10 Forest where elves live (2/2)

It is said that they also fall in love with human youths and often kidnap them.

I look at her. The human youths would not feel bad if they were kidnapped by her. It's none of my business.

I wonder what the elf has to do with me.

'Um ....... Are you guys gods?

The elven girl asks timidly.

'No, do you think it's human?'

I answer myself in a questioning way.

I was actually a little curious. I wondered if the people who are equivalent to the people of this world can be considered the same as the people of my world.

Because I have far more superhuman powers than the people of this world. The same goes for Rage and the others. They could be a different species, just because they look the same on the outside.

''Lie, how can a human defeat Scylla when even we are no match for those guys. Are you sure you're not a god?

Apparently, the demon I just defeated is called Scylla.

'No, it's definitely not a god: ......

I'm not big enough to be called a god.

I am.

A girl approaches you. And when she comes in front of you, you look at yourself from top to bottom.

'Hmm, who are you, by the way?　How did you end up here: ......?

A girl's face comes up to me.

I see myself in the girl's eyes. I can't help but look away. I'm thrilled because I've never been approached like this by a girl other than Shirone in the original world.

I'm ...... no, I'm just a traveler. I'm just looking for a place to sleep.

I reply sluggishly to myself.

'Oh, you can't go into the human habitat?'

A human dwelling would be a walled city. I nodded at the elven girl's question.

'Yes ...... for a bit of a reason. ......

”Hmm, so I don't have anywhere to go. Why don't you come over to my house?

What?

I am surprised. I've heard that elves can fall in love with young humans, but they aren't very friendly with humans.

I look at the girl. There's nothing hostile about it. Her gaze is itchy, but not unpleasant.

I think for a moment.

'Um, can I indulge the favor then?

His curiosity got the better of him. He was curious about the life of an elf.

'Yeah, fine.'

The elven girl smiled brightly and led the way into the forest.

'You seem to have taken a liking to me, Yance.

Nat says teasingly.

I can certainly sense something like goodwill from the girl.

The girl walks on.

For a while, as she walks, something strange happened to the landscape around her.

It looks like a normal forest, but something is different.

'Great, I noticed the wards.'

Warding?

'Yes, there is a spell strung on them that will mess with the senses of those who enter. So follow me.

The girl walks on.

Then she reaches a large tree.

It was a very large tree. The tree has several houses attached to its branches.

I look at it and think ”oh my god”. It was a tree house I've seen on TV.

In fact, I have a bit of a crush on such a house. I thought it was like a secret base.

This is my home.

The girl says.

'Tess!'

I hear a voice from above. I look at the direction of the voice and see a woman coming out of the treehouse.

She looks like a slightly older version of an elf girl. The woman comes down from the house.

'Oh mom!　I'm home!

The word ”mother” surprises me. I thought she was your sister.

'Tess!　I'm not home. Where have you been!　And .......

The girl's mother looks at me.

'Who the hell is this?'

The girl's mother stares at you.

The girl's mother is beautiful, just like the girl. She doesn't feel comfortable being stared at like that.

'Mother!　He's great!　I beat that Scylla!

The girl clings to her arms and introduces herself.

The girl's soft body sticks to her own.

'Scylla ....... You're Scylla of that fountain? ......'

The girl's mother's gaze moves from bottom to top.

'You don't look too ...... strong, do you?

I almost sneer at the words.

'Mother! That's rude!

The girl protests to her mother.

'Yes, I'm sorry. It's nice to meet you, human lord. I am Davia of the Hardy Forest. I am Tess's mother there.

The mother, whose name is Davia, thanks him. Apparently the girl's name is Tess.

'Yes, I am ...... my name is Black. I'm on a journey.

After some hesitation, I said my fake name. I could have used my real name, but there was a chance that my name would be passed on to Shirone and the others. I didn't want to use my real name as much as possible.

'Mom, Black says he's on a journey. You can let him in, right?

Tess doesn't even have to get her mother's approval to let her in.

'That Tess: ......'

I try to tell her that she doesn't have to get her mother's approval.

'It can't be helped. Please come to my home, Mister Black.

But we let him in easily.

Is it honestly okay to let a stranger in so easily? Or is that the culture?

According to Lugas, the elves must not be so friendly to humans. Lugas' knowledge of them could be wrong, too.

Tess's house is located high in a large tree. There was no ladder or stairs to climb up there.

How would they get up there? I wondered, but Tess could easily reach it when she flew fluffily. Apparently, for an elf who can use spirit magic, this height is not a problem.

'Come on Black!　You can fly!

Tess laughs unbendingly.

Certainly nothing is an obstacle for me at this height.

I'm also interested in the treehouse, my mother agrees, so let's go in.

When I fly, I am excited to reach the treehouse.

Then I look at the tree house and think ”wow”.

This treehouse is not built on top of a tree, but it is built on the tree. The tree expands and becomes a house. It was a mysterious house.

It was quite a solid structure when I went in and looked at it. Inside the room was a lighting using spirits of light instead of fire. Considering that in the world of the people I saw, the lighting was either torches or oil, the life of an elf must be more of a magical one.

Looking around, the furnishings were stunning, and it was nothing like the human world. It seems that magic is used everywhere else.

The dwellings of the elves look primitive at first glance, but they are much more comfortable than the dwellings of people in this world.

Perhaps because of the presence of magic, this world is in some ways more developed than the original one.

I'm sure that if the original world had been able to use magic, the development of civilization would have been something like this.

Black-dono, please sit here. I'm going to make you some tea. Tess, help me.

Yes, sir.

Back in the treehouse, Davia and Tess walk towards the kitchen, presumably to the kitchen.

From the signs, they seem to be the only two people living in the treehouse.

A few moments later, they return. There was tea and food on a wooden tray.

They put the tea and food on the table in front of the chair they were sitting on.

The tea was a clear red color and smelled good. The food consisted of one large flatbread, a soup made from sliced carrots and cooked in an earthenware pot with cabbage like vegetables, and later a cake with dried fruit.

'Here you go, Black-dono.'

I took a sip of my tea. I've never tasted it before, but it was delicious.

I take a sip of the vegetables. To be honest, it's a bit thin, but it's very tasty as I haven't had any good food in my life.

'You're welcome.'

Davia asks herself.

'No, I just haven't had a decent meal before. 'It's very good,'

The elves are more hospitable to me than the humans. The immigration officer, aka the gatekeeper of the Kingdom of Putea, treated me like a stranger and sent me away. In fact, I may be a suspicious person in this world, but I didn't want to be treated like one.

I was so happy that Tess and her friends were so welcoming that I was almost in tears.

'I see. Please keep eating.''

Davia suggests a meal.

I put the first decent meal I've had in a long time into my mouth.

Tess looks at herself with a smirk on her face.

Dark Knight Kroki.

Oh, my God, I haven't had a decent bed in years.

It was late at night and he led me to the bedroom.

”It's a little funny, Yance. ......

Nat lets out a quizzical voice.

'I don't know much about elves, why do you give me so much hospitality, Yance? It's impossible, Jan.

Nat's doubts were felt by me, too.

I had just met him for the first time today. He had stopped in a few human cities and everyone was cold. Why would an elf of another race be so kind to him?

Besides, I've heard that elves rarely fall in love with human youths, but they are not basically friendly to humans.

'But Nat. I don't get much hostility from her.

I didn't get a bad vibe from the girl who called herself Tess, more like a good vibe.

'You're not being used for spirit magic, are you Yance?

'No, I don't think so: ......

Because Nat's condition is normal. Honestly, I think my own anti-magic power is better than Nat's anti-magic power.

If she was casting a spell, Nat would be as crazy as she was with the demon earlier.

Unless he's only casting magic on himself, Tess sees Nat talking. She must have noticed that he has as much wisdom as a human. If she's planning something, I don't think she's going to cast a spell just on herself.

'But maybe he has an agenda. Maybe you have something to ask of yourself: ......

I don't know what that is. But I think we should repay the favor of a house and a meal as much as possible.

Do you want to do me a favor and yank it?

'She sees herself defeating Scylla. Maybe she wants to ask him to slay some other demon.

'I see, so that makes sense to me, Yance: ......'

Nat nodded yes.

I get into bed when Nat is satisfied. I'm surprised at how soft and fluffy it is.

'Wow, I've never had a bed this soft, even in the original world.

I've never slept on a high end duvet, but I imagine it might be more than that.

Tess had politely provided Nat with a place to sleep as well.

'Goodnight Nat: ......'

Goodnight, Yance.

It has been a long time since I've had a proper bed. The bed was very comfortable and smelled good.

I never had a decent sleep on the road. I'm very sleepy, so I guess I'm a little tired.

I felt my consciousness fall into the darkness.

Tess, the elven girl.

I think Lord Black is asleep, Tess.

My mother tells me.

'Have you reported it to your father?'

This is my mother and father's room.

I had just reported to my father about Black.

I found my father asleep in the bed I was sitting on. My father has been sleeping in the bed since before I was born.

I think he's beautiful, just the way my mother fell in love with him. Of course, Black is not to be outdone.

Ever since I can remember, my father was asleep. I've never seen him wake up.

My father is human. Elves are only female, and women born of elves become elves, and men born of elves are born of the same race as their fathers.

Most of them are human because they don't want to be with ugly goblins and ogres.

In fact, I have an older brother and a younger brother who were left in human habitation as soon as they were born, as is customary, I am told.

Two of my brothers are probably still living in human habitats.

Also, the elves who fell in love with him would kidnap human men to mate with him, and they would quarrel with human women all the time.

When my mother took my father as her companion, she also had a dispute with a human. My mother could not lose to the ugliest and weakest human woman, who could not use magic, and my father became my mother's property.

But since my father was a short-lived human, he would have died sooner or later if he had done nothing out of the ordinary.

Using magic that only elven queens can use, a human would have the same lifespan as an elf, but the queen wouldn't use magic on him if he wasn't qualified to be an elf knight.

So, generally, sleep magic is cast and then stagnation magic is cast to extend the life span of the person.

My father, who was enchanted, continues to sleep and is still in bed.

Although he's asleep, my father is not dead, he's alive, and his body's physiology is still intact, so he can have children while he's asleep.

When I want to have a conversation, I use mind-dive magic to enter my sleeping father's dreams and have a conversation with him. I just reported to my father in my dream that I met Black.

'I saw him sleeping for a bit and he looked comfortable. I touched your heart a little bit and you seem to be a kind person. Your intuition must be as good as mine.

I nodded at my mother's words.

'Of course, because I chose him. The first time I saw Black for the first time, I knew it was meant to be.'

When I saw Black at the Fountain, I was freaked out. I decided to make him my mate.

My mother always told me that intuition is important. I heard that this is how my mother and father met. But my mother had cast a spell and forcefully kidnapped him.

My mother said she didn't have a problem with it because she was more beautiful than the daughter of an ugly person.

The same is true for Black. That's why Black would be happier if he stayed here forever. I'm sure you're not too worried about me.

I'm a lot more beautiful than a human girl, so it's only natural.

Then I'll go to Kuro's place, mother.

I'm going to leave my mother and father's bedroom to swap places with them.

I'm going to have a conversation with Black in my dream.

In my dreams, I'm basically unprotected. I'll be able to hear all kinds of stories about Black.

I go to my bedroom where Black sleeps.

”Kuroki, the Dark Knight.

Thanks for your help.

Myself and Nat thank Tess and Davia for their help.

Tess looks at them with sad eyes.

I can't see Tess's face properly. In a dream last night, Tess had become her own sweetheart. It was an oddly realistic dream. I feel like I did something pretty embarrassing in the dream.

'You're going to leave, aren't you?

Davia looks sad too.

'I'm sorry, I have to go somewhere: ......'

He never asked for anything from Tess or Davia.

It really seemed to be just a kindness.

The only thing that bothered me was the morning. When I woke up in the morning, Tess was already awake. But she was acting a little stranger than yesterday. That's what worries me a bit.

But I think I'll go ahead.

Thank you very much. I hope to return the favor sometime.

I say to myself and turn to leave the treehouse.

'Kroki!

When Tess calls her name, she comes over.

”Tess?

I'll see you again at Kroki .......

There are tears in Tess's eyes.

'Yeah, I'll see you again, Tess.

I patted Tess on the cheek. This too is an embarrassing act that is unworthy of me, but it's better than in my dream.

I turned around and waved goodbye to Tess and her friends, waving my hand over and over again.

Then, after walking for a while, I realized.

By the way, how did Tess know my real name?

Tess, the Elf Girl

You sure that's a good idea, Tess?

I shake my head at my mother's words.

'Because I can't help it, ....... I didn't think you were from another world ....... It seems like Kuroki must have some role in this world. I can't keep you back .......

The night I spent with Kuroki in a dream became a treasured memory for me.

It was in that dream that I learned the true identity of Kuroki.

Kroki's power was so great, it was like that of the gods. If you're a human, you can use magic to make it yours forever, but my magic won't work on Kroki.

I'm not going to be able to do anything about it as long as Kuroki is leaving.

I look away from Kuroki's back.

Kroki looked back at me several times. At least he wouldn't hate me.

Maybe he'll come to see me again.

'Come and see me again, my gentle dark knight,'

Dark Knight Kroki

Master Dihardt. That's St. Renarian Republic.

A large city can be seen from the top of the hill.

The country was located at the mouth of the river where the sacred river and the sea meet, with Mount Elios as its source.

Two days after leaving Tess and the others, I finally arrived at my destination.

'Let's go, Nat.