57 Girl and Elf 3




 A lot of elves. There are fewer of them than us, though. My aunt told me that elves have a long life span, so that may have something to do with it.


 I thought the elves were all very beautiful. They are different from humans and beasts. There were a lot of elves in front of me. The scenery of the village, like a part of the forest, is mysterious.


 In the midst of the welcoming crowd of elves, I saw something a little strange. I saw something translucent next to an old elf man with a staff. But the moment I blinked, I couldn't see it anymore. I wonder what it was. I'm not sure. Was it a mistake?


 Just as I was thinking that, my eyes met the old elf's. Was he looking at me? The old elf stared at me for a moment and then turned his gaze to Mr. Dong. Then he spoke to Mr. Dong.



"Are you sure you're the head of this pack?
"...... Oh, you can be sure of that.


 It was Athos who was the chief. After that, the chief is not exactly determined. But I think we can assume that Dong is our chief.


 Hearing this, the old elf nodded once and said, "Hmm.



...... You said you were forced to leave your place of residence.
Yes.
"Yes." "Well, then, you may make yourself at home in this village.



 The grandfather elf said. The words were surprisingly friendly and I was surprised. Mr. Dong also looked surprised for a moment. Mr. Lan looked at me with difficulty. Everyone else looked relieved or excited to be in such a beautiful place.



 The first thing I thought was that I was happy because I was happy to be friends with the elves. But at the same time, I remembered what Ran had said to me, and I had to consider the possibility that the elves didn't really want to be friends with me.




 The old man said that we should live in separate houses because there was not enough space for us to live.
 Mr. Dong was hesitant to do so. In response, Grandpa said, "We welcome you. In the name of the Spirit Tree, I swear. I had no idea what a "spirit tree" was, but seeing Ran's relief at hearing that, I knew it must mean something good to us.



 I was going with Mr. Ran. Gaius and I parted ways. As for the gryphons and the sifo, Mr. Ran told me that it would be better if they didn't know that I had a contract with them, so I did. I whispered this to Raymer, so he is doing the same for me. He said it would be better to say that we were using the gryphons in our village.
 That's what I did. I thought Ran-san was thinking of us.



 But then Lema came to me. Lema, the little gryphon, is following me and Mr. Ran. The female elf guiding me and Mr. Lan seemed to be concerned about Lema.
 Ran and I were taken to the woman's house. She seemed to be living alone. The woman's house had two rooms, and we were told we could use one of them.


 When I saw that the woman had moved to another room, I asked Ran-san.



"What in the name of the Spirit Tree?
"Elves are a magical race. Elves are good at magic and have a close relationship with spirits. To them, the tree of spirits is an absolute. I don't know if this is accurate information, as I've only read it in the literature, but it is said that the spirit tree gives birth to spirits.
"It gives birth to spirits?
Yes. ---The genie lights up its life in the genie tree. I've read memoirs that describe how they fly around the tree and will eventually spread their wings around the world.
"...... I see.
 Spirit tree. You can find a lot more than just a few of them. I'm not sure if it's a good idea or not.
I believe that vowing in the name of the Spirit Tree is the absolute word for those who are closely related to spirits. I have also read such a statement. I'm sure they welcome us with open arms, since they so proudly proclaimed that they would swear in the name of the Spirit Tree.



 When I was talking with Ran, I thought about how different races have their own differences.
 Even the beastmen live a different life from the human village. They have a different culture. The elves must have a lot of culture that I don't know. I need to ask you a lot of questions. There are so many things I don't know, so many things I don't know.



...... But you look like you're having trouble.
Yes. Even though it's true that we're welcoming you, we don't know how things are going to turn out. So be careful, Lelunda.
"...... Yes.



 Ms. Lan said it was true that she was welcoming them. But he also said that he did not know how things would turn out. I nodded my head and wondered what the elves were thinking. Elves are cold. But they're welcoming. The elves are cold, but they are welcoming...and the old man is...and I finally realized that the elves hadn't told me their names.






 ---- Girl and Elf 3
 (A young girl, probably a godchild, is taken into one of the houses of an elven village with a woman. She didn't know any of the elves' names yet.