Chapter 59 Unprecedented

This identity of one of the forest's Guardians, Dryads, or whatever people chose to call them, sure seemed like a convenient new identity for me. At first, needless to say, I felt my plan of action crumbling when the hideous elf made it clear he knew what I supposedly was. I feared I had to kill him in order to keep my secret, but obviously the other elf knew about me as well. So I was doomed, right?

No, I wasn't. In fact, by assuming the identity of one of these dryad people, the elf seemed to idolize me more than he idolized the princess. He felt more admiration and awe for me. So much so, that maybe it was more convenient to have this dryad identity rather than the other.

At any rate, then, I didn't contradict the elf. If I were to, after all, there was no telling how he would react. I still needed him to guide me. And as I didn't know the elven princess was still alive, I didn't have the idea of taking her hostage.

Well, things were a mess, but at present, I saw a way out of all of it. Glad enough, I hence forbid the elf to inquire about my identity as a 'dryad' or 'friend of the dryads coming from another divine forest'. The more questions he asked the less believable my identity would become.

"—M-My blunder! I-I shan't inquire more, O Noble Spirit!"

"Meh. Long as you get it."

White-haired went on talking. "I-It's really like in the elders' tales… back in childhood. Noble Spirits are… Anyway. I should have understood earlier, sir. I should have noticed something." I told him it was fine. Besides, he did get a clue, by now, and recognized the Noble Spirit I was, so whatever happened was all in the past.

"It all makes sense, sir. I kind of knew… ever since the beginning… I did not suspect anything too grand, however. Fact is, the turn of events is so shocking. I should have known. I shan't say it enough times.

"The princess. She was so afraid and silent. All the time. Weak and alone. She would cry and weep at night. Walking by her door, my heart always ached so… terribly. But I am unworthy. I know she didn't want me to hear her. Facing me and the other scum… well, he's dead now… she didn't want to let her weakness show through.

"I'm sorry I couldn't be a good enough attendant to serve her. Attendant… huh? Can I even call myself that…? After all, in all this wild trial, I am the one sacrificing her. It… might be for the greater good, but… Our princess is a good girl… she has… she… Whatever." Chasing away the shame he felt, he met my eyes with confidence. "You may not be fully acquainted with the full circumstances of the reason why it is that the Sacred Forest has been thus ransacked and plundered by… the evil forces… but… No. I apologize. I only digress and probably… wish for you to take pity on my people. However… I am afraid even you, O Noble Spirit, cannot fare well against the evil forces… Besides, I know nothing of your noble quest, but… Sorry, I digress again."

I didn't really mind him getting all of this information out. If anything in normal circumstances, I would urge him to tell me everything about their conflict and everything. I was eager to learn about it. It was actually the first time I was dealing with something so very big. So in a way, the reasons and context of the war the elves were going through interested me very much. All of that was stimulation, and stimulation was what made me grow as an individual. The elf, however, just left the matter at that. In any case, I guessed I had no time for mingling into their war before I accomplished the Character's Creation quest from the System.

"Allow me to ask you, Noble Spirit," the elf mumbled, "if you may allow me at all."

"You may speak," I waved a ruler's hand at him, allowing him to ask. "I will only answer if I am to do so."

"The princess… is she, still now, perfectly safe and sound…? I… I cannot help but worry, sir."

​ To me, she was already dead and buried. "Crap." So I let that slip out. Thankfully, I just muttered it. Telling me he didn't catch that since we were too far away from each other, he asked me to repeat. Right before I could give him an answer, he held a hand out to me, saying he should understand. Understand what, I didn't know.

But man, his head was heavy with thoughts. And now that he mentioned his princess, he had to 'digress' again. Digress from what, though, I would ask. He was getting beside the point of our little conversation here, I supposed, but what was the point anyway? I guess I could say why I agreed to sit my ass here with that guy and talk things out. I just wanted to stall for some time before I made a decision.

I wasn't sure, after all, whether it was totally safe to go on with the plan with White-haired or just find another way to the completion of my quest with the old man. In any case, at present, I asserted it was okay to keep going with the elf. He revered me so crazily as the Noble Spirit and held me so high in esteem. So now, I was good with just going on to traveling again. That's only talking about me, however.

What was the actual 'point' of this conversation for the elf? Did he just, as he said, want me to take pity on him and his people? It felt like he did, in a way. Why that was was simply because he kept digressing and diving into details he would later on dismiss as unimportant. The point of this 'talking things out' to the elf was actually asking me about two questions.

The first question I already both partially answered and refused to answer. It was about my identity as a forest's Guardian. The second question, or rather favor, he wanted to ask of me was to give him and his people the princess back. Naturally, that was part of why he asked about the princess' well-being seconds ago.

But anyway, the elf digressed again. Doubtless, he couldn't be referred to as the princess' attendant and protector, he explained. Something had changed in his princess. Her behavior was drastically different. So the elf did expect something to be wrong—or simply different—in the princess.

But even then, the princess being in fact visited by the Guardians was absolutely unprecedented. He expected something anyway but waved all the suspicions he had about her away. He could be proud of her, for once.

Proud of her as a powerful and capable warrior. Before the war, she was just the lively and delightful young lady she had always been, but then the war broke and she was so sickly and weak. Then, the Noble Spirit appeared, and she underwent such a transformation. It was truly unprecedented, he kept repeating.