Chapter 22

After work, a staff member from the finance department guided me to the Deputy Guild Leader’s office on the second floor of a separate building.

While it was true that this two-story old building exuded a certain age, it didn’t seem much different from the current three-story main building.

If anything, the wooden flooring in the hallway felt a bit old.

*Ton ton.*

“Yes.”

“Excuse me. I’ve brought Mizuki Mitarai.”

“Thank you. Today, make sure no one else comes in.”

Upon hearing those words, the staff member seemed surprised and hastily bowed before leaving. I, too, felt a little nervous inside.

At the desk in the back of the room, the Deputy Guild Leader was visible as I opened the door.

She slowly stood up and came forward to greet me, each of her movements leaving me deeply impressed.

Her flowing golden hair, translucent fair skin, captivating emerald eyes, and long ears resembling bamboo leaves—

Everything about her was charming, and just looking at her was a feast for the eyes.

It was past 6 o’clock, and the surroundings were gradually getting darker.

In this world, there weren’t bright things like modern ceiling lights. 

There were a few lamps with magical illumination brighter than traditional lanterns, providing a brightness similar to the interior of a late-night bar.

As I sat on the sofa, she went towards a tea table placed in one corner of the room.

She removed the lid of the teapot and scooped two cups of tea leaves from a hexagonal container.

Pouring hot water from a silver pot, she took saucers and cups from a cup stand and arranged two sets on a tray.

For a moment, she gazed at the teapot, lifted it, and gave it a gentle swirl.

After placing the teapot on the tray, she carried it to the table and took a seat across from me.

It was my first time having a woman make tea for me, and I couldn’t help but watch her actions nervously.

Then, she straightened her posture, neatly folded her hands on her lap, and said,

“Nice to meet you again. I’m Tinameril.”

I was surprised— I thought she was going to make tea.

“Ah… yes, my name is Mizuki Mitarai. Nice to meet you.”

In a hurry, I introduced myself, but then I realized I had spoken in Elvish again.

“Oh, I-I’m sorry.”

“That’s okay.”

When I looked, she was faintly smiling.

She took the teapot, filtered the tea leaves with a strainer, and poured tea into a cup.

“Please.”

I involuntarily nodded and bowed my head.

A bit nervous, I lifted the cup, but as soon as I did, my hand trembled, and I almost spilled the tea.

“!?”

It seemed that I was quite tense. I quickly put the cup back.

“I’m sorry. It seems you’re quite nervous, so let it sit for a moment…”

She looked extremely embarrassed, but she didn’t seem to mind.

I wondered if I could even manage to drink the tea…

I took a deep breath, trying not to be noticed, and slowly exhaled.

I turned my gaze towards her—but I hesitated on where to look. The chest area… no, let’s focus on her neck.

When I had answered in Elvish before, she seemed very surprised, and I vaguely sensed a bit of anger. However, judging by her current demeanor, it seemed fine.

I glanced at her face for a moment.

Upon closer inspection, her appearance unmistakably seemed to be in her early twenties—around the same age as me. 

However, the chief mentioned that she had been here since before the guild leader. In other words, she must be significantly older… Perhaps elves truly have a long lifespan with unchanged appearances.

“Is this your first time seeing an elf?”

“Yes. There are none in my country.”

Even though I could speak Elvish, I hadn’t noticed the contradiction in meeting an elf for the first time. I also hadn’t realized that I had slipped into an awkward form of politeness.

“Which country are you from?”

“Japan.”

“What kind of country is that?”

I pondered for a moment—

“It’s a country more advanced than this one, with frequent disasters but no wars. It’s peaceful, and everyone lives happily. Elves are a race admired by the Japanese, and everyone loves them.”

I mentioned my fondness for elves to create a positive impression.

She nodded slightly with a “Hmm” expression.

Finally realizing that the trembling in my hands had subsided after the conversation, I took a sip of tea.

“Where did you learn Elvish?”

“Oh, at schools in Japan—”

“No, that’s not true.”

“!?”

Denied like a little elementary school student caught in a lie by the teacher, my words got stuck for a moment.

Her green eyes seemed to speak—saying, “I know everything.”

I realized my mistake.

‘I said there are no elves in Japan, so it’s strange that you know the language.’

Instinctively, I looked down at the table.

Then, I sneakily glanced at her face from below.

Could this be… that thing where you’re told, “I won’t get mad, so tell me the truth”—even though you actually get scolded if you tell the truth…?

But I confess.

“I’m sorry, it was a lie, Deputy Guild Leader.”

“Tinameril is fine.”

“Uh… yes, Tinameril… san.”

It felt like I shouldn’t lie to this person—my instincts were suggesting that. 

So, I decided to honestly talk about what was happening to me.

“Um, you see… does this sound like Elvish right now?”

“…………”

“But I’m speaking my native language, Japanese.”

There was no response, and I felt a bit uneasy.

“And all the languages people speak sound like Japanese to me. I can’t tell what language someone is speaking.”

She tilted her head in confusion.

“Does this also sound like Japanese?”

“Yes.”

“And this?”

“Yes… um, what language is this?”

“Marl language.”

“Oh, yes. It’s Japanese.”

“Ah, now it’s Marl language.”

“Huh, really?”

“Oh, it’s Elvish again.”

I involuntarily pursed my lips.

“I’m sorry. I can’t tell if that’s true or a lie.”

I wondered if I had been teased…

I chuckled self-deprecatingly, and she also let out a small laugh, revealing a smile.

It was the first time I saw her smile.

Uh-oh… she’s incredibly cute. And beautiful.

Unconsciously captivated, I tightened my lips in embarrassment, realizing that my face was turning red.

Whether I should bring up the main topic or not, I decided to go ahead.

“So, um, the reason I was called today?”

Instead of answering, she posed another question.

“Do you know about elves?”

“Well, not really…”

“That they have a long lifespan?”

“Oh, yes, I sort of know that…”

My knowledge is limited to the settings of manga and anime, it’s all imaginary. So, not knowing is the correct answer. However, it seems that having a long lifespan is indeed true.

“The language I’m currently speaking, I called it Elvish, but… it’s not entirely accurate.”

“Hmm?”

“The language I’m speaking is… the language used by the elves living in the Great Forest of Justinbanal.”

“…………”

He probably had a look on his face that said, “What’s the difference?”

Seeing that, she began to quietly talk about the elves.

Elves.

A long-lived species with a lifespan of over a thousand years, actually reaching two or even three thousand. However, they do age and die, not being immortal.

They form communities of about three hundred to ten thousand elves deep within the forest and live their lives there.

They revere a tree called the “World Tree” and revolve their activities around it.

However, the name “World Tree” often leads humans to misunderstand that there’s only one in the world, but in reality, each community has its own tree.

In other words, there are multiple forests where elves live along with their respective World Trees.

Most of them rarely leave their communities, spending their entire lives within the forest.

Due to their extreme aversion to contact with humans and other species, they will attack without hesitation if approached. They look down on other races, and communication is nearly impossible since they don’t share a common language.

Perhaps due to their long lifespan, there is little cultural progress. Regardless of the passing millennia, their lifestyle remains unchanged.

In simple terms, they are often described as “just eating and sleeping in the forest.” It seems that there are even those who spend most of their time sleeping.

Even among such a race, there are outliers.

Occasionally, there are those who express a desire to venture into the outside world, to interact with humans and other species.

However, even when they go outside, the majority still choose to live alone in the forest, engaging in sporadic interactions with people and various races—akin to the concept of a “lone house in the forest.”

And among those elves who venture outside, there are even rarer individuals.

These are the ones who actively engage with humans, living in human towns and cities, and fostering connections with them.

She took a sip of tea as she finished speaking.

Listening to the story, my honest impression is that I’m not as surprised as I thought I would be.

In essence, Tinameril is a girl who disliked the closed-off countryside and came out to the city.

It’s a quite common story, even though the difference in age is in the double digits.

The setup of elves disliking people is a common story, and I can’t help but imagine a pattern where they go from being adversaries to becoming friends.

What surprised me was the existence of multiple World Trees. There doesn’t seem to be a story about fighting to take them away.

“So, does that mean Tinameril is an elf who wanted to leave the elf forest and interact with humans?”

“……….. Probably.”

“Huh?”

She smiled a little, looking somewhat troubled.

“I don’t remember. Because I have no memories.”

Suddenly, a declaration of memory loss!

What on earth does that mean… and I feel uneasy as if things are taking a serious turn.

“Um… when you say you have no memories, is it because of, like, an accident or something?”

She shook her head, indicating that it wasn’t the case. It seems like it’s not a typical story.

And then, she continued with her story.

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