“Is it detention?”

“yes.”

I wondered if I had heard it wrong, so I asked again, but Aldor’s mouth returned with a calm expression of affirmation.

It’s temporary detention.

It’s true that the expression looks a little rough, so it’s a bit harsh, but if you think about it logically, it doesn’t feel like an overkill.

Although it was an act out of necessity, it was an objective fact that I destroyed the World Tree anyway.

In a situation where it would not be strange to be sentenced to death as usual, the punishment of temporary detention was an almost revolutionary reduction in sentence.

Of course, I still can’t say I’m moderate in that I don’t fully believe my words.

Still, even when Elder Aldor didn’t believe me, he tried to look at the situation objectively.

It’s fortunate that I’m not a person who appeals to emotions as much as I thought.

“What are the conditions of detention? Are there any prisons to keep me in?”

“Do you think there is such a hideous facility in our forest? The detention facility will use the empty house you are currently staying in.

After sealing the windows to prevent you from coming outside, we will put guards at the only entrance.”

“Is there a limit on the detention period?”

“I just need to be certain that the world tree will grow again.

If you see a new stem sprouting from the broken stump, or if Mother regains the Word again, I’ll release it.”

In other words, it also meant that if the tree showed no signs of growing again, it would be locked up for months or years.

Does that mean that you should take responsibility for it because you confidently destroyed it as if there was a countermeasure?

“If the world tree starts growing again, will the detention be lifted?”

“Yes, I promise.”

“Isn’t there a sudden change in my disposition to something like the death penalty while I’m in detention?”

“It’s not that drowsy.”

“How are you going to take care of meals and daily necessities?”

“I will deliver it through the security forces every morning. At least to the point where I don’t lack in life.”

“Can you swear by the world tree?”

“I swear by the name of the Great Mother Tree, the World Tree.”

Once I listened to what he said, it seemed that there was nothing false about it.

In particular, seeing that he had no hesitation in swearing by his name on the world tree, even an outsider could tell that he was sincere.

If he didn’t accept this, he would probably get angry with the Elven Elders’ Council and other Elven residents.

I couldn’t leave the impression that I was running away without taking responsibility after doing something.

Above all, apart from breaking the world tree once and growing it again, there were still many things to do in this forest.

“Since you said that, I will also accept the measures.”

Aldor’s proposed temporary detention was the surest way to prove my innocence.

There was no particular reason for refusal. Fortunately, there was still more than half of summer vacation left.

While I was detained, if I was training my magic power sensitivity in a good environment, maybe my innocence would be proven before the vacation is over.

“Then I will move you to the place of detention immediately. Show a cooperative attitude.”

“Dad, wait.”

While nodding at Aldor’s words, he was about to move on.

Senior Xian suddenly came out and naturally put his face between me and Elder Aldor.

“Why are you doing this, Xian?”

“I will be detained together with junior Konrad. As a guard for Conrad’s juniors.”

“Yeah?”

“What?”

Although Aldor and I asked a ridiculous question almost at the same time.

Senior Xian’s expression seemed to be quite serious, and he was once again explaining his opinion properly.

“I’m going to take on that role because I also need a guard for junior Konrad in the detention center.”

“… What are you talking about?”

“Because junior Konrad is strong. I don’t think it’s possible to take action in case of an emergency just by setting up troops at the entrance to the place of detention.

Of course, I know that junior Konrad isn’t the kind of person who would do anything strange, but it’s true that such anxiety arises at this rate.”

While Elder Aldor and Senior Xian were talking, I also quietly finished interpreting the meaning of what she was saying.

In other words, until I’m released from detention, isn’t it the form of half-living with senior Xian?

However, I thought that this was a bit over the line, so I carefully gave her advice.

“Senior Xian. Still, wouldn’t it be a bit uncomfortable for Xian to volunteer to be my supervisor?”

“Be quiet, Junior Conrad. Because this is also a proposal for you.”

“… Is this an offer for me?”

“My dad said the disposition won’t change, but there’s no guarantee that the other elves will think so too, right?

If I live with junior Konrad, at least I won’t be fooling around with food. My dad would care more about that.”

When I heard it, it made sense.

In any case, I had to live on the food I was allowed to eat while I was in detention.

It was a case where an elf with extreme tendencies might hold a grudge against me and mix poison with food.

There wouldn’t be anything wrong with being careful, and if it was Xian-senpai, the daughter of the highest elder, it would be enough deterrence.

“Even so, Xian, it is not something you should do. Aren’t you a girl?”

“Dad, do you think I’m promiscuous enough to mix with a human man?”

“… What are you planning to do if that human has a strange heart for you and attacks you?”

“it’s okay. Once, in an evaluation match, he put an arrow through the thigh of a junior Conrad. I can protect my body enough by myself, so it’s a useless worry.”

It’s not a lie. In fact, it was true that I suffered not a small wound in the evaluation match with senior Xian.

After that, it seemed like I intentionally didn’t say that the death prevention magic was activated by my attack.

Aldor, as if unable to overcome his daughter’s stubbornness, clutched his forehead and let out a deep moan.

I also added a few words to persuade Elder Aldor, since having Senior Xian next to me would be helpful in many ways.

“If you’re worried about me being detained with senior Xian, I promise you I won’t cause any misfortunes Elder Aldor thinks.”

Aldor made eye contact with me with a bloody expression and opened his mouth in a low voice as if warning.

“Swear to the World Tree right now that you will not touch my daughter.”

“Yes, I will swear to the World Tree that I will never do anything unsavory with Sian Rudflicka-senpai.”

I don’t know how meaningful it is for me, an outsider, to swear on the World Tree.

In any case, it wouldn’t be too bad if Aldor could find some psychological stability with this remark.

After sighing with a final crumpled expression, he managed to get permission to attach senior Xian to my guard while I was in temporary detention.

“I didn’t even have to swear.”

Senior Xian’s words, which still show strong trust only to me, reached my ears.

* * *

The temporary detention with senior Xian lasted for almost a week.

I wasn’t sure exactly how long it would take until the World Tree regained its lost self and was able to speak again as before.

I can only vaguely infer based on the last words of ‘her’ in a previous life.

Still, he expected that it would not take long, so he accepted the detention without hesitation.

Contrary to my initial expectations, even senior Xian lived under the same roof, so many things unintentionally made me uncomfortable.

That’s why, as much as we live in the same house, we tried to be as careful and careful as possible so as not to invade each other’s privacy as much as possible.

No matter how careful I was, sometimes I was forced to face embarrassing situations.

Most of them were situations that occurred due to senior Xian’s carelessness.

If it’s a hot day, I’ll unbutton my jacket a little too much, or I’ll accidentally come in while using the bathroom.

Because the basic perception was different due to the difference in race, I used to get into trouble with this indifferent woman once or twice a day.

It seems that senior Xian’s indifference in his previous life wasn’t this far.

Since this forest is my senior’s hometown, it must have loosened my senses a bit.

Still, I wanted them to recognize that I live under one roof.

Anyway, I had no choice but to be more careful with her defenseless behavior.

As a result, most of the time in detention was coped with practicing magical power sensitivity in the room.

Anyway, each other’s room is a private area, so we made a rule not to enter it.

Of course, that didn’t mean I completely cut off contact with senior Xian, and I sat at the same table with her and talked during three meal times a day.

At lunch that day, I was sitting at the same table with senior Xian and sharing the vegetable stew I made and the tomato and egg stir-fry.

“Comrade Conrad.”

“Yeah.”

“These days, while eating junior Conrad’s meals every day, I have a thought. Can I tell you?”

“Oh, is there anything you don’t like? Please tell me.”

“I was just trying to tell you that rice is really good.”

“I appreciate your compliment.”

Fortunately, it seems that it was not an objection to the contents of a similar meal every day.

“Weren’t Conrad juniors aristocrats?”

“Not in the past tense, but in the present progressive tense, he is a nobleman.”

“Normally nobility wouldn’t cook for themselves no matter how bad they were, but I just thought it was a little bit suspicious.”

“It’s just like, it’s a skill learned to survive.”

The early days when the demon subjugation party was first formed.

Among the five members, there was only one Saint Claire who could truly ‘cook’.

As I said before Stella-ya, the fire was often burned because she couldn’t control it, and Lulu always ruined the food by adding something strange at the end.

Xian sunbaenim didn’t like fire, so cooking using fire was generally immature, and I also lived most of my life only eating food prepared by others.

In the end, it was inevitable at the time that she, who had been volunteering at daycare centers and nursing homes since childhood, became the only cook in the party.

The problem was that Saint Claire at that time was very weak due to the Professor Hemes case, and it was almost blasphemy to entrust her with housework in the morning and evening.

Like a thirsty man digging a well, I started to learn to cook before she collapsed.

In the first place, cooking by me, who knows how to handle fire and water magic, was much more efficient than having Saint Clare do it.

“Konrad’s junior will make a good husband.”

“… Suddenly?”

“The majority of elves are afraid of fire, so they tend to want someone who can cook as a mate.”

“I knew you were afraid of fire, but this is the first time I’ve heard about the back.”

“Few elves look at faces or ages anyway, so when choosing a mate, I tend to focus on other factors.

In that respect, it is said that junior Konrad is quite good as a groom from the eyes of the elves.”

It felt good to be praised for my cooking skills, but the praise that followed was a bit excessive.

“Please. Above all, even if you say you don’t look at the appearance, you won’t look at the race after all. It doesn’t make sense to say you like it because you’re good at cooking.”

“… The strong point of junior Conrad is not just cooking.”

‘Thump-kung-kung.’

Suddenly, a knock on the door interrupted Xian’s words.

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Judging from the sound coming from the front door, it was a knocking sound indicating that a guest had arrived from outside.

“I will go out.”

After almost finishing the meal, I put down the tableware and went out to the front door.

“Kuhm.”

Seeing Elder Aldor’s expression as he lightly crossed his arms and glared at me, I guessed roughly what the next words would come out.

“Release of detention, Conrad Perdalos.”

It was a sentence that meant the resurrection of the world tree.