Bu ni Mi wo Sasagete Hyaku to Yonen. Elf de Yarinaosu Musha Shugyou (LN) - Volume 1 - Chapter 4

Chapter 4: My Own Story

I was in a perfect place. The rays of the sun pleasantly warmed my body.

It was right before noon. Luckily, I had just gotten hungry.

I was surrounded by a slightly different liveliness than I usually felt.

At school, I was used to hearing the sound of people’s happy chatter. But what caught my attention at that moment was not the happy voices of children playing.

“Ah! Look, look! Slava-kun, that looks really good!”

Said a lively voice, as its owner pulled my sleeve.

I turned to face in the direction of Selia’s familiar voice.

“Let’s see, let’s see—I see, honey bread. You really love sweet things, don’t you, Selia?”

“Ehehe—Maidens love sweet things, you know.”

Selia was pointing at a store selling bread wrapped in a shiny golden coat.

Today was a day that only came twice a week. Normally I would be training, but today was a little different.

I went out to Alfalia’s streets with my schoolmates, Selia and Sid.

There was no real purpose. If I had to say, we simply went out to walk and eat and buy things.

In my previous life, this is where I would have scoffed and called it a waste of time. But, oddly enough, I have come to think that doing something like this was not bad once in a while.

I wonder if I became more honest with myself after having had died once.

“Sweet things are fine and all, but I want to eat something salty.”

The one who said that while walking with his arms crossed behind his head was Sid. After facing off against each other during the martial arts lesson, we’d started spending more time together. I’d taken a liking to the friendly young boy.

Lately, the three of us—Sid, Selia, and I—had been spending a lot of time together.

However, today was a little different—There was one more person in the group.

“Now, now. There’s plenty of time. We can just take our time looking around.”

A kind voice admonished the pair of them while smiling.

Many people walked by, and each and every one of them stopped to marvel at her beauty.

Alma Shijima. A living legend. There was virtually no one in the elven country who did not know her.

She was also the source of my small worries.

Not many people in my previous life had understood me better than Alma.

In order to keep the freedom I had finally obtained, my daughter must not find out my true identity.

On top of that, meeting some people then continuing then meeting some more somehow felt awkward.

“Going out to play with my students is nice and refreshing. I would think that keeping such lively kids together would be hard, but Slava is a real adult, huh.”

“…Someone like me still has a long way to go. More importantly, is sensei also having fun?”

“Ah, yes, I’m having fun.”

But thinking about how I’d hardly ever spent time like this with Alma in my previous life really had me thinking that this is just about the only time.

“Is that so? In that case, I’m glad.”

I muttered slowly and carefully, almost as if confirming the words. I did not intend for her to hear it, but my small voice was not drowned out by the bustle and reached her ears.

Her long, well-proportioned legs bent slightly, and I was suddenly looking right into Alma’s eyes.

“Fufu. Thanks. You are really kind, Slava.”

Alma put her hand on my head while smiling gently.

… Now that I thought about it, I used to do that to Alma often too.

It must be some form of karma. Today, I was in the opposite position. It gave me an odd feeling.

“Hey, Alma-sama, Slava-kun, let’s go get food already.”

“Ah. You’re right. Should we get going, Slava? It looks like Selia and Sid can’t hold on much longer.”

Alma’s blue hair swayed as she stood up elegantly. I stood under her shadow which was taller than me as I agreed with her.

We headed not in the direction of the honey bread, but rather towards Sid’s skewered meat shop.

I guess that was because sweets are meant to be eaten after a meal. Personally, I preferred food that was more filling in the first place.

“You guys finally came! I’m starving!”

“Sorry about that… Now then, what should we do? Should we eat them here?”

I asked no one in particular, glancing at the tables set up in front of the store.

“Let’s do that. Afterwards, we can walk around while eating the honey bread.”

The one who answered was Selia.

Now that I thought about it, she had said that she wanted to eat honey bread.

In that case, it would be difficult to walk around while eating both honey bread and a skewer.

“It’s a little rude, but it might be fun to eat while walking around once in a while. But it would be terrible if you got some on your clothes while eating honey bread. Be careful when you walk, alright? Lately, the neighborhood has gotten worse. Let’s avoid trouble as much as possible.”

The one that responded to Selia was Alma.

From her expression, it looked like she was having fun.

Alma had always loved sweet things. It seemed like that hadn’t changed, even now.

…I guess you could say that the way she cautioned us was very teacher-like of her.

“Mister! Give me two beef skewers! And also white bread!”

… While I was thinking, it became my turn.

Since my parents gave me an allowance, buying this much shouldn’t be a problem.

It was an allowance I got for my good grades, but having to buy something with my allowance at this age was a bit sad. But at the moment I had no way to earn money myself.

At this point, I had no choice but to gratefully take the money while thinking that I would pay it back some day.

“I’ll also take a skewer and white bread. Only a little salt on the skewer, please.”

I’ll leave the difficult stuff for later. For now, I will simply enjoy my time with my schoolmates.

In my previous life I hardly ever ate luxurious meals, but even so, I really love eating.

In my late years, my favorite light seasoning was one of the few things that could move my heart.

After eating at the beef skewer stand, we walked the streets of Alphalia.

After getting their hands on the honey bread, the girls smiled wholeheartedly; it was as if they were biting into little pieces of happiness.

–I heaved a sigh without thinking. I wonder how many years it’s been since I walked around so leisurely like this?

In my previous life, I was focused solely on reaching the peak of strength… I wondered if I had started to think a little more like them after being reborn as an elf.

For a former human like me, walking on the streets was really filled with new experiences. It brings back memories of my previous life when I traveled to various countries.

This world is made up of four countries: the Human country, the Elven country, the Djin country, and the Werebeast country. While they all came from the same origin they were divided into different races by their interesting special traits.

After living a long time in the Human country and getting familiar with it, from my perspective, there was one big difference between the streets of the Human country and those of the Elven country. There were almost no other races walking about. I see. It was just like the impression I’d gotten in my previous life. It seemed the Elven culture was xenophobic to some degree.

As I thought, the elves really were very polite. In spite of all the people on this busy street, it was still somewhat peaceful. I had been surprised when I visited the Djin country. The streets themselves were not much different, but the public order was terrible.

The Werebeast country was special, even at first glance. Their special trait would cause anyone from the other three races to say ‘ah!’ when they saw it. The shape of a Werebeast’s ears and tail varied between individuals. Furthermore, their streets were also special. My master said that the layout of the streets resembled his faraway homeland to which he may never return. If possible, I would like to visit the mysterious Werebeast country again.

–Even if you could describe all the races with the same word, “person”, when you think about it, there is much more to it.

Culture, roots, and personality all vary from race to race.

Because of their different sensibilities, a war had broken out in the ancient past. Although, I suppose to the elves, it would have felt like recent history.

The war ended a long time ago. Except for the aloof Djin race, the other three races have all joined hands in peace. The elven countries’ isolation from other countries may have something to do with the current state of affairs.

Looking at the layout of the streets, I was lost in thought. Once I graduate from school, I would like to travel to those countries.

Each of the four countries has its own history and its own path. This time, for sure, after being reborn as an elf and being blessed with a long life span, I would take my time to travel the world—and I would like to test myself against truly strong people from various places.

It was a dream that I could never fulfill because of my health, lifespan and position. When I thought that I could finally make that dream a reality, the ends of my lips curled up—and it was at that moment.

“I want to hear about Alma-sama.”

With her lips glistening with honey, Selia turned her pure eyes towards Alma.

After the small spell of silence was broken, I also turned my eyes to Alma without thinking about it.

When I looked, Sid was the same as me. The only difference was that the honey bread had already disappeared from Sid’s hand.

“Eh? A-about me?”

As expected, after being asked such a question out of nowhere, even Alma was surprised. Maybe it was because she rushed to answer, but when she moved her mouth away from the honey bread, her mouth was covered by a glossy layer just like Selia.

—I see. I also have some interest in hearing about Alma.

We often had conversations as a father and daughter, but I have never exchanged words with Alma as a teacher and student, as an outsider.

“Ah. I also really want to hear it! Tell us an epic!”

Sid also looked at Alma with shining eyes after getting swept up by the flow.

“Eh? An epic? For me to tell it myself, …”

Alma looked left and right and forgot all about the honey bread in her hands.

When faced with such sparkling eyes, even the elven hero will falter, huh.

After getting her path of escape cut off by those two, Alma turned to look at me. It’s not that I wasn’t willing to give her a lifeline, but since I also wanted to hear about Alma, I couldn’t do that.

When faced with her puppy-dog eyes, I smiled gently.

After realizing that her last hope had betrayed her, Alma let out a sigh and dropped her shoulders.

“Ah—erm… What does Selia want to know about?”

But even so, it seemed like she hadn’t completely given up. Thinking that it would be better than telling her own epic, she turned to Selia with an awkward smile.

Being born as an elf, I was familiar with Alma’s achievements, but it’s not like I was personally there. I am not sure about the details.

I wanted to hear it directly from Alma, but looking at things it seemed l couldn’t expect much.

—A few years back, a giant dragon attacked the world. It was impervious to magic.

Alma defeated the dragon, which had defeated the world’s heroes, using Shijima-style techniques. After defeating the dragon with only her fists, she started being hailed as a hero across the world. I wanted to hear the details about that time, but it seemed like getting the person herself to talk about it would be hard.

But it’s about my daughter whom I had not met for more than ten years. No matter what it was, as a parent, I would be interested.

Now then, I wonder just what exactly Selia’s going to ask.

Just a step away, I looked at Alma, unable to conceal my interest.

All eyes turned to Alma. Just as one would expect, the question that came out of Selia’s mouth was—

“Then… I want to hear about the person that Alma likes!”

It was an extremely girly, extremely cute question.

“—What did you say?”

It was an extremely evil question that made me freeze up.

The person she likes, you said? Are you saying that my little girl has a lover?!

“T-the person I like..? Ok. Though I don’t think Selia will understand even if I tell you…”

From that reaction, are you saying there is someone?!

My eyes widened at my daughter’s reaction. Her face was red and she started fidgeting slightly.

As her adoptive parent, I obviously want Alma to enjoy a woman’s happiness. There is also the fact that I died without ever taking a wife. More than most people, I want my daughter to have a happy family.

—However, now that I have been reborn into this world, I have a duty as a parent to make sure that other person is suitable.

Alma is a bit of an airhead, but she can also be a good judge of other people.

I doubt there is any way that my daughter would be mislead by someone, but… no stone must be left unturned.

“I am also interested. A teacher who is renowned for her martial arts… just what kind of person would she be interested in?”

“Ehh… I want to hear about some cool adventure instead of—”

“We can do that after, right? More than anything, there are two people here that want to hear about that. Can’t you let it slide?”

I took a step forward towards Sid who was trying to take the conversation back.

Forgive me, Sid. I have a duty to make sure that my beloved daughter is not being strung along by some weird man!

“Umm, uh… yeah. It’s rare to see Slava-kun get so worked up.”

It seemed my true intentions had been exposed a bit. Sid became quiet and slunk behind me, so that our positions were switched.

“Ok, I give up. Do you really want to hear it?”

Alma’s expressions did not seem altogether unwilling. If anything, there almost seemed to be a part of her that wanted to discuss the matter.

If it’s like this—if we push her, she will tell us.

“I want to hear it!”

“Umm. Please!”

In that case, I will push her. I will not let this opportunity slide. I advanced towards Alma in total sync with Selia.

Unlike her previous hesitation, Alma started to fidget bashfully.

I may not have been able to witness it in person, but I must at least listen to the story. Then if the man turns out to be no good… As a former father, I ignored the murderous intent welling up inside. Alma placed her hand on her cheek.

Alma displayed none of her usual elegance. In its place was the smile of a cute, love-struck girl.

“I-It can’t be helped… It’s going to get mushy; is that ok?”

I nodded my head along with Selia. As we nodded, Alma sneaked a glance at our faces and began to talk.

“First of all, that person is really strong. Much stronger than me.”

“Really?! Stronger than Alma-sama? Awesome!”

…I see. First of all, stronger than her, huh? Not bad.

Strength has nothing to do with gender but even so, a man must at least be strong enough to protect the woman he has fallen for.

“He is also a really kind person. He was really busy so he didn’t really have much time for me, but he still showered me with deep affection.”

I see. If he really is kind, that can be considered as the minimum requirement.

I cannot forgive the fact that he neglected Alma because he was busy… However, as a man, I can understand that he had to maintain the household to a certain degree.

“Eeh. So he was kind, huh. Say, say, was he good-looking?”

“Of course! He had a slender body wrapped in muscle and a broad back… I think that looking at it from even an elf’s perspective, his face was also handsome.”

So, Alma seemed to have a liking for his looks too. Well, he seemed to be okay on the inside and on the outside, and also seemed to hold a position that kept him busy… At this point, everything sounded good.

However, there is something that Alma said which I can’t get past.

“Does ‘even from an elf’s perspective’ mean that this person is not an elf?”

The fact that she went out of her way to mention it from an elf’s perspective means that this person is not an elf.

I voiced my question while swallowing the word ‘bastard.’

When I asked her, Alma’s eyes widened in surprise for just a moment then became clouded by a shadow.

“…Umm. That’s right. He was human. If I had to find a flaw, it would be that his life span is different from ours.”

As she said that, her smiling face hid a deep sorrow.

Including my master and I, having been amongst humans, just how many people did Alma say goodbye to?

It is precisely this reason that she knows exactly what a difference in life span brings.

However, that just didn’t seem to be it. From the strength of her emotions… Don’t tell me…?

“…In that case, is that person…?”

“Umm. He passed away already. But I really liked him… no, that’s wrong. I still like him even now.”

Just as I thought.  Alma was smiling as she said all of that but for some reason her expression was just like the time when I died.

To get so angry over a dead person… I still have a long way to go.

“Erm.. I’m sorry Alma-sama.”

When Selia looked at Alma’s downcast appearance, she hung her head in shame.

When Selia did that, Alma laughed. There wasn’t a trace of sadness left in her expression.

“It’s fine, Selia. If anything, I’m the one that should be saying sorry. I still love him even now. Whenever there’s a chance, I like to boast about him.”

She closed an eye, and with that smiling face—yes, it is exactly what you would call a wink.

I thought she was a cry-baby, but it seems that in the time I didn’t see her, she grew more than I expected.

“Since you asked, I’m going to have you listen to the whole story, you know.”

“Ahaha. I couldn’t ask for more!”

I realized that I was sighing.

She is really strong, my daughter. The way she wholeheartedly thinks about the deceased is just like her.

As a parent, I really hope that she can find a new love and become happy.

But for him to be stronger than Alma… I would have liked to spar with him at least once.

“You said just now that he was stronger than you, but what kind of techniques did he use?”

“Hmm? Oh yeah, I forgot Slava is also a martial artist. Fufufu… You see, he was a practitioner of the Shijima style, just like you.”

“What! He was also a practitioner of the Shijima style?”

I asked out of pure curiosity, but the answer I received surprised me.

It is true that the Shijima style is a superior martial art, but for him to also practice it…

Even amongst Shijima style practitioners, Alma is strong. When compared to my master and I, I think she has yet to surmount the wall. However, looking at it from the point of view of those that study martial arts, she can be said to be at the peak.

But even so, the world is vast. The number of people that are stronger than Alma is not low.

The number is not low, yet… for it to be specifically the Shijima style is surprising.

I didn’t think that that there was anyone that skilled when I was still human. Someone must have appeared after my death.

“If it’s not too hard on you, I would like to hear about it.”

“Oh? You’re interested? If it’s about the Shijima style, I would be more than happy.”

In that aspect, she is certainly my daughter.

Looking at Alma become so lively talking about martial artists, I showed a crooked smile.

Seeing her so happy, I started to feel a little happy myself. That just goes to show how much she respected him.

I remember some promising young students of the Shijima style.

But there was no one I knew who could have caught Alma’s eye. I awaited Alma’s story with mixed feelings.

“It seems like you will figure it out anyway. Although even if you did, you wouldn’t consider it a great revelation… This person who I like was my master.”

“Haha, I see. It is indeed true that it is only natural for a master to be stronger than his disciple.”

The answer was… well, it’s true that it wasn’t much of a revelation.

Certainly, the truth was far more simple than what I imagined. It made me smile.

I see, I see. Her master, huh… Huh? Her master?

If memory serves correctly, Alma didn’t have a master other than me.

…No, no. There’s no way.

“By the way, was this person possibly Slava-sama?”

Selia tilted her head while poking her cheek with her finger.

It’s a name I was familiar with, and now that Alma’s teacher had entered into the conversation, my body stiffened.

“Slava-sama, that’s the legendary martial artist, right? Even I know about him! Ah,  Slava also has the same name as that person, right?”

As if to pressure me, I was addressed with the embarrassing title of ‘legendary martial artist.’

My past self, Slava Shijima—that name didn’t have as much recognition as Alma’s, but it still seemed to be famous.

…More importantly, what was going on?

As expected, my head was a mess. No, I did understand it to some degree.

“You’re all well informed. Yup. The person I like is Slava Shijima-sama. He was the great martial artist, but more importantly, my beloved person that died all too young.”

I wanted to deny it.  I never expected that the person my daughter loved would be my past self. Or at least, that’s what I wanted to think.

Or rather, what do you mean by ‘died all too young’? Even if I was taken by disease, I still lived to be over one hundred years old. I was as feeble as a dead tree.

“Saying it so bluntly is embarrassing… Alas, I suppose I’m still young.”

After saying the name of the person she liked, it seemed that my daughter finally started to feel embarrassed about her actions.

More importantly, even if I was only your adoptive parent, please feel shame about having romantic feelings for your father.

…Was the person who raised her to blame? No, but didn’t my master say that it wasn’t strange for a young girl to say that she wanted to marry her dad?

It is true that I was the person of the opposite sex closest to Alma. I wonder if her feelings got mixed up because of that?

“But I heard that Slava…-sama was like a father to Alma. How do you feel about that?”

At any rate, for her to hold romantic feelings towards her father at such an age… as a father, it seems that I must fix it.

I asked her while having trouble adding ‘-sama’ to the end of my own name.

“B-but you see, Master was really kind and strong… Even if you are his daughter, if such a person turned his affection towards you, wouldn’t you fall for him? To me, he was somewhat like a father and also like an older brother, and he was the closest person to me of the opposite sex… and we were only 40 years apart! It would be impossible even if you told me not to think about it!”

“I get it. If someone was that nice to me, I would be really happy!”

But her response only amounted to “well, you can’t blame me.”

I could feel the cultural difference. My head hurt. I was really worried about whether it would be a good idea to reveal my true identity.

I think that it may be better for my past self to remain as a memory for her…

The girls were blooming while talking about romance.

My eyes coincidently met with Sid’s. He looked thoroughly bored. He must have been fed up.

Looking at the girls getting all worked up, as a man, it was hard to join in.

“And what do you think Master said then? ‘There’s nothing to worry about. Let’s warm up your body first. I doubt you’ll like it, but I can treat you to some soup.’ He said this as he reached out to me with his right hand. I can’t express just how much those words meant to a lonely stranger like me.”

“Ahh. Slava-sama was really kind!”

More importantly, this whole situation makes me feel uncomfortable.

Certainly, Alma, who I raised as a daughter, was very attached to me.

Having to listen to lavish praise about myself with three additional people watching was hard.

Listening to her rave on and on about me constantly caused my face to light up crimson red. When you take it that far, it becomes an art form. My face was burning hot.

“E-excuse me. I need to go take care of something.”

I couldn’t take it any more. I lowered my head and tried to get away from Alma and the rest.

Before I could face my daughter’s love, I wanted to get my heart under control.

“Mmm. Should we go with you? It’s been dangerous lately and we never went over any precautions, right?”

“No. It’s fine. It would be plenty if you could just wait for me for a minute.”
I shook off Alma’s restraint and stumbled away from that strange atmosphere.

…I’m at a loss. Just what should I do in order to fix my daughter?

I picked up the pace while listening to the voices of my schoolmates and teacher.

Obviously, I did not really have anything to take care of. I had gotten away by pretending that I needed to do something quickly, so I should make sure to return soon.

I turned back at the corner we had just passed earlier and got away from Alma.

Now then, what should I do…? When someone has affection for the deceased and you challenge them on it, it could make their feelings flare up even more.

Putting aside Alma’s feelings, I would be really happy if she could find a nice young elf.

As a foster parent, I wish for her to have a proper love.

I put my hand to my jaw and walked while deep in thought.

Even if I say that, I didn’t know anything other than martial arts. As expected, I couldn’t come up with anything.

This is annoying. It happened just when I was absorbed in my own thoughts—

A suspicious-looking man started walking in my direction. At this rate, we would crash into each other.

Even if I was caught up in my thoughts, I was a martial artist. I was sensitive to any danger that drew near.

The more I looked, the more suspicious he seemed. So there were people like that even amongst the elves… While thinking about something so obvious, I made way for him.

There was no need to look for trouble. I was thinking just that when, suddenly, the man swayed and changed directions straight into my path.

It was obvious that he changed directions after I avoided him.

I moved slowly and without panicking as if to take another step in order to avoid him.

“Guhe-!”

As I did so—most likely because he had missed his target—the suspicious man kissed the ground, violently.

…Hmm. It may have been impossible to avoid it. It might have gone just like the man wanted.

“Oh my. Are you ok? You really fell spectacularly.”

“You, you bastard! You know exactly what you did!”

I bet he didn’t think I would dodge that. The man seemed to have hit his nose hard, as he held onto it while standing back up.

Well, it’s true that I knew exactly what I had done.  I did have some idea of what he was trying to do, but he certainly is a short-tempered one.

I crossed my arms and snorted. I didn’t have time to waste on someone like him.

“What’s with that attitude?! You looking down on me, bastard!?”

“You didn’t even lose any teeth. Unfortunately, I am in a hurry. If you are looking for someone to play the buffoon with you, please look somewhere else.”

“What the fuck did you say…? You looking to die?”

…Either way it was going to come to this. There was no way to avoid a fight.

I wanted to do something about it before we attracted any more attention.

“It doesn’t matter what I say at this point, so come on already.”

The man flared up as I gestured for him to begin.

His face was dyed red in fury.

Perhaps, he meant to start a fight to extort me.

An idiot that would target a lone child… even if I punish him a little, no one would complain.

“Brazen little snot-nosed brat…! Even if you cry and beg, I’m not gonna let you off!”

He put his hand into his chest pocket and pulled out a simple knife.

I wonder if this is the source of his strange confidence. If that’s the case, it’s cheap confidence based on material objects.

The man broke into a run swinging the knife without any skill or grace.

“…Fool.”

Trying to fill the gap in strength with a weapon is not pathetic and can even be called clever.

But for him to come swinging wildly like that without any plan…

And he was slow. I didn’t even have to dodge it. If I shrouded my body with magic I could take it without a scratch.

I was certain even without exchanging blows, this man was a small fry. The moment I understood that, I sighed, thinking, ‘what am I doing?’

Playing around with an idiot in broad daylight; I may be an idiot myself.

After I started feeling stupid, I couldn’t hold back my sighing.

At almost the same time, the man came into range.

I caught the knife between my fingers without moving my body.

“Wha-wha… Huh?!”

I stopped the knife with just enough force to avoid cracking the blade. No matter how hard the man tried, he couldn’t make it budge at all.

I advanced still gripping the knife between my fingers and twisted the wrist of my free left hand.

The knife that the man had held with both hands then appeared in my hand so readily that I was almost disappointed.

“You—what are you?!”

And just like that, I sunk my fist into his stomach.

My fist met with little resistance and stole the man’s consciousness along with his breath.

The man collapsed to his knees and kissed the ground once again.

“Ugh. Dammit… If only I had ‘that’, this brat…”

As his consciousness was fading, the man raised his head again and left behind the voice of his regret before embracing the ground once more.

Leaving someone that came at me with killing intent without any real injuries, I’ve truly gone soft.

I put the knife down beside the man and walked away to escape from the people that started gathering around.

I need to get back or else they might start getting suspicious.  I turned back towards the road I had came from, praying that the conversation was at least over. All the while, my heart was filled with a strange weight.

…Reaching the pinnacle of martial arts is good and all, but it seems that I have found something else that I must do as well.

How should I rehabilitate my daughter?

I heaved a sigh and silently drooped my shoulders.