Chapter 82: Volume 6 - CH 78

The next morning.

Satoru woke up to the presence of someone crawling out of his side. On his right side, Minerva, who had successfully completed her semen intake, was still breathing softly in her sleep. That meant there was only one culprit - Rico.

「Mmhh......Is it morning already?」

「Oh, sorry. Did I wake you up? I don't know exactly what time it is, but it's probably morning.」

「Nnmm」

Strangely enough, he's not as wide awake as usual. Satoru looked at the watch on his left arm. The hands of the watch were showing 5:50 a.m. - a little earlier than usual. Although the bed was just a wooden floor covered with a thick layer of leather, it felt more comfortable than a bad bed.

It seemed that the elf festival was over. The bustle of the festival, which had continued until quite late, was completely gone. Satoru crawled out from the floor and stretched out, being careful not to wake Minerva. He was now at the edge of the World Tree. The tree emits a faint light that is gentle on the eyes, so honestly, it is hard to tell the sense of time. It seems that there is no custom of ringing a bell every koku like in human towns.

Rico stood up and looked outside. The cool morning air stung her nose.

It was a strange village, even in this way. The size of the World Tree overwhelming all other trees. Even from where she is now, she can get a rough view of the town. However, it is completely different from the townscape that Rico knows. There are no buildings where people live. From the tops of the thick-trunked trees around the World Tree, and from the rooftops, she can see several elves coming out and starting their activities. It is quite an impressive sight to see trees of all heights as far as the eye can see.

Then, they heard a knocking sound on the wooden lid.

「Good morning, are you awake?」

「Yeah, I'm up. Just need a minute to get dressed.」

A woman's voice from outside suddenly reminded Satoru of his time in the city of Ares. It was after the battle with Minerva, when Sheryl, who had asked him about it, came into the room.

At that time, Satoru was wearing only pants. He had no qualms about being seen in his underpants, but he laughed at Sheryl's scowling. According to Leia, even in her conversation with Satoru afterward, she was thinking of Satoru's naked body in her mind, so it must be that Sheryl herself is not immune to men.

Wearing pants and shirt, but no jacket, he welcomed the woman who approached him. The woman, who was probably a little older than Reine, bowed her head in a gentle manner.

「My name is Helmera de Ruijs, daughter of Bauers the Elder. Thank you very much for your help yesterday in exterminating the demon Ingolchenes.」

「No, don't worry about it. I understand that you are happy to have those who have been troubling you for many years exterminated, but we don't want you to be too formal about it.」

As the daughter of an Elder, she has a graceful manner. Satoru bowed his head very politely to Helmera as she kneeled down and spoke to him in a very dignified manner.

The elves are not a person of character, but simply a group of seniority. Bauers is the oldest person in the village today and is in charge of the village, so he is an Elder. Even so, the reign of Bauers is quite long, and his family is respected to some extent, He recalls what Liz told him in small talk before they came here.

「I didn't do it because I wanted to be appreciated. Take it easy.」

Satoru is aware that he did what he did to welcome Reine and Liz to the World Tree Village and not for the sake of the village. Therefore, it was difficult for him to deal with the situation if he was too awed.

「All right,......, I'll bring you your meal now.」

Helmera is looking at Satoru with a dazzled look. Noticing such a gaze, Satoru shrugged as if troubled.

「...... is there something you wanna say?」

「I was thinking that you looks like the husband of the late Reine-san. It seems that Liz also opened up to you so much, and I can see why.」

Satoru gave a small smile bitterly. Both Reine and Liz had said so, so they must indeed be similar. But of course, there is no relationship between her late husband and Satoru.

「It is just someone else's likeness. I have nothing to do with the late Reine-san's husband.」

「Is that so? It is widely rumored that the late Reine-san's husband sent you here.」

Even Rico smiled bitterly. Indeed, to the elves living in this village, Satoru looks very much like a familiar person. However, the person who resembles him was called back to the forest a year ago, so it is not surprising that such rumors have been circulating.

「That is not true.」

But then Satoru wondered if there might be some connection between Reine and Liz, considering the odd relationship between the two. Satoru does not believe in the afterlife, but this is a world of magic. It would not be surprising if there were such stories. In fact, he has seen a ghostly monster called a wraith.

Helmera kept smiling at Satoru's response.

「I am relieved. Unlike the people who came the other day, they were a well-organized.」

「They were here the other day?」

「Yes, they were sent from the Academy of the Wise.」

Satoru's eyes narrowed. He know that Elder Bauers had received a letter from the High Mentor of the Academy of the Wise. They were probably the messenger who had come to deliver the letter.

Satoru is beating up a young elf in this village. Since they were struggling outside the village, they must not have reached the eyes of the common people, but since they are relatives of the Elder, they must have heard about it. Of course, that was because there was a fault on their side, but there is no substitute for the fact that they were violent. The fact is that the messenger from the Academy of the Wise did not do any better than Satoru.

「Did they cause some kind of trouble?」

「Yeah, well. they were wondering if there was a red-light district, and then my daughter - you saw her yesterday, right? She got into a bit of trouble when they approached Arne.」

Frankly speaking, the name "Academy of the Wise" does not fit the image. In Satoru's image, he imagined that a withered old man in a long robe or a researcher with round glasses would be the messenger of the Academy of the Wise. Such a person would not be so crude as to seek a woman in the place they visited as an emissary. Satoru had only caught a glimpse of a granddaughter of Bauers called Arne, but she seemed to be a beautiful and mysterious woman. I wonder if they were really horny.

「......Well, there are all kinds of people. I'm sorry about that.」

「Don't be.」

Helmera clearly took a liking to Satoru, who responded in polite manner. This human was clearly different from the messenger from the Academy of the Wise who had come here earlier. There is certainly a movement to avoid humans as barbarians, but there are also people who are concerned about us, just like Reine's late husband.

Helmera turned her face toward the aisle. She is surprised to see her father there, along with her daughter Arne, who has brought them a meal.

「......Good morning, guest」

「Ouh」

Bauers did not seem offended by Satoru's rough return and came into the room. Arne followed him in and placed a wooden plate with breakfast items, including fruit, bread, and yogurt. Perhaps attracted by the smell, Minerva slowly wakes up.

Bauers watched his granddaughter serving the meal and offered a small bag to Satoru.

「Here is your reward money. I have collected it, but to be honest, I feel it is not much considering what you have done for us. ...... Forgive us.」

According to Leia, the elves don't seem to trust money very much. In their society, mutual aid is a given when there are friends in need, so money is apparently not necessary in the first place. Because of this relationship, they trust only their own kind, and there is a strong sense of discrimination against half-elves, who can never be said to be their own kind.

「Let me see」

Satoru looked into the bag he was handed. There were about 20 gold coins, and even some silver and copper coins. The Elder must have collected them all. If converted to Japanese yen, it was a little more than one million yen - certainly not much for a reward for defeating the enemy, considering the damage done up to this point.

However, honestly, the money was merely an excuse. Satoru's objective was to protect Liz and Erine.

「I wouldn't say it was enough. If you feel sorry, repay my kindness by making sure that you protect Reine-san and Liz.」

「Very well」

Bauers bowed politely. He was also relieved that Satoru was at least partly convinced. There was a possibility that Satoru would have gone on a rampage, asking if he could be convinced by such a thing. Bauers was not familiar with human market, but normally he would be told that he was two digit short.

There was a light footsteps, and a shadow peeked out from the shadows―it was Liz. She showed a surprised face at the presence of Helmera, and Bauers, one of the most important elves in this village, and then hurriedly straightened her posture and bowed politely.

「Good morning.」

「Good morning, Liz.」

Rico smiles at Liz. Rico, who had been a little wary of her when she was at Reine's house, had been completely openen up to her for her cheerful nature. Liz has no backstory(?). This is similar to Satoru. Rico also felt comfortable with Liz because she was the closest in age to Rico'. Liz's appearance is close to Leia's apparent age, but Leia's actual age is outrageous.

Satoru also lightly waved to Liz.

「Let's go pick up your mom after breakfast.」

「No, that's not needed. I'll send a man from the village to help you.」

Satoru gave a slightly cold stare to Bauers, who made a hasty remark. Bauers stiffened a little. He knows that Satoru would not carelessly go out of control, but even so, this man's abilities are of a different dimension. It would be dangerous to put him in a bad mood.

「Unfortunately, I don't trust you guys that much. I'd feel most comfortable if I left with Liz.」

「...... I see. By nature, the guests are the heroes of this village. I would ask you to stay for a while.」

At this point Dietta has not yet been persuaded. Bauers had only told the villagers that Satoru was a hero at the time of the festival, and explained to them that he was also injured and would not be attending the festival.

Bauers has a desire to treat Satoru as a hero. If Satoru so desired, Bauers would be willing to serve as a bridge to the High Mentor of the Academy of the Wise, whom he considered a danger to High Mentor. So much for the extermination of the long-suffering demon Ingolshenes. Bauers would like to convey Satoru's heroism not only to the elves living in the vicinity of the Dark Green Forest, but also to other races scattered all over the world.

But Satoru shook his head very lightly.

「Oh, no need, no need. As I said yesterday, I don't need any honor or prestige.」

Humility may not be the same thing, but for Bauers, that too is a surprise.

Both elves and humans value honor. Dwarves are completely unconcerned about it, but they are not savages either. If he is doing so for a reason, then there is no point in trying to persuade him any further, Bauers sighed.

「More importantly. Do you know anything about the reason I came here in the first place, the whereabouts of the 【Immortal King】 Yarth?」

In response to Satoru's question, Bauers shook his head apologetically

「I also checked with the villages scattered around the country. But I could not get any solid information. I am sorry.」

『The elves seem to have their own information network and can communicate with distant tribes.』

「I see ......」

Satoru stroked his chin with a reluctant look at Leia's complement, which echoed in his brain from the shadows. He did not expect to find Yarth so easily, but even so, it was troubling that he could not even obtain the footprints of Leia's mentor, the 【Immortal King】 Yarth. I don't want to think this, but I hope he's still in this world―Satoru was horrified at the thought. If that were to happen, Satoru would be at his wit's end. Not being able to reunite with Alice would be unforgivable.

And.

「However, according to divination, he is in the southeast.」

「Divination?」

Satoru's eyes went black and white when he heard the unexpected voice of Bauers. Rico laughs and adds.

「Elves are good at divination. The longer the elves lives, the higher the accuracy rate.」

「Hee~」

「Of course, I divined it. Of all the elves in existence, I am the oldest.」

「.....how old are you?」

「It's 290」

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「......They say elves live longer, but that's amazing.」

『He is older than me.』

Satoru almost laughed at the voice coming from the shadows, and he hastily held his mouth shut.

In human terms, that would mean he was nearly 100 years old. Even so, there is no sign of blurriness in Bauers's mannerisms. He had taken the trouble to do this for Satoru himself, though he had no idea how accurate his divination was. That should give Satoru a hint.

Bauers also adds. The fact that the direction was thus indicated by divination means that at least Yarth is present in the world. "Oh," Satoru exclaimed involuntarily. It was a big surprise to find out that the doubts about whether or not he was there had been confirmed.

「I'll thank you.」

Wake Minerva from her slumber and have breakfast. Rico looked at the yogurt curiously. As she had thought when they camped with a bath in the Dalewood Canyon, she had never seen these dairy products in human society. And, also, fermented foods. The existence of the easy art of 【Preservation】 has probably prevented the development of foods made by fermentation. You can find preserved foods that are simply dried, but many of them are otherwise "Preserved"

Rico rolled her eyes when she tasted the yogurt. For those who are not used to eating yogurt, it may seem mysterious. Satoru, on the other hand, ate it without any pedantry.

Arne gave a block of cheese as a souvenir. Rico's eyes were wide open, but she accepted it gratefully. It looked like cheddar cheese. It is a common item among the elves, but among humans, it is considered a delicacy of the highest quality. Dairy products have become something of a monopoly for the elves, Liz told Satoru. Humans only drink milk from cows, goats, and other animals as is, warm it up, or add it to food.

In this sense, the basis of fresh cream is the removal of all ingredients except for milk fat, and it is not something that can be made without knowledge of dairy products. Satoru was convinced that this is why it was not found in human society.

「Ah, I don't even need a send-off or anything.」

After finishing his meal, Bauers stood up with Satoru and others who had prepared for the trip and told Bauers in a casual manner, but Bauers shook his head from side to side.

「...... That won't do. Let us at least do that. You don't want to be seen as a hero, do you? If that is the case, we cannot afford to be seen unnecessarily in the village.」

「Ahh... ...... then I guess I don't have a choice.」

Satoru wanteds to avoid all unnecessary trouble and hassle, but it would certainly be troublesome to be seen carelessly by elves who do not know the situation under the circumstances. Without any choice, Satoru decided to accept Bauers' sending off.

Bauers led Satoru along the edge of the World Tree to a less popular area.

But then again, it is not every day that a tree like this allows people to wander around inside. The circumference of the trunk must be about 20 majors (180 meters). The entire tree shines with a pale light, and its height is off the charts. The size of the tree, which would not be possible in Satoru's original world, is a reminder that he is in a different world. It is indeed a sacred tree that attracts the faith of the elves.

The eldest family lives in this World Tree, and other decisions of the village are made by gathering people in the open space at the top of the tree.

Satoru wondered why there was a place where there were few signs of people around this huge tree, but when he got down there, he was convinced. He found a large, sturdy-looking wooden door with two guards standing guard. Perhaps this door was the original entrance to the labyrinth of the World Tree.

It is said that demons sometimes crawled out from here, but that would no longer be the case from now on. To tell the truth, Satoru was getting tired of smiling so much when Helmera, who was accompanying him, repeatedly thanked him for his help.

After arriving at the entrance to the other side of the forest without being seen by other villagers, Bauers and Helmera bowed to Satoru once again.

「We're truly grateful for this matter.」

「It's okay. You're really exaggerated.」

Satoru simply returned the gesture as Liz, who was leading the way, tied a leather strap around his waist as she had done before, and wrapped it around her own waist. Like this Elder, and like Helmera, they are persistent in expressing their gratitude to him. Satoru guessed that's how much he has done for them, but to be honest, it's getting tiresome.

Bauers looked up with a small smile at Satoru's light-hearted response.

「Will you continue to travel in search of Yarth's whereabouts?」

「Yeah」

「Then please accept this at least.」

Satoru accepted it carelessly as Bauers held it out to him. It was quite large and heavy for its appearance.

「......Seeds?」

Satoru tilted his head. It looks like a huge acorn. It was the size of a softball, which was impossible for an ordinary acorn, and its brown surface was streaked with mysterious patterns.

「It is a seed of the World Tree. Yesterday, when you freed it, it held a seed for the first time in hundreds of years. If you place this seed on the soil and put magic power into it, a tree with a thick trunk will instantly grow. A tree that is large enough for several people to sleep in, either on the trunk of the tree or on top of it.」

「What?」

「It emits an odor that repels beasts, monsters, and insects, and it also produces five fruits per day. It is a nutritious fruit. One of them is enough to keep us elves alive for two or three days.」

Satoru looked at the seeds he received with dismay.

『Ohhh! That's a rare stuff! I've never seen it before!』

Satoru laughed softly as Leia's voice echoed happily from the shadows. Even for her, who is knowledgeable and knows the deepest and darkest parts of this world, this seeds seems to be incredibly valuable.

「If you remove the magic, it will return to the original seed. It will come in handy when you camp at night.」

Hee~ said Satoru, looking at the seeds. He picked it up, tossing it upwards with a flick, like a giant acorn covered in thick brown skin.

「I see. So it can be used as a tent. Well, I'll take it.」

「And this one, too.」

Bauers then held out a medal-like object from his long robe: Five green leaves, each about 5 cm long, are woven together to form a star shape, with a peach-colored flower bud the size of a one yen coin in the center. The surface of the leaves, which one would have thought were mere leaves, was shiny and hard, as if coated with a plastic coating.

「What is this?」

「It is called a five-edged leaf. If you show this to the elves, they will be willing to help you. That is the proof.」

After accepting it, Satoru showed a little bitterness.

「I didn't do it because I wanted something like this.」

「Please accept it. It's not even close to enough considering what you've done. It will not harm you, and you will not use it wrong.」

A sign of trust from the Elves, Satoru mused to himself. It is like a medal or a decoration in the modern world. Satoru had no intention of flaunting it in any case, but he had no choice but to accept it, thinking that it would be better to keep it in the back of his backpack.

「I see. I'll take it then.」

「At the very least, I wish you well on your journey from now on.」

At Bauers' words, Satoru waved his hand and left the village without looking back.

＊　＊　＊　＊　＊　＊　＊

Bauers finally took a breath as he watched the backs of the four people leave the village, with Liz leading the way, until they were out of sight. Helmera, who had seen them off together and kept her head bowed, also raised her head.

「...... He was not a bad man, despite his coarse language and his violent ways.」

「On the contraty. He is a good man with big pockets, since he only needs that money for exterminating Ingolshenes.」

When Helmera was younger, she worked with Reine as a negotiator with the outside society of the village. Although she was a little older than Reine, she and Reine got along well and became close friends.

Therefore, to a certain extent, she knew human common sense and market prices. Normally, no one would undertake the task of exterminating a demon race. Even if there were, the minimum reward would be 10,000 gold coins. The elves managed to scrape together 27 gold coins, but it was hardly enough. Nevertheless, Satoru did not complain. He simply demanded compliance with the conditions he had set forth in the beginning.

「Yes, you're right.」

Indeed, that he was the one who seriously injured Dietta with others four young elves in charge of the village entrance vigilance. But even so, it was the elves who attacked first. If that is the case, then the fault must lie with Dietta. He feel that Satoru is a big man for not taking their lives, and for making them bear the false honor of inflicting serious injuries because he didn't want to be seen as a hero.

The High Mentor's warning was, in a sense, accurate. If even Bauers had been so coercive, there is a strong possibility that this village would not exist today.

Satoru's power to say that Ingolshenes, a demon that had been forced to fight so hard, was no big deal is clearly of a different nature and dimension, and could certainly destroy this world. However, he feels that it may be an exaggeration to say that Satoru could be a Demon King.

He knew that the High Mentor wanted time for something. The last sentence of the letter, 『What I desire is your sympathy to prolong the time』, indicated his desire for time. It is not clear whether Satoru and others sensed this or not. He doesn't know if they are hostile to each other, but since he warned that Satoru could be the Demon King, High Mentor must be very wary of Satoru. Is that the reason why he wished to buy time - as expected, Bauers, who serves as an Elder, was cool-headed and focused on the situation.

It is a pity that he could not live up to the High Mentor's expectations, but perhaps the High Mentor's fears are unfounded. That man is a vessel that will respond to it if you give thanks properly―Baues felt this way and hoped that the relationship between the High Mentor and Satoru would be amicable.

Unfortunately, Bauers's feelings do not reach the High Mentor...

「And then there is the disaster that is rumored to be happening in the near future.」

As the head of the village, Bauers has a lot to think about. Helmera threw a rather cold glance at the mutterings of Bauers, who is the father and head of the village.

「One more thing. Aside from Reine, it might be a good idea to remind a few more things about Liz. The discrimination against half-elves is quite deep-rooted. If you offend that human, you might be in real trouble, don't you think?」

Bauers looks at his daughter with a discouraged look.

Helmera is the second daughter of Bauers, but she is practically in charge of Bauers' house. The eldest daughter was given as tribute to Ingolshenes 80 years ago. Helmera, who had strong attachment to her sister, had strong hatred for Ingolshenes, and she also gained contempt for her father, who had not been able to stop it,  but as the years went by, she lost the battle for the man with Reine, married another man, and had a daughter. She realized how frustrated he had been with the humiliation of having to offer up his daughter as a sacrifice.

Helmera's husband had died young, and Reine had also lost her husband. When hardliners such as Dietta insisted that Liz should be driven out, it was Helmera and Arne, who had been friends with Liz, who opposed them outright. In the end, Dietta and the others were right, and she bits her teeth, but she was happy that the hardliners were beaten by the hand of that human man and that Reine and Liz would come back.

And all this is possible only because of that Satoru.

「.......What's with you, you like that human?」

「Yes. There were a messenger from the Academy of the Wise who came earlier? Satoru was much better than that human.」

It was Bauers who made the final decision to kick out Liz. His daughter did not accuse her father to his face, but he did include her in his decision, and her father, Bauers, knows that.

Bauers has a friendship with the High Mentor of the Academy of the Wise and seems to trust him, but High Mentor also has a friendship with Helmera, which he nurtured with Reine. It is impossible for Helmera not to trust the person to whom Reine has entrusted her beloved daughter.

She was saying, "See, I was right, wasn't I?"　Bauers chuckles a little. She has grown up to be a strong girl.

「A half-elf. Hmmm... ...... How about adopting Reine as my own child? That would make Liz my grandchild.」

「So Arne will have a cousin. I think that is a good idea.」

Helmera quickly agreed with Bauers' idea. Basically, the hierarchy of elven society is determined by age, but even so, the eldest family members are treated with a certain degree of respect. If he gave the name De Ruijs to Liz and announced her to the village as his granddaughter, she would be protected to some extent as long as Bauers was alive.

「Arne and Liz are not on bad terms. ......You and Reine are good friends, too, come to think of it.」

「Yes. We actually have a history of fighting over Reine's late husband, you know?」

「...... That's new news to me.」

Bauers showed a surprised face at the mischievously muttered confession. Helmera had married an elf in the village as usual, but if she had made a mistake, she would have received a human husband. If that had happened, the problems surrounding the half-elves would have been directly related to Bauers.

If Liz were really his own grandchild, and if there had been a controversy about kicking her out when her mother's husband died, Bauers would probably have made the decision to kick her out. Just as he himself had offered his eldest daughter as a sacrifice to the Ingolshenes. The position of village Elder should not be shaken, even if it is a blood relative.

「After a year, we can meet again. And as a relative, too!」

Helmera muttered happily as she gazed off in the direction Satoru and the others had left.

But little does she know that Helmera's modest wish has already gone unfulfilled.

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