Without a clear resolution, Mother, Karen, and Grandma had all gone to bed.
Of course, no one had outright said it—but Mother’s expression had made it clear. Even if it meant going alone, she was determined to go to Alfheim, the Elven nation.
And naturally, there was no way we’d let her go by herself, even if it were just hypothetically.
「So, really, the decision’s already been made, hasn’t it?」
「Bark.」
In the middle of the night, I stepped out into the garden with Chocola, and the two of us gazed at the stars, lost in thought.
The place we were staying in was practically a mansion, and the front garden had flower beds and even a bench in one corner. It was the perfect spot to sit and reflect.
「Maybe we should get a bench for our own garden…though the gazebo’s already more than enough, I suppose.」
Talking to myself, only Chocola’s soft fur offered any response.
On the opposite corner, Pochi was fast asleep in the stable, and nearby, Mint had curled up, nestled like a blossom, resting too.
The sky was clear, and the stars shone brightly.
But somehow, the air didn’t feel quite the same as a night in the forest.
——Just as I was musing over this, I heard a voice.
「…Even when everyone’s fast asleep, you can still feel life stirring. Cities, it seems, keep breathing.」
「Four Seasons-san.」
Out of the darkness emerged a small figure, approaching me with a leisurely stride.
「Is your family all right back at home?」
「Oh, yes. My wife and children are already asleep. Somehow, I had a feeling you’d still be awake.」
「Sharp as always.」
Four Seasons-san floated lightly over to the bench, perching on the backrest. He wasn’t really using his wings, but his movement seemed to defy gravity, and his transparent wings shimmered in the night with a grace that was both serene and elegant.
Reaching a hand gently toward the night sky, Four Seasons-san spoke softly.
「…It seems even the Elves are complicated beings.」
「Are you disappointed?」
Beyond just the Founding Six Clans, all Elves were, after all, descendants of Four Seasons-san’s old friends—the Japanese who had once been transported here alongside him.
But he shook his head with a faint lift of one brow.
「Those friends of ours… I do remember them. They were here, and that memory is clear. But I can’t find myself tracing their likenesses in the Elves. After all, two thousand years have passed.」
「And Color-san?」
「We talked about it. And her feelings were mostly the same as mine.」
Two thousand years was a staggeringly long, far-off span of time.
To put it in perspective, for me it would be like meeting someone from just after the start of the Common Era—a figure so ancient, even if they were an ancestor, that it would be hard to truly connect with them.
Yet, still…
The Elves, as a race, were a testament to Four Seasons-san and Color-san’s connection to this world. A living proof of those Japanese who had once lived.
And yet, here we were.
Perhaps even facing the possibility of becoming their adversaries.
Maybe he sensed the somber tone my thoughts had taken, for Four Seasons-san, looking up at the sky, turned to me and posed a question.
「Does that mean… you’re planning to go? To the castle in the sky? 」
「Yes, probably.」
「Are you afraid to go?」
「I am. Not because of the Elven leaders…but because I’m afraid of losing hope in myself.」
When I answered honestly, Four Seasons-san gently patted my head.
「You’re a good soul, aren’t you? Thinking of us all, aren’t you?」
「Well…」
「I’d tell you not to worry, but…let’s say I share a story from a long time ago—back when we were still human, back when there was war.」
With a pained expression, he reached over and lightly petted Chocola’s head.
「When we were brought here, we became a part of this nation and were valued as a military asset…and in that role, we witnessed countless political struggles. We were led astray, used, manipulated. Even though I’ve lost most specific memories due to how our worlds were changed, pieces of it—the instincts, the sixth sense, you could say—they’re still embedded in me.」
「Things you learned the hard way…?」
「Yes. Because I was deceived, I learned it well. That’s probably why it stuck with me.」
After a bitter smile, Four Seasons-san continued.
「As for the way the Elves conduct themselves—the ways that seemed foolish to you—I actually had a slightly different impression. I found it…cunning.」
「Eh…?」
It was an unexpected perspective—for me, and I imagine for Mother and Karen as well.
「But why? The demands from Alfheim were all over the place. If they wanted to summon us, there were so many more direct ways they could have…」
「You’re looking at it as just ‘summoning.’ But if you think of it that way, Alfheim succeeded, didn’t they? The moment they brought up Karen’s parents, they stirred Viole-san.」
「Oh.」
I gasped, realizing he was right.
No matter the specifics, Mother now had little choice but to go. And if she went, naturally, we would go with her.
「In my view, whoever orchestrated this is quite adept—politically skilled, you might say. At the same time, they were actually quite considerate toward you.」
「Considerate?」
「Yes. Look, for one, the whole business of arranging a fiancé for Karen. It’s hardly compatible with your ideals, but by insisting on it, they’re clearly showing there are people with considerable influence who want to preserve pure bloodlines above all else. These aren’t people without power.」
「So, while bringing Karen and Dolce-san back to the castle may be a request from the nation, it doesn’t reflect the Council of Elders’ full consensus?」
「Quick to catch on. That’s how it seemed to me.」
「Then…about this request they have for me…?」
「You suspected it might be a trap because they reached out directly rather than through the Adventurers’ Guild. But if it’s not a trap, what would that mean? Why bring up your father’s name to single you out?」
「A problem only I could solve…in the Elven nation of Alfheim?」
Something that requires dark magic as strong as Father’s or mine…
「Exactly. But those wanting to bring Karen back are strong-willed and vocal. Even though they know that conveying their demand may mean you won’t come at all, they insisted. So, this other person had to think carefully—how to convey the situation within the country in such a way that you would still come.」
「And that’s why they brought up Karen’s parents?」
The message had come from Hajime-san’s father—Emishi Aquano.
「It’s likely he chose his daughter as the messenger because he trusted you…trusted Viole-san. He knew you’d be angered but wouldn’t harm her as the envoy.」
「She seemed fully devoted to the task, without any personal emotions involved. But I thought…maybe she did sympathize with Karen.」
「An ideal choice, then. She relayed her message accurately, without prejudice, while keeping you from getting too enraged. Whether or not Emishi’s intentions were noticed probably didn’t matter to him.」
「So, he wanted to warn us about those targeting Karen and Dolce-san and, beyond that, ensure we’d still come to Alfheim. As long as those two points were achieved, that’s all he needed.」
They wanted us to stay wary of a troublesome faction yet still come.
「I thought each demand was just them pushing their whims on us.」
「In part, that’s probably true. The Council of Elders…their politics don’t seem unified.」
「But they used that discord to maneuver us toward the best response.」
「A brilliant move. Even the choice of envoy was cunning and meticulous…if my guess is correct. It could still be as you assumed, just naïve and uncoordinated.」
「No, I trust you.」
I stood up from the bench and looked up at the sky.
The night, the stars twinkling in the southern sky—the Elven castle looming somewhere far away.
And within that castle, someone was waiting for us.
「Either way, we have to go. Will you come with us, Fairy King?」
「Of course. As long as you carry my wife’s tears, I’ll stay by your side. Besides, meeting a descendant of my old friend, Nakano, might be worth it.」
Four Seasons-san and I exchanged smiles.
「Bark!」
Chocola barked confidently beside me, as if to say, ‘I’m here too!’
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