Chapter 49 (2/2)

Ariane stepped forward when she heard that .

“There’s an elf living in a human town!?”

Even she was surprised by her outburst as she had to hold down her hood and look down to prevent her eyes and mouth from being exposed .

“Y-Yes . The feudal lord prepared a special house for him and he’s been living here for ten years or so . ”

The vendor had been surprised by the seemingly calm person sudden shout, but he managed to answer the question .

“Where would the elf researcher’s residents happen to be?”

Since that was what Ariane wanted to know the most I asked the vendor about it .

“Well, it’s right beside the lord’s mansion and is heavily guarded, so you can’t carelessly go there, you know?”

“What, I was just asking out of curiosity . Anyway, you wouldn’t happen to know the way to Lanbaltic, would you?”

The vendor looked doubtful when I asked about our original purpose, but after thinking it over for a bit he and called out to the older vendor .

“Old man, you said that you were a peddler in your youth right? You know anything?”

The old man with a stubby beard and looked in our direction as he smoked a pipe .

“To get to Lanbaltic from here you need to head west from the Hibotto wastelands . The Leving mountains should come into view west of the wasteland . ”

The man spoke in a leisurely manner while he puffed smoke into the air . If he was telling the truth, then we’ve taken the wrong path . The southwestern path at the fork in the road was probably the correct one .

We thanked the two vendors and left . I poured some of the roasted beans in my hand, causing Ponta to smoothly leap from my head and start stuffing her face .

“What do you want to do, Ariane-dono?”

When I looked back into Ariane’s eyes I saw that she hesitated for a moment .  She looked up to reply…… but I already know what she would say .

“I would like to meet with this elf researcher . ”

I nodded at the expected response .

It was said that the researcher was living under the protection of the lord, but elves were often the target of slavery in human society . So this situation seemed a little unbelievable .

Based on what the vendor said, it seems that the researcher was being held captive in this town .

Since the elf’s house was located right beside the lord’s mansion and that the people know of its existence we began to ask around a bit as we slowly approached the mansion

I heard that whenever the elf came to town for a bite to eat, he would be surrounded by a team of guards . They were probably a protective measure against outlandish individuals .

However, there were also stories of the elf researcher pacifying drunken adventures that acted violently .

At the center of the town, I was able to catch a glimpse of a spectacular rectangular building that was surrounded by a large wall .

The researcher was said to be living in a house on the feudal lord’s property . There was a portcullis attached to the gate and four guards were standing outside to keep watch .

I doubted that we could easily break through the front, but I was also hesitating about trying to sneak in . This was a little different from our usual situation .

For the time being, let’s just walk up to the gate .

The four guards were instantly alarmed when they saw us heading straight towards them . The guards moved into a semicircle formation and raised their spears against us to block our path . It would be impossible to not be suspicious of a knight that stood over two meters tall with a green fox on his head and a cloaked woman whose face was completely covered .

“Excuses me, we’d like to have a word with the elf that is said to live here……”

The guards’ tension rise another notch when they heard me speak .

“No one is allowed to meet with Casey-dono without an appointment . You should leave right now . ”

The blunt response of the guard could be considered normal given the circumstances . I looked over my shoulder to Ariane to see what she’d do .

She apparently thought that talking would be a waste of time considering the way the discussion was going, and stepped in front of the guards placing her hands on her hood .

“I am a messenger from the Great Canada Forest and I wish to see Casey-dono!”

She threw off her hood and revealed her pointed ears, snow white hair and lilac skin . As she stared them down with her golden eyes framed by her sharp lashes, the four guards silently stood there with gaping mouths .

Another guard appeared from inside the building . His equipment was a bit better and he was in good shape considering his apparently advanced age . Raising his voice he started yelling at the guards to get them moving again .

“Oiii, you stupid lot! Go report this to the lord and Casey-dono!”

The guards finally regained their motor functions and two of them quickly set off to deliver the message, even tripping along the way .

“Please follow me while the lord is informed of your arrival . ”

The elderly man, who seemed to be the captain of the guard, led us inside the walls and offered us a seat on the guard station’s sofa as we waited .

To pass the time while we wait I began to pour the lentils I bought into my hand for Ponta to eat with great relish .

Soon the messenger returned and offered the guard captain a salute before speaking .

“Casey-done is willing to meet with them!”

The captain nodded in response and the guard immediately left .

Somehow we were able to gain a meeting with the rumored elf researcher . But I couldn’t help but feel a little depressed seeing as I might have to interact with a feudal lord .

“I’ll lead the way . ”

At the captain’s words, Ariane and I, along with two other guards, followed his lead .