CH 127

“Yosh…Oh?”

This time we landed in a rather dense forest. Even though we were surrounded by tall trees, somehow it was not dark. This is …

“Ara, is this an elf forest?”

“You know this?”

“Of course! Who do you think I am!?”

Tia was a little peeved at my slight surprise. Of course, we both knew this and were just joking around with each other.

Incidentally, an elf forest was a forest where a certain number of elf settlements existed. The trees in such forests are said to be strongly influenced by the spirits, and have the advantage of being stronger, harder to burn, and lusher than the trees in ordinary forests.

The fact that the surrounding area was bright even though the light was supposed to be blocked by the dense foliage and branches was probably due to such spiritual influence.

“By the looks of it, the village is that way? Is that our destination?”

“Yes, that’s right. One of the elves in the village is a Hero, we will be cooperating with them”

“Alright. So, as we head over there, can you tell me about this world?”

“Hey! Be careful…it goes without saying.”

I have never seen a single elf catch their foot on a tree root while walking through the forest. Even when they were hunting and moving at high speeds, it was unlikely that Tia would trip over them while talking. I’m the one who should be careful.

“I’ll reiterate, we’re going to the Elven Village. There are many things that will happen there, but I won’t say anything about that now. Because it will be too suspicious to know the ins and outs of a village we are visiting for the first time. Why don’t you just be natural and not think too hard about it?”

“In other words, it’s the same as usual, isn’t it?  In that case, shouldn’t I ask about the Hero and the Demon King?”

“Hmm, I’ll tell you secretly after we actually meet in person. There shouldn’t be any problem with that. As for the Demon King…”

“… What’s wrong? Something hard to say?”

Seeing my troubled face, Tia tilted her head and asked,

“It’s not that. As far as I remember, I have never heard of the existence of Demon King in this world”

“Huh? Does that mean there is no Demon King?”

“Up until recently, I might have answered ‘maybe so’, but now I can affirm that that is absolutely impossible. You remember how it was in Rebecca’s world? That ‘the Demon King is a fairy tale’? Maybe, but I think it’s like that here, too, and the existence of the Demon King is not widespread among the general public. But is it treated like a myth, or is it unknown around here because it’s active in distant places, or is it so stealthily active that it hasn’t even been discovered?….This is the first time we’re going to look into those differences, so it might take some time.”

“I see. Well, it’s all right, I guess? There’s no reason to rush.”

“That’s exactly right… Look, it’s coming into view.”

We could see a building that had clearly been altered by human hands in the scenery peeking through the gaps between the trees. As we approached the building, a voice suddenly called out from above us.

“Who are you people!? What is your purpose for coming to this village!?”

“Oops, my apologies. We are ….Tia?”

The person directly calling out to us was the elf on the watchtower at the entrance to the village, but I could also sense multiple other individuals aiming at us from the trees nearby.

But I pretended not to notice it and raised my hands above my head, and just as I was about to say hello to …, Tia restrained me with her hand and stepped forward to speak.

“I am Lunaritia, an elf born under the protection of the spirit tree of Kilkia, in the east of Nortland ! As a place for the leaves of the dancing trees to gather in the wind! I seek a momentary refuge in the lands of my brethren, far, far away!”

“……………………?”

“…………? What?”

The elf standing on the watchtower looked puzzled as Tia spoke cheerfully, and Tia, seeing this, looked at me, with the same puzzled expression on her face.

“W-What should I do, Ed?. Even though it’s a customary greeting between elves, I can’t get through to him!”

“You’re from a different world …. and when you’re far away, even the rules are different. What are you going to do about it?”

The way I knew the process was that I would be warned here, but insist that I was just a traveler, and then I would be given permission to enter the village by completing some of the tasks that the elves would give me.

However, Tia had greeted them so openly that the elves in the village were looking at us as if they did not know how to react. It was only natural that anyone would think that there must be some kind of agreement if someone so brazenly announced themselves, and if they have no idea what it is, they would hesitate to respond in a rash manner. 

What …do I do? If I were alone, I could use the standard “I’m lost, please help me,” but since Tia, an elf, was with me, there was no way I could get lost in the forest, so I rejected this. The would-be hero was not recognized as a “Hero” yet in the village, so a complete stranger visiting them would be considered suspicious. Then…Ah!

“Excuse me, but is there something disturbing going on in this village?”

“Hmm? What are you, suddenly ……?”

This time I stepped out in front of Tia to talk to the elf on guard, and he, who had returned from his sea of contemplation, gave me a quizzical look. Okay, okay, I’ve got you. Then …

“Well, actually, this lady …., my traveling companion Lunaritia, said that she felt the shadow of a spirit near here. So we were exploring the area, and while doing so, we found this village … and I thought that the shadow might be in this village. Of course, I don’t have any proof of this, but I wonder… if something happened ?”

“Shadow of the Spirit… that elf, said?”

“Yes. Right, Tia?”

“Heh!? Oh, uh, Yeah! Yes! Somehow, there was something that felt like really dangerous!”

“D-dangerous!? What the hell is that… no, but…”

Tia’s words, which she understood what I was saying and took part in the conversation, caused the elf on guard to return to a puzzled expression. This time, however, the look of bewilderment was different.

Of course it was. The danger level was quite different between “a fellow countryman who says something that you don’t understand but seems problematic to dismiss out of hand” and “a stranger who somehow knows that there is a problem in the village.”

As I was thinking, how to negotiate…. another elf appeared on the watchtower, and after they talked about something together, he approached us again. Perhaps the instructions from above had been received.

“Yosh, all right! Let us invite our distant brethren and her friend into our village! Wait a moment while I open the gate.”

“Understood!”

I replied and waited for a moment, and then the large wooden gate towering in front of us was pushed open. At first glance, the fence surrounding the village next to the gate looks like a simple wooden fence. But it was a complete trap. Unlike its appearance, it was protected by a strong magic, and if you tried to jump over it, you would be tortured by hell.

I would probably be able to push my way through if I used my banishment skill, but since they opened the gate normally, of course I wouldn’t do that …. While I was thinking such a foolish thought, a nice-looking young elf man stepped out from the open gate.

“I’m sorry to keep you waiting. Lunaritia-dono, and …….”

“Ah, I’m Ed.”

“I understand. Then, Lunaritia-dono and Ed-dono. Our village head is pleased to welcome you both, so would you mind accompanying me first?”

“Yes, of course. You alright with it, Tia?

“Of course. I mean, the village head is going to go out of their way to meet with us, you know?

“Yes, the village head was interested in Lunaritia-dono’s greeting….and perhaps a few words about Ed-dono’s earlier comments. This way, please.”

Guided by the man, we entered the village of the elves. What greeted us was not a simple but lively town …, but a quiet town with a somewhat dark atmosphere.