The Devil Does Not Need to Be Defeated

Chapter 518: Is This… A Confession…?

Shien hadn’t expected Melika to have such a past.

But on second thought, it made sense.

Why else would Melika leave the village and travel?

Shien already understood the Elven Race somewhat and knew that very few chose to leave the Elven Homeland to travel.

There were three reasons for this.

One: The Elven Race’s wariness and rejection of the outside world.

The elves’ vigilance towards men from other races showed their negative impression of the outside world. Coupled with the long history of harassment and persecution from outside men, those who had traveled outside either warned others about the greed of men or were heartbroken, unable to extricate themselves from their emotional wounds. Elves naturally wouldn’t have a good impression of the outside world, thus affecting their willingness to leave their homeland.

Two: The conditions in the Elven Homeland weren’t necessarily worse than the outside world.

Since elves were a naturally magical race, their research and development of magic were far superior to the outside world. Within their race, there were also many powerful elders, and the world’s strongest magician and magician corps were also here. Therefore, elves didn’t need to go outside to learn. They could achieve better results by training in their homeland.

Three: The Tegor Forest, where the Elven Homeland was located, was the largest monster forest in the human world.

In the Tegor Forest, not only were there numerous monsters, but also many rare species not found elsewhere, encompassing monsters of all levels. Elves had no shortage of opponents to fight or environments to level up. It was even better here than anywhere else. Even if there was danger, there were elders of their race to watch over them, so there was no need to worry.

For these three reasons, elves didn’t need to travel to steadily improve their strength.

So why would they want to?

In fact, among the elves, probably less than one percent chose to travel.

In other words, most elves in the Elven Homeland had never left, being born, raised, and growing stronger here. Those with talent would eventually join the Elven Corps, becoming archmages above level eighty.

With such good conditions, why would they want to travel?

Of course, there were still some elves who chose to travel, proving that it had its benefits.

What benefits?

It was simple.

Faster growth!

Improving one’s strength was faster than staying in the village.

Admittedly, in the Elven Homeland, every elf could enjoy the best growth conditions and steadily improve.

However, steady didn’t mean fast.

It was well-known that although training could increase one’s level, the most effective method was still fighting against opponents of similar or higher strength.

Fierce battles between life and death were undoubtedly dangerous, but they were also the fastest way to grow.

And in the Elven Homeland, with the protection of elders and such stable training conditions, there was little sense of danger or opportunity for battle.

Life in the Elven Homeland was too peaceful and stable, so although elves could steadily improve their strength in this environment, their growth rate wasn’t fast.

Otherwise, with the elves’ talent and long lifespans, if they lived for a hundred years, even the weakest among them should be a top-tier legendary expert, right?

But in the end, there were only three legendary-level existences in the entire Elven Race, and these three had all lived for at least a thousand years.

A thousand years!

If it weren’t for limitations in talent and potential, even a pig could become a legendary expert in that time!

This showed how slow the elves’ growth rate was.

This wasn’t necessarily a bad thing.

Elves were long-lived and protected by the barrier set up by the Goddess of Nature. They could grow safely and steadily.

The reason the Elven Corps was the strongest magician corps in the world was because each member had trained for at least hundreds, or even thousands, of years.

As long as their potential wasn’t exhausted, and they hadn’t reached their limits, eventually, all elves could naturally reach level eighty.

This racial talent was comparable to the Dragon Race, known as the kings of monsters.

After all, dragons could naturally grow to level eighty, reaching adulthood as powerful monsters.

Although not every elf could reach this level, and some had lower potential, eventually reaching their limits and unable to increase their levels further, the fact that there were over a hundred members in the Elven Corps showed that elves were still incredibly blessed.

Only a small portion of elves, dissatisfied with such slow growth, would choose to leave the Elven Homeland, seek challenges in the outside world, and constantly push their limits.

After learning about this, Shien had once wondered why someone like Melika, who didn’t seem eager to become stronger, would leave the Elven Homeland and travel.

Only now did Shien realize that Melika overcame her timidity and decided to leave the village because of the pressure from her childhood friend.

And this wasn’t a wrong decision.

“When I first left the village and saw the outside world, I was very scared.”

“Many people stared at me because I was an elf, and many came to talk to me, which really scared me.”

“Fortunately, a senior guided me and brought me to Larmigion.”

“There, not only did the elves living in Larmigion help me and give me a place to stay, but I also met Sister Vivian, Diere, and Lumia…”

Melika’s tone finally brightened a little.

“Everyone helped me, allowing me to find my footing in the outside world.”

“And thanks to joining Vivian’s squad, I was able to go on so many adventures and subjugate so many monsters.”

“Although I experienced several dangerous situations and some unpleasant things, I always felt that my decision to leave the village two years ago was the right one.”

Saying so, Melika unconsciously looked at Shien.

“Otherwise, I wouldn’t have met everyone, and I wouldn’t have met Mr. Shien…”

As she said this, Melika’s eyes gradually became moist as she looked at Shien.

Within them was a deep affection that moved Shien.

“…”

Shien fell silent.

He was a little at a loss.

This… could this be a confession…?

Shien suddenly felt a warmth spread through his body.

Undoubtedly, this was the first time he had faced such a direct and pure expression of affection.

Unlike with Lucy, where their feelings developed unconsciously amidst their playful banter, and unlike with Diere, where their ambiguous relationship developed under the premise of her entrusting herself to him, finally confirmed by their passion, Melika’s feelings were like the most ordinary, yet also the most profound, love, so pure and touching.

And this was undoubtedly something Shien had never experienced before and wasn’t good at handling.

(I’m just a wanderer!)

The never-serious Hero roared in his heart.

Such a serious confession was a bit too much for the unserious Shien.

At the same time, this also confirmed Shien’s previous thought.

Melika’s feelings for him were deeper and purer than he had imagined.

If Shien knew about the Elven Race’s values regarding love, he would understand that this feeling was even more sacred than he thought.

Of course, even without knowing, sensing Melika’s feelings, Shien couldn’t be indifferent.

He was just unserious and liked to play around, not a scumbag who only thought with his lower body.

Having received Melika’s affection so directly, there was no need to consider what to do next.

Shien touched his nose and adjusted his emotions.

Lilith and Millu, watching this from the side, looked at each other.

Lasha’s eyes flickered, but she remained silent.

As for Lucy, looking at Melika, who was staring intently at Shien, seemingly forgetting her nervousness and shyness, her heart completely occupied by her emotions, as if bravely confessing her love, her eyes filled with affection, Lucy’s expression was somewhat complicated.

At this moment, Lucy couldn’t help but feel a pang of sadness.

But looking at the unconcealed love in Melika’s eyes, Lucy felt relieved.

She had said before that as a royal princess, she understood and allowed Shien to take concubines.

And if that person was Melika, Lucy felt that she could completely accept it.

Unlike Shien, Lucy understood the elven view of love and knew what would happen if an elf fell in love with someone.

Moreover, Lucy didn’t dislike Melika, even having some fondness for her. Along the way, she had already subconsciously regarded Melika as her future sister.

Now, driven by her emotions, Melika finally expressed her affection for Shien.

Although this was due to the circumstances, a completely impulsive action, the result wasn’t necessarily bad.

Otherwise, with Melika’s usually shy and nervous personality, she wouldn’t have confessed to Shien.

As for Shien, this guy was just waiting for others to throw themselves at him, with no intention of actively pursuing anyone. Expecting him to make a romantic confession would be like waiting for the sun to rise from the west.

Therefore, this was a golden opportunity.

That’s what Lucy thought.

Unfortunately, not everyone wanted to see this happen.