Ah, damn it.
Nothing, nothing, nothing… Every single description about Half-Elves says they are inferior beings, a lower race…
With this much repetition, it almost makes me want to believe it, but I haven’t gone through everything yet…
But even if they are inferior beings, is that enough to justify treating them like that?
If so, that’s complete nonsense.
Calling Half-Elves an inferior species just by looking at their faces, what kind of twisted sense of beauty is that?
Appearance is also a natural-born talent, isn’t it?
There are plenty who aren’t born with it!
「This one says the same as the others…」
「I see… next then…」
Damn, that was the last of what I borrowed this time.
Could it be that every book in the library has already been censored by the Royalists…?
No way, right? They wouldn’t really erase inconvenient parts of history…
「Shall we take a little break…?」
「Yeah, ah… I guess so」
Since Wendy started helping, I’ve been taking proper breaks.
Even when I feel like I can still keep going, she always checks on me first and then suggests I rest.
Thanks to following her advice and resting properly, progress has become more than twice as fast.
「Haaah…」
I press the corners of my eyes, soothing the fatigue.
After massaging my eyes, I let out a sigh.
「Shall I make lunch?」
「Yeah. I’ll help today too. A change of pace would be good」
「Alright. Then, let’s start with some shopping」
「Yeah, let’s do that. We can stop by the library as well to return these and borrow more books」
Mizera had run off again today, with Shiro chasing after her.
The three should have been training in the garden, but they weren’t there…
Which means today it’s just Wendy and me going shopping.
First stop, the vegetable stall run by the old lady who always helps us out.
Last time, Mizera got a tomato from her, so today we’ll buy plenty in return.
「Hello there」
「Oh, welcome. Just the two of you today?」
「Yes. Today it’s just me and Master」
「I see, I see. Such a bright smile. Then you should thank Mizera-chan. She was running around here again today」
「Ah… sorry for always troubling you…」
「Don’t worry about it. Compared to the lord, this is nothing. Oh, speak of the devil…」
The vegetable seller turned her face to the side, so I followed her gaze…
「They found me…!」
「You still have one retry left today. Want to use it?」
「I can still escape…」
「Hmm. Then I’ll let you use it after I catch you」
In the distance, Mizera was running away, and Shiro was chasing her with a joyful laugh.
So those two have made up their own rules for their game, huh…
「Let’s buy some things over there later too」
「Yes. And we should give Shiro a warning…」
Yeah. Running around in a crowded place is a nuisance, so I’ll tell them to stop later…
「Still… their reactions are really normal…」
I had thought the same before when I overheard people talking. The way the townsfolk react to Mizera surprises me.
Honestly, I expected nothing but harsh responses when it came to discrimination…
「You mean Mizera-chan?」
「Ah, no…」
It was barely more than a whisper to myself, but the old lady still caught it while putting vegetables into the basket.
「This town is a commercial city. Lots of people come from other countries. In those places, Half-bloods are nothing unusual. If word spread that someone was being discriminated against here, those people would stop coming」
She continued.
「…We commoners don’t know anything about politics. Maybe the nobles have their reasons. But that doesn’t concern us. We might be citizens of the kingdom, but we are also subjects of Einzheil. And with a lord like ours, you understand, don’t you?」
I accepted the vegetables she handed me and was left a little stunned.
The lord… I had often wondered if Origol was really fit to be in that position. Yet now, to feel reassured because of the kind of lord she is… I never thought such a day would come.
「She must have gone through hard times… She munched on our vegetables, her eyes wet as she said thank you… She’s a good girl. You make her happy, alright?」
「Of course. I promise」
「Then that’s enough. You’re also a subject of Einzheil. We’ll all enjoy watching her little chases without worry. Right, everyone?」
When the old lady said that, the other shopkeepers who had gathered at some point all nodded in agreement.
I see…
Ah, I’m really glad this was the first town I reached.
I’m glad this is where my home is…
「Master. You look happy」
「Yeah. I am. I love this town」
「Fufu, I love this town too, because it’s where I met you」
Wendy gently took my hand, lacing her fingers with mine.
The so-called lovers’ clasp.
Even when we shopped at the other stalls afterward, we stayed hand in hand.
We were teased, told we looked like newlyweds, but neither of us let go.
-0-
We stopped by the library to borrow new books, and by the time lunch was ready, Mizera and Shiro had returned.
As for Aina and the others, they had gone to the guild to check quests.
After lunch, they would be heading out on one.
They had also brought back a potion order from the Adventurers Guild, so I planned to spend the afternoon making potions… but then…
「Mind if I watch for a bit?」
Mizera requested it.
She’d already run away today so I didn’t think she’d run again, but when she returned from sleeping in her room she said she wanted to watch my work today.
I worried a bit, two people, a man and a girl, alone together in a locked basement room, but I left the door open for now, and Wendy said she would check in midway, so I permitted it as long as Mizera was okay.
「Alchemy is also done by hand, huh…」
「Yeah. This way the precision is better. You can do it with a skill too, but that depends on training and level. The hand method also needs magic power control and concentration.」
Since Mizera wanted to watch, I decided to make potions by hand today.
That said, lower-tier potions are made by taking the manually made mid-grade recovery potion and lowering its potency with Multi Copy, so I only actually make the mid and greater grades by hand.
「I see… but you don’t look too tired」
「Well, it’s a routine task. These are potions for the Adventurers Guild, and I handle most of what goes to them」
「So it brings in steady income… Is that why you can live in such a big house?」
「It’s true demand is high, but potions are more a low-margin high-volume business. Accessories bring bigger profits」
This time I took out a silver ingot, divided it, and used Handforming to shape the design.
I made the three outer petals and the six inner petals separately, then combined them. The flower should normally point downward, but I made it face up and decorated the inside with small gems to finish it.
『Snowdrop Silver Brooch: Great Increase to Vitality, Moderate Increase to Agility』
Not bad. Two effects, but a great increase and a moderate increase are nothing to complain about.
「Haah… splendid. Is that what you call craftsmanship…」
「It’s nothing so grand. Here. I’ll give it to you, Mizera」
「I can’t accept such an expensive thing…」
「Come on. It’s a special occasion. Also, it raises your stats, so it’ll make running away easier, right?」
The effects fit her perfectly: Vitality and Agility.
With her movement changed tomorrow, Shiro might be surprised.
「…Do you want to let me escape? Or do you not want to?」
「Of course I won’t let you escape」
Even if her stats improve, the base values matter most, so I don’t think something like this will let her escape from Shiro.
「That’s not really an answer to my question…」
「Hahaha. By the way, let’s say you did manage to escape. What would you actually do? You don’t have money, or a job lined up, right?」
「…That’s not for you to think about」
「Of course it is. If running away would truly be better for you, I might accept it. But if it’s not, then sorry, I won’t give up」
If her parents were still alive, and I knew where to find them, then I’d deliver her there. But even then, if it didn’t prevent her from falling into the same misery again, I wouldn’t allow it.
「…Why do you care so much about me?」
「Because that’s what I want. I want you to be happy, Mizera. No, since I decided I’d make you happy, I’ll care about you excessively if I have to」
「Even if that’s not what I want?」
「Yeah. I already decided to act as I please. And what I want is to make it come true」
Everyone wants to be happy.
As long as you’re alive, you must wish for it.
No, maybe more precisely, since happiness looks different for everyone, what we really wish is simply not to be unhappy.
「…Listen. I’ve said it many times, but here I’m useless. Shiro-san is your guard, Aina-san and the others gather materials, Wendy-sama takes care of your daily life. With all that, can someone useless like me really just stay here doing nothing? Could you call that happiness?」
「No, I couldn’t. But just because you can’t do something now doesn’t mean you won’t be able to later. If you want to be useful, if you want to try something, I’ll support you and help you. Until then, even helping with housework is a big help」
The other day, when she helped, things got much more efficient with the three of them.
And I heard she helped Wendy bring in the laundry, which really helped.
Even a little is fine. Nothing is truly useless.
「But… you saw it before, didn’t you? I can’t even do normal housework. I broke a plate… I’m a Half-Elf. We can’t rely on skills, we can’t expect growth」
「Then make the plates unbreakable. That way you can help with washing dishes, right? Besides, we break plates too. Mistakes happen. Using being a Half-Elf as the reason… don’t you think that’s a little unfair?」
「…It’s not unfair」
「Yes, it is. Can’t rely on skills? Can’t expect growth? That’s not true, is it? It’s just harder to grow. You can still learn skills, you can still grow, right?」
This was written in many books.
It’s true that their growth is slower… but that doesn’t mean they can’t learn skills.
In fact, there are records of some who did learn them in the past. And since they live normal lives in other countries, it should be safe to assume they hold at least some skills.
「That may be true… but unlike you humans, we Half-Elves are inferior beings. Unlike Elves, our magic power is lower. Our skill levels rise slowly, and even our limits are…」
「Stop making excuses. Don’t give up before you’ve even tried」
「You don’t understand. Your alchemy is a gift from Goddess-sama… none of it is your own power. You live your life thanks to someone else’s gift, so what could you possibly understand?」
「You’re right, I don’t. I can’t understand the feelings of someone who gives up on action just because they think they lack talent or potential」
「…You would understand if you felt the same. Try continuing something you have no talent for. You’d give up for sure… because you can always escape into alchemy. I once called you kind, didn’t I? Looks like I was wrong…」
「Is that so. I don’t care what you think of me. Either way, I’ll say this. Unless you take a step forward on your own, you’ll never find happiness. Not even with me…」
I cut my words short as Mizera walked out of the room.
I regretted how heated I had gotten, but I didn’t regret what I said. I believed my words weren’t wrong.
If she wants to be useful, she has to find something she truly wants to do.
But she uses being a Half-Elf as her reason not to take that step.
Given her circumstances, maybe it’s understandable.
But what struck me most was that Mizera herself seemed to discriminate against being a Half-Elf and used it as a reason to give up.
Still…
「Ahh… I said too much… I definitely said too much… haaaah…」
With my head in my hands, I let out a deep sigh, wondering why I could only speak so harshly to a fragile girl, until Wendy came by to check on us.
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