Ch.62Phyllis Aedra

After hearing from Elder Bogus about taking care of Phyllis, I mingled at the banquet for a while, then called the three of them over to briefly explain the situation and discuss the matter of recruiting Phyllis.

The result was as I expected: everyone unanimously approved of her abilities. Jessica, in particular, showed more enthusiasm for recruiting Phyllis than the other two.

It would be a blessing just to have another mage who could deliver high firepower from long range, but if Phyllis took charge of offensive magic, Jessica could focus more on defensive and supportive spells, dramatically improving the party’s stability.

However, all three expressed concerns about the possibility that Phyllis’s adventuring goals might not align with ours, and ultimately agreed that the decision should be left to her own wishes.

As our discussion was wrapping up, an elven girl approached our table where the four of us were sitting.

She had shoulder-length light brown hair, orange eyes, and looked even younger than Seti, but was wearing the same outfit as Phyllis.

“Are you all enjoying yourselves?”

“Ah, you must be from the Guardian Corps…”

“Roberta Woodwise. I serve as deputy commander and the captain’s direct adjutant.”

This girl, whom we had briefly encountered when arriving at the Willow Sanctuary, was the Roberta that Elder Bogus had mentioned.

Despite her youthful appearance, she had a somewhat cold impression, but in about five years, she would likely grow into an excellent cool beauty.

“Has the Guardian Corps finished its business? Where’s Phyllis?”

“The captain has gone home. She said she’ll join us after compiling the field investigation results.”

“I’d like to discuss something with her before she joins the banquet. Would it be rude to visit Phyllis’s home?”

“It should be fine. The captain’s residence is on the opposite side, the house with dried herbs hanging on the front door.”

“Got it. I’ll head over there for a bit.”

Nearly two hours had passed since the victory banquet began, but far from winding down, elderly elves eager to hear about the outside world had started offering Jessica honey wine.

I left the three of them to handle the elves and headed to Phyllis’s house as Roberta had directed, knocking on the front door.

*Knock knock*

“Phyllis, it’s Will. Can I come in for a moment?”

I knocked and stated my business, but there was no response.

Had she finished her work and already left home? But given the open layout of the Willow Sanctuary, I would have surely crossed paths with her if she had left.

*Knock knock*

“Phyllis, are you home?”

Thinking she might not have heard the knocking because she was focused on work, I put my ear to the door and heard Phyllis’s voice muttering softly.

It was too quiet to make out what she was saying, but since she was apparently home, I decided to go in and knock on her room door.

*Creeak…*

Opening the front door and stepping inside, I found a modern interior with the kitchen and living room combined.

Though this was an elven village, it seemed to incorporate some of the colonists’ housing styles as well.

“~can’t… ~won’t work…”

The living room led to three rooms, and Phyllis’s voice was coming from the one located in the farthest corner.

Thinking that her voice sounded gentle and soft, unlike her usual knightly demeanor, I turned the corner and witnessed a scene that far exceeded my imagination.

“Should I leave the management of the devastated forest to Zephyr… considering monster appearances, Roberta would be more suitable… haah~”

Inside the wide-open corner room, I discovered Phyllis sitting on a backless chair, looking at documents and muttering to herself.

Up to that point, it wasn’t… incomprehensible that someone might work in a slightly disheveled state in the privacy of their own home.

The problem was that she had pulled her black tights down to her ankles and was rubbing her slender legs together.

“If only Zephyr or Ruti could use Lightning Bolt… no, Ruti’s schedule is already packed…”

I’d never had the opportunity to see a woman removing pantyhose, either on Earth or since coming to Grantis, let alone witness the advanced technique of removing them without bending over or using hands.

I was so mesmerized by the almost miraculous sight unfolding before me that I didn’t think to knock on the door or make my presence known.

“Oh my…”

Above the tights pulled down to her ankles, her snow-white, slender calves and thighs crossed.

Her pretty right foot, still wrapped in black tights, moved toward her left heel, then gripped the tights with two toes and pulled.

Her left leg emerged completely from the black tights, revealing a bare white foot, which then moved toward her right heel, and—

“Ah~ if only I had just one more person, the schedule wouldn’t be so complicated… huh?”

Scratching her head and shaking it from side to side, Phyllis’s emerald eyes caught sight of the uninvited guest standing beyond the open door.

“Oh.”

Only then did I realize that the breathtaking scene unfolding before me would be extremely embarrassing from an ordinary woman’s perspective.

I had been watching the noble elven captain’s undressing scene from a front-row seat.

“KYAAAAH!!”

A clear, beautiful soprano echoed throughout the Willow Sanctuary.

“What are you doing?! When did you come in?! Don’t human men know anything about manners? Peeping at an elven maiden’s bare legs—you did this on purpose, didn’t you? You beast! You pervert!”

Covering her legs with both hands, Phyllis’s face turned bright red as she hurled accusations at me. She looked nothing like the dignified, strong Guardian captain, but rather like a shy noblewoman.

“OK, just calm down for a second…”

“KYAAH! Don’t come any closer! Isn’t traveling with three women enough for you? You pervert! Lecher! Pedophile!”

“Who are you calling a pedophile?! There’s nothing like that between Mina and me!”

“So you’re admitting there IS something like that with the other two! You philanderer! Goblin! Orc! Swamp troll!”

As Phyllis wildly swung whatever was in her hand while spewing insults, she suddenly froze like a mannequin when she realized that the object she was wielding was the tights she had just removed.

As the energetically swung tights (black, 40 denier, freshly removed) fluttered down onto my face, Phyllis glared at me with eyes that looked ready to burst into tears, and then—

“…kuk, kill me…!”

—she uttered a classic line straight out of a female knight degradation story and turned away.

“……”

“……”

We sat facing each other in a quiet reception room, hearing the distant sounds of the lively banquet.

Two cups of fragrant tea sat on the table between us.

“So, you said you had personal business with me.”

“……”

“Was the quest reward too small after all? Or is there something I can help you with? Please don’t hesitate to tell me.”

The raging elf who had been swinging tights and hurling insults was nowhere to be seen; the Phyllis sitting before me had returned to her usual dignified Guardian captain face.

Understanding what her attitude implied, I quietly asked:

“…Shall we pretend this never happened?”

“Hic!”

Phyllis picked up her teacup with jerky movements and slurped it loudly.

Her face was full of smiles, but her bright red cheeks and ear tips revealed that she was far from maintaining her composure.

“Well… although it wasn’t intentional, I did see you undressing, so I won’t make an issue of being called a pervert or a goblin.”

“U-um. I appreciate your generous spirit.”

“So, how long are you going to keep up that way of speaking?”

“Wh-wh-what do you mean? What’s wrong with my manner of speech? Ah, if I’ve been discourteous in any way, please understand…”

“You don’t need to hide it. I heard the basics from Elder Bogus.”

“Uh…”

“You were originally a spoiled girl who followed her sister around, weren’t you? And you started pretending to be strong after your sister went missing.”

As I relayed what Elder Bogus had told me, Phyllis’s desperate attempt to maintain her dignified captain persona crumbled in an instant.

“…Haah, fine. Grandpa Bogus really says unnecessary things…”

“Now your voice and speech pattern match better. Is your usual stiff way of talking to maintain discipline in the Guardian Corps?”

“Not just that. I also wanted to fix my timid personality, and it was practice to avoid being looked down on by the colonists.”

Phyllis’s expression softened as she sipped her tea, looking every bit like a princess from a fairy tale.

Though this wasn’t quite the development I had expected, now that we were facing each other with honest hearts, it seemed we could easily move on to the main topic.

“So what business did you have with me personally?”

“Ah, I was wondering if you might consider joining us.”

“You mean adventuring together? I’m sorry, but I…”

“I know. You need to protect the Willow Sanctuary and find a way to save your sister. But do you really need to stay here for that?”

Hearing that question, Phyllis stared at me with wide eyes, as if to ask what on earth I was talking about.

“You said on our way here that your subordinates alone couldn’t handle a Giant Bee, but fighting within the sanctuary, you could even defeat a Demon Rose. So just how formidable an enemy are you anticipating that makes you too anxious to leave?”

“That’s… because we can’t predict what might happen, we need to be fully prepared, don’t we?”

“If you’re that concerned about the village’s defenses, couldn’t you request reinforcements from other elven sanctuaries? If the World Tree is withering and the sanctuary is in danger of collapse, I doubt they’d ignore it just because it’s not their village.”

“……”

“And finding a way to save your sister would be much more effective if you actively gathered information rather than staying cooped up here exchanging letters. Anyone could stay here waiting for replies to letters; it doesn’t have to be you. Am I wrong?”

Phyllis couldn’t answer my question and just stared at the table where the teacups sat.

She has the will to save her sister. She knows there are ways to strengthen the sanctuary’s defenses.

No matter how overwhelming her duties as Guardian captain might be, she should have found a compromise long ago when weighed against the future of the entire sanctuary.

Yet despite this, she has remained in the sanctuary for five years, continuing only sluggish investigation activities. The reason for that…

“Phyllis.”

“Yes?”

“Could it be that you’re suffering from trauma because of the Dark Elf incident?”

*Flinch!*

There was no need to wait for an answer to that question.

The life drained from her emerald eyes, her hand trembling as it reached for the teacup, and her already pale face turning even more ashen—Phyllis’s reaction said it all.

*So that was it…*

Now all the puzzle pieces fell into place.

The fundamental reason she couldn’t leave the Willow Sanctuary wasn’t her mission as a Guardian or anxiety about the outside world.

It was only five years ago that a Dark Elf consumed by madness came, harmed many elves, and took her sister away.

That horrific and desperate scene was too recent to have faded from the memory of a book-loving, pampered girl.

“You were afraid.”

“…Yes.”

Phyllis’s sister, Iris, is now wandering somewhere in Grantis as a Dark Elf, a demonic fiend.

To restore her sister back to an elf, Phyllis would inevitably have to confront her as an enemy and defeat her without killing her.

For Phyllis, who still carries deep trauma about Dark Elves, this is an unbearably frightening future.

“I’m afraid of Dark Elves. I’m afraid I won’t find a way to turn my sister back into an elf. More than anything, I’m afraid of having to fight my sister before finding that method. If that happens…”

“Then you run away.”

“…What?”

“Did you seriously think you’d have to stand and fight? If there’s a way to safely contain her, that wouldn’t be bad either.”

“Huh? Um…”

Looking at Phyllis as she stared blankly into space, I smiled slightly and gently patted her head.

“Finding a way to turn a Dark Elf back into an elf, meeting your missing sister, and subduing her without killing her—it seems difficult because you think you need to accomplish all these things in order and at once. Start with what’s possible now, tackle one thing at a time, and piece the whole picture together later.”

If a problem can’t be solved immediately, retreat temporarily and plan for the future.

Whether that process becomes an unsightly escape or a dishonorable defeat, all’s well that ends well—the one who laughs last is the true victor.

“That’s a mess. There’s no planning at all.”

“Life itself is a mess. You’re sitting in the bathroom when a package arrives, or you have money to go out but your paycheck is delayed. Life is about dealing with these unexpected events while taking one step at a time toward your goals.”

“…Can I save my sister that way?”

“At least it has a much higher chance than hoping everything will flow in your desired order.”

I might look too young to be lecturing an elf about life, but I was actually a man in his thirties inside.

I don’t know if Phyllis will accept my life philosophy, but if it gives her a chance to look at her goals from a different perspective, then this one-on-one conversation will have been worthwhile.

“Well, how you take what I’ve said is up to you. Today, enjoy the banquet, mingle with people, eat delicious food, and think calmly later about how to achieve your goal of saving your sister.”

“What about joining your party?”

“Can’t that wait until after you’ve sorted out your thoughts? Even if you don’t decide by the time we leave, we’ll be moving westward along the western cities, so it wouldn’t be difficult to meet again if you’re inclined to join us.”

“……”

“I’ll head back to the banquet now. Come enjoy yourself when you finish your work.”

“Ah… wait a moment!”

“Yes?”

“Um… could you keep it a secret from the others that I have this kind of personality?”

Phyllis stopped me as I was about to leave the reception room, asking in a small voice.

I answered by patting the spoiled young lady’s head once more.