Hajime Aquano—Hajime-san—took her seat with graceful composure after greeting us. She accepted the tea offered by Parkel with a gentle smile and a refined, practiced motion, saying, ‘Thank you. I’ll enjoy it.’
Honestly, if she were in an all-girls’ school, I could see her being adored as the ‘prince’ of the place…
Karen caught Hajime-san’s gaze and broke the silence.
「It’s been a while. How have you been?」
「Hello, Karen. Has it really been three years? Thanks to you, I’ve been well. But you seem… thoroughly settled on this side now. I feel a bit of sad.」
Though she kept her composed demeanor, Hajime-san softened slightly.
But as her eyes flicked momentarily to me, there was a hint—just a touch—of that elven insularity, a sense of guardedness reserved for outsiders.
There wasn’t any malice; it was just something inevitable, I suppose.
「So, ‘Hajime,’ huh? Sounds like a Japanese name.」
Remarked Four Seasons-san beside me.
His voice, though, was audible only to the Hatano family.
I held back from commenting, ‘Guess you’re remembering Japan quite a bit these days.’
「Well, in that case, Karen-chan’s name has a Japanese touch too. Maybe traces of that culture still linger.」
「…That might be.」
I murmured, nodding slightly, catching Hajime-san’s curious glance in our direction.
「Is there something wrong?」
「Oh, no, nothing. Chocola just happened to sniff.」
「What?」
「Kwuunn…」
Sorry, Chocola, I made you a scapegoat…..
Silently apologizing as I reached down to scratch his chin beneath the sofa. He tilted his head, then licked my fingers as if forgiving me.
Still, I was intrigued by Four Seasons-san’s insight.
It wasn’t just ‘Karen’ and ‘Hajime’—even ‘Rick’ and ‘Noemi’ had faint hints of Japan in their names. But ‘Dolce’ didn’t, and Karen’s parents, ‘Luis’ and ‘Exea’ were far removed from Japanese phonetics. There didn’t seem to be any rhyme or reason to it.
—Well, back to the matter at hand.
「Let’s save the pleasantries. First, we’d like to report on what happened.」
Rick-san began, after exchanging a glance with Noemi-san.
「I apologize in advance, but if I have to give a conclusion, then… we haven’t resolved anything. In fact, we hardly learned anything at all.」
Their sigh carried a sense of self-blame and deep disappointment—perhaps directed at their homeland.
「Hmm. Don’t worry about it.」
Karen said, quickly offering her support.
「The Elven nation of Alfheim is notoriously secretive, and I doubt the Council of Elders would be eager to disclose anything. …But it’s surprising you both made it back safely.」
The ‘Council of Elders’ is essentially Alfheim’s governing body.
Apparently, it’s composed of six selected leaders, but their politics are largely hidden behind closed doors. Even their own people are often left in the dark about the motives and goals behind their governance.
When I first heard about it, I thought it was eerie and unsettling.
But the country is peaceful and prosperous, the citizens are generally indifferent to foreign affairs, and there are no evident issues or complaints. With such results, it seems most people feel neither distrust toward the Council of Elders nor any curiosity about the system itself.
‘That’s just how it is.’ was what mother once told me.
As long as there’s no oppression and people aren’t discontent, no one cares about or questions the political structure. Demanding transparency in government is probably a sign that Japan—their world—is more advanced in terms of time and civilization.
Incidentally, it’s a bit complicated: the six heads of the Council of Elders have almost no connection to the Six Founding Clans. While there are clans that produce council heads, the founding clans, though historically prestigious, aren’t necessarily powerful.
In any case—
「…What about the Athenaks? Did you learn anything about the ‘Crucible Breaking’ incident, or the fleeing clan members… or about Dolce-san?」
Dolce-san let out a self-mocking chuckle.
「Dolce’s pretty satisfied with my life here, you know. Even if they told me to come to the Elven Nation or whatever, that’d be awkward. It’s not like I know anything about it.」
「You may be fine with that, but Alfheim is still a nation, and it has responsibilities toward its people. Not showing any willingness to take in homeless elves is essentially a failure to function as a state.」
「Of course, we pressed them on that too, but…」
Rick-san and Noemi-san looked pained, about to continue when—
「May I take over from here?」
Hajime-san interrupted.
She stood, glancing between Dolce-san and Karen.
「Athenak’s child may not know this, but currently, my father—Emishi Aquano—holds a seat in the Council of Elders. Through that connection, I was assigned to accompany the Ejetia children on this journey. In other words, I am here as both their overseer and an emissary from the Council.」
Her words came across as lofty, even arrogant. I felt my brow furrow for a brief moment.
Yet, despite her words, there was a palpable tension in her voice and expression.
Her voice trembled slightly, and what showed on her face… was it fear?
What was she truly afraid of?
The answer came in her next words.
「The Council’s decision is this: ‘Dolce Athenak. And Karen Quioy. Both of you are to prioritize continuing the bloodline of the Six Founding Clans above all else. We have chosen fiancés for you, so return to the homeland.’」
「「「…huh? 」」」
Karen, mother, and I all responded in unison, our voices dropping to a low, incredulous tone.
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