Chapter 634: Recruiting a Capable Individual
While traveling toward the Forest City—the central hub of the Elf Autonomous Region—Tauro’s group stayed overnight in the village they had stopped at.
They continued to rely on the elf guide, Glasslow, who had come from the checkpoint.
In fact, the village chief had offered to let someone else guide them, saying that Glasslow wasn’t very clever.
However, during the journey, Tauro had formed a very different impression. To him, Glasslow seemed highly perceptive and quick-thinking. His questions and responses about the Giro Sugar territory were consistently sharp and appropriate.
Tauro concluded that, from the elders’ perspective, Glasslow might simply think in a way that was “un-elf-like,” and therefore had been judged as not particularly capable.
From Tauro’s point of view, Glasslow was actually someone who understood them well and showed genuine curiosity. That was why he refused the replacement and asked him to continue as their guide.
“Glasslow-san, how old are you?”
The more Tauro spoke with him, the more interested he became in this seemingly ageless elf, who clearly possessed sharp intelligence.
“Me? I’m 92 years old. The elders said my thinking was too eccentric and that I needed to ‘cool my head’ by working as a gatekeeper at the checkpoint, so I’ve been stationed there for about eight years now.”
“You were assigned to ‘cool your head’… by being a gatekeeper… for eight years?! And 92 is already quite old for humans, you know?”
Tauro was repeatedly shocked by how misaligned elven standards were.
“Is that so? If I recall correctly, under old human standards, my age would be about twenty. To put it in terms you’d understand, I suppose I’m like a newly independent youth—someone in their teens who has just started adulthood and tends to be fascinated by new ideas while rejecting the opinions of elders.”
Glasslow described himself as an immature person who was overly progressive, yet his expression remained calm even as he spoke self-deprecatingly.
Tauro couldn’t help but think he was likely treated as a heretic among the elves.
However, Glasslow’s mindset was very close to that of humans. For beings with such long lifespans, elven thinking was slow and deliberate—but Glasslow clearly stood apart from that. So they got along very well when they talked.
Aeris seemed to feel the same way. She quietly concluded that he might actually be an exceptionally capable individual.
“Glasslow-san, if relations between the Elf Autonomous Region and Giro Sugar territory are restored… would you consider working under Tauro?”
Without thinking, Aeris extended an invitation.
“Eh?”
Glasslow, who had been riding at the front of Garo, turned around in surprise. His usually composed face now showed clear shock.
“Yeah. Aeris beat me to it, but even if relations aren’t restored, I’d like you to work for us. Your insights into the elf region’s economy, food supply issues, and diplomacy are exactly the kind of thinking our territory needs. Would you lend me your mind rather than keeping you as a gatekeeper?”
Tauro added with a smile, amused that his fiancée had read his thoughts.
“Are you serious…? I never thought anyone would need me… But is that really alright? I don’t even know if I’ll be useful.”
Glasslow, perhaps conditioned by his low evaluation among elves, asked cautiously.
“Garo, stop.──I don’t understand the way the elves think. But I do know this—regardless of whether you’re an elf or not, you’re exactly the kind of person I want in my territory. Please come with us.”
Tauro spoke firmly, meeting Glasslow’s eyes.
“…Okay. In any case, I’m only a gatekeeper here, so no one will be troubled by my absence. Tauro-dono—no, Tauro-sama, I look forward to working with you.”
Glasslow replied, and the two of them shook hands firmly.
“Tauro-sama, the Elf Autonomous Region has lost the trust of the neighboring regions after the discriminatory policies of the previous Count Lunesk. For the past five years, we’ve completely cut off contact with human lands and the other regions. However, during that time, several internal problems have emerged.” Glasslow continued to ride in the lead, giving directions as Garo galloped onward and explaining the Elf Autonomous Region to Tauro and the others.
“Problems?”
Tauro, who was straddling right behind him, asked back.
“Yes. As I mentioned before, the region used to be almost entirely self-sufficient in food, but that’s no longer the case. Yields from the forest have sharply declined over the past two years. One of the causes is a swarm of trolls that have appeared in the Great Forest Area.”
“Trolls? Aren’t they the natural enemies of elves?”
Tauro checked to see if his knowledge from his previous life was correct.
“Yes. That’s correct. Apparently, there are many dungeons in the autonomous region, and it seems that during our isolation, the trolls multiplied within the local dungeon systems. We elves have no interest in dungeons, but when adventurers used to visit regularly, they’d thin out the monster population. Without them, trolls—our natural enemies—have increased significantly.”
“There are dungeons here?!”
Tauro turned to Aeris in surprise, since she had never mentioned this.
“Yes. Strictly speaking, they’re ‘pseudo-dungeons,’” she replied.
“Pseudo-dungeons?”
Tauro, Ragune, and Zion repeated in unison.
Aeris explained:
“A pseudo-dungeon is a labyrinth without a dungeon core. True dungeons have a core that continuously generates new layers underground, but pseudo-dungeons are natural underground spaces where monsters spontaneously appear. They tend to occur in places where mana accumulates easily. It’s a very rare phenomenon.”
Glasslow continued:
“Because monster spawns aren’t as frequent as in true dungeons, no one paid much attention to them. But with adventurers no longer coming, the monster population has increased rapidly. —Ah, we’re entering the great forest now. Under that massive tree… the World Tree. Beneath it lies the Forest City, the center of the Elf Autonomous Region.”
He pointed ahead at the enormous tree dominating the landscape, signaling that their destination was near.