Chapter 79: Life Counselling With The Elf

Chapter 79: Life Counselling With The Elf

We chose a lake on a hill as our resting place.

The place was a little off the road and surrounded by forest.

We spread out our luggage there and took a rest. We left the wagon a little ways into the forest and covered it with grass and leaves so that no one would find it. The horses were being brought in unharnessed.

The lake, which was formed by the melting snow, was about the size of a small shopping mall. The water was crystal clear, and waterfowl were floating carefree. It looked like an easy place to hunt, but we were too hungry, so we decided to eat first.

“I didn’t know there was such a place in this world…”

I looked around as I brushed the horses.

After being released from their harnesses, the two horses were sniffing comfortably. They had just eaten lunch and drank some water, so they seemed to be relaxing now. When I scratched their backs with the brush, they looked at me as if they felt good. It was convenient that they could tell me where it was itching.

Cecile and Rita have gone to wash up. I can’t see them from here behind the trees, but they should be by the lake. Aine and Iris are helping them.

Rafilia is my bodyguard and scout, so she’s by my side.

“Master, I’ll take care of the horse.”

“It’s okay, Rafilia, get some rest.”

There was no sign of monsters in the area.

The Wyvern was flying around here a few hours ago, so they might be hiding in fear. So I don’t really need a bodyguard.

“… resting while the Master is working is unsettling.”

“It’s my job as a Negotiator to take care of the horses.”

“Oh, by the way, there was something I wanted to ask Master.”

Rafilia, who was holding a bow next to me, mumbled, as if she had just thought of something.

“Who am I?”

But the content was very heavy.

Rafilia smiled sadly, bow in hand, as she stroked her cherry-red hair.

“Yesterday, the white lady said, ‘People of Ancient blood’.”

“You mean the vision you saw in front of the wing?”

“Yes. Master could see it too, right?”

I nodded.

It seems that the apparition was talking to Rafilia and Iris as well.

For the two of us, it was ‘Greetings to the Ancient blood’.

“But it’s not right. If the elves are ‘Ancient Blood’, then it’s not surprising that other elves are watching them. According to Master’s story, the merchant said ‘What?!’, right?”

“… I see, in this world, elves are common, right?

To me, elves are legendary and definitely “Ancient blood”.

To the people of this world, elves are common demi-humans, right?

“Then again, maybe being with Iris was the trigger.”

“Maybe…”

Or is Rafilia really a special elf?

“Here’s a suggestion, Rafilia.”

I put down my brush and sat down beside Rafilia.

I beckoned to her, and Rafilia laid down her bow and sat down next to me.

I’m wearing a light-colored dress now, without my usual armor. Rafilia is kneeling next to me, looking blankly toward the forest, waiting for me to speak.

Rafilia is usually a natural soft-hearted person, but today she’s putting her head on my lap with a troubled look on her face.

So much has happened that I forgot that Rafilia’s memory problem is still unresolved.

“You can terminate our Master-Slave Contract early and go find your own memories, okay?”

“I have no intention of leading such a boring life.”

“No, we’re talking about your memories. It’s important.”

If there’s a connection between Rafilia and that apparition, isn’t this a chance to learn more about her past?

“I care about who I am. But I’m not going to lose my life over it.”

“Don’t make it so complicated, Rafilia.”

“I’m having so much fun right now that I’m in trouble. My life with Master and Iris is like a jewel box every day. Master is the one who controls me and is my precious Master. If you were to ask me which I would rather have, you or the memories of the past, I would take the present without hesitation.”

“But you feel like you are lost and incomplete.”

“If you are lost, others will take the good food. That’s what I’ve learned in my life, Master.”

Rafilia bared her teeth and chuckled.

“It’s okay if I’m actually a mythical race, or if I’m actually the savior of the world. It’s just that I felt a little uneasy when someone said something strange. I don’t want my past, which I don’t know about, to destroy the present me.”

“I don’t care if Rafilia is a mythical race or the savior of the world-no, not possible.”

“Muu…Why? Why is that, Master?”

Because… hey…

I can’t imagine Rafilia, the big-breasted fluffy elf, saving the world at all.

I can imagine her running away from the enemy, saying, “Please don’t chase me.”

“That’s right, my cruel Master won’t help me even if I awaken as the savior.”

“Isn’t that because of your and Iris’s worsening midlife crisis?”

“I’ve only unlocked Iris’s potential.”

Don’t unlock it, that’s not how it works.

“So … Master knows who that ‘white girl’ is, right?”

“I think it’s either ‘Residual Thoughts of Blansharka’ or ‘Other’.”

“Isn’t this too little?”

“I don’t know, we know too little about her after all.”

First…

That “white girl” is not known to the general public.

After hearing the story from the merchant, I tried to ask him briefly at the inn, but he just gave me a strange look.

Second thing that we know it that Iris somehow caused it.

The fact that other Dragons react to Iris’ “Dragon blood” has been proven in the battle with the Wyvern.

If that was Heavenly Dragon’s residual thought, it could have reacted to Iris.

And a third piece of information.

Cecile might be able to see the “white girl” as well. This was confirmed before we left the town.

The Ancient Language still had the proper name of “Heavenly Dragon Blansharka”.

This means that Cecile’s ancestors, the Demon tribe, knew about ‘Bransharka, the Heavenly Dragon’. If they didn’t know about it, there wouldn’t be any ancient names left. Because of that, Cecile might be able to see the “white girl”.

“I don’t know for sure but that’s my guess.”

“By the way, what’s the ‘Other’ one, Master?”

“Mysterious Wizard,” “Mysterious Creature,” “Mysterious Monster,” “Visitor,” “Earthbound Spirit,” “Natural Phenomenon,” “Our Hallucination,” “We’re Already Dead, We’re the Ghosts,” “Souls of Those Who Fought at the Stone Monument,” “Everyone in Town is a Hallucination, Only the Girl is Real,” “The Monster King’s Messenger,” “The Entire World is a Hallucination, That Girl’s Dreaming,” “In fact, this whole world is a hallucination, and that girl is dreaming,” “In fact…”

“It’s no good, Master. The amount of information is making my head spin.”

You don’t need to lie around with your head in your hands, right?

“I thought Master would take away my anxiety…”

“Are you still worried?”

“Just a little bit. It’s like the present Rafilia is concerned about the past Rafilia but the past Rafilia is concerned about the future Rafilia.”

“You mean you’re afraid that your past will change who you are now?”

“It’s very common in stories for a beautiful girl who suddenly regains her memory to forget everything that happened while she was lost.”

Don’t call yourself a “pretty girl. It’s not wrong, but…

If you sit quietly, Rafilia is a girl of such beautiful, fragile, and serene beauty that everyone around her can’t help but gaze at her. Her cherry-red hair sways in the breeze, her knees and legs are thin, and she looks like a portrait in a museum.

It certainly seems to make sense that Rafilia is a special kind of elf. She’s a chuunibyo poet.

But she doesn’t remember anything, so I can understand why she’s worried.

“Memory’s not something you can cheat your way out of.”

If I use [Skill Restructure]…

The skill to ‘return’ the ‘memory’ of the ‘person’.

I suppose it’s possible to make something like this, but I’m afraid of using it and failile.

If I blow Rafilia’s memory, I won’t be able to get it back.

If that’s the case, what can I do as her Master?

“When we’re settled in the villa, I’ll make you an employee ID card… or should I say a party membership card?”

“Membership card?”

“It’s like this.”

There was still a branch burning in the fireplace where we made lunch.

I drew a line in the dirt with the burnt side.

As expected, I couldn’t make a 1/1 scale card, so I made it 10 times bigger.

“… I’m thinking of making something like this.”

“Is this the ‘Party Membership Card’?”

The lines were pretty distorted, but this was what I drew.

Rafilia Grace

Race: Elf

Role: Support-type Cheat Character

I hereby certify that you are a member of my party.

Souma-Nagi

“If you have this, the future Rafilia will have a thing to remember us by, won’t she? It’s like a lost card.”

I’ll make one for myself too.

“If you feel uneasy because of the past Rafilia, you can look at it. Because at least the present Rafilia” is one of us. After remembering that, the future Rafilia can decide.”

“… Master.”

“Also, I’ll give you a skill. You can use it when the present Rafilia gets in trouble because of the past Rafilia.”

The one I made with Aine’s [Dynamic Observation LV1] was still with me.

I wanted Rafilia to have it.

With Rafilia’s imagination, she might be able to come up with some crazy use for it.

Besides, Rafilia needs to develop survival skills. She always in danger anyway, and it will be useful in case something happens to her.

[Item Deterioration LV1]

A skill to ‘deteriorate’ the ‘value and effect’ of an ‘items’.

“… What kind of skill is this?”

“It can temporarily weaken the effects of items.”

I took out the knife I used for lunch. I gripped the handle with my right hand and activated [Item Deterioration]. Then, I put the tip of the knife on my left index finger and swoosh…

“Master!- What’s this?”

“What?”

Soft (object)

The cooking knife that Aine is always sharpening pressed against my finger. But it didn’t cut.

“This skill can temporarily weaken the sharpness of a sword, like this. Maybe you can use it on a kettle to make it harder for the water to boil, or on a dustpan to make it impossible… for dust to be collected.”

“I don’t know what it’s useful for, but it’s great, Master!”

After receiving the Skill Crystal from me, Rafilia unbuttoned the collar of her dress, … and hurriedly turned around. With her back to me, she installed the skill.

She then grabbed the arrow she had placed on the ground.

“Then I’ll try it myself. Stick the arrow in your index finger and activate [Item Deterioration]!”

“Wrong order!”

With a puff, blood came out of Rafilia’s fingers.

What’s the point of activating the skill after stabbing yourself?

“Give me that …”

“Master!!! Please don’t do that. It’s a skill that I’ve been given, so I’m going to use it to help Master… What are you doing, Master? What?”

“…?”

I put Rafilia’s bleeding finger into my mouth.

Normally I’d disinfect it with alcohol, but it was in my luggage. This was faster than taking it out.

“Okay, disinfection finished. All that’s left is to wrap it in a clean cloth.”

“Well, well, well, Master …”

“You might want to wash it with clean water afterwards.”

“Yes. I will never wash this finger.”

“No, wash it properly.”

“Thanks to the mercy of the Master…”

Suddenly, Rafilia dropped to her knees in front of me.

“This Rafilia Grace… once again pledges allegiance to Master. It doesn’t matter what past Rafilia was, the present Rafilia is Master’s slave. I will serve Master with only five years of memories, and with all of my mind and body.”

“It’s not that big of a deal.”

“No, no, no. It’s not like that.”

However, Rafilia shook her head, bouncing her head.

“Master is wonderful.”

“… I doubt it.”

“He always tells me what’s important to me and gives me what I want. He’s the best Master in the world!”

“I think you’re giving me too much credit.”

“That’s not true. Your capacity is different from that of a normal person! As expected, you are the one who is prepared to deflower all of us slaves on this trip!”

“Rafilia…”

I grabbed Rafilia by the shoulders.

“… I’d like to hear more about that.”

“Yes, yes. This Rafilia-Grace will tell you everything I know! I’ll tell you everything I know! Ahh! Your eyes are scary! You can’t stare at me like that. If you order… me now,… Master… Rafilia will be ruined… Master.”

Don’t just sit there clutching your chest, tell me the rest of the story, Rafilia.