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nWe traversed through a forest while Kyle led the way.

nThe laid-back Marie was surprised to hear that this floating island was Kyle’s homeland.

n──So it seems that she didn’t know either.

n“Gee, if this was your home, you should have told me, Kyle. I would have prepared a present or something.”

nIt seems that she intended to watch over her exclusive servant as he visited his home, but wouldn’t this be dicey situation for Kyle?

nHe was bought as a slave and is now returning to his home town with his master.

nIs he going to introduce her to his family by saying “This is my master!” to them?

n──I would hate doing that.

nKyle walked ahead, but was the same as when I spotted him on Partner’s deck.

nDespite it being his homeland, he didn’t seem to be enjoying it at all.

n“No need for a present.”

nHe seemed a bit gloomy.

nBeing worried about Kyle, Livia consulted me.

n“Leon, doesn’t something seem strange about Kyle? He’s returning home, so why is he so down?”

nUnlike the carefree Marie, Livia was looking closely at Kyle’s condition.

n“Maybe he doesn’t want to visit home for some reason?”

nUnlike Marie, Livia was kind.

nAs for Anjie──

n“Is this a forest where elves live? I didn’t know there was a dungeon here, but I’m a bit excited for some reason.”

n──She was really tense.

nMeanwhile, Marie was serious.

n“It’ll be fine. If I can earn big here, I can get rid of my debt. Rather, isn’t this opportune? Then I can buy sweets from popular stalls and have desserts for my dinner during the evening. I have to buy new clothes too. My others ones are already shabby and worn out.”

nIt was saddening to hear Marie’s monologue.

nI was indeed angry at Marie, who cheated her way to becoming the saint, but why was she this miserable?

nWhat evil things did she do in her previous life to deserve carrying debt while needing to pay living expenses as a saint?

nJilk and Greg walked in the back while a group of girls walked in the middle.

nHertrude, who seemed troubled, walked alone.

n“You could have just waited.”

n“I can do whatever I please. Besides, now that we came all this way, I want to look at the historical ruins.”

nShouldn’t the upper management of the kingdom be more wary of the fact that this girl’s been given free rein?

nWe continued through a straight path in the forest.

nLuxon, floating near my shoulder, looked at the road.

nMaster, what exactly──are elves?

n“A fantasy race. Are you interested in them?

nElves used to not exist within my data. While I had been on stand by, a creature suddenly appeared, turning out to be an elf. Is it not something to be curious about?

nI wasn’t really that aware of it, so I wasn’t particularly interested.

nIn addition, it’s also noteworthy that they cannot breed with female humans. However, in the case of men──

nAs Luxon spoke on, Kyle pointed to a village within view.

n“That’s the town where I was born and raised.”

nMarie was excited.

n“Wow~, how beautiful!”

nAt first glance, it seemed like a calm, but fairly developed village.

nThe buildings were mostly log houses and the town had a sense of unity.

nAll the villagers we saw were beautiful and had nice figures.

nSeveral villager-like elves wore outfits that clung to their bodies.

nJilk placed his hand over his chin and began to boast about his knowledge.

n“Elves are basically well-favored in looks, but do not seem to judge beauty by outward appearances like how humans do.”

nBoth Marie and Greg had shocked faces.

n──It seems they didn’t know this. I wasn’t aware of it either.

n“Oh, is that so?”

n“Right. They judge based on the magical power one holds. Due to that, they have almost no preferences in terms of looks.”

nThough everyone was interested in the elves who judged others based on magic power, Kyle didn’t say anything more.

nSince these were elves we were talking about, a slightly more detailed explanation would have been nice.

nI tried calling out to him in concern.

n“Something the matter?”

n“Don’t talk to me. If you’re trying to fulfill a sense of self-satisfaction by acting worried about me, then stop. I absolutely hate guys like you who tend to get the wrong idea.”

nI felt my face getting red.

n“And I hate little brats like you. Why don’t you go find your mother and introduce Marie to her, you can even say ‘This is my master,’ to her.”

nThereupon, Kyle sighed and spoke as if looking down on me.

n“It seems you don’t know. Alright, for elves, being a slave is synonymous to working away from home. Despite being slaves, we’re treated decently, much better than you boys at the academy.”

nIt’s indeed as he said, but hearing him say it made me furious.

nLuxon strangely seemed convinced.

nIntriguing, so elves view it as working away from home? I understand.

nJilk added on to that explanation.

n“Elves seem to have a longer lifespan than humans. A few decades is a not a big deal for them.”

nWorking away from home for a few decades? Leaving that aside, there’s something about Kyle’s speaking that I’m curious about.

nSomeone’s feelings toward slavery would be like this.

nUpon hearing hearing the word slave, one would assume that treatment would be poor, but being exclusive servants, they’re treated favorably.

n──Indeed, the boys would be jealous.

nSeeing us approach the village, one of the elves in the village walked towards us.

nA pleasant girl with green hair and yellow eyes.

nIs she around the same age as us? She’s a small woman.

nIn addition, everyone’s gazes focused on her bust, which was big relative to her body.

n“Kyle!”

nThe woman waved her hand and rushed over, seeming to know Kyle.

nAs the woman approached, Kyle adjusted his posture and moved towards Marie’s side as she was speaking with Jilk.

n“Marie, this woman here is my mother. Her name is ‘Yumeria.’”

n──What? His mom?!

nElves have a much younger appearance than their actual age. Could it be that Kyle is an old man on the inside too? In that case, he might be the same as me.

n“Um, oh! N, nice to meet you!”

nWhen the confused Marie gave her greetings, Kyle’s mother, Yumeria, also became confused and bowed her head.

nIt felt very calming seeing the two bow towards each other.

nKyle explained the situation to Yumeria while seeming uninterested.

n“Everyone wants to enter some historic ruins that are in this town. We need permission from the village chief, so we’re heading over to give our greetings. With that, please excuse us.”

n“Say, Kyle. You’ve been away for a long time, but you don’t need to talk like we’re strangers──”

n“I cannot do that, I’m in the midst of my job.”

nKyle’s attitude may be appropriate as a servant, but he was being a little cold towards his mother.

nYumeria’s expression darkened.

n“You don’t have to be so cold. This is the town you’ve been away from for so long, isn’t it?”

nKyle sneered in response to my words.

n“Something bugging you?”

n“Don’t get so over-familiar with me. I’m Marie’s exclusive servant, and I’m not going to get along with the likes of you.”

nGreg was a bit irritated at the strangely stern Kyle.

n“Hey, you’re taking it too far. Baltfault is our commander.”

nMarie also seemed to pay attention to the odd attitude her own exclusive servant was taking.

n“Kyle, don’t pick any fights. You’ve been weird today for some reason.”

n“I’m the same as I always am. The village chief’s home is here.”

nKyle walked ahead, not even glancing at Yumeria.

nLivia spoke to Yumeria in concern.

n“Um, Kyle’s been strange ever since we came to this island. Err, maybe he’s feeling sick.”

nHowever, Yumeria made a sorrowful smile.

n“It’s fine. It’s my fault. I’m an unseemly misfit, after all.”

nThose words stuck to my mind for some bizarre reason.

n◇

nThe village chief’s residence was large.

nUpon asking about it, it seemed that several decades ago, when returning to the village after finishing work as an exclusive servant, the village chief had received a large amount of remuneration and built the residence.

nHe was an elf that looked like a young man with a beard, someone only in their late twenties.

n“You want to visit some ruins within the village?”

nI spoke alone with the village chief, acting as a representative of the group.

nEveryone else waited in a reception room.

n“Right. Is it possible?”

n“The ruins are a sacred place for the village, so it would be tough. You won’t be able to obtain permission so easily. I don’t think the other village chiefs would allow it.”

nElven villages were scattered around the floating island.

nIt seems that altogether, they’re labeled as a collective.

n“Furthermore, the collective chief is quite stubborn. There’s no doubt that you will face opposition to enter the ruins.”

n“The collective chief?”

n“She’s an old woman whose strong point is divination. I’ve heard that in the past, there were many guests who visited the collective chief, but her power has currently weakened and there are often times where her divinations aren’t accurate either.”

nI don’t care about this talk of fortune-telling, but it’s a problem if we can’t enter the historical ruins.

n“I’m sorry, but you might have to give up. Though, we frequently visit the ruins and have found no treasure there. Searching for some would be fruitless.”

n“Huh?”

n“Us elves are free to enter and exit it as we please, and there are even many people who go there on a whim. We’ve exhausted ourselves searching through it, but contrary to everyone’s hopes, there’s no treasure to be found.”

n──Could this different from the game?

nAs I was thinking about it, there was a furious pounding on the door.

nA female elf barged in without waiting for a reply.

n“Village Chief, it’s the collective chief!”

nThe village chief grabbed a nearby ornament──then tossed it to the woman.

n“Eek!”

nSeeing the item crash into the woman and fall, I give a look towards the village chief.

nHowever, the village chief ignored me and began preaching to the woman.

n“What insolence, running over in a commotion and pounding on the door! How many times do I have to tell you? Apologize to the guest!”

nThe village head then walked towards the woman and began kicking her.

nUpon seeing that, I stepped in with haste.

n“What are you doing?!”

nThe village chief swept my hand aside and turned away with a scornful look.

nThose eyes he had were the same as the exclusive servants’ when they face the boys within the academy.

n“Don’t be a nuisance. That is important elf etiquette. If we’re not careful, the children will learn bad manners. That means their worth as slaves will diminish.”

n──It seems that I don’t fully understand the situation with elves, but this is too harsh.

nSeeing this doesn’t make me feel at ease.

n“This a revolting sight in front of a guest.”

nI did my best to put on a brave front.

n“Sorry about that. Now then, what’s your business?”

nThe woman shed tears while informing us that the aforementioned collective chief was visiting the village.

n◇

nWe were in a plaza at the village.

nThe gathering elves were all beautiful men and women.

nAmong them, a short elderly one carried a large cane for support.

nHer back was hunched over and it was hard to tell whether her eyes were open or closed.

nThe old woman with gray hair muttered something to a woman wearing the same native outfit.

nThe female elf, who was supporting her, transmitted her message.

n“I will convey the words of the collective chief. Do not enter the ruins again. At this rate, you will incur the old demon lord’s wrath.”

nThe village chief was at a complete loss.

nI assume that the collective chief is in a higher position, her way of speaking is different from the woman’s.

n“Collective Chief, what do you mean by demon lord? In the first place, aren’t the people from other villages entering the ruins too?”

nThe collective chief muttered something.

nListening to her words, the female elf once again spoke.

n“Do you think that the collective chief knows nothing? She’s aware that you all are heavily involved with the ruins. The collective chief is leaving a message. Don’t come into contact with what’s taboo. Don’t enter the sacred ground of the elves.”

nThe surrounding elves were shocked, but the collective chief and the female were serious.

nLuxon, who was floating near my shoulder, also seemed shocked.

nA divination, is it?

n“What? Are you a non-believer of those sorts of things?”

nCould it be possible? There have certainly been people with strange abilities. You’re one of those people, Master.

nFrom Luxon’s point of view, I would indeed be an unscientific phenomenon since I hold memories of my previous life.

nThere seems to be some discrepancy between what the village chief said and what the collective chief said.

nPerhaps the elves aren’t actually free to enter and exit as they please?

nBased on what the collective chief said, nobody can get near the ruins.

nFurthermore──

n“By the way, do you know anything about a demon lord?”

nAre you familiar with the matter, Master? Does a demon lord appear in the otome game?

n“There’s no demon lord in that otome game. That’s why I’m really concerned.”

nCould it be that the collective chief is growing senile?

nShe may have been a capable diviner in the past, but there are more elves who are either suspicious or completely doubtful rather than those who are at least half-convinced.

nThe collective chief’s cold gaze shifted from the elves to──Marie.

n“Hey! This commotion is annoying. Whatever, someone take me to the historic ruins! I absolutely must capture──”

nThe collective chief’s eyes widened as Marie, who was frightened of debt, stepped forward.

nShe spoke to the woman next to her, and then that woman conveyed the message to us.

nShe seemed surprised and shocked.

n“Are you a saint?”

n“Oh, you could tell? Yes, I’m a saint. If you understand that, then──”

nBefore Marie could finish, the woman spoke.

n“You’re allowed to enter the ruins. The saint brings along the old demon lord. That is the future the collective chief foresaw in recent months.”

nMarie tilted her head in confusion as the surrounding elves grew restless.

n“Demon lord? I don’t know a demon lord at all.”

nYou’re like a final boss to me. You’re something like a demon lord, I guess.

nOr rather, it seems that the collective chief has gone senile and lost her touch with divinations.

nMarie isn’t a real saint, Livia is.

n──The demon lord must also be a misunderstanding.

nI turned towards Luxon as it stated its own opinion.

nCould this be about Julian? He’s royalty and the descendants of the new humans use magic. If royalty means being able to operate the workings of magic, it’s possible that he could adopt the title of a demon lord.

n“I understand what you’re saying, but Julian’s not here, you know?”

nI’m stumped as well. Assuming that the collective chief’s divination is true, there’s a possibility that it’s tied to Julian.

nThat guy isn’t a king yet though. At this rate, he will become the crown prince again due to Marie’s work, and will probably be king in the future, but──that guy being a demon lord? He’d be a miserable demon lord that even I could beat up.

nThe woman spoke to the people around on behalf of the collective chief.

n“The time of judgement has come. Will this island sink, or will it remain? These people will not be allowed to interfere. The collective chief says for everyone to sit still and wait for the appointed time.”

nWith that, the collective chief and the other elf left the village.

nWhile watching their figures, I spoke to Luxon.

n“Does this mean we have permission to enter the ruins?”

nIt saves a load of trouble. It seems we won’t have to force our way in or invade.

n“You were thinking about such dangerous things?”

nIndeed. What about it?

nIt was as if Luxon was saying “You’ve got a problem with that?”

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