I’ve Reincarnated into an Elf

At a time roughly 20 minutes before Eldmir lost consciousness, an incident occurred.

-Curse!

Spirits typically do not suffer injuries through conventional means.

They are unaffected by most physical forces, and injuries caused by mundane weapons, like ordinary swords, often have little effect.

This is because they usually inhabit spirit bodies formed by nature.

However, if a weapon imbued with magical effects manages to wound these spirit bodies, the story changes.

Furthermore, if the attack’s destructive force is on the level of a warhammer blow, the course of events takes a drastic turn.

Artir was struck by the double-edged war axe.

While it didn’t slice through him, hitting him with the flat side was enough to cause an injury.

-Groan… Such intense combat feels like it’s been 200 years.

“At least 200 years of dormant spirit power. The fire lord will surely be pleased.”

-Shut up, you scum. Do you think I should be sacrificed for your pathetic offerings?

Artir retorted fiercely, but the warhammer didn’t even acknowledge his words.

“Haha, trapping a raccoon is more satisfying than I thought!”

Chuckling, the warhammer swung the double-edged axe once again.

Artir ignited the spirit body once more, reappearing elsewhere.

He was currently using his abilities to resist, but he couldn’t keep this up indefinitely.

He needed to find a way to settle with him somehow.

-Sigh…

Ducking and dodging the flying axe once more, Artir unleashed flames, but the warhammer merely laughed, swinging the axe to extinguish the flames.

Artir cursed at the warhammer’s overwhelming power, extinguishing the flames caused by his attack with a single axe swing.

Artir couldn’t help but swear at the audacious act of the warhammer, extinguishing the flames ignited by the spirit with a single axe strike.

-Crazy. What kind of orc is this? Just a monster.

“Yeah, I’m the monster among orcs!”

-You’re a runt of a monster.

“Hahaha! This raccoon has quite the mouth!”

-Shut your mouth, you beastly creature!

Once again, flames and axes clashed.

The forest was engulfed in flames, the heat enough to melt even iron.

Flames that usually spared anything beyond what he willed them to consume were now uncontrollable for Artir.

He roared in fury, realizing he had set ablaze the very forest he loved.

-Die already, wretched monster!

“Heh. With lukewarm flames like that, you can’t even die if you want to.”

Amidst the burns covering his entire body, the warhammer laughed and spoke.

The flames Artir conjured not only consumed the forest but also seared the warhammer’s weapon to a fiery red and charred its entire body, yet the creature still lived on.

It merely scoffed, claiming the flames were still lukewarm.

“By the way, you’re quite skilled at slipping away. Scurrying around, scurrying around. I thought you were amusing to watch, but you’ve become rather appetizing prey. Hehe.”

-Crazy lunatic.

Artir was chilled by the fact that the warhammer could laugh in such a situation.

With that last strike, he had exhausted almost all of his power.

He could no longer ignite his own spirit body, and he had little fire left to throw at the creature.

Despite being a decisive blow, it didn’t even cast a shadow of death over the creature.

It remained wounded, yet its life’s spark persisted.

“My name is Drakagya! I will swallow up every last one of the flames you spit out!”

Drakagya roared fiercely, shaking the earth with each step.

The forest quivered with his presence, an intimidating dread for the woods.

-Oh, for crying out loud. Won’t you just die already?

Preparing for his last burst of flames, Artir readied himself to sever the contract.

His death would be a substantial mental blow to the contractor.

Though breaking the contract wouldn’t come without consequences, some degree of minimization was possible.

-In the end, am I to remain a wild spirit…

A bitter emotion welled up within him.

Nevertheless, despite the bitterness, the impending death steeled his resolve.

-Even if I die, I won’t let those little ones be harmed.

If he couldn’t take their hearts, he would at least take a pair of their legs.

That way, even if you’re the creature you claim to be, you won’t be able to chase them in this forest.

-You think you can swallow my final flames?

Angry flames flickered at the corners of Artir’s mouth.

With a fierce roar, his entire body ignited, with flames sprouting from his form.

He was ablaze.

-Shall we see if you can swallow this as well?

He swung violently in the air.

It was his final charge.

Embracing the fervent heat fueled by his determination, Drakagya absorbed it with fervor, feeling the intense heat against his entire skin.

Baring his yellowed teeth, he wore an expression of exhilaration.

“Ka──Glory to Kha’Varan──!!”

Warhammer Drakagya had lived a life stained by fatigue to the point where the word “battle” could describe his entire existence.

His birth had been a celebration for combat, and his entire life had been a testament dedicated to battle’s cause.

Everything revolved around his deity, his race’s prosperity, and the sole purpose of his honor and glory.

Every ounce of his glory had been achieved through combat, and his veneration for battle was a form of belief, a devotion to his faith and service to his deity.

That was his life in essence.

And so, he couldn’t help but savor this battle, a first in his existence.

His first encounter with a spirit in life.

It marked another stroke in the epic tale he had written, another beginning.

“Waaargh──!!”

A thunderous roar reverberated through the forest.

It was an overwhelming surge of power, almost to the point of inciting violence.

Within that roar, Artir gathered his flames with great effort.

His body was on the brink of extinguishing, yet his final moments were not as pitiable as they might have seemed.

‘At least one leg.’

He was prepared to break the contract.

The moment his body clashed with the detestable enemy’s leg, the contract would sever. And in that moment, his lengthy existence would come to an end.

‘It’s been a pleasure, Elysia. And though I hate to admit it, Eldmir, you too…’

Recalling two faces he wouldn’t see again, Artir propelled his body forward.

His body shot out like a bullet, propelled by an explosion, and he closed his eyes as he drew closer to Drakagya’s body.

It was the moment.

‘Artir.’

With his consciousness still lingering, a thread of awareness resonated.

-What?

‘Rest for a while.’

Soon, that awareness became a will, enveloping his body.

In an uncommon display of authority, the contractor exerted control over Artir, who chuckled inwardly.

The flames, embodying all his might, extinguished uselessly, and his physical form withered away.

Finally, his time had come.

His life hadn’t ended, though.

Finding this whimsical thought amusing, Artir chuckled.

-Until next time.

Leaving behind a satisfied feeling, he cast one last fleeting glance at Drakagya.

And with a glance, he conveyed his thoughts.

My victory.

With that, Artir disappeared completely.

・・・❈・・・

That was the content I heard when I regained consciousness.

Artir, who had defied death to protect Kelis and other, ultimately succeeded in holding out while waiting for the return of the sentinels, including my mother, and the warhammer, having suffered injuries from the onslaught of dozens of sentinels, was finally defeated.

Hearing those words, I was internally taken aback.

While I had heard Artir being referred to as a high-ranking spirit, the notion that he had the ability to fight against highborn alone was something I had never encountered in the game.

Come to think of it, I had merely observed the downfall of the elven race in the racial wars within the game, and I had never actually engaged in a full-scale battle, so it was understandable that I would have such misconceptions about the true extent of the elven forces.

I seemed to have held a misguided notion about the strength of the elves.

“That’s how you were able to save Atir, and you were able to find the place where I was fighting and rescuing me as well.”

“Indeed, quite the troublemaker you are.”

How could I just stay silent after hearing that?

“No, why is this my fault? I was the victim here, a victim.”

“You should be thinking about running away from it, not fighting back. That’s the problem.”

“Huh? Could I have just run away from them with those kids in tow? That was the best thing I could do back then.”

“Yes, I know. I know all about it, you troublemaker.”

“Well…”

Though I tried to convey my sense of injustice, I quickly realized that my mother’s gaze contained more concern and sadness, causing me to falter in my words.

Left speechless, I scratched my cheek and awkwardly lowered my hand upon noticing that my right finger wasn’t moving well.

Seeing this, my mother’s look of disappointment only deepened.

In response, I hastily changed the topic.

“Anyway, it’s an incredible tale of sensing the crisis faced by the contracted spirit and rushing to save one’s own spirit… a mind-blowing story. The kids would love to hear this. Where are they now?”

Well, empathy is indeed a skill.

Though the side effects are definite, the ability for each other to feel one another is a considerable advantage.

And that’s even truer in the relationship between elves and spirits.

We were situated in a part of the World Tree Forest, specifically on the southwest outskirts.

Considering that our village was in the south, we had come quite a way up, relatively speaking.

Given that the kids have to head northwest and continue walking outside the forest for a while, we still have a long way to go, but anyway, we’ve been rescued by the sentinels of this village.

Well, in truth, sentinels came from dozens of villages, but because this was the closest one, it seems we were led here by these sentinels.

Thanks to that, I, who also risked my life just in time, have somewhat recovered my appearance thanks to the healing magic of the spirits and elves, even though I was in a state almost beyond recognition.

“When will Artir be able to summon again?”

Turning the topic with a sudden thought, my mother seemed to ponder it deeply.

“Probably for about a week… I won’t be able to call him back. He expended a tremendous amount of energy, even risking his life.”

“No matter how much you asked, I never expected him to go so far as to risk his life for the spirit beings.”

Did that troublemaking spirit get that close with those kids?

As I tilted my head with a puzzled thought, my mother offered a warm smile.

“Artir risked his life for you, Eld. That’s what happened.”

“…Why me then?”

With narrowed eyes, I questioned, and my mother gently held the part of my hand where the bandage hadn’t been wrapped, speaking softly.

“Because those kids mean a lot to you. Even if you don’t know exactly what you’re thinking, you’re putting your hopes on those kids. That’s why he did all of that for you.”

That’s…

“Come on, really? Did that troublemaking spirit go so far for someone like me, who was always complaining? I can’t believe he would even think like that…”

“…”

“…”

“…”

“Is he a tsundere1?”

“What’s that?”

“There’s something like that.”

If he was willing to do that much for me, he should have just talked to the other spirits and arranged a contract or something.

That darn spirit.

Who would have hoped for my life to be on the line?

Feeling inexplicably embarrassed, I coughed lightly and asked.

“But have you told the people of this village about those kids’ story? This place isn’t exactly a village that frequently interacts with the spirits, so I don’t think they would be so hostile…”

“Hmm.”

In response to my question, my mother seemed to be deep in thought once again.

After a while, she furrowed her delicate brows and let out a sigh.

Then unexpectedly, she gave an answer.

“They don’t even want to hear the story.”

“Excuse me?”

“They barely stopped trying to kill them when they found out that we and my son had pledged to protect them with our lives. It seems the orcs invading the forest are pretty angry about those kids’ existence.”

“Uh…”

Shit.

If that’s the reason, there’s no point in trying to explain.

Still, the fact that the elves were so enraged to that extent by those kids, even though they were just children, was quite surprising.

“When I’m all healed, should I take those kids and run away at night?”

In response to my statement, my mother had a rarely seen expression of disbelief.

“Say something that makes sense.”

“…Well, it’s not completely nonsensical.”

The secrecy of those cats was already proven when they escaped from the orcs with Teia, and even if the sentinels were tracking us, once my body is fully healed, I can definitely escape and lose them all unnoticed during the night.

Sure, it’s a bit slow, but still, there’s a chance if I can slip away during the night without anyone noticing.

Yeah, to some extent.

Really, to some extent.

“That doesn’t make sense.”

I decided to quietly reflect on myself.