Kays Translations
Just another Isekai Lover~
Chapter 175: Visiting the Elf Village (2)
The elven graveyard was located in a clearing at the edge of the village.
It was next to a flower field, nestled in a break in the deep forest.
Stones were lined up on the ground, each one engraved with a name.
At the entrance of the graveyard stood the village chief and a few elf guards.
They were waiting for Mabel and me to finish our visit.
Maybe they were just staying nearby so they could give us our next task as soon as we were done.
We walked slowly through the graveyard.
Mabel walked ahead of me, leading the way—
Then stopped in front of a small grave in the corner.
“…Father, Mother.”
Mabel said this and closed her eyes.
It was as if she were trying to talk to someone invisible.
I imitated Mabel and closed my eyes as well.
With my vision blocked, the rustling sound grew louder.
The sound of tree branches swaying.
Standing like this… I felt as if I were being wrapped in the forest itself.
After a while, Mabel and I opened our eyes.
“Thor-sama.”
“Yeah?”
“Don’t you feel like you’ve become part of the forest, standing here?”
“I do. It’s kind of… unsettling.”
“Elves grow up listening to these sounds. To us, the sounds of the forest are like a lullaby. That’s why we build graves in the places where the sounds can be heard the best.”
“So the dead can rest in peace?”
“Yes. But… I don’t really understand that feeling.”
Mabel shook her head.
“When my parents were alive… there were good times. But after that, there were painful memories… and through it all, I listened to the sounds of the forest. That’s why I don’t know how I should feel when I hear these sounds anymore…”
Saying this, Mabel looked up.
“I-I’m sorry. That was such a strange thing to say.”
“Not at all. You can talk to me about anything. That’s why I came with you.”
“…Thor-sama.”
“I’ll stay with you as long as you need.”
“Thank you…”
With those words, Mabel knelt before the grave.
I did the same.
Mabel touched the gravestone.
“Father, Mother. Mabel has returned. To this village I was always afraid of… I was able to come here thanks to Thor-sama. Because I realized that my place is by Thor-sama’s side, I could come here with peace of mind.”
Mabel didn’t say she had “returned home.”
She only said she had “come to this village.”
That must mean… she no longer considers this her home.
I gently squeezed Mabel’s hand to show I understood.
Mabel let out a relieved breath.
“When I’m with Thor-sama, I feel so at peace. My heart feels warm, and I become gentle… and all the scary memories just fade away. Before I met Thor-sama, I used to dream about my childhood, but now, even that has stopped.”
“…Mabel.”
“Thanks to my mother teaching me sewing, I was able to be useful to Thor-sama. I could make clothes right away when giving the winged fairies their magic-woven outfits.”
“Yeah. That really helped.”
“I used that skill to make a ‘Thor-sama plushie’ as well.”
“…Huh?”
O-Of course, I can’t keep Thor-sama all to myself. B-But when I sleep with it at night, I sleep so well. O-Of course, I got Her Majesty’s permission.”
“…Huhh?”
“Her Majesty also said, ‘Thanks to you making one for me too, I’ve been sleeping better,’ and praised me.”
“………Huh, huhhh?”
“I’m also currently making a plushie using the fireproof ‘Earth Magic-Woven Cloth.’”
“………………Huhhhhhhh?!”
“So it’s okay. Mabel is just fine, Father, Mother.”
Saying that, Mabel put her hands together in prayer at the grave.
I did the same beside her.
“Please don’t worry. Mabel is living peacefully by Thor-sama’s side. I plan to protect and support him… for the rest of my life.”
With those words, Mabel closed her eyes again.
She had said what she wanted to say and looked satisfied.
…Though I feel like some odd things got mixed in there.
“Thor-sama.”
“Y-Yeah?”
“If you wouldn’t mind, could you say something to my parents too?”
“Sure. I will.”
I bowed before Mabel’s parents’ grave.
“Nice to meet you. My name is Thor Canaan, an alchemist. I came from the Empire to the Demon Lord’s domain. The trigger was my exile… but now, I intend to devote my life to this land.”
Then, slowly, I began to speak my thoughts.
“When I first arrived at the borderlands, Mabel was the one who welcomed me. To be honest, I was thinking of running away back then. In the Empire, we were told that the Demon Lord’s domain was an unknown and terrifying place. But… because Mabel greeted me so kindly, I decided to trust this land.”
I continued to speak.
—That ever since I came to the Demon Lord’s domain, Mabel has always supported me.
—That Mabel’s trust in me, shown by using her magic items, saved me.
—That before I knew it, having Mabel by my side had become normal.
—And that I treasure this life we have.
These were the things I reported to the grave.
“I also plan to accept the request from the elven elders.”
I added this at the end.
“I originally came here to visit the graves and to search for alchemy materials. But that can wait. This village is where Mabel’s parents rest… I want to solve any problems here, so Mabel can feel at peace. So please, watch over us.”
…Man, this kind of thing is really embarrassing.
Not a single word of it was a lie, though.
…It feels like I got swallowed up by the atmosphere of this forest.
I could never say something like that in any other place.
“S-So, Mabel. I’m going to listen to what the elder has to say, but what about you? Are you going to stay here a little longer—?”
“…………”
Mabel didn’t answer.
She just stared at me with a bright red face.
Actually, even her elf ears and neck were turning red.
“Mabel?”
“…………”
“Um… want to come with me?”
“…………”
nod nod
Mabel, still with a crimson face, nodded.
When I pulled her hand… she stood up obediently.
As we started walking, she followed along while still holding my hand.
…Is she okay?
“Sorry to keep you waiting, Elder.”
“Y-Yes.”
“Could you tell me about the request?”
“Are you sure? I thought you needed some materials. It’s fine if we do that first.”
“As I mentioned before, this is where Mabel’s parents rest. If there’s trouble here, resolving that takes priority.”
“I-I see.”
The elder nodded.
Then, looking at Mabel, he said,
“Mabel, you’ve brought a wonderful person to our village.”
“Elder. But… to show the consequences of our failure to a human is—”
The elf guards muttered in hoarse voices.
The elder scolded them gently,
“We are far beyond worrying about that now.”
“B-But—”
“…That rigid thinking is exactly what led to this trouble. Am I wrong!?”
The elder gave the elf guards a stern rebuke.
“It is good to preserve tradition. However, clinging solely to one’s own opinions prevents one from adapting to a changing world. Just look at our current state. Am I wrong?”
“““Elder…”””
“Watch closely what the alchemist does and learn from it. Accept that there are things we elves do not know. That is not something to be ashamed of. Remember this.”
“““…Yes.”””
“Now then, Alchemist. This way, please.”
And so, the elder and others guided me to a part of the village.
“This is the abnormal phenomenon that struck the elf village.”
Pointing at the ground, the elder said so.
We had been taken to a field on the outskirts of the village.
Apparently, it was used for practicing magic, and there were many stone targets scattered around. Some were scorched, others slashed apart. Elves can use powerful magic, so the targets wear out quickly.
In the middle of the training field, there was a hole in the ground.
“Did someone fire a spell at the ground or something?”
“No. A few nights ago, something strange fell from the sky. That’s what caused the hole.”
The elder explained.
“Witnesses said ‘a small magic circle floated above the ground.’ From the center of that magic circle, something strange fell. That’s what’s inside that hole now.”
“Something strange fell from a magic circle?”
…Something about this bothers me.
“Is there any record of what that magic circle looked like?”
“No, it happened in an instant.”
“If you saw it again, do you think you’d recognize it?”
“…What do you think?”
The elder looked at one of the elf guards.
The elf man hesitated, then said,
“Y-Yes. If I saw it again… I believe I would recognize it.”
“One more question. If I were to show you a diagram similar to that magic circle, would you keep it strictly confidential?”
“I swear on my pride as an elf.”
“Then, please take a look at this.”
I showed the elder and the elf man a piece of parchment.
It had a diagram of a summoning magic circle.
Previously, a giant centipede-like magical beast had appeared near the border.
Following its traces, I found a summoning magic circle.
This was a reproduction of that magic circle.
I also obtained a more accurate one from the western fort, but that version can’t be shown to outsiders without Luchie’s permission. It can’t be helped.
“Is this the magic circle that appeared in the sky?”
“It looks similar… but I feel like it’s slightly different.”
“So it’s very close?”
“Y-Yes. Almost identical. But some parts of the spell formula seem different…”
“Got it. Then please show me what fell.”
I started walking toward the hole.
At first, I thought the elves might have summoned something from another world… but that doesn’t seem to be the case.
From their reaction, it’s clear they don’t know about summoning magic.
Also, what they saw was ‘similar, but different’ from a summoning circle.
Is there any kind of magic that brings things over without being summoning magic?
…No, wait. What if it wasn’t summoned from here, but rather—
“Mabel. Can I ask you something?”
“Y-Yes!?”
“…What’s wrong, Mabel?”
“N-No, it’s just… Thor-sama’s breath touched my ear, and it tickled…”
“? I think I’m standing the same distance as always though.”
“Y-Yes, you’re right. Huh? Huhhh?”
Mabel held her chest and looked puzzled.
“S-Sorry. Ever since we visited the graves… I’ve felt strange. Fluffy, ticklish…”
“Are you okay?”
“I-I’m fine. More importantly, your question?”
“Do you know anything about the magic used to send the Hero back to their world?”
“Ah, you mean Return Magic. Also known as Dispatch Magic.”
“It’s the spell that sends people or objects from this world to another one, right?”
“Yes. It’s said the Empire used it to return the Hero to their original world. But… no records of the spell exist in the Demon Lord’s domain.”
“Do you think it’s similar to summoning magic in its formula?”
“It’s possible. Since both open gateways to other worlds.”
“Exactly. And when the Heroes were sent back to their world, they must have seen that ritual.”
“…Ah.”
Mabel widened her eyes.
It looked like she understood what I was getting at.
After the battle with the Demon Lord ended, the heroes were sent back to their original world.
Moreover, there were many heroes.
It would’ve been impossible to send them all back at once. That being the case, the “Return Spell” must have been used multiple times, sending a few people at a time. To ensure safety, it’s possible that the heroes themselves oversaw the process.
If so, the heroes may have watched the Return Spell from start to finish.
Heroes are beings with tremendous power.
They likely could have observed the imperial mages using the Return Spell, studied it, and even learned how to use it themselves.
Which means—
“What the elves saw might have been a Return or Dispatch Spell magic circle, and what fell from the sky could be something sent from the heroes’ world.”
“A hero… using the Return Spell… Is such a thing even possible?”
“I think it is. But if they only sent objects, that might mean they still can’t send people. There are no records of heroes returning to this world.”
“Maybe they’ve forgotten about this world.”
“Over there, they’re dealing with the ‘Hard Creatures’ issue.”
“They’re fighting monsters like that, so they have to concentrate their forces.”
“They probably don’t have time to be concerned with this world…”
The real issue is that imperial soldiers summoned giant magical beasts like the spider Gargarossa and the scorpion Nozerius into this world.
When those beasts were summoned from the heroes’ world, someone might have witnessed the scene.
If that’s the case, that person would have seen Gargarossa and the others vanish into another world.
That would clearly indicate a connection between the heroes’ world and this one.
“In other words, the Empire is at fault for using summoning magic.”
“T-Thor-sama?”
“It’s been quite a while since the heroes came to this world. The people in their world are probably so busy fighting Hard Creatures that they’ve forgotten all about this place. And then the Empire’s summoning magic ruined everything.”
Well, that’s just a hypothesis.
We don’t know anything about what’s going on in the heroes’ world now.
“So, let’s check it out.”
“Y-Yes, Thor-sama.”
“But if it looks dangerous, Mabel, you need to get back.”
“I refuse.”
“Oh?”
“Because earlier, I stood before my parents’ graves and…”
“Ah, by the way, about what you said earlier—about making a plush doll of me, ‘Thor’?”
“Yes. And Thor-sama also said something about me, didn’t you… um…”
“…………”
“…………”
“…Anyway, let’s take a look at what fell down first.”
“Agreed!”
We held hands and walked to the center of the magic training grounds.
There, we peered into a small hole in the ground.
And inside—
‘8:14:22:59’
—was an object displaying a mysterious set of numbers.
The object was about the size of a hand.
More precisely, a little over ten centimeters tall, just under ten centimeters wide, and less than one centimeter thick.
It looked like a metal plate.
Its surface was smooth, emitting a faint glow.
What was displayed on its surface were numbers.
These were the same numbers spread by the heroes that had become commonplace in this world.
And they were counting down, one every second.
When the lowest digit reached zero, the next digit above also began to decrease. The lowest place cycled between 0 and 59.
So the lowest digit is seconds, the next is minutes, and above that is hours?
Then the 8 might represent days?
“This item… its shape resembles a ‘smartphone’ from the heroes’ world.”
“‘Smartphone’? The all-purpose item from the heroes’ world?”
“Yeah. It looks just the right size to fit in one of those ‘smartphone cases’ shown in the mail-order catalog.”
According to the heroes, a “smartphone” was a magical item with a variety of functions.
You could view the land from a high, bird-like perspective—
You could send your voice to faraway people—
And if you paid a price, you could summon items from anywhere in the world to your hands—
—Apparently, all of that was possible.
For one item to have all those functions would normally be impossible.
That’s why I believe the smartphone was the core component of a massive magical ritual.
And this thing is probably something like that.
“…No wonder the elf elder said it was an ‘emergency situation.’”
The heroes’ world—or no, since we’re not certain, let’s just say “another world.”
Something from a place like that, something that doesn’t exist in this world, was sent here.
It’s undoubtedly an unprecedented major incident.
“Alchemist! Have you figured anything out?!”
The elf elder and his guards came rushing over.
“Please keep your distance! It’s dangerous!”
I shouted back.
The elder and his group froze in surprise.
“…What happened here?”
“There’s something that looks like a ‘smartphone’ from the heroes’ world. And it’s currently active.”
“W-What?!”
“It fell here a few days ago, right? Did anyone touch it?”
“…Did someone?”
The elder looked at his guards.
One of them raised a hand hesitantly, looking guilty.
“I’m sorry. I touched it to check if it was dangerous…”
“I understand how you felt.”
If your duty is to protect the village, you can’t just ignore something like this.
Honestly, I’d have secured it and started analyzing it right away myself.
“So, the numbers started moving after you touched it?”
“Y-Yes…”
“What did it look like before you touched it?”
“There were letters displayed on its surface. As soon as I touched it… the numbers began counting down…”
“When did this happen?”
“Five days ago.”
“Got it. Thank you.”
So it’s an item that activates upon human contact.
…Why design it that way?
Maybe it was made to activate only in the presence of people?
If so, then it’s an item meant to be used around others.
But what do those numbers actually mean?
When it reaches zero, does a spell activate? Is something like that even possible?
No… a hero could pull it off.
They had things like high-speed chant spells, and even Delay Magic.
A spell delayed by 7 days and 14 hours wouldn’t even be surprising.
“Everyone, please stand back. I’m going to investigate this ‘mystery item’ now.”
“Is… is it safe, Alchemist?”
“I won’t touch it. I’ll just use the Appraisal skill.”
At my call, the elder and guards stepped back.
Then I turned to Mabel beside me.
“Alright, Mabel, stay cautious too.”
“Yes! If anything happens, I’ll become your shield, Thor-sama!”
“I plan to appraise it as safely as possible though.”
“But there’s still some danger, right?”
“Since it’s a heroes’ world item, I can’t say it’s completely safe. But I’ll do everything I can. I can’t let Mabel’s hometown be destroyed.”
“…Thor-sama.”
“But I understand how you feel too, Mabel. So please, stay by my side.”
“Yes, Thor-sama.”
“Then, let’s play it safe.”
I pulled out the Ultra-Compact Portable Storage.
Opened its door and tilted it downward.
“Here goes.”
Clack.
I placed the “mystery item” into the Ultra-Compact Portable Storage, along with the surrounding soil, and closed the door.
“Alright. That’s much safer now.”
The flat “mystery item” — the “smartphone (tentative)” — was now inside the storage space.
The internal space is large.
Even if an explosion occurs or flames burst out inside, it won’t affect the outside.
If an explosion happens that even the storage can’t contain, the blast will blow out through the entrance.
In that case, I just need to make sure the door faces away from people.
Safe.
“Now, I’ll just move the item to the edge of the storage for appraisal. I’ll open the door, hold out my hand, and use my Appraisal Recognition skill to examine it.”
“…I didn’t know Ultra-Compact Storage could be used like this.”
“I just thought of it now.”
“I… I was ready to be your shield if anything happened, you know?”
“I couldn’t let you do that, Mabel.”
We just visited the graves, and I told her I was happy she was by my side.
There’s no way I could let her be a shield right after that.
Besides, I need to ask Mabel later about that Thor plushie in detail.
What kind of plushie it is, how she uses it—definitely want to know.
I’m looking forward to her reaction.
“Alright, time to investigate. Activate—Appraisal Recognition!”
And so, I began examining the mysterious item.