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Chapter 23: The Elven Old Fossil

It’s worth mentioning that although the food of the elven descendants is quite bland, it’s not bad at all. Even with the simplest cooking methods, the excellent flavors of the ingredients shine through.

Juicy little tomatoes bursting with tang, fragrant roasted potatoes, and a chilled cup of honey wine—this green, healthy, and nutritious dinner purified both Roy’s body and soul, bathing him in a sea of natural flavors.

Classy, delicate, elegant!

After getting used to the kingdom’s heavy meats and fish, a vegetarian meal now and then feels pretty good…

The status of the chief lady of the court is indeed noble, but the elven descendants aren’t overly concerned with rank. Most of them just smile and nod to Nia or offer a few resigned words of advice—it’s more like relatives showing concern for younger kin rather than a monarch addressing subjects.

And Nia didn’t seem to care about her image; she acted as if she were at home, one hand holding the roasted dishes and the other the honey wine, while Roy followed her around the various seating areas, scrounging for food.

Yep, this is definitely her home.

“Hey, hurry up, hurry up! The dessert will be gone before you know it!”

When they finally reached the dessert table, the bouncy Nia suddenly stopped in her tracks, her expression freezing into one that looked worse than running into her homeroom teacher during vacation.

Following Nia’s gaze, Roy spotted an old man.

A stern-looking, tall, old elven fellow with long hair draped down, his cold gaze so detached it seemed lifeless.

It’s common knowledge that elven descendants have lifespans far exceeding those of other races, and this old man clearly bore the marks of time. He wasn’t quite a decrepit old man but probably an ancient relic of the same era as the Sage.

“No wonder the banquet is so noisy today; turns out you’re back.”

With a glance at Nia that oozed disdain, the old man spoke bluntly, “Still as rude and uncultured as before. Apart from your golden-tier bloodline, you inherited none of the qualities of our elven ancestors. Looks like your years at the Academy didn’t teach you much, Miss Nia.”

“Stinky old man…” Nia muttered under her breath and shot him an annoyed glare.

If it were anyone else, Nia would have kicked him by now, given her experience with fights at the Adventurers’ Guild.

But for the sake of his identity, Nia unusually restrained her temper. It wasn’t just because he was an elder; it was also due to his status in the court.

Even wild Nia knew she shouldn’t trouble her mother too much.

But he wasn’t Roy’s elder.

“Just being casual doesn’t mean I’m uncultured. On the contrary, it seems this esteemed elder, regardless of any issues the chief lady may have, has no right to lecture her.”

Finally, the old man’s gaze landed on Roy, his unyielding expression twitching slightly, as if he found Roy unworthy of his time.

“And you are?”

“Miss Nia’s guard, Roderick,” Roy introduced the alias he’d been using to blend in.

“But before asking someone else’s name, one should first introduce oneself. It seems you didn’t do better than Miss Nia in this regard.”

The old man’s expression didn’t change, but his eyes grew even darker.

“You may call me Lord Valoran.”

“Mr. Roderick, remember that you are only here by the council’s invitation. You are merely a fortunate adventurer attending this banquet.”

“And I am the second in command of the Verdant Council and also the oldest present. Don’t think I can’t reprimand you just because you’re a lady, Miss Nia. I advise you, as an outsider, to mind your own business.”

While he referred to her as lady and lord, not a shred of respect lingered in the old man’s words.

“A mere guard should stick to his place.”

“Hey, you old fossil…” Nia was starting to lose her patience.

She could tolerate lessons, but if Roy got bullied, that was a whole different situation.

Before Nia could blow up, Roy stepped in and flashed a small smile at the old man, “Lord Valoran has a point.”

“However, if it weren’t for you meddling in Ms. Nia’s affairs, an adventurer like myself wouldn’t need to step in at all. Please, save your unnecessary concern and as you said… mind your own business.”

The elves behind the old man changed their expressions, all glaring at Roy.

But the pitch-black eyes of Roy didn’t even condescend to acknowledge them, maintaining a vicious stare without flinching.

After a few seconds, Valoran finally averted his gaze and turned to leave.

“Rude adventurer!”

“How dare you disrespect Lord Valoran! I can’t believe Lady Janthea allowed such a fellow to attend the banquet!”

The officials whispered insults at Roy, revealing their stance, but Valoran wasn’t swayed by their emotional words and fell into contemplation instead.

Rude, but not crude; his attitude was neither humble nor overbearing.

In just a few exchanges, Roy left a deep impression on him.

Valoran noted that the young man seemed entirely unfazed by the group of high-ranking officials behind him, showing not an ounce of fear even when facing himself. This indicated that he was no ordinary adventurer and had probably grown accustomed to these kinds of situations.

You see, many inexperienced noble heirs sometimes get nervous and shrink back.

“Roderick, has anyone heard of him?”

The councilors exchanged glances.

“No one has heard of him; his bloodline aura is also not remarkable. Even an A-tier seems a stretch—probably just an ordinary adventurer.”

After taking a long look at Roy, the old man grew noncommittal to this assessment.

On the other hand, Roy was quite puzzled.

“What’s up with that old man?”

Funny enough, it was Valoran’s presence that had led Janthea to end their previous meeting.

“He’s quite ancient, but a stubborn old fossil! He insists all elven descendants must wear clothes that reach past the knee, can only eat vegetarian their entire lives, and is dead set on cutting off all contact with the outside world… Honestly, you need to understand, my mom seems more progressive compared to him!” Nia added while sticking her tongue out and making faces at Valoran’s retreating back.

“Why does he hate you so much?”

To be fair, Nia was mischievous but not ill-natured; she was even quite beloved by everyone, usually getting along splendidly with her teachers and classmates.

It’s normal for political rivals to clash, but involving the younger generation isn’t necessary. That old man’s animosity seemed completely unreasonable.

Nia shrugged, looking quite wronged, “Did we really do anything that bad?”

Roy caught the key word: “Anything bad?”

“Just, you know, smashed his window, messed up his reports, slashed his carriage tires, and casually talked bad about him to my mom.”

Roy was left speechless.

Forget what he said before.

Nia being disliked wasn’t entirely innocent either!

 

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