At the Dungeon’s Behest, Howl, Elf*7
… And so.
“So Asuma-sama does things like this too, huh…”
“Ah~ yeah, well. It’s not like I can’t do it. I’m just not good at it.”
We were currently in a break period... That was because we’d knocked the elves unconscious for the time being.
The elves’ conclusion was this:
“We would like to confirm the World Tree. After that, we wish to send a report letter to our village. In that letter, we will do our utmost to ensure that no harm comes to this village. You may restrain us if you wish, and you may inspect the letter. What is to be done with this village will be decided by the elves of the village, and depending on that result, we ourselves may be discarded, but that cannot be helped.”
… I mean, wow. Being an elf sounds rough too. What, are these guys also the type who might just get “discarded”? That’s tough…
But apparently, Mishisia-san had a lot on her mind about all this.
“… You know. Since I’m on the ‘discarded’ side myself, part of me thinks it’d be better if those people just crossed over to this side once too.”
Mishisia-san told me that with a cloudy expression, her usual cheerful self nowhere to be seen.
“It’d be good for them to hear, ‘You’re useless, we don’t need you.’ To be driven out of the village and have nowhere to go... Though even then, they’d probably still be able to do way more than I can, so they wouldn’t really suffer at all. Yeah… so that’s why, I guess, it makes me kind of angry…”
Still carrying those muddled feelings, Mishisia-san petted and kneaded the Mewmya she was holding, making it mew and mew, before letting out a deep sigh.
“… I’m saying some pretty mean things, aren’t I?”
… Yeah.
Mishisia-san really is too nice a person.
“Yeah. But isn’t it fine to be mean sometimes? This much is totally fine.”
Since Mishisia-san seemed troubled, I decided I’d be the one to be blunt... That said, I’ve got plenty of thoughts of my own about this whole situation too.
“If they look down on us, the village of Panis itself could end up in real danger. And honestly, the elves were totally looking down on us. If that’s the case, unless we smack that attitude straight at least once, there’s no way we could ever have a proper exchange, right?”
I really do have a lot of thoughts about this.
… I honestly think there probably was a better way to handle things.
If I were a bit more deft, maybe I could’ve done something more, anything more. Maybe I could’ve maneuvered things so we weren’t looked down on from the start, or begun dealings with the elven country before this group of five elves ever showed up. I think there were plenty of options we could’ve taken.
There was definitely room to handle this better, and I can think of things that might’ve been preferable. I won’t deny my own lack of ability there.
But this was the best we could do with what we had.
And even so, I have no intention of yielding our position.
“I think this was the right call. Really.”
“… You think so?”
“Yeah. And besides, at the very least, if the elves want to interfere with humans, they should learn about humans first. Trying to wipe out something you don’t even understand just because you’ve decided it’s inferior to you… that’s evil. For us, and for everyone else too…”
I ended up talking nonstop about my own views, but I figured Mishisia-san could just take it as food for thought…
“If you hate humans, then don’t interfere with them. Or if you want to suppress them with overwhelming force, then you should come prepared to be suppressed by overwhelming force in return.”
“Yeah.”
“So if this becomes a chance for them to understand how you feel, Mishisia-san… if that’s what comes out of all this… then I think that’s a good thing. At least, that’s my selfish take.”
… When I looked at Mishisia-san with an ‘what do you think?’ expression, she seemed a bit more refreshed.
“I’m not very smart, so I don’t really have much confidence… but I think I need to carry myself with pride. For the sake of Panis Village, and for everyone.”
“Yeah. I think that’s good. I’d be happier if you did that too, Mishisia-san.”
I’m sure Mishisia-san has a lot she’s still struggling with, and it’s not like those feelings will just vanish right away… but still, I hope she stays cheerful.
Alright. With that settled, it’s time for a quick situation check!
“First off, just to confirm, our situation, or rather, the situation Panis Village and this country are in right now, is pretty messy, right?”
“Yeah… umm, let’s see. The church issued a statement saying ‘Strike down the royal family,’ that church is being manipulated by priests exiled from the former Grand Cathedral, and those former Grand Cathedral priests apparently entered the elven forest?”
“Right. And just now, we got confirmation from those five elves here that ‘the former Grand Cathedral priests told them there was a World Tree in Panis Village.’ That means the former Grand Cathedral bunch is probably asking the elves for help.”
In other words, we’re now fully caught up in an international conflict.
Originally, the former Grand Cathedral priests were trying to stir up the Second Prince’s faction so they could return to their own country, and as part of that, they tried to bring the elves onto their side. In the process, they probably said something like, “Hey, there are rumors of a World Tree in a place called Panis Village!”
“On the other hand, from bits and pieces of what the five elves said, it seems like the elves don’t have a particularly good impression of the former Grand Cathedral priests. They thought the World Tree story was a lie and came here to prove it was a lie.”
… So yeah, the former Grand Cathedral priests probably failed to gain the elves’ support. They likely pissed them off, probably thanks to the elves’ arrogant temperament.
And to redirect that anger away from themselves, they deliberately threw out the name of Panis Village and the rumor of the World Tree! Seriously, those guys never do anything decent!
“So basically… if things went the way the elves originally expected, it’d end with, ‘The World Tree was a lie. Crush the Grand Cathedral faction that lied to us. And kill the foolish humans spreading lies about the World Tree too.’”
“Yeah.”
“That’s obviously bad. So we need to use these five elves as our starting point and either steer things toward ‘The World Tree isn’t a lie,’ or toward ‘Even if it were a lie, don’t go killing humans over it, you bald idiots.’”
“… Bald?”
Next, the elves’ current stance, but no matter how you look at it, they’re ready to wipe this place out!
I don’t know what kind of logic they’re using, but apparently the elves think, ‘If humans lied about the World Tree, it’s fine to destroy them.’ Makes absolutely no sense!
“Well, the latter option is probably close to impossible, since it’d require unifying all elven opinions. Right, Mishisia-san?”
“Yeah. Unfortunately, I think there are still a lot of elves who hate humans.”
Right. That’s probably why Mishisia-san gets treated so lightly too. I mean, xenophobia is one thing, but barging into other people’s territory just to be xenophobic is seriously annoying. You guys are the ones who came here!
“So that leaves us with: ‘The World Tree isn’t a lie. We humans aren’t spreading false rumors about it, so you elves have no right to complain.’”
Which means… yeah. That’s how it has to go.
It can’t be helped. With elves like this, people with genuinely awful values, it really can’t be helped. And since a head-on military clash with them would be foolish, the only option left is to show them the World Tree.
But… that brings up Mishisia-san.
For Mishisia-san, the World Tree should be something precious. I’ve heard that much, and seeing her take care of the World Tree at the bottom of the dungeon all the time really drives it home.
That’s why using her World Tree like this gives me some pause…
“… So, I want to let them confirm the World Tree. Is that okay?”
“Yeah! Let’s do it!”
But Mishisia-san answered brightly.
“I want to show them the World Tree! … The World Tree I planted and raised myself!”
… Ah. I see.
“… Is that kind of mean of me?”
“No way! That’s not mean at all! I think it’s great! Let’s show them, let’s show them!”
“Make them acknowledge it properly, so Mishisia-san never gets looked down on again.”
If the World Tree is the elves’ pride, then let them take a good, hard look at Mishisia-san’s World Tree.
… We’ll make those people who looked down on Mishisia-san eat their words!
And so…
“Alright. I’ve got Mishisia-san’s permission, so we’ve decided to show you the World Tree.”
When I told that to the elves after waking them up, they started murmuring among themselves. They were probably thinking, Is there really a World Tree here?
Meanwhile, the quiet archer elf just gave a small nod. A reaction like, ‘So it really is here.’ He didn’t seem all that surprised... Which means he probably anticipated this development to some extent, after seeing Generic-kun and all. Nice, nice. I think I can get along with this elf.
“After that, we’ll put each of you in separate rooms and have you write letters one by one, no consulting with each other. Naturally, we’ll inspect them. And if anyone writes something especially nasty, we’ll assume you were prepared for the consequences. Got it?”
“Understood. That’s fine.”
“Alright then, let’s head to the World Tree. For safety reasons, we’ll take you one at a time. The remaining four can wait here. Or do you just want one representative to see it?”
“No… all of us want to confirm it.”
Yeah, that’s what I expected. And honestly, we want all five elves to see it. That way, they’re more likely to reassess Mishisia-san properly.
“… Alright. First up, you… the older brother-looking one. The quiet archer.”
And with that, we decided to take the quiet archer elf first. He’s the one who seems most reasonable, after all. He looked a little suspicious, like ‘Why?’, but after exchanging glances with the leader and nodding to each other, he didn’t raise any objections. Much appreciated.
“Okay, hop on here.”
“… What?”
“The mine cart. I made it.”
And so, we loaded the quiet archer elf, along with the Giant-Ass Slime, onto the mine cart. Since the Giant-Ass Slime handles the movement, it’s super easy.
“Alright, depart~”
“Depart~!”
Mishisia-san and I hopped on too, leaving the remaining four elves and Lisas-san behind. Lisas-san waved cheerfully and said, “Take care.” Mishisia-san and I waved back with smiles…
“Yahhooo!”
“This speed is great!”
… And so, we thoroughly enjoyed the mine cart as it immediately tore down a steep slope at full speed!
The quiet archer elf, while silent, had a terrifying expression on his face! I see, there aren’t any scream-machine rides like this in the elven village, huh!?
… Which means Mishisia-san enjoying herself like this might actually be pretty rare! Hey, Mishisia-san! Maybe you’re not weird because you’re an elf, maybe you were just weird to begin with!?
Anyway, we arrived at the lowest level. Once the elves are done, I’ll immediately collapse this route and turn it back into solid rock. It’s a special transport-only route, after all.
“Alright, we’re here. From here on, we go on foot.”
“Well, ‘on foot’… by slime, technically…”
The Giant-Ass Slime, still enclosing the quiet archer elf, squelched forward, mochi, mochi. It’s slow, but hey, it’s a slime. Can’t complain.
“Look, you can see it now.”
The World Tree wasn’t far from here. I advanced to a point where it was visible, together with the quiet archer elf…
“… So it really existed.”
As he stared at the World Tree with eyes wide open, Mishisia-san and I watched nervously.
Now then… how would he react?
The archer elf gazed at the World Tree in silence for a while. There was surprise in his eyes, but it soon gave way to something calmer, deeper.
“… It is indeed a World Tree. There is no mistake.”
Then he said that and glanced at Mishisia-san.
“Did you do this?”
“Yeah. I got permission from the god of this land and borrowed a lot of this land’s power, but…”
Mishisia-san glanced at me. Why hello there, I’m the one who gave that permission. But honestly, if it weren’t someone like Mishisia-san, I probably wouldn’t have given it. So I really do think this is something Mishisia-san raised with her own strength. I barely did anything.
“… This is the World Tree I planted. It’s my pride. What do you think?”
Mishisia-san asked, a little nervously. The quiet archer elf stayed silent for a moment, and then…
“…It’s magnificent.”
He said it quietly, but clearly.
“You have truly been acknowledged by the World Tree and become its guardian. In that case, I too shall acknowledge you.”
… Mishisia-san broke into a huge smile.
Alright, alright. Now we just need the other elves to reassess her too!
“Oh, by the way, the return trip is also by mine cart.”
“… I see.”
Ah~ are you perhaps not a fan of mine carts, Mr. Quiet Archer Elf? I see…
Sorry, but you’re riding it anyway. I kind of like scream machines myself!
What do you think about this chapter?
