Exactly fifty years ago.
The world we had been living in was revealed to actually be part of the 'Tower.'
Back then, everyone cried catastrophe, the end of the world, divine judgment—
They spewed all sorts of clamor, but that chaos is now a thing of the past.
Each floor of the Tower is a different world.
We came to interact with them through the Tower.
Demonic beasts, supernatural abilities, Tower raids, magic stones.
Now, they all translate to money.
In our world today, the Tower is an indispensable, massive market and a gateway of communication.
And I, Gim Juseon, am also
one of those people making a living through the Tower.
A marriage agency specializing in Hunters, Meracle.
Gim Juseon, CEO of the marriage agency.
The work is the same as any common marriage agency, but our clients are special.
Clients from every floor are our targets.
Literally, we connect fates across dimensions.
And today,
I was in the middle of interviewing a somewhat special person.
“Yes, your name is—”
“Renea Barllosa Decklen Fiora—”
“May I shorten it to Ms. Renea?”
Her pointy ears twitched.
She looked displeased.
“Humans always shorten elven names.”
Even though they do the same among themselves.
The words had risen to my throat, but I barely swallowed them down.
Elves are very rare.
To be precise, this elf was very rare.
You can't judge an elf's age by appearance.
But the pink-haired elf in front of me looked exactly her age.
“Wow, an elf in her mid-twenties is truly rare.”
“Hmm, yes. Usually those of this age remain in the forest. But this one disliked stuffiness and came outside.”
“…‘This one’?”
As my eyes narrowed, Renea waved her hand.
“It became habitual from living with my grandmother, so do not mind it.”
“Ah, I see. Anyway, you're at a great advantage. Elves are guaranteed to be good-looking, and you're even young.”
“Hmm-hmm.”
“Looks, S-rank. Age, S-rank too. By the way, where are you currently residing?”
“This one resides in a pavilion behind Mount Daebong over there.”
“….”
These elf brats, this is why they're a problem.
The kind of bastards to lay out a mat wherever there's a tree.
“You don't have a residence; what about assets?”
“…I have a bow. Would you like to see it?”
“No, I can see it. The one on your back.”
It looked expensive, but who would want a bride bringing nothing but a bow as a dowry?
“How are your parents enjoying their retirement? Well, elves do live very long, so—”
“Ah! Both of them have passed on.”
“I see—”
What?
The parents of an elf, who easily lives two thousand years if long-lived, have passed away?
“Um, was it some kind of accident?”
When I cautiously probed, Renea giggled and waved her hand.
“Oh, no, no. Both lived long lives and passed very peacefully, smiling beneath the World Tree.”
“….”
A chill ran down my spine.
They give birth to an elf daughter who's barely in her twenties, then immediately depart the world?
And that elf is out in the world?
By our standards, it's like a newborn who just had its umbilical cord cut crawling around downtown.
“Hoo, excuse me.”
“Hmm?”
“Be honest with me.”
I asked, closing the file where I'd been writing her personal information.
“How old are you.”
Sweat trickled down her forehead.
That was the answer.
“I asked how old.”
“O-one thousand five hundred one.”
I was dying for a smoke.
“At one thousand five hundred one, you're middle-aged even among elves! Are you kidding me!?”
As I shot to my feet and yelled, Renea immediately dropped to her knees and grabbed my pant leg.
“W-wait! Please! Please don't give up on this one! No one will meet with me anymoreee—!”
“Are you kidding!? At one thousand five hundred one, you're an ancestor older than my ancestor's ancestor's ancestor here! Whose decent young life are you trying to ruin!?”
“This one too! This one wants to laugh and play with young men too! This one still hasn't even had a fresh first loveee!”
“Just meet other elves!”
Renea flinched at those words.
After a moment of hesitation, she finally confessed.
“Ac-actually… this one is a former Elf Queen. I'm a bit old, so everyone finds it burdensome.”
No wonder her bow looked incredibly expensive.
“Elf Queen? Why is a queen here? At one thousand five hundred, you should still be active—”
Wait, could it be.
“Did you lie about your age?”
“…J-just a little.”
Renea pursed her lips.
“Sigh, be honest. How old are you really.”
“…O-one thousand nine hundred one.”
This crazy woman took off four hundred years.
“Get out! Absolutely not! A former Elf Queen? What kind of old hag comes here trying to rub shoulders with youngsters!”
“Aaaah please! I heard Meracle is the best in this field! I—I too! I want to try snuggling with young people too, I want to write exchange diaries too!”