"Saintess, you shouldn't waste your time with this lowly human," the armored elf beside her muttered, his voice deep and dismissive.
He gripped a massive greataxe, the metal gleaming under the light.
"They're beneath you. We should focus on what actually matters."
Sam raised a brow at the insult, but his expression didn't change.
He wasn't new to being looked down on. It was almost expected now.
Still, what stood out to him wasn't the man's words, it was the distance.
Even though the blonde elf woman, the so-called saintess, was surrounded by others of her kind, men and women alike, not a single one dared to stand close to her.
It was subtle, but Sam noticed.
Even the bold, arrogant warriors who laughed at humanity's weakness kept a respectful space around her, as if approaching her too closely was forbidden.
The woman herself only smiled, undisturbed by the tension in the air.
"Didn't you want to compare your world's progress with the others?" she asked gently.
