Chapter 180
I was shown to a separate room, where I listened to Schoene, the innkeeper and apparently Nonna's granddaughter.
Apparently, Airena and the elf caravan were involved in how this inn came to be larger than before.
The elf caravan apparently visited Janpemon just around the time I set out for the eastern part of the continent.
That's right, they had come to deliver the letter I had written to Nonna.
When they did, the elf caravan apparently designated this inn as its place to stay.
Ah, whenever the caravan visited a town, it stayed at some inn or another, so there was nothing unusual about the caravan using an inn itself.
But when the elf caravan visited Janpemon, it lobbied the town's lord to let it stay at this inn every time.
Presumably, that was Airena's decision.
The elf caravan wasn't simply traveling among human towns for trade; it also served as a point of contact between elves and humans.
Since the lord of Janpemon was also the ruler of the Duchy of Travoya, this was a request from the elves to a human nation.
In other words, it was a diplomatic matter.
As a result, the lord of Janpemon had to protect this inn.
Apparently, the inn had gotten into some trouble around that time, and Airena presumably enlisted the powerful lord as its backer in order to resolve it.
She likely thought that would protect the inn more peacefully and for the long term than resolving the trouble directly themselves.
It was a decision worthy of Airena.
As an accomplished adventurer who had met all sorts of people and even negotiated with human nations on behalf of her race, she was undoubtedly the elf most familiar with human society.
I had lived in the human world for a long time as well, but I didn't feel I could match Airena when it came to that kind of judgment and negotiating skill.
Though I did have faint memories of having lived as a human in my previous life, even so, I was nowhere near her.
If I had been there, the best I could have done would have been to crush the trouble with force, or protect the inn while waiting for time to resolve matters.
It could only be called fortunate that the elf caravan had headed for Janpemon at that time.
Of course, Airena had gone to such lengths in place of Win and me, since neither of us had been there.
The rumor spread that this was an inn favored by the elf caravan, and the novelty brought in more guests. The inn was expanded to add rooms, eventually taking on its present form.
Still, because it had already been an inn with excellent food, it was able to turn even guests who had come solely for the novelty into repeat customers, which led to its prosperity.
That was also proof that everyone had recognized the virtues of this inn, handed down from Nonna and her parents.
Come to think of it, could the guard who had been so friendly toward me have acted that way because the elf caravan had visited several times?
I don't know how far Airena thought things through when she arranged all this, but seeing the results for myself in Janpemon made me happy.
"Grandma told me so much about you and Win-kun—ah, I suppose you're both older than I am, but that's how Grandma referred to you... She said Eisa-san was someone she looked up to."
The innkeeper, Schoene, said this as she poured tea into a cup.
Ah, so that's how she had guessed my name without my introducing myself.
However, although I had told Nonna that I was a high elf, Schoene apparently didn't know that much.
The tea snack was a wheat-based pastry. When I bit into it, it had just the right crunch, and the aroma of butter worked into the dough gently spread across my palate.
It went wonderfully with the tea.
I suddenly noticed a young child's gaze fixed on me.
Schoene's daughter, Nonna's great-granddaughter... A girl called Aina, if I remembered correctly.
Maybe she was curious about an unfamiliar elf. Her fidgeting over there, as if she wanted to join the conversation, was utterly adorable.
I felt an urge to beckon her over and give her one, but then her mother would scold her afterward.
The inn still had the same unpretentious, easygoing atmosphere as in the past, but letting her develop a habit of asking guests for things wouldn't be good for her.
However, since I couldn't exactly serve the pastry I'd left untouched to another guest, it might find its way into Aina's mouth.
Therefore, I left the pastry alone and drank only tea to soothe my throat.
A wave of nostalgia passed through me.
I was glad I had come.
Before I set out for the eastern part of the continent, I hadn't had enough emotional room to accept losing people I was fond of, such as Nonna and Kaushuman.
But now, things were different.
I can't say how my state of mind changed over the dozen or so years between the person I was before leaving and the person I am now.
I felt as though I had seen and thought about many things and gained something from them, yet at the same time, I also felt that I hadn't changed much at all and was still myself.
Well, perhaps that's just how it is.
I'm sure I've moved forward by at least one step, but even that step was a small one.
A dozen or so years out of a thousand would probably amount to about that much.
What mattered now was to face once more the loss I hadn't been able to accept then, and come to terms with it.
Had I come here before setting out for the eastern part of the continent, I might have met Nonna while she was still alive, but that was simply the result of the choice I had made.
Regretting it wouldn't change anything.
When our eyes met, I smiled at her, and Aina flushed before scurrying away.
She had greeted me so brightly earlier, but now that she had calmed down, it seemed her shyness had set in.
Apparently, I'd been rejected.
I also wanted to visit Nonna's grave, so I thought I'd stay here for a week or two.
Or I might stay a little longer and do some smithing for the first time in a while.
Would Aina warm up to me in the meantime?
Just as I had with Nonna, I thought it would be wonderful if I could take her out for fruit tart.