The Possessor Mistook the Genre for 20 Years

64 – The Chief Above the Chiefs

When one thinks of a festival, they usually imagine something grand.

Fireworks bursting in the sky, or perhaps a dance team performance.

But the elves’ festival was not like that.

They simply lit a large bonfire, ate food and drank together, laughing and chatting until it ended.

Even their festival was modest, truly elven-like.

For Franz, who did not welcome large crowds, it was actually a good thing.

Of course, even in the midst of it all, Franz was very popular among the elves.

“Floating Franz-! This is delicious!”

As if in return for giving her a ride, a little elf brought him a skewer with a large piece of meat on it.

“Aren’t you going to eat?”

“Not ‘you’. My name is Lena.”

The little elf, seemingly displeased with being called ‘you’, kindly told him her name.

‘I wish she would call me by my name properly.’

Well, I guess I should think of it as a kind of nickname.

It seems friendly and nice.

…It is nice, right?

“Lena, aren’t you going to eat?”

In the end, Franz called her by her name as she wished.

“Lena has already eaten a lot!”

“Was it delicious?”

“Yes, very-! It was delicious-!”

Lena laughed gleefully, as if something was amusing.

And soon after, she left Franz.

She must have gone to play with her friends.

Thinking of the kids in the 21st century, this seemed more age-appropriate.

Instead of watching something like Pororo on a smartphone, playing outside seemed more fitting.

How much time had passed since Lena left?

“Floating, floating, Franz-!”

“Floating, floating, Franz-!”

This time, the number of little ones had increased to two.

The little ones, who introduced themselves as Nayu and Lin, gave Franz something to eat and ran away, giggling.

‘Is this some kind of elf tradition?’

A tradition where they feed the people they get close to, making them fat.

Well, since it’s all done with good intentions, he decided to let it be.

Refusing kindness is not something he could do.

The problem was that it wasn’t just the little ones who had such kindness.

…It was a very big problem.

“Th-thank you for last time…!”

“If it weren’t for you, Franz, we would all have become slaves.”

“Thanks to you, Franz, we can enjoy the festival today.”

The first to visit were the elves who had almost become slaves.

It was clear they wanted to express their gratitude, but they seemed to be seriously mistaken.

“Even without me, Hera would have saved you somehow. I only helped Hera.”

It was Hera who planned everything based on the information and rescued the elves.

All Franz did was deal with the bald pig and the rat trap guy.

So all the credit should go to Hera.

But the elves’ reactions were strange.

“The chief said it was all possible thanks to you, Franz….”

“That’s right. The chief said it was thanks to you, Franz.”

“He said that without you, nothing would have been possible.”

He understood Hera’s intention.

She must have been trying to be humble.

Since she valued grace, she would have wanted to give more credit.

‘No, is that right?’

Could it be that she was brainwashing them behind the scenes?

If it was Hera, whose mind had already turned into that of a slave, it was entirely possible, making him even more suspicious.

Franz’s gaze belatedly began to search for Hera, but she was quite far away, conversing with other elves.

“…I’ll gratefully accept it.”

In the end, Franz couldn’t say anything and accepted the food the elves offered.

Still, it was okay for now.

He hadn’t eaten, so there was space left in his stomach.

Moreover, the food was delicious, so he could even say it saved him the trouble of going to get it.

Yes, it was definitely okay.

Until the other elves started to gather.

“Thank you for saving the World Tree.”

“If it weren’t for you, Franz, we would have really…”

Following the elves who were floating with joy, the elves who almost became slaves, and finally, as a reward for saving the World Tree, food piled up in front of Franz.

He understood their intention to express gratitude, but wasn’t this a bit too much?

Where in the world is there a culture that repays kindness with food?

While Franz was harboring such doubts, the one he had been waiting for finally approached.

“Franz, how is the food? Does it suit your taste?”

Hera approached Franz with a gentle smile on her lips.

She sat down gracefully, knees together, and swept her long hair behind her ears.

“Yes, all the food is delicious.”

“That’s a relief. I was worried that the elves’ food might not suit your taste.”

“Yes, it’s delicious, but…”

Franz’s gaze turned to the pile of food in front of him.

Hera, who followed his gaze, gave an awkward smile.

“I’m sorry. I told everyone to express their gratitude, but I didn’t expect this to happen…”

So you were the culprit.

I had a feeling, but to think it was true.

Franz swallowed those words along with the food.

Hera must have had good intentions, so it was hard to say anything.

“May I pour you a drink…?”

Hera said, holding a small wooden bottle in her hand.

Franz was quite fond of alcohol.

The only pleasure for a worker after a long day was a cold can of beer, so what more could be said?

Of course, it wasn’t that he liked to drink excessively like alcoholics.

He just enjoyed drinking until he felt pleasantly tipsy.

However,

‘I don’t remember the last time I had a drink.’

He had been too busy with the work at the Magic Tower to have any time for it.

The previous Tower Master hadn’t handed over anything, so for the past year, he had to handle everything on his own.

The Tower Master before that was probably the same, so who could he blame?

Well, the Magic Tower had stabilized recently.

Maybe today would be okay.

“Alright, pour me a drink.”

“Sure, I’ll pour it for you.”

When Franz picked up a wooden cup that was more like a mug than a glass, Hera poured the drink for him.

“We don’t usually enjoy drinking, but we are quite skilled at brewing. You might like it.”

“Really?”

Elven liquor, how many people could have tasted this?

Maybe he was the first.

Franz brought the cup to his lips, half in doubt.

It had a well-balanced taste of fresh and sweet fruits.

It felt like a beverage with a hint of alcohol.

As she had proudly said, they were indeed skilled at brewing.

If he drank this carelessly, he would get drunk quickly.

Franz thought so and smiled at the long-forgotten sensation of alcohol in his body.

“It’s delicious.”

“I’m glad you like it. I’m happy to receive praise for something made by my kin.”

Hera smiled brightly.

How much time had passed since Hera and Franz sat down to eat together?

Suddenly, Hera put down her spoon and spoke in a meaningful voice.

“Franz.”

“Yes?”

“Could you become the chief of the elves…?”

At her words, Franz’s moving hand suddenly stopped.

Franz then turned his head to look at Hera.

“Are you drunk?”

“No…! I haven’t even touched a drop of alcohol.”

Saying such things without being drunk?

Then it means she wasn’t in her right mind from the start.

“No way. It’s absurd for a human like me to become the chief of the elves.”

“I don’t necessarily think it’s absurd….”

“Tell me. Let’s hear your reason.”

Franz thought he would listen to the reason first and then refute it.

That way, it would be faster to make Hera understand.

“The biggest reason is that you are the only one who heard the voice of the World Tree. Even in the Goddess Church, a saintess who can communicate with the gods is revered as a very high figure.”

…That sounds plausible?

Hera just stubbornly insisted, but surprisingly, she brought a proper reason, which was quite a shock.

However,

“…Still, isn’t being the chief too much?”

Being a priest would be somewhat understandable, but being the chief is a bit too much.

It’s like saying you heard the voice of the goddess and then sitting in the pope’s seat.

“My thoughts are a bit different. From the start, we elves live to protect the World Tree and the Great Forest. And you are the only one who can communicate with the World Tree. No matter how I think about it, I believe you are the right one to lead us.”

I understand what you’re saying, but….

‘Still, receiving the title of chief is a bit…’

If it were a title like the Captain of the World Tree Guardians instead of the chief of the elves, I might have accepted it.

But the chief of the elves is literally the leader of the elves.

Even if I stand in the position of chief, unless I understand everything about them, conflicts will inevitably arise.

“Hera, no matter how you think about it, I can’t be the chief. Instead, explain the situation to the elves and create a new position.”

“Alright. Since it seems to trouble you, let’s put this matter aside for now.”

“Yes, let’s enjoy the festival. You’ve had a hard time too.”

“Thank you for your consideration.”

Thud.

Franz clinked glasses with her.

It was a little later that Franz became the grand chieftain, not just the chieftain.

* * * * *

Late at night.

Franz returned from the elves’ festival and arrived at the tower master’s chamber.

‘Drank too much…’

It had been a while since he drank, so he couldn’t control it properly.

Surprisingly, the alcohol seemed to have a high proof, as he felt drunk quickly.

The problem was that he didn’t return alone.

“Franz, are you okay…?”

“Yeah, I’m fine. I just need to… lie down.”

Franz returned with an elf slave.

And he was quite drunk.