As the elven elders finished speaking, the entire elven altar fell silent. Although Maggie stood calmly in place, seemingly without any sign of anything amiss, she was actually just as bewildered as the other elves.
She's good at pretending; she never shows her emotions, otherwise people will have something to use against her.
From the time she traveled through time until now, isn't this a kind of survival wisdom for Maggie?
"No need for such formalities."
Maggie's gaze swept over all the elders, including the clan leaders, and after confirming that they were not joking and were absolutely serious, she simply uttered four words, her expression revealing nothing of her thoughts.
Sure enough, upon hearing her words, the elders seemed to breathe a sigh of relief, straightened up, and showed Maggie respectful expressions.
"Please forgive us, esteemed guest. When you first entered the Green Wilderness Forest, the elves failed to recognize your identity. We hope you will not take offense."
The elven chieftain stepped forward, coughed lightly twice, and then spoke softly to Maggie.
His aged voice carried a hint of apology, as if he were apologizing for neglecting Maggie.
"It's alright."
Maggie remained calm. Although she didn't understand the specifics, she thought it was better to accept it now. Here at the elven altar, the elves below were all watching this annual coming-of-age ceremony.
If she acts as if she knows nothing, or even rejects their advances, various awkward situations will arise.
On the contrary, she accepted everything. After the matter was over, if they made a mistake, no trouble would come her way, since the responsibility was not hers.
Besides... she wasn't stupid. She could see that these people's attitudes had changed because of the grass ring on her wrist, which meant that the grass ring had special significance for them.
The Mother Tree of Elves wouldn't bestow such a precious symbol upon her for no reason; there must be a reason.
"Ahem, I never expected that our clan's benefactor would be here to witness this coming-of-age ceremony. It is an honor for you. There are many trivial matters to attend to today, so we will omit the rest of the ceremony for now. You may go back now."
The elven chieftain turned around, his expression carrying a completely different air of authority than when he had faced Maggie. The newly-adult elves exchanged bewildered glances, and several of them frequently looked at Maggie, seemingly wanting to know something, but they were all intimidated by the chieftain's gaze and shrank back.
Ultimately, the originally complicated coming-of-age ceremony was forced to be interrupted due to the strange phenomena caused by Maggie.
Of course, the most important step has already been completed. What remains are the elven elders offering blessings and advice to the younger generation, which can be omitted without any problem.
The most important thing now is to find out Maggie's situation.
After all, she was rumored to be the benefactor of the elves, having done them a great favor before the start of the war of the gods. But no matter what, unless she was a god, she shouldn't be alive now.
But then, this benefactor, personally recognized by the Mother Tree of Elves, appeared, and in such a bizarre way.
As a result, the elves now look at Maggie even more strangely, including the elders, and some even secretly doubt Maggie's age behind her back.
Although Maggie looks like an ordinary sixteen-year-old human girl, many races have long lifespans, so it's normal for their appearance not to change.
It's also possible that they were blind and misjudged Maggie's age.
They might even find that the girl in front of them is an old monster disguised as a human experiencing life, and their neglect these past few days is enough to annoy her.
On the way back, both groups had their own thoughts. Maggie was thinking about the reason why all of this had happened.
As for the elders, the things they imagined became increasingly terrifying and horrific, until they were filled with fear and dread.
Maggie, in particular, acted very calmly, as if she was not surprised by the situation. Doesn't that just confirm that Maggie might be an old monster who has lived through the entire age of gods?
When everyone was seated in the meeting hall prepared by the elves, Maggie noticed that the elders all had different expressions, but they all had the same thing: their attitude towards her was even more respectful, even fearful, than before.
Maggie was filled with questions, but she simply sat calmly in her seat, looking at the group of elves with a smile, appearing unfathomable.
"Honorable guest, I never expected you to grace us with your presence. As the chieftain, I welcome you on behalf of the Elven race."
The chieftain reiterated Maggie's importance, emphasizing the extent to which they valued her.
Maggie felt a little strange listening to the chieftain's aged voice, especially knowing that this elven race might have lived for thousands of years and be the same age as her ancestors.
Moreover, even if she were a 70 or 80-year-old, she would feel that being treated like this was a terrible mistreatment.
Fortunately, she was more at ease than before and more composed in the face of this situation, so she did not show any unusual behavior on the surface.
"No need. I only accompanied Nesser back to participate in the coming-of-age ceremony. I never expected such a strange phenomenon to occur at the Mother Tree, which caused the ceremony to be incomplete. I should be the one apologizing."
Maggie spoke neither humbly nor arrogantly. Putting aside whether the Elven Mother Tree was mistaken, even if she or the original owner of this body had indeed done the Elven race a favor at some point, it would be inconvenient to communicate if she put on a superior attitude.
Those who are truly in high positions tend to be more humble and know proper etiquette; only those who are half-baked pretend to be very noble.
"No, no, no, it is an honor for you to be here. It is very lucky for Nesser to have your favor."
Upon hearing Maggie's reply, the other elder looked apprehensive and hastily rejected Maggie's apology.
Who would dare accept this? If they offended the forest god, he would surely punish them.
A moment of silence fell over the room. The elven elders had only invited Maggie to the meeting to show their importance, but no one knew exactly what they were supposed to do.
All they knew was that their benefactor had saved the elves from dire straits, was on good terms with the forest god, and was extremely important to the elves.
However, there is no record of the specific events that occurred.
Even Maggie was completely baffled; she knew even less than the elves.
Finally, one of the elders, who had a higher emotional intelligence, spoke up and cautiously asked Maggie.
"Now that you have come to the Azure Forest, our clan should extend the hospitality of a host. The coming-of-age ceremony will be followed immediately by the battle for the Forest Spirit Seats, which is a very important competition for our Elf Clan. Would you be interested in staying to watch?"
He chose a very good topic, one that was neither awkward nor dull, which made Maggie relax a lot.
"certainly."
Maggie nodded politely.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com