Chapter 51: A Thousand-Year-Old Elf’s Whining

“Hmm. An Easterner as a warrior. It doesn’t suit you.”

Instructor Gon looked me up and down and stroked his chin.

He’s already dissatisfied before even starting the training.

As I was wondering how to respond to this blatantly racist remark, the female knight beside me snapped and shouted.

“Wait. Are you looking down on him because he’s an Easterner?”

“Hm? No. It’s just that Easterners don’t suit being warriors. I’m not looking down on them. Easterners are a race suited for mages, swordsmen, or hunters.”

“Why are you trying to judge that on your own? There must be some Eastern warriors too.”

“Hmm. You don’t know anything. The labyrinth isn’t a place you enter to do what you want. It’s a place where you can barely survive by extremely enhancing what you’re good at. Class distinction based on race is natural.”

“What?”

“Hey, woman. You seem like a novice who hasn’t fully adapted to mana yet. Let me explain. Warriors are in the vanguard, taking all the attacks meant for team members while also attacking. Basically, you need to be big. To take hits with your body, you need tough vitality. Mental strength to endure pain is also essential.”

“Are you saying Easterners lack that?”

“I’m not looking down on Easterners. Look at it objectively. The man who will be my trainee is small and scrawny.”

“….Certainly.”

“No, Rica. If you’re going to take my side, do it properly. Why are you agreeing?”

“Ah, sorry. But.. you are quite small for a man.”

“….”

That’s true.

I’m slightly taller than the young lady and about the same height as Yuria.

Rica is a bit taller than me.

It can’t be helped. Humans in this world are all tall.

At least Olivia feels definitely shorter than me.

Anyway, I don’t meet the height suitable for a warrior that this man Gon demands.

“And don’t misunderstand. I don’t mean Easterners are weak. Easterners are generally small and scrawny, so they’re fast. Agile and sharp. That’s why there are many assassins among Easterners. And because many have keen senses, they’re especially suitable for hunters or guides.”

“In short, you’re saying I’m just not suited for being a warrior, right?”

“That’s right. You’re not suited for being a warrior. The same goes for knights.”

He must mean the tanker position doesn’t fit racially.

Rather, he says I’m suitable for damage dealers like swordsmen, assassins, or hunters.

He says I’m small and scrawny so I’m good at hitting vital points nimbly.

Somehow it sounded to my ears like “Asians have a high critical hit rate.”

“I’ll still try learning for now. If it doesn’t work out after trying, I can change, right?”

“Is that so.”

“Yes. It’s better to try and give up than to give up without trying, right?”

“Your mindset is suitable for a warrior. Alright. Are you starting from today?”

“I have somewhere to go today. I’ll come from tomorrow.”

“Good. Come whenever you want. Except during lunch time. Meals are important.”

“Yes.”

The warrior Gon went back after saying that.

He feels more straightforward than rude somehow.

Like a barbarian, he probably doesn’t mince words.

“He was quite a heavy man.”

“He was. His voice was really deep too.”

“To be honest, I want to fight him once.”

“You mean that person just now?”

“Yeah. I think it would be a good match after I adapt to mana and get a bit stronger.”

“Huh.”

Rica raising her fighting spirit.

What she lacks isn’t skill but stats.

If she successfully goes through a few more labyrinth trips, she’ll definitely grow rapidly.

I should take the young lady’s team into the labyrinth sometime soon.

I’ll improve my skills against monsters in the upper levels.

The young lady’s team will gain experience in the upper levels, adapt to mana, and obtain abilities.

‘It might be a bit much to take Yuria in too.’

There’s a high possibility of them getting carried too much.

People tend to become complacent when they have insurance.

Just Yuria’s presence might make them think ‘It’ll work out somehow’ or ‘Yuria will help in dangerous moments.’

Even if they try not to think that way, they’ll unconsciously rely on her.

If they plan to continue labyrinth trips in the future, they need to roll on their own strength.

For outsiders whose only purpose is mana adaptation and abilities, it might be good to get carried and level up quickly, but that’s not Lady Lea’s goal.

We should go the orthodox way.

‘In that sense, it might be better if I step out too…’

From the perspective of the young lady’s team, I’m also someone to rely on.

So I might also be an obstacle to the growth of the young lady and her party members.

Blindly relying on someone can become a fatal weakness.

I’ve seen many cases of people becoming useless after the death of a lover they relied on, or a companion or leader.

People with strong individualistic tendencies or selfish people have strong mental strength.

Those who desire communication or bonds with others aren’t suitable for the labyrinth.

“Your expression looks serious. Do you have something on your mind?”

“Huh? Ah. I was thinking that my presence might be hindering the growth of Rica or Lady Lea.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes. Like if you rely on me or something…”

“Pfft.”

“What is it? Why are you laughing?”

“No. It’s funny. Porter, you’re weak.”

“What? No, I’m not weak!”

“Aren’t you? Your physical abilities might be good, but your skills are poor.”

No, is that so?

Well, it’s true.

“Your strengths are calmness, quick thinking, and the spatial pocket. Your combat ability itself is similar to the young lady’s, isn’t it?”

“No, I’m still stronger than the young lady.”

“It’s good that you’re stronger than the young lady.”

Rica laughed and patted my shoulder.

Come to think of it, Rica is right.

I’m in a position where I need to get stronger too, but it seems I looked down on the young lady’s party too much.

Right, if we’re just talking about combat ability, I’m at a similar level to Lady Lea’s party members.

Although my physical abilities have improved through mana adaptation, I’m not particularly good at fighting.

If we’re at similar levels, there won’t be one-sided reliance, so it shouldn’t be a big problem to go in together.

What I need to be careful of is the existence of a deus ex machina.

As long as there’s no problem solver who can resolve any crisis alone, it’s fine.

The current Yuria is a deus ex machina for the young lady’s party.

An adventurer who’s about to become a gold badge won’t have any trouble in the upper levels.

Upper level monsters would be swept away with just a light wave of her hand.

Her existence would be a fatal obstacle to the young lady’s party’s growth.

“Let’s take a break this week. Shall we enter the upper levels next week?”

“We’re going in from next week? Good. But the labyrinth control shouldn’t be over yet, right?”

“I heard it will be lifted around next week. The atmosphere is to refrain from entering the underground city. There should be no problem entering the upper levels.”

We can clean up the upper levels before the subjugation operation starts.

And the situation doesn’t improve just by blindly blocking labyrinth entry.

We don’t know what kind of problems adventurers with reduced income might cause.

“I have somewhere to drop by for a moment. Do you want to go home first, Rica?”

“Then I’ll lightly work out here and go back.”

“Okay. See you later.”

It seemed Rica was going to start exercising right away today.

I’m planning to drop by Raphanel’s atelier for a moment.

I haven’t told her about the side effects of the etherealization ring yet.

I need to tell her about the problem of clothes falling off and the color ghosts that popped out as a side effect.

“Hm? It’s Sion. I was waiting for you to come. You weren’t thinking of running away with the ring… were you?”

“Run away? No, I ended up in jail because of this ring.”

“Hm? What do you mean? Don’t tell me.. you tried to rob a bank? You didn’t go into the women’s bath, did you? Or just enter anywhere…”

“No! No, this thing has too many problems.”

“Problems?”

“Yes. I knew it didn’t make you invisible, but when you use this ring, all your clothes fall off.”

“Hm? All your clothes fell off?”

“Yes. It only etherealizes the body, so all the clothes just fall off? Thanks to that, while I was testing it, people suddenly gathered and I was arrested for public indecency. They were throwing stones at me saying I was a naked ghost.”

Actually, it was my fault for experimenting in an open space where people could gather at any time.

For now, I blamed it all on the ring and confronted Raphanel.

All of this is ultimately a ploy to buy the etherealization ring more cheaply.

If I just insist there are defects, Raphanel will stammer that there’s no way her item could be like that, and eventually lower the price.

If I could just fix a few shortcomings of the etherealization ring, it would be an insanely broken item that I must acquire, but if I buy it at full price, it would probably cost more than the price of one slave.

“Eh? No, that can’t be. Let me see it for a moment.”

When I handed over the etherealization ring, Raphanel removed the jewel embedded in the ring, put on a magnifying glass, and checked the rune characters engraved on the jewel.

“Oh my. There was a mistake.”

“It’s strange, right?”

“I see…. It was set to etherealize only the body.”

“I almost went to jail for public indecency and lewd behavior while testing the ring. Raphanel. How are you going to take responsibility for my efforts?”

“Ugh.. Well..”

“All of this happened because you asked me to test the etherealization ring.”

“Ah…”

“Give me compensation.”

“Ugh…”

Raphanel closed her eyes tightly.

“I’ll give you compensation… so please stop glaring at me.”

“Ooh. What kind of compensation will you give me?”

I hope she gives me a few potions for free.

“It’s not much but.. if I’m okay… if you don’t mind…”

“What?”

What is she suddenly saying?

Why is she slightly pushing out her chest?

What are you doing now!

Are you trying to build up to marrying me under the pretext of giving compensation?

“No, Raphanel.”

“Hmm..?”

“What do you mean ‘if I’m okay’? No, who would take an old maid elf over a thousand years old! How is that compensation!”

“Gack!!!”

I slapped Raphanel’s outstretched chest.

Raphanel fell back in shock.

“Ugh. I mustered up courage in my own way.”

“Put that courage back. I’m a bit tired because there are strangely many people courting me these days.”

“Ugh.. Why can’t I be happy?”

“Isn’t that the sorrow of long-lived races?”

“Damn it. I want to get married too.”

“No, why haven’t you married yet in the first place?”

To be honest, she’s extremely pretty, intelligent, and has an amazing figure despite being an elf.

No, why is she still unmarried?

How can an over-thousand-year-old beautiful old maid elf exist in this world?

“Well.. There was no suitable partner. When I was young, I poured all my youth into research… Now that I want to get married, there are no suitable elves.”

Certainly, elves themselves are a rare race.

Should I say they’re an endangered species?

They don’t come out of their own territories much.

But if you look, you should definitely be able to find some, right?

“Aren’t there still many elves in the great forest under the World Tree?”

“They are.. uncivilized.”

“What?”

“How are forest elves any different from barbarians?”

“Oh.. Is that so? I don’t know much about elves.”

“I… I don’t have the courage to go back to vegetarianism. Give up the convenience of the city and live in the forest? That’s… too much.”

“Ah.”

Forced veganism would be quite tough.

“But when I try to find civilized elves. They all already had owners. Or there were flaws in their personalities. Sion, do you know?”

“Know what?”

“Most elves over 300 years old are stuck-up old fogies.”

“….”

“They have stereotypes and such. Should I say they have a certain mindset? That, their unique disgusting stubbornness or prejudice… They have that. So I’m not actually attracted to other elves. They’re all narrow-minded old geezers. But if I try to date young elves.. they all treat me like a grandmother..!!! An elf that’s only a hundred years old.. They’re completely babies.”

“Huh.. Then what about humans over a hundred years old? They’re the same hundred years, do you treat them like babies?”

“Humans are different! When humans are 100 years old, they’re old people. You can’t calculate the same time equally. Elf ages should be calculated in elf terms.”

“It’s complicated.”

I won’t even live to 100 anyway, so I just look at Raphanel and think she’s old and that’s it.

But from the perspective of other elves who can live as long as Raphanel, she seems to be seen as a grandmother.

How should I compare it?

Right, saying a thousand years old feels too old to grasp well, but if you say 67 years old, it suddenly feels more like a grandmother. It’s similar to that.

From an elf’s perspective, Raphanel is indeed a grandmother.

“Marry me.. I don’t want to die an old maid..”

“No! Why are you doing this to me!”

“Waaah. Do it! You don’t see me as a grandmother, right!”

“Y-you’re crazy!!!”

Raphanel crying and saying she wants to get married.

I had to listen to her ramblings for a while.

It seems Raphanel is on her period right now.

This was a periodic “please marry me” event.