Starting with the defeated female knight

But it doesn't say whether Dolores had experienced anything before this, or what kind of torment she would suffer after the child's death, given the nature of those elves.

Speaking only of this matter itself, it is merely a 'result'.

The result must have a cause and a process.

Why has the Great Elf become so cold? Is it simply because of his immortality?

of course not.

In fact, according to Grimm's observations of the elves, although the great elves are generally a bit cold and slow to react due to their growth and lifespan, they are by no means truly devoid of humanity.

Even in the simplest case, in the Dolores incident, the archetypes did respond to her cries for help, but their response was extremely slow.

Moreover, according to human records, if one can befriend elves and enter their world, although one's reactions may indeed be a few beats slower, overall one's reactions are still quite normal, or even excellent.

They laugh, they cry, they experience emotional fluctuations; they rejoice at a successful adventure, they perform their artistic talents for friends, and they grieve when separated from friends.

If they die, they may not be able to get over it for decades or even centuries, and may even die of depression.

Elves have relatively normal emotions.

So where does the problem lie?

"...Yes, mothers."

Yes, it's a little elf.

As mentioned before, elves have two ways of reproducing.

One type is the union between men and women. Although it sounds ordinary, the union rate is not high due to the nature of elves.

In addition, there's the incredibly low birth rate and lottery success rate, even considering the lifespan of elves. While this method isn't impossible, it's practically the same as not having one at all.

Another method is to 'hatch' elves by having them plant seeds on a plant called the Mother Tree.

This is also the elves' primary mode of production.

In itself, this isn't a big deal, since Green's tentacles all grew from the seedbed.

It's just a mode of production, and it doesn't affect anything. In a sense, it can even be called 'fair,' so that the elves don't have to worry about situations like those in the Empire where birth determines everything.

The problem is, it's the little elf who's in charge of this.

Those lively, kind, slightly dim-witted little sprites, devoid of any negative emotions.

But don't get me wrong, it doesn't mean that the little elves did anything outrageous or pursued any bizarre art.

On the contrary, because the little elves are born without the ability to change or grow, from the moment they are born until the end of their lives, they will always be that silly, laughing-loving creature.

Although they may seem strange at times, the little sprites' fighting power is not much higher than that of insects, so even if they occasionally have some abstract thoughts, they can't cause any real damage.

But the problem is, they are the mothers of the great elves.

Those seeds that have been planted are their children, and they are the ones who need to nurture and educate them.

Having a group of beings with intelligence and mental capacity comparable to Cirno raise children might be a good source of humor in a comedy.

But in a normal worldview, that would be a disaster.

It was tragic that Dolores's children died, but even she herself admitted that her children had lived a relatively long life.

Yes, although it may seem outrageous that the great elves would stand by and watch their children die, what's even more outrageous is that this kind of thing is actually not uncommon, and can even be said to be commonplace.

Because the elves lack the intelligence and ability to raise children, accidents and other mishaps are constantly occurring.

The premature death of young or even teenage elves is commonplace.

It's no wonder the great elves are indifferent to this. Because of their emotional stability, those elves who can't handle it either die from prolonged depression or, as mentioned before, simply succumb to it.

As for helping to take care of the children, it's not like the big elves haven't thought about it.

But as mentioned above, those who can have such thoughts are mostly emotionally rich and possess a certain sense of responsibility or compassion.

This mindset, coupled with the large number of children to care for, the various high blood pressure issues caused by the children, and even the lack of experience in raising children due to the absence of similar experiences, all contributed to the problem.

In the end, only a minority of them die of depression; most of them find a place to commit suicide on the spot.

But the little elves were still laughing and joking.

It's not that they like this kind of thing, but that they simply can't generate negative emotions.

At the same time, this is also the reason why they have been able to persevere without experiencing a mental breakdown.

Until Dolores appeared.

A person's innate positive traits conflict with their inherent 'painful' nature, but a delicate balance is achieved, resulting in a relatively normal existence.

Then......

There's no after that.

As it turns out, even those beings with a slightly more normal mental state cannot survive in the elves' awful environment.

It's hard to say whether the elves' immersion in art stems from a deep love for it or from an escape from reality.

As for why the elves are so troublesome, yet they haven't gone extinct.

One reason is, of course, their long lifespan. Even if only one out of a hundred survives, it is still equivalent to a stable and long-lasting population.

On the other hand, not only are small Pokémon the 'materials' for creating large Pokémon, but the corpses of large Pokémon can also, in some way, promote the birth of small Pokémon.

A very bizarre cycle.

But they can run, and even run quite well.

Until the birth of a god of suffering.

"...Mother, she loves her children."

"...Pain is her art, and also a gift to us."

"...She believed that everything about the elves was due to their lack of pain."

“She didn’t want us to die, because we were her children.”

"She will not make us happy, because we crave pain."

"Moreover, our pain can become her strength, enabling her to better raise and protect the children."

"She is an excellent mother."

"That's what everyone says."

"but......"

"Xiao Sha, it's broken."

Little Sha, or Shalis, is the name of the fairy goddess.

Although he is called the god of elves, he is also the god of new life, and he was born from the longing of the elves, so he also descended to the world in the form of an elf.

Or to put it more precisely, although she is essentially a god, at least her appearance, characteristics, and even her growth trajectory are very similar to other elves.

Melia and Salis were elves born in the same year, and Dolores was responsible for taking care of and raising them both later on.

They are sisters, friends, best playmates, and each other's other half.

But unlike the naturally lively Salis, as a traditional, even stereotypical, elf, Melia embodies all the qualities of classic elves.

Introverted, taciturn, not good at socializing, slow to react, and even some of his features are in line with the size of an elf.

Frankly speaking, a child like Melia, if placed in the hands of other elves, would probably be turned into material for making elves in just a few years.

But with Dolores, you can question her parenting style, but you can't doubt her ability to raise children, at least in terms of ensuring their survival.

However, although she is a little introverted, her reactions are also a little too human-like.

Surprisingly, she got along very well with the lively Salis.

Although she mostly acted as an accessory, following wherever Sally went and watching what Sally did, she would only react occasionally when Sally invited her to do something.

But she didn't mind; in fact, she quite liked the feeling at the time.

As for Salis, as the embodiment of beauty and art, she did not mean to look down on her at all.

Although they are not related by blood, he truly cared for her as a younger sister who was not good at expressing herself, and at the same time, he genuinely regarded her as a friend.

Whether she's going out for fun, creating art, or simply being bored, she'll always bring her half-sister along.

They wander around, play and frolic, create art, and sometimes even get into trouble together, and then get scolded together.

Of course, the reason why the two of them can be so close is not only because of their compatibility or other factors, but also largely because of Dolores's presence.

While it did guarantee a higher survival rate, as mentioned before, the children would certainly survive under Dolores's care.

But how well they live is another matter.

Salis is alright, because she is the goddess of elves and not a seed planted by Dolores. Although she is responsible for some of her upbringing and care, Dolores doesn't really take care of her much. After all, a born goddess, even if thrown out without any protection, let alone wild beasts, it's questionable whether even large beasts could break through her defenses.

But Melia couldn't do that.

Therefore, she received the same 'care' as the other children.

Especially because of her own personality and the presence of Salis, she received far more 'care' than other children, and to a greater extent.

In this situation, she was already in extreme mental anguish and depression. Suddenly seeing a glimmer of light from Salisley could take her out for some fresh air and alleviate some of her pain.

Then, naturally, the relationship gradually improved.

Then, time passed.

As spring, summer, autumn, and winter continued to cycle, even at an extremely slow pace, the elf and the god began to grow up.

As they grew taller and their bodies developed, the two little balls of flesh that used to roll around on the ground transformed into two beautiful young girls over time.

Their relationship remained good, and as they grew and learned, the elf's artistic talent began to gradually emerge.

Needless to say, Salis is the embodiment of beauty and art, and her talents in all aspects are so high that even the elves are amazed.

As for Melia, although her artistic talent isn't that outrageous, as a classic elf, she's certainly not bad either.

However, due to her personality, she prefers music to other art forms.

The reason is that music is the only way she can convey her emotions and meanings without speaking to others, in place of language.

Because of Melia, despite her high talent in many areas, Salis's artistic focus gradually began to shift towards music.

They created music together, composed music together, wrote lyrics together, and even later formed a temporary band with other musically talented individuals.

Salis is a jack-of-all-trades, but her most frequently used instrument is the harmonica.

Melia knows less, but due to her talent and age, there isn't much she doesn't know, at least in music. Her favorite position is the elven harp—because it's usually in the back, where she can hide herself.

That was a wonderful time.

Especially as she got older, Dolores's 'care' began to decrease.

After all, Dolores's care was more about ensuring the child's survival rate, and she wouldn't interfere much as the child grew up, especially after adulthood.

After all, a long time had passed since her child died, even a very long time for the elves.

Now, she has raised countless children, and even if she could be in two places at once, she still wouldn't be able to manage them all.

But just when everything was getting better and better...

It wasn't just them who were growing; even the elves, because of the existence and growth of the Elf God, had their usually indifferent faces begin to show a slight change in expression.

Salis's transformation began.

Melia didn't know exactly what had happened.

Shortly after noticing the change in Sally, she was summoned by Dolores and asked to leave Sally's side and pursue other art.

She didn't know what her mother meant, and even more surprisingly, she mustered the courage to express her opposition.

But it didn't work.

Although she seems carefree and easygoing, Dolores has never been an easy person to talk to.

Not to mention her resolute attitude at the time.

That icy gaze even made Melia feel breathless.