After our visit to the church, we stopped by Jered papa’s home center and Jisrare-san’s clinic.
On the way, I also introduced Yggdrasil-san to a few villagers we met along the path.
Just like the villagers, both Jered papa and Jisrare-san seemed a little tense.
It really drove home the fact that, for elves, World Tree-sama is someone truly special.
And thinking about it the other way around, the fact that my mother acted so calm and normal… well, it made me realize once again how unusual she is.
――And so, the sightseeing tour of Meiyu Village was nearing its final stop.
「This is the last place I’ll be showing you.」
「Hmm? There’s nothing here.」
「Well, yes… This is technically the village training ground.」
「…There’s still nothing here.」
Yggdrasil-san looked around, tilting her head, before repeating the same comment.
Maybe this wasn’t the best choice for a last stop…
「Uhh, over there…you can see the target for archery practice.」
「Hm? Hmmm? Ah, yes, I see it now.」
And that was it.
Really, that was the only thing here.
But thanks to that single target, this empty place could still barely pass as a “training ground”.
「Hmm, the bow, is it…? Do you have yours with you now?」
「Eh? Ah, yes, it’s in my magic bag.」
Since I was calling myself a bodyguard this time, I’d brought it along, though honestly, I didn’t think I’d ever actually need it.
「Then, would you show me a shot?」
「Well, sure, I don’t mind.」
It was a rather lackluster final destination, after all, so a bit of extra entertainment wouldn’t hurt.
Of course, my archery was still clumsy by elven standards.
Whether it would serve as entertainment, or whether Yggdrasil-san would enjoy it, I wasn’t sure… but at the very least, I could try my best.
「Uh, where should I shoot from?」
「Let’s see… you may move a bit closer, if you like.」
「Really?」
Taking out my bow and arrows from the magic bag, I crept slowly toward the rice-bale-shaped target.
「Yes, that spot will do. Now then, go ahead.」
「Right.」
The target was about eighty meters away, the same distance I usually practiced from.
At this range, there was no way I’d miss.
Just like always, I readied my bow, nocked an arrow, drew back the string, and――
「Yah!」
Oh, a perfect bullseye.
Good, good. At least I managed to show something decent at the end. I felt like I’d only been showing Yggdrasil-san disappointing sides of myself until now.
「Hmm, splendid. …Though that little shout of yours did catch my ear.」
「It’s something I picked up from my mother…」
Hmm? Or maybe she never actually taught me that?
「Well, raising your voice during training isn’t a bad thing. Skill Arts require a shout too, after all.」
「Yes.」
That’s right. Skill Arts are triggered through some kind of voice input or recognition. In other words, the “call the attack name and unleash the special move” system.
Which means that even with archery, when using a Skill Art, you need to shout while loosing the arrow.
Jered-kun struggled with that part too.
I haven’t managed to acquire any archery Skill Arts yet, but at least I probably won’t have trouble with the shouting part. For some reason, I’ve always been saying “Yah!” or something like it whenever I shoot.
「Still, you really did pierce the center cleanly.」
「Thank you very much.」
「At this rate――your first hunt should be no problem.」
With a bright ‘snap’, Yggdrasil-san sent me a wink and gave her stamp of approval.
「Yggdrasil-san…」
「Hmm.」
I see. She must have noticed how nervous I’ve been about the first hunt…
So, she let me shoot the bow to encourage me.
「But I’m still uneasy, so I do want to aim for level 10.」
「…………」
Yggdrasil-san’s face turned as if she’d just been betrayed. Well, but lying wouldn’t feel right either…
Even though she went as far as to give me that wink, I felt bad somehow.
In the end, things just didn’t close out neatly. The arrow landed perfectly in the center, but my words didn’t.
――And so, after showing Yggdrasil-san around the village, the “Welcome, World Tree-sama! Meiyu Village Sightseeing Tour!” came to an end.
At least Yggdrasil-san seemed satisfied enough. Leaving us with the words 「You have my thanks. Until we meet again someday」 she departed from the village. Looks like the long Yggdrasil arc really has ended.
…The “heart-throbbing cohabitation story” never did begin, though.
Yggdrasil-san is still a god, after all, and probably not someone I’ll get to meet often.
But I am an elf who will live a long life. Just as she said, maybe someday, somewhere, we’ll meet again.
Thank you, Yggdrasil-san. Farewell, Yggdrasil-san. Until the day we meet again――!
next chapter: Time Limit
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