This early morning, Aunt Susie returned from buying groceries at the street market.
The milk deliveryman handed her both her own and her neighbor Loren’s bottles of milk.
Her warm-hearted nature never made her feel there was anything wrong with this.
The young man next door seemed to be from the countryside; he had shut himself in for three years here, studying, before finally becoming a clerk at the civil affairs office.
What a diligent lad.
But who was the girl who entered with him yesterday evening?
She didn’t look very old—certainly younger than Loren.
Maybe a relative, but more likely…
Aunt Susie felt happy for Loren.
She walked to his door, put down the milk, and knocked.
Suddenly, a crashing sound came from inside, as if someone had bumped into something.
Worried, she called out, “Young man, your milk is here. Remember to come get it later. Are you alright in there?”
After a moment, she heard a muffled, indistinct mumble—a girl’s voice: “I’m fine, I’m fine, got it. Thank you, Aunt Susie.”
Inside, Loren hid nervously in his room, listening for the sound of doors opening and closing outside.
Only after confirming Aunt Susie had gone home did he crack the door open and bring the milk inside.
Earlier, the postman had already collected the mail from his door.
By now, it was probably on Julia’s desk.
He wondered what the strict deputy director would think of him.
Loren sighed, deciding to drink some milk first.
Because of his changed appearance, he hadn’t dared to go out to buy breakfast bread.
Familiar with the routine, he tore off the packaging, gripped the wooden stopper in one hand, and pulled hard—pop.
The stopper didn’t budge at all, and his hand hit the edge of the table.
Loren was momentarily stunned, then felt a piercing pain.
He curled up into a ball and began to cry.
Tears soaked his clothes.
It had been so long since he last cried—maybe the last time was during exam preparations, when he lost the ten grosso his parents had sent him.
For a whole month, he survived on scraps of bread from the relief house.
When his hand hurt less, Loren sat up with effort and carefully examined the milk bottle.
It looked no different from usual: a ceramic bottle sealed with a wooden stopper.
The problem must be with himself.
He looked at his arms, which once had a bit of muscle from hard work as a child.
Now, they were noticeably slimmer.
And the scars were gone—the ones from being mischievous and getting cut with a hoe as a child.
Loren rushed to the bathroom.
Before, he’d always had to lean forward slightly to see his own face.
Now, he had to stand up straight to see himself.
His face, still streaked with tears, now carried a fragility unique to young girls.
Maybe his eyes were swollen from crying, but even with a bronze mirror he could see the contours at the corners of his eyes were completely different.
His eyes had become entirely silver, and his skin was much fairer.
Loren suddenly thought of something.
His hand slid slowly down from his cheek, downward, further down.
He felt a strange softness, a slight rise unfamiliar to him.
When his hand brushed the center, an electric shock ran through him, making him let out a muffled gasp.
…
Loren spent the whole morning sprawled on the bed, staring blankly at the ceiling, then at everything familiar around him, then at the unopened bottle of milk.
The shelf that used to hold that ancient book was now completely empty.
He thought of his conversation with the Guiding God, after his previous life had ended, before he came to this world.
“In your next life, you’ll be sent to a world you really like.”
He had guessed what kind of world it would be.
“I hope, if I really go to that kind of place, I can be born somewhere ordinary, but advanced. I don’t want to eat cabbage soup and black bread full of wood shavings every day, and I don’t want to be surrounded by beastfolk or wraiths.”
“Alright, I promise you. Anything else?”
“I hope I can ‘make it’ in my next life, as compensation for my regrets. Also, to meet a woman I love, who loves me back, and spend my life with her. Hmm… thinking of my favorite novel, it would be nice to have some kind of epic adventure. But if not, that’s fine too. Oh, and can I wish for my parents not to be too sad? They cried for a long time.”
Epic adventure…?
Why did I have to say so much?
Lying on the bed, Loren even managed a bitter smile.
Scenes from his past life and this one flickered through his mind.
He had died in some sewer corner.
Now, just as his life was becoming stable, this had happened.
But if he just starved to death here, it would be just as meaningless as his previous death.
Thinking this, Loren forced himself up from bed.
No matter what, it was too soon to despair.
He still had over 200 grosso left.
If, after spending it all, nothing changed, he could die then.
But this time, he’d die on the vast sea, not curled up in some filthy sewer corner.
Noon in Landinsett was stiflingly hot.
The damp sea breeze hit his face, instantly raising tiny beads of sweat.
Wearing his usual simple gray robe, Loren found that the nearby bakery was closed.
He had to walk farther to buy something to eat.
People bustled back and forth on the street, but no one noticed the nervous girl in their midst.
Everyone had their own things to do.
This comforted Loren a bit.
Of course, not so many people would pay attention to him.
Unless he was an elf or something, no one would even glance at him.
After all, aside from the Elindria consulate, you almost never saw elves in Landinsett.
He stopped outside a small eatery he sometimes visited.
The prices were reasonable, affordable even now that he had lost his main source of income.
Thinking this, Loren went in and sat down.
The enthusiastic proprietress immediately approached.
“Miss, what would you like? The docks brought in fresh fish today, and we have freshly baked bread. Oh, and there’s also berry preserves brought by the elf trading ship—girls really like them. Want to try some?”
Ugh, sure enough, face-to-face, no one would think I’m male.
Loren mused.
But, the elf trading ship arrived so soon?
Berry preserves… sound so sweet.
“I’ll have fish soup with bread slices, and some berry preserves, please. Could you serve it quickly? I… I’m a bit hungry.”
“Alright! I’ll have it ready in a moment. Please wait.”
The food arrived quickly.
Loren put bread into the fish soup to soak, then picked up a piece of preserve and put it in his mouth.
So sweet!
The thick honey made him squint.
Then came the natural sourness and earthy scent of the berries.
Loren picked up another piece, and kept eating until the small plate was empty.
The hard bread slices had softened.
Carefully picking them up, Loren soaked them in soup and wolfed them down.
Freed from hunger, Loren felt his strength slowly return, and his mind no longer raced as it had in the morning.
Turns out, eating well really did help.
“Madam, check please!”
The meal cost 9 grosso in total.
Paying, Loren felt his heart tremble.
Back when he had a monthly salary, coming to this little eatery once in a while felt like nothing.
But now, he realized, it was better to buy bread to take home.
Loren left the eatery, squinting in the harsh sunlight.
Just as he was about to put up his robe’s hood, a melodious voice sounded behind him, seeming to carry a hint of complaint.
“You were quite hard to find. So this is where you are.”
It wasn’t Julia’s voice.
“Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Tessweilan Windheiz. I come from the Elven nation of Elindria.”
…
Sitting on the apartment bed, Loren looked warily at the elf before him.
It was his first time seeing an elf in this life.
Until now, having never met a real elf, he’d thought of this world as a medieval one, like his last life.
So this really is the world the goddess spoke of.
“So, Miss Tessweilan, if I haven’t misunderstood, you know about the changes in me. That’s why you came to Landinsett to find me?”
Tessweilan sat in the only chair, frowning at the messy piles of paperwork and the cramped, shabby room.
“Yes. I just didn’t expect you to live in such a shabby place. It’s simply unacceptable. And how could you eat at a place like that?”
A place like what?
What does she mean, is this elf a noble lady?
But so what if she is?
What does it have to do with me?
My standard of living only goes so far.
Loren complained inwardly.
“Miss Tessweilan, I’m just a low-level clerk. I have a limited income every month, and no family background to rely on. Is that so strange?”
Tessweilan glanced at Loren, who was sitting on the bed, slightly indignant, and smiled faintly.
“A few days ago, a string of words appeared on the Ancient Tree’s rings—the very tree elves rely on for divining great events.”
[The Book of Kings has appeared, to choose a queen for all peoples. Obey its will, do not doubt your new queen. Her noble name is now Loren Green.]
“Such an unprecedented event! This Book of Kings was lost more than ten thousand years ago. Only after elves reinstated the queen selection system did they use the Ancient Tree’s rings in its place. Now the Ancient Tree has not only declared, but confirmed it. Amazing. Do you still have the book?”
Loren had a rough idea now.
It was that magic book.
“The book disappeared today. So, it’s what made me like this?”
Tessweilan sighed, knowing how hard this was to accept.
In truth, she herself had struggled to believe such an absurd thing at first.
Until, that is, she learned these were the exact words of the Ancient Tree, unchanged.
“I don’t know about the Book of Kings, but the Ancient Tree’s prophecy never errs. It recognizes and commands that the new queen must not be doubted. Therefore, things will happen just as it requires. We elves have no doubt about it.”
Sounds like a magical version of making the absurd seem real…
Tessweilan then smiled and said, “Loren… miss, forgive me for calling you that—I don’t know how far your changes have gone, but it’s inevitable. You must have felt it yourself. So, come with me to Elindria, and claim your authority.”
Loren’s fragile, empty eyes stared at Tessweilan, unreadable—were they helpless, lost, or perhaps longing?
Tessweilan, at ease, met Loren’s gaze directly, showing no fear.
She was eager to hear Loren’s answer.
After all, her proposal was very tempting.
“It sounds wonderful, doesn’t it? After over twenty years of hardship, Loren suddenly becomes the queen of the elves.”
Loren’s eyes went unfocused.
His mouth curled in a wry smile.
“But I refuse. To have my form molded like clay, my appearance changed, my gender altered. Fun, isn’t it? The thought of me sitting on a throne pretending to command must be amusing, right? Too bad. I won’t do it. I’d rather starve to death in Landinsett, or spend my last few coins boarding a ship and choose a good spot to jump into the sea, dying amidst the silver waves.”
The slender and fragile Loren’s shoulders shook, and on his flushed cheeks appeared a determination never seen before.
To his surprise, Tessweilan only smiled more brightly.
She stepped around the table, came to the bed, and after confirming Loren’s resolve, leaned in and whispered by his ear.
“Very well. I understand—you want to keep working in Landinsett. Then say it boldly. I’ll speak to your supervisor—Deputy Director Julia Laguangsi—myself. After all, I must also obey your will.”
Smiling, Tessweilan knew that on this first trial, this naive “queen” was nothing like her own mother had feared.
Eh?
Even after all this, I can still go back to work?