Chapter 214
The hut was sealed shut completely, since it seemed even more people were about to fall. Torchlight alone was too dim, so I lit the place with 【Light Magic】, and—
"Hmm... So you, an undergrounder, possess a Gift, do you?"
the chieftain asked.
"That's right. Also, I'm not an undergrounder."
"I see. Your skin is yellowish."
"Actually..."
I had lost count of how many times people had commented on my yellow skin, so I simply ignored it and explained everything that had happened to us.
Apparently, Elves and High Elves had gone extinct in this world, which was why they readily accepted the phrase 'another world.'
"How did you know Asha was a High Elf rather than an Elf just by looking at her?"
"You can tell by looking."
"Well, yes, but..."
"No matter how you look at her, she is clearly a High Elf-sama."
Were these people bad at communicating, too? Dragonkin, undergrounders, and Dark Elves—somehow, there sure were a lot of races that weren't very good at communicating.
"Then let me change the question: Why do you prostrate yourselves before a High Elf?"
This question received a proper answer.
For hundreds, even thousands, of years, the Elves had been divided into various races.
The common forest-dwelling Elves.
The Dark Elves, adept at moving at night and blessed with physical prowess.
The Wood Elves, who lived in harmony with trees and spent their entire lives in the treetops.
The Flower Elves, who instead lived in harmony with the earth.
The Fairies, who had become spirits.
And the High Elves, who ruled over all Elves.
"Under High Elf-sama's rule, the Elves who lived in and protected the forest never lost to invading enemies. But as time passed, the other races were wiped out one after another, and monster incursions grew more intense. When things began to turn against us, we grew suspicious of one another. Even within the forest, conflict between the races deepened... We Dark Elves argued that we should go out and repel the monsters. They opposed us, so in the end, we acted alone."
"You undertook a monster hunt as a race by yourselves?"
"Indeed. In that era, there were monsters known as the eight Giant Species, and one of them was drawing near. We defeated it. But the cost was great, and the number of Dark Elves was drastically reduced... And above all, when we returned to the Elven forest after our long battle, we found that the forest, its defenders depleted, had been destroyed by the monster invasion."
Beside me, Asha drew in a sharp breath.
They had chosen to fight for their race, only to have their race destroyed while they were away...
"I hear High Elf-sama urged us to abandon the forest and retreat until the very end, saying that we should seek a new land. But no matter how bitter the divisions became, our ancestors could not bring themselves to abandon the forest where the Elves lived. Perhaps they dreamed of the days when we had stood united..."
The chieftain put both hands on the floor once more and bowed his head. His forehead, too, was pressed against the floor.
"High Elf-sama. To us, you are sacred and inviolable. This time, we will not make the same mistake. Please, please guide us Dark Elves."
Asha needed time to think, while the Dark Elves needed time to grow accustomed to having a High Elf among them—and time to learn not to fall from the trees.
Asha and I were allowed to remain in the chieftain's house, with only the door left slightly ajar. Dark Elves would peek inside, say "cluck-cluck-cluck," and collapse, only for the next Dark Elf to come along and say "cluck" before repeating the process. They were absurdly frantic.
"...What should we do, Reiji-san?"
Asha and I were both concerned about what was happening outside the door, but worrying about it wouldn't get us anywhere, so we decided to ignore it for the time being.
"I never expected things to turn out like this, either, so I'm at a loss. They seem to think Asha is a god."
"A god...? That's a problem."
"I suppose it is."
Even if a stranger attacked me shouting, 'I've been waiting a hundred years for this!' it would be troublesome, but having someone bow to me and say, 'You are our king!' would be just as troublesome.
"If we happened to find a way back to the 'surface world,' they would probably want to come with us..."
"What should we do?"
"Well, we might as well let them come with us."
"It's not that simple..."
"Actually, maybe it is that simple."
We were looking for a way to return to the 'surface world.' Once we found it, we intended to return together with everyone from the Lef.
That way, both the 'surface world' and the 'hidden world' would return to how they were before.
"We can take the Dark Elves, the undergrounders, and the Dragonkin all to the 'surface world.' If they remain in this world, they could be wiped out at any time."
Asha blinked at my proposal.
"But..."
She began to say something, then closed her mouth. She didn't seem able to organize her thoughts.
"You don't have to take responsibility for this, Asha. The undergrounders and Dragonkin might hear our proposal and refuse. That's fine. If the Dark Elves want to come with us, that's their responsibility too. —Nock-san."
When I called out, Nock-san's eyes suddenly appeared through the slightly open door.
"Did you call?"
"You want to follow Asha—that is, Anastasia, the High Elf here—don't you?"
"Of course. If we may, we would gladly offer our lives."
That's a bit much... It wasn't like I wanted to hear something that extreme. Asha had gone stiff, too.
"But that desire is yours, isn't it? You're not forcing Asha to accept it, right?"
"Of course. We worship High Elf-sama of our own accord, and wish to act for High Elf-sama's sake."
"Even if Asha crosses over to 'another world'?"
"Of course. ...Actually, you've been calling High Elf-sama by name, without an honorific, haven't you? Who do you think you are?"
This time, he was picking a fight with me. They were far too much trouble to deal with.
"Asha, for now, let's look for La-Fitza's trail. You can take your time thinking it over while we do that."
"Y-yes... You're right."
Asha stood up and opened the door.
"I am Anastasia. I am of the High Elf royal family. You may look up to me, b-but I will not tolerate any disrespect toward Reiji-san here."
They stared wide-eyed when Asha emerged, then turned their bulging eyes toward me.
"High Elf-sama. What manner of person is Reiji, this yellow undergrounder?"
"Reiji-san is... s-someone precious to me!"
When Asha raised her voice, silence descended over the treetops, and the only sound was the chirping of birds.
Small fireballs popped around Asha.
"Er... I think there was a slight slip of the tongue. In other words, I am the one who protects Asha with the utmost care. That is, her bodyguard. Is that clear?"
When I filled in the explanation, the Dark Elves nodded in understanding. "Ah, I see." "So that's what you mean."
But Asha alone had clouded eyes and a face like a corpse.
Hmm? Why was that?