The Elf Saint is a NEET, so I Forced Her to Work in Another World

The Workaholic (Extra Chapter)

**Kuro**

In the aftermath of the invasion of Cherwoods, I opted to stay in the elf realm for several more weeks even as when I was expected at Chersea soon. For one, the work in driving out the Seductress may be over, but her minions—born out of her malicious and corrupting miasma—remained. These monsters plagued the ancient dirt roads criss-crossing Cherwoods, complicating the rebuilding efforts as the remnants of the native elvish population were afraid to return from the cities they've taken refuge. The misunderstanding brought by the disguise of Sir Gerard didn't help us either, as we had a hard time convincing the Cherwoods elves that I was a different person. Fortunately, the Lord Ingwer was there to help convincing them, and the matter was put in the back seat as more pressing matters came to rear its ugly head.

"..."

So, as the overall commander of the Elvish Expeditionary Forces—the only remaining viable army in Cherwoods, I had to direct the clearing operations to maximize our limited personnel and resources.

Second in our problems list was the rebuilding efforts itself. See, while the elves of Cherwoods and the Chersean elves came from the same ancestry, their cultural background vastly differed. The former saw their Chersean brethren as 'traitors' and 'barbarians', leaving their land in times of its great need and having been 'tainted' by the conveniences of the human and beastmen worlds.

For the Chersean elves? Well, they were relatively well-off in the urban setting that was Chersea and Cherwind, so they looked at their 'forest-dwelling brethren' with a combination of fascination—because of the natives' ability to 'talk' to the trees—and contempt. The Chersean elves, while they lost their skill in communing with nature, gained another 'skill': the talent to 'read the mood'. They knew immediately if they were warmly welcomed, or if someone's just playing nice to them.

I can't help but think that perhaps this is because of their experiences with humans, whose cutthroat culture of ambition and betrayal is well-known, even in my old world.

"..."

As such, the cooperation between the two peoples were precarious at best; held only by the 'thin thread' of their belief in the 'Elf Saint' and the army that she brought to Cherwoods that saved the land from the Seductress.

Honestly, I don't think the natives should learn the Chersean elves' active cooperation with their ancient enemy, the Demons. So, I gave the soldiers a 'gag order' to keep the tensions from escalating.

Well, that took care of that issue...for now. With those things considered, it was wise that I should remain here to keep the Chersean elves from doing something we couldn't stop. The 'barbarians from the human lands' outnumbered and outgunned the elves of Cherwoods, and the last thing I wanted was to wipe off a culture that had persisted for so long. It's the reason we launched this 'invasion' in the first place!

But damn, why can't these guys just get along when both of them are weak to alcohol and are closet perverts?

Now, third reason of my prolonged stay was the unfinished project I left in the hands of the late Lord Gerard: the Cherwoods Grand Canal. Designed to bring water from the Gulf of Cherwoods and into the interior regions of the ancient forest, it was supposed to save the elvish people from the advancing sands of the South. However, with the arrival of the Seductress, the work stopped. The natives—forced to dig it to the point of death—wouldn't cooperate in its completion, not even when Her Holiness, the Lady Hinwe, pleaded them to.

Well, it's not that I couldn't understand their sentiments. The Lord Gerard—based from the testimonies of the former captain of the Elvish Life Guards, Sir Eldarv—purposefully 'enslaved' his people while wearing my disguise, in an effort to discredit me. Still, I was pissed they squandered the chance to save themselves from the impending natural disaster...