It was already deep into the night by the time I could return to the inn where I was staying. Nobody would have grabbed me even if I disappeared from the banquet hall in the middle of it, but for some reason, I felt obstinate. I wandered around the banquet hall for quite a while after exploring the Elf village with Rene.
The few ordinary elves permitted to enter the banquet hall recognized me as a curious being but didn’t feel uncomfortable. They had never met a human before and only had a vague knowledge that “there are similar races living far away from Arlil.”
Just by being kind to them, they perceived humans as “kind beings.”
The elven attire I wore had no pockets. It was uncomfortable, so I didn’t bother carrying my smartphone, which probably helped me not be seen as an alien presence. Well, even if I had it, they wouldn’t have disliked it; they would have found it curious.
Not that there weren’t any beings that might dislike me, though.
There were those in the banquet hall who openly found me uncomfortable — those “respected elves” who looked down on humans and wanted to assert their superiority over me. They felt quite uneasy around me.
Part of the reason was my audacious behavior, standing proudly alongside them, but it was also awkward for them to blatantly insult me.
My status as a representative contributed to this, too. When they were alone with me, they acted as if they didn’t care about such things, but with other elves who respected them around, they had to hand me at least a minimal level of courtesy.
If I bent down to appease them, they’d welcome it while subtly trying to belittle me. Conversely, even if I stood proud and rebellious, they couldn’t outright dismiss me either.
Anyway, it was a peculiar relationship kept loosely tied by hierarchy. The respect shared between myself and the noble elves was freely given or withheld.
Seeing those elves with their chins raised and chests puffed out, furtively avoiding me despite their scowls, was actually a bit amusing.
It’s not like they were completely in the right in the first place, so I had no reason to feel guilty.
With nothing particularly pressing to do, I wandered among the elves until most of them returned home, and only then did Rene cautiously approach.
“It’s about time they start clearing the food; are you okay with that?”
“Yeah, I’m fine.”
I had filled my stomach hours ago and hadn’t touched any food since.
“It’s already this late. Should we start heading back?”
In truth, there weren’t any clocks in the elven buildings. Almost no items from human civilization were present. I had seen lights that appeared to be LEDs on the ceiling, so they must have electricity somehow, but it was so well hidden that I couldn’t spot it.
After seeing how carefully the branches of countless trees in the elf village were pruned during the day, I thought it was just for sunlight, but at night, the soft golden light from Arlil shone through them, illuminating the village.
The elves also had their own self-made lighting.
Holy Power could be used for healing bodies, but it could likewise illuminate dark places with the light it emitted. Like the light sphere I created when we went to find the Witch of Jealousy or the flash grenade that obscured Kihmuhir’s vision during his duel with Lynn.
The elves couldn’t manipulate Holy Power themselves, so they utilized it in slightly different ways.
They extracted their Holy Power from Arlil. Two methods existed for this.
The first was storing it within their own bodies. The method was simple: just spend a long time near Arlil. Though they didn’t have any special organs to store Holy Power, elves who had bathed in it for long periods would glow softly at night, their skin and hair sparkling.
If an elf lacked Holy Power, they could simply stand next to each other, sharing the light that way. However, this method was exceedingly inefficient. It was like carrying water by soaking a cloth and squeezing it somewhere else, except with a cloth that hardly absorbs anything.
The second method was picking Arlil’s fruits.
Just like the branches and stems exude a soft glow, the fruits also shine. Fruits blessed with Holy Power wouldn’t spoil for a long time after being picked, and consuming them would heal illnesses and wounds. In dark areas, they could even serve as a light source.
Naturally, the efficiency of the fruits varied based on their condition; they were categorized accordingly.
I learned all about these elves’ lifestyles from the elves during the banquet.
The higher-ranking elves had effectively refused to engage in conversation unless I bowed first, but ordinary elves expressed genuine curiosity and told me lots of interesting things when I asked detailed questions. It seemed my polite demeanor helped a lot.
…Of course, if I was overly polite, they would feel uncomfortable in return.
There were instances where they indeed showed curiosity towards me, but the issue was that I didn’t have the knowledge to answer their questions properly.
“So, how do humans light up the night?”
“With lamps.”
“What’s a lamp?”
“It’s a light that uses electricity.”
“Wow, so what’s electricity?”
“Uh… It’s kind of like thunder—”
“Do humans know how to capture thunder?”
There was nothing I could say to the wide-eyed elf who asked me that.
The fact that they knew absolutely nothing about me made it that much harder to convey information. If they had even a basic understanding of such technologies, we might have been able to communicate. But elves who lived in harmony with nature had no such knowledge.
No, it must have been controlled from the top. They probably didn’t want to show that a convenient world existed.
Let’s face it, the elves despised the demons. They might control information about humans, but the knowledge about demons and beasts was not monitored. They were inherently bad beings, and the ultimate goal of elves was to drive them away and reclaim a true homeland where Arlil existed.
However, they were unaware that humans effectively kept those demons at bay. They didn’t know of the existence of weapons that could drive those beasts away.
No matter how many “respected elves” there were, they were still fewer in number compared to the “ordinary elves” underneath. Regardless of the information they held, if the ordinary elves started advocating for importing human weapons to fend off demons, it would create a massive problem for the higher elves.
And their pride in being superior to humans would end there. Humanity’s advanced weaponry wasn’t something that could just be whipped up knowing how to make it. Once they started importing, they would have to keep importing indefinitely, requiring fuel and power to operate it effectively.
They were the kind of people who were sensitive enough to even build airports as far away from elven regions as possible. There was no way they would publicly acknowledge such useful information.
Yet leaving me here unchecked… was that because they thought I wouldn’t be able to explain it to them?
That’s incredibly frustrating, but it’s not incorrect.
Darn it.
“Saintess.”
As I grumbled internally while looking out the strangely bug-free elven-style window, I heard a voice calling me.
Turning my head, it was Rene.
“The banquet is about to end. In a bit, the Elder’s closing speech will begin; will you be listening in?”
Why would I care about that?
“No, I think I’ll take my leave. They seem a bit uncomfortable, too.”
“Ah…”
Rene made a slightly regretful expression. Earlier, she’d told me not to hate them too much, so it wasn’t surprising for her to look that way.
But I had already answered. I wouldn’t overly hate them.
Without any basis or reason, I wouldn’t blindly despise them. However, if they made me uncomfortable or upset, I wouldn’t just hold back.
That was my line.
Rene appeared to want to argue otherwise, but she had been watching my behavior and their reactions throughout the banquet, so it seemed she had nothing else to say.
“Well then, I’ll be leaving.”
“Yes, I’ll go inform the Elder.”
Watching Rene promptly compose herself and respond, I held back the comment that they probably wouldn’t care, and just kept quiet.
*
Even in a state of neglect, a guest is still a guest. At the very least, they should appear to be one. No matter how minimally educated the ruling class might be, they wouldn’t entertain the thought of treating someone poorly placed in a shabby spot.
So, the accommodations used by myself, Aurora, and the Knights were quite spacious.
Aurora and I shared one room, while the knights had one double room and two four-person rooms. As for the double room, it was on par with the luxury of a hotel suite, as it was of the same standard as Aurora and mine.
Interestingly, the double room was bigger than the four-person rooms. I had no idea why they’d bother to have such spaces when guests rarely visited from the outside. It didn’t seem like elves would enjoy a hotel-style retreat.
These accommodations seemed to be carved out from the same wood used for the Elder’s chamber; however, unlike the low-ceilinged Elder’s chamber, it was made from high ceilings where you could gaze down at elves passing below. It was a place with a unique experience, unlike a hotel in a bustling city.
I had no idea if this place was referred to as a hotel or not.
Fortunately, the banquet venue was at a similar height, so I didn’t have the ordeal of climbing up the stairs to a suite in a hotel without any elevators.
As I followed Rene closer to the hotel, I heard singing.
No, it wasn’t the elves’ conversation. It wasn’t anything lyric-driven either, but the soft la-la-la sound that continued was beautiful.
It was Aurora’s voice.
“Uh?”
Rene, who was walking ahead, paused for a moment to listen.
“Is there a type of language among humans that sounds similar to ours?”
I nearly burst into laughter at the pure elf’s question.
“No, this is a song.”
“A song?”
Rene tilted her head in confusion.
That’s right. Elves talked in a way that already sounded like singing. Their speech, with its twelve tones, and heavy on its “r”, “m”, and “ng” sounds, sounded to humans like a melody.
That’s why they didn’t have a separate genre for this kind of art. The same written word could have entirely different meanings depending on inflection. If it were just a matter of tones, making it into a song would be easy, but ironically, the elves’ always melodic speech was not suited to creating actual songs.
“A song is… putting tunes to poetry.”
“Poetry?”
Rene tilted her head again at my explanation.
Ah, that’s right. The elves’ language, when written, resembled poetry closely. Even though the number of vowels and consonants was limited, it seemed they put a lot of thought into each word combination, leading to countless poetic phrases or rhymes when constructing sentences.
…So maybe they wouldn’t see it as an art form.
See, here I am stuck again.
Trying to explain something that doesn’t exist requires breaking down each concept from the very foundation, which is difficult.
Simultaneously, if I tried to explain something they already had, the question of “why?” would come back at me, along with “do we really need to?”
“Umm…”
I pondered for a moment before clearing my mind entirely.
“How about we go listen to it?”
“Yes?”
I gently took Rene’s hand as she repeated my words in confusion.
“Since you invited me to the banquet, I’ll invite you to the party.”
Surely, Aurora was enjoying a small party with the knights. Being far more sociable than I was, I was sure she’d be having a great time. I heard they’d serve food similar to what was at the banquet for the waiting knights as well.
“Don’t worry about us; we’ll have our fun,” Aurora had told me when she saw me hesitate.
“Come on, let’s go.”
Before Rene could respond, I pulled her along, taking her to our room.
*
And just as I expected, Aurora and the knights seemed to be having a delightful time.
…Well, that might sound a bit off, but whatever.
There were indeed eleven people enjoying themselves, including Aurora. Suffice it to say, without alcohol, there was no chance for accidents or chaos.
Though they called themselves knights, only the captain was genuinely old—an uncle in his fifties with starting to gray hair named Paul Grace. Since he had “Grace” in his name, I initially thought he was female until I realized it was actually his surname.
“Please call me Paul,” he said after introducing himself.
The members originally numbered more but selected the top ten skilled knights to avoid provoking the elves.
Three were young women. They probably were around Andrea’s age. If I had been the same age as in my previous realm, we’d be contemporaries. The remaining six men seemed to be in the same boat, too. After all, to show off the highest skills, it would certainly be beneficial to have youth on their side.
“Oh, Saintess, welcome!”
The knights had shoved all the tables and chairs against the walls, sitting in a circle, and in the center, Aurora waved her hands towards me.
It was easy to tell Aurora had been entertaining them.
Before the knights, wooden plates filled with food lay before them. Given that the piled-up food on the pushed aside table resembled a buffet, it seemed they were enjoying flatware of sorts.
It seemed they were having a better time than I was; oh, how envious.
“I brought a guest; is that okay?”
“Of course! It’s totally fine.”
Paul, who could barely be referred to as an elder—being in his mid-twenties like I was—let out a hearty laugh. The knights moved around to create space for us to sit. These people, too, might have had various objections towards the elves, but experiencing them just like I did, they likely began to think, “the lower you go, the more innocent and kind they are.”
In particular, Rene was trailing behind us, fulfilling the role of an attendant, tending to our needs. At the same time, we also followed her around.
“Rene doesn’t know any songs.”
“What? No way!” an armored knight next to Paul suddenly interjected. Clad in running attire with her zipper open to emphasize her modest chest beneath the thin fabric, she was stubbornly maintaining that look because she didn’t want to lose to the Saintess. When male knights asked if she wasn’t self-conscious, she simply replied that it didn’t matter because she saw them daily.
The male knights showed mixed expressions at her words, though, well, good is good. They didn’t seem inclined to object.
“Considering the elves’ language, that makes sense.”
One knight across replied.
“No, but still, how can one not know songs?”
“Then Grace, why don’t you explain it?”
That’s right. This female knight’s name was Grace Johnson— the one who introduced herself by declaring that I’d dislike it if she was referred to by her last name.
Funny enough, the knight who reacted to Grace’s explanation was named Johnson.
It’s not like they picked each other’s names randomly as if they were playing a game of word association, right? They insisted it was a coincidence, but clearly, something was going on.
“Um, well, it’s, um, when you put rhythm to something like poetry…”
“What’s poetry?”
As Grace stumbled through her explanation, Rene’s eyes widened in curiosity.
I realized Rene was falling into the same trap I did.
“Poetry is…”
Grace, flailing her hands in the air with no discernible outcome, eventually couldn’t convey any explanation.
“Come on, just listen to a song once! You’ll understand! Saintess, please sing another song!”
“Another song?”
Responding to the request, Aurora paused to contemplate, and then, after a moment, grinned widely as if a good idea struck her. She dashed over to me and grabbed both of my hands.
“Clara sister, please sing a song!”
“Oooh, I like that!”
Paul burst into laughter.
Aren’t these people a little too free with their decorum?
Well, it was great, but…
The problem was that I was never great at singing in the first place. To the extent that I actively avoided karaoke. Even if I went to one, I never touched the microphone. I wouldn’t want to torture others with my off-key singing.
During the first office dinner, my boss had forced me to sing until he eventually apologized later.
But hey,
Sure, I might as well try now that I’m in this new body.
I hadn’t sung once since coming here, but with enhanced physical abilities and what felt almost like superpowers, my skills might have improved, right? I mean, I have a decent voice!
“Alright, let’s do this.”
I smiled, holding fast to Aurora’s hands and stood up.
*
A few minutes later…
“……”
In the chill of silence surrounding us, I remained quiet.
“Is this a song?”
“No, no way. Absolutely not.”
Grace sharply denied Rene’s innocent question.
But you guys asked me to sing! You all did!
Of course, I got up too!
Fine. I’ll never sing in front of others again.
I suppose I’m fated to live among others without ever singing, whether it be in my past life or this one.
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