Volume 7 - CH 4

Chapter 4 – Felicia’s Discussion and Wataru’s Turn?

Felicia boarded a small boat and headed for the dark elf raft… I know it’s too late now, but should I have put in a threat to destroy Felicia if she messes with her or something? I think it’s okay because she said she was one of the brethren or something like that.

“Master, Felicia will be fine. She’s not stupid enough to act hostile in this situation.”

“…Was that in my face?”

“Fufu, I can see it.”

It seems that I don’t even have the talent for a poker face… I don’t know what would have happened if I hadn’t gotten the ship summoning… I’ll stop imagining scary things.

It’s going to take a while, so I chat with Rimu, hugging him.

“Hmm, I’d like to take the food storage ship out for a cup of tea, but it would be very conspicuous indeed, wouldn’t it?”

“I’d love to join you, but it would be too conspicuous, so it’s best not to. You want to hide as much as you can, don’t you?”

Alessia-san, you’ve completely read my behavior. Is it the power of love? …I’ve always tried to hide it, though, so even without love, she’d know.

“Yes, well, by the looks of it, if they decide to relocate, they’re going to find out about the ship summoning.”

“Yes, but there’s still a chance they won’t relocate, so we shouldn’t do it.”

“Yes. From now on, when I board a Japanese-style boat, I will at least bring out the tea utensils.”

“Fufu, that’s a good idea.”

We continue chatting while paying attention to where Felicia is. I should have conditioned the discussion to take place in a visible position. I think I’m thinking about it, but there are too many things I’m missing. I want to be able to think about more things.

～Felicia’s POV～

I part ways with Master and the others and get into the small boat. Master looked very worried, but I think I’ll be fine. Master gave me a chance, and I must use it to my best advantage.

“You say your name is Felicia. I am Gael, and I am in charge of the men in this village.”

“I am Felicia, again, and it is a pleasure to meet you.”

Despite my wariness, he looks at me with sympathetic eyes. He must be a kind man. He doesn’t say much, but he gives me a few words of concern. When we arrive at the raft, I am shown into the house.

When we enter the house, two men are sitting on chairs. There is almost no furniture except for a chair and a table, and in some places, there are signs that the house has been broken down and repaired. Could they have been attacked on the lake?

“Village Chief, there was a dark elf among those who showed up in the village, so I brought her here to talk to you. They say she is a legitimate slave, but she has been ordered to tell no lies and to speak at her own discretion, so the discussion will be fine.”

“I understand. Thank you for your efforts. Are the guards all right?”

“Yes. I’ve got the men on guard duty.”

“Fumu, I understand. Well, thank you for your patience, young lady. My name is Iasanto, the village chief. Can you tell us your story, young lady?”

“Yes, my name is Felicia, daughter of the village chief of a dark elf village in the southwestern forest of the Kingdom of Latina. Pleased to meet you.”

Both the village chief and Gael-san are competent people. I guess power is necessary to survive in the Demon Forest.

“…Since the daughter of the village chief is enslaved, so something must have happened. But first, let me ask you about your companion. This is the first time someone has come to this village, and we are having a hard time dealing with it.”

First time? It makes sense, considering the route we took to get here, but how did these people get here? …They didn’t trust me enough for me to ask them, so they wouldn’t answer me.

“I came here with my master, another slave, an escort adventurer, and an A-rank party called Girasole. We have no intention of harming this village and are looking for a dark elf for the contract I made with my master when I became his slave.”

“A contract, huh? A contract with you to come to such a dangerous place. …That seems far-fetched. What is the nature of your contract?”

I couldn’t believe it either. I knew my terms were absurd, and yet I couldn’t give up, so I made the terms. I thought that even the fact that I would eventually be sold at auction would bring in as much money as possible to the village.

Even now, I sometimes wonder if it might have been a dream. The village moved to an empty island, and I lived a happy life. I am not despised as a slave, I eat delicious food, and I see a world I have never seen before… I have wondered many times if it was a convenient fantasy created by my mind because I am so happy.

After Master embraced me, I strangely came to accept that it was real. I wondered if my mind and body recognized that it was real because it was the first time, and he had asked for it so many times until morning.

“Felicia, Felicia, what’s wrong?”

“Oh, I’m sorry. You said you couldn’t believe it, which made me remember that until recently, I didn’t have any sense of reality either.”

I must be distracted. I’ve been brought here to get what I want, and now I’m remembering what I’ve been through.

“You’ve been through a lot. If you want our protection, we can help you. There is a way out of this.”

…..? Oh, they took it as a bad sign that I don’t have a sense of reality.

“No, sir. It’s not that I was unhappy and had no sense of reality, but that I had no sense of reality because I couldn’t believe in happiness.”

“Hmm? Is that so? …I’d like to know the details of the contract.”

“Yes, the contract was for him to find a safe haven for the dark elves, to help them migrate, and to help other dark elves migrate when we find them.”

“A safe haven for dark elves? Can you elaborate on that?”

I explained the story, from the attack on the village to the festivities on the island, in as much detail as I could, except for something that was a secret.

“…I see. A safe haven for dark elves… singing and dancing at the festival. I never would have thought of something like that.”

I know, right? It never occurred to me in the forest village or even after we moved to the island, and it’s even more difficult when you live in such a harsh environment.

“What do you think?”

“Hmm, before we draw any conclusions, can you tell us how you guys got here?”

“…I apologize, but I can’t give you an explanation as to my master capabilities. If you are willing to move, you may see it yourself.”

“…I see. I will have to discuss this with the villagers, but I would also like to speak with your master. I will send a messenger tomorrow. I will have Gael send you.”

“I will tell him. Lastly, I know this has been hard to believe, but I hope you believe me. If you have nothing to complain about here, it may not be necessary, but please think about it.”

“I’ll think it over. Thank you.”

“No problem, then, excuse me.”

I wonder what’s going to happen? I’ve told them as best I can, so I hope they believe me… Gael-san was asked to take me to the Japanese-style boat. Master welcomed me with a relieved look.

~Felicia’s POV ends~

Felicia has returned safely. She doesn’t seem to be injured, and her expression is cheerful. Was there a good response? The dark elf, who introduced himself as Gael-san, informed me that the village chief wanted to have a discussion with me tomorrow.

He told me that he couldn’t let us stay in the village, so I told him that we would camp at a suitable place and it would be fine. As expected, I don’t want to stay in a tense village on guard, so it was a helpful offer on the contrary.

I told them I would be back here tomorrow afternoon, so I decided to leave for the day.

“Felicia is back safe and sound, so let’s just go somewhere out of sight of the village and rest for the day.”

With everyone’s agreement, I drove to a place out of sight of the village and summoned the Hideaway. We listen to Felicia’s story while drinking tea in the dining room.

The village is not in good spirits, and Felicia’s story seems to be half-believed, although they are interested in it. Well, if someone shows up out of the blue and says they’re going to take you to a nice place, it’s something to be alerted to, isn’t it?

It’s not like they rejected me because they said they wanted to talk to me tomorrow, so it’s up to me from now on… It would be sad if they refused to talk to me and refused to move.

I think about tomorrow while talking to Felicia. …I’ve come to the conclusion that I’m just going to have to take it where it comes from. There is too little information. I’m going to eat a meal, get plenty of energy for tomorrow, and go to bed.

In the morning… I kiss Ines and Felicia and go to the dining room with Rimu in my arms. I think about finishing breakfast and relaxing until the appointed time, but I am restless.

If this migration is successful, the number of dark elves on the island will increase, so I think it will be enough to recruit the dark elves we meet without having to go out of our way to try to find them.

At any rate, I can put a break on my contract with Felicia, and I’d like to make it a success if I can. I’d like to refrain from going into the forest anymore.

I’ve already paved the way to buy a luxury liner, so once I’m done with the migration and have bought the luxury liner, all I have to do is enjoy myself. Oh, I want to help Dorothea-san with her taming. I’m looking forward to seeing what kind of slime will join us.

After spending a restless time, we headed for the dark elf village on a Japanese-style boat. I was getting sick to my stomach, especially since I was so bad at negotiating. When we reached the village, Gael-san came to pick us up in a small boat.

“Hello. You said we were going to have a meeting.”

“Yes, but I can’t take everyone with us. Felicia and Felicia’s master, I want you two to come with me.”

“Wait a minute. I know you want to reduce the number. As an escort, we also need at least one of us to go with them.”

It is true that three people are better than two. It’s never safe, much less in a Demon Forest, so it’s better to be as safe as possible. We can count on you, Alessia-san.

She didn’t say anything when Felicia went, but that’s to be expected since she’s not Felicia’s escort. I want to believe that it’s never because Felicia can handle it but because she’s worried about me being there.

“…You are the ones who made it through the forest to get here, and even one more person would make us nervous. If possible, please refrain from doing so.”

“I can’t just accept that, can I? I’m also making a big concession to your situation by asking you to allow only one escort. If you can’t make a decision, can you go back to the village and discuss it?”

“…Alright, I’ll allow one more escort.”

Don’t you have to go ask? Isn’t it pretty great to be in charge of a group of men?　

“Thank you. I’ll go.”

Alessia-san said she was coming with us.

“…Are you taking that slime with you?”

“…Is it not good?”

“You might think I’m nervous, but I’d appreciate it if you’d refrain.”

Hmm, it’s not a quirk to insist that Rimu and I are a set here.

“Rimu, can you wait here for me?”

“Wait?”

“Yeah. I’m going out for a bit, so you’ll have to stay here.”

“Okay, I’ll be waiting.”

I can’t help but pet the cute little Rimu.

“…Is it okay already?”

“Oh, I’m sorry. It’s alright.”

As I was stroking Rimu, Gael-san was looking at me curiously. Does he not know how good the slime is too… Should I go proselytizing?

We arrive at the village with me, Felicia, and Alessia-san. It’s quiet. I wonder, but I don’t want to ask because it’s our influence nine times out of ten.

Several rafts are floating around a huge rock, and houses are built on the rafts. The rock, which looked huge from a distance, looks even bigger up close.

In terms of size, the visible portion alone is about the size of two ordinary Japanese two-story houses side by side. It is huge when you consider the area below the water’s surface.

But the houses in this village are almost the same shape. It seems like they are adapted to the rafts. Two men greeted us as we were led into the house.

“I am Iasanto, the village chief.”

The other man and Gael-san stood behind the village chief. I guess those two men are his guards too. But three beautiful men? Is it my sick mind that makes me uncomfortable when beautiful middle-aged men line up?

“I am Wataru. Pleased to meet you.”

They offered me a chair, and I sat down, and Felicia and Alessia-san settled in behind me. …There’s another chair, and it would be helpful if you could sit next to me. Definitely, I will be the main person in the discussion.

The pressure has increased, but I’ll do my best for the sake of my happiness.