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She had taught Repenhardt spirit magic in his past life and fought alongside him as an ally when they founded the Antares Empire. Now, she stood before him looking exactly as she did back then. Still cold and harsh, her expression was unreadable.

Staring into her clear blue eyes, Repenhardt suddenly blushed. Since he was in the middle of exercising, he was only wearing simple pants, which was considered casual wear by Gym Unbreakable’s standards.

“This attire is quite inappropriate. I didn’t receive news of your arrival in time…”

Iniya gracefully shook her head.

“It’s a warrior’s attire. Do not worry about it.”

“Ah, I’m glad you think so…”

Fidgeting, Repenhardt cautiously glanced at Iniya.

‘Hmm, this lady is still somewhat unsettling…’

Even in his past life, Iniya had been so cold that although they were allies, their relationship was hardly friendly. Unlike the times he met the Four Heavenly Kings, he didn’t feel a sense of longing or joy upon seeing her.

‘But she is undoubtedly a powerful ally.’

Iniya was the only existing elf who was an Aura User.

Among the elves, who were generally not warlike and had lower combat talent, there were very few Aura Users. Unlike the secret arts of other races, spirit magic was a common ability that any elf could learn. As long as the World Tree existed, all elves could become spirit mages.

Since no elves strictly adhered to being warriors, the number of Aura Users naturally was less compared to other races.

Amidst these elves, Iniya’s ability to wield Aura alone made her overwhelming. After the revival of the World Tree, she handled spirit magic as skillfully as the other elves, making her unrivaled. Until Siris surpassed her with her mastery of swordsmanship, spirit magic, and magic, Iniya was undeniably the strongest among the elves.

Her coming to the Duchy of Antares was truly a blessing for the duchy.

‘I knew spreading those rumors would pay off.’

Feeling a sense of joy inwardly, Repenhardt spoke sincerely.

“Welcome to the Duchy of Antares. We have also prepared a forest for you and your kin.”

“Thank you.”

Iniya, who had bowed her head politely once again, suddenly had a sparkle in her eyes.

Repenhardt flinched for a moment. There was a certain intensity in her blue eyes that he had never seen in his past life.

“I have something to ask, King of Humans.”

“Yes?”

“We felt the revival of the World Tree and came here. That World Tree is located on this land.”

“Ah, yes.”

In an instant, Iniya’s expression became frighteningly serious.

“Then I must ask. Are you truly the one who revived the World Tree?”

Repenhardt had linked the World Tree, Nihillen, with Jerunting, and its influence spread across the entire continent.

Elves living in remote areas who could only practice weak spirit magic began to notice changes one by one. The power of their spirit magic increased day by day, making it impossible not to notice.

Iniya, who lived in the frozen lands north of the Fetland Plain, also felt the revival of the World Tree.

Unlike other elves, she was an Aura User. The combination of the unique sensitivity of an Aura User and her spirit magic allowed her to detect the approximate direction and distance of the World Tree’s location.

After deducing the location of the World Tree through a map, Iniya gathered information about the Duchy of Antares, the land’s ruler. Although it wasn’t easy living in a remote area, the widespread rumors allowed her to gather considerable information.

Hearing that the Duchy of Antares treated other races with hospitality, she made a decision.

She resolved to lead her entire kin to the side of the World Tree.

During this journey, she encountered Kalken and the duchy’s army.

Iniya, looking up and down at Repenhardt, muttered in disbelief.

“I thought it would be impossible to revive the World Tree without a powerful magical force…”

From Kalken and Russ, she had heard that the one who revived the World Tree was the king of the duchy, Repenhardt. She was glad to hear that he genuinely treated other races as equals, affirming her decision to come.

However, meeting him in person, he was quite different from what she had imagined.

She had expected a frail and stern-looking human mage…

“No matter how I look at you, you appear to be a formidable warrior…”

Iniya looked at Repenhardt with a shocked expression. Given Gym Unbreakable’s fame, Kalken and Russ had assumed she already knew about Repenhardt, so they hadn’t explained him at all.

With a bitter smile, Repenhardt raised his right hand.

“I am…”

A golden aura surged from Repenhardt’s right hand.

Iniya nodded.

As expected, her intuition was correct. He was indeed an Aura User.

This time, Repenhardt raised his left hand. A faint purple spirit energy swirled around his fingertips. It was the magical energy field of a mage.

“I am both an Aura User and a mage.”

While this was a secret to outsiders, there was no need to hide it from a potential ally of another race. Thus, Repenhardt displayed both his aura and magic.

Iniya shook her head and sighed.

“…Unbelievable.”

Repenhardt smirked, knowing this reaction all too well. This was not the first time he had encountered such disbelief…

At that moment, Iniya approached him gracefully and gently touched his arm. An incredibly soft voice flowed from her lips.

“To think that such great wisdom resides within such a magnificent body…”

Repenhardt was taken aback. Both her tone and expression were unlike anything he had seen from her in his past life.

‘…What’s with her expression?’

Her reaction was vastly different from what he remembered.

Iniya looked up at Repenhardt. Her blue eyes, which were cold and harsh enough to earn her the title of the Queen of Snow, were now filled with an unusual intensity.

Iniya called out to him.

“Um…”

Her voice was so tender that if Repenhardt didn’t know her, he might have mistaken it for affection.

Instinctively, Repenhardt tensed up as she asked a question.

“Are you married?”

Repenhardt’s jaw dropped.

“…What?”

* * *

In reality, Iniya didn’t particularly dislike men. Nor was she as cold or harsh as people thought.

She was a warrior.

A warrior who had dedicated herself to martial arts to the point of manifesting Aura.

Because of this, she believed that men should have broad chests, thick arms, and sturdy muscles. Her tastes were quite particular.

Other elves from the Stiria Tribe thought she was aloof, but Iniya simply couldn’t tolerate the skinny bodies of elf men.

No, how could they be considered men with such pale skin, thin limbs, and pretty faces like women! And as elves, they didn’t even grow beards.

They were all too pretty, pretty, pretty…

Iniya, who had hidden her identity and roamed the continent in her younger years to advance her martial skills, had encountered human, dwarf, and orc warriors frequently. Compared to those powerful warriors, elven men were all weaklings. They didn’t appear manly to her at all.

Repenhardt didn’t know, but the reason she had dismissed him in their past life was simple.

She just couldn’t stand his sleek face—so much, so, so much!

Hadn’t she plainly said it before?

– The are of my kin, but I really can’t understand. After all, it’s just flesh and bones wrapped in skin.

In his past life, Repenhardt might have interpreted this as some wise sage’s way of seeing inner beauty, but the true meaning was simple. She meant he was just skin and bones with no muscles, and she couldn’t stand looking at him.

Iniya considered that orcs were better than her kin. At least orc warriors had impressive bodies from the neck down.

However, orcs’ heads were unacceptable.

Their faces were one thing, but they were also too ignorant. Iniya believed in the saying, “A true warrior must excel in both martial and scholarly arts!” She thought that a real man should possess both a superb physique and outstanding wisdom and knowledge. Although she seemed to confuse the definitions of warrior and man, to Iniya, these two words were synonymous.

Her kin’s men were unacceptable from the neck down, and men of other races were unacceptable from the neck up.

For these reasons, she had unintentionally grown older as a bachelorette for decades. Not that aging was a concept for elves—she was still in her mid-twenties in human terms.

But now, an ideal man finally stood before her!

A perfect body that easily surpassed that of an orc warrior! It was a parade of muscles she couldn’t even dream of!

And a possessor of the highest wisdom and knowledge, capable of reviving the World Tree!

What an epitome of excellence in both martial and scholarly arts!

His face was also quite satisfactory. He had a rugged, manly face. And considering her previous comparison with orcs, anyone was a heavenly beauty.

He was her perfect ideal.

She could ask for nothing more.

Iniya, an innocent elf maiden, finally experienced the spring breeze at the ripe age of one hundred and forty-five. Just seeing him made her heart flutter and her face flush. It was a feeling she had never experienced before.

Iniya made up her mind.

‘I must hold on to this man at all costs!’

The fact that he was a human and not an elf didn’t matter at all. She had already been utterly disappointed by the men of her own race…

So, she asked carefully,

“Excuse me… are you married by any chance?”

“…”

Repenhardt stared blankly at Iniya.

Her slightly blushing face, her moist eyes, her gentle voice, and her tender demeanor.

He even doubted whether this elf woman in front of him was the Iniya he remembered. He was so doubtful that he briefly activated his artificial recollection.

‘It’s definitely Iniya as I remember her.’

But he couldn’t understand why she seemed so different from his memory.

‘Did something about my return to this time affect her personality?’

Caught off guard, Repenhardt cautiously answered.

“Ah, I am not married yet. Of course, I do have someone in mind…”

Iniya nodded, as if she had expected that. Such a perfect man would not be left alone by the women around him.

“I knew it…”

With a determined expression, she asked Repenhardt again.

“But you’re not married yet, right?”

“Ah, yes.”

Repenhardt nodded, puzzled. Iniya clenched her fist.

“Great!”

“…?”

Iniya bowed her head slightly towards the bewildered Repenhardt. This time, she took on the demeanor of the leader of her tribe.

“Thank you once again for accepting our tribe. The Stiria Tribe will now and forevermore be your ally, sharing both prosperity and adversity, and this vow will never change.”

Repenhardt, regaining his composure, formally declared the alliance.

“The Duchy of Antares also swears to be an eternal ally of the Stiria Tribe.”

Thus, the Stiria Tribe officially became part of the Duchy of Antares.

After exchanging vows, Iniya slightly bent her knees in a bow.

“Then, I shall return to my tribe. I will visit often, so please take care.”

“Ah, yes.”

After flashing a bashful smile, Iniya gracefully left the training ground. Unlike in his past life, her movements were subtle. Anyone watching might mistakenly think she was being flirtatious.

As Repenhardt watched Iniya’s retreating figure, he scratched his head.

“What on earth… was that?”

* * *

Iniya walked calmly along the corridor. She thought of the human man she had just met.

His broad chest, which seemed to radiate heat, his wide shoulders that could easily hold her, his strong arms and waist…

Thinking about him again made her dizzy with admiration. She staggered for a moment and leaned against the wall.

“No, I can’t. I need to pull myself together.”

Panting, Iniya struggled to catch her breath.