episode_0021

There are many merchants who come to Ende village for trade.

Here, wood, milk, and things like wool and dried meat from the large forest surrounding the outside of the forest where the elves live were frequently traded.

In particular, milk is said to maintain its freshness for a long time using magic.

The things Larissa showed me in the past were also quite fascinating, and it seems that magic is deeper into everyday life than I thought.

The fresh, cool milk stored that way was served for today’s breakfast. As I drank it with round bread, my mouth felt a little excited at the taste of something I had not tasted in a long time.

Come to think of it, I think this is my first time drinking ‘milk’ since I came here.

Arna looked at me with a somewhat uncomfortable gaze as I drank several glasses of milk.

“Jihoo, that… Aren’t you eating too much?”

“Huh? why? delicious. Sister, try drinking it too.”

Arna frowned slightly, took a sip of milk, and half-heartedly tore the round bread in half and ate it.

“Ha, I’m full.”

I quickly ate all the bread and drank the last bit of milk.

“Let’s go out when we’ve finished eating.”

Arna got up first and collided with an orc passing by.

“Ah.”

“Oh my, I’m sorry… L… Eup!”

As if he recognized that Arna was an elf, he said, ‘El… The orc, who said ‘Eup!’ and covered his mouth, trembled and retreated.

“Sorry, sorry. this much… .”

Unlike the image I knew, the orc wearing a shirt and pants and even glasses felt quite strange.

Orcs should have a more wild feel like the orcs in the corner.

“I think I’ve seen it somewhere.”

Arna tilted her head and looked at me again.

“Let’s go.”

We had breakfast at the inn early in the morning and then headed out to the village.

There were many merchants coming and going on the outskirts of the village from early on, as well as workers and people who appeared to be tourists.

I didn’t realize it when I entered the village last night, but the pastures near this village were quite large.

The temperature seemed to be a little lower than in the forest, the wind was chilly, and it was especially foggy today.

On the road leading out of the village, Arna and I walked through a large meadow.

Arna’s expression, which looked a little uncomfortable while eating breakfast, quickly brightened as she walked through the open meadow in all directions.

“Ha, good. I immediately understood why elves have been going out of the forest since ancient times. I feel like I’ve lost everything in my life so far.”

As soon as I heard that, I started laughing without knowing.

“I didn’t know I would like it this much.”

“Huh? Hehe, I didn’t know either. I didn’t know that the outside of the forest was this wide.”

“The place where the elves live is also very large. There is no place like this in that big forest, right?”

“Yeah, well… Although there are some wide areas, I have never seen such an endless grassland. There may be places I haven’t been to… . Even when I asked my aunt, she didn’t say anything.”

Didn’t you ask your mom?

I glanced at Arna, and Arna clasped my hand.

I remembered yesterday, swallowed, looked at the hand I was holding, and then looked at Arna again.

“Me, older sister. Are you on very bad terms with your mom?”

“… … huh. Why?”

“Just because we don’t live as short lives as humans, I thought it might be difficult if we don’t get along well.”

“That too… That’s right.”

Of course, it’s not something I’m going to get too involved in.

“Wow, our Jihoo is kind. Don’t worry about all that.”

Arna, who had a complicated expression, immediately patted my head and smiled.

It seems like he doesn’t want to have that serious of a conversation with me yet. I can’t help it.

So we passed through the meadow and returned to the village.

–

After finishing the walk in the meadow, we returned to the village.

Arna grabbed my arm as I was passing by the shopping district and pointed to the chocolate cake seen in the shop window.

“That… Are you eating it?”

“Yes. Sounds delicious.”

“… Let’s eat!”

Arna dragged my arm and entered the cake shop.

There were many tables inside and outside the store, and some people were leisurely enjoying coffee or dessert.

What Arna chose among the items in the display case was a round chocolate cake topped with plenty of whipped cream.

Arna, who sat down at the table with it, swallowed her saliva with a nervous look in her eyes and picked up her fork.

“Has Jihoo tried this?”

“Yeah, maybe?”

“What does it taste like?”

“More.”

When told that it was sweet, Arna nodded and cut the cake and ate it with a fork.

I looked at the scene quietly and saw a smile spread across Arna’s lips.

Just seeing him eat like that makes me full.

“Wow… It’s a taste that doesn’t exist in the fruit in the forest. Strange but delicious! It doesn’t seem sweet and it’s a bit… Write.”

write?

I tilted my head and took a bite of the cake. I could barely swallow the cake due to the strong cacao flavor.

“Yes, that’s right.”

“Hehe, it’s delicious.”

Still eating well.

Arna’s hands as she was eating the cake became faster and faster, and after finishing one, she pointed to another and ordered another, her eyes sparkling.

“This looks really delicious too!”

In the forest, she was my reliable older sister who raised me, but now that I come out of the forest, I just feel like a child.

Arna, who was experiencing a new taste for the first time in her life, ate the cake for a while and then smiled as if she was satisfied.

It was quite a lot to eat all by myself, but I ate it all while I was still nibbling.

“Whoa, the hard work was worth it.”

“Now you can come anytime.”

“Yes, yes, that’s right.”

Arna hesitated for a moment before leaving the store.

He pointed to another cake in the display case, then wrapped it again and brought it out.

“Take it and eat it?”

“Ugh, no. To give it to my mom.”

Arna smiled shyly and held up the cake box.

“Mom will like it too.”

“That will happen.”

You have the intention to reconcile.

Honestly, I don’t know why, but I feel like the discomfort between mother and daughter must go away so that our relationship can deepen… thank god.

“It’s because of what Jihu said. Don’t worry about things like that.”

Arna patted my head and laughed.

“Sorry… It’s up to my sister to take care of it.”

“Oh, no. I’m not saying you should be sorry. … Thank you.”

Arna hugged me, and I took the cake box in her hand.

“I’ll carry it until I get home.”

“Yes. Oh, by the way, I still have a lot of money left, so should I buy something for my aunt?”

We wandered around the village until evening. The village was so big that it took an entire day to see everything.

In the village, various snacks made from milk were sold, as well as items such as ornaments and clothes carved from wood.

Arna walked around the village and after thinking about it for a while, she picked up a long wooden ornament. It was a strangely shaped decoration, like a lumpy pillar.

“I think my aunt would like something like this.”

“… … Really?”

It’s strange, but… Arna knows that kind of taste well.

“Yes, let’s do this.”

Arna bought an ornament and together they looked at the goods of traders outside the village.

There were many interesting things to see as they were people who bought local specialties and brought in items from all over the world to sell.

There were puppies being sold in baskets, and silk and spices that seemed to have come from far away. Precious looking ornaments. And various cutlery.

There was a lot to see.

Among them, I came across something I didn’t want to see at the stall lined up by a merchant selling accessories.

“Ah… .”

“Are you interested in religion? This is a symbol of a religion called Crayra from the Rodian Kingdom across the sea. It is the official religion of that kingdom and is widely spread across the ocean and on the continent.”

“Oh, really?”

Fuck. These are names everyone knows.

Crayra, Rodian, a kingdom across the sea. This is the kingdom where I was captured and where I worked as a warrior, and it is the religion that the saint belongs to.

Although I had come a long way, it meant that in the end I was still under the same sky as them.

I expected it, but it was confirmed.

“How far is the sea from here?”

“It will take about 10 days. Isn’t this actually the end of the earth village? If you want to go beyond the great forest where the elves live, you have to take another boat.”

Still, it seems like it’s an extremely far away place.

If possible, we will never meet again.

I sighed and turned around and bumped into someone.

“Oh, sorry… .”

“Sorry.”

The woman wearing the hood walked away with her head down. I think I saw pink hair.

I rubbed my eyes and shook my head.

“Jihoo! Let’s go quickly!”

“Yes.”

–

“Jihoo! Let’s go quickly!”

The moment she heard that voice, the woman was startled and turned her head.

“That was just… .”

Pink haired wizard. Larissa did not recognize Kim Ji-hoo, whom she had not seen in a long time.

The body became smaller, and the desperate aura that was clearly felt was now completely gone.

“Was that Jihoo just now?”

Larisa swallowed her saliva and glanced at Jihu’s back as he returned to the village with a woman.

It wasn’t a common name, and although I only saw it briefly, the face seemed similar.

“Who is next to you?”

I don’t know how it happened, but the magic was a success.

Larissa grinned and followed the two.

If you pretend to know him right away, he might startle you and run away, so let’s meet him slowly.

The two people, who thought they would stop at the village, passed through the village and walked through the meadow, and then walked the long distance again to the forest.

‘forest?’

Larissa, who had a premonition of something dangerous, continued to worry as she walked.

Because it was a forest filled with ominous power, it is dangerous to follow along without thinking, even if you don’t know what they are trying to do.

But Larissa smiled with interest and moved more quickly.

–

“Sister, do you really have to go this night?”

“Huh? Uh, anyway, there’s no difference if you go in the morning.”

That was true. Because the distance is quite long. But the answer I just gave felt somewhat uncharacteristic of Arna.

“Ha, anyway, I want to go and rest quickly.”

I left the inn early in the morning, wandered around the village all day, and headed straight back home, far away, without any time to rest.

“Is it very difficult?”

“Yes.”

“Would you like me to give you a piggyback ride? Or do you want to take a break?”

I nodded and sat down right there. It’s not worth carrying around. Arna will also have a hard time.

“This is a forest where humans can still enter, right?”

“Yes, there is still a long way to go to where the elves live.”

I feel safer that way.

If there are humans, something will happen. Even if you’re scared, elves are scary.

“Ugh, I’m going to take a nap.”

“Yes. Do you want to cut my knees?”

“Unconditionally good.”

Arna put her knee on me, and I lay down on her knee and bumped my head.

“Ugh, you smell good.”

Arna flinched, then patted my head.

As soon as I laid my head on it, I fell asleep.

.

As soon as Jihu fell asleep, Arna looked towards the forest they had passed and then withdrew her gaze.

The priority is to put Jihoo to sleep without waking him up.

Arna, who thought she wouldn’t move unless there was a fight, smiled as she stroked Jihoo’s head.

“You must have been very tired.”