At the Dungeon’s Behest, Howl, Elf*1
And so, we promptly reported everything. While we were at it, we made a request as well.
“If you could set up a slime purchasing station near the entrance of the Gold Mine Dungeon, we would be extremely grateful. The Gold Mine Dungeon…”
“I see. If that is the case, I shall make arrangements at once... However, it would be better to keep the fact that the master of the Gold Mine Dungeon is a knight of this country a secret, would it not?”
“Yes. Please keep that part confidential! And rather, the fact that the dungeon even has a master, please keep that strictly secret as well!”
As expected of Laperesiana-sama, she properly considered Aura-sama’s situation, and by extension, Uparupa’s as well. Much obliged. Much obliged indeed. If people found out that Uparupa is the dungeon master, and that killing him would let them take over the dungeon, his life would be in serious danger!
“Hmm… in that case, let us issue a notice saying, ‘It seems the slimes of the Royal Capital’s experimental farm did something at the Gold Mine Dungeon. Perhaps slimes may begin appearing in the Gold Mine Dungeon as well. The nation is currently entering a system of increased slime production. If you catch one, sell it.’”
“Thank you very much!”
And as expected, Laperesiana-sama proposed something truly excellent. That way, even if slimes suddenly start appearing, it won’t seem suspicious!
… Well.
“Um, is it really okay to say that when our Giant-Ass Slime does something, slimes might be born?”
Of course it’s suspicious. There’s no way it wouldn’t be suspicious! The mysteries surrounding slime ecology are just going to increase even more!
“Well, it has already drawn considerable attention. Adding one or two more rumors at this point should not pose a problem.”
… Well, when you put it that way, it’s true that our Giant-Ass Slime had been acting completely outrageous.
It suddenly squished its way into a crowded dungeon, then squished its way out through gaps in the walls, then popped out squishily from who knows where, blocking entire corridors again, sometimes burying people, and then squishing its way back out again…
… Yeah, it stood out a lot. No question about it. Alright then, let’s just assume that adding one or two more “settings” is fine.
“Well, it is better for people to speculate about the farm’s slimes than to start prying into the dungeon itself. The fact that there is an unusually large slime there is already well known.”
“Oh, is that so…”
Well, having slimes perceived as “some kind of mysterious creature; gentle; useful; but still kind of mysterious” is a good thing. I want people not to fear them, and not to bully them, so I hope they become famous with that image intact.
“Indeed. The experimental farm, or rather, the slimes there, have now effectively become a playground for local children. Knights keep watch, so it is safe. Incidentally, Saintess Sati plays with them as well.”
“Waaao~”
“I believe it is beneficial for the populace to grow accustomed to slimes, so I have not stopped it. Is that acceptable?”
“Ah, yes. Of course. Please continue to keep slimes close to people’s daily lives.”
… If the children are happy, there’s even less reason for me to object! Please continue to take good care of our Giant-Ass Slime from now on as well!
And with that, Laperesiana-sama departed for the royal castle.
… And then, we too began our return to Panis Village.
“Hmmm… what Laperesiana-sama said really is bothering me after all…”
The reason we hurried along the road back to Panis Village was because Laperesiana-sama had given us one particularly concerning report.
“The fact that the exiles from the former Great Cathedral went to the Elf Forest…”
… Given that elf-related topics had just come up here as well, it made me uneasy somehow.
Especially since Panis Village undeniably has something that could cause trouble with the elves…
“… I just hope those exiles didn’t tell the elves about the rumors of the World Tree…”
It was only natural that Mishisia-san looked troubled as well.
When we arrived at the town of Lark from the royal capital, we tried to get an inn… only to be told, “We’re fully booked.” Apparently, due to Panis Village’s explosive popularity, more people had come to Lark as well, and the inns couldn’t keep up!
Well, it’s a good problem to have, but we ended up camping out. Can’t be helped.
And even though it was camping, having Mishisia-san with us made it comfortable. Thanks to Mishisia-san, and the tree she negotiated with, we were able to spend the night fairly comfortably!
“Much obliged.”
“The tree says something like, ‘It’s rare to get the experience of letting a strange person sleep, so it’s valuable!’”
“Wait! Am I being labeled a strange person by the tree!?”
“Well, you were dancing some kind of mysterious dance by the campfire…”
Hey, no, but in Japan there’s a culture where if you gather around a campfire, you have to dance the Mayim Mayim…
… Well, trees don’t have a culture of dancing Mayim Mayim. From a tree’s point of view, I probably do look like a strange person. Yeah, yeah, that makes sense.
As I flopped down onto the tree bed with a “heave-ho,” the natural hammock surprisingly supported my weight just fine. Wrapping myself in the blanket we’d brought along, I squirmed a bit as I prepared to sleep…
“… Huh? Mishisia-san, where are you going?”
Mishisia-san, who had been squirming on the tree across from me, climbed down after all that squirming, so I called out to her. Getting lost starts with carelessness, after all!
“Just going for a little walk. I can’t really fall asleep…”
She said that and started walking off with that same unsettled expression.
“Me too, me too. I can’t sleep either… Ah, Lisas-san. We’re going for a short walk!”
So I called out to Lisas-san and followed after Mishisia-san. Heave-ho.
“… Then, may I come along as well?”
“I’m fine with it. How about you, Mishisia-san?”
“Yeah. That’s fine.”
And so, the three of us ended up taking a nighttime stroll through the forest together. It feels kind of luxurious, doing something like this.
Naturally, the forest at night was pitch-dark. Of course it was. There are no streetlights in this world. That’s just how it is.
Moonlight and starlight alone aren’t enough, so we each carried a lamp and walked along at a leisurely pace.
It seemed that quite a few natural herbs were mixed in among the undergrowth, and every step released a faint, refreshing fragrance. The moon was beautiful, the air was clear, and the temperature wasn’t too high.
Given how quiet the forest was at night, it made for a very pleasant walk. Strolling along slowly with my companions and the swaying lamplight, I enjoyed the walk to the fullest.
“… So, Mishisia-san, is something troubling you?”
“Yeah…”
… Even in the midst of such a refreshing walk, Mishisia-san’s expression remained gloomy. I can’t just enjoy the stroll without addressing that.
“Is it about the elves after all?”
“Yeah… Was it written all over my face?”
“Yeah.”
She seemed less energetic than usual, which threw me off a bit. Lisas-san also looked somewhat stiff. Maybe this sort of thing isn’t his strong suit either? Well, to be fair, I’m not particularly good at cheering up a downcast companion myself…
Still, I figured I could at least listen. And I think Lisas-san came along with that intention as well. Looking up at Mishisia-san’s anxious expression, I silently urged her on with a “go ahead.”
Then…
“… You know, the reason I left the elf village is… well, because I was chased out.”
That was how Mishisia-san began her story.
“When you say chased out… umm, that means you didn’t leave to search for a place to plant the World Tree seed?”
“Hmm… officially, that’s what it’s supposed to be. But I’m a half-elf. Not a pure elf, so they said I couldn’t be kept in the village.”
… I have absolutely no idea what one is supposed to say at times like this. In the end, I figured that maybe there wasn’t anything I should say at all, and decided to just listen quietly.
Mishisia-san could tell that both Lisas-san and I were feeling incredibly awkward, so she continued speaking with a forced smile, trying to keep things light.
“Only half of elven blood flows in me, so I can only do about half of what elves can do. I’m bad at mana arts, and even talking with plants or befriending the forest is only about halfway... The reason I couldn’t find a place to plant the World Tree was also because I’m mixed.”
… I knew that Mishisia-san was a half-elf.
And I also knew that she’d had trouble finding a place to plant the World Tree seed.
That’s why, when we were finally able to plant the World Tree at the deepest part of the Panis Village dungeon, she’d been so happy.
… But perhaps that burden was heavier than I’d realized.
“But, you know, I’m fine with that now. I found a place to plant the World Tree, and I found the place where I belong!”
Mishisia-san smiled brightly and began spinning around on the spot. The lamp in her hand spun as well, and so did her shadow.
“So I won’t go back to the elf village anymore. It’s fine if I can’t go back. That place…”
Watching her spin like that, she somehow started to look less than human, more like a fairy, or a spirit, or something of that sort.
“… But if I met elves again, and they were people I knew, I’d just feel… uncomfortable, I guess. Like it’d be awkward, or bring back bad memories… It’s not like I want them to tell me to come back, but…”
As she danced, I saw her lips tighten briefly. It was a rare expression for her, proof of just how deeply troubled she was.
“Yeah! That’s right! You shouldn’t go back to the elf village or anything, Mishisia-san! There probably aren’t any slimes there, right!? In Panis Village, you can knead slimes to your heart’s content, Mishisia-san!”
“T-that’s right! You like alcohol, don’t you, Mishisia-san!? Panis Village probably has better booze than the elf village!”
Lisas-san and I immediately launched into a Panis Village sales pitch!
“There’s more! Hot springs, tomatoes, and titanium! Ah…!? Mishisia-san, you don’t like titanium that much!?”
“Well then, there’s hemp fabric! Lately it’s become a famous Panis Village specialty… Though, perhaps the elf village also has renowned textiles…?”
And just as Lisas-san and I both started wondering, “What else can we say?” and “What other good points does Panis Village have…?”
“… Yeah! Panis Village really is the best! Right!”
Mishisia-san smiled brightly... When she smiles, she really looks “human,” or rather, that feeling from before disappears completely!
“The slimes, the hot springs, the alcohol, the vegetables are all wonderful, and titanium… well, it’s shiny, and the cloth feels nice too! Panis Village is a great place! But more than anything…”
She set her lamp down and took both my hand and Lisas-san’s.
“Everyone’s there! That’s why it’s fun!”
… And so, the three of us ended up dancing there for a while.
Um, it was just a simple dance of the three of us spinning around the lamp. This time, we went along with Mishisia-san, so we sealed away our usual out-of-sync dancing…
“Ah, no, it’s no good! I want to see Asuma-sama’s usual incomprehensible dance! And Lisas-san’s half-hearted dancing too!”
“Incomprehensible dance… Huh? You mean the Bon Odori?”
“… Is my dancing really that half-hearted? Well, um, I’m not very good at dancing…”
And in the end, it turned into our usual mismatched dance anyway. It did. But oh well! Can’t be helped! Heave-ho!
Once Mishisia-san seemed refreshed, we headed back to the campsite together.
As soon as we returned, Mishisia-san greeted the tree with a “I’m back!” So I replied in a falsetto, “Welcome back!” Then Mishisia-san told me, “The tree’s saying you’re a strange person again!” This is truly regrettable.
Putting that aside, we squirmed around again as we prepared to sleep. You know how you feel like squirming a bit before sleeping? No? You do, right?
“… Why do the elves… want to obtain ‘Blessings’ so badly… And I wonder if the people from the former Great Cathedral will be okay…”
“Huh? What did you say?”
While squirming, I thought I heard something strange and asked back. Um, did you just say you were worried about the exiles? Why?
“Ah, um, I mean… the elves in the elf village hate humans, so… thinking about learning ‘Blessing’ techniques from those humans feels kind of strange to me…”
“Waaao~”
… I see.
Yeah, that is worrying.
“Um, Mishisia-san. I don’t really know much about elves, but… are elves capable of doing some pretty terrible things?”
“Yeah. Quite capable.”
Waaao~
“Then, could they do something like, ‘Once we get the Blessing techniques from the former Great Cathedral people, we’ll discard the rest as no longer needed’?”
“Yeah. I think that’s possible. That’s why I’m a bit worried…”
… Yeah.
This is starting to feel like things are going to get more complicated than I thought. So, in other words…
“Then the moment the former Great Cathedral people realize they’ve been deceived, they’d better say, ‘But we still have information!’ or their lives will be in danger.”
“That’s right…”
With a seriously bad feeling brewing, I asked Mishisia-san:
“… The rumors about the World Tree in Panis Village… are they known?”
“… Even if they aren’t, they know about the Jewel Tree, right? In that case, they might say something like, ‘There’s a mysterious plant with jeweled branches and leaves,’ you know.”
“Waaao~”
… This bad feeling just keeps getting stronger! I don’t like this at all!
What do you think about this chapter?
