Chapter 24

Tinameril is a rare type of elf who left the elf forest and lives in a human city.

I thought she might be the only elf living in the city, given her unique personality, but apparently, there are others.

“Can I ask you something?”

“Yes.”

“Elves like Tinameril, who live in the city, are rare, right?”

“Probably.”

“Are there any other elves like that?”

She stands up again and retrieves a faded wooden writing box from the desk drawer.

It seems to contain a bundle of letters.

She picks one up and hands it to me.

“What’s this?”

I turn the handed letter over, perhaps indicating to check the back— not the content, but the address.

On the reverse side, there’s the sender’s name: ‘Mystilrill.’

“…Mystilrill… What’s this?”

“She’s an elf working for a small trading company in the Mabelmeen region.”

“Huh?”

“We’ve been exchanging letters.”

“What!?”

“We’ve been exchanging letters.”

“I heard you the first time.”

“I live with the owner of that store.”

“What!?”

Suddenly, the new information is casually shared, and I can’t help but blink in surprise.

What’s going on with this development…?

Considering the flow of the conversation so far, it felt like we could make a movie titled “Amnesiac Tinameril.” 

You know, the kind of story where she doesn’t want to forget her past but has to in order to keep living, a lonely and sad narrative of someone living in solitude!

—Hold on a second, there’s a second one, another elf living in a human city.

Moreover, it seems they’re living together. Under the same roof… I’m so envious!

And they’re even exchanging letters. She has a solid friend.

“Oh, by the way… is this Mystilrill married?”

“No… it doesn’t seem that way. It just mentioned that they live together.”

I feel like the floor beneath me just opened up, and I’m falling.

“That’s a bit disappointing.”

“Huh?”

“Oh, it’s nothing related to your story.”

I thought they might be a couple or something, but it’s a shame… or is it?

“Have you ever met in person?”

“Well… it was probably before this country even existed.”

How many years has this country been founded? (Later found out to be around 70 years.)

“She found out about me being here a little while ago and sent me a letter.”

” A little…”

That “little” doesn’t seem to be in human terms… It feels like it’s on the scale of ten years. (Later revealed to be about 20 years)

“I also got in touch saying I’ve settled down in one place, and then we started corresponding.”

“Sigh…”

It’s quite a heartwarming development. I thought she was living a lonely life, so I’m somehow relieved.

But, it’s not like they’re meeting just because they’re corresponding. I wonder if she won’t go to see her because she’s lonely…”

After seeing that I had recovered from my solemn expression, she added another blow.

“…There’s another person. In the Kingdom of Marzen.”

“Huh!?”

I unintentionally let out a surprised voice.

“She’s the deputy head of the trading guild in the capital. Her name is, I believe… Ordianna.”

“How surprising…”

“But I don’t correspond with her, so I don’t know much about her.”

Is the standard for relationships based on correspondence?

In any case, not knowing means they haven’t met in person.

“Besides, I’ve heard that there are elves living in towns in other countries, even if it’s in small numbers.”

“Is that so?”

After saying that much, she took a sip of tea.

Even hearing that there are others, it doesn’t seem like there’s an inclination to go and meet them. Elves seem to have a high resistance to being alone.

“So, are there elves who form parties and go on adventures with humans?”

She placed the cup down, and it took her a few seconds to release her hand.

For a moment, she seemed anxious about the halted motion.

“No… Elves who adventure have quite different circumstances.”

She began to talk about another reason why elves go to human towns.

There are two ways in which elves come into contact with humans.

One is the occasional eccentric individual, elves like Tinameril who choose to leave the forest life and interact with humans.

And the other is elves who are forced to leave the forest and live elsewhere— 

They are the ‘Elves who have lost the World Tree.’

The events that lead to the loss of the World Tree are typically ‘disasters’ and ‘wars.’

The level of loss is such that the community is almost entirely devastated, with very few survivors.

Yet, even in such circumstances, there may be single or double-digit survivors.

Elves in such situations leave the forest and begin the process of rebuilding a new community.

In such cases, without the World Tree, there’s no need to cling to the forest, and the elves can’t afford to be exclusive as they strive to recover from the devastating impact.

They find a place to settle, start living modestly, and interact with humans.

After a thousand years or so, a community of a few hundred people is said to revive.

However, without the World Tree, they cannot retain memories, and they eventually forget the reasons for choosing to live in a particular place.

This leads to the emergence of elves who are a completely different type, creating a group that considers themselves the standard in a way distinct from other elves.

My gaming brain responds—it’s basically a village development simulation game with just a few characters.

“What do you mean by a completely different type?”

“Elves who live not in forests but in mountains, by the sea, in mountainous areas or canyons. There are also elves living in the desert.”

“What do they do for a living?”

“In the mountains, they’re involved in forestry; by the sea, they engage in fishing. In mountainous areas or canyons, they focus on hunting, herding, and mining. As for the desert… I think they might be involved in mercenary work.”

“It’s… quite resilient.”

“What you mentioned earlier, people going back and forth to elven villages, seems to be the case for communities like these.”

“Ah, probably because of trading.”

Some elves, after losing the World Tree and leaving the forest, seem to return to living in the forest once again.

In such cases, they follow a lifestyle similar to humans—developing the forest, building homes, and earning a living through activities like agriculture.

Because they actively engage with humans, they’re likely recognized as elven villages.

If someone were to venture deep into the forest and encounter the pure-blooded elves, they probably wouldn’t make it back alive. That’s why that side of things is completely unknown.

I see… Perhaps because the pure-blooded elves are reclusive, the revived elves become the standard for humans.

“So, there are elves who form parties and become adventurers…”

“Elves from that kind of community, yes. A few years ago, elves from the desert came to visit me. They said they came to this town as guards for a merchant caravan. They heard there was an elf in this town and came to greet me—or rather, to see me, as I’m considered a ‘pure-blooded elf.'”

“I see…”

Finally, the conversation approaches the realm of anime and manga…

Previous chapter | TOC | Next chapter