"Aargh!" The elf warrior stretched in place, reaching his arms high toward the sky. "It really has been a while."
Because monsters had been attacking the fortress day and night, the elf warriors had been standing guard around the clock. But last night was different.
At the Northern Fortress—also known as the Northern Border City—support troops from the Aians Empire had arrived, along with mbers of the Temple Alliance and the heroes sent to revive the World Tree.
With so many people stationed here now, the elves only had to stand guard once per day. That ant they could finally get proper rest. The warrior was currently staying in the castle, as reconstruction efforts were still underway.
After a few squats, he spread his legs slightly, placed his hands on his hips, and rotated his neck. Once finished with his stretches, he stepped out of the castle and into the garden.
As he passed through the castle gates, wondering how to spend the first half of his day off, he caught the sound of a song and tilted his head to listen.
"Because I'm stupid~♪[1]"
He didn't understand why the singer was insulting himself.
"Wait... I've heard this voice before."
The bard's voice singing the lyrics sounded very familiar.
Still puzzled, the elf continued forward and asked another stationed at the castle's inner wall, "Hey, this song..."
"Huh? What about it?"
"Do you know who's singing?"
"It's Sir Achiaer."
"Oh! Sir Achiaer sang?"
"And Commander Richard."
"Huh?"
"The vice commander of the Iron Knight Order, who ca here to provide support with Sir Pilarin, joined in the song as well."
"You're telling all three of them sang this song together?"
"Listen for yourself."
The elf warrior perked up his ears. He could hear Richard's voice. Then, the voice of the vice commander of the Iron Knight Order ca through as well.
"Singing since dawn... and a chorus, no less." The elf warrior looked like he didn't know how to respond. He shook his head slowly. "And Sir Achiaer sang too. It's been a long ti since I've heard him sing. Where is he?"
"He's in the castle."
"What? Even though I can hear them singing from here?"
"Go out through the castle gate and head east."
"What?"
"Well... it's hard to explain."
Still puzzled, the elf warrior gave his kin a curious glance. Nonetheless, he followed the instructions, exiting the castle gate and turning east.
"Hm?"
Ahead of him, young elf warriors and humans were gathered, gazing at the castle wall with sparkling eyes. For every seven won in the crowd, there were three n.
Following the crowd's gaze, the elf warrior turned his head and looked up at the castle wall. There, a man with a strange hairstyle and a pretty woman were staring at each other on the wall.
"Gyahhhh!" The female elf warriors and female priests scread in delight.
His ears perked up again, catching another familiar voice.
"Sir Mair?"
The elf warrior continued walking, passing by the young elf warriors and young humans srized by the enormous screen on the wall.
Farther ahead, he encountered another group comprised mostly of middle-aged elf warriors and n. This ti, the ratio was reversed: for every seven n, there were three won.
—This!
At the sound of Mair's voice again, the elf warrior turned his head toward the castle wall.
—Is!
Every ti the muscular warrior on screen opened his mouth, his voice bood.
—Starock!
The muscular warrior thrust his right foot forward, shoving the man opposing him into a pit.
"Starock? As in the Kingdom of Starock?"
Before it was destroyed, the Kingdom of Starock had once been a small nation in the western part of the continent. It only remained in living mory because it had managed to hold off the Black Kingdom for half a year.
The elf warrior glanced toward the group of middle-aged people staring up at the fortress wall, all of whom shared the sa sentint.
"Impressive."
"Cool."
"It's perfect."
"I heard Hero Kim Ki-Rok said the country in the film resembles the Starock Kingdom a lot. That's why he was able to tweak the lines."
"Ha! To think there'd be a place like Starock in another dinsion."
"Well, he did say it existed a long ti ago."
"Still doesn't change the fact that there was a Starock Kingdom."
"That's true."
The middle-aged group continued chatting, their eyes glued to the projected video on the fortress wall. As for the elf warrior, he simply stood there and stared blankly until a new voice caught his attention.
"Mada Aylphirane?"
It was faint, but clear. The voice of the priestess of the World Tree, Aylphirane, echoed through the air. The elf warrior followed the sound, making his way toward it. He soon arrived in front of the central fountain of the Northern Fortress.
"Phew. It feels good to sing after such a long ti," Aylphirane said.
Clap, clap, clap, clap.
A large stage had been set up in front of the central fountain, where Aylphirane now sat on a chair, chatting casually.
When did they install this...?
"Then, let introduce the next perforrs!"
The elf warrior tilted his head in confusion as a group of small, young Elentals climbed onto the stage and lined up in formation.
—Uh, um. Record Entertainnt? Uhh, right. We are Fairy Flower, a new girl group from Record Entertainnt!
***
"Wooooah!"
"Cool!"
"Gorgeous! Cute!"
"Fairy Flower is the best!"
The enthusiastic audience winked at the Elentals.
"Everyoneee, we love you allll," the Elentals replied, winking back in unison.
Jang Baek-San, Guildmaster of the Baekdusan Guild, and their guild's rising ace, Lee Mi-So, stood nearby, watching the whole scene unfold in stunned silence, then noticed Kim Ki-Rok standing just to the side.
Unlike the speechless Jang Baek-San, Lee Mi-So voiced her thoughts without hesitation. "Wow! You really know how to live."
"Isn't it better to have fun while you're alive?" Kim Ki-Rok said matter-of-factly.
"But... hahaha! Wow... I don't even..."
Not only had he recruited three High Elves, but also Saintess Renee, Commander Richard of the Paladin Order, and even key figures from the Aians Empire to help dub dramas and movies. And now, at the strong request of Fairy Flower's leader, Aeple, he had even prepared a debut stage for an idol group.
"And you're planning to open a market this afternoon?" she asked.
"That's right. We're opening a market. Planning to sell a lot and beco mana stone rich."
Lee Mi-So couldn't hold back her laughter. She couldn't even imagine what kind of market he had in mind.
On the other hand, Jang Baek-San had a very different reaction. His pupils were trembling as he pried further. "What are you planning to sell?"
"Listen here, Guildmaster Jang Baek-San."
"Ha, just tell what you're planning on selling."
"The Yuashiel Dinsion lacks entertainnt."
"Excuse ?"
"First, I plan to sell mana stone generators, devices that convert mana stones into electricity."
"You said 'first,' implying there's more you're planning to sell?"
"Correct."
"And what would that be?"
"Console ga systems, the latest computers, and USB drives loaded with tons of shows and movies. Also... beam projectors, screen displays, and TV monitors."
"Why don't you just throw in rice cookers and vacuum cleaners while you're at it?"
"Wheat is the staple crop in this dinsion, and they already use magic to clean."
"Ah... but you did prepare those, didn't you?"
Kim Ki-Rok nodded confidently, then pointed toward Fairy Flower, who were preparing for their next stage. "And I've prepared for Fairy Flower's album launch."
"What?"
"Light sticks made by Aeple. All the photo albums and goods."
"Wow! This guy..."
"Hmm. Guildmaster Jang Baek-San."
"What now?"
"Your tone's gotten more casual than before."
"I thought we'd gotten closer."
"Ah... right, right. Let's rewind."
"To what...?"
"Brother Baek-San, you see..." Kim Ki-Rok placed a hand on his chest, as if declaring sothing noble. "I didn't establish Record Entertainnt just to target the world market as an entertainnt agency."
"I didn't ask. And establish what? You haven't even registered yourself as a business yet, you fool."
"I have."
Jang Baek-San paused, montarily thrown off. "Ah... you were serious?"
"Yes. Anyway, Record Entertainnt and our one and only idol girl group, Fairy Flower, were created to target the entertainnt market of all dinsions."
"Like I said before, I didn't ask." Jang Baek-San glared while Kim Ki-Rok watched the stage with affection.
"Kyahahahaha!" Lee Mi-So leaned against the wall, clutching her side as if she might collapse from laughter.
***
What kind of video would they upload this ti? More importantly, when would the next one even go up?
People were waiting, refreshing the DG Channel, wondering when a new video would appear. The 9 p.m. news had already inford the public that the DG Guild's building was completely empty, so no one even bothered trying to visit.
The sa went for the large guilds who had joined the Gate clear alongside DG. The Hunters who had participated in the raid still hadn't returned. The governnt and the Association remained silent.
So, everyone waited for another video on the DG Channel, the only guild that had released battle footage featuring an elf.
Ding!
A restaurant owner glanced at his phone as a notification popped up during his late-night al.
"It's up!" shouted the part-ti worker across the table, already raising his phone. Apparently, he had also subscribed to the sa Tube channel.
The restaurant owner and the part-ti worker simultaneously picked up their phones and tapped the notification. Upon clicking the ssage, they automatically redirected to Tube, which was displaying the DG channel page that featured their new video titled "Their Vacation."
"Huh?" the restaurant owner muttered.
"Boss. By 'their', they're probably talking about them, right?"
"Probably." The restaurant owner said, glancing at his own older phone, then at the part-ti worker's newer model. "Since the audio can overlap, let's watch it on yours. Put it on the table."
"Yessir!" The part-tir switched to full screen and set his smartphone down.
"Hmm?"
The elves were watching a drama.
"Uh... Huh?"
Then, they were watching a movie.
"These are elves... right?" the restaurant owner asked in a quiet voice, eyes fixed on the screen. The footage changed again.
—Wooah! I love you! Fairy Flower!
—Aeple! Aqua! Ro! Se! Sil! Phy!
The elves were shouting the nas of the Elentals in sync with the beat.
"The elves..."
"Are they waving light sticks?"
Elves were commonly seen as a forest-dwelling, nature-loving species, so viewers had expected the new DG Channel video to highlight their elegant, mystical way of life. Instead, they were shocked to see elves watching dramas and movies, cheering at idol performances, and waving glow sticks like frenzied concert fans.
"Could they just be people with long ears?"
1. Lyric from the OST of the famous Korean drama, Boys Over Flowers. ☜
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