Now then, the elves’ hospitality!! ……But before that, we decided to take a short rest at the large lodging they had prepared for us.
I took a quick nap, but it seems almost everyone else was already awake.
It was quite a long journey, yet they are really tough……
From the elves’ perspective, having us rest first was convenient. Apparently, my sudden decision to depart had left their preparations for the hospitality barely finished in time.
They apologized profusely for making us wait, but I felt like I should be the one apologizing. However, the atmosphere made it impossible for me to do so……
I almost said “Please don’t worry about it”, out of habit from my original world, but since Wendy was here, I decided it would be impossible for them not to worry and kept quiet.
In times like this, it is probably better to let them do as they wish.
And so…… by the time it had become completely dark, I was woken up. Everyone helped fix my hair, and when we headed to the venue, Ielo-san offered a toast, or rather a celebratory speech, and the banquet finally began.
The traditional elf dances, target shooting and trick shooting with bows, and demonstrations of interesting ways to use magic were all eye-opening performances. Above all, the variety of vegetables and fruits served was incredible, and they were unbelievably delicious!
It was not just that the flavor was strong……
What was it? Freshness? It felt like the freshness had broken through all limits. I could almost imagine how lively they must have been while still growing.
It was not simply that the taste was concentrated. It felt as if only the best parts had been upgraded. The flavors were richer, yet any unpleasant aspects were perfectly suppressed. Still, those aspects had not completely disappeared, creating a mysterious and exquisite balance in many of the ingredients.
Mizera and the others were eating the vegetables and fruits with obvious delight. Shiro looked a little dissatisfied because there was not much meat, but because everything tasted better than usual, her expression was rather complicated.
However, when a dark-skinned elf lady with large breasts carrying a huge halberd brought out a wild boar, Shiro’s mood immediately improved.
It is not that elves do not eat meat at all, but they seem to prefer vegetables.
As for Wendy…… she seemed to be having a hard time.
A long line of elves had formed to greet her.
It started with Ielo-san exchanging greetings, followed by people who were probably of fairly high status, and before anyone realized, a proper queue had formed.
At first I thought I would stay with her, but Wendy said, 「Master. I am very happy that you want to stay with me, but please enjoy yourself.」 So I decided to drink with Ielo-san nearby.
The alcohol in the elf village is mostly fruit wine. It has a strong sweetness and rich fruit flavor, and many of them seem to have high alcohol content.
Since they are naturally delicious, I need to be careful or I will get drunk in no time.
In fact, Ielo-san is already drunk.
「You really saved us. I’m so glad Master-sama is such a generous person…… Thank you! Thank you so much! I thought it was all over…… I’ve lived for about 250 years, but I’ve never been that nervous before…… Uuu…… Thank you!」
「No, it wasn’t something to get that angry about.」
「Hahaha! As expected of the one who captured the heart of a great fairy! What a big heart, truly splendid! Come on! Drink, drink!」
Even though he is drunk, his impression is quite different from our first meeting……
I thought he was a solemn and cool person, but it seems he is actually this bright and friendly.
By the way, the casual way of speaking was my suggestion.
Elves are long-lived.
That means Ielo-san is much older than me. He is 256 years old this year.
It felt strange for someone so much older to speak to me, who is only in his twenties, using polite language, so I told him there was no need for honorifics. We had quite a discussion about it……
In the end, we agreed to stop using polite speech and talk normally, but for some reason the mysterious way of addressing me as 「Master-sama」 never changed.
I wonder if this is going to become the standard way elves refer to me?
Earlier when an elf lady poured me a drink, she said 「Master-sama. Here is some Pairimple wine」 while pouring the sweet-and-sour pineapple-flavored alcohol.
「Wow…… But just as Emily said, you really are loved by Wendy-sama, aren’t you……」
「Ah…… I’m happy to hear that, but is there no problem with it from the elves’ perspective?」
「Hm? Ah, you mean the whole ‘a human!’ thing? No, no. Who could possibly complain about the person Wendy-sama fell in love with? That would be far too disrespectful…… Besides, both spirits and great fairies are individuals. There is no reason to interfere with personal freedom.」
Well, that is true.
It is a common development, and I had been on guard thinking it might be within the range of what I expected.
「Of course, if you had turned out to be a bad person, I would have risked my life to speak out. But seeing how much the spirits like you, it is obvious at a glance that you are a good person. Besides, since even Wendy-sama, who could be called the leader of the spirits, favors you, there is no way you could be a bad person.」
Hahaha! Ielo-san laughed cheerfully.
I see. At the same time, I felt relieved knowing I would not have to stay tense during our time in this village.
While I am at it, I should also thank the spirits who are currently sitting on top of my head.
「So please relax. There is no elf in this village who would harm you. Everyone, including Wendy-sama, wants all of you to fully enjoy the elf village and leave satisfied. If anyone tries to harm you, I will blast them away with my magic. I am quite skilled with magic, you know!」
Since Ielo-san is an elf who is naturally talented with magic and even serves as the chief’s assistant, his “skilled” must be on another level……
Yeah. Having a guarantee from someone important is very reassuring!
「Thank you. I was looking forward to this, so I will enjoy everything there is to see.」
「Yes, yes. Normally there are various restrictions for non-elf races, but I will remove all of them for you.」
「Restrictions?」
「Yes. Usually, we place limits on actions because we would be troubled if outsiders who know nothing about the forest where the spirits live were to damage the environment. It is fine to buy things in the shops, but gathering medicinal herbs or picking fruit in the forest is prohibited. However, I heard you are an alchemist, so you must be interested in medicinal herbs, right? There are many herbs here with unique effects you cannot find anywhere else.」
「Ohh. I was curious about the medicinal herbs, so that is great. My disciple was also looking forward to them.」
I had kind of used the medicinal herbs to lure her here……
That said, I also thought Mizera had been working too hard, so one of the main reasons was that I wanted her to relax both body and mind in a place rich with nature.
「Speaking of your disciple, is it that cute half-elf girl? It seems there were various things that happened in the kingdom, but if a half-elf acquires skills while still young, they will grow without issue along with their skills. It looks like she had a good encounter.」
「Ah…… Come to think of it, I heard that elves pity half-elves……」
「Hm? Ah, some might feel that way. Especially the magic supremacists. Half-elves do not have as much magical power as pure elves, after all. Those who believe that elf magic is the ultimate probably feel sorry for them, thinking it is pitiful to live a long life with low magical power. Such people tend to leave the village, so it is annoying that they are taken as the general opinion of all elves……」
Ah…… Since the elf village is such a difficult place to enter, it is not surprising that the opinions of elves who chose to leave the village and live outside would be taken as the main view of all elves.
「I think it depends on how you look at it. Because they have long lifespans, they can carefully train their skills and knowledge, and they have plenty of time to explore what suits them and what does not. On top of that, they can awaken to a wide variety of talents, not just magic or hunting like humans do. So I believe they are masses of possibility.」
「Ohh…… That makes sense.」
「Elves tend to have quite biased talents, you see…… The possibility of becoming anything is, in my opinion, an advantage that comes precisely because they are half-elves, and it is one of their excellent points.」
Hearing him speak like this, I am once again impressed and reminded that he is a truly admirable person worthy of respect.
If only he were not speaking with loose lips from drinking too much and swaying his head, I would have shown even more respect……
「……Both Mizera and I were looking forward to gathering medicinal herbs, so it is a great help that there are no restrictions. It is also reassuring that we do not have to worry about receiving pitying looks.」
「Yes, yes. Please enjoy yourselves to the fullest. If you need a guide, everyone will be happy to accompany you, and I can assign someone suitable.」
That is good to hear. As Ielo-san said this, he pointed toward the great tree, so I turned my gaze in that direction.
「Normally you can only see it from a distance, but I have also given permission for you to approach right beside that great tree. It is called the 『Spirit Tree Rooted in the World (Superior Yggdrasil)』. The air is fresh, the breeze is pleasant, and it is perfect for an afternoon nap. And the view of the great tree from below is something I really want you to see!」
「Ohh. I was curious about it, but it really is not an ordinary tree.」
「Of course not. It is a place the spirits love, and it is the reason we built our village here and protect this forest. Normally, anyone other than elves is forbidden from approaching, but my daughter is one of its guardians, so I have already spoken to her. Feel free to take a good look.」
「Your daughter is a guardian?」
「Yes. Remember the girl who brought the wild boar earlier? That is my daughter. Her brown skin is quite distinctive. Children like her are said to be blessed by the spirits from birth, and many of them become guardians of the 『Spirit Tree Rooted in the World』.」
Ah, so it was that brown-skinned lady with the large breasts.
Now that he mentions it, there were indeed many spirits flying around her, and her appearance does suit a guardian.
「She was cute, wasn’t she? Really, my daughter is such a good girl. She is serious about her work, and she is so trusting of others that it makes me worry a little, which also makes her fun to tease, you know? When she realizes I tricked her she puffs out her cheeks and gets angry, but that’s adorable too!」
She certainly had a cute feel, and her breasts were about the same size as Aina’s, I think……
「……Well, lately Cyan has gotten stronger too, so if I tell a careless lie I get physically beaten up. Even my wife joins in and blasts me with magic because she says it’s my fault. Don’t you think that’s cruel?」
Is there any situation where the words “self-inflicted” and “reap what you sow” fit more perfectly than this?
I am sure Ielo-san means it as communication with his daughter, but she probably, definitely finds him annoying……
Still, I get the feeling this person will never be discouraged.
「Hm? Since Cyan-san is your daughter…… does that mean your wife is a brown-skinned elf?」
I made sure not to say “dark elf”.
For some reason, the word “dark” seems to carry a negative image, so I kept my wording neutral.
Since this is another world, I have no idea what might be taboo.
「Hm? Ah, is it because of the skin color? Both my wife and I are high elves. Um…… look, over there. She is talking with Wendy-sama right now.」
Ah, so that is her.
That slender person……
Looking at certain parts, I almost had the slightly rude thought “Is that brown-breasted lady really the child of that person and Ielo-san?” but I can see some resemblance.
I apologized inside my heart for thinking that physical traits are not everything and reminded myself again.
「Cyan is what we call a grand elf. They are rarely born to high elf parents, like a throwback. Grand elves are loved by the spirits from birth, but unlike us high elves they are not particularly skilled with magic. Instead, they have superior physical abilities.」
「Ah…… So that is why she was carrying such a large halberd.」
「Well, it is sized to match her body. She sometimes goes into the forest to hunt beasts and monsters. We prefer vegetables, but grand elves seem to like meat as well. Oh, right! Would you like to hear the story of the first time she brought back meat?」
「Ah, no, that is——」
「I wonder how many years ago that was…… About twenty years ago? Cyan was still small back then——」
……He started talking before I could even reply.
A father’s boasting about his daughter is always long.
It is also known to loop, and sure enough, the story about how old she was when she stopped wetting the bed, completely ignoring privacy, entered its second round……
H-Help? I thought, and looked toward Wendy. She had apparently just finished her greetings and our eyes met.
Her wife, still wearing a satisfied smile, followed Wendy’s gaze, and her eyes instantly sharpened as she headed straight toward us.
「You! You’ve had drunk too much! I’m so sorry, Master-sama. Come on, you’re bothering him by talking one-sidedly, so let’s go!」
「Eh? Wait, Mazetta? Hold on! Ah, my ear! Don’t pull my ear! The symbol will break! The elf’s symbol will disappear!」
……An unexpected mother-type.
When someone with an elf’s beauty acts like a typical mom, it feels incredibly unnatural, but thanks to her I was freed from Ielo-san’s daughter boasting.
I decided to drink with Wendy again, just the two of us.
The tired Wendy leaned against me and seemed to have decided to enjoy the alcohol and snacks like that.
Many elves were watching her act spoiled with me, but she appeared to have chosen not to mind it.
In that case, I pulled her closer with the intention of comforting her and started feeding her the snacks myself.
You worked hard today. Starting tomorrow they probably will not crowd around her as much as today, but since I genuinely want to enjoy the elf village, I should talk to Ielo-san’s wife instead of Ielo-san.
Understanding the power balance is important……
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