Ch.3512. Sacred Site? Pilgrimage?

“Wha? Murakane? That contract thing, did ya say Chisora? I’m goin’ there ’cause of him.”

“Ah, um… You speak the Imperial language with quite a distinctive accent.”

The man thought to himself.

Judging by her appearance, she looked about mid-teens.

Snow-white skin, and silver hair that radiated light that would put even her fair complexion to shame.

And her ears were particularly pointed as she tilted her head with eyes that shone with the brilliance of embedded emeralds.

…Would they prick if touched?

“Why ain’t ya answerin’?!”

“Teacher.”

At that moment, the blonde girl with green eyes sitting in the adjacent seat called out to her and reached over to poke her side.

So elves have all sorts of ear shapes.

If one pair looked sharp enough to prick, the other was more moderately elongated.

“Huh?”

“Why don’t you just use magic?”

“If ya can’t understand a single word I’m sayin’, am I speakin’ gibberish?”

“…When it’s that severe, I can’t understand. Even within the Empire, at that level… it’s already beyond what could be considered a regional dialect.”

“Really? Then what about you?”

“I’m perfect. I have no problems speaking or listening.”

“Aren’t you special! This is why young ones… tsk! I don’t like it! I won’t do it!”

“As you wish.”

Haha….

They say all sorts of people board stagecoaches regardless of age, gender, and sometimes even race.

Among them, those two elves, who appeared to be in a teacher-student relationship, were particularly unusual.

While one clearly looked like a magician, the other was dressed in full gear that would make her perfectly suitable to be called an adventurer.

But what really caught the eye wasn’t any of that.

Their appearances were stunningly beautiful? Gorgeous?

That’s just a characteristic of their race, so it’s to be expected, but…

‘They must be High Elves?’

The man’s guess had its own basis.

There are ranks among elves, and rumors say that if they’re just pretty, that’s normal, but if you look at them and immediately think “that’s not a human but a goddess,” then they’re almost certainly High Elves.

Indeed, all passengers in the stagecoach, regardless of age or gender, kept stealing glances at the two elves.

They say the Empire is full of handsome men and beautiful women that catch the eye, but if you narrow it down to those who receive praise like “divinely crafted,” the number would be extremely few.

“Making such a fuss over nothing. Hmph!”

There are various types of stagecoaches, but carriages like this one, which anyone can board regardless of status, were usually pulled by five horses.

Naturally, the passenger compartment could easily accommodate ten people excluding the coachman if there was no luggage, and if excessive baggage was added, additional fees would be charged, or if the contents were reasonable, a compromise would be reached.

“Please continue speaking.”

“Ah, um. Well…”

At the request of the girl who appeared to be his disciple, the middle-aged man blushed and cleared his throat with a fake cough.

Damn, she’s pretty.

If she kept lingering in his mind like this, he might not be able to sleep properly for days.

And that wasn’t all.

In his imagination, he had already had six children with her.

“Ahem! Well, it’s not that the engagement was broken off, but rather postponed. I heard that the son of Lord Rueld left on a pilgrimage, saying he needed time for self-reflection.”

“What about the prince and the contract ceremony?”

“There’s a lot of talk about that. But… whether he actually went on a pilgrimage or not, that’s another matter.”

As if sharing a secret, he brought his hand to his mouth.

Naturally, the attention of all passengers followed.

“They say he caused quite a bit of trouble.”

“Trouble? What kind?”

“Assaulting royalty within the Academy, then his fellow students, then violence against teachers, rebellion, property damage… it was terrible, they say. I don’t know the details, but…”

“Ain’t it wrong to spread rumors carelessly?”

“Well…”

“She’s saying that spreading inaccurate rumors for the sake of entertainment is not a good attitude.”

That’s not it.

I don’t think that’s what she meant.

“He wouldn’t do that. Haven’t seen him in a while, has he gone mad? Why are such baseless rumors spreading?”

With her delicate voice.

The dissonance of such strange language coming from that pretty face was truly dizzying.

Yet it wasn’t completely incomprehensible.

It was truly perplexing.

“……”

Please, Teacher. Just use translation magic….

After all the trouble developing it, you refuse to use it. What’s the point?

And before that, why must the embarrassment be mine to bear?

Hameren, one of her many disciples, sighed softly as she touched her modest chest rising gently above her leather vest under her gray cloak.

====

“Hey. You’re that whatchamacallit? Gather information quickly.”

“Do we really need to use such a baseless language between ourselves?”

“What! You gotta practice to get used to it! Don’t you know that, young one?! When an adult is speaking! Hmph!”

“……”

For someone saying that, she seems to be doing it deliberately.

What’s going on? Is she indirectly mocking me, telling me to eat a poisonous mushroom?

“Where are we headed?”

“The Imperial Palace, of course.”

“Show my name and crest. If they give us trouble, I’ll curse them a bit.”

“……”

That could cause diplomatic friction.

“I’ve taught! The Emperor, the Empress! They’re all like my disciples. This is when we show our power, when else would we?”

“…Fine, just go quickly.”

If I keep listening to that strange language, I might collapse from high blood pressure.

And so she naturally disappeared into the crowd.

“By the way.”

The silver-haired elf, standing and scanning the Empire before her eyes.

“It’s quite murky in many ways.”

“At least it doesn’t reek of excrement.”

“I’d almost prefer that familiar smell, wouldn’t you?”

“……”

“This is why young ones! Tsk tsk tsk tsk!”

“You were deliberately doing that in front of me. I’ve confirmed it. Anyway, disciple, I’ll go ahead to carry out your instructions.”

Surely, no matter how playful she might be.

She wouldn’t act so childishly in front of the Emperor and Empress as she did with her.

…Hameren firmly believed she wouldn’t be that irrational.

No, she wanted to believe.

====

Humans, as a racial characteristic, were all pretty much the same.

Charitably put, they were ordinary, and less charitably, they lacked anything exceptional.

On the other hand.

Non-human races often had distinctly different or alien characteristics even within the same race.

Elves and Yozoku were no exception.

Some were accustomed to the night like nocturnal animals, while others preferred to be active under the sun as if it were natural.

While most were said to feel at home in forests, not all preferred forests.

Some secluded themselves in deserts, while others lived among beasts in grasslands and fields.

The stereotype of elves as forest dwellers was established simply because most Yozoku were biased in that direction.

The forest clan was the first to establish a theocratic state, and they were the ones granted the privilege of supporting and serving the World Tree.

Naturally, they flourished the most, developed the most advanced technology and civilization, and maintained and preserved their deep traditions.

Above all.

“Wow…”

Even with just a passing glance, a young man was captivated by their radiant beauty.

The fact that their beauty and physical characteristics had been absorbed by the human race, which dominated the continent, became a crucial catalyst and driving force for them to enter the center of continental history.

That’s why most countries have High Elves somewhere in their distant relatives.

Some kings are even half or quarter elves, and many have some diluted characteristics.

However.

…The Empire was not one of them.

Among the many new nations that emerged after countless countries were destroyed by the Demon King’s invasion, quite a few had no connection to elven bloodlines.

…But that wasn’t an immediate concern.

With their beauty, they firmly believed they could make anyone kneel.

And as expected.

At that level, there would naturally be outlaws and villains targeting them.

They had sufficient ability to prevent and block such dangers.

…At least within their own territory.

In that sense.

The Empire was relatively better for their race to operate freely compared to other countries.

While slavery was recognized, it was limited to serfs, and even slaves were treated almost like legal professionals.

The treatment was much better than in other countries where being a slave meant nothing but despair.

And depending on one’s abilities, it was even possible to break free from the shackles of slavery.

…That’s why foreign slaves desperately attempt to escape their countries under the pretext of immigration or asylum, and flee to the Empire—there are plausible reasons for this.

Taking it a step further, the Empire was even making efforts to legally bring in such slaves through its merchants and integrate them as citizens.

Since the Demon King’s invasion, the world had fallen into misery.

And those who tried to exploit this opportunity maliciously deliberately sucked the lifeblood of the weak and poor.

In a way, the Empire was continuing its own rescue measures without causing diplomatic friction with other countries.

Anyone who wished to belong to the Empire would be embraced regardless of whether they were outsiders or what race they belonged to.

As long as they weren’t heinous criminals.

Thus, the Empire was using its resources to continue its own rescue measures for the powerless both domestically and internationally.

…However, from the perspective of other countries, this might have seemed not only unpleasant but also as something that shook their foundations.

If it weren’t for the approval and cooperation of the Order, the Empire would have had difficulty bearing this burden alone.

‘Even so, with different cultures and races, there would be endless conflicts.’

In reality, shadows were deeply cast over the Imperial Capital, the largest among the royal cities and capitals of the continent.

The stench from the slaughterhouse district on the outskirts of the capital was beyond imagination.

And such roles were usually taken up by those who were not originally citizens of the Empire.

Be it beastkin, or those with distinctly red or black skin.

Those who were once demons but betrayed their kind to side with the human alliance.

But even within those forces, there were those who were ignored or marginalized.

“A cauldron of chaos.”

Hameren, swiftly scanning the area, was caught up in various impressions.

Of course, she hadn’t completely forgotten the purpose her teacher had assigned.

“Hameren? It’s been a while. How long has it been? 20 years?”

“…It hasn’t even been 6 years.”

“Oh, is that all?”

A red-haired elf suddenly revealed her presence.

She landed next to Hameren, who was perched on a red roof.

Judging by her apron, she seemed to have been cutting something somewhere.

Indeed, various stains clung to her brown apron like blotches.

“An elf cutting meat. That’s unusual.”

“It’s fun once you try it. The taste of skinning, cutting flesh, and severing bones—it’s addictive, I tell you.”

“Last time, you said hitting iron with a hammer was the best?”

“That was then.”

Just because they’re forest folk doesn’t mean they completely abstain from meat.

There are even elves who exclusively pursue carnivorous diets.

It’s just that High Elves avoid fire-cooked food for religious reasons, and to exclude artificial energy while serving and honoring the gods, among other reasons.

In fact, there are numerous examples of their physical condition deteriorating when they eat it, so they naturally exclude it.

“So, what are you curious about?”

“Kariel. I want to know about his reputation. In as much detail as possible. And, wasn’t Kariel supposed to have an engagement ceremony with Princess Elhermina? I heard that was canceled?”

“I anticipated this and have been gathering information for a while. But when you hear it, you might be disappointed.”

“With whom? The Empire? Or Kariel? The hero’s family?”

“Judge for yourself.”

She then briefly shared the information she had gathered.

It wasn’t a long time, but Hameren’s expression, which was briefly visible, went beyond complexity to clear dismay.

Eventually, after hardening her expression, Hameren’s face turned sinister, as if she could kill a few people or hang them just with her expression.

She murmured softly.

“This is going to be a mess.”

“Why?”

“Geornia is at the Imperial Palace right now.”

“Uh… why is she there?”

“Recently, the Princess mentioned that Kariel had intruded into the treasury, and she found it hard to understand, so she asked for some clarification.”

“…Officially, she came to congratulate the engagement ceremony or something like that, right?”

“Yeah.”

Hameren didn’t deny it.

“But the one who asked me to find out about this was her.”

“Uh… how about arriving as late as possible?”

“And get forcibly teleported, making me sick?”

“Then there’s no choice!”

Since it’s come to this.

“Confess everything willingly!”

“…I’d prefer if she asked to hear it when we’re alone.”

“Given her personality, wouldn’t she gather the Emperor, Empress, Lord Rueld, and even a few others to make you confess? She absolutely hates doing things twice.”

“Haah~!”

A sigh close to a deep lament.

Hameren rose from the red roof.

“Will you stay here?”

“Probably?”

“Alright. If I’m lucky, I’ll see you in a few years.”

“But you’ll be here for a while, right? Come visit often?”

“…I’ll only be here for a few months at most.”

“No, a few months is plenty long! More than a few months?”

“My mistake. A few weeks? A few days? That’s up to the teacher.”

Hameren shook her head weakly.

“I’d bet on our ancestor’s name that she’ll stay for a while, if only for the newly introduced magical theories.”

“You’re quite the unfilial daughter.”

“When was I ever not?”

They both laughed emptily.

A couple of hours had already passed just from this casual chat.

“We’ll talk more later.”

Eventually, after moving across the rooftops guided by the wind.

“Stop right there!”

“…?”

She reluctantly stopped when someone called out to her.

Judging by the attire, it seemed to be a guard.

Apparently, he had spotted her during street patrol and somehow managed to follow her.

“You can’t keep walking on rooftops like that! Even if elves are light-footed, what if you damage property?!”

“Uh…”

“Let me see your identification. You’re probably not an Imperial citizen…”

But is it reasonable for a mere guard to chase after her?

Is this the standard of the Imperial Capital?

After somehow explaining the situation, she was able to avoid being detained.

Instead, she had to travel to the Imperial Palace with the guard, taking a carriage on the road.

It was only just before sunset that Hameren finally arrived at the Imperial Palace.

“……”

If she followed the path from here, it would take ages to reach the Emperor and her teacher.

Cold sweat trickled down.

Please, I beg you, anything but forced teleportation!