"Well, you gave us a scare. I'm sorry.
Oh, .......
"Uh, ......?

　Allen and Charlotte looked at each other and could not help but reply.

　They are in the basement of the garden.
　At the end of the rope ladder, there was a small room.
　A bookshelf, a bed, a small writing desk. In the corner of the room, there is a simple cooking set piled up, and in the back, there is even a room for growing mushrooms.
　The room is small but comfortable, with magical lights shining brightly.

　The woman who invited us in smiled and offered us a cup.
　Her shirt was so loose-fitting that it covered her hips. She was wearing nothing else. It's not s*xy, it's just plain slutty.

"What do you think, my special mushroom soup? It's pretty good, huh?
No, thank you. ......

　The cup was filled with a mysterious liquid that turned purple or reddish brown depending on the light. There was also a bitter-sweet-sour smell in the air, like the smell of fruit left out in the hot sun for several days.
　How could such a liquid be produced from such an odorless white mushroom? I was somewhat curious, but I wasn't prepared to poison myself.
　Charlotte, too, silently looked away.

　Lu, by the way, is staying above ground.
　Apparently, there was an unpleasant smell coming from the basement, and she rejected it with a straight face and a shake of her head. To be honest, Allen didn't want to come either, but he had no choice.

　The woman put her cup away and shrugged her shoulders.

"So, Mr. Allen, ......?　You guys built an above-ground pool and my mushrooms got pumped up. I know you didn't steal it, but ...... it's really annoying.
I apologize for that, but ......

　Allen gives a small bow.
　It is true that I have ruined her food.
　But ...... there were a lot of problems. Allen stared the woman straight in the eye.

"...... Who the hell are you?
What's your name?　You haven't introduced yourself yet.

　The woman proudly states her name.

I'm Dorothea Grimm-Warrenstein. Please feel free to call me Dorothea!
No, that's not what I meant. ...... How long have you been living in this basement?

　From the look of the room, I'd say you've been here for more than a day or two.
　If someone suspicious was coming and going in the garden, Allen would have noticed it. And now that Charlotte is here, I don't think I've let my guard down.

　And yet, this suspicious person. It's hard not to be suspicious.

Is this really the ghost that haunts the ...... house?
"Oh, ......!　You're really here, aren't you ......!

　Charlotte is frightened and clings to Allen's arm. The sudden contact almost made Allen's heart stop a little, but he held on with iron will.

"Yurei?　What are you talking about?

　On the other hand, the woman, Dorothea, only twisted her head. She crossed her arms and pondered.

But when did you start ......? Actually, I don't understand it at all.
"What do you mean you don't know?
What do you mean you don't know?" "I've been hiding for a while because I needed to hide from people. I'm the one who wants to know.

　Dorothea stares at Allen.

"Who the hell are you people?　Why are you here?
Who are you? We live in the house up here. ......
What?　This is my house!　What are you doing living here without permission?
What are you talking about? ...... Wait a minute.

　That's when Allen realized what was going on.
　I'm not sure what to make of this. They were clearly not human. Those ears are definitely not human.

You're not the ...... elves from the previous inhabitants who disappeared thirty years ago, are you?
What?
"Three ...... years?

　I'm not sure what to make of it.
　Dorothea rolls her eyes, but quickly strokes her chin and snorts sincerely.

"Wow, it's been that long already, hasn't it? No wonder the scenery outside has changed a bit.
"Well, thirty years is ......!　Mr. Dorothea, you look as old as Mr. Allen!


Well, elves age extremely slowly. ......

　Hence, elves have a very different sense of time than humans.
　From her point of view, thirty years would have been a blink of an eye. Even so, much mystery remains.