73 – World Tree-4

“Eat it. There is a saying that those who once ate the fruits of the elves will never be able to eat the fruits outside. Among them, they are good things.”

At first glance, Nerwen’s words sounded overbearing.

However, apart from the arrogant attitude remaining in her tone, the way she treated the fruit and the way she looked at me was soft and warm.

“…okay.”

Come to think of it, these elves weren’t the only ones who were strange. The change in Nerwen’s emotions was also unusually strange.

There was still anger boiling inside of him, but he couldn’t say, ‘f*ck you, bitch,’ after overturning the table.

And, as she said, this fruit was too sweet.

Modern fruits are also fruits that have undergone breeding improvement to a level that cannot occur in nature. But these fruits were several steps above that.

As if it was made to give sweetness, along with strong sugar, the fruit juice, like drinking cool juice, stirred in the mouth without hesitation.

It wasn’t just the fruit that was delicious. From crispy, savory bread to meat caught by hunters, there was nothing worth missing out on.

I couldn’t understand with my eyes that meat was grilled using a fire inside a tree, but it was nice to see such wonderful food.

“Well, what kind of person is Eirin? Is he the one who has the right to decide?”

And, like it or not, I needed to talk to her.

If you don’t understand the situation, you need to gather information. And the easiest way to get reliable information is to rely on Nerwen.

“He’s an elder. There’s not one elder, so he won’t be able to decide everything on his own, but you won’t be able to easily ignore his decisions.”

“Is it a giant…”

“He was already an elder before I was born. If he treats me so kindly, I’m sure he’ll find a way.”

It was a great age. Younger elves wouldn’t listen to the voice of the elders, so it was an elf who had lived longer than Nerwen.

“Does that make sense? He’s so young…”

“An elf maintains a beautiful appearance until the moment they die.”

Come to think of it, I hadn’t heard of seeing an old elf.

“How long do you want to live…”

“Warriors and farmers cannot live that long. But those who lead them do not fall easily.”

“Amazing… Huh?”

Ceres was approaching me with a triumphant look.

“I told you well, master!”

Eirin, who followed her, sat down with a troubled face.

“I heard the details. More than I could have imagined, my children were rude.”

“I’m sure you’ve heard about the arrow.”

“Elven scouts are trained to immediately kill any trespassers without permission.”

It was an unexpectedly bloody rule, but it didn’t make any sense at all if you consider the entire forest to be one country.

“Of course, I thought I attacked first without knowing the opponent. But after checking Nerwen, it’s hard to be forgiven for shooting an arrow just because the hero asked a question.”

When I asked why it was so late, it seemed that he was listening to Ceres’ testimony.

“You wouldn’t have known I was a warrior.”

“It’s meaningless. At least not a saint or a wizard, but shooting an arrow at a hero.”

It was embarrassing to move on to words, but I didn’t want to waste my time on such useless things.

“I don’t know if this anger will go away, but I’ll bring the victim right away and apologize. She will be banished as punishment.”

“Chu, banishment?”

Nerwen woke up in surprise. Her complexion, which had just been enjoying the comforts of her hometown, changed in an instant.

“Exile. Such radical elves are not needed by this community.”

“That’s a bit excessive.”

Actually, the punishment was not cool. this elven village. It’s too big to be a village, so even if you call it a kingdom, you can barely go outside and wander.

If it was an elf, there would be a personal threat, but if it was a scout, it would be basically an elf born as a warrior.

There is little chance of being attacked by ordinary bandits or mercenaries, and if you act as an adventurer, you will be able to live quite proudly.

That beautiful appearance would not fade, so if she met a good man, she could spend the rest of her life comfortably.

But, at least once, I wanted to be sarcastic like this.

“Isn’t the arrogance of elves… a kind of racial trait? Just like humans are greedy and dwarves are short. Wouldn’t they need some leniency?”

It wasn’t a mature move. At least Eirin, on the surface, treated me with a polite attitude.

However, the hatred that had accumulated through Nerwen spread toward all elves. At least once, I wanted to do something called racism to them.

“You have great insight.”

But she continued without changing her expression.

“Elves are arrogant because they needed to be arrogant. If they were unnecessarily affectionate, they might abandon the World Tree and bring others into this forest, right?”

“But you…”

Looking at the attitude of Nerwen and the other elves, they didn’t give extra special treatment for being warriors.

“As I said, I’m a guide. Arrogance prevents you from seeing the truth and makes you make wrong decisions. And since there are many encounters with other races like the hero, of course you have to throw it away.”

Uncomfortable.

There’s no reason I should be offended. Even though banishment is a lukewarm punishment, it is a bit heavy to be a punishment for shooting an arrow because you couldn’t hold back your anger.

No matter what plans they had, I was not harmed by this incident.

However, a strange sense of heterogeneity felt here and there gripped me.

“Enerel, please. Please, lower the level of punishment just a little bit. Please…”

“Nerwen. You were not born a judge, and you have no right to offend a warrior.”

Eirin ignored Nerwen’s protest and flicked her hand. A familiar elf came down from upstairs.

“First, please accept an apology.”

She was trembling with fear. I didn’t feel pity, but I was curious.

Although there were no injuries, her condition looked unstable to anyone.

“Sorry! I, I did not know the warrior and committed rudeness!

Her forehead touched the floor. The elf was lying on his stomach begging for my mercy, no, he couldn’t even do that, but he didn’t feel the inspiration.

It was boring. Did I waste my time just to receive an apology like this?

“All right. Go.”

An apology I wouldn’t have gotten if I wasn’t a hero, an apology she wouldn’t have had if she only knew I was a hero.

Even that would have been nothing if Ceres over there hadn’t been as angry as he had been.

“I’ll do anything. Please…”

Nerwen gently pulled my arm. Her hands were soft and the smell was fragrant, but it didn’t feel good.

“Aren’t you in a position to do what you’re told to do, even if you don’t have to do this?”

didn’t forgive her I didn’t want to see her close the distance as if nothing had happened.

“Nerwen, you’ve been out there too long. She’s displayed excessive pride and violence, and has caused damage to our society. We don’t need this elf.”

In a soft and supple tone, Eirin mercilessly criticized the elf in front of her.

“Then at least, please do it as a normal banishment, not a punishment! Isn’t that enough!”

“Is that different?”

“It’s different! It’s not just kicked out, it’s, it’s…”

“Let me explain.”

Nerwen, who was desperate as if he was going to rush at any moment, stopped abruptly at the voice of the elder.

“If an elf is not needed by the community, it is enough to just kick it out, but he is definitely a nuisance.”

At this point, I started to get scared of what they might ask of me. You did this not to make me pay for your attempted murder, but simply to offend me.

“An elf’s body is precious. There are many who will pay a full price. Even if gold coins are only minerals here, they will be important to you, so you will be able to make amends for the damage.”

For a moment, I had to ponder the meaning of the words.

“Looks like you’ve had a similar relationship with Nerwen…”

No, I didn’t want to think about it. It’s just an elf that has nothing to do with me. It was a mistake to wait so long for a futile apology.

“Okay, I don’t want to spend time on a story like this.”

I didn’t want to wait any longer.

“I’ll get to the point. I have to go back to my hometown. To another world.”

“Yes Yes?”

“I need materials for the return spell. The remains of the phoenix. Can you save me? Or, can you give me information about it?”

It seemed like we could have a conversation now.

I had no intention of staying long, and I had nothing to accomplish here.

I just wanted to go back.

“Didn’t he pass away? Wasn’t there a return spell prepared for the empire?”

“…because someone failed at that once.”

“Oh My God.”

“I don’t need anything else. Is it possible or impossible, or do I have to do something for it?”

This wasn’t the original plan. As for Nerwen, the elves had no obligation to do anything for me.

I tried to be as polite and gentle as possible. However, I couldn’t bear to waste my time here with meaningless words.

Erin’s bewildered expression disappeared in an instant. With a wave of her hand, she threw the elf who had shot the arrow away.

Finally, we are ready to talk.