Elves

While we were clearing out a beehive in the forest, some elves showed up.

I panicked when they attacked us out of nowhere, but it seemed Bell had managed to settle things.

What a dependable mother.

Standing before me was a handsome person taller than I was, though I couldn't tell whether they were male or female.

They had glittering blond hair, long, wire-thin legs, and wore a sleeveless green outfit resembling a Chinese dress—and, just like the elves I knew so well, their ears were long and pointed.

Someone this handsome must be extremely popular, with life set to easy mode.

This was no time to let my middle-aged-man complexes run wild.

They had a slender sword and a knife at their waist, and since arrows had been fired at us, he might have brought a bow as well.

I stepped out through the door and walked up to the elf to negotiate.

"I am Kenichi Hamada, a frontier count of the Kingdom of Kadan. I bear you no ill will."

"A noble of the kingdom? You can understand our language? Setting that aside, you have some nerve saying that after firing a powerful spell at us out of nowhere."

The voice was deep, clear, and carried well—definitely a man's voice.

Judging by what he said, my voice through the megaphone apparently had not reached them.

"You were the ones who shot arrows at us first, though."

"Because you trespassed on our territory."

"Sorry about that. I never imagined there would be elves here."

As we traded barbed words, Bell suddenly grew angry.

She opened her huge mouth and bared her sharp white fangs.

"Shaah!"

"Whoa, sorry, Mother."

Bell almost never got angry, so I was secretly rather frightened.

"Hm..."

Bell's roar quieted the elf as well.

"We can understand each other because I have this ring."

I showed him the ring I had borrowed from Akira.

"Hm... That means you are already in contact with another tribe...?"

Apparently, you had to be on very good terms with someone before they would give you an item like this.

I hadn't been given it, though, so this was technically cheating.

"The area around the lake became my territory, so I was only surveying the surroundings. I have no intention of doing anything to elven land."

"The area around the lake should have been a viscount's territory since ancient times..."

"It was ceded recently and became Hamada Frontier Territory. Former royalty also live in my village."

"Hmm..."

The elf seemed to be thinking about something, occasionally glancing at the container house behind me.

He looked very young, but I had heard that elves in this world lived long lives, so he was probably much older than I was.

"What is that iron box behind you? Where did you bring something like that from?"

"I have an Item Box. This is our room, which we use in place of a tent."

"You have an Item Box? Hmm..."

He seemed extremely interested in the container house. What a curious fellow.

"Would you like to look inside?"

I opened the door and showed the elf the room. When he came closer, he smelled like grass.

"It really is a room. Hm—there are beastfolk too?"

"Yes. They are my precious family."

"You mean something this large can fit inside an Item Box?"

"Of course."

I had everyone inside the room come out for a moment, then stored the container house.

"Kenichi..."

Lilith and Anemone looked worried.

The translation ring's effect did not reach them, so they probably could not understand the conversation.

"It's all right. Don't worry—Store!"

"Oh! Something so enormous can fit inside? Incredible!"

"I only recently became a noble. Originally, I was a merchant who used this Item Box."

"A merchant? You rose up from being a merchant?"

"That's right. The Item Box is also full of merchandise, so if there is anything you want, I can arrange it for you."

"Even if you are a merchant, an ordinary human shouldn't possess one..."

By ordinary human, he meant a normal person—in other words, a human. Apparently, elves did not consider themselves human.

"Well, just tell me what you need. I might not have the exact item, but I may have something that can substitute for it."

"In that case, I will mention it without getting my hopes up. There is something called 'Cheche' that is essential to supporting our diet..."

Cheche? Ah, I had heard about that from Akira. It was apparently some kind of health food the elves treasured.

In other words—it was cacao.

I bought cacao powder and cacao nibs from Shangri-La and presented them to the elves.

There was brown powder in a plastic bag, though Akira had said the cacao in this world was red, if I remembered correctly.

"The variety may be a little different, but I think this is similar."

"Wh-what is this?!"

The elf took a knife from his waist and cut open the plastic bag.

He scooped up some of the spilled brown powder and gave it a quick lick.

"The color is different, but this is definitely Cheche!"

"The variety is probably different, but someone who had drunk elven Cheche told me that it was the same thing despite the difference in color, so it should be usable."

"Hmm... And what is this transparent bag?"

"I created it with magic. Think of it as something similar to an insect wing."

"Incredible..."

The male elf carried the plastic bag over to his companions, and they began forming a circle where we had destroyed the beehive.

Illuminated by the LED lantern I had left behind, the elves' figures emerged from the darkness.

A fairy circle—it looked like a gathering of forest fairies, though they were probably discussing what to do.

Once their discussion ended, the elf from before came over to me.

"We would like to welcome you to our village and have you speak with our chief."

"I don't mind. Can my family come too? I can't leave them here."

"Very well."

I spoke with my family. They could not hear my conversation with the elf, after all.

"We are going to the elven settlement. They said you can come too, so let's go together."

"Really? Those reclusive elves are inviting us in? Honey, what kind of magic did you use?" "Nyaa?"

"They seem to want chocolate."

"Huh? They want chocolate?"

Anemone looked somewhat surprised by my words.

"I did hear that elves ate something similar to chocolate, but..."

"That's right, Lilith. Maybe they lost access to it for some reason."

"Oh? Are you planning to take advantage of that?"

Lilith wore a wicked smile, though of course I had no intention of doing anything like that.

"That makes me sound terrible."

"More importantly, Kenichi! You can speak the elves' language too?"

"Yeah, honey. I was surprised myself."

"Well, I would like to say yes, but it's thanks to this magic tool."

I showed everyone the translation ring on my finger.

"When you wear that ring, you can understand elven language?"

"Yes. I borrowed it from Akira, and apparently it lets me understand not only elves but wild dwarves as well."

"Then you could speak with beastfolk tribes that can't speak the common tongue, nya."

Myaaree had come up with something interesting.

"Beastfolk who don't live in towns can't communicate in the common tongue?"

"Right. Tribes living deep in the true forests speak the beastfolk language."

Oh, I see. The language we usually spoke was apparently called the common tongue.

I took everyone over to the elves.

"This is Lilith, my principal wife. This is Anemone, our Grand Mage. The beastfolk are Myaaree and Nyamena."

"A noble traveling with beastfolk? You're a strange one for a human."

"You even brought your principal wife this deep into the forest?"

The elves spoke one after another without holding back. They were all long-eared and handsome, but they were surprisingly forward.

Their heights varied, but they all wore something resembling green Chinese clothing.

Apparently, this was their traditional dress. If they had shown a little more cleavage, I might have mistaken some of them for women.

They sounded masculine when they spoke, but there were women with husky voices too.

"They say that sharing life and death together is also a wife's duty."

"Hmm. I get the impression that noble ladies usually spend their days indulging themselves in their mansions."

"Did that child use Explosion?"

Surrounded by the tall, handsome elf men, Anemone was visibly intimidated.

"She's our Grand Mage."

"Oh, my apologies. Ha ha ha."

"Kenichi, what are they saying?"

Anemone could not understand the elves' language, after all.

"They said it's amazing that you can use Explosion at such a young age."

"Yeah!"

Anemone was delighted, but there was no way I could translate what they had actually said word for word.

"What about Lilith? Is this your first time meeting elves?"

"Of course. Elves rarely show themselves unless they are exceptionally eccentric."

I collected the LED lanterns I had left scattered around.

They were cheap and ran on batteries, so they were convenient.

As I stored the lanterns in my Item Box, an elf with short hair and a somewhat boyish appearance spoke to me.

"What kind of light makes that shine?"

"It is a magic tool, but it uses a special kind of magic power, so only I can use it. I cannot explain the details."

"Hmm. I suppose you couldn't give me one even if I asked."

"It runs out of magic power quickly and stops shining, and only I can recharge it."

"I see... Still, I never expected you to have a Forest Cat with you..."

"She is my main wife."

"Nyaa."

The elves looked at me as though I had just said, What?!

Apparently that had not been a very good joke, but I had no intention of denying it.

Bell looked smug too.

"I understand that you have that sort of taste... Anyway, there should have been a nest of Killer Hornets here, shouldn't there?"

They had misunderstood me a little, but it seemed the elves had known there was a beehive here too.

"We destroyed it. The bees and larvae are inside my Item Box."

When I took an adult bee out of my Item Box, the elves jumped in surprise.

"Whoa! You're serious?"

Another elf stepped in from the side and began negotiating with me.

He had long hair and slightly drooping eyes. I had assumed all handsome people had the same stamped-out face, but apparently they had individual features too.

A surgically manufactured handsome face could never manage that.

"Would you be willing to give us the larvae and eggs...?"

"Do elves eat that sort of thing too? If so, I don't mind—but I heated them with magic, so they may be partially cooked."

"That is fine."

The handsome elf spread his hands slightly.

"Then it's settled. Once we reach your settlement, I will take them out of my Item Box."

"Hmm. An Item Box certainly is a convenient thing..."

"Are there no elves with Item Boxes?"

"Not in our settlement. They would be convenient to have, though."

We decided to head for the elven settlement. Apparently, it was about three or four kilometers away, beside a small lake.

Judging by what they said, the river we had traveled down must have pooled in a depression and become a lake.

"That's a bit of a distance..."

"Boss, should we carry you?"

It was the beastfolk's suggestion, but looking around, I saw that we were in a forest surrounded by tall trees, with little undergrowth.

I decided to ask the elves a question.

"Is the land flat all the way from here to the settlement?"

"Yes."

I pointed toward the river.

"Do you know where the river flowing over there leads?"

"You mean what lies downstream?"

"That's right."

"It enters the great wetlands and flows into a large river."

The large river was probably the Anis River, which flowed from the royal capital.

So the lake and the Anis River really were connected. That explained why there were fish here.

A detailed survey was impossible, but simply learning where the river led was worthwhile.

I had solved one mystery, but walking all the way there was going to be a little difficult.

Fortunately, the ground appeared flat, and there was a decent amount of space between the trees.

I decided we could drive there and took the La○kuru out of my Item Box.

"All right! La○kuru, come on out!"

A white SUV dropped into the forest.

"Everyone, get in! Walking there sounds like too much work, so let's take this."

"Yay!"

"Indeed, that would be best."

It was no distance at all for the beastfolk, and Anemone was fine too, but it would be physically taxing for Lilith, a member of the royal family.

"Nyaa."

Bell and the beastfolk climbed into the car as well.

Once everyone was inside the La○kuru, I started the engine and turned on the headlights.

Brilliant white light cut through the forest, illuminating the darkness.

"W-what is that?!" "Whoa?!"

The elves were startled and gathered around the La○kuru, so I rolled down the window and explained.

"It is my loyal servant, an iron summoned beast."

"Iron?" "Is that really true?"

The elves began kicking the La○kuru's body without hesitation.

"Hey, stop that!"

I leaned on the horn with all my might.

"Whoaah! It got angry!"

Startled by the loud sound, the elves fell on their backs and hid in the darkness.

They were very different from the image of elves I had always had in my mind... Was this what real elves were like?

The body was a little dented, but using it in another world like this, dents were inevitable.

"Hey! Whatever, just lead us to the elven settlement."

The elves slowly emerged from the darkness at my words and began walking in front of the La○kuru, so I followed them.

We were moving almost entirely on the creep function of the automatic transmission. The ground was not rough, so there was no need for differential lock.

The short-haired elf came over to the driver's side.

"Hey, this thing is moving without a horse, but is it really alive?"

"Yes."

"Are you a mage too?"

"I suppose I am, in a way, but I'm a little unusual."

Nyamena stuck her face out the window and interrupted my conversation with the elf.

"This boss defeated cave spiders, then a Lesser Dragon, and even a wyvern!"

"That's right, nya!"

Since they could not understand her, I translated for her.

"A Lesser Dragon? A wyvern? Really?!"

"It's true. I still have some Lesser Dragon and wyvern meat left. Want to try some?"

"We don't eat much meat."

I see. Apparently, they did eat insects, though. Insects seemed to be an important source of protein for them.

A huge Killer Hornet like that would certainly be filling, but...

We continued through the forest and reached what seemed to be the elven settlement, where campfires were burning.

We stopped for a moment before the settlement.

"I am going to speak with the chief, so please wait here."

"Understood."

Everyone got out of the car, and I stored the La○kuru in my Item Box.

Since it was pitch-black, I took out an LED lantern and turned it on.

"Wow, we actually made it to an elven settlement." "I can't believe it, nya."

"Do you rarely encounter them in the forest?"

"We see them, but no one goes near them."

"That's right, nya."

"Some people have been captured by them for disturbing the forest and never came back..."

They were a surprisingly dangerous race. They could use swords and bows, and probably magic too.

Their combat abilities must have been high.

While I was talking with my family, an elf came to summon us.

"The chief will see you now."

"Can my family enter the settlement too?"

"Of course."

We all entered the clearing, where a fire burned in the center and bathed everything in orange light.

Around the clearing stood rows of crude huts made from long grasses resembling thatch.

They all looked handmade.

"Good evening~"

There were about thirty elves. All the ones who had come to us were men, but there were women here too.

I see. When the men and women stood together, it was easy to tell which were women.

They had a bit more of a bust, and their clothing was designed differently from the men's, so it was obvious.

The women wore clothes that opened at the center of the chest.

Naturally, they all had blond hair and long ears, and every one of them was beautiful or handsome.

They wore their clothes directly against their skin, so everyone's legs were bare.

"Eek! A human! I haven't seen one in ages!" "And there's a little child!"

"How cute~"

I could hear the women's conversation, but my family could not understand any of it.

They led me to the largest house, which was also made of grass.

I left my family waiting at the entrance, lifted the mat-like cloth hanging over the doorway, and entered.

Unlike the orange light outside, the interior was filled with blue light.

There was an uneven plank floor, with grass walls and a grass ceiling. At the back, on a raised platform, a man sat cross-legged.

He was a long-haired male elf wearing blue Chinese-style clothing with a shoulder garment over it.

Since he was sitting cross-legged, his bare legs showed beneath his clothing. A man's bare legs were nothing interesting, but when he was this handsome, they had an undeniable charm.

He had the imposing presence of a massive stone. He was probably quite old, and his air was fitting for someone called the chief.

A man and a woman who appeared to be his attendants stood beside him. Or perhaps they were his family?

"It is a pleasure to meet you. I am Kenichi Hamada, frontier count of Hamada Territory in the Kingdom of Kadan. I hope we can become acquainted."

"I am Mesara, chief of this settlement. It is a pleasure to meet you."

I got straight to the matter of trade. If I earned their goodwill here, perhaps I could build friendly relations with the elves of this settlement.

"Misera tells me that you are willing to sell us the Cheche you possess, but we have no currency from the kingdom."

Misera was the male elf who had first negotiated with me.

"I would be delighted if this allowed us to build friendly relations with the elves. Money can come later."

I took cacao powder and cacao nibs out of my Item Box.

"I am told these are a different variety from what you use, but I believe they are of sufficient quality to be useful."

When I handed the goods to them, the elves beside the chief began examining the brown powder.

"Th-this is definitely Cheche!"

From their conversation, I learned that the Cheche trees throughout this area had withered because of some kind of abnormality.

"If the trees withered, there is a good chance it was caused by pests or disease."

"Exactly. It was damage caused by pests, but by the time we realized it, many of the trees were already beyond saving."

"You elves can use magic, can't you? What if you planted Cheche seeds in the ground and grew new trees...?"

A woman standing beside the chief answered my question.

"We never thought the trees would wither, so we ground all the seeds into powder..."

Well, that was only natural. They had always grown wild, so they had never thought to cultivate them.

"In that case, I have something like this too."

I bought some cacao pods again from Shangri-La; I had purchased them before.

A male elf let out a cry when he saw them.

"What magnificent Cheche pods!"

"Plant them and grow trees. They are probably a different variety from the ones that grew here before, but eventually the other trees should recover too."

The chief grunted as he examined the cacao pods.

"We are deeply grateful, but we have nothing to offer in return."

"As I said earlier, if this lets me build friendly relations with the elves, I am happy to provide it free of charge."

"No—that would put us in debt to a human, which goes against our doctrine."

So they considered it wrong to owe another race a debt. I could understand the sentiment, though.

"Chief, in that case, allow me to offer this body of mine..."

The speaker was an elf woman with beautiful, long, straight hair.

She wore the same blue Chinese-style clothing as everyone else, but the sides were open, nearly revealing the sides of her breasts.

I was curious what she meant by using her body, but I really could have done without adding another woman to the family.

"In that case, could you make another ring like this one?"

I showed them the translation ring on my finger.

"We can make one, but..."

"The truth is, this ring is borrowed. If you can make another one like it, I would like you to do so. We can consider that payment."

"Are you certain that is acceptable?"

"Of course. Also, is there anything else you want? Salt? Flour?"

"We would certainly like those, but..."

They probably did not want to incur any more debt.

According to the chief, making the ring would take a full day, so we would stay in the settlement during that time.

Once our discussion ended, I entrusted the chief with a large amount of cacao and left the house.

As soon as I stepped outside, Bell came flying over and hid behind me.

"Bell, what's wrong?"

"Come on~ Let us pet you some more~"

I found myself surrounded by blond, long-eared elf women.

The grass smell grew even stronger with them gathered around me, and my eyes began to sting.

It was more like camphor than grass. Camphor was a plant-derived substance too, if I remembered correctly.

"Shaah!"

Judging from Bell growling behind me, she had apparently been petted relentlessly and fled from the elves.

"All right, all right! Stop it! She obviously doesn't like it."

"Oh, you're so stingy!"

The elf women all seemed far older than I was, but they showed none of the composure I would have expected.

They felt like ordinary women.

My family came over, but Anemone was also being pestered by the elves.

"Kenichi~ Help me."

Anemone ran over and hugged me.

"Hey, hey, that robe is made from cave-spider silk, isn't it?"

The elves seemed interested in the blue robe Anemone was wearing.

"It is, but we used all the spider silk, so we don't have any left."

"Aww~"

As the disappointed elves moved away, Lilith came over in their place.

"Kenichi, have you finished your business?"

"Yes. We are going to stay for one or two days."

"Oh, staying in an elven settlement is certainly something I can boast about to my grandchildren."

She was talking about grandchildren despite not even having children.

"Kenichi... I'm sleepy..."

Anemone rubbed her eyes. It was indeed around the time she usually went to sleep.

I negotiated with the elves.

"Sorry, but could we use the corner of the clearing?"

"I don't mind, but what are you going to do?"

"Bring out our house."

I took the container house out of my Item Box.

"Whoa!"

The elves were startled when the black box appeared from midair and landed with a ground-shaking thud.

"So this is an Item Box..."

"What is this iron box?!"

The elves were intensely curious about the container house.

"This is an iron box that we use as a house when we travel."

The elves peered into the room without the slightest restraint.

"Oh! There's a proper room inside!"

"Amazing! There are beautiful beds!"

They really had no sense of restraint.

"I am sorry, but we are exhausted from traveling and fighting. Could you let us sleep?"

I brought my family inside first, then answered the questions the elves kept asking.

Cultural exchange couldn't be helped, but this was getting exhausting.