Elven Village
There was a conference room in the royal palace.
The chief vassal and other involved officials gathered there, discussing the matter of the saint’s bodyguards. The people unanimously voiced their complaints about the temple. “The priests are getting carried away.” “Are they planning to take the budget for the saints bodyguards out of the royal palace’s funds?”
“There’s also the matter of his Highness Julian and his crew. If we make the mistake of rejecting the plan, we won’t know how they’ll react.” They viewed Marie becoming the saint as a problem. They believed that of all people, the most troublesome woman had become the saint.
That was due to Marie getting a hold of the former crown prince and one by one, ensnaring the heirs of other prestigious noble households. It seemed that the temple was supporting Julian, who fell in love with the saint, and were planning to have him become the crown prince again. It was obvious that they were trying to seize power. Within the meeting venue, Anjie’s father Vince also happened to be present.
Vince was a duke, but due to Julian losing his position, his faction shrunk. He appeared to the meeting, but had little influence.
He watched over the meeting and its course of events. A noble of the royal court, “Bernard Fier Atlee,” whispered to Vince in a low voice.
Bernard, who was plump and had a characteristic small mustache, sought confirmation from Vince.
“Is this really alright?” “Even if I were to oppose, it wouldn’t change the decision. You already know that──Minister.”
Bernard worked as a minister.
He was an earl who distanced himself from the rising faction, a faction centered around the marquis named “Malcom Fou Frampton.” Furthermore, he was Clarice’s father. “I personally feel a bit awkward about it since I’m indebted to him, but it’s a fact that he’s the only suitable person. I can’t help but give him my approval.” “He’s neither under my guardianship, nor is he my pupil. There’s no need to worry about it.”
As they were speaking, Frampton opened his mouth. In response, the nobles shut their mouths. Frampton, a slim marquis, was tall and had deep wrinkles on his face.
His nose was long and his beard reached down to his chest.
His facial features were profound and his eyes were large, as if they would pop out.
(He seems quite unwell. A lot must have happened.) Though he tried to hide some of his tiredness with makeup, Vince could perceive his state.
“It seems that all opinions have been brought out. Now then, I would like to make this venue’s opinion the opinion of the royal palace, but are there any objections?”
When Frampton glanced around, nobody offered any opposition. Vince was the same. (──What a farce.) He already knew that this had turned into a meeting within the faction. Frampton looked at Vince, narrowed his eyes, and made a smile. It was the face of someone convinced of their victory. “There’s something I’d like to say about the duke Redgrave household, but we’re here to talk about the kingdom. I want you all to understand that.” “Even when I didn’t voice any opposition?” After Vince replied, a young noble from Frampton’s faction stood up and announced the matter of the decision. “Well then──Viscount Leon Fou Baltfault will be appointed as the commanding officer of the saint’s bodyguards.”
The surrounding people voiced some complaints, all towards Leon.
“That promoted guy as a bodyguard of the saint?” “At least we can track his whereabouts by finding where the bodyguards are.” “The issue is that guy’s lost item. Shouldn’t we get a hold of it before the temple double-crosses us?”
“You mean getting a hold of a treasure he obtained from an adventure? That goes against national policy.” “Perhaps if he were to relinquish it of his own accord.” “Would that really be okay though?” Those who were alert about Marie raised voices of concern about Leon’s disposition.
In a short period of time, prestigious nobles had successively been ensnared by her. Next, Leon might be the one who’s ensnared. If that were to happen, perhaps he would take the side of the temple. A young noble boldly responded to such voices of concern. “I understand how all of you feel. However, during summer break he managed to defeat his Highness Julian and the others in a duel, furthermore taunting them to the point of leaving the audience speechless despite it being their second duel. Since he has such a relationship with them, he will not be swayed by the saint.”
The crude noble smiled.
“The man-eating saint also dislikes that guy.”
While others understood and made light smiles in response to those words, Frampton slightly raised his hand.
Everyone’s gaze focused on him as he spoke. “Hmm, everyone’s concerns about Viscount Baltfault are valid though. How about viewing this matter as a test, a way to see his qualifications in handling the lost item?”
Vince objected in response to those words.
“Do you mean to be like vultures and steal a treasure into the kingdom? Marquis Frampton, that will not go unchecked.” “Duke Redgrave──no, Vince. We’re only investigating if it’s appropriate for him to hold such a strong lost item. I am not saying that we will take anything. It all depends on his qualities.” The surrounding nobles began to speak their thoughts, saying “Indeed, leaving this alone would be a hazard.”
“If we’re not taking anything right away, then it shouldn’t be a problem.” “Right. However, that power is too big for one guy.” “We can’t say that he has no ill intentions.” The meeting venue was being overrun by the opinions of Frampton’s faction. “No complaints──Vince? Or perhaps you were planning on monopolizing the power of that lost item for yourself? Your daughter is quite close with Viscount Baltfault, isn’t she?”
Frampton glared at Vince.
“──Do as you please.” (Did they intend on taking the lost item from the very beginning?) “I’m glad we could come to an understanding.” The surrounding people looked at Vince not as the leader of the former largest faction, but as a has-been. (Now then, how will things turn out?) Vince quietly thought about the future.
◇
I was on the deck of the airship Partner. I was glaring at Marie and her followers. “──This is the absolute worst.” Luxon floated next to me, replying while looking towards the same direction. [Isn’t she talented for enjoying her life like so? Leaving that aside, why was it necessary to bring out Partner?] Partner is my ship, modeled after the spacecraft that is Luxon’s main body. To be more precise, it’s designed to imitate Luxon’s main body as a disguise. Luxon, who created Partner, cherishes it as if it were its own child. Now it became necessary to bring out this ship after Marie’s proposal to go on an adventure.
Due to her proposal, the very first person asked to arrange a ship──was me.
“It wasn’t my intention to bring out the ship and lend it to anyone. This is really the worst. I feel disgusted having to follow those orders.” Just looking at Marie brings up memories of my younger sister from my previous life.
My older and younger sisters in my current life are downright heartless, but she was cruel too. [At any rate, you’re the commanding officer of Marie’s bodyguards, right
Master?] “Don’t bring that up! I did not want to agree to it at all.” To think that they considered making me one of Marie’s bodyguards. Are those royal palace officials idiots? Marie, being pampered by her followers, felt pleased and made a loud laughter.
Cara also being there caught my attention, but what further piqued my interest was Marie’s exclusive servant. A pretty boy who goes by the name “Kyle,” a quirky guy with short blond hair and long ears. He looked like a middle school student.
He was supposed to be the exclusive servant of the protagonist, Livia, but was taken by Marie. He had a bit of a sassy look and seemed relatively calm for his age.
He separated from the crowd, holding onto a handrail and looking up into the
sky alone.
“What’s the matter, did the followers steal your master?” When I spoke out to him, Kyle turned around and replied. “──Could you not speak to me? I’m not fond of you.” The irritated Kyle spoke bluntly. I’m quite intolerant of others’ misbehaviors. Being made light of aggravated me. “Don’t be like that. I’ll toss you into the sky.” This is a world where the ground floats in the sky──so being tossed out means ending up in the sky rather than the sea. Despite that, Kyle laughed scornfully. “What could you gain by doing such a thing? You’re the type of guy who backs down if lashing out in anger would otherwise result in being punished.” I got quite annoyed at how accurate he was. Indeed, I didn’t actually intend to throw him out. Well, I mean──I’d become the bad guy if I did that. All things considered, I thought of him as a cheeky brat in the game, but──now that he’s real, he really is quite impertinent. “Tsk, I’ll get you for this.”
When I left a parting remark, he replied with “Those are the words of a
delinquent who runs away after losing.”
When I was about to lose my cool, Luxon informed me of something. [Master, Olivia and Anjelica are here.] When I turned around, a delighted Livia and slightly excited Anjelica approached. “Leon, I can see the floating island we’re heading towards!” “We’ll be landing there soon. Prepare a campsite near the historic ruins!
We’ll be the ones to find treasure first!” Livia, with sparkling eyes, looked forward to seeing a genuine historic ruin. However, Anjie──acted as expected of an adventurer’s descendant. Hearing the words adventure and historic ruins, it seemed that treasure was on her mind. “Anjie, you’re rich enough to not need any treasure, right?” “Right. However, finding treasure is meaningful. I was so nervous that I couldn’t sleep last night.” It’s quite rare for the usually mature Anjie to be acting this childish. “Rather than treasure, I’m more excited to be investigating a historic ruin.
I’m interested in how ancient humans lived.” Livia was full of curiosity. The only saving grace in this situation is the enjoyment those two have.
“You two sure seem lively. It seems that bringing out Partner was a
worthwhile decision.”
“You have my thanks, Leon. There’s a dungeon in the royal capital, but being an adventurer means traversing to unknown sites.” ──I accepted Marie’s proposal because these two showed interest.
I would have refused if Marie was the only thing I took into consideration. As the two spoke amongst each other, Marie walked over while seeming smug.
She gave me an order while holding down her hair which was swaying from the wind. “Hey, the island’s in sight, so make sure that you can land this thing. I want to find treasure soon.”
When I glared at Marie while saying “What did you just say?”, Marie got frightened and averted her gaze. She resembled my younger sister down to the minute detail, causing me to get angry.
“E, err, I’d like for you to prepare landing~that’s all.” None of Marie’s followers were around her as she got nervous. Since Anjie was there, the followers took their distance. Anjie’s eyes changed a bit when she looked at Marie. “──Leon is the owner of Partner. Do you have a complaint about Leon’s conduct, Saint?”
When Anjie closed the distance, Marie quickly fell back.
“Jilk Fier Memoria” then stepped in between Marie and Anjie. He had green hair and a gentle aura, but was a black-hearted guy in reality. Currently, he and “Greg Fou Seberg” were accompanying Marie as her escorts. The other three were busy with other things. “Anjelica, what do you plan on doing with Marie?” Jilk is Julian’s foster brother. Furthermore, he’s the commanding officer of
Julian’s bodyguards. No wait, did I get right?
Since Julian lost his position along with Jilk and the others being disinherited, their standings are quite unclear. “──What? I was just being a little careful.” I felt relieved upon seeing Anjie step down quietly. “Don’t run your mouth too much. We’ll make sure to land properly and we’re also in the process of other arrangements.” “I, I see.” Though Marie reluctantly gave her understanding, I could somehow grasp from her expression that she felt the opposite way. I feel unpleasant knowing that I can understand her emotions. Amidst the clamor, a girl with long black hair arrived to the deck. She was a thin girl with pale skin and characteristic red eyes──”Hertrude
Sera Fanoss.”
“Oh, it seems everyone was gathering here. I was looking for you all.” Anjie muttered something as if annoyed. “I didn’t think you would come along.” She was the princess of the Fanoss Principality, though she’s currently semi- forced to study abroad. Luxon came close to my ear and spoke. [It seems that she had been searching the ship.] “What is the kingdom thinking, going as far as to force this person onto me?” Princess Hertrude──err, Hertrude is not exactly the most friendly, smiling person. It seems that it wasn’t a good idea to agitate Fanoss Principality’s retreating army during that school trip by saying things like “Hey, how does it feel?
How does it feel for an adult to lose to a kid? How does it feel for knights and soldiers to lose to students?” I took the opportunity to kidnap this person, making her a prisoner of war. Due to that, her smile gave me a spine-chilling sensation. “Your airship is quite big, Viscount Baltfault. I got lost because of that.” “My apologies. Anyways, where did your caretaker go? You shouldn’t wander around alone.” “We lost sight of each other. I couldn’t do anything.”
There’s supposed to be a caretaker, or rather a student keeping an eye on her,
by her side.
However, perhaps due to the students scattering, she had been walking by herself. Luxon spoke in a quiet tone.
[The person watching over her intentionally left Hertrude alone.] Is there some kind of scheme in the midst? They just don’t know when to give up.
When I glared at Hertrude, she turned away. “Please don’t look at me with those indecent eyes.” Perhaps it seemed like I was looking at her with indecent eyes, but her slender figure is not to my liking at all. It’s also a shame that her barren chest is at the same level as Marie. “──Sorry.” “W, why are you looking at me with pity now? What are you doing that for?” Anjie stepped in between us to block my sight, making a red face while voicing her opposition. “Let’s leave it at that. We should prepare to get off the ship soon.” As we talked, Partner arrived at a floating island where elves lived. It was unlikely that the harbor could take in a such a big ship like Partner, and once we reached the location, Luxon began preparations to land.
◇
Upon landing on the elven island, the girls gave instructions while the guys carried their luggage. Their exclusive servants were standing by their side. “Hey, don’t treat my luggage so recklessly.” “S, sorry.”
Nobody thought about having the slaves carry the cargo. The reason being that for the girls, their exclusive servants were slaves, but at the same time were lovers as well.
The boys knew that if they would be in trouble if they tried to order the exclusive servants around, so they didn’t push their luck. As the boys were busy moving around, I got entangled with someone annoying.
“Commander, would you carry this baggage?”
Greg, the one who spoke to me, seemed closer than before, or rather──he was acting like we were friends. “Don’t call me Commander. I didn’t agree to such a thing.” “You’re the commanding officer of the bodyguards, right? In that case, you’re our commanding officer. You have my best regards, Commander.” This is saddening, do I really have to be the commander of these guys? Hertrude looked at me while the person watching over her stood beside her.
“──The kingdom is quite cruel.”
She spoke those brief words after seeing the other girls.
“Is it different at the principality?” “There’s no way the principality would engage in such crude behavior.” If what Hertrude said is true, then I want to seek asylum at the principality right away. Well, I can’t do that though. “The principality was originally territory of the kingdom, right? So why is it different?”
The principality originally belonged to the kingdom, but had become independent, leading to the current relationship between the two. “I feel sorry for you guys. Particularly you──Viscount Baltfault. Your future spouse will openly surround herself with sub-race lovers. Such vulgar women don’t exist within the principality. If you emigrate over to our side, I can assure you that you’ll receive a proper hero’s treatment.”
Greg, hearing her speak, hardened his gaze.
Don’t ask me to flee to another country while people are watching. ──I do kind of want to though. Marie approached as Hertrude was in the midst of her mockery. “Hey, what happened to treasure hunting? Let’s hurry up and go look around.” Hertrude was amazed at the annoying Marie and her fixation on treasure.
“You’re the saint, right? I’m starting to wonder if you’re too attached to
money.”
At those words, Marie── “What do you know?! Over on my side──my parents put me into debt without my knowing and now I have to pay it back! Besides──it’s painful having no money!” I hate Marie, but I do feel a bit of sympathy in regards to her situation. Greg comforted Marie. “Marie, it’ll be alright. Julian and the others are working, so we’ll get your debt sorted out somehow.”
Three of the five idiots aren’t here since they’re bustling about for Marie’s sake. Marie’s lousy household created debt under her name once she became the saint. Furthermore, they forced their previous debt onto Marie. After hearing her situation──it’s so pitiful that it even made me think it would be okay to help her out a bit. Marie was at her wits’ end as she spoke. “It’s painful having no money. Really painful. My socks have holes and I can’t replace them, I can’t even buy necessities. I don’t know what to further cut down on.” Seeing Marie’s gloomy expression as she complained gave me a thought. Perhaps this girl was cursed.
“That’s enough. Even Hertrude’s not sure how to respond.”
Hertrude had said “Sorry, I guess,” to Marie around when she had been talking about holes in her socks. I pondered about something while looking at the boys around who were at work.
“We should talk with the residents of this island first. Now then, where should we go to──” As I was thinking about how to traverse an unknown island where elves lived, Kyle raised his hand. “──I’ll lead the way. This is my homeland.”
We traversed through a forest while Kyle led the way.
The laid-back Marie was surprised to hear that this floating island was
Kyle’s homeland.
──So it seems that she didn’t know either.
“Gee, if this was your home, you should have told me, Kyle. I would have prepared a present or something.”
It seems that she intended to watch over her exclusive servant as he visited his home, but wouldn’t this be dicey situation for Kyle?
He was bought as a slave and is now returning to his home town with his master.
Is he going to introduce her to his family by saying “This is my master!” to them?
──I would hate doing that.
Kyle walked ahead, but was the same as when I spotted him on Partner’s deck.
Despite it being his homeland, he didn’t seem to be enjoying it at all.
“No need for a present.”
He seemed a bit gloomy.
Being worried about Kyle, Livia consulted me.
“Leon, doesn’t something seem strange about Kyle? He’s returning home, so why is he so down?”
Unlike the carefree Marie, Livia was looking closely at Kyle’s condition.
“Maybe he doesn’t want to visit home for some reason?” Unlike Marie, Livia was kind. As for Anjie── “Is this a forest where elves live? I didn’t know there was a dungeon here, but I’m a bit excited for some reason.”
──She was really tense.
Meanwhile, Marie was serious.
“It’ll be fine. If I can earn big here, I can get rid of my debt. Rather, isn’t this opportune? Then I can buy sweets from popular stalls and have desserts for my dinner during the evening. I have to buy new clothes too. My others ones are already shabby and worn out.”
It was saddening to hear Marie’s monologue.
I was indeed angry at Marie, who cheated her way to becoming the saint, but why was she this miserable?
What evil things did she do in her previous life to deserve carrying debt while needing to pay living expenses as a saint?
Jilk and Greg walked in the back while a group of girls walked in the middle.
Hertrude, who seemed troubled, walked alone.
“You could have just waited.”
“I can do whatever I please. Besides, now that we came all this way, I want to look at the historical ruins.”
Shouldn’t the upper management of the kingdom be more wary of the fact that this girl’s been given free rein?
We continued through a straight path in the forest.
Luxon, floating near my shoulder, looked at the road.
[Master, what exactly──are elves?]
“A fantasy race. Are you interested in them?]
[Elves used to not exist within my data. While I had been on stand by, a creature suddenly appeared, turning out to be an elf. Is it not something to be curious about?]
I wasn’t really that aware of it, so I wasn’t particularly interested.
[In addition, it’s also noteworthy that they cannot breed with female humans. However, in the case of men──]
As Luxon spoke on, Kyle pointed to a village within view.
“That’s the town where I was born and raised.”
Marie was excited.
“Wow~, how beautiful!”
At first glance, it seemed like a calm, but fairly developed village.
The buildings were mostly log houses and the town had a sense of unity.
All the villagers we saw were beautiful and had nice figures.
Several villager-like elves wore outfits that clung to their bodies.
Jilk placed his hand over his chin and began to boast about his knowledge. “Elves are basically well-favored in looks, but do not seem to judge beauty by outward appearances like how humans do.”
Both Marie and Greg had shocked faces.
──It seems they didn’t know this. I wasn’t aware of it either.
“Oh, is that so?”
“Right. They judge based on the magical power one holds. Due to that, they have almost no preferences in terms of looks.”
Though everyone was interested in the elves who judged others based on magic power, Kyle didn’t say anything more.
Since these were elves we were talking about, a slightly more detailed explanation would have been nice.
I tried calling out to him in concern.
“Something the matter?”
“Don’t talk to me. If you’re trying to fulfill a sense of self-satisfaction by acting worried about me, then stop. I absolutely hate guys like you who tend to get the wrong idea.”
I felt my face getting red.
“And I hate little brats like you. Why don’t you go find your mother and introduce Marie to her, you can even say ‘This is my master,’ to her.”
Thereupon, Kyle sighed and spoke as if looking down on me.
“It seems you don’t know. Alright, for elves, being a slave is synonymous to working away from home. Despite being slaves, we’re treated decently, much better than you boys at the academy.”
It’s indeed as he said, but hearing him say it made me furious. Luxon strangely seemed convinced. [Intriguing, so elves view it as working away from home? I understand.] Jilk added on to that explanation. “Elves seem to have a longer lifespan than humans. A few decades is a not a big deal for them.” Working away from home for a few decades? Leaving that aside, there’s something about Kyle’s speaking that I’m curious about. Someone’s feelings toward slavery would be like this. Upon hearing hearing the word slave, one would assume that treatment would be poor, but being exclusive servants, they’re treated favorably. ──Indeed, the boys would be jealous. Seeing us approach the village, one of the elves in the village walked towards us. A pleasant girl with green hair and yellow eyes. Is she around the same age as us? She’s a small woman. In addition, everyone’s gazes focused on her bust, which was big relative to her body.
“Kyle!”
The woman waved her hand and rushed over, seeming to know Kyle. As the woman approached, Kyle adjusted his posture and moved towards
Marie’s side as she was speaking with Jilk.
“Marie, this woman here is my mother. Her name is ‘Yumeria.'”
──What? His mom?!
Elves have a much younger appearance than their actual age. Could it be that Kyle is an old man on the inside too? In that case, he might be the same as me.
“Um, oh! N, nice to meet you!”
When the confused Marie gave her greetings, Kyle’s mother, Yumeria, also became confused and bowed her head.
It felt very calming seeing the two bow towards each other.
Kyle explained the situation to Yumeria while seeming uninterested.
“Everyone wants to enter some historic ruins that are in this town. We need permission from the village chief, so we’re heading over to give our greetings. With that, please excuse us.”
“Say, Kyle. You’ve been away for a long time, but you don’t need to talk like we’re strangers──”
“I cannot do that, I’m in the midst of my job.”
Kyle’s attitude may be appropriate as a servant, but he was being a little cold towards his mother.
Yumeria’s expression darkened.
“You don’t have to be so cold. This is the town you’ve been away from for so long, isn’t it?”
Kyle sneered in response to my words.
“Something bugging you?”
“Don’t get so over-familiar with me. I’m Marie’s exclusive servant, and I’m not going to get along with the likes of you.”
Greg was a bit irritated at the strangely stern Kyle.
“Hey, you’re taking it too far. Baltfault is our commander.”
Marie also seemed to pay attention to the odd attitude her own exclusive servant was taking.
“Kyle, don’t pick any fights. You’ve been weird today for some reason.”
“I’m the same as I always am. The village chief’s home is here.”
Kyle walked ahead, not even glancing at Yumeria.
Livia spoke to Yumeria in concern.
“Um, Kyle’s been strange ever since we came to this island. Err, maybe he’s feeling sick.”
However, Yumeria made a sorrowful smile.
“It’s fine. It’s my fault. I’m an unseemly mixed one, after all.”
The words “mixed one” stuck to my mind for some bizarre reason.
◇
The village chief’s residence was large.
Upon asking about it, it seemed that several decades ago, when returning to the village after finishing work as an exclusive servant, the village chief had received a large amount of remuneration and built the residence.
He was an elf that looked like a young man with a beard, someone only in their late twenties.
“You want to visit some ruins within the village?”
I spoke alone with the village chief, acting as a representative of the group.
Everyone else waited in a reception room.
“Right. Is it possible?”
“The ruins are a sacred place for the village, so it would be tough. You won’t be able to obtain permission so easily. I don’t think the other village chiefs would allow it.”
Elven villages were scattered around the floating island.
It seems that altogether, they’re labeled as a collective.
“Furthermore, the collective chief is quite stubborn. There’s no doubt that you will face opposition to enter the ruins.”
“The collective chief?”
“She’s an old woman whose strong point is divination. I’ve heard that in the past, there were many guests who visited the collective chief, but her power has currently weakened and there are often times where her divinations aren’t accurate either.”
I don’t care about this talk of fortune-telling, but it’s a problem if we can’t enter the historical ruins.
“I’m sorry, but you might have to give up. Though, we frequently visit the ruins and have found no treasure there. Searching for some would be fruitless.”
“Huh?”
“Us elves are free to enter and exit it as we please, and there are even many people who go there on a whim. We’ve exhausted ourselves searching through it, but contrary to everyone’s hopes, there’s no treasure to be found.”
──Could this different from the game?
As I was thinking about it, there was a furious pounding on the door.
A female elf barged in without waiting for a reply.
“Village Chief, it’s the collective chief!”
The village chief grabbed a nearby ornament──then tossed it to the woman.
“Eek!”
Seeing the item crash into the woman and fall, I give a look towards the village chief.
However, the village chief ignored me and began preaching to the woman.
“What insolence, running over in a commotion and pounding on the door!
How many times do I have to tell you? Apologize to the guest!”
The village head then walked towards the woman and began kicking her.
Upon seeing that, I stepped in with haste.
“What are you doing?!”
The village chief swept my hand aside and turned away with a scornful look.
Those eyes he had were the same as the exclusive servants’ when they face the boys within the academy.
“Don’t be a nuisance. That is important elf etiquette. If we’re not careful, the children will learn bad manners. That means their worth as slaves will diminish.”
──It seems that I don’t fully understand the situation with elves, but this is too harsh.
Seeing this doesn’t make me feel at ease.
“This a revolting sight in front of a guest.”
I did my best to put on a brave front.
“Sorry about that. Now then, what’s your business?”
The woman shed tears while informing us that the aforementioned collective chief was visiting the village.
◇
We were in a plaza at the village.
The gathering elves were all beautiful men and women.
Among them, a short elderly one carried a large cane for support.
Her back was hunched over and it was hard to tell whether her eyes were open or closed.
The old woman with gray hair muttered something to a woman wearing the same native outfit.
The female elf, who was supporting her, transmitted her message.
“I will convey the words of the collective chief. Do not enter the ruins again. At this rate, you will incur the old demon lord’s wrath.”
The village chief was at a complete loss.
I assume that the collective chief is in a higher position, her way of speaking is different from the woman’s.
“Collective Chief, what do you mean by demon lord? In the first place, aren’t the people from other villages entering the ruins too?”
The collective chief muttered something.
Listening to her words, the female elf once again spoke.
“Do you think that the collective chief knows nothing? She’s aware that you all are heavily involved with the ruins. The collective chief is leaving a message. Don’t come into contact with what’s taboo. Don’t enter the sacred ground of the elves.”
The surrounding elves were shocked, but the collective chief and the female were serious.
Luxon, who was floating near my shoulder, also seemed shocked.
[A divination, is it?]
“What? Are you a non-believer of those sorts of things?”
[Could it be possible? There have certainly been people with strange abilities. You’re one of those people, Master.]
From Luxon’s point of view, I would indeed be an unscientific phenomenon since I hold memories of my previous life.
There seems to be some discrepancy between what the village chief said and what the collective chief said.
Perhaps the elves aren’t actually free to enter and exit as they please?
Based on what the collective chief said, nobody can get near the ruins.
Furthermore──
“By the way, do you know anything about a demon lord?”
[Are you familiar with the matter, Master? Does a demon lord appear in the otome game?]
“There’s no demon lord in that otome game. That’s why I’m really concerned.”
Could it be that the collective chief is growing senile?
She may have been a capable diviner in the past, but there are more elves who are either suspicious or completely doubtful rather than those who are at least half-convinced.
The collective chief’s cold gaze shifted from the elves to──Marie.
“Hey! This commotion is annoying. Whatever, someone take me to the historic ruins! I absolutely must capture──”
The collective chief’s eyes widened as Marie, who was frightened of debt, stepped forward.
She spoke to the woman next to her, and then that woman conveyed the message to us.
She seemed surprised and shocked.
“Are you a saint?”
“Oh, you could tell? Yes, I’m a saint. If you understand that, then──”
Before Marie could finish, the woman spoke.
“You’re allowed to enter the ruins. The saint brings along the old demon lord. That is the future the collective chief foresaw in recent months.”
Marie tilted her head in confusion as the surrounding elves grew restless.
“Demon lord? I don’t know a demon lord at all.”
You’re like a final boss to me. You’re something like a demon lord, I guess.
Or rather, it seems that the collective chief has gone senile and lost her touch with divinations.
Marie isn’t a real saint, Livia is.
──The demon lord must also be a misunderstanding.
I turned towards Luxon as it stated its own opinion.
[Could this be about Julian? He’s royalty and the descendants of the new humans use magic. If royalty means being able to operate the workings of magic, it’s possible that he could adopt the title of a demon lord.]
“I understand what you’re saying, but Julian’s not here, you know?”
[I’m stumped as well. Assuming that the collective chief’s divination is true, there’s a possibility that it’s tied to Julian.]
That guy isn’t a king yet though. At this rate, he will become the crown prince again due to Marie’s work, and will probably be king in the future, but──that guy being a demon lord? He’d be a miserable demon lord that even I could beat up.
The woman spoke to the people around on behalf of the collective chief.
“The time of judgement has come. Will this island sink, or will it remain?
These people will not be allowed to interfere. The collective chief says for everyone to sit still and wait for the appointed time.”
With that, the collective chief and the other elf left the village.
While watching their figures, I spoke to Luxon.
“Does this mean we have permission to enter the ruins?”
[It saves a load of trouble. It seems we won’t have to force our way in or invade.]
“You were thinking about such dangerous things?”
[Indeed. What about it?]
It was as if Luxon was saying “You’ve got a problem with that?”
Now that we got permission, we set foot into the historic ruins.
However, I felt disheartened upon looking into the ruins.
“──There’s nothing.”
There was a room with tree roots and ivy crawling along the walls and floor. It seemed to me like a modern building that grew old, but to Livia, it seemed like an ancient site packed with adventure.
Livia was the only one delighted.
“Amazing! Look Leon, objects of this shape have been found in other ancient ruins. The form is a bit different, but that thing near the door is a feature of ancient sites!”
“──I, I see.”
That object she’s referring to was a card reader.
The machine, which would read card keys, was already broken and was only there for looks at this point.
Luxon looked at the joyed Livia and asked a question.
[It’s better not to tell her the truth, isn’t it?]
Livia looked happy wondering what kind of meaning the object could have. It seemed that Luxon was worried about whether it should tell Livia that it was a device for reading cards.
“She might be happy if you told her.”
[There’s also some fun in having her discover it herself. You wouldn’t
understand, Master.]
“You really are a terrible thing, aren’t you?”
[Not as much as you, Master.]
Luxon then turned its line of sight towards Anjie and the others.
“Is there really no treasure? Well, viewing some historic ruins is itself worthy of conversation, but──is there really no treasure?” She felt down since not only was there no treasure, but the place had already been thoroughly examined by others.
Jilk was the same.
“I had my hopes up since I heard there were some historic ruins belonging to elves, but there’s nothing here.”
Greg seemed to have given up on the possibility of treasure.
“Did you really think that we would find ruins with treasure so easily? It’s fun because of the chances of finding nothing. Though, it’s also quite novel for us to go this far and still find nothing.”
Surprisingly, Hertrude also seemed disappointed. ──Had she actually been looking forward to this?
“Oh? Did you actually get your hopes up?”
“I did. Something wrong with that?”
Since she answered me, I continued conversing with her.
“Not that it’s bad, but I do find it surprising.”
“The principality can be traced back to being the kingdom’s territory. Like you people, we also admire adventurers.”
So why in the world is the situation for marriage-searching so different there?
“So when you heard about the ruins, you wanted to venture into them?”
“Despite how things may look, I do hold such views. After all──such opportunities are rare.”
Well, isn’t that cute?
Hertrude, who averted her gaze while seeming embarrassed, looked like a girl her age.
“All you had to do was say it honestly.”
“──Detestable.”
I watched Hertrude depart and turned towards the most depressed person in the vicinity, Marie. She was so down that it was pitiable.
“──I don’t want to do this anymore. It can’t be like this.”
Jilk comforted Marie while she was in such a state.
“It’ll be alright. We can search for a different set of ruins and go on an adventure together with his Highness and the others.”
──There was a bit of a misunderstanding there.
Marie didn’t want to go an adventure, she just wanted treasure.
Evident of that, she made a complicated face after hearing Jilk’s words.
“R, right.”
Perhaps leaving Livia, who was absorbed in the historical ruins, to her own devices, Anjie came over to my side.
“Leon, what should we do now? Should we withdraw at this rate? It seems like the village chief here with us is bothered as well.”
Taking a look, I saw the figure of the village chief watching over us from the entrance of the ruins.
He gave me a particularly cold gaze.
“He’s looking down on me. Quite the annoying guy.”
I want to knock him off his feet right now.
I don’t know if the demon lord is long gone or whatever, but I’d love to ask them to strike the hammer of judgement down on that guy.
Though, that may not be possible since the demon lord doesn’t exist.
The village chief called out to us.
“Have you had enough? There’s nothing worth seeing in these ruins.”
──All things considered, something’s off.
Within my fuzzy memories of the game, these historical ruins should definitely have──
“We can’t give up! My debt’s increasing as we speak! I──I absolutely won’t give up! I hate a life of debt!”
Marie recklessly ran towards the depths of the ruins alone.
Anjie seemed angry at Marie, who acted out of line.
“Moving around alone as she pleases──what a troublesome person.” With Luxon beside me, I readied my rifle and went ahead to bring back Marie. “Luxon, follow me. Anjie, stay here with everyone. I’ll be back in a moment.” “It’s hard being a commander, isn’t it?” “You’re still a student. Don’t push yourself. I’ll be back soon.”‘ Livia was worried about me, but… “Leon, please don’t do anything rash. U, um──” Did she think I was going to do something with Marie? ──Well, she’s right. After telling Jilk and Greg to stay put despite wanting to come along, I chased after Marie. ──An opportunity has arrived. Now I’ll be alone with Marie. ──Finally, we can have a talk between fellow reincarnators.
◇
The depths of the ruins were dark. With her lantern placed on the floor, Marie looked for something. “Not here. Not here! There’s no entrance to the underground layer!”
Luxon’s eye, serving as a light, shined on Marie, surprising her. Marie turned around and stood with her back against the wall as if she were a cornered criminal.
I had my rifle ready while speaking to Marie.
“You’re alone at last. Even in the airship, I didn’t have the chance to talk with you, and that caused me some trouble. With this, we can have a leisurely chat.”
As Marie trembled, she tried to pick up a handgun she brought for self- defense.
“Freeze. Any movements and I’ll pull the trigger.”
“I, if you kill me, you’ll become a big criminal! I’m a saint!”
“You’re just a fake who took the position of the saint from Livia though.
Now then, how about we hear what you have to say for yourself? What do you plan on doing from now on?”
I wanted to know what reason she had for the risky deed of stealing Livia’s position as the saint.
“Huh? What do you mean? Tell me what it is that you want to hear from me.”
However, Marie acted bold, even in this situation.
I really want to shoot her. I wonder if just one shot would be fine.
“In that case, I’ll ask you some questions one by one, and you’ll make sure to answer me. Are you a reincarnator?”
“Yes. I am. If you’re asking whether I have memories of my previous life, then that’s correct. It seems like you’re one too.”
“Are you aware of this world being the same as ‘that’ otome game?” “What about it?” She’s not denying it. Marie indeed knows about this world being the same as an otome game, that otome game. “If so, why did you take Livia’s position as the saint? When there’s a war with the principality──”
Marie laughed and answered before I could finish my question.
“Aren’t you an idiot? You think I can’t do what that girl can? I can use healing magic. I have plenty of talent for being a saint. Besides, the temple and saint items all recognize me.”
That’s weird. Leaving the temple aside, I didn’t think that the saint items would recognize Marie.
“So it’s alright to expose you if you turn out to be fake.”
“Try it out for yourself. No matter how much of a racket you make, it won’t change the fact that I’m the saint. Too bad for you.”
──Indeed, even if I kick up a fuss about it, nobody would listen to me. What an irritating person.
Luxon suggested something to me.
[There is a discrepancy when comparing this to your information, Master. It’s advisable to mutually share information.]
Marie was a little bewildered.
“What? What are you trying to say? Let me say this, I’ve seen that otome
game’s sce──”
Before Marie could finish speaking, we felt a rumble as the floor dropped out.
“Wha?!”
“Aaaaah!”
◇
Anjie, who stood at the entrance to the ruins, looked at a restless Jilk and Greg.
“The both of you, calm down. Let’s leave it to Leon.”
Deep down, Anjie couldn’t tolerate Leon having to take care of Marie.
(Even on the airship, Marie seemed to be on Leon’s mind, but──could it be?)
Jilk’s gaze sharpened.
“That’s why I’m worried. He’s alone with Marie. Can you say with certainty that no mishap will happen?”
While staring at the ruins, Greg also spoke.
“Aren’t they taking a little too long? Let’s go find them. I’m worried about whether or not Baltfault will do anything strange. Since he might have a hunch that Marie isn’t a woman yet, and since she’s so cute──”
Hearing about Leon’s interest in Marie, Anjie got flustered in a different manner from usual.
“D, don’t say such foolish things! Leon is different from you people!”
“How are we different? He’s the same as us, a guy. Furthermore, Marie is a great woman. It’s impossible for any mishap not to happen.”
“It wouldn’t be strange for any boy in that situation to make a move. No wait, maybe this was his aim?!”
In response to the two’s opinions, Anjie felt more worked up than usual.
“Don’t lump Leon in with the likes of you!”
“I don’t want to be likened to him either! Besides, Viscount Baltfault was trying to approach Marie on the airship. I know that since I was beside her as an escort!”
Anjie’s face turned red in response to Jilk’s objection.
“Leon loathes Marie. You all should know that! Livia, say something too.
There’s no way Leon would lay his hand on Marie.”
However, unlike the agitated Anjie, Livia went a bit pale.
“U, um, I only noticed it now, but──why was Leon carrying a rifle? It’s not necessary since monsters won’t appear in these ruins, right?”
Anjie’s, Jilk’s, and Greg’s eyes widened.
Leon, who usually kept a distance from Marie, was now trying to approach her.
Furthermore, Leon refused to let other people come along as he searched for Marie while carrying the unneeded rifle.
The three went pale as they imagined the scene of Leon shooting Marie to death.
“My fair Marie!” “Marie!” Jilk and Greg rushed into the ruins. Anjie and Livia chased after them. “W, wait! Even he wouldn’t go that far!” “Right! He’d only use it to threaten someone at most!” The four left the vicinity, leaving Hertrude, Kyle, and the village chief.
◇
Marie had a dream. A dream about her fondly remembered past life. The summer sun was strong and it was humid. During the evening, her surroundings were dyed orange, making for both a nostalgic and sad scene.
Marie remembered the heat of that day.
(Oh, right. This was also a thing.)
A girl stumbled, crying over her scraped knees.
‘Brother, carry me on your back.’
The one she asked help from was her older brother.
Though she recalled that her brother ticked her off──she strangely
couldn’t remember his face.
Even though the two were in front of her, their faces were a blur.
‘If it’s that small of an injury, you can walk by yourself. Carrying you will make my back heat up, so no thanks. Besides, you’re heavy.’
(I am not heavy! This guy really infuriates me! I have a very slender figure!)
Even in that point of time──she was cute in her previous life.
She was aware of it in that life as well. That was why she looked up in confusion at her brother’s reply.
In her surprise, she stopped her fake tears.
‘Huh?’
‘See, you were pretending to cry. I hate how you fake things like that.
You won’t fool me.’
In the vacant street, her previous self gasped.
By this time, she knew that she was cuter than the girls around her.
Understanding that people around her would do anything she asked for, she tried to order the boy, her older brother, around.
‘M, my knees hurt.’
‘The pain is proof that you’re still living. Good.’
‘I, I want you to carry me. I can’t get home.’
‘Oh really? Then stay here. And if you don’t like that, then walk, nitwit
sister.’
‘──Stupid brother!’
“I’m fine with being stupid! I’d rather choose to be stupid than do what you tell me to!’
Seeing her older brother say that with a smile, Marie thought about something.
(This guy really is the worst. Remembering him now, he’s the number one──no, number three most heartless guy.)
Number one belonged to the man who abandoned her and her child.
Number two belonged to a leech who associated with her.
After those people was Marie’s older brother.
Marie then tried to recall what happened after this incident.
(Huh? What happened to me after that?)
◇
She slowly came to her senses.
Her surroundings were dusty and she heard the sound of a gunshot.
Shells dropped to the floor and there was a metallic sound.
As she lifted her head, there stood Leon with his back facing her.
His voice seemed to carry an air of tension, perhaps due to a sense of urgency.
“Next!”
[An unidentified creature crawling along the ceiling is approaching. Master, be cautious about your remaining bullets. Furthermore, these things aren’t monsters.]
“It sucks that they won’t disappear when I kill them.”
Leon readied the rifle and pulled the trigger, creating the sound of a gunshot as a bullet pierced through the head of a mysterious creature appearing from the darkness.
The creature dropped from the ceiling and spasmed on the floor.
Marie jumped and tried to get up, but──
“Aah! O, ouch!”
She couldn’t stand up, perhaps from an ankle injury.
Leon maintained the same stance, only his voice reaching Marie.
He was cautious of approaching enemies and couldn’t turn his head around.
“Are you awake? Luxon will tell you the situation.”
“Huh? What?”
[The floor of the ruins collapsed and we fell down underground. While you were unconscious, Master has been killing unidentified creatures coming out of the passage.]
“What do you mean by unidentified creatures?!”
Marie, who wondered if they were different beings from monsters, looked
at the creature from just now.
Its limbs were different from those of humans, but its torso and head looked the same.
Seeing what seemed like a reptile taking a human form, Marie screamed.
“Aaaaaah!”
However, as for Leon and Luxon──
“You’re distracting me, so shut up. Damn it, is it hopeless unless I get this useless charm to do something? If it were Livia or Anjie, I would have been determined and serious about defending them.”
[Screaming won’t change the situation. Be still.]
“Huh? But, my leg──”
[As the saint, your specialty is healing magic, right? Heal yourself. Ah,
Master, the next one’s coming.]
──Both took a very cold attitude.
Marie thought to herself.
(These guys are like my older brother, aren’t they?! Now I’m really pissed!)
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