Volume 9 - CH 15

“Thank you, Lord Yuuji. Though our connections with elves are weak, there is a likelihood that it would have an affect in the distant future should something happen. I will be conveying this matter to the feudal lord”

With the pioneer leader Yuuji acknowledging the elven girl’s sojourn, the guildmaster showed relief on his face. It appears that was a load off his mind.

Perhaps happy that she could become acquainted to the elven girl, Riese , Alice looked up to Riese with face full of smiles. She looked like she would speak to her at any time if she were to be able to communicate with words.

Yuuji, standing next to such Alice, talked to Riese.

‘Speaking of which, what is the thing that you lost? Shall we form parties and search for it?’

‘I can’t say that. It’s the secret of the elven country! But, I guess… It’s inside a bag of about this size. Even though I hung it around my neck so that I won’t lose it…’

The elven girl Riese said and created a square of around five centimeters with her slender fingers. It seems to be the size of what is called a charm in Japan.

“Ooh, that’s tiny… So we’re looking for something of that size from inside the forest… I don’t think it’s possible as you can expect. What do you think, Kotarou?”

Hearing Riese’s words, Yuuji brought the subject to Kotarou. He seems to be thinking if it would work out somehow with a dog’s sense of smell.

*sniff sniff* Kotarou sniffed the smell of the beautiful elven girl. She is not a pervert.

Perhaps she remembered the smell, this time she sniffed the state around her and barked. However, what showed on her face was a stern expression. I know the smell, but it may be difficult for me, is what she seems to be saying. Kotarou sniffed around the place Riese was lying at and then began to walk towards the forest.

Seeing Kotarou walking, Yuuji talked to the guildmaster. 

“Mr Salomon, I’m thinking we should depart if it’s no problem to you. Mr Kevin is still in the pioneer land. I think he will go back to the city before it genuinely begins to snow, so please talk to Mr Kevin if there is anything”

“Alright, I will work out the details once Lord Kevin returns to the city. Lord Yuuji, honestly, thank you”

The right hand that the guildmaster had presented. Gripping that hand, Yuuji exchanged a handshake and then assumed his way back to the pioneer land. While looking for the elf’s lost property along the way.

□　□　■　■　□　■　■　□　□

Yuuji, Alice, the elven girl Riese, Kevin’s exclusive escort Aias and the former third rank adventurers party leader and male scout of the pioneer land residents went through the forest, following the guiding Kotarou.

The second day after leaving the monster’s village.

Pursuing the smell of the young elven girl, the group went off the animal trail and proceeded slowly to the northwest direction. They were looking for Riese’s lost property, relying on Kotarou’s nose.

‘Yeeaah, we can’t find it can we… Come to think of it, why did you leave the country? You don’t remember the landscape around here do you?’

Yuuji asked many times over if she remembers the surrounding landscape, but Riese only shook her head. Arriving here, Yuuji finally asked the question why Riese left her country.

‘Riese is already a lady, that’s why I thought about picking my food on my own! But I accidentally got lost and it turned dark, so I thought about searching for my country after it’s bright because there’s no other choice and… when I noticed, I was carried by them…’

Saying so, Riese showed a gloomy expression.

She did not understand what she was saying, but she must have thought to cheer her up after seeing that face. Alice grasped Riese’s hand. Riese smiled gladly though surprised. While they could not communicate, the distance of the two seem to be closing.

But nevertheless.

A lady would not provide food personally. Were the elven values strange, or was Riese’s idea strange? Yuuji, the only one in this place to be able to converse, did not retort and just murmured “I see, then maybe the country could be surprisingly close.”

The guiding Kotarou barked like she was sighing. Hey, the lack of retorts made it even worse doesn’t it, is what she seems to be shouting. But that voice vanished in the forest without anybody comprehending it.

□　□　■　■　□　■　■　□　□

The third day since leaving the monster village.

As a result of having gone west where they ought to search for what the elf lost, they took a large detour, but the group was planned to arrive at the pioneer land very soon.

The young elven girl, Riese was walking with a depressed look. They were unable to find it. But there was no helping it. No matter how much they follow her smell, locating a charm-sized tiny bag in the vast forest was a next to impossible job.

In order to cheer up the depressed Riese, today too Alice connected hands with the girl. Through Yuuji’s interpretation, the two seems to have made friends with each other in these two days.

Perhaps feeling responsible for it, Kotarou’s tail was dangling loosely. Perhaps because of the passage of time, she was unable to follow her smell on the way.

When they had to give up and the elven girl spilled a single tear, Kotarou greatly howled once out of regret. It was the howl of a loser. 

“Mr Yuuji, we can see it now! It’s our pioneer land!”

The former adventurers party’s male scout, who guided in place of Kotarou who was unusually depressed and walked feebly, turned around and informed the group.

The sixth day since the subjugation group departed from the pioneer land.

Finally, the group had finally returned from the subjugation of the monster village.

They did not miss anybody, and they were increased by one instead.

“Welcome back Mr Yuuji and everyone! It seems you’re all safe…eh? Huh?”

The male scout had sent signals by whistling through his fingers, so the residents had gathered at the entrance to the pioneer land.

Without delay, Kevin, who had remained, called out to Yuuji and group. He must have gone to make sure whether they were all safe or not. It was Kevin who gazed at each of their appearances one by one, but he stopped his movement as he witnessed one girl.

“Eh? Mr Yuuji? This child is an elf… isn’t she?”

“That she is you know. Uhm, let’s see, I rescued her when she was abducted and she doesn’t seem to be able to go home, so it’s decided that we will look after her until spring”

“Eh, ah, alright. We- well, I suppose I could ask you the full details later… ‘Pleased to meet you. I am Kevin’ “

The group opened their eyes wide in surprise to Kevin’s words after he was informed.

‘Eh? You understand elven language too despite being a human? Pleased to meet you! I’m Riese!’

The elven girl was surprised, and then she delightfully broke into a smile. She braced herself and spoke to Kevin.

“So it seems she said her name is Riese. ‘Just the greetings. Hello, thank you and sorry.’ But, what should we do? I’m not acquainted with anything but greetings that I was educated by the company president in my training period, you see… I was told it will be useful someday, but I did not expect it really would become necessary…”

“Amazing, Mr Kevin! No, Mr Yuuji is also amazing though…”

Looking beside them, the former adventurers party’s scout praised Kevin who conversed with the young elven girl. It was not just a greeting. Ordinary human beings did not know how to greet them.

“Ah, Mr Kevin, I know what this girl is saying, you know. ‘Mr Kevin said he only knows how to greet’ “

Yuuji interpreted Kevin’s words and conveyed it to Riese.

While looking a little disappointed, she must have been happy to the fact she was greeted with the language she uses even so.

Alice, whose hand was connected to her, was also full of smiles for some reason.

“Eh…? Mr Yuuji, you can? Err… We- well, that area too afterwards! Everyone must be tired, so first put down your luggage please. Let’s meet at the plaza in front of Mr Yuuji’s house for a moment afterwards. It appears that it would be better if we do the greetings and information exchange, so…”

“Okay~”, “Sure”, each leaving behind a response as they like, the subjugation party went to their respective homes in groups.

While nobody realized the large problem.

□　□　■　■　□　■　■　□　□

The subjugation group put down their luggage, and then gathered in groups of two and three at the quasi-plaza in front of Yuuji’s house where stumps were lined up.

Around the time everyone had gathered, Yuuji brought up the topic with a refreshed look after taking a shower and changing his dirtied clothes.

“ …And so, the subjugation of the monster village was finished safely! With this we have secured our safety and so I’m thinking about increasing in pioneer citizens starting spring. And then, it was in the current explanation, but this girl is the elf who we will look after until spring”

Yuuji, having finished talking about the situation of the subjugation, the protection of the elf to the exchange with the guildmaster afterwards, shifted his attention to the elven girl.

‘I’m Riese. I’m already a splendid twelve year old lady, you know! Please take care of me’

Said Riese, and she gently brought her right hand before her chest. It appears that was an elven style of salutation. It was similar to the greetings of mankind, but there were subtle differences.

“Aah, she’s Riese-chan. She says she’s a twelve year old lady”

Having interpreted that, Yuuji muttered things like “Twelve years old, three years older than Alice, but would elves be a lady at twelve years of age I wonder.”

However.

The gathered house-sitting group of the pioneer citizens were occupied and noisy.

“Hey, why can Mr Yuuji talk in elven language?” “I don’t know, go ask him instead.” “Ma- master Yuuji…” went the uproar.

As if to represent them, Kevin broached the subject.

“Mr Yuuji… uhm, you understand the elven language?”

“Yeah, that’s right. Look, I came from a distant foreign country, so various things happened that time”

The setting that was his origin being from a distant foreign country, which was decided before Yuuji and Kevin went to the city for the first time. It seems Yuuji had been following it even now.

The pioneer citizens, with the exception of Kevin, Alice, Kotarou and Riese, were looking at Yuuji with moist eyes.

“*sigh*… Well, if Mr Yuuji says so, then that would be fine though. I will wait until you tell me someday. Now. Sorry for showing something shameful eh. I’m Blaise. I’m the leader of the former third rank adventurer ‘Dark green wind’ and now a resident of the pioneer land. And then, this here is the party’s archer and my wife Celine. Best regards.”

Said the party leader, holding the shoulder of his wife sitting next to him and introducing themselves. Hearing those words of his, he seems to have noticed the fact that Yuuji did not come from a foreign country.

“Next would be me then. Oops, before that. This big man is in the same party, the tank Dominique. He’s taciturn, but he ain’t a bad guy so please be relieved. And I’m the scout Enzo. I’m single. If only you were a little older, missy…”

Who kept up the self introductions was the party’s scout, Enzo. He introduced the big taciturn man simply while he was at it. It appears that a twelve years old elven girl was outside his strikezone. He was not a lolicon. He was a perverted old man, but a gentleman with discernment. That is why he was treated as an easy mark however.

The Yuuji-interpreted self-introduction time continued with the beastkin household.

After Marcel and Nina’s introductions, Mark spoke with difficulty while his face was flushed. It seems that for Mark, the targets he ought to protect had increased. Which would become the likely winner? It was an envious situation.

“I have already said it some time ago haven’t I? ‘I am Kevin.’ By the way Mr Yuuji, it’s about Ms Riese’s place of residence, but… Are you planning to put her in your house Mr Yuuji? I mean, we can’t communicate with words, so living in the residential complex would be difficult for Ms Riese and everybody, so I too approve of it, but… Some time ago, she could enter naturally didn’t she?”

Finally Kevin noticed the problem he had failed to notice when they broke up to put down their luggage.

The elven girl whose hand was connected to Alice, Riese entered the mysterious  barrier on Yuuji’s house without colliding with it. That time Kevin told about the residents that were like visitors from afar and the building possessing a mysterious barrier previously, he told Yuuji, isn’t “being pulled by the resident” and “having no hostility/malice” the conditions to break through it? It seems the accuracy of those hypotheses were unexpectedly proven.

Yuuji, Kotarou, Alice and Riese who had become a resident henceforth, looked at Kevin with a blank face. That Riese took a shower together with Alice through her guidance and explanation and changed her clothes and wore Sakura’s clothes.

Incidentally, Riese was around 150cm tall and Sakura was around 160cm in height, but there was no need to hem up or roll up Sakura’s jeans. Sakura, who learned of it afterwards, shed tears of blood. Difference in races creates a divide that is difficult to overcome.

“Now that you mention it… We- well, it would be difficult if you can’t communicate like you said after all, mr Kevin! Kotarou and Alice seems to be emotionally attached to her too! … Right, how about Mr Kevin and everyone here try it too, when I eventually include talking about my origins. If there’s no problem, it can become a place where you can take refuge in at any moment’s notice too”

Yuuji informed them in order to deceive them. But, it wasn’t as if Yuuji hadn’t thought about it either.

Ever since he was told to prepare himself for the worst by the bulletin board residents, he continued to think and had decided.

Although this time the defensive battle and subjugation battle was a complete victory, Yuuji, as pioneer leader and as defense captain, intended to secure the pioneer citizen’s safety first with his home that was protected by the mysterious barrier.

As if to manipulate that atmosphere, the pioneer citizen’s introduction continued.

Finally, that woman stood up.

“I’m Yurshelle, a seamster like Vallerie! Say, say, Riese-chan, would you perhaps wear the clothes that I’ve made? I, I mean, this white skin and modest blond hair… The clothes of that pattern paper and design that I got from Mr Yuuji should suit you more! Hyahhoo, I’m in heaven aren’t I! Hey Vallerie, we’re going! We’re going to sew clothes for a beautiful elven girl right away!”

Yurshelle did a self-introduction in a hurry and left behind the dumbfounded Riese and the group, seizing the male seamster by the nape of his neck and dragging him to their workshop. It appears that her craftsman’s spirit throbbed in front of a beautiful elven girl. Her image that was born after witnessing the modern day design had acquired a target to wear. It was quite right. 

“E-excuse me Mrs Yurshelle? You haven’t forgotten about the clothes I asked you, have you? You will make it in time for spring won’t you? I’m giving it to her for my marriage proposal, it’s quite the important clothes though…”

Such mutters and stretched hand of Kevin floated in the air without being answered by anybody.