9 - CHAPTER IX "To the Villages"

After introducing themselves and shaking hands, Helian and his group walked through the forest with the girl in the lead.

We were told that there was a settlement of the girl in the vicinity, so we decided to go there first.

It seems that people who escaped from the city have been living there for about three weeks now.

"So, the elf who just came in..."

"Yes, the Noblewood elves who attacked the city."

Along the way, we talk about the elf man we saw earlier, just to gather information.

Although we ran into trouble right away, it was fortuitous that we met the source of our information so quickly. In the worst case scenario, we could have left our country and walked until sunset without seeing anyone.

"Well, the name of your country is ......"

"My name is LATESTWOOD. It is a city-state with only one city and a few settlements. ...... It is more like a hodge-podge, though. It was founded about 30 years ago by a half-elf.

In this case, a city-state would be a small state that has only one city and its surrounding area as its territory.

Since only the castle and the castle town were forcibly relocated, Archimyra has become a de facto city-state.

"Thirty years ...... is a rather recent story, isn't it?"

"Half-elves themselves are a recent race. The number of half-elves only increased about a hundred years ago. Before that, the existence of half-elves itself was quite rare.

A half-elf girl, Leifa, told me that there was no place for half-elves to be born in the first place.

There are many kinds of elves, but most of them live in the great forests of the western part of the continent. And it is said that many of the inhabitants of Noblewood, the land of the elves who live in the forests close to the territory inhabited by humans, despise humans.

Because of their geographical location, the elves who have relatively more contact with humans become the people of [Noblewood], but it is impossible for them to have children with humans.

The elves who lived deep in the forest and did not feel contempt for humans rarely went out of the forest, and only a few of them married humans and had children - half-elves, in other words.

Until a hundred years ago.

"A hundred years ago, there was a war between the races."

An interspecies war between a group of elves centered in [Noblewood] and a confederation of humans.

The elven army won the first battle with a surprise attack by magic, but after that, they were humiliated with defeat after defeat due to the strength of human numbers.

In the first place, the battlefield was wrong. The main battlefield was the wilderness stretching from the Great Forest to the east, and the elves, some of whom had spent their entire lives in the forest, had little aptitude for the wilderness terrain.

In the midst of the defeat, many elves including the queen of [Noblewood] were captured, and the elves were forced to retreat to the forest due to the violence of numbers by the human allied forces.

However, once in the forest, the elves fully demonstrated their abilities and used natural traps and forest followers to halt the advance of the allied forces. A stalemate ensued, and five years after the outbreak of war, a cease-fire agreement was signed.

Then, what happened to the elven women who had been captured by the humans for five years?

The answer is the same as before. The elven women, who were uniformly beautiful in the human sense of beauty, were given as spoils of war to the nobility and high-ranking soldiers, who treated them as if they were s*x slaves. It seems that the invasion war was launched by the Noblewood side, but it is still a disgusting story to hear.

Most of the elves were returned to their home countries after the ceasefire, but many of them had been humiliated and were carrying children or had given birth to children with humans.

--At least enough to create a group of half-elves.

"That is our ancestry. I am only the fourth generation of our ancestors.

It's only been a hundred years, Leifa adds.

Although the origin of the name was quite terrible, Leifa's expression was not particularly gloomy. At least, Helian's insight could not detect any shades.

"But the half-elves were never accepted by the elves.

"But the half-elves were never accepted by the elves. They hated humans so much that they must have considered us, with our human blood, an object of disgust.

It's like a proof of their defeat. In fact, they now hate half-elves more than humans.

"...... What about the human reaction to the half-elves?"

"It's pretty much the same there. But better than elves.

There is not a single elf in the area that treats half-elves well, but there are some humans that visit the forest from time to time that do treat us well.

Some of them attack us out of the blue or try to kidnap us, though. But that doesn't mean there aren't good people.

In fact, they helped me too," smiles Leifa.

Her earlier guardedness has disappeared, and she has opened up her heart to us.

I wonder if the half-elves are in such a difficult situation, I feel a heavy heart.

I asked him a lot of questions, but as I listened to him, various points of divergence came to light.

--First of all, in the game [Tactics Chronicles], there is no such history (・・・・・・・・).

At least in the world where Helian was, such a history did not occur.

There was a group of NPCs [non-player characters] of elves, but such a war never happened a hundred years ago in the game era. It is possible that it happened in an area that I did not know at that time, but there was no such information in the [history] of each country that I obtained while annexing other countries.

The names of the countries are the same.

Neither [Noblewood] nor [RATESTWOOD] have ever been heard of by the Helians.

Furthermore, it is strange that there is a human nation that has enough fighting ability to defeat the elves. In the game, the only human being is the king (player), and he is supposed to have no fighting ability whatsoever.

Anyway, this confirms the fact that this (here) is not the world we used to be in.

Also, as long as there is a human country, an existence that ignores the preconditions of the game, there is no more possibility that the data was transferred to another existing world. ...... No, it is not that. It was a dream, this was my dream.

Helian shakes his head and drives the thought away. All you have to do is gather information. Everything else can wait.

"...... I understand about the elf's attitude earlier. I understand that the elves of [Noblewood] are eyeing the half-elves of [RATESTWOOD].

"Yes. We just want to live quietly. Our capital city is close to the border with humans and we can use it as a shield in case of war with humans, and it's also near the Abyssal Forest. ......

However, the situation has changed drastically.

Three weeks ago, [Noblewood] suddenly attacked [Ratestwood].

Why did they start the war?

I don't know. It was a surprise attack without a declaration of war. A statement was finally released after the city was invaded, claiming that , but I am not inclined to believe it."

The city of [RATESTWOOD], which was attacked in the first place, seems to be a half-breed of big trees and stone, and it is hard to believe that the elves, who are concerned with forests, would want it particularly.

The elves rarely use materials other than wood for their dwellings, and many of them live in the large trees.

"The idea of another war with the humans and using our cities close to the border as a frontier base has also occurred to me. ......"

"You almost lost the war a hundred years ago, didn't you?　If we start a war with humans now, does the elven side stand a chance?"

"I can't say for sure, but it would be difficult.

I heard that the number of people in [Noblewood] has hardly increased while the number of human beings has increased compared to that of a hundred years ago.

Since they were overwhelmed and defeated by the violence of their numbers a hundred years ago, it is easy to imagine that they would face an even more difficult battle if they fought now.

There are several other elven nations besides [Noblewood], but the other elven nations do not have a particular disdain for humans, and they do not bother to participate in the war.

"So I don't think they really want the cities. I don't see any reason why they would want cities in the first place. And if they only want the cities, it doesn't explain why they would try to capture us after we escaped."

Come to think of it, the elf earlier also said that .

It is true that if all we want is a city, we can just drive the half-elves out of it. However much we may hate half-elves, there is no reason to try to capture every single half-elf who has escaped from the city.

"What about the forces on the Rattestwood side?　You did put up some resistance, didn't you?"

Of course I resisted. But our first ambush hit the center of the city hard. I don't know what kind of magic they used, but we were hit by a fire on a scale I have never seen before. ......"

Karmic fire?

"Wait. Elves use fire as their first move?"

"Yes. That's not right either. Yes, it was a very powerful attack, but the forest was also damaged. It is obviously strange that the elves, who call themselves 'noble guardians of the forest', would prefer to use it.

The more I hear about it, the stranger it sounds.

"If the center of the city was hit hard, who is the king ...... or the corresponding leader?"

"Since we are a female royal family, the leader is the queen. The queen of [RATESTWOOD] is missing, along with her royal consort. She is not as good at magic as the elves, but I would like to believe that she is not dead because she was a strong leader who united all the people and founded the kingdom. But since she has not escaped to the settlement, she is probably being held captive by the elves.

Moreover, [LATESTWOOD] has lost its capital. We have already lost the war.

If I were in their shoes, the best way would be to unite the forces that have escaped and then join forces with others to counterattack.

But they are half-elves who are discriminated by both humans and elves.

That is why they have gathered together to form a nation, and they will be at a loss for an answer if there is anyone outside of them whom they can rely on.

It's a heavy burden to bear.

I feel sorry for them, but I can't help them.

Reminding himself not to think about anything else, Helian tries to gather information.

"By the way, Mr. Leifer. What about Eltina?

"Leifa is fine."

He smiles at me.

The gap between his expression and that of the noh mask on his face when he rescued her made me feel a little nervous.

I wonder if he is becoming too friendly all at once.

"Uh... in ......, you can find a picture of Leifa. Eltina, she is not a resident of [Noblewood]. So we don't discriminate against you. I don't discriminate against half-elves either, and the same goes for Levee here. You can trust me on that."

Levee and Eltina, walking next to me, nod their heads in approval.

Leifa nodded cheerfully.

"Yes. I trust you."

It may sound like a nail in the coffin, but he does not seem to have any other intention.

I was relieved that he seemed to trust me at least for the moment.

After hearing what had happened, it was natural that they were wary of our group.

After all, a human man was accompanied by an elf woman.

With the other companion also being a woman, it would not be surprising if they thought that Helian was taking a slave, as Leifa had said at first.

Incidentally, as for the reason for my complete ignorance of the situation in this area, I have pushed it through on the assumption that I am a traveler from a distant place.

Leifa was staring at me from head to toe, but she did not ask me any questions and explained to me what she had just told me.

I was afraid that she would ask me many questions later, but as long as Leifa did not ask me anything, there was nothing that Helian could do now. She would not expose herself by trying to give various useless explanations. Herian's first priority was to listen to what they had to say.

As a side note, Ertina is only giving a few words to the conversation between the two, and Levee is completely silent. To avoid any confusion, the conversation is completely left to Hélien.

"By the way, ......"

"Hmm?"

"You have unusual eye color. I've never seen black eyes before."

"...... is that so?"

"Yes. And her hair is black. It is rare to see only black hair, but I have never seen a human with black hair. I think it is very rare.

"......Hoa."

--Oh, no.

This is not a good storyline.

I guess there are not many black-haired and black-eyed people around here. In fact, Leifa has blond hair, green eyes, and a western face. This leads to the question, "Where do they come from?

That's not good. We don't even know the name of the area around here. You could answer with the name of a suitable place as your hometown, but that would lead to a deeper discussion about your trip, such as "which direction did you come from," "why are you here," "the purpose of your trip," and so on. It is difficult to come up with a plan to cover up all of these questions. If we continue like this, the traveler setting will collapse.

In a hurry, he changed the subject.

"But, Leifa, you seem to be very mature. The way she speaks, or her mannerisms are refined ...... and somehow I feel her dignity."

"Really?　I think it's normal. ...... Oh, perhaps you misunderstand my age?"

"Hmm?　Oh, well, being an elf species is more ...... uh, than it looks."

"You don't have to look so embarrassed. I don't mind. As you can see, I am older than I look."

I knew it.

Being half-elves, they have the longevity traits of the elves.

If so, there is a strong possibility that there is a big difference between her appearance age and her actual age.

He may not be more pronounced than an elf, but he may well be older than Helian.

"My age is fifteen. Are you surprised?"

"............ surprised."

I was surprised to see that he is as old as he looks.

I knew you were just a kid.

No, I am not even 20 years old, but her age is that of a junior high school junior or senior high school freshman in Japan. I don't understand why you said that with a bit of a smug look on your face. How old did she think she looked?

Looking at her again, she is a little short for a race of elves who are tall in height. It is common for female elves to be taller than 165cm, and Eltina is also tall at 169cm. On the other hand, Leifa's height seems to be around 160cm.

Perhaps, from the elvish point of view, the height of a person may be used to measure his/her age in terms of appearance. If that's the case, it's hard to agree ...... with Leifa's absurd reaction, yes.

"Oh, can you give me a minute?"

"Hmm?　I don't mind.

"If we walk for another ten minutes or so, we will reach the village, but if we take you all with us, I think everyone in the village will be surprised. So I wanted to call my friends to give you a head start.

"Oh, I'm sorry to bother you. I'd really appreciate it."

I don't want to cause a scene, so I'm glad to hear your offer.

As I watched him, wondering if he was going to use a whistle or something, Leifua took out a green stone from his pocket and put it on the ground. Then, using a twig that had fallen down nearby, he draws some kind of pattern on the ground with the stone at the center.

The geometric patterns that were being drawn were--.

"...... Your Majesty, it's a magic circle. Be on the lookout just in case.

Eltina whispers in a voice that Rayfa cannot hear.

She is preparing to use her magic.

In the game [Tactics Chronicle], some ritual magic is activated by drawing a magic circle. The magic that Leifa is going to use must be of this kind.

Is he going to launch something that will serve as a marker to call his friends? It seems rather ostentatious for that...

"Sorry to keep you waiting. I'll call your friends now."

You're going to call your friends now?

The nuance of the language caught me.

"Could it be that ...... this is a summoning line?"

"Yes. It's a magic to summon those who recognize each other as friends, but we need a formation to amplify the magic. Thank you for your patience.

"...... summon a companion?"

What the hell is that?

Such magic does not exist in Tactics Chronicle.

Summoning magic itself exists, but it can only summon summoned beasts created by magic power. It is not possible to summon existing characters who are still alive.

The main principle of [Tactics Chronicle] is that the instantaneous movement of a character, that is, the transfer of a character, must be done through a [teleportal]. However, the girl in front of me says that she can summon her friends by magic.

Come to think of it, the same is true for the magic that the elf-man just mentioned.

It seems that he used wind magic by throwing a pebble, but that magic was also new to me.

There is no magic that Hellian, who has been playing the game for a long time, does not know. What does this mean? The more information I gathered, the more discrepancies there were between my knowledge and what I already knew.

Leifa meditates and folds her hands in prayer for the use of magic, while Helian is puzzled. Levee and Ertina prepare themselves for the unknown use of magic, ready to respond immediately to anything that may happen.

I beg. I invite you to join me. My friends, my friends! If you too recognize me as your peer, then come to me now with my voice as your guide - I am the callfellow.

The magic circle glowed emerald and converged into a ray of light.

The light fades, leaving behind a dazzling glow, and all that remains is the figure of a strange woman.

"Master Leifa!　Oh, I'm so glad you're all right.

A woman, probably a half-elf, emerges from the magic circle, quickly picks up the bow on her back, and with a fluid motion, draws an arrow from the quiver and spins it.

"Stop it, Wenri!　These are the travelers who helped me. Put down your bows now.

"But, but those beastmen, they are elves and humans!　It's dangerous, please stand back!

"I said, put down your bow. That is an order.

Rebuked by Leifer, the woman reluctantly lowered her bow, her wary gaze still on the woman. She still had her bow and arrows in her hand, but I guess that was the compromise she was willing to make.

--But Helian was more concerned about another problem.

The fact that the woman who had been summoned followed Leifa's orders meant that Leifa was a superior being to her.

However, Rayfa was apparently younger than her. While Leifa is fifteen years old, the woman who was summoned looks to be in her mid-twenties.

In the military, rank is absolute, and the younger may give orders to the older.

It is possible that Leifa is a higher rank than the woman, but it is a little difficult to imagine that a girl like Leifa is a top military officer.

Moreover, the woman who appeared called her .

If so, what is the status of a girl who is younger than the adult woman who was summoned, and yet is in a higher position and seems to be respected?

"I'm sorry. There are many people in the village who are now on the verge of death. I apologize again for my impudence.

"No, that's fine ......, but I want to ask you one question, Leifa."

Yes. Yes, sir?"

Smiling, Leifua gives a friendly smile.

Helian asked, his back sweating uncomfortably.

"Can you tell me your ...... full name?"

"With pleasure. My full name is ."

Leifa-Rim-Latestwood (・・・・・・・).

The name of the land of the half-elves is also RATESTWOOD.

Not many people would take the name of their country as their family name.

In other words, what is the true identity of the girl who we thought was just a half-elf? .......

A few more steps and you will reach my country. It may seem like an empty village, but let me at least thank you for saving me. I welcome you as an individual and as royalty (...)".

The smile that used to look so pure now frightens me.

It seemed as if every word that Leifa had said in the previous conversation had some kind of hidden meaning.

Helian's head was in the wrong place now.