“Ugh, my head is a mess…”
Rue’s first words after possessing the body of a female elf. She grabbed her head and stood up, staggering as she rose. She looked precarious, and I stopped her, saying,
“Sit down. It’s better than standing.”
“But this place is too dirty.”
“Crafting.”
That should work. I turned the floor over to create a chair. Rue, happy to be able to sit in the body of a shapely woman, hummed a tune as she plopped down.
“Human bodies are fun!”
“Enough with the weird sounds. Is there anything useful?”
“Umm… Just wait a second. I haven’t dug through all the memories yet. Maybe it will take about five more minutes?”
“…Crafting.”
We sat across from each other, separated by bars, killing time. Rue flapped her arms and legs, fascinated by the elf’s body she’d ended up with, and made various facial expressions.
And she also spent time rubbing various parts of her body.
Five minutes turned into ten.
Rue beamed and said,
“I’m done!”
“Okay, hurry up and tell me. Is there any useful information?”
“Um, it seems this elf was a patrol member. She discovered contamination while checking the status of the World Tree, and her fellow began transforming into a monster after confirming the contamination, and this elf, who witnessed it, escaped and fell down the stairs.”
“Quite a miracle she’s still alive.”
Considering it was at least a thousand stairs.
“It seems the spirit protected her body. The wounds have healed over time!”
“When did that happen?”
“Uh…about half a year ago?”
Ruh’s appearance was roughly around the same time Harpas manifested in this world. Perhaps it coincided with the time when the Outsiders started interfering in this world.
Knowing that wouldn’t change anything, but still better than being ignorant. They say ignorance is bliss, but now is the time to drink the poison of knowledge.
A little knowledge could determine the outcome of this war.
“And any other info?”
“Well… I’m hungry.”
“That’s not information; that’s your emotion.”
“But this is important! I’ve never felt hunger before!”
“…Here, eat this.”
“Thanks!”
Rue nibbled on the jerky I handed her.
“Yummy…”
I wanted to rush her, but seeing her chew the jerky with tears in her eyes made me hesitate. I quietly watched her devour the jerky.
How much time passed? Rue wiped her eyes with the back of her hand and exclaimed,
“This is unfair! You’re all enjoying this delicious food without me!”
“I’m sorry about that.”
“Ugh, I really need a body…”
“That body won’t do.”
“I know…”
It’s a body that has an owner, and even if she’s insane, the personality of that body still exists. I gently urged Rue, who looked disappointed.
“I’ll find you a new body later; just hold on until then.”
“Really?”
“Yup.”
“Is it a promise? Come on, pinky swear-”
Did she learn that from Millia? I willingly hooked my pinky finger with hers.
Now, shall we move on?
“Let’s get back to work. Did the elf receive any messages from them?”
She wouldn’t have been mentally contaminated just from seeing something.
In response to my question, Rue folded her arms and thought for a moment, then suddenly locked eyes with me as if realizing something.
“Let’s be friends.”
“Friends?”
Such an adorable word for the antics. Come to think of it, she mumbled ‘friends’ when I first met this elf. So their goal is to increase their ‘friends’?
Zombies?
In any case, it was certain that they were beings that should never be left in this land. If we let them do as they please, they might turn the entire continent into their friends.
“Any other information?”
“Um… it’s hard to differentiate everything because my memories are so hazy, but the eyes of that weird guy seemed to be longing for something.”
“Longing… huh.”
That’s all I got.
“Anything else?”
“Seems like there’s no harvest.”
“Is your head spinning or anything?”
Since it was an item related to the Outsiders, I figured it should be fine, but I couldn’t help but worry. Rue scratched her chin and, mimicking me, shrugged her shoulders, responding that she was okay.
“Then come back.”
“…Can’t I stay like this a little longer?”
“No.”
“Ugh… that’s disappointing.”
I guess it would be a pity since she had to return to her original form. But I couldn’t let her cross the line. Once crossed… it would become too easy to do it again.
“Alright, it’s time to possess the next body. Rue.”
“Oh, right? I wonder what the next body will feel like~”
Rue, or rather, Rue’s control over the body weakened, and I felt something damp tickling my hand.
Shall we finish it up?
We repeated the same process and successfully woke up the body of a male elf this time.
However, the information we were able to extract from the man wasn’t much different from what we got from the female elf earlier.
“This one feels like a bust.”
[I don’t think I like male bodies much.]
“Is it because your mental gender is female?”
[Maybe? I’m not sure…]
Given her voice was feminine, that part wasn’t too strange. I tied Rue back around my waist and dismantled the furniture I had made. Leaving it behind would obstruct passage.
Shall we head out now?
—————–
The day after I visited the prison. I met the queen early in the morning. There was a report of the previous incident, and I still had to continue the investigation from the World Tree as before.
Walking alongside the Bear Drummer, I reached the audience chamber and knelt in my usual posture as the door opened.
“I greet the Queen.”
“Enough with the formalities. So, did you gather any decent information?”
I explained everything I learned from the two elves. They wanted ‘friends’ and were longing for something.
“Friends… huh.”
“Indeed.”
The queen fell into thought, resting her chin on her hand, and then, as if remembering something, asked me,
“Can you communicate with them?”
“I’m not sure if they would be willing to talk.”
Communicate.
It sounds easy, but isn’t communication the most challenging part of this situation?
There’s no guarantee our language systems would even match; all we see from them is hostility. It could be their form of ‘goodwill’, but that was a well-known danger to the beings of this land.
After all, several members of the queen’s guard had already been sacrificed.
“Still, I want to at least try. If possible, I want to resolve this without leaving marks on the World Tree…”
“I can attempt communication. However… I need a condition.”
“A condition… What’s that?”
“I need a body.”
“A body?”
The queen furrowed her brow at my words.
Was it because she couldn’t understand the meaning behind my condition? Or was it because of the ominous nature of that condition? I quickly added,
“In order to communicate with them, this girl’s assistance is crucial.”
I carefully presented Rue, who was hanging around my waist. The queen looked at Rue with a wary gaze and asked me,
“What is this? It emits strange mana.”
[Contractor, what should I do?]
Just stay still.
“She is my partner. A magic book named Rue. I obtained her in a temple where creatures similar to those monsters roamed.”
“A colleague, huh… So, what can this colleague do?”
“This child can interfere with the minds of sentient beings.”
“What? How is that possible?”
Good question. In this world, other than demons, no one could manipulate minds. It was probably because Rue was from the Outsiders. The Outsiders had previously tried to meddle with minds in some way throughout their time here.
“…I feel uneasy about this as well, but it’s the only way to safely attempt to communicate with them.”
“Your Majesty! This is too dangerous!”
“Your Majesty! Are you really considering allowing someone to meddle with a living mind?!”
Hmm, I expected this kind of resistance.
It’s quite unsettling, after all. Messing with someone’s mind is a terrifying prospect.
But still, if any trust had been built up to this point… I’m not sure, but since I’m the one taking risks, I hoped they would at least entertain this.
“If you refuse, we can forget this matter. This is a gamble for me as well…”
“No. I will allow it.”
“Your Majesty?!”
“I brought this up first. And… as a ruler, it’s my duty to resolve matters with minimal sacrifice if possible, isn’t it?”
The queen half-opened her eyes and silenced the noisy elders, then turned to me.
“Alright, as you said, I will lend a body. However… the only body available is that of a prisoner. Is that understood?”
“Thank you.”
[Body! Body! This time, I’ll eat something tastier!]
I can’t believe a deal like this was established. I looked at Rue, who was shaking her tendrils in excitement, and once again expressed my gratitude.
“Thank you, Your Majesty.”
Now, shall we start the negotiations?
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