. In that sap, a woman had her feet immersed while showing her back.

Her disheveled hair was long. Once it had been brown short hair that barely passed her neck, but now it reached to her waist.

The color was the same as before, but from below the neck down to the waist, it wasn't brown but silver.

"Hey, Your Majesty. A guest has come for once, are you going to set the mood like that?"

When Ambella said that, the woman who had been lightly splashing in the sap slowly turned her head.

"Really. Just when someone is setting the mood, don't interrupt." "

No, what mood when you've been watching knowing everything from the beginning."

At the retort of Ambella, who was her godmother before being a loyal subject, Sedina glared at her with fierce eyes.

"Oh my, looks like this is as far as I go. You two handle the rest of the conversation well on your own."

Ambella hastily left the cradle as if sparks had flown. Watching that, Sedina removed her feet from the sap with a small sigh.

"It's been a while. Teacher." 

"Yes. It's been a while, Sedina."

Sedina Roschen. No, the queen of the elves who should now be called Sedina Plante stood before Rudger with a more mature appearance than before.

"It hasn't been that long, has it? Since we met recently." 

"The day I returned." 

"That's right. But we couldn't even talk properly and you were confined, Teacher. Still, it seems things were resolved well. Seeing that you've come all the way here." 

"Yes. I can finally say I'm a free person." 

"So is that why you came to find me? Curious about how your former teaching assistant is doing?"

Sedina approached right up to Rudger. Before, she hadn't even come up to his chest, but perhaps because she had grown in the meantime— the height of her gaze was higher than when he had seen her before.

"How is it, my changed appearance?"

Sedina asked with her hands clasped behind her back. Her expression was strangely flushed with anticipation.

Certainly, Sedina's change was considerable enough for her to ask such a thing openly. Originally she had been beautiful due to inheriting elven blood, but as she grew, that blood seemed to have fully blossomed.

Her beautiful appearance aside, the two-tone color of her lengthened hair was also attractive. Moreover, befitting an elven queen, white clothing that wasn't excessively flashy but made the most of their style.

If this appearance were captured in a photograph, people would probably call it "forest and fairy."

"Yes. You've changed a lot." 

"Is that all for your impressions?"

What more should he say here? Rudger pondered and then continued speaking.

"Your magical skills also seem to have advanced greatly compared to before."

Rudger naturally read that Sedina had grown tremendously as a mage. Despite it clearly being praise, Sedina drooped her shoulders as if deflated by that answer.

"Yes, well. Magic has developed a lot."

When Sedina gestured, the vines on the floor gathered on their own and created a chair and table. After sitting down, Sedina placed her elbow on the table and propped her chin with both hands.

"Still, well, I feel good."

At Sedina's beaming appearance, Rudger sat down opposite her with a chuckle.

"To see a child who was once a teaching assistant changed like this, I'm filled with new emotions."

So, Rudger continued.

"How have you been doing?"