episode_0050

After a brief self-introduction.

We were quickly guided to our accommodations.

It seems that we need to relocate the residents who have just evacuated and deal with the chaos caused by the fire.

The atmosphere is quite chaotic as a result.

Therefore, it seems that they are asking for our understanding and giving us time to handle the situation.

“Wow! I was a bit worried because it’s a house in the trees. Is the inside clean?”

The accommodations we were guided to could be considered top-notch without a doubt.

From the outside, it was a house made by digging into thick trees.

But once inside, there were wooden floors, walls covered in wallpaper, a lifestyle that was quite different from traditional Elven living.

When I visited Elvengard before, I always had to sleep uncomfortably in a house covered in rough vines, under the scorching sun that made me feel like I would go crazy.

So, even though there is a separate accommodation for outsiders, why did they put me in such a place?

Suddenly, anger surged within me.

“Ah! Sleeping on a hard carriage and then lying on a bed feels like heaven!”

Thump.

Perhaps tired of maintaining her noble demeanor as a lady, Alicia immediately flopped onto the bed upon seeing it.

She casually threw her luggage aside and just lay there quietly, as if only to catch her breath.

She must be very tired.

I thought she was going to sleep like that.

But then, as if she remembered something, Alicia suddenly sat up.

She took out a pen and paper from her bag and started scribbling something.

“Oh, right. I forgot to report to my sister.”

“Tell Yerina that you’ve arrived in Elvengard?”

“If I finish my investigation in Basel, I should return soon. If I don’t return, I might be suspected.”

“In that case, it would be better to say you went to a different area instead of Elvengard.”

“Why?”

“Because of your report, I might be tracked down by Yerina. I don’t want to be caught by her and end up being forced to marry and become the king of Palana.”

“Oh, I see! I won’t say I came to Elvengard!”

Surprised, Alicia tore up the paper she had written a few words on.

The idea of me marrying Yerina seems to terrify her so much.

It terrifies me too.

More than you can imagine.

“But… where should I say I went?”

“Just wander around somewhere.”

“No, my sister will definitely pry into it.”

“Right. You’ve been through a lot.”

I thought I was the only one bombarded with questions about where I went, but it seems Alicia was also being questioned in the same way.

I suddenly started to feel a sense of camaraderie with Alicia.

“I’ve been studying magic since I was young… I only know about the magic society branch and the mage tower, and some parts of the northern region…”

“Then let me help you.”

“How?”

“I’ve traveled to many cities. I’ll help you explain without any gaps, no matter what questions Yerina asks. Is there anywhere you want to go?”

“Well… I wanted to visit Leaf City.”

“The Dwarven city? Weren’t you not fond of Dwarves?”

“Regardless of personal feelings, I think the Dwarven technology is remarkable. They say Leaf City is full of fascinating magical devices made of leaves and steam engines.”

“There are a lot of them.”

“Have you been to Leaf City?!”

“Of course.”

There are so many magical devices that can only be found there.

No matter which direction the conversation takes, Leaf City is one of the cities you must visit at least once.

“What’s it like there? Do leaf dolls really walk the streets?”

“In the past, there were a lot, but I heard that it has decreased lately. The fuel efficiency is so bad that its popularity has dropped. When you first enter Taeyeop City, there is fog everywhere, making it hard to see ahead, and the air is very polluted because of the smog. It’s a place where you might wonder if people can live. However, around the central clock tower, there are various magic tool shops lined up…”

With a newfound interest, Alicia sat next to me, her eyes sparkling, listening quietly.

I thought he was only interested in magic, but he unexpectedly had a quirky hobby that he might like.

For every explanation, there was a question.

And for every two explanations, there were two questions.

The conversation about Taeyeop City continued.

Even though I had already covered everything that Yerina might ask, it didn’t seem to end.

Alicia didn’t seem to want to end it.

“Yujin.”

“Yeah. What is it?”

“There’s something you need to see.”

“I’ll go check something real quick. This should be enough to fool Yerina, right?”

“Ah…”

The lengthy explanation finally came to an end when Mijeong bumped her forehead against my back due to the wind.

Finally, freedom.

Leaving behind a slightly disappointed Alicia, I was led away by Mijeong, who grabbed my sleeve.

Judging by the fact that she dragged me all the way to the next room, this must be a story that needs to be kept secret from Alicia.

“What’s the matter?”

“…”

Without saying a word.

Mijeong simply grabbed my sleeve and demanded that I lower my posture.

As I knelt down with a sigh, Mijeong opened her mouth.

There was so much saliva accumulated inside her mouth that it seemed like it would overflow.

“Ha… Hungry.”

“Are you hungry?”

“No. I just want to bite.”

Mijeong grabbed my shoulder and bit my neck eagerly.

It seemed like she was biting with more force than usual.

There would probably be noticeable marks today.

Mijeong didn’t stop there and also bit the other side of my neck.

It seemed like she was really bored.

Maybe I should buy her a chew toy.

“Did you chew and tear and taste to your heart’s content?”

“Yeah. Yujin. The reason I called you.”

Finally remembering what she had forgotten, Mijeong quickly ran off behind me.

She did have some business to attend to.

I thought she just called me over to chew on me.

“Here.”

In Mijeong’s hand, which had returned, was a black gemstone.

The gemstone that sealed Ifrit.

“It’s broken.”

“What?”

What is she talking about?

I took the gemstone and held it in my hand, but it didn’t seem to have any effect at all.

It didn’t function as a gemstone at all.

“This… This is…”

Now that I looked closely, the red inside the gemstone seemed to have expanded slightly.

Could it be that Ifrit is trying to break out of this gemstone?

Perhaps Ifrit will escape from the gemstone and cause trouble again.

Time is running out.

As the sun sets, the flower buds that were closed in various places in Elvengard begin to bloom, emitting a soft and warm light.

As a result, places with many trees are bright rather than dark at night.

The view of Elvengard, harmonized with nature, was beautiful even in the bright daylight.

But the night view had a different kind of beauty.

“This way.”

It was quite late.

We were invited to dinner and headed to the dining hall.

Inside, the elders were waiting.

It seemed that it took quite some time to resolve the situation.

“A dish made with lamb meat…”

“Meat?!”

Alicia’s face, which was initially uncertain, brightened up.

It seemed like she thought she would be eating something like laurel leaf jelly or pine needle steamed dish.

They couldn’t possibly feed the hero who saved Elvengard such mediocre food.

Maybe that’s why she looked so disappointed.

Alicia’s face lit up with delight as she ate lamb meat.

From my perspective, it seemed to be below average······.

Well, it probably doesn’t taste good when you eat it on an empty stomach.

“The elders of Elvengard were always seen as stern figures.”

“Haha. While Elvengard may seem more closed off compared to other nations, we also engage in diplomacy. If we treat our esteemed guests too sternly, we would be disqualified as elders.”

The dinner proceeded in a rather jovial atmosphere.

In the beginning, there weren’t any particularly important conversations.

Just building camaraderie.

Alicia seemed quite comfortable in such gatherings, constantly engaging in conversations.

I, on the other hand, felt awkward and uncomfortable, finding myself keeping silent.

“Is it tasty?”

“······Not really.”

Fortunately, there were dishes that Mijung could eat.

It’s lamb intestines.

Whether the taste was lacking or not, she ate with a wrinkled face.

Still, it would be less awkward than not eating anything at all.

“What would you like to drink?”

“I’ll have Trivium, please.”

“Yes. Please wait a moment.”

Perhaps it was because we were in an elven city.

I recalled the drink Yulia had taught me and asked for it.

As the drinks arrived and the atmosphere relaxed with the alcohol, the elders began to bring up important topics.

“I wanted to talk about the case that saved Elvengard. Is there anything special you would like to receive?”

I cast a spell of ‘How much do you know about me?’ out of the blue.

Looks like they’re also engaging in some sort of negotiation.

“······.”

Alicia stared at me intently.

The decision ultimately rested with me.

Alicia had been singing about accepting money since back at the inn.

Unfortunately, I’m not really greedy for money.

I’m not going to start some big business.

The money would disappear once I returned to reality anyway.

As long as I have enough money to travel the world without difficulty and buy magic stones and equipment as much as I want, that’s sufficient.

With Cornelia’s support alone, it’s already more than enough.

“Cheon Michael Jackson. Have you thought about it······”

“Cough! Cough! Ugh!”

“Are you okay?!”

I’m not okay.

Suddenly, a sneeze came on, and I had to cough and suffer for a while.

‘I should come up with a more ordinary alias in the future.’

When the elders asked for my name.

If I blurt out whatever comes to mind without filtering, such a strange alias comes out.

It would be a disaster if I burst into laughter every time I hear my alias.

I should refrain from using such unique aliases in the future.

“They asked how you want to receive the reward.”

I’m a little conflicted.

Perhaps because I’m also a materialistic person, my heart wavers a bit at the opportunity to receive a million gold.

I just want to stay here and build my own kingdom and live a carefree life.

‘But that’s not going to happen.’

Of course, it’s all just a fantasy.

As long as our main heroines who have regained their memories find me soon and drag me back, there will be no happy life for me in this world.

The dilemma is over.

“I heard that the Priestess of the World Tree gives astonishing prophecies. I’d like to hear one.”

“Ah······. Prophecies don’t come out on demand. It may take a long time, and even if you hear one, the content may be quite vague, so it may not be as useful as you think.”

“Still, that’s fine. If time is the issue, let’s wait until the prophecy comes, then.”

Alicia widened her eyes and stared at me.

It’s as if she’s asking if I really intend to give up a million gold for a prophecy.

Of course, the value of saving Elvengard cannot be summed up with just one prophecy.

“And additionally, I want to gather information.”

“What kind of information? If we know it, we will tell you everything we know.”

“The reason why the Fire Elemental went on a rampage to burn down Elvengard and the World Tree. I’m curious about that.”

“Ah······!”

Alicia let out a sigh of disappointment.

Of course, there’s no turning back now.

“I want to know why the Fire Elemental went on a rampage······.”

“Ugh······.”

The elders all fell silent for a moment, exchanging awkward glances.

Surely, the Ifrit didn’t just go berserk for no reason.

There must be some kind of reason, and the elders couldn’t possibly be unaware of it.

They can’t just let the Ifrit leave without knowing the reason for its rampage.

If I leave without knowing this, I’ll be restless and frustrated for the next year.

I have a curious nature that can’t be ignored.

And above all, there’s the trouble of the magic stone that’s keeping the Ifrit locked up.

Seeing the red light growing stronger, it won’t be long before the Ifrit escapes.

What will happen if the Ifrit is released from here?

It will be the beginning of Elvengard’s disaster once again.

To prevent such a thing, we must find and eliminate the cause of the Ifrit’s extreme anger.

“That’s······ classified information, so I can’t say······. Is there anything else······.”

“No, thank you. I won’t accept anything other than that information.”

“······.”

The elders exchanged glances with a sigh.

Is that information really that important?

Still, it must be worth it compared to Elvengard burning to the ground.

At that moment, when I was getting bored wondering what they were thinking for so long.

Thud······!

“Miss Priestess?!”

“Please sit down. It’s okay.

As the door opened, a girl with her face covered by a white veil appeared.

The elders were surprised and stood up.

Mia gestured for them to calm down.

The priestess approached the round table, her eyes faintly visible behind the veil.

I didn’t expect the priestess to show up in person.

“I can tell you the reason why the Fire Elemental, Ifrit, went on a rampage. However, it’s a critical secret for Elvengard’s security, so can you promise not to disclose it to the outside?”

“Of course. I will definitely keep it confidential.”

“It’s quite a long story.”

After taking a moment to catch her breath, Mia opened her eyes again.

It seems like she’s about to start a long and detailed story.

I adjusted my posture comfortably, signaling that I was ready.

“Actually, about 3 months ago, a dungeon appeared at the roots of the World Tree.”

“······?”

Huh.

A dungeon at the roots of the World Tree?

Why is this story coming out of nowhere?