The next two days were incredibly boring.
It seemed like the elves were upset with how rude I had been during the feast on the first night, as they didn’t invite me to any of the subsequent feasts. How petty!
Of course, not all elves were that stiff.
The ordinary elves, including Rene, treated me kindly as if they were completely unaware of the situation.
Not everyone was so friendly, though.
The ordinary elves I met on the first day recognized that I came as some sort of envoy, and they had a vague understanding of what I was supposed to do, so they were friendly enough. However, some other elves shot distrustful glares at me and the other humans.
Fortunately, I never had to clash with those elves.
The suspicious elves never came too close to me. Even though their stares were uncomfortable, they never directly tried to harm me, so I could bear it.
And among the elves, there were quite a few who didn’t speak the human language at all.
This was understandable. Most elves hardly ever had the opportunity to meet and converse with humans. Excluding a few elves like Rene, who had to guide me, and some higher-up elves trying to show off their intelligence in front of me, the rest of the elves didn’t speak the common human tongue at all.
Especially the children.
The kids following behind us whispered to each other in elvish, and sometimes, when they tried to talk to us with an air of curiosity, they quickly realized that we couldn’t understand them at all, resulting in expressions of confusion or disappointment.
Some even openly teased us. Without any special intonation, our plain human voices must have sounded strange to the elves. Or maybe it was because they were looking at our non-existent ears?
Of course, even if they were teasing, it was with sounds they didn’t understand, nice-sounding melodies instead. Given how Rene freaked out and chased them away, it seemed like the content was rather serious.
“I’m really sorry. I’ll have a stern talk with the kids.”
I thought it might be better to just let it slide when I asked Rene what it meant, and all she did was turn red.
In that vein, there was one particularly peculiar little kid.
The one who had complained about not wanting to eat sausages at the last feast.
If that kid had been like any other, he would have been speaking elvish then, and I wouldn’t have understood a word.
Even more surprisingly, the woman following that kid spoke the common human language. For an elf to take pride in their culture and language, that was quite unusual. I couldn’t tell if she was a half-elf just from looking, but considering the setting, it was a pretty political one. Could a half-elf child really be invited to such an event?
I wondered how that kid looked.
At a glance, they definitely had bright blonde hair—
“Saintess.”
Yes, they had blue eyes, striking enough to call out my name like that.
“I’m sorry for the late introduction. My name is Remine Kihmuhir.”
Aha.
So that’s why they were so fluent in the human language.
*
With her right hand on her left chest and her left hand behind her waist, the little girl bowed gracefully, her head barely reaching my waist.
Considering how many pure-blooded elves are taller than me, calling her a mere child wouldn’t be odd at all.
“I am Saint Clara Anderson. I look forward to working with you.”
I had resolved to reciprocate the way I was treated, high or low, so I bowed politely, returning her gesture.
If she had noticed this, one could say she was quite clever. After all, it wouldn’t be because the higher-up elves were being uncunning towards me. It was more like a battle of wits.
If she had heard the adults grumbling, it wouldn’t be strange for her to behave this way.
With the sudden appearance of this noble little lady, Rene, who had been my translator and guide throughout my time in town, had her expression stiffen up. She was tense. Understandably so.
Do elves care about gender when choosing lineages? Well, considering that all the members of the council were male, it might just be possible.
If this Kihmuhir was Ra-mi-hi’s younger brother and the only male among them, he could be a leading candidate as an elder for the next generation or thereafter. If the position of the elder is hereditary, he could become the most powerful figure in the town.
That didn’t concern me much, but for Rene, was she essentially facing a prince?
When I waved at him politely, without dismissing Rene’s respectful demeanor, it seemed clear that he had a good personality. Or perhaps he was still young enough to have not lost all concepts of manners.
“My sister is always in your debt.”
So he was definitely the little brother.
But Ra-mi-hi and I didn’t really owe each other anything. Ra-mi-hi was the one who had unilaterally suggested becoming friends.
Of course, I knew it was just an expression of courtesy.
“No, if anything, I’m the one in your debt.”
This felt like the right response here, right?
“I see…”
As he looked up at me quietly, I noticed his blue eyes.
Were they pure? Children have relatively small heads, so their eyes take up a larger proportion of their faces. Even without any specific emotions, the light reflecting off them gave a bright, innocent vibe.
“Do you have something to say?”
Feeling slightly uncomfortable under his prolonged gaze, I asked. Remine jumped in surprise and flushed red.
“N-No, it’s just… seeing a different race is my first time. If I caused you discomfort, I’m truly sorry.”
Aurora, who stood behind us, let out a small Kyaa~, but I couldn’t afford to admire her naivety.
After all, she was a Kihmuhir.
She came from the same family as that perverted elder who blatantly despises humans, and Ra-mi-hi, who openly treated their disliked opponent like an insect.
It might be a bit harsh to doubt such a young child, but if she was a Kihmuhir, she might have approached me for political reasons.
…Or maybe not? Thinking back to her avoiding sausages could indicate genuine child-like behavior.
“Um, uh…”
Blushing slightly and squirming, Remine spoke.
“Could you show me your ears a little?”
Such a curious little child.
It certainly made sense that with this posture, her ears were hidden by her hair. I easily pushed my right hair back behind my ear to show her.
“Wow.”
I couldn’t tell if that was a sound a child would make or if she was intentionally using a childish voice, but Remine made that noise.
“They’re definitely different from elves. Our ears are shaped like this.”
No need to turn and show off. They were already quite visible.
Honestly, I didn’t find the appearance of elves that astonishing. Without their ears, they’re not too different from humans, and while they might not be as pronounced, there are definitely some humans with longer, pointy ears. It wasn’t particularly novel.
“Would you like to touch them?”
“No thanks.”
I replied sharply, and Remine had a slightly flustered expression.
I mean, why would I be touching the ears of a young boy? Even if I had an ear fetish, I wouldn’t be touching child ears. What if I got picked up for that?
Besides, this girl was the child of the Kihmuhir family. While she wasn’t at an age where I needed to be overly cautious, it wouldn’t hurt to be careful.
“Uh, ah.”
She seemed at a loss for how to continue, though I could tell she hadn’t expected the conversation would be cut off this way.
Remine’s eyes darted to Rene. They looked like those of a pleading child.
Rene’s face had frozen into a stiff expression, but she gave a slight shake of her head toward Remine. It seemed Rene had a good idea of what the little girl was leading up to.
Ah, was the serious expression simply because she was seeing someone of a higher status? Could this kid actually be a well-known troublemaker?
Thinking back to her actions during the feast, it wouldn’t be strange.
“Well, uh, bu-but!”
As Remine started to stammer, she cleared her throat.
“Um, Saintess. There are a few other physical differences between humans and elves. Have you noticed any?”
…Could she really be bringing that up?
I hesitated for a moment before replying.
“No.”
I obviously knew that, but somehow I felt like admitting I did would lead the conversation down a slippery slope.
Especially considering her earlier suggestion to ‘touch’ my ears.
Hmm.
“Eh?”
When I acted innocent in my respond, Remine again seemed to panic, now visibly flustered.
“So, what were you trying to say?”
“Um, no, it’s just…”
I raised my hand, pinching the bridge of my nose.
The higher-ups among the elves really were clueless.
That little pervert of a kid.
Feeling the temperature of my gaze drop, cold sweat gathered on Remine’s forehead. Auro-ra next to me let out a small sigh.
Ah, I really wanted to do a drop kick. But it wouldn’t do to hit such a little kid.
Maybe I should save up this frustration and unleash it all in about ten years, with interest.
“What were we talking about?”
While I was seriously contemplating how to deal with this little pervert, a sudden voice startled me. Fortunately, the little pervert jumped back in surprise at the sound, while my own startled reaction went unnoticed.
I think Remine had said something about ‘sister’ in the context of it.
The one who suddenly appeared and interrupted was Ra-mi-hi. I had no idea how much of the conversation he had heard, but his mouth was smiling while his eyes certainly were not.
Remine muttered something in elvish again—
“Eek!”
With a thud, she covered her head with her hands.
“Using a language the guest doesn’t understand in front of them is quite rude! Didn’t you learn that?”
So the elders were just rude old men with no manners in general.
Of course, they were still rude old men even speaking in the human tongue.
“W-Well, that doesn’t mean you have to hit her.”
Naturally, Ra-mi-hi completely ignored Remine’s protest. I remembered a friend of mine who had an older sister, and how similar her expression was whenever we went over to their house during childhood.
Thinking back, we might have made a bit too much noise.
“By chance, the meeting ended early. My little brother said he was meeting you, and I was curious what kind of conversation you were having, so I came to see.”
So that meant he more or less knew what we’d been discussing.
What do elves say when offering condolences? Would it be ‘May the noble elf rest in peace’?
“So, what were you talking about?”
“About the physical differences between humans and elves.”
As I said that, Remine’s eyes widened in shock as if struck by lightning.
“Oh? The difference between humans and elves?”
Ra-mi-hi’s gaze towards his younger sister almost seemed to drop to absolute zero. If Remine were liquid, she’d probably have frozen already. No, perhaps her blood had frozen solid by now?
“And then she said something about showing her ears—”
“Shh! Shhh!”
Remine seemed desperate to interrupt me, signaling wildly, but—
“—she said to touch them, you know.”
But I wouldn’t let that slide.
“Aha, then, talking about ‘differences,’ she asked to touch ears, and afterward, she was going to look for another ‘difference’ between humans and elves, right?”
Ra-mi-hi sure knew how to connect the dots. It wasn’t just his combat skills; academically, he had performed exceptionally well too.
“Your inquisitive younger sister must have thought to say, ‘If I find the difference, I’ll touch them for sure,’ right? All for the sake of her intellectual curiosity?”
“N-NO! That’s not true! I wasn’t thinking that at all!”
As Remine flushed deep red and shouted, it seemed Ra-mi-hi didn’t hear her at all.
“And if she gets turned down, she’s likely to bring up how I didn’t ask you to touch mine just earlier, correct?”
“Ah, ahh…”
Remine’s ears drooped. So that’s how this could operate. They acted similar to animal ears. After all, beast-folk and elves do originate from the same world. Since both are categorized as human, perhaps they could have branched off from the same root?
“Alright then.”
Ra-mi-hi lightly pinched one of her droopy ears with his fingers.
“Ah, wait! No, no! Ah, owwwww!”
Remine thrashed in pain as Ra-mi-hi grabbed her ear.
“Why? It seems you asked for me to touch them earlier. I’ll keep touching them until you’re satisfied, so just go along with it.”
Well, that kid’s definitely going to pay today.
If a brother feels like hitting on someone just because they’re an acquaintance of his sister, of course, she’ll be angry. If I were her, I’d probably start by hitting him on the head.
“I’m sorry, I think my little brother needs more teaching.”
Ra-mi-hi said, slightly bending his waist.
Of course, his arms came down with it.
“Oowwwww! I’m sorry, I’m so sorry!”
Remine, pulled down along with him, shouted her apologies.
“No, it’s fine. It hasn’t turned into a ‘real incident,’ so it’s all right.”
If we were to frame it, technically it could be a near miss at best. In reality, we could have brushed it aside and not made it an incident at all, considering how I’d entirely cut off the conversation.
“I’ll take that into consideration. Thank goodness, right, little brother?”
“Thank you! Thank you!”
With relief evident on her face that looked more desperate than grateful, I sighed longingly as I watched Remine tiptoe along to echo her brother.
*
While it was too eventful to say that nothing had happened, I managed to pass the two days without any major issues.
Elves are still people. No matter how alien a being may seem, you can adapt to them once you see them often. Moreover, knowing they’re not harmful makes it even easier to fit in.
Of course, there were still elves behaving as if they harbored hostility toward us. Leaving aside the higher-ups, a few ordinary elves were particularly eye-catching.
However, that hostility wasn’t something I could influence, so I just gave up on it. I once asked Rene if those folks had any issues with humans, and she responded with a very sorry expression, saying, “There probably wasn’t anything special.”
In other words, I thought it was safer to assume that their hostility stemmed from thinking, “humans are outsiders.”
And here I was occupying the most essential place in their significant events.
I can somewhat understand their feelings. If some blonde foreigner showed up at our ancestral rituals and took the seat of honor, I’d feel rather uneasy. Especially since I wasn’t even related by blood; I was just there because I “knew how to perform the rites well.”
The problem was that Remihar was not just an ordinary ceremonial event.
It wasn’t merely a process-driven affair.
Rather, the ceremony itself could easily be performed without any particular procedures; all that would be needed was to call upon the holy power comfortably. Since there’s nobody to watch from the outside, no one would mind if we did it lying down. I doubt the elves would have established any human technology like monitoring cameras in that sacred place, as they wouldn’t allow anyone in besides the ceremonial officers during the rites.
I wasn’t sure if it was really to ensure the officers could perform their rituals comfortably.
After all… they’re elves.
These scheming folks must be thinking something behind the scenes. How sly.
“How are you feeling? If you’re not in top condition, we can postpone the ceremony.”
“Is that possible?”
The elder, who had been disregarding me prior, finally called me the night before the final day. To be honest, I had been a bit worried about what would happen if they didn’t inform me until the very last day, so I felt slightly relieved.
Feeling relieved due to the behaviors of these old geezers made me feel terribly uneasy.
“The date is merely a promise to conduct the event regularly. If the officer’s condition isn’t good, holding the ceremony would be worse than not performing it at all.”
Honestly, I was a bit surprised by those words.
Considering the old men in the council I had observed until now, I had thought they would insist it must happen no matter the situation.
“Well, I’m fine. I feel pretty good.”
“I see.”
There was no one else in the elder’s chamber besides him. More accurately, there was only one elf elder, and behind me were Paul, the captain of the knights, and Aurora, which put us at an advantage in numbers.
Of course, with Kihmuhir on the opposing side, even three of us wouldn’t guarantee victory. However, he must have invited me with that context in mind.
“If so, I’ll send someone tomorrow morning. Just do as Ra-mi-hi instructed.”
“Yes…”
What is this?
I thought he’d be no different from the Krah Kihmuhir I had seen before, yet I felt an oddly strong sense of discomfort.
How should I describe it? Like suddenly hearing my neighbor’s grating old man’s polite greeting after he had been acting like an absolute jerk every day.
Could it be that someone’s sense was knocked into him after being hit? Did Ra-mi-hi give him one too many hits while he was at it?
“Well then…”
The elder approached me, grinning broadly.
“Just don’t go too far and make yourself sick. I have ‘faith in you.’”
That was an unnervingly kind statement. No, it felt terribly unpleasant coming from that perverted old man.
A shiver ran down my spine. Paul, who was facing the elder for the first time, looked bewildered by my reaction, but Aurora hadn’t hesitated to show her own disgusted expression that matched my own.
Regardless of our reactions, the elder continued to wear a benign smile.
I forced a smile in response to that unnaturally kind smile while thinking inside.
These crafty folks, there’s definitely something going on behind the scenes.
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