《I was reincarnated and became a high elf, but I got tired of the slow life after 120 years》


 CH 1

    Chapter 1


    Atop a large tree, I was laying down on a large branch, taking a bite out of one of its fruits.


    The texture was pleasant, and a light sourness spread inside my mouth.


    The fruit from this tree, Apua berries as they are called, are said to be an ingredient used for elixirs of youth, and are said to be traded in gold coins among the populace.


    But in this forest, this stuff is free to eat.


    "Wind spirits, here."


    After finishing the Apua fruit, I muttered to myself and threw the remaining core.


    The next moment, gusts of wind tore down the remnants of the core.


    This way, the pulp is for my nourishment, and the core returns to nature.


    And if you spit out any seeds, with some luck, it might sprout.


    I let out a big yawn, and a bird that had flown down from the sky landed on my chest and let out a high-pitched chirp.


    I gently held out a finger, and the bird rubbed its face against it as if it were being spoiled.


    The bird fully understood that I will never harm it.


    The basis for that is because I was an elf, a species that lived in the forest.


    Well, to be more accurate, a high elf which was more closely related to high spirits. Though with regards to these elven categories, I don''t think there is much of a difference.


    It is because both normal elves and high elves are the same, unchanging creatures.


    "Yeah, to be honest, I''m getting tired of this."


    I was still laying around, surrounded by words that I muttered, not directed at anyone.


    When I''m hungry, I eat these fruits. Although I don''t hunt, I still hone my skills with the bow. I also conversed with the spirits about the nature of this world.


    The life of an elf is truly the ideal slow life...but after 120 years, you get tired of it.


    By the way, I might be 150 years old this year, but I was 30 years old when I started remembering things, so I started my count from there.


    Of course, other elves and high elves do not question such a life, and continued to live their life in the forest contentedly.


    Because it was only natural for them, they don''t think about other kinds of lifestyles.


    But even though I was born deep in the woods and have never been outside, from the I started remembering, I knew a life which I can compare mine with.


    Yes, I was a guy who was reincarnated from another world with memories of a previous life.


    I was a human back then, and in the world I lived at the time, elves were only a fictional existence.


    There were a lot of terrible conflicts on that world Earth, but it was also full of entertainment, art, and culture.


    Knowing a world of strife, I understood the allure of the slow and peaceful life of the elves.


    But at the same time, knowing a world full of such entertainment, I was approaching the limit of stimulation from this elven life.


    First and foremost.


    "I want to eat meat."


    I''m sick of living only on fruits.


    As soon as I said that, the bird perched on my chest flew away in a hurry.


    Ah, how smart.


    But I wasn''t about to catch and eat that bird.


    After all, if I were to start using fire this deep in the forest, other elves would come rushing and complain.


    If I''m going to eat meat, I wanted to grill it. And If I wasnted to grill meat, I would have to leave the woods.


    That is, once you leave the forest, you can live a stimulating life of roasting meat, eating it, and getting to look at all kinds of things.


    "Alright, I''m done with this kind of lifestyle. This...it wasn''t really for me. Hup."


    I had tried for more than a hundred years to fit, in one way or another, in this high elven lifestyle by acting my part, but I had reached my limit.


    After our physical bodies are destroyed, it is said that our souls become spirits and are able to roam the world until the end of time.


    I wasn''t concerned about the fact that this life of mine who already lived the last 120 years will continue for another 850 years, or even until the end of the world.


    If I was going to live long, I might as well go out into the outside world and witness, eat, and experience many things until I am satisfied before I turn into a spirit or something.


    I headed towards the river that ran through the forest, where I picked up rocks and smashed them over and over until I made a stone knife.


    There weren''t any processed metal in this forest.


    It was fine if it''s just ore as itself, but the trees in this forest are scared of manufactured ore.


    In fact, because of that, elves detest dwarved, a race proficint in blacksmithing.


    It might make sense if it were an axe or something because they can be used to cut them down, but there was no reason for these trees to be afraid of cutlery like spoon and forks.


    So if you wanted a knife in this forest, you can either break a stone like this, or you can grind down the tusks or bones of a large beast.


    However, aside from blades made from stones, ones that are made from tusks and bones are only allowed to be owned by those are permitted to.


    Otherwise, if immature elves were to be caught up in their greed, they might begin killing beasts indiscriminately.


    Yes, it was something that a greedy person like me would never be allowed to have.


    Well, it doesn''t really matter anymore.


    If I went out of the forest, such traditions will become irrelevant for me.


    I used the stone knife to cut off my hair as I stared at my reflection in the flowing water.


    Long hair was a symbol of a high elf and was not permitted to shortened aside from a few trims. But honestly, I always thought it was annoying in a way.


    But I didn''t overdo it too much because I can''t revert it if I made a mistake. So for now, it''s about shoulder-length.


    If they saw me like this, the high elf elders would scold me for three days and three nights.


    And they will keep talking about for decades to come.


    Of course I flat out refuse that, so let''s leave the forest quickly.


    Cutting my hair.


    Even if it''s as simple as that, my heart became much lighter.


    There wasn''t anyone in particular who I wanted to greet before I leave.


    Although blood parents exist, an elven child is collectively raised by the community.


    That''s why even if they were your parent, they were only as intimate as the rest of the village.


    It''s not that I didn''t have any good friends, but even if I told them why I''m leaving the forest, they wouldn''t understand.


    Can''t be helped, then.


    This isn''t necessarily a farewell in this life, and if there is a chance, we might meet again.


    It would probably be about a month later before they would notice my disappearance.


    I made up my mind and swiftly dashed out the forest.


    In my handbag, I carried my bow and arrows, Apua fruits wrapped in ivy, and the stone knife.

 CH 2

    Chapter 2


    The forest elves and high elves reside in were called the Great Pruha Forest Sea.


    To be exact, they live deep into the forest.


    High elves live in the center, while the normal elves live on the outskirts.


    An surrounding the forest was a barrier powered with the help of the spirits, which deter beasts and humans back.


    In other words, once you step out of the boundary, you are stepping foot into the outside world.


    That was why ¡ª


    "I didn''t expect to be attacked by monsters as soon as I got outside... The world outside is really exciting."


    Never in my wildest dreams had I thought that I would be surrounded by a pack of forest wolves, which was a large wolf monster.


    I wonder if this was a danger zone of the Great Pruha Forest Sea, is was it just bad luck.


    Nevertheless, even if wasn''t deep in the forest, this place is still surrounded by living trees.


    When I turned my gaze to them for help, they moved their roots to keep the wolves away and sheltered me.


    ...Now that I''m safe for the time being, I was thinking what to do about the forest wolves snarling under the tree.


    Specifically, I was talking about whether to kill them or not.


    To be honest, hunting forest wolves was not that difficult.


    Simply shooting arrows from atop would be an easy way to hunt them.


    The arrows were all sharpened though, and may not be able to pierce through the monster''s fur, so there was a need to shoot it at its eyes.


    However, there was a very difficult target practice game in the high elven community. After more than a hundred years of playing, it wasn''t difficult to hit a target, no matter the size or if it''s moving.


    So my concern was not how to hunt them, but whether it''s okay to kill them in the first place.


    Well, they were the one who attacked first so I guess I don''t need to hesitate, but I don''t want to eat a wolf after killing it, and it would be a hassle to pelt it in a place like this.


    Of course, carrying a heavy wolf corpse was out of the question.


    I may be able to carry their fangs and claws, but there were too much since they were a pack.


    One or two bodies should do, the rest I''ll just simply kill them.


    "Hmm...well, that should be okay."


    Let''s hunt one or two for now.


    If others escape, I could take the fangs and claws from the dead ones then bury the bodies. If they don''t, I''ll decide what to do at that time.


    I nocked an arrow on my bow, drew it, and fired two shots in quick succession.


    The target was a particularly large one in the pack.


    If that was the leader of the pack, I figured that there''s a good chance the others might run away if I take it out.


    The first arrow hit its right eye, and the second arrow pierced its mouth. The monster let out a pained yelp in surprise as it fell.


    "Nice."


    I felt a small sense of satisfaction as I was able to hit what I was aiming for.


    In the end, it''s better to have something to specialize in, whatever it may be.


    Because it leads to confidence, and it might save you in some cases, like now.


    The forest wolves, flustered by the loss of their leader, turned on their heels and fled through the trees as I readied my bow again.


    ...Hmm.


    Apparently, monsters are more intelligent that I thought.


    I''m glad I didn''t waste any more time killing them, there might be more encounters in the future, so I shouldn''t let my guard down.


    "Alright, thanks."


    I pat the trunk of the tree that helped me, and leapt off the branch.


    I took the stone knife from my pack and quickly tore the claws and fangs of the forest wolf, which was on its dying breaths.


    A stone knife wasn''t very effective against a forest wolf, but if you use it right, you could at least tear off the claws, rip the gums, and pull out the fangs.


    I put the claws and fangs on my ivy-woven bag.


    "Spirits of the wind."


    Muttering, I called out to the wind spirits in the area.


    It was a spirit art, used to call them and borrow their power.


    The wind spirits, having understood my intentions, produced two whirlwinds, shredding the remains of the wolf: skin, bones, and all.


    Although it was a gruesome sight indeed, if we disintegrate it like this, the body could quickly return to the earth and nourish the trees that stood here.


    In other words, this was thanks for the trees that just helped me earlier.


    However, it wasn''t me who was doing the work but the wind spirits, and although there was no way to gift a spirit who doesn''t have a body nor physical needs, I spared no effort in expressing my gratitude to them.


    "Now, then."


    After cleaning up the mess, I should get back on track.


    I wonder how many time I would encounter similar incidents until I reached a human settlement in this great forest.


    After all, I had only taken a few steps so far out of the boundary.


    The road ahead was far from over.


    Still.


    "It was just as exciting as I thought."


    A smile crept naturally on my face.


    Even an incident like this was fresh for me who was tired of living a leisurely life.


    Just thinking about what I could do with these claws and fangs was thrilling me.


    Larger fangs could be sharpened to make a dagger or the blade of a knife, and the smaller ones could be strung together to create an artifact.


    I feel sorry for the wolf I just killed if I just fail and waste these materials, so I maybe I should learn knife-making and crafting from someone else first.


    In any case, I should be heading towards a village.


    I wasn''t an idiot to skip around in the woods, but it''s difficult for me to control my legs in anticipation.

 CH 3

    Journey update.


    It took half a month just to leave the Great Pruha Forest Sea.


    Huh, even I did not think it would take this long.


    Perhaps it was a bad idea to follow the river just because I wanted to take a bath if I felt like it.


    There were many instances where I came across monsters that had come to drink water, and there was a fish that tried to bite me, too.


    Good thing that a water spirit warned me of the danger beforehand, but if I was too late, I could have been gnawed off a bite or two.


    But setting aside the past, I trudged along the forest, chewing on the fruits from the trees I came across, and finally reached the outside.


    My body trembled with emotion whe I saw the plains spread out unobstructed by trees and dyed red by the setting sun.


    It reminded me of the word ''horizon'', something I haven''t seen in a long time.


    Right, it was a boundless scenery that endlessly stretched from here to there.


    Well it should definitely hit a limit at some point, but that was what I was feeling at the moment.


    However, I didn''t have any more time to immerse myself.


    I can see over there a settlement surrounded by a stone wall...yes, a town.


    I hurried towards the town before the sun went down to which I can no longer enter.


    Vistkort.


    It was probably the name of the town as it was written next to the gate.


    "...an elf, is it? Something wrong? Is this your first time in a human town?"


    I was awed by the imposing stone wall and gate when a soldier equipped with a spear, probably a guard protecting the entrace, spoke to me in concern.


    Perhaps because it was this time of the day, but there was no one else wanting to enter the town, so this was the first human I''ve seen in my 150 years of living in this world.


    "I was looking at it because it looked magnificent. Human. This is my first time in this town. Is here still time? Did I make it? Can I enter?"


    It was just a hunch, but he doesn''t seem to be a bad person.


    So I smiled too, showing both my palms as a sign of amicability, and asked them to let me in town.


    "Ah, so i''ts your first time. An entrance fee is needed to enter the town, okay? Are you aware of what money is? It costs 20 copper coins to enter if you have some from of identification, and 1 silver coin if you don''t..."


    The guard then scratched his head in a troubled manner.


    I see.


    Of course, unlike the other Elves, I had my memory of having lived as a human, so I know the concept of money and its significance.


    However, I only understood how money worked, and whether or not I have some with me is a different story now.


    So when I sadly shook my head...


    "Ah, well, you need money to get into town. Did you know someone inside and came to visit? If so, I can go call them to pay for you."


    The guard made a suggestion.


    Like I thought, this guard seems to be a good guy.


    Unfortunately, I only chanced upon this town because it happened to be located at the edge of the Great Pruha Forest Sea.


    Hmm, I would have to sell the materials from the forest wolf and subtract the entrance fee from it. Although I was a little reluctant to do so, but I had no choice.


    It was because I had wanted to process them and use it myself.


    Then at that moment.


    "Um, excuse me. Can I have a moment?"


    A voice called from behind.


    Looking back, how long had they been there?


    There was a young man and two young women as well.


    Well, if you look at it from my point of view, all humans are young without exception, but''s not what I meant. I meant young as a human.


    ...However that, is it?


    If you look closely, one of the women is clearly an elf, and there''s also the possibility of her being older than me.


    And it was that female elf who called out to me.


    To I and the guard who were puzzled, she quickly pulled my arm away with a jerk.


    "Are you by any chance, a High Elf?"


    She asked in a whisper.


    It wasn''t anything to hide, but my arm was sore from the tugging, so I nodded grumpily.


    The women''s dubious expression was a mix of half understanding and and half questioning as to why a high elf was here.


    The face she made was a bit intriguing, which made me forget about the pain and just forgave her.


    I think that it is narrow-minded to be angry at such a trivial thing.


    "Um, if you don''t mind me asking, why did someone like you come to a human town?"


    The woman asked me curiously.


    Well, it was natural to ask such a question.


    I wouldn''t believe my eyes too if I saw High Elves in a human village.


    They live with the forest and become part of nature as spirits when they die.


    They consider everything in the outside world as trivial, and live to die and become a spirit.


    That is the creature known as a High Elf..


    Obviously I wasn''t talking about me, but other HIgh Elves.


    "Yeah, I was tired of the forest and wanted to look around. Oh, you can call me Acer[1]. That''s what they call me in village in the deep forest."


    When I was a baby, I held the maple leaves that came flowing with the wind, so Acer.


    It''s more like a name for convenience.


    The elders called me the maple child or something.


    As most spirits have no name, so do High Elves.


    But because it would be inconvenient if so, we decided on a name for the sake of it.


    It seemed to me like a mere play on words, but if I pointed that out, other High Elves would get seriously angry.


    It was to the point where they wouldn''t hesitate to kill you if they got that angry, so it was best not to comment on their names if you don''t intend to fight.


    When the women heard my words, she made a face that clearly showed what she was thinking, ''Wow, this guy is weird.''


    Her expression was really eloquent and amusing.


    Maybe she had been in the outside world for a long time.


    It makes me a little happy to think that Elves become like this when they live outside.


    The change was like if a plant had become an animal.


    Not that I''m implying that plants being bad and animals being good or anything. I meant that it was interesting to see.


    "I understand, Acer-sama. It''s not proper to address High Elves in this manner, but Ailena is here to assist you as goodwill among fellow brethren. Will you leave this matter to me?"


    Ailena, the female elf, seemed to think about something for a while when she suddenly said that.


    Huh, looks like she''s going to help me.


    I don''t know why, but I don''t feel any malicious intentions from Ailena.


    There''s also the fact that the spirits acted like usual to her, so I don''t think she''s a bad elf.


    "Hm, thanks. I was having trouble getting into town. But this should be fine for me."


    Was what I said and held out my hand.


    But Ailena interpreted differently, as she bent forward and held her hands out to mine, and placed her forehead on it.


    ...Yeah, I didn''t ask for that, but the elf still went with it.


    I appreciate your help, but we should part as soon as possible after entering the town.


    [1] Acer is a genus of shrubs and trees commonly known as maples.


    TL Note: I will capitalize specific creature names only for emphasis, like High Elf, Forest Wolf, etc.

 CH 4

    "The 6-star team, White Lake, will vouch for your identity and pay your entrance fee."


    Ailena, the elf woman, told the guard this and went through some formalities.


    As I stared at her retreating figure, her human companions lined up next to me and told what ''six-star'' meant.


    There were different ranks of adventurers, from 1-star beginners to the highest ranked 7-star elites, and they were a 6-star team, the second highest rank.


    There were only a few 7-star adventurers in the whole country, and they are said to be the highest ranking ones here in Vistkort.


    And so they said with pride.


    To he honest, it seemed amazing, so I gave a round of applause.


    But I didn''t know how many adventurers in this town were, so I had no idea how great it actually is.


    Ailena''s female companion smiled wryly, but the other one seemed a bit satisfied, so it''s all good.


    In my case, I was more curious about the origin of the name ''White Lake'' than the 6-star part, but it didn''t seem appropriate to ask about it now.


    Eventually, after the procedures ended, the guard from earlier beckoned me over.


    "Ah, you. Good for you. You can enter the town as you wish, but be careful. If you get into trouble, she will be held responsible because she was your guarantor."


    He gave me a list of precautions about the city.


    Most of them were quite obvious such as don''t steal and don''t brandish your weapons in public unless it''s for self-defense.


    The only thing to note was that if a person without citizenship stayed in town for longer than a week, they must pay a residency tax in the town office.


    By the way, it was forbidden to pull out weapons in the streets, but it was permitted to do so in special locations like a weapon shop or the adventurer''s guild, and in private places such as one''s room at an inn.


    Well, if you can''t pull out your weapon in your room, you can''t do maintenance on it, so what was a given.


    "Then, I want you to record your name here...Acer, huh. I''m Rodner from the garrison. If you have any problems, come and find me. And with that, welcome to the town of Vistkort, Acer."


    As I wrote my name on the register held out to me, Rodner smiled and tapped me on the shoulder.


    Before you know it, it''s become completely dark.


    He must have waited for me and left the gate open so he wouldn''t shut me out.


    As me, Ailena, and her companions entered, the gates were closed behind us.


    ...I finally made it inside a human settlement, but unfortunately, it''s already dark so there weren''t that many people around.


    "Acer-sama, do you have any plans after this? If you don''t have any, I recommend you register as an adventurer to obtain identification."


    As I was looking around, Ailena suggested me that.


    Hm, got it.


    Come to think of it, I needed to decide what to after this.


    But other than registering as an adventurer, there''s one other thing I wanted to do now.


    "No, I don''t think I''ll be good as an adventurer...rather, I want to go to a blacksmith. Where''s the best smithy here?"


    Right, first I needed to learn about processing techinques and craft the fangs and claws into knives and artifacts.


    The place to do so is a smithy, and if I wanted to learn from a blacksmith, I wanted them to be as skilled as possible.


    But to my words she replied...


    "Um...the best blacksmith in town is a dwarf, so they probably wouldn''t sell to us elves."


    Ailena responded with a bitter expression.


    I see.


    Certainly, dwarves and elves detest each other, and a dwarven blacksmith would definitely not sell to me or Ailena, who are elves.


    But none of that matters.


    Because I don''t have any to begin with, I can''t buy anything from the dwarf.


    Dwarves, huh...


    "That''s fine. I want to see that dwarf, too, so that''s timely. But if Ailena doesn''t like dwarves, you can just tell me where they are."


    It was a good thing to be hopeful.


    Well, it''s unlikely that the dwarf would teach me anything, but it was a good oppotunity to see for myself how dwarves really are.


    "Um, Acer-sama, do you not hate dwarves?"


    Ailena looked at me as if she saw something unbelievable.


    I was prepared to be met with that look from elves ever since I decided to stop acting like a High Elf.


    That''s why I can smile and nod under that gaze.


    "I mean, isn''t it weird to dislike someone just because you never met them?"


    At those words, Ailena turned her gaze away from me.


    In elven mythology, dwarves were said to have stolen fragments of fire from all of nature and locked them in a furnace.


    However, such a thing can''t be true.


    Because that would mean that dwarves had a complete mastery over nature.


    If dwarves had the power to do so, it would be strange if elves, who they don''t get along with, still aren''t extinct.


    At best it is a metaphor of some kind, and if an elf took it seriously, they are a fool.


    But it wasn''t so easy to remove that instinctual hatred, no matter how many times you might say don''t feel such a thing anymore.


    Nor was I willing to force Ailena to change her views.


    It''s fine if I can live the way I want.


    "Ah, but it''s already evening, so it would be a nuisance if I went now. I''d like to go to an inn first, but I don''t have any money. That''s right, Ailena, would you be willing to buy this from me?"


    I took out an Apua fruit from my bag and placed it in Ailena''s hand.


    I didn''t try to sell it at the gate because I thought humans might not be able to identify what this fruit was.


    But since she''s an elf, she should know what it was.


    Apua berries have an enduring vitality which prevents it from decaying, and even half a month later now, it''s still as fresh as ever.


    "Eh, could this be..."


    Ailena''s complexion changed as she confirmed the fruit in her hands.


    From her expression, it didn''t seem like the assumption of elves living deep in the forest about the Apua fruit''s value in the outside world was false.


    I patted my chest in relief.


    Now that I look back at it, it was only because of Ailena that I was able to enter the town, and it was also only because of her that I found out that the blacksmith I wanted was a dwarf.


    It would be ungrateful of me to have take such good care of me and not thank her in any way.


    "Also, I would like to express my gratitude from earlier. Thanks, you''ve been a great help."


    So I took out another Apua fruit and placed it on her hands.


    Maybe Apua fruits are a favorite of the elves.


    I''m already sick of eating them, but they taste so good that I might crave for them again I don''t eat one for a long time.


    Ailena''s friends looked at our exchanges curiously, but then they hardened in surprise, and they took a while to recover.


    Then Ailena made me promise not to show this fruit to others so easily, and that tomorrow she will teach me more baout money and the human life, and that blacksmithing should be put off for now.


    She came to with such a straight face, throwing all her respect for High Elves, and warning me that she was scared to the point where she was trembling, so I think should learn a lot from her tomorrow.

 CH 1.1

    Chapter 1


    Atop a large tree, I was laying down on a large branch, taking a bite out of one of its fruits.


    The texture was pleasant, and a light sourness spread inside my mouth.


    The fruit from this tree, Apua berries as they are called, are said to be an ingredient used for elixirs of youth, and are said to be traded in gold coins among the populace.


    But in this forest, this stuff is free to eat.


    "Wind spirits, here."


    After finishing the Apua fruit, I muttered to myself and threw the remaining core.


    The next moment, gusts of wind tore down the remnants of the core.


    This way, the pulp is for my nourishment, and the core returns to nature.


    And if you spit out any seeds, with some luck, it might sprout.


    I let out a big yawn, and a bird that had flown down from the sky landed on my chest and let out a high-pitched chirp.


    I gently held out a finger, and the bird rubbed its face against it as if it were being spoiled.


    The bird fully understood that I will never harm it.


    The basis for that is because I was an elf, a species that lived in the forest.


    Well, to be more accurate, a high elf which was more closely related to high spirits. Though with regards to these elven categories, I don''t think there is much of a difference.


    It is because both normal elves and high elves are the same, unchanging creatures.


    "Yeah, to be honest, I''m getting tired of this."


    I was still laying around, surrounded by words that I muttered, not directed at anyone.


    When I''m hungry, I eat these fruits. Although I don''t hunt, I still hone my skills with the bow. I also conversed with the spirits about the nature of this world.


    The life of an elf is truly the ideal slow life...but after 120 years, you get tired of it.


    By the way, I might be 150 years old this year, but I was 30 years old when I started remembering things, so I started my count from there.


    Of course, other elves and high elves do not question such a life, and continued to live their life in the forest contentedly.


    Because it was only natural for them, they don''t think about other kinds of lifestyles.


    But even though I was born deep in the woods and have never been outside, from the I started remembering, I knew a life which I can compare mine with.


    Yes, I was a guy who was reincarnated from another world with memories of a previous life.


    I was a human back then, and in the world I lived at the time, elves were only a fictional existence.


    There were a lot of terrible conflicts on that world Earth, but it was also full of entertainment, art, and culture.


    Knowing a world of strife, I understood the allure of the slow and peaceful life of the elves.


    But at the same time, knowing a world full of such entertainment, I was approaching the limit of stimulation from this elven life.


    First and foremost.


    "I want to eat meat."


    I''m sick of living only on fruits.


    As soon as I said that, the bird perched on my chest flew away in a hurry.


    Ah, how smart.


    But I wasn''t about to catch and eat that bird.


    After all, if I were to start using fire this deep in the forest, other elves would come rushing and complain.


    If I''m going to eat meat, I wanted to grill it. And If I wasnted to grill meat, I would have to leave the woods.


    That is, once you leave the forest, you can live a stimulating life of roasting meat, eating it, and getting to look at all kinds of things.


    "Alright, I''m done with this kind of lifestyle. This...it wasn''t really for me. Hup."


    I had tried for more than a hundred years to fit, in one way or another, in this high elven lifestyle by acting my part, but I had reached my limit.


    After our physical bodies are destroyed, it is said that our souls become spirits and are able to roam the world until the end of time.


    I wasn''t concerned about the fact that this life of mine who already lived the last 120 years will continue for another 850 years, or even until the end of the world.


    If I was going to live long, I might as well go out into the outside world and witness, eat, and experience many things until I am satisfied before I turn into a spirit or something.


    I headed towards the river that ran through the forest, where I picked up rocks and smashed them over and over until I made a stone knife.


    There weren''t any processed metal in this forest.


    It was fine if it''s just ore as itself, but the trees in this forest are scared of manufactured ore.


    In fact, because of that, elves detest dwarved, a race proficint in blacksmithing.


    It might make sense if it were an axe or something because they can be used to cut them down, but there was no reason for these trees to be afraid of cutlery like spoon and forks.


    So if you wanted a knife in this forest, you can either break a stone like this, or you can grind down the tusks or bones of a large beast.


    However, aside from blades made from stones, ones that are made from tusks and bones are only allowed to be owned by those are permitted to.


    Otherwise, if immature elves were to be caught up in their greed, they might begin killing beasts indiscriminately.


    Yes, it was something that a greedy person like me would never be allowed to have.


    Well, it doesn''t really matter anymore.


    If I went out of the forest, such traditions will become irrelevant for me.


    I used the stone knife to cut off my hair as I stared at my reflection in the flowing water.


    Long hair was a symbol of a high elf and was not permitted to shortened aside from a few trims. But honestly, I always thought it was annoying in a way.


    But I didn''t overdo it too much because I can''t revert it if I made a mistake. So for now, it''s about shoulder-length.


    If they saw me like this, the high elf elders would scold me for three days and three nights.


    And they will keep talking about for decades to come.


    Of course I flat out refuse that, so let''s leave the forest quickly.


    Cutting my hair.


    Even if it''s as simple as that, my heart became much lighter.


    There wasn''t anyone in particular who I wanted to greet before I leave.


    Although blood parents exist, an elven child is collectively raised by the community.


    That''s why even if they were your parent, they were only as intimate as the rest of the village.


    It''s not that I didn''t have any good friends, but even if I told them why I''m leaving the forest, they wouldn''t understand.


    Can''t be helped, then.


    This isn''t necessarily a farewell in this life, and if there is a chance, we might meet again.


    It would probably be about a month later before they would notice my disappearance.


    I made up my mind and swiftly dashed out the forest.


    In my handbag, I carried my bow and arrows, Apua fruits wrapped in ivy, and the stone knife.

 CH 1.2

    Chapter 2


    The forest elves and high elves reside in were called the Great Pruha Forest Sea.


    To be exact, they live deep into the forest.


    High elves live in the center, while the normal elves live on the outskirts.


    An surrounding the forest was a barrier powered with the help of the spirits, which deter beasts and humans back.


    In other words, once you step out of the boundary, you are stepping foot into the outside world.


    That was why ¡ª


    "I didn''t expect to be attacked by monsters as soon as I got outside... The world outside is really exciting."


    Never in my wildest dreams had I thought that I would be surrounded by a pack of forest wolves, which was a large wolf monster.


    I wonder if this was a danger zone of the Great Pruha Forest Sea, is was it just bad luck.


    Nevertheless, even if wasn''t deep in the forest, this place is still surrounded by living trees.


    When I turned my gaze to them for help, they moved their roots to keep the wolves away and sheltered me.


    ...Now that I''m safe for the time being, I was thinking what to do about the forest wolves snarling under the tree.


    Specifically, I was talking about whether to kill them or not.


    To be honest, hunting forest wolves was not that difficult.


    Simply shooting arrows from atop would be an easy way to hunt them.


    The arrows were all sharpened though, and may not be able to pierce through the monster''s fur, so there was a need to shoot it at its eyes.


    However, there was a very difficult target practice game in the high elven community. After more than a hundred years of playing, it wasn''t difficult to hit a target, no matter the size or if it''s moving.


    So my concern was not how to hunt them, but whether it''s okay to kill them in the first place.


    Well, they were the one who attacked first so I guess I don''t need to hesitate, but I don''t want to eat a wolf after killing it, and it would be a hassle to pelt it in a place like this.


    Of course, carrying a heavy wolf corpse was out of the question.


    I may be able to carry their fangs and claws, but there were too much since they were a pack.


    One or two bodies should do, the rest I''ll just simply kill them.


    "Hmm...well, that should be okay."


    Let''s hunt one or two for now.


    If others escape, I could take the fangs and claws from the dead ones then bury the bodies. If they don''t, I''ll decide what to do at that time.


    I nocked an arrow on my bow, drew it, and fired two shots in quick succession.


    The target was a particularly large one in the pack.


    If that was the leader of the pack, I figured that there''s a good chance the others might run away if I take it out.


    The first arrow hit its right eye, and the second arrow pierced its mouth. The monster let out a pained yelp in surprise as it fell.


    "Nice."


    I felt a small sense of satisfaction as I was able to hit what I was aiming for.


    In the end, it''s better to have something to specialize in, whatever it may be.


    Because it leads to confidence, and it might save you in some cases, like now.


    The forest wolves, flustered by the loss of their leader, turned on their heels and fled through the trees as I readied my bow again.


    ...Hmm.


    Apparently, monsters are more intelligent that I thought.


    I''m glad I didn''t waste any more time killing them, there might be more encounters in the future, so I shouldn''t let my guard down.


    "Alright, thanks."


    I pat the trunk of the tree that helped me, and leapt off the branch.


    I took the stone knife from my pack and quickly tore the claws and fangs of the forest wolf, which was on its dying breaths.


    A stone knife wasn''t very effective against a forest wolf, but if you use it right, you could at least tear off the claws, rip the gums, and pull out the fangs.


    I put the claws and fangs on my ivy-woven bag.


    "Spirits of the wind."


    Muttering, I called out to the wind spirits in the area.


    It was a spirit art, used to call them and borrow their power.


    The wind spirits, having understood my intentions, produced two whirlwinds, shredding the remains of the wolf: skin, bones, and all.


    Although it was a gruesome sight indeed, if we disintegrate it like this, the body could quickly return to the earth and nourish the trees that stood here.


    In other words, this was thanks for the trees that just helped me earlier.


    However, it wasn''t me who was doing the work but the wind spirits, and although there was no way to gift a spirit who doesn''t have a body nor physical needs, I spared no effort in expressing my gratitude to them.


    "Now, then."


    After cleaning up the mess, I should get back on track.


    I wonder how many time I would encounter similar incidents until I reached a human settlement in this great forest.


    After all, I had only taken a few steps so far out of the boundary.


    The road ahead was far from over.


    Still.


    "It was just as exciting as I thought."


    A smile crept naturally on my face.


    Even an incident like this was fresh for me who was tired of living a leisurely life.


    Just thinking about what I could do with these claws and fangs was thrilling me.


    Larger fangs could be sharpened to make a dagger or the blade of a knife, and the smaller ones could be strung together to create an artifact.


    I feel sorry for the wolf I just killed if I just fail and waste these materials, so I maybe I should learn knife-making and crafting from someone else first.


    In any case, I should be heading towards a village.


    I wasn''t an idiot to skip around in the woods, but it''s difficult for me to control my legs in anticipation.

 CH 1.3

    Journey update.


    It took half a month just to leave the Great Pruha Forest Sea.


    Huh, even I did not think it would take this long.


    Perhaps it was a bad idea to follow the river just because I wanted to take a bath if I felt like it.


    There were many instances where I came across monsters that had come to drink water, and there was a fish that tried to bite me, too.


    Good thing that a water spirit warned me of the danger beforehand, but if I was too late, I could have been gnawed off a bite or two.


    But setting aside the past, I trudged along the forest, chewing on the fruits from the trees I came across, and finally reached the outside.


    My body trembled with emotion whe I saw the plains spread out unobstructed by trees and dyed red by the setting sun.


    It reminded me of the word ''horizon'', something I haven''t seen in a long time.


    Right, it was a boundless scenery that endlessly stretched from here to there.


    Well it should definitely hit a limit at some point, but that was what I was feeling at the moment.


    However, I didn''t have any more time to immerse myself.


    I can see over there a settlement surrounded by a stone wall...yes, a town.


    I hurried towards the town before the sun went down to which I can no longer enter.


    Vistkort.


    It was probably the name of the town as it was written next to the gate.


    "...an elf, is it? Something wrong? Is this your first time in a human town?"


    I was awed by the imposing stone wall and gate when a soldier equipped with a spear, probably a guard protecting the entrace, spoke to me in concern.


    Perhaps because it was this time of the day, but there was no one else wanting to enter the town, so this was the first human I''ve seen in my 150 years of living in this world.


    "I was looking at it because it looked magnificent. Human. This is my first time in this town. Is here still time? Did I make it? Can I enter?"


    It was just a hunch, but he doesn''t seem to be a bad person.


    So I smiled too, showing both my palms as a sign of amicability, and asked them to let me in town.


    "Ah, so i''ts your first time. An entrance fee is needed to enter the town, okay? Are you aware of what money is? It costs 20 copper coins to enter if you have some from of identification, and 1 silver coin if you don''t..."


    The guard then scratched his head in a troubled manner.


    I see.


    Of course, unlike the other Elves, I had my memory of having lived as a human, so I know the concept of money and its significance.


    However, I only understood how money worked, and whether or not I have some with me is a different story now.


    So when I sadly shook my head...


    "Ah, well, you need money to get into town. Did you know someone inside and came to visit? If so, I can go call them to pay for you."


    The guard made a suggestion.


    Like I thought, this guard seems to be a good guy.


    Unfortunately, I only chanced upon this town because it happened to be located at the edge of the Great Pruha Forest Sea.


    Hmm, I would have to sell the materials from the forest wolf and subtract the entrance fee from it. Although I was a little reluctant to do so, but I had no choice.


    It was because I had wanted to process them and use it myself.


    Then at that moment.


    "Um, excuse me. Can I have a moment?"


    A voice called from behind.


    Looking back, how long had they been there?


    There was a young man and two young women as well.


    Well, if you look at it from my point of view, all humans are young without exception, but''s not what I meant. I meant young as a human.


    ...However that, is it?


    If you look closely, one of the women is clearly an elf, and there''s also the possibility of her being older than me.


    And it was that female elf who called out to me.


    To I and the guard who were puzzled, she quickly pulled my arm away with a jerk.


    "Are you by any chance, a High Elf?"


    She asked in a whisper.


    It wasn''t anything to hide, but my arm was sore from the tugging, so I nodded grumpily.


    The women''s dubious expression was a mix of half understanding and and half questioning as to why a high elf was here.


    The face she made was a bit intriguing, which made me forget about the pain and just forgave her.


    I think that it is narrow-minded to be angry at such a trivial thing.


    "Um, if you don''t mind me asking, why did someone like you come to a human town?"


    The woman asked me curiously.


    Well, it was natural to ask such a question.


    I wouldn''t believe my eyes too if I saw High Elves in a human village.


    They live with the forest and become part of nature as spirits when they die.


    They consider everything in the outside world as trivial, and live to die and become a spirit.


    That is the creature known as a High Elf..


    Obviously I wasn''t talking about me, but other HIgh Elves.


    "Yeah, I was tired of the forest and wanted to look around. Oh, you can call me Acer[1]. That''s what they call me in village in the deep forest."


    When I was a baby, I held the maple leaves that came flowing with the wind, so Acer.


    It''s more like a name for convenience.


    The elders called me the maple child or something.


    As most spirits have no name, so do High Elves.


    But because it would be inconvenient if so, we decided on a name for the sake of it.


    It seemed to me like a mere play on words, but if I pointed that out, other High Elves would get seriously angry.


    It was to the point where they wouldn''t hesitate to kill you if they got that angry, so it was best not to comment on their names if you don''t intend to fight.


    When the women heard my words, she made a face that clearly showed what she was thinking, ''Wow, this guy is weird.''


    Her expression was really eloquent and amusing.


    Maybe she had been in the outside world for a long time.


    It makes me a little happy to think that Elves become like this when they live outside.


    The change was like if a plant had become an animal.


    Not that I''m implying that plants being bad and animals being good or anything. I meant that it was interesting to see.


    "I understand, Acer-sama. It''s not proper to address High Elves in this manner, but Ailena is here to assist you as goodwill among fellow brethren. Will you leave this matter to me?"


    Ailena, the female elf, seemed to think about something for a while when she suddenly said that.


    Huh, looks like she''s going to help me.


    I don''t know why, but I don''t feel any malicious intentions from Ailena.


    There''s also the fact that the spirits acted like usual to her, so I don''t think she''s a bad elf.


    "Hm, thanks. I was having trouble getting into town. But this should be fine for me."


    Was what I said and held out my hand.


    But Ailena interpreted differently, as she bent forward and held her hands out to mine, and placed her forehead on it.


    ...Yeah, I didn''t ask for that, but the elf still went with it.


    I appreciate your help, but we should part as soon as possible after entering the town.


    [1] Acer is a genus of shrubs and trees commonly known as maples.


    TL Note: I will capitalize specific creature names only for emphasis, like High Elf, Forest Wolf, etc.

 CH 1.4

    "The 6-star team, White Lake, will vouch for your identity and pay your entrance fee."


    Ailena, the elf woman, told the guard this and went through some formalities.


    As I stared at her retreating figure, her human companions lined up next to me and told what ''six-star'' meant.


    There were different ranks of adventurers, from 1-star beginners to the highest ranked 7-star elites, and they were a 6-star team, the second highest rank.


    There were only a few 7-star adventurers in the whole country, and they are said to be the highest ranking ones here in Vistkort.


    And so they said with pride.


    To he honest, it seemed amazing, so I gave a round of applause.


    But I didn''t know how many adventurers in this town were, so I had no idea how great it actually is.


    Ailena''s female companion smiled wryly, but the other one seemed a bit satisfied, so it''s all good.


    In my case, I was more curious about the origin of the name ''White Lake'' than the 6-star part, but it didn''t seem appropriate to ask about it now.


    Eventually, after the procedures ended, the guard from earlier beckoned me over.


    "Ah, you. Good for you. You can enter the town as you wish, but be careful. If you get into trouble, she will be held responsible because she was your guarantor."


    He gave me a list of precautions about the city.


    Most of them were quite obvious such as don''t steal and don''t brandish your weapons in public unless it''s for self-defense.


    The only thing to note was that if a person without citizenship stayed in town for longer than a week, they must pay a residency tax in the town office.


    By the way, it was forbidden to pull out weapons in the streets, but it was permitted to do so in special locations like a weapon shop or the adventurer''s guild, and in private places such as one''s room at an inn.


    Well, if you can''t pull out your weapon in your room, you can''t do maintenance on it, so what was a given.


    "Then, I want you to record your name here...Acer, huh. I''m Rodner from the garrison. If you have any problems, come and find me. And with that, welcome to the town of Vistkort, Acer."


    As I wrote my name on the register held out to me, Rodner smiled and tapped me on the shoulder.


    Before you know it, it''s become completely dark.


    He must have waited for me and left the gate open so he wouldn''t shut me out.


    As me, Ailena, and her companions entered, the gates were closed behind us.


    ...I finally made it inside a human settlement, but unfortunately, it''s already dark so there weren''t that many people around.


    "Acer-sama, do you have any plans after this? If you don''t have any, I recommend you register as an adventurer to obtain identification."


    As I was looking around, Ailena suggested me that.


    Hm, got it.


    Come to think of it, I needed to decide what to after this.


    But other than registering as an adventurer, there''s one other thing I wanted to do now.


    "No, I don''t think I''ll be good as an adventurer...rather, I want to go to a blacksmith. Where''s the best smithy here?"


    Right, first I needed to learn about processing techinques and craft the fangs and claws into knives and artifacts.


    The place to do so is a smithy, and if I wanted to learn from a blacksmith, I wanted them to be as skilled as possible.


    But to my words she replied...


    "Um...the best blacksmith in town is a dwarf, so they probably wouldn''t sell to us elves."


    Ailena responded with a bitter expression.


    I see.


    Certainly, dwarves and elves detest each other, and a dwarven blacksmith would definitely not sell to me or Ailena, who are elves.


    But none of that matters.


    Because I don''t have any to begin with, I can''t buy anything from the dwarf.


    Dwarves, huh...


    "That''s fine. I want to see that dwarf, too, so that''s timely. But if Ailena doesn''t like dwarves, you can just tell me where they are."


    It was a good thing to be hopeful.


    Well, it''s unlikely that the dwarf would teach me anything, but it was a good oppotunity to see for myself how dwarves really are.


    "Um, Acer-sama, do you not hate dwarves?"


    Ailena looked at me as if she saw something unbelievable.


    I was prepared to be met with that look from elves ever since I decided to stop acting like a High Elf.


    That''s why I can smile and nod under that gaze.


    "I mean, isn''t it weird to dislike someone just because you never met them?"


    At those words, Ailena turned her gaze away from me.


    In elven mythology, dwarves were said to have stolen fragments of fire from all of nature and locked them in a furnace.


    However, such a thing can''t be true.


    Because that would mean that dwarves had a complete mastery over nature.


    If dwarves had the power to do so, it would be strange if elves, who they don''t get along with, still aren''t extinct.


    At best it is a metaphor of some kind, and if an elf took it seriously, they are a fool.


    But it wasn''t so easy to remove that instinctual hatred, no matter how many times you might say don''t feel such a thing anymore.


    Nor was I willing to force Ailena to change her views.


    It''s fine if I can live the way I want.


    "Ah, but it''s already evening, so it would be a nuisance if I went now. I''d like to go to an inn first, but I don''t have any money. That''s right, Ailena, would you be willing to buy this from me?"


    I took out an Apua fruit from my bag and placed it in Ailena''s hand.


    I didn''t try to sell it at the gate because I thought humans might not be able to identify what this fruit was.


    But since she''s an elf, she should know what it was.


    Apua berries have an enduring vitality which prevents it from decaying, and even half a month later now, it''s still as fresh as ever.


    "Eh, could this be..."


    Ailena''s complexion changed as she confirmed the fruit in her hands.


    From her expression, it didn''t seem like the assumption of elves living deep in the forest about the Apua fruit''s value in the outside world was false.


    I patted my chest in relief.


    Now that I look back at it, it was only because of Ailena that I was able to enter the town, and it was also only because of her that I found out that the blacksmith I wanted was a dwarf.


    It would be ungrateful of me to have take such good care of me and not thank her in any way.


    "Also, I would like to express my gratitude from earlier. Thanks, you''ve been a great help."


    So I took out another Apua fruit and placed it on her hands.


    Maybe Apua fruits are a favorite of the elves.


    I''m already sick of eating them, but they taste so good that I might crave for them again I don''t eat one for a long time.


    Ailena''s friends looked at our exchanges curiously, but then they hardened in surprise, and they took a while to recover.


    Then Ailena made me promise not to show this fruit to others so easily, and that tomorrow she will teach me more baout money and the human life, and that blacksmithing should be put off for now.


    She came to with such a straight face, throwing all her respect for High Elves, and warning me that she was scared to the point where she was trembling, so I think should learn a lot from her tomorrow.

 CH 1.5

    Damn Elves and Damn Dwarves


    Translated by Mlzkzr


    Edited by Mlzkzr


    ¡°Excuse me!¡±


    Two days after I arrived at my first human settlement, the town of Vistcote, I opened the door of the blacksmith¡¯s shop, which was my goal, and raised my voice.


    There was a high possibility that my request for him to teach me his manufacturing skills will be refused, so I came here today to see the dwarves rather than making the request.


    So what is important is momentum.


    To be honest, I was tired and listless from my long trip yesterday, so I think it was a thankful decision to be detained for a day to learn various things from the female elf, Airena.


    Hence I already perfectly understood the value of money.


    One hundred copper coins equals one silver coin. Ten silver coins equals one small gold coin. Ten small gold coins equals one large gold coin.


    And the price Airena gave me for the Apua fruit was fifty large gold coins.


    In case you are wondering, you can eat a meal for a few copper coins, and the lodging where I stayed yesterday was a luxurious one with a bathtub in the room, and the food was excellent, but the cost of the lodging was only five silver coins.


    From a very rough sense, a copper coin is about 100 yen and a silver coin is about 10,000 yen, huh.


    Airena has paid for my lodging the day before yesterday, yesterday, and probably today as well, but when I put the prices into Japanese yen, I feel really sorry for that.


    However, even though I told her that a cheap lodging would be fine, she was the one who said that it was outrageous and forced me to choose a fine lodging, so let¡¯s keep using it for now.


    The food at the inn I¡¯m currently staying is stew with plenty of meat, bread that is a little hard but the rich aroma of wheat spreads in your mouth when you bite into it, and steak seasoned with plenty of salt, so with that, I don¡¯t want to go to a cheap inn anymore.


    But, well, putting all that aside, it was time to meet the Dwarves anyhow.


    The area around the entrance of this blacksmith shop is a store space where various products such as weapons and armor are lined up, and it seems that the blacksmith is in the back.


    I look around, thinking that they must be busy at the moment, because the sound of metal hitting metal from the back of the room does not stop, even though my voice should have certainly reached them.


    If they can¡¯t let go of their arms, then it¡¯s not my intention to get in the way of their work.


    The products displayed in the cramped space ranged from rugged swords that were only for practical use, to ornately decorated armor, to strange things that one could never quite figure out what they were for, and one will never get tired of looking at them.


    Among these, what caught my attention was a somewhat large kukuri knife* with its knife blade having a ¡°¤¯¡± shape. (TN: Kukuri ¨C https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E3%82%AF%E3%82%AF%E3%83%AA)


    Even though it is kind of large, it is something like a knife or dagger of sorts, so it is not a big one compared to a large weapon such as an axe or a large sword.


    However, the kukuri knife quietly exudes a power that is unrivaled to such large weapons.


    Of course, I won¡¯t touch it without permission.


    No matter how much I was attracted to it, it was still a weapon.


    If I touch it without the owner¡¯s permission and injure myself, I will cause trouble for the store.


    Well, for a Dwarf shopkeeper, it might be a nuisance for me, an elf, to come to his store, but that¡¯s the way it is and that¡¯s the way it¡¯s going to be.


    ¡°Oh, I¡¯m sorry to keep you waiting. You have good eyes. That is well, it¡¯s not only made of iron¡­¡­ Oy, looking at you closely, you¡¯re a goddamn elf! What are you doing in my store? I don¡¯t sell to fucking elves!!!¡±


    As I gazed at the kukuri knife without getting tired of it, the gentle voice behind me turned into a terrible cussing in just a few seconds.


    I turn around to see a muscular, dwarf man glaring back at me.


    His rich beard, braided in an unobtrusive way, is so Dwarf-like that I can¡¯t help but smile with delight.


    ¡°Hello! That¡¯s a really nice kukuri knife. Yeah, I want it, but I¡¯m not shopping for it. Damn dwarf. I want it, but! I want it, but! I¡¯ve already decided what material I¡¯m going to use for the knife! Ah, excuse me. Here is a present as a token of our closeness.¡±


    But now, this is a battle.


    I replied loudly, trying not to give in to the Dwarf¡¯s curses.


    Ah, but I didn¡¯t forget the sake I had bought as a present and handed it over, being careful not to break the bottle.


    After all, greetings, gifts, and etiquette are important.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t expect you to be polite. Wait, who¡¯s a damn dwarf! This fucking elf! You¡¯re a fucking elf and you choose a good drink, you said!!! ¡­¡­ Damn, you brought some really good booze. So, if you¡¯re not shopping, what are you doing here? If it¡¯s a boring business, even though you gave me alcohol, I¡¯ll really kick you out.¡±


    The dwarf, perhaps touched by my courteous attitude, softens his tone and asks me about what I came here for.


    Ah, yeah, this guy a pretty good guy too.


    After all, unless you actually meet them, you won¡¯t know what people like and dislike.


    But if he¡¯s willing to listen to me, then there is nothing I would be more grateful for.


    Well, it was completely thanks to the high-end sake that cost a large gold coin at the liquor store in town.


    I take the forest wolf¡¯s fangs out of my luggage bag and place them on the counter of the shop.


    ¡°It¡¯s the fang of the forest wolf that I defeated when it came out of the forest, but I wanted to process it into a knife. I came here to learn the skills to make it.¡±


    At these words, the dwarf raised a hardened eyebrow, then said, ¡°Let me take a look at it,¡± and took it in his hand to seriously examine the fangs.


    The way he handles the fangs is careful, and his gaze is serious.


    For a few minutes, the dwarf really takes a good look at the fang, then puts it back on the desk.


    ¡°I thought you were a strange elf, but you, really are an idiot, aren¡¯t you? Those aren¡¯t the fangs of a forest wolf, but those of a bigger Granwolf¡¯s fang. Even if I taught you how to process it a little, it¡¯s not a material an amateur can handle.¡±


    And what came out of the dwarf¡¯s mouth was a shocking revelation.


    What a surprise.


    I thought all the wolf monsters that appeared in the forest were forest wolves.


    But it¡¯s different in the outside world, apparently.


    ¡°Yeah, hence I didn¡¯t want to fail, so I came here to learn from a dwarf who is said to be the best blacksmith in this town. I couldn¡¯t bring any fur or meat. I need to make the most of it, even if it¡¯s just claws and fangs, so it doesn¡¯t go to waste.¡±


    I carefully tuck the fangs of the forest wolf, or rather the Granwolf, into my luggage bag.


    Then the Dwarf was,


    ¡°If you don¡¯t want to fail, why don¡¯t I make a knife out of your fangs? If you¡¯re strong enough to hunt Granwolves, you could make a lot of money as an adventurer without having to learn any skills.¡±


    He put it like that.


    As it turns out, he is a very kind dwarf.


    Apparently, he¡¯s saying that he¡¯s willing to forge a weapon for me if I want.


    But I,


    ¡°No, I¡¯m not sure I¡¯m up to become an adventurer. I want to craft other things with fangs and claws, not just knives, and I¡¯m also interested in blacksmithing techniques. Dwarves are just as interesting as I thought they would be, and I¡¯d love to see your furnaces and such. If anything, I¡¯d rather be a blacksmith than an adventurer for ten or twenty years.¡±


    I shook my head and smiled.


    The dwarf looked at me like I was some kind of crazy creature.


    Yeah, well, that would probably be the right reaction.


    As an elf, I am aware that I am saying something crazy.


    However, compared to human beings, the scale of time we live is too different.


    In the end, I have no choice but to live as the creature I am.


    When I abandoned my High Elf-likeness, that is how I decided on my life.


    Even if others don¡¯t understand me.


    ¡°Haa¡­¡­ you¡¯re not an idiot, you¡¯re a mad elf, aren¡¯t you. Well, that¡¯s alright. A mad elf is far better compared to a proud elf. If you also do some menial work, I¡¯ll teach you a bit of blacksmithing until you get over your madness. Since if those fangs go to waste, the Granwolf would be pitiful!¡±


    And no matter what path I take, it will always intersect with someone else¡¯s path, even if they don¡¯t understand it.


    When I was so happy that I held out my right hand, the dwarf looked at it seriously for a far longer time than he did when he was observing the material, and ¡­¡­ eventually, perhaps sensing that I had no intention of giving up, he shook my outstretched hand.

 CH 1.6

    Damn Elves and Damn Dwarves


    Translated by Mlzkzr


    Edited by Mlzkzr


    ¡°Wh,wh,why is Acer-sama working as a storekeeper at a dwarf¡¯s shop!¡±


    A few days after the dwarven blacksmith had relented and accepted me as his apprentice, Airena, an elven woman who seemed to be worried about me, came to visit the store.


    And this was the first thing she said when she saw me sitting at the counter, tending to the store and leisurely playing with my puzzle ring.


    In case you are wondering, this puzzle ring was made by the dwarven blacksmith, or the fucking dwarf-shishou, when I asked him to make it for me.


    The puzzle ring is something that can only be formed with precision, so it¡¯s seriously amazing that fucking dwarf-shishou was able to complete it with such ease.


    Not only he has no shortage of things to look up to as a teacher, but he¡¯s also probably the best person I¡¯ve met.


    However, as far as how I¡¯m going to call him, I had absolutely no intention of changing my mind about calling him a fucking dwarf as long as he is calling me a fucking elf.


    Anyway, once I learn blacksmithing, I too will mass produce difficult puzzle rings and spread frustration in this world.


    ¡°Why, is it, it¡¯s because they said that if I do some menial work, they will teach me about blacksmithing, and they say they¡¯ll pay me?¡±


    Of course, even if I worked a full day, I wouldn¡¯t be able to pay for the inn I¡¯m currently staying, so when Airena¡¯s treats are gone, I¡¯ll have to find another place to live.


    However, there is probably no other inn that serves such good food, so I will need to rent a place somewhere and cook my own meals, or find a good eatery.


    As I was fiddling with the clinking puzzle ring, at a certain angle, the two metal rings were loosened smoothly.


    Yes, puzzle ring is a frustrating toy, but these moments are pleasurable.


    I am so pleased with the pleasure that I pick up the next puzzle ring.


    ¡°That¡¯s not the problem! You know that if the smell of iron gets on your body, the trees will be frightened and the spirits will hate you! What would happen if you were abandoned by spirits!¡±


    At the sound of Airena¡¯s voice, the fucking dwarf shishou who was hammering iron in the back of the room peeked out, but to my surprise, he didn¡¯t complain about anything.


    The look in her eyes is a look that says, ¡°Ah, that¡¯s a normal elf alright¡± and was convinced by that.


    The rest of the time, for some reason, he seems a bit sympathetic to Airena.


    Well, let¡¯s put aside the fucking dwarf shishou and clear up Airena¡¯s misunderstanding.


    Even if I¡¯m like this, there¡¯s no lie in my heart that I think of spirits as my close friends.


    That¡¯s why I couldn¡¯t ignore her misunderstanding.


    ¡°Yeah, I know, but that¡¯s probably a mistake. Even if I smell like metal, the spirits won¡¯t hate it. Ah, but the taste of the rice changes very subtly, so I ask the spirit of the wind to erase the smell every day.¡±


    I don¡¯t want others to think I have body odor in the first place, and I¡¯ve been bathing every day ever since I came to this town, so I¡¯m quite delicate.


    If someone says I have body odor or that I stink, even I would normally feel hurt.


    And as for the spirits, I had already confirmed that they do not dislike metal in any way.


    There was a fire spirit in the furnace at the forge, and when I went outside, the spirit of the wind still followed me.


    I think that the story about spirits hating metal was probably due to the fact that the spirits got angry at environmental pollution caused by mineral poisons.


    I suspect that the elves and the others who learned about it spread the story, assuming that spirits unconditionally dislike metal.


    ¡°And if trees are afraid of metal, adventurers shouldn¡¯t be allowed to enter the Great Pruha Forest Sea. Of course, even trees don¡¯t like to be cut down with an axe. But trees are not that fragile to be treated so sensitively.¡±


    If for example trees were afraid of metals, then there would still be contamination by mine poisons.


    So I¡¯m not saying it¡¯s all a lie, but it¡¯s not a reason for me to stop working here.


    ¡°If I put a potted plant here, maybe that child will talk to me on good terms, hey, fucking dwarf shishou. Can I put some potted plants in this store since it doesn¡¯t have enough greenery?¡±


    When I suddenly turn around and ask such a question, the fucking dwarf shishou snorts and disappears into the back.


    That gesture probably means that I can do whatever I want.


    When I looked back at her, Airena was somewhat taken aback.


    Apparently, she doesn¡¯t believe my earlier story out of the blue and is fighting with her own common sense.


    But that can¡¯t be helped.


    Because Airena, being an elf, apparently cannot see the spirits as clearly as I, a high elf, can, nor can she hear the voices of the trees as clearly.


    Therefore, the knowledge given to them by their predecessors was the one they considered the truth, and they have never doubted it it until now.


    Unlike the elves, the high elves, who can clearly see the spirits and hear the trees clearly, are all shut-ins with no interest in the outside world, and they do not want to share what they know with anyone but the same high elves.


    So even if there is a false perception spreading among the elves, they don¡¯t bother to correct it.


    ¡°That being said, if you¡¯re interested, I can tell you about various things, but I¡¯m the shopkeeper, so since you¡¯re here, I want you to do some shopping. I recommend the Kukuri knife on the shelf there. Isn¡¯t that amazing? It¡¯s sad that I won¡¯t be able to see it if you buy it, but I highly recommend it.¡±


    For example, some elves say that fire eats the wind, and they seem to recognize that fire spirits are dangerous existence that eat wind spirits.


    Of course, it¡¯s not a surprise, but that¡¯s not the case.


    Naturally, fire spirits and wind spirits have a relationship that makes them cooperate with each other.


    The spirit of the wind is an immortal being without substance, although it resides in the wind, so it does not hurt or itch when the wind is consumed by fire.


    Also, fire fed on oxygen, and the wind only carried it.


    And a strong fire sometimes creates wind.


    Therefore, fire and wind are in a mutually cooperative relationship.


    However, when fire and wind work together, the destruction that¡¯ll occur next is tremendous.


    ¡­¡­And.


    It might be dangerous knowledge to spread it too much, but Airena is quite kind, so I think it¡¯s okay.


    ¡°Err, is it this knife? Uwah, it¡¯s big. ¡­¡­ That¡¯s certainly a terrific masterpiece. But it was made by a dwarf, right? Won¡¯t they get angry if Acer-sama sell it to me?¡±


    Airena checks my recommendation, the Kukuri knife, and gulps.


    Yes, it¡¯s a very good article.


    I didn¡¯t know if they¡¯ll get mad at me or not, and I didn¡¯t care if they get mad at such things.


    When the Fucking Dwarf-shishou first met me, he said he had nothing to sell to the fucking elves, but it feels pleasant because if I sell her their products, the sales will increase.


    Even if it¡¯s not mine, the more sales I make and the higher the amount sold when I close the shop, the more fun it is.


    And if Airena is the one who buys that Kukuri knife, she could show it to me from time to time if I ask.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it fine if you use it carefully? If you neglect to take care of it, he¡¯ll probably get angry. More importantly, Airena. You should bring two of your friends with you. This store is touted as the best blacksmith shop in town, but it¡¯s definitely not the best in sales, you know¡±


    Yes, this is a store that emphasizes blacksmithing over business, as evidenced by the fact that when I first came to the store, the fucking Dwarf shishou didn¡¯t come out to the store for a long time.


    The shitty Dwarf shishou¡¯s skills are surely the best in town.


    But as long as I work at this shop, I want it to be the blacksmith shop with the highest sales in town.


    Of course, I don¡¯t want the time I have to learn blacksmithing to be reduced, so if the sales increase, I¡¯ll hire new people.


    This way, the shitty Dwarf shishou can stay in his forge, and I am happy to make new acquaintances, so it is a win-win situation.


    So with that said, as a first step, let¡¯s start with Airena and her friends from White Lake, who seem to be the best adventurers in town, to be our customers.


    After all, those two people have probably refrained from coming to this store until now because of Airena.


    If this blacksmith shop becomes the favorite of the town¡¯s best adventurers, many adventurers who are chasing after them will also come here to take a peek with interest.


    ¡°You see, things that I do not see. ¡­¡­ No, something that I was not trying to see, I suppose. I understand. Clerk-san, please sell me this knife. ¡­¡­ I¡¯ll take good care of it.¡±


    Airena smiles at me, and I smile back.


    Then I helped her choose a belt to hang the sheath that will hold her Kukuri knife, and gave her the word-for-word instructions on how to care for it that I had been asked to share with shoppers.


    The fucking dwarf shishou sneaking a peek at us from the back of the forge hasn¡¯t said a word, so apparently, the selection of the belt and the instruction on how to care for it are no problem.


    Of course, this kind of thing is not going to help the feud between the elves and dwarves in the slightest.


    But a good quality weapon fell in the hands of a skilled adventurer.


    I think that¡¯s enough to make me rejoice.

 CH 1.7

    Damn Elves and Damn Dwarves


    Translated by Mlzkzr


    Edited by Mlzkzr


    About a month has passed since I arrived here in Vistcort.


    My work at the blacksmith shop is going well itself, and the number of customers is steadily increasing.


    As expected, the influence of the town¡¯s best adventurer team, the White Lake, seems to be significant, and after Airena and her companions renewed their equipment, it seems that the number of visitors increased dramatically.


    After that, well, I heard that it is rare to see an elf working in a dwarven store, and that there are many customers who come to see me.


    My blacksmithing training is not going so well, but the things I can help with are gradually increasing, such as my role in controlling the temperature of the furnace, for which I can see the spirit of fire.


    In addition to borrowing the power of the spirits, I was also recognized for the dexterity of my hands, so I don¡¯t think that the day when I will be taught blacksmithing in earnest will be far away.


    However, my plan is to devote myself to blacksmithing for about 10 or 20 years, so it wouldn¡¯t be too much of a problem for me to learn it slowly.


    But while my work and training at the blacksmith shop were going well, it was by no means without other problems.


    For example, if I am staying in the town for more than a week, I may get astray when I go to pay the residence tax at the town hall.


    Airena has been paying for my lodging for a month, and I¡¯ve told her that I¡¯m going to rent a house because I feel bad about it as expected, but she won¡¯t let me do it because Airena was worried about me.


    There are a lot of matters that are out of my control.


    In case you are wondering, the salary that the damn dwarf shishou gives me is two silver coins a day, and I have one day off a week, so my weekly income is one small gold coin and two silver coins.


    This is more than what the average adult male working in the town of Vistcort earns.


    As someone who is employed as his disciple, it seems that the conditions are also exceptional.


    However, the inn I¡¯m currently staying now charges five silver coins a day, and whether I go to work or rest, the fee will still be charged, so the weekly payment is three small gold coins and five silver coins.


    Not even a fraction of my income was keeping up with it.


    Airena insists that I don¡¯t need to worry about the cost of the lodging because she is learning spirit arts from me, like how to borrow the power of spirits.


    But even though I¡¯m getting a decent salary from my master, the damn dwarf shishou, I¡¯m being paid for my living expenses by Airena, who¡¯s acting like my disciple for the time being.


    As expected, before a high elf like me say anything at this, I think about how a human being would respond.


    ¡°That¡¯s how it is. I don¡¯t know what I¡¯m going to do now.¡±


    I tipped the wooden mug of ale and took a sip of the contents, then complained as if to let out the feelings that were slowly piling up on me.


    The person I was complaining to was the first person I met when I came to this town, or more specifically, the first human I met in this world, Rodner, a guard.


    He was a broad-faced, good-natured man who took a rest to coincide with my work break and took me to this reputedly cheap but delicious diner.


    ¡°Hahaha, but I think that it can¡¯t be helped, since your guarantor is that elf-neesan. In every sense of the word, she can¡¯t leave you alone.¡±


    Rodner laughs as he gobbles down the intestine pierced with a fork.


    There is no sarcasm in his smile, and I can tell that he really enjoys this meal, the drinks, and by the way, the conversation with me.


    Still, it was a nice diner.


    The building and tables are old-fashioned, but they are well cleaned and the floors are spotless.


    The table is sturdy, and it feels comfortable to lean against.


    When I bite into the stuffed intestines, the meat juices overflow and spread in my mouth, and the ale was not sour at all.


    By the way, the signboard girl here would be in the beautiful category by human standards.


    It feels pleasant just to watch her as she smiles charmingly and carries out the dishes in a brisk manner.


    ¡°But, even so, that elf-neesan. She is very reverent to Acer, isn¡¯t she? Speaking of Airena of the White Lake, there¡¯s a legend that she didn¡¯t even bow down to nobles.¡±


    Waving to the signboard girl who passed by our table, Rodner looks at me as if peering at me.


    A probing gaze¡­¡­ rather than saying that, it must be that he really is just curious about me.


    Certainly, Airena¡¯s attitude is so blatant that Rodner is not the only one who is asking the same question.


    But Arena is a complicated creature, for her not to turn that respect to a nobleman who asked for it, but to turn it to me, who did not seek such a thing.


    I hold out my empty plate and appeal to the signboard girl to come and take my order.


    ¡°As you can see. Some people say that I¡¯m a bit eccentric, though. Ah, two servings of meat on bones, and¡­¡­ hey, do you have any fried potatoes? Oh, you don¡¯t have any after all, huh. Another plate of intestines and more ale then.¡±


    The signboard girl turns a smile at my order and then walks to the kitchen to deliver my order.


    While swinging her butt.


    But I still think that if I were to drink barley sake like this, I would want to eat fried potatoes or fried chicken.


    Unfortunately, it seems there is no fried food culture in this world, or at least not in this Vistcort town.


    As for the fryer, if I ask him, won¡¯t the fucking dwarf shishou make it for me?


    I¡¯m sure the fucking dwarf master would love it if I served him fried food with alcohol. ¡­¡­


    Well, putting it aside, as I can see, terms have completely different meanings between humans and elves.


    This is because elves can tell a high elf from an elf at a single glance, but humans cannot tell the difference between an elf and a high elf.


    So to Airena, an elf, she sees me as a high elf, and to Rodner, a human, he sees me as just an elf.


    Therefore, I¡¯m not lying about anything.


    ¡°Phew, well it¡¯s fine. if you really want to leave the inn, just ask me and I¡¯ll find a safe place for you to stay. I¡¯m sure that would put that elf neesan at ease a bit.¡±


    I nodded at Rodner¡¯s words.


    Perhaps, surely, that¡¯ll get taken care of.


    Even though I was grateful to him for just listening to my complaints, Rodner was a really dependable and nice guy who even suggested a solution and didn¡¯t force it on me.


    Airena, and also the fucking dwarf shishou.


    Then there is Rodner, and I truly, from the bottom of my heart, believe that I am blessed to have the opportunity to be a part of people¡¯s lives.

 CH 1.8

    Damn Elves and Damn Dwarves


    Translated by mlzkzr


    Edited by mlzkzr


    I throw charcoal as fuel into the furnace and watch the mood of the spirit of fire.


    When I called out two or three words, sparks of fire fluttered about, and the fire spirit that lived in the furnace came to show off their appeal for today as well.


    About six months after I started learning blacksmithing, the Damn Dwarf shishou entrusted me with a job that I could take on as I pleased.


    That is nail making.


    Ever since I started working at the blacksmith shop, I have gradually gotten to know some of the local residents.


    Then I learned that they are actually sometimes inconvenienced by the lack of metal products such as nails, knives, and pots and pans.


    Why is that, since they lived near a blacksmith shop?


    I wondered so, but the fucking dwarf master is known as the best blacksmith in town, and his job is to make weapons and armor for soldiers and adventurers.


    The Dwarves were also known for their stubbornness, and their muscular and stern appearance made it difficult for the local residents to ask for daily necessities, so it was as if they were not allowed to ask them.


    However, that impression seems to have softened after they saw me, an elf, working at the blacksmith shop, who was supposed to be incompatible with the dwarves.


    Because we seem to enjoy each other¡¯s company very much, even though we are cursing each other as fucking elves and fucking dwarves.


    So the landowner, who is also the face of the neighborhood on behalf of the residents, came to me secretly for advice.


    I wouldn¡¯t say I¡¯m up for a kitchen knife or even a pot, so I wondered if I could somehow accommodate even just nails.


    And when I told the story to the fucking dwarf master, he thought about it for a minute.


    ¡°¡­¡­ If you¡¯ve gotten more customers because of your visit, fucking elf, give it a try. I¡¯ll teach you how to make it.¡±


    That¡¯s what he said to me.


    So with that said, I will make nails again today.


    In fact, even if I just say nails, there were many different types of nails.


    Items that require a large number of pieces are made by casting, in which molten metal is poured into a mold and allowed to cool and harden, while special shapes that require a small number of pieces are created by forging, in which the heated metal is beaten with a hammer to change its shape.


    Moreover, depending on the purpose for which it is used, the material will also change.


    For example, in addition to iron nails, golden brass and brass nails would likely be in high demand for landowners and other wealthy people because of their good looks.


    However, not all the nails I make can be sold as products.


    Before being handed over to the nearby residents as merchandise, they are checked by the damn Dwarf master to see if they are acceptable as items to be handled in this blacksmith shop.


    Well, I guess it¡¯s natural, but the checks are also very strict.


    Aside from casted nails, not even 10% of the forged nails I made passed his test for a while.


    But rather than being strangely tolerant, it is better to have such strict checks than to be lenient when actually handing over the products to the customer.


    I can hand over the goods with pride that they have passed the inspection of the fucking Dwarf Master.


    Moreover, as the percentage of passing the inspections increased, even if only gradually, I was able to clearly see my progress, and my weak points and areas for improvement had gradually come to the fore.


    So this nail-making is really fun, to say the least.


    I¡¯m happy that people are pleased when I deliver it to their new homes, and it is also interesting and surprising to discover, when walking around the neighborhood, that nails that I think I made have been used in the construction.


    I imagine that if I continue to make nails for another hundreds of years, the houses around me will be rebuilt and most of the nails used around here will be replaced with the ones made by me, and I inadvertently think that such a way of life would be good.


    But even if it¡¯s fun now, it¡¯s not clear that I can continue to make nails for a hundred years.


    I¡¯m probably going to get bored doing it after ten or twenty years.


    After about a month of making nails, my passing rate went up to 30%, and after three months it exceeded 50%.


    The blacksmith shop is getting busier and busier, and the number of employees has gradually increased.


    The two additional employees were two people, both of whom lived nearby and were housewives with children.


    They take turns working one day at a time, three days a week, and the one who is absent also takes care of the children of the one who is working, so they take care of each other¡¯s families.


    On my weekly days off, I am occasionally invited to their home to play with their children.


    Human children grow up so fast that it is really interesting to watch.


    Just by looking at them for the first time in a few weeks, it looks like they have grown, just a little bit, but they are definitely getting bigger.


    Their kids adore me, calling me their fucking elf big brother.


    However, if they have bad mouths from childhood, they will not grow up to be good adults, so I think it would be better to fix it.


    Although the grown-up me and the fucking dwarf master are still twisted and stubborn, so there¡¯s nothing I can do about it.


    Recently, I had also dabbled in nail making other than what I had been taught.


    For example, yes, a staple nail.


    It seems that this world, or at least the town of Viskort, did not have a staple nail or a clamp, and when I made it and showed it to him, the damn Dwarf master¡¯s eyes widened.


    Due to technical problems, it¡¯s impossible for me to make a very small one, but even a large one could be used to join pieces of wood together.


    Since I started taking on nail making, my work has increased a lot, but at the same time, my salary has increased considerably.


    I¡¯m still dependent on Airena, the best adventurer in this town, for most of my living expenses, but it¡¯s about time I really would want to become independent.


    She is also an elf, after all, and the little more that she has to take care of me, is seriously very, very long.


    I had always planned to rent a house, but now that I had already saved enough money to buy a house, I was now considering buying one.


    I think it is safe to live here, because I¡¯m familiar with everyone around me near this blacksmith shop, and the security isn¡¯t that bad.


    Airena is currently undertaking a long-term request and is going on an expedition, but when she returns, this time, let¡¯s have a discussion.

 CH 1.9

    Damn Elves and Damn Dwarves


    Translated by Mlzkzr


    Edited by Mlzkzr


    ¡°Please, lend me your power to stop the mad water spirit.¡±


    The one who said those words to me was Martena, a priestess who belongs to the White Lake, which is said to be the best adventurer team in this town.


    Well, in short, she is a team member of my acquaintance, Airena, who¡¯s a female elf.


    She left the town of Vistkort, saying she was going for a long-term request, but after more than a month, only Martena returned, and upon her return she went straight to me, who worked in a blacksmith shop, and bowed her head while saying that.


    However, even if she suddenly told me such a thing, I couldn¡¯t grasp the circumstances at all, but the sight of a member of the adventurer team, said to be the best in town, bowing her head in this blacksmith shop, frequented by adventurers, would be too conspicuous in a bad way.


    As I glance to the side, the fucking dwarf shishou nods and scoffs his chin, so I leave the blacksmith shop with Martena. (TN: Shishou = master)


    I had no idea what was going on, but she was one of Airena¡¯s friends who was taking care of me.


    Of course, it depends on the content, but I do not have the heart to refuse the request.


    But Martena¡¯s request contained words I didn¡¯t quite understand.


    Yes, it¡¯s about the mad water spirit.


    I think I¡¯ve said it before, but spirits are insubstantial, immortal beings.


    That immortality extends to the spirit, and I don¡¯t think it¡¯s possible for them to go insane¡­¡­


    For the time being, I returned to the inn and asked Martena for more details.


    The inn I am staying at is the one that Airena introduced me to¡­¡­ and incidentally, it¡¯s Airena who also pays for my lodging fee.


    Therefore, she and her companions, the White Lake, also stay at the same inn, and since they have an annual contract as a regular guest, their rooms are maintained while they are out of town on long-term requests.


    The inn was arguably the best place in town, in terms of not worrying about the eyes of others.


    ¡­¡­. After listening to Martina¡¯s story, I felt a headache and pressed my temples because of its too troublesome content.


    It is too much trouble to get involved with, but I am the only one who seems to be able to solve it.


    Also, if I neglected it, there would probably be repercussions for me.


    It was said that the request the White Lake was going to was issued to them by appointment from the town of Garareto, which was more than two weeks away from the town of Vistkort.


    If this was true, then this would be a bit strange.


    Because, although White Lake is certainly the best adventurers in the town of Vistkort, it¡¯s not like they¡¯re the most skilled adventurer in the country.


    I¡¯m sure there are skilled adventurers in the town of Garareto too, and if you consider the surrounding towns, there should have been other teams of six-star ranked adventurers.


    But even so, the town of Garareto sent out a request, nominating the White Lake.


    There is only one reason for this.


    The reason is that Airena, an elf, a skilled spiritualist, was in the White Lake.


    The request was to lift the curse of a mad water spirit on the river which was used by the town of Garareto as a water source.


    So far, the story is, well, kind of understandable.


    If someone in the town of Garareto had done something to offend the water spirits to such an extent, it is not impossible that the town¡¯s inhabitants would be cursed with a disease if they drank the water from the river.


    It was understandable that people would call the spirits that harmed them mad without even trying to know the cause of the harm.


    And also their thinking of easily relying on elves to solve this problem.


    However, at the same time, a large number of fish died in the river in question, and damages such as the weakening of surrounding plants were also occurring, so I knew that the problem was deeper.


    The curse of the water spirit directed on the town should not have killed the fish or weakened the plants.


    If the town¡¯s inhabitants, fish, plants, and trees are equally harmed, then it will only be because the river water is contaminated.


    Then, as a matter of course, it was absolutely impossible for a water spirit to try to pollute the water in which it resides, the river.


    But the problem goes from here, to the cause of the pollution of the river water.


    It is not necessary for me to see the site to know what the town of Garareto is like. Garareto was a new town created to develop a mine that was discovered ten years ago.


    That¡¯s right, in other words, this issue is about them shifting the blame for the pollution damage caused by the mineral poisoning onto the water spirits being angry.


    The lord who is in charge of the town of Garareto is a newly established aristocrat who has just started a new family.


    Perhaps the aristocrat was so excited about his role in the mining development entrusted to him by the king that he focused only on productivity and neglected to take environmental measures.


    I don¡¯t know if they are trying to pin the blame on the water spirits or if they really don¡¯t realize that there is an environmental problem, but in any case, unless that nobleman is willing to solve the problem, this problem will not be solved.


    Airena, who headed to the local water source, could not leave the place for a long time because all she could do was appease the angry water spirit who threatened to destroy the town of Garareto.


    So White Lake decided to ask me, the only one who could solve the problem, for help.


    This is the reason why Cleias stayed behind as Airena¡¯s escort in case of emergency, while Martina alone came back to the town of Vistkort in a great hurry via a horse-drawn carriage.


    ¡­¡­I see, despite this fucking messy situation, I am a little happy to know that Airena has steadily grown as a spiritualist since the first time I saw her.


    If only to fulfill the request, they could have defeated the water spirit who was said to have gone mad, or more precisely, destroyed the contaminated water in which the water spirit dwell, making it temporarily impossible for them to interfere in this world.


    But this will not solve the problem at all, but will only make the water spirits more furious again once the pollution had progressed further.


    Therefore, Airena¡¯s attitude of trying to understand and solve the problem correctly was favorable as a person who has a spirit as a friend.


    That¡¯s why I¡¯m not hesitant to cooperate, but¡­¡­ it¡¯s difficult to completely solve this problem alone.


    As expected, let¡¯s involve the fucking dwarf master who is a metal expert here.


    The problem of pollution in the town of Garareto is no stranger to all blacksmiths who work with metals in this country.

 CH 2.15

    High Elf and Sword Princess


    Edited by mlzkzr


    Chapter 2 Part 15:


    Warfiel, the royal capital of the Kingdom of Ludria, is located about ten days by horse-drawn carriage from the town of Vistkort.


    Vistkort, which borders the Great Pruha Forest Sea, is the most westerly frontier of the Kingdom of Ludria, while Garareto, which I visited earlier, is the northern frontier.


    And Warfiel, the royal capital, is located in the center of the Kingdom of Ludria.


    I don¡¯t know the exact location, but assuming that wagons travel 80 to 100 kilometers a day, the area from one end of the Kingdom of Ludria to the other would be about 1,500 to 2,000 kilometers, right.


    This is just a really rough calculation, but it gives the impression that the Kingdom of Ludria is a fairly large country, even if it¡¯s not a large country.


    Therefore, the royal capital, the heart where people and goods gather from all over the land, was very prosperous compared to the town of Vistkort, although this may not be surprising.


    I don¡¯t think it is originally necessary since it is in the middle of the country, but the royal capital is surrounded by high defensive walls, and there are many layers of them.


    Supposing this place was to be invaded, I think the country would perish regardless of whether the royal capital was protected or not¡­¡­.


    Well, it¡¯s none of my business.


    Citizens of the capital live inside the walls, but the poor, who cannot obtain their citizenship, are said to live outside the walls in the slums.


    The size of Warfiel¡¯s slums is the largest in the Kingdom of Ludria, as it is the capital of the kingdom, and it is said that the security around its gates of the defensive wall is not so bad.


    However, if one goes deep into the slums, they¡¯ll see that it is a lawless area where all kinds of crimes are rampant.


    It sounds a little intriguing, but for one thing, I have other objectives at the moment.


    Dangerous actions can be done only after I have become sufficiently accustomed to and bored with the Royal Capital.


    It is a rule in any town in the Kingdom of Ludria that you are taxed when you cross the gate to enter a town.


    Yes, there will always be someone who says 20 copper coins if you have an ID and one silver coin if you don¡¯t.


    I had citizenship because I had lived in the town of Vistkort for a long time and continued to pay taxes.


    Of course, it is a citizenship of Vistkort, but it was good enough to guarantee my identity.


    And one more thing, the senior blacksmith¡¯s license given by my blacksmith sensei, the fucking dwarf Asvald, is also a fine identification card.


    In fact, either one of them would be enough, but I intend to stay in the royal capital for a long period of time.


    So with that, since I don¡¯t have the heart to work as a blacksmith right away, I would use my citizenship of Vistkort, which has tax records etc in it.


    But I still want to stand in the forge at times, and if I hide it, it will be troublesome later on, so I take out my senior blacksmith license as well.


    I stated my reasons for staying in the royal capital and submitted them to the guard guarding the gate.


    The guard looked at those documents and my face about three times, and


    ¡°So you¡¯re an elf and blacksmith who lives in a town¡­¡­ but you came to the Royal capital to learn swordsmanship and magic, is it. I know it¡¯s bad to say this, but you¡¯re an eccentric one. Ah¡­¡­ an eccentric elf, huh¡±


    What a style of laughing.


    It may be a laugh or a bitter smile, but it¡¯s fine, because I don¡¯t sense any malice or hostility from it.


    But it doesn¡¯t change the fact that I¡¯m an elf.


    I would no longer be offended by being called a strange elf if I had to be referred to in such a curious way.


    A merchant I met while working as a blacksmith told me that he feels safe in a town with healthy gatekeepers.


    On the other hand, if the gatekeeper is demanding a bribe, you need to be careful because the security inside the town is also in disorder.


    The attitude of the gatekeeper is a mirror of the lord¡¯s governance and of the disturbed minds of the citizens.


    From that point of view, the attitude of the guards guarding this gate is probably one of the very best.


    Although he spoke favorably, he always exercised a certain degree of caution toward me and the people around him, which, in turn, was proof that there were dangers lying around that he needed to be wary of.


    I don¡¯t know if he was being vigilant because of the nearby slums, or because there are many people trying to bring contraband into the royal capital, or because of the dangers within the gates.


    It would be better not to let my guard down too much.


    ¡°Welcome, to the Royal Capital Warfiel.¡±


    The guard handed me back the papers proving my identity, smiled and said so.


    Well, many things aside, he¡¯s probably a good guy.


    The first thing I need to look for in the busy royal capital is an inn to stay at.


    No matter how I want to spend the rest of my time here in Warfiel, I will need a place to stay.


    This is also an important point, but if I was going to decide on a place to stay when I don¡¯t know where I want to stay, it is better to avoid cheap hotels in the meantime.


    Rather than doing that, it would be safer to stay in expensive accommodations at first.


    This is because the high rent is the compensation for the service they provide to the customer.


    Of course, the service includes things like the good facilities of the inn and the taste of the food served.


    The most important thing, however, was the ease of including peace of mind in the service.


    Of course, this is not an absolute guarantee, and one must look at the security system of the inn and the personalities of the employees, but there is definitely a higher probability of feeling secure in expensive inns compared to cheap inns.


    Now I understand a little better why Airena the elf insisted on keeping me in an expensive inn when I had just come out of the forest and into the outside world.


    Besides, just because I decided on an inn once, it didn¡¯t mean that I couldn¡¯t move out from it.


    Even if I start out staying at an expensive lodging, if I find a better lodging in terms of service, security, and price, I can simply move there.


    Also, it would be better to be closer to a Sword Dojo and the magic academy, which are my goals.


    In other words, I will decide on my full-fledged base once again after I made a decision on how to spend time in the Royal Capital.


    But while I was looking for such lodging, I saw something very intriguing on the main street.


    It was a single street performer.


    ¡­¡­ No, a swordsman.


    I wouldn¡¯t go so far as to say that the sword he wielded is dull, but it¡¯s hard to say that it¡¯s a good one either.


    But she, yes, the female swordsman, after concentrating her mind for a while, swings her sword out to the side without hesitation, and with a snap, cuts the fruit which was placed on a table.


    At that moment, it was an unbelievable spectacle for me.


    I know from my experience as a blacksmith that a sword like that, if swung properly, would only be good enough to smash through the fruit, or worse, it will be crushed.


    Ah, no, that was bad of me for saying that.


    She has a good arm if she can smash it.


    Though normally, the fruit would fly like a home run.


    And yet the fruit had been cut.


    I was tempted to walk up to her and check her sword, but I endured it desperately.


    Even from a distance, there is no mistaking the connoisseur of the weapon.


    It would be insincere of me to have doubts about the swordswoman who showed us her wonderful technique.


    So I stand in front of her with a silver coin in my hand.


    I was able to see something good.


    With that in mind, I give it to her like an offering.


    She gazes for a moment at the brilliance of the coin she was handed with, but then she turns to me and bows deeply.


    Unfortunately, as an art form, I wonder if it was plain.


    Other than me, there was no one who was willing to give her an offering for her art.


    But I was content.


    Since I saw such interesting swordsmanship on my first day in the Royal Capital, I am sure there are many great swordsmen here and I can learn from them too.


    Thinking about that, my heart pounds, and I can¡¯t stop it.


    So I was actually going to start my search for the magic academy, but even if I do find an inn today, tomorrow I will first look for a dojo that teaches swordsmanship.


    With that thought in mind, I leave the place.

 CH 2.16

    High Elf and Sword Princess


    Translated by mlzkzr


    Edited by mlzkzr


    I did some quick research and found that there are currently three major dojos teaching swordsmanship in the capital, and they are called the three major schools.


    It is said that not so long ago, there were four major schools, but one of them fell into decline, and now it has no disciples anymore.


    And among the three major schools, one of them is the regular swordsmanship learned by the knights of this country, the Ludria Kingdom-style swordsmanship.


    As it bears the name of the kingdom, it has the largest number of disciples among the three major schools, including many children of knights and nobles, making it a truly exceptional school.


    Well, it is a very orthodox swordsmanship as it is the official swordsmanship of the knight corps, and is characterized by a well-balanced fighting style in offense and defense using swords and shields.


    The dojo also teaches spear and bow handling, and if one were to mention learning martial arts in this royal capital, everyone would first recommend this Ludria Kingdom-style swordsmanship.


    In other words, it is very ordinary and uninteresting, so in my opinion, it is rejected.


    The second is the Rhodoran great swordsmanship, which was also mastered by Cleias, the warrior who belonged to that White Lake.


    As the name implies, it is a dynamic swordsmanship technique in which a double-handed greatsword is wielded to crush the enemy.


    Swordsmen who use Rhodoran great swordsmanship are also good at non-sword attacks, such as body strikes and knee kicks, because they learn physical arts at the same time.


    Regarding defense, it is said that in addition to the body movements they teach to avoid attacks, students are also trained to wear sturdy protective gear on specific parts of the body, such as shoulder pads and elbow pads, and undergo training there.


    Lastly, the third is Glend-style swordsmanship.


    This Glend-style swordsmanship, like the Ludria Kingdom style swordsmanship, also fights using a sword and a shield.


    However, if the Ludria Kingdom style swordsmanship is a balanced offensive and defensive school, Glend-style swordsmanship is a school that emphasizes on defense.


    Or rather, they call themselves swordsmanship, but it seems that the most important thing they focus on is the handling of shields.


    They strike with their shield, parry their opponent¡¯s weapon with their shield, and finish them off by stabbing them with their sword where they collapse.


    They say that this is the ideal way to fight in the Glend school of swordsmanship.


    This is probably not suited to my nature either, so I reject it.


    In short, if I had to choose among the three, I preferred the Rhodoran Great Swordsmanship the best.


    The spacious capital is not entirely devoid of other dojos that teach swordsmanship, but the Rhodoran great swordsmanship that Cleias also studied is sure to be a good choice.


    I went to a dojo that teaches Rhodoran great swordsmanship for a visit.


    ¡­¡­ However.


    Perhaps I was unlucky.


    If I hadn¡¯t seen that swordswoman¡¯s technique yesterday, I would have chosen to learn the Rhodoran great swordsmanship without question, ¡­¡­but now it¡¯s impossible.


    However, the skills of the swordswoman wielded at that time were burned into my eyes, so the skills of the students and masters who wielded their big swords in the dojo of the Rhodoran Great Swordsmanship were indeed tough swords, but they did not look very beautiful to me.


    No, rather, if I want to learn the Rhodoran great swordsmanship here, it would be better to go back to the town of Vistkort and learn it from Cleias.


    Because it seems that not only the students, but even the master instructors¡¯ ability don¡¯t match that of Cleias¡¯.


    Thinking about it, maybe I¡¯m lucky.


    Since I had seen the skills of that swordswoman on the first day, I saw the dojo of Rhodoran Great Swordsmanship and did not compromise on whether this was the right place for me.


    But this has become a problem for me.


    Now, my standard is the swordsmanship that that swordswoman wielded at that time.


    Frankly, the fact that she cut the fruit cleanly does not mean anything significant.


    That swordswoman concentrated her mind for a reasonably long time before performing the technique.


    That¡¯s a big gap, and I don¡¯t think anyone would have the time to focus their minds like that in a real battle.


    So that sword, while beautiful, was not practical.


    But I want to wield that beautiful sword.


    Ah, what can I say?


    Then there is only one course of action to take here.


    I leave the Rhodoran Great Swordsman¡¯s Dojo and head straight for the main street where that swordswoman was standing on the street yesterday.


    When I arrived at the site, that swordswoman, she was not there, but I sat there and waited for the moment she came


    In the end, that swordswoman didn¡¯t show up that day, and the next day, too.


    After getting the other street performers to take the money I offered, I heard that she comes to this place once every few days to show off her skills.


    It was an amazing thing, alright, but it¡¯s a really plain performance, so it seems that she hasn¡¯t received much feedback, but for the past year or so, I think she¡¯s been doing it on a regular basis.


    And I keep waiting, then she finally comes.


    ¡°Uhmm, the elf there, sitting in such a place, what are you doing? I think I¡¯ve seen you before, but¡­¡­¡±


    Apparently, she remembered me.


    I guess it¡¯s because elves stand out in the world outside the forest no matter what, but I was very grateful for that now.


    I stand up at the sound of her voice, look at that swordswoman in front of me, and take a deep breath.


    Now, let the battle begins.


    ¡°I fell in love with your swordsmanship when I saw it. Please make me your apprentice. I want to wield the sword like that too.¡±


    Saying that, I bow my head.


    Of course, by that sword, I didn¡¯t mean her not-so-quality sword, but her swordsmanship.


    If I had been given that sword, I would have rented a forge somewhere, melted it down, and struck a new one from it.


    ¡°Err, I¡¯m sorry¡­¡­¡±


    ¡°I will pay the remuneration. I will also do chores. So please take me!¡±


    The moment the person tries to refuse, I repeat the words without letting her say her refusal and bow my head again.


    When I told her I was in love with her sword, she definitely looked a little happy.


    So if she still tries to refuse my apprenticeship, she may have some circumstances.


    But that¡¯s her situation, not mine, so it¡¯s something I didn¡¯t know.


    I want to learn that swordsmanship now.


    Therefore, if there are circumstances where that is not possible, I¡¯ll kick such things to the curb.


    I will never retreat.


    Yes, this is a battle, and if I retreat even one step, I¡¯ll lose.


    Her words of refusal were crushed, and she opened and closed her mouth and looked a little troubled.


    In other words, she took a step back.


    So this fight is definitely mine to win.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know the name of that sword yet. But I want to be a swordsman who wields it.¡±


    I put up one more time, and I step in as much as she steps back.


    With a look of hesitation on her face, she was troubled for a while.


    ¡°¡­¡­I get it. I will talk to you at my dojo. I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll change your mind when you see it.¡±


    And with some reluctance, though her hesitation did not disappear, she said, yes.


    If Asvald, my damn dwarf master, had been here, he would have surely looked at her with sympathy.


    Yes, I am having so much fun right now.


    Now, let¡¯s head to her dojo, to the dojo where I will learn from now on.

 CH 2.17

    High Elf and Sword Princess


    Translated by mlzkzr


    Edited by mlzkzr


    (TN: Yosogi-ryu ¨C ryu is equal to ¡°style¡± in this context)


    The dojo she took me to had a large site, but it was in ruins¡­¡­ to the extent that I could even call it an abandoned one.


    As far as I can see, it must have been destroyed by a large number of people.


    The door is broken, rain and wind are blowing in through the perforated roof, and the pillars are probably rotten, so it could collapse at any moment.


    However, only the dojo has been destroyed, and the residence behind it is in an extremely normal state.


    ¡°This used to be the dojo of Yosogi-ryu(style), which was counted as one of the four major schools.¡±


    She uttered this with sad eyes staring at the ruins.


    It¡¯s as if she¡¯s saying that this would make me understand the whole situation.


    Yeah, of course, I figured that all out.


    I actually heard a bit about the Yosogi-ryu when I did some research regarding dojos in the Royal Capital.


    I have learned that the head of this dojo lost to the Rhodoran great swordsmanship in a sword fight, and that even though they were using a match weapon with a flattened blade, he was killed with a hit on his vital part.


    No, well, even if the blade is flattened, if you are hit with a big sword as hard as one can, you will die.


    However, the Yosogi-ryu¡¯s misfortune began there, when the disciples who lost their master, the head of the Yosogi-ryu, went to the dojo of the Rhodoran Great Swordsmanship School to avenge their master¡¯s death, they were only beaten back.


    Although the two schools were probably evenly-matched in terms of power, the high-ranking disciples of the Yosogi-ryu were in a state of internal strife over who would succeed the school, so they were probably no match for the Rhodoran great swordsmanship, who were in perfect condition to meet them.


    And in retaliation for their assault, the Rhodoran Great Swordsmanship practitioners destroyed the Yosogi-ryu dojo.


    ¡°Even the disciples who didn¡¯t participate in the attack left for fear of being spotted by the Rhodoran Great Swordsmanship men. My mother and I, who was still a child, were overlooked and they didn¡¯t even touch our residence, but¡­¡­¡±


    It is said that the school called Yosogi-ryu has completely died out.


    I see.


    Looking closely, she is still old enough to be called a girl.


    ¡°My sword, is a part of the Yosogi-ryu that my father taught me when I was a child, and I developed it in my own way. It is not far from the Yosogi-style of the past. It is a result that is best made into a spectacle, no, it is a substitute with no result even as a spectacle. The Yosogi style has ceased to exist.¡±


    She sounded really, really frustrated when she said that.


    I can¡¯t really accept that, but still, that can¡¯t be helped.


    Her voice is filled with regret, as if she was trying to squeeze it out.


    ¡°It would not be worth it to learn such a sword and be spotted by the Rhodoran great swordsmanship. If you understand, please go back.¡±


    I guess those words were made out of concern for me.


    But that¡¯s a little too insulting for me.


    Has the Yosogi-ryu ceased to exist?


    That doesn¡¯t matter.


    The Rhodoran Great Swordsmanship will spot me?


    That is even more irrelevant.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. What I want to learn is not the Yosogi-ryu that has disappeared, but the sword you just showed me. Besides, although I¡¯ve seen Rhodoran great swordsmanship, I¡¯m not afraid of a swordsman of that caliber, no matter how many of them there are.¡±


    Yes, what I want is her sword.


    It was what she said she had developed in her own way.


    It doesn¡¯t matter whether it can match the original Yosogi style or not.


    And if they were at Cleias¡¯ level of a swordsman and there were a number of them I would see in that dojo, if I ask the spirit of the wind with just a word, I¡¯ll be able to strip them all naked.


    Of course, I have no taste for such things.


    ¡°Ah, but by your sword, I mean your swordsmanship. I mean, that sword is not keeping up with your swordsmanship. I¡¯d like to reforge it if I can, so can you leave it with me for a week or so?¡±


    She seemed to be taken aback, so I said words that were pressing for an answer.


    Since I don¡¯t want to leave, I have no intention of retreating.


    But if we were to start from this situation, shouldn¡¯t we start by rebuilding the dojo?


    Money was no problem, but there were no reliable carpenters in the royal capital.


    Well, if she and I are just the ones who are going to train, I don¡¯t think we need to have such a big dojo, and if that¡¯s the case, maybe we can wait until there are carpenters.


    Then again, I would like to do something about the sword she has.


    The rest, incidentally, is going to be for my own use.


    With a senior blacksmith¡¯s license, I could at least rent a blacksmith shop somewhere in here.


    Suddenly, I realized that her eyes, which had been trying to keep me from getting involved, had turned to look at me like I¡¯m something incomprehensible.


    ¡°Err, who the hell are you ¡­¡­?¡±


    I may have attacked a little too much at once.


    Since I just realized that I hadn¡¯t even given my name yet.


    ¡°I am Acer. I¡¯m a high elf, and also known as the son of Maple in the deep forest. My specialties are archery and borrowing the power of the spirits. Then I learned blacksmithing from a dwarf for ten years, so I have a senior blacksmith¡¯s license. ¡­¡­¡±


    If so, it was just right, so I named myself.


    It¡¯s a little funny how she is surprised by each of my words.


    ¡°And, I¡¯ll be your disciple¡­¡­. I¡¯d be happy to say that I am the new Yosogi style¡¯s number one disciple.¡±


    Saying that, I hold out my right hand.


    She was puzzled, and her expression was a mixture of fear, joy and doubt, but she eventually gave in and took my hand in hers.


    And so I took the first step toward becoming a swordsman with a new master.

 CH 2.18

    High Elf and Sword Princess


    Translated by Mlzkzr


    Edited by Mlzkzr


    I left the inn that same day and was asked to stay in the guest room of my new teacher, Kaeha Yosogi.


    As expected, I thought it would be a bad idea, but when she said that it was the teacher¡¯s duty to take care of their disciples, with her eyes twinkling, I had no choice but to give up.


    For someone who was so wary, once I gained her trust, she became very close to me.


    Perhaps in the past, when Kaeha was a child, their high-ranking disciples used to sleep over at the dojo, and she probably has an assumption that this is how disciples are supposed to be.


    ¡­¡­ As for this perception, I feel that it is better to correct that quickly before rebuilding the dojo, that is, before she accepts other disciples.


    Kaeha¡¯s mother, who was waiting for her at home, also looked a bit puzzled by my sudden presence.


    Then there¡¯s Kaeha¡¯s mother, she has a chest ailment.


    She was not very strong to begin with, and after her husband passed away, her dojo was knocked down, and her body slowly weakened as she lived her life eating up their remaining assets little by little.


    Kaeha¡¯s street performance was apparently to earn money to buy medicine for her mother, and since the medicine was an infusion of medicinal herbs from the forest, I have decided to go to the nearby forest and gather some of it for my next and subsequent visits.


    In case you are wondering, I am a high elf, so picking medicinal herbs is a piece of cake, and I can easily find more effective herbs.


    If I ask the trees, they will tell me.


    For the time being, I ground an Apua fruit and make her drink it for today.


    The unperishable Apua fruit revitalizes the body, so at least it will work much better than the cheap medicines.


    And while I¡¯m at it, I¡¯ll also send a letter to Vistkort.


    The recipient is, of course, Cleias, the former Swordsman of the White Lake.


    A swordsman who has reached the highest rank of adventurer, the Seven-star, is a very important presence for the Rhodoran Great Swordsmanship.


    Therefore, I asked Cleias to nail down the Rhodoran Great Swordsmanship.


    I asked him to make them unnerved by the way Yosogi-ryu is trying to rebuild their dojo.


    As for me, I have no reason to be hostile to the Rhodoran Great Swordsmanship.


    If they tried to mess with me, I would take appropriate measures, but it would be better if there was no trouble.


    Well, of course, Kaeha and her mother may have their own opinions about Rhodoran great swordsmanship, but I don¡¯t think they would willingly get into trouble with them either.


    The next day, I went to the Blacksmith¡¯s Guild to find a smithy that I could rent.


    The effect of the senior blacksmith¡¯s certificate was extraordinary, and the officials of the blacksmith¡¯s union immediately promised to arrange a forge and iron for me.


    They wanted me to take on several other tasks, but my first priority was to reforge my mentor Kaeha¡¯s sword, followed by the creation of my own sword.


    If I will have no problem after that, I don¡¯t want to dull my blacksmithing skills, so I¡¯m willing to take on some of the work.


    On my way home, I went from store to store to obtain some information, buying all the items I would need for the rest of my life, while listening to the shopkeepers and store owners.


    The information I want to acquire is about the relationship between the two other schools of swordsmanship besides the Rhodoran Great Swordsmanship, the Ludria Kingdom-style swordsmanship, and the Glend-style swordsmanship, to the Yosogi-style.


    I¡¯m sure Cleais will nail down the Rhodoran Great Swordsmanship, but I don¡¯t know about the other schools.


    A number of schools may come to smash one of the four major schools in order to make a name for themselves, and even the Ludria Kingdom-style swordsmanship and Glend-style swordsmanship may find the revival of the Yosogi-ryu school an eyesore.


    If one doesn¡¯t know what¡¯s going to happen, it is very important to have enough material and information available to predict it.


    And conversely, as an elf, my appearance itself is very conspicuous, so if I were to gather information in this way, it would spread quickly.


    An elf was supporting the Yosogi style.


    An elf became an apprentice in the Yosogi style.


    Once this information is disseminated, if there is someone who has hostile or harmful intentions toward the Yosogi style, they can be induced to make their move.


    In short, I myself will become the moth-attracting light.


    If anything happens to Kaeha or her mother, it will hinder my future training.


    Not only is it important for Kaeha to teach me the sword, but if something were to happen to her mother, she won¡¯t be able to teach me the sword.


    I must protect them both.


    Whether if it¡¯s really the role of a disciple or not, I¡¯ll protect them myself because that¡¯s what I want to do.


    The problem is that, yes, while I am so busy moving around, I won¡¯t have time to learn any magic at the same time.


    But this is unavoidable.


    I can learn magic at any time, but the Yosogi-style that Kaeha wields will probably disappear at some point if I left it alone.


    Besides, right now my heart is leaning more toward swords than magic.


    So I didn¡¯t mind if I dabbled in magic after things had changed, or after my swordsmanship had taken shape within me ten or twenty years later.


    Then at that time, unexpectedly, the wind spirit whispers in my ear, telling me of the approach of a malicious human being.


    And when I turn around and stare at the approaching guy, a shabby-looking man, who is probably a pickpocket, smiles embarrassingly and quickly leaves the place.


    The Royal Capital was as expected a little less safe than the town of Vistkort.


    People of various kinds flow in from all over the Kingdom of Ludria, and a certain number of them fall into poverty and struggle to make ends meet.


    When people find themselves in a difficult situation, it is not uncommon for a few of them to fall into the idea of ??stealing food from others.


    The town of Vistkort had many adventurers who were challenging the Great Pruha Forest Sea, so they weren¡¯t elegant and not all of them were friendly, but I think there were many people who were warm there.


    People change when their place changes.


    Chewing on those words, I walked slowly through the royal capital.

 CH 2.19

    High Elf and Sword Princess


    Translated by Mlzkzr


    Edited by Mlzkzr


    Sitting in front of a furnace in a forge I rented from the union, I focus my mind as I interact with the spirits of fire dancing in the burning flames.


    Yes, it¡¯s a very energetic fire spirit.


    Today, or rather for a while from today, I will reforge Kaeha¡¯s sword, create my sword, and then strike a few un-bladed practice swords of the same weight and close balance as those swords.


    Kaeha said she developed her current swordsmanship with the Yosogi-ryu as the foundation which she learned as a child.


    In other words, if I think about her current situation, I can naturally guess the content of her training.


    That is, the only practice that can be done by one person, would be practice swinging and form training.


    I haven¡¯t learned how to use the sword from Kaeha yet, and I¡¯ve only heard what was said about the Yosogi-style lightly, but I¡¯m sure that my guess is correct.


    And as I can see from the sword Kaeha entrusted to me, she uses this sword for all of her practice, even for her practice swings and form training.


    It¡¯s no exaggeration to say that this sword is a meritorious contributor to Kaeha¡¯s swordsmanship.


    But if she wants to rebuild her dojo, I think she should use training tools for training from now on, so I decided to prepare some of them for this occasion.


    Kaeha¡¯s sword is a straight sword with a blade on only one side, a type of falchion or grossmesser, which is rarely seen around here.


    The Yosogi-ryu is a sword technique that came from outside the Kingdom of Ludria and took root here, and it originally used a slightly different form of weapon, perhaps a katana-like object.


    However, in the Kingdom of Ludria, swords of that type were not available, so this form of a sword was used as a substitute.


    In fact, my teacher is a master Dwarf craftsman, so I¡¯ve learned how to make a katana, at least in part.


    So, I can manage to forge something close to that, but even if I give it to her, I am sure she will just be puzzled.


    After more time, if she becomes more interested, I can forge her with a new one, or if she wants, she can start trying it first.


    For now, without changing the weight and balance of the sword, let¡¯s reforge it to improve its quality.


    I woke up early in the morning, ate breakfast prepared by Kaeha¡¯s mother, and first went out to the forest to collect some medicinal herbs.


    Medicinal herbs that are highly effective on the lungs don¡¯t last that long, so it was necessary to collect them every day if possible.


    However, even though the forest is close to the royal capital, it is not a place where one can just drop in for a casual stroll, and if one has to go back after collecting the materials, it will already be past noon before one can return even if one leaves early in the morning.


    Therefore, I had a light lunch at a food stall and headed directly to the blacksmith shop I rented.


    Then I would hammer iron until night, and after returning to Kaeha¡¯s house to eat and bathe, I would prepare a day¡¯s worth of medicines by infusing herbs for her mother.


    After that, it¡¯s already sleep time for the next day¡¯s collection.


    Yeah, I don¡¯t have time to practice my sword completely.


    However, this would of course be temporary.


    Once the sword is finished, I can reduce doing blacksmithing to once or twice a week, and once Kaeha¡¯s mother¡¯s health returns, there will be no need for me to gather medicinal herbs.


    I feel sorry for Kaeha, who was so excited to have an apprentice, and I feel even more sorry as she seemed to be worrying about her training plan, but I hope she waits just a little longer.


    Well, let¡¯s finish the sword of Kaeha first to put her in a good mood, and when I gave it to her first, she would be very impressed, so it will probably be okay for a while.


    The blacksmithing will be finished in a few weeks, and Kaeha¡¯s mother¡¯s health is getting better, as the Apua fruit and medicinal herbs seem to be working, so maybe in a couple of months, there will be no need for me to pick medicinal herbs.


    She seems to have a weak constitution to begin with, so I can¡¯t let my guard down, but her coughing has stopped and her complexion has improved, so at least I know her lungs are healing.


    Both Kaeha and her mother are quite grateful for that, and they treat me well in many ways.


    The training hasn¡¯t even started yet, but it¡¯s going well in the sense that one by one, the problems are being solved and I can see what¡¯s ahead.


    And just as my blacksmithing days were about to come to an end, a letter arrives from the town of Vistkort.


    Yes, it was the reply from Cleias.


    In case you are wondering, here in the Kingdom of Ludria, there are two ways to deliver letters to distant places.


    One is to leave it to a merchant they¡¯re familiar with and the other is to hire an adventurer.


    A merchant, even if it is a merchant with a store, is the one who is in charge of distribution in relation to making purchases.


    For example, a store that sells wheat in the neighborhood does business with neighboring villages, and under the umbrella of a firm with a large warehouse, purchases from them and sells their wheat.


    So, although it is a store that sells wheat, if you entrust them a letter with some money there, it will reach the neighboring villages, even though it will take a long time.


    Conversely, a reply letter will also reach the store through the firm.


    However, this method is not suitable for exchanging letters secretly, since letters will not be sent to individuals living in the village, but are given to the village head collectively.


    Even if you seal it with wax, some village chiefs may insist that they have the right to check it and open it.


    Therefore, when I want to send a letter that I don¡¯t want others to see, or when I want it delivered as quickly as possible, I hire an adventurer, even though it costs a certain amount of money.


    Letters entrusted to a union where adventurers gather are carried by adventurers who move from town to town, and from there, they are delivered by adventurers who further perform chores in town.


    Alternatively, although it will cost more money, you can appoint a trustworthy adventurer and entrust him or her with the task of taking care of the letter and delivering it.


    Especially if it is an adventurer you nominated, he or she will be able to accommodate detailed conditions, such as that it be delivered in person and not to a family member, or that it be delivered within a certain number of days.


    The person who brought me the letter from Cleias was an adventurer from Vistkort, whose face I also knew.


    In other words, Cleias went out of his way to send a nomination request and had this letter delivered directly to me.


    I thanked the adventurer for carrying the letter, asked him what was the recent state of Vistkort, and then offered him some money as a souvenir.


    I am sure he received a fee from Cleias for transporting the letter, but since he still went to the trouble of traveling all the way to the Royal capital, even if he took this, he wouldn¡¯t be punished.


    Well, Cleias¡¯ letter said that he would take on the role of nailing the Rhodoran Great Swordsmanship¡¯s dojo down, so if any problems arise, he said I can contact him before I destroy the dojo.


    It seems that he will send a letter soon after that, but he also plans to visit the Royal capital to nail the Rhodoran Great Swordsmanship¡¯s dojo in person, although it will be about half a year before he can do so due to his work commitments.


    He also said he would be happy to meet and talk with me at that time.


    ¡­¡­Fumu.


    What in the world does he think I am?


    I don¡¯t want to blow up their dojo out of the sky just because I was getting a little angry.


    Well, it¡¯s a different story if something really bad happens, in which case there will be no time for me to inform him by letter, so this request is useless.


    But Cleias will come directly, huh.


    Having retired from being an adventurer, he still wants to be involved with adventurers, so he works as a swordsmanship instructor at the Adventurers¡¯ Guild in Vistkort.


    Maybe he wants to see my current living situation.


    But Cleias is a swordsman who uses Rhodoran great swordsmanship.


    Hence, I wonder if it is safe to let him see Kaeha and her mother.


    He was already an adventurer in the town of Vistkort when the incident happened, so he had no involvement in the matter.


    Nevertheless, logic and emotion are two different things, so it was unclear whether that would convince the girls.


    Cleias, though from a different school, is a swordsman who has climbed to far greater heights.


    If Kaeha could have a friendly relationship with him, it would be a great source of encouragement for her, though. ¡­¡­


    But even if I worry about this and that, it would be of no use.


    For the time being, I¡¯ll let Kaeha and her mother decide whether they¡¯ll meet him or not, after telling them that Cleias is coming to nail down the Rhodoran Great Swordsmanship Dojo, and let them decide for themselves.


    If that seems impossible, I can get a room at the inn where Cleias will be staying that day.


    When it comes to a relationship between me and someone else, I sometimes push things too hard.


    The relationship between someone and someone else is too delicate and difficult to touch.


    I can understand why elves and high elves are so reluctant to go outside and stay inside, but only a little at times like this.


    Yes, just a little.

 CH 2.20

    High Elf and Sword Princess


    Translated by Mlzkzr


    Edited by Mlzkzr


    And so, the sword training that has finally began was, as expected, quite plain from the outside.


    After all, the basics are all about swinging.


    But next to me, Kaeha, who is my teacher, does exactly the same thing, so it¡¯s pretty interesting just to watch her.


    I compare my movements with hers and make corrections little by little.


    The girl next to me doesn¡¯t say anything, she simply swings her sword.


    Perhaps Kaeha has never taught swordsmanship to others, so she probably doesn¡¯t even know what to say, especially to the inexperienced ones.


    That¡¯s why, she was swinging her sword, generally speaking, and making me imitate her.


    Recalling the training she received in her childhood, she racked her brains about this and that, and the conclusion she came to was to make me imitate her.


    This is probably definitely the wrong way to teach an inexperienced person.


    Without talking about it in more detail and teaching it from the ground up, it is difficult to understand the significance of this training.


    But this method, yes, it was a suitable training for me.


    This method of sublimation by repeating the movements to improve accuracy and imprinting them on the body is the same as the way I kept shooting a bow in the deep forest.


    Also, from my experience in blacksmithing, I am accustomed to spotting and correcting differences between my and my teacher¡¯s movements.


    I think while swinging the sword, correct it while swinging, and gradually learn to think and correct it while swinging.


    Over time, I also realized that just moving in the same way as my mentor, Kaeha, did not allow me to swing the sword in the same way.


    She, as a human woman, and I, as a high elf man, have different lengths of limbs, different pelvic shapes, and differently warped elbows and knees, so if that¡¯s the case, our musculature would naturally be a little different.


    It is only natural that wielding the sword in the same manner as her would not produce the same results.


    Kaeha, in particular, had a weight attached to her chest.


    Sooner or later, I will have to think and decide how to move my body in my own way, and aim for the same result as her sword, or even better.


    The Yosogi-ryu sword is basically wielded with two hands, as they used to wield the swords like this in the past.


    However, some of the forms are wielded with one hand, which is quite difficult to do.


    In terms of muscular strength, even though I am a high elf, I would be superior to her with my blacksmithing training, but Kaeha can effortlessly swing it with one hand and stop it.


    With one hand, the trajectory of the sword I swung would lightly shake, and even when I stop it, it would sway slightly.


    Thinking that perhaps there is some trick to it, I watch Kaeha swing the sword and ponder about it, then I swing it and think about it myself, repeating the process all the while.


    Time flew by as I spent it like that, and half a year after I started training, Cleias arrived in the Royal Capital.


    ¡­¡­Cleias, first visited me before the dojo of the Rhodoran Great Swordsmanship, then saw the devastation of the destroyed Yosogi-ryu dojo, and listened to the story of Kaeha and her mother.


    I guess this was his way of expressing his intention that in this case, Cleias would stand on our side as my acquaintance, not on the side of Rhodoran Great Swordsmanship.


    Cleias treated Kaeha and her mother with an attitude of respect for the Yosogi-ryu from beginning to end.


    To be honest, to me he is just a strong adventurer, but in the eyes of Kaeha and her mother, Cleias seemed to be an honorable warrior.


    They seemed to be going through a lot of complicated things before they actually met, but by the time they finished talking, their attitudes had softened completely.


    Kaeha, in particular, wanted to hear from Cleias, who was clearly a better sword user than she was, so when she held him back, he ended up canceling his lodging and staying overnight in the guest room of the house.


    In short, they are treating him the same way as me.


    Perhaps Kaeha is not truly confident in her own swordsmanship, which she has honed only through her form and practice swings.


    Because the stories she wanted to hear from Cleias were mainly about actual combat and training to prepare for it.


    Cleias also seemed to sense this during the course of the conversation, and carefully taught Kaeha his own method of training, not of the Rhodoran great swordsmanship dojo.


    It is true that Cleias is a swordsman of the Rhodoran great swordsmanship, but at the same time, he was an adventurer for a long time and was not blessed with a training partner, so it seems that he had to train by himself a lot.


    However, because of this, he had a lot of experience in actual combat against monsters and bandits, so he naturally became skilled at reflecting on his own skills and training to make up for what he lacked.


    The result of that was a skilled swordsman who served as the sole vanguard of a team of seven-star adventurers of the highest rank.


    ¡°So if you feel that your current swordsmanship is lacking and you would like to make it more practical¡­¡­. the fastest way to do it is to experience actual combat. Of course, that¡¯s just my experience, so it doesn¡¯t apply to everyone, though.¡±


    While saying that to Kaeha, Cleias glanced at me as if to peek.


    I know what that gaze means.


    To me, that conclusion isn¡¯t very amusing, but just like the saying goes, ¡°the sooner the better¡±, so that may be unavoidable.


    Because if Kaeha¡¯s swordsmanship is not perfected, my sword, which I will learn from her, will not be perfected either.


    As for me, I have no complaints about Kaeha¡¯s beautiful sword right now, but if she herself is not satisfied with it, I would not be able to tell her that with confidence.


    ¡°I suggest you try being an adventurer for three years¡­¡­ or even two years or a year. After all, you have the strongest person I know right next to you.¡±


    It is obvious why Cleias called me the strongest, and not the most dependable.


    Because the people he can rely on the most are Airena and Martena, in other words, his companions from the White Lake.


    Even if he retired as an adventurer, that would not change.


    Kaeha looks at me as if surprised by Cleias¡¯ assessment, and I avert my eyes, somewhat embarrassed.


    I had told her when we first met that I was good at borrowing the power of spirits and archery, but she didn¡¯t seem to think that a swordsman as good as Cleias would label me as the strongest person he knew.


    Of course, Cleias hadn¡¯t gone on any adventures with me either, so he didn¡¯t have an assessment-based accurate grasp of my abilities.


    But even so, seeing that angry water spirit up close was such an impressive and big event for Cleias.


    However, Cleias¡¯ words are probably an overestimation of me.


    If Cleias were to attack me at this distance, I would be cut in half without being able to do anything.


    It would be a completely different story if I kept my distance, but at least the word ¡°strongest¡± is a far cry from what I really am.


    But even putting that aside, there was one problem that Kaeha had to deal with in order to work as an adventurer.


    If Kaeha became an adventurer, especially when she began to take on the task of exterminating monsters and defeating bandits, her mother would be left alone in the house.


    Even though she has recovered from her lung disease, it would probably be impossible for Kaeha to leave her frail mother alone at home for an extended period of time.


    The next day, before Cleias left for the Rhodoran Great Swordsmanship¡¯s dojo, Kaeha asked him to cross swords with her once.


    Cleias agreed, and the two faced each other with swords in hand¡­¡­ and Kaeha was defeated without being able to do anything.


    Yes, because Cleias, facing her, just raised his sword, and Kaeha didn¡¯t know how to cut in.


    Having only repeated the form and practice swinging, Kaeha must have lacked the technique to strike and forcefully break down an opponent who has no opening, as well as the mental attitude to do so.


    As much as she has trained enough to know that there is no gap in her opponent, she doesn¡¯t know what to do, and she can¡¯t move at all.


    Unable to really do anything but get lost, Kaeha is made aware of her own shortcomings and chooses to surrender with a look of despair.


    Cleias looked at Kaeha, then at me, and walked away from the Yosogi-ryu dojo.


    The scars he left behind are deep.


    However, if she can¡¯t repair it, she can¡¯t continue to live as a swordswoman.


    Perhaps Cleias have thought so and made Kaeha face her own shortcomings.


    I¡¯ll take care of the rest, I thought.


    What a guy, indeed.


    But ah, let me thank Cleias for that.


    Kaeha¡¯s weakness was that only a swordsman who was more skilled than her could teach her.


    Because there was probably no one else but Cleias who could tell Kaeha that without causing a fatal wound to her heart.


    However, Cleias still underestimated Kaeha a bit.


    Even if she is the sword master I¡¯ve chosen.

 CH 2.21

    High Elf and Sword Princess


    Translated by Mlzkzr


    Edited by Mlzkzr


    ¡°Acer ¡­¡­ what am I supposed to do?¡±


    On the afternoon of the day Cleias left for the Rhodoran Great Swordsmanship¡¯s Dojo, Kaeha asked me while swinging her sword.


    I¡¯m standing next to her and swinging my sword in the same manner, but that question puts a smile on my face.


    Right now, Kaeha is feeling very weak-hearted.


    Because she met with Cleias, and without being able to do anything, without being able to even move herself, she surrendered.


    It wasn¡¯t about winning or losing, it wasn¡¯t about the difference in ability, she hated herself for not trying to move.


    Her pride in being a swordswoman and my mentor is now being crushed.


    But that pride, while beaten down, was not shattered.


    ¡°What you¡¯re supposed to do, you say¡­¡­ I think you¡¯ve already come to a conclusion. Master Kaeha, because you¡¯re still swinging your sword like this even after all that happened. So the future should lie beyond.¡±


    Yes, even right after all that happened, Kaeha is still swinging her sword.


    She lost her father, her dojo was destroyed, her students left, her mother became physically ill, and yet she continued to wield her sword all by herself.


    There is no reason why there will be no future ahead of her.


    At least now, I am next to Kaeha.


    She has been swinging the sword for less than a year, and she¡¯s less than a swordsman, but even so, she is no longer alone.


    She has moved forward compared to before.


    And today, Kaeha knows what she lacks.


    Then she herself should already know the way forward.


    Of course, there will be many obstacles along the way.


    But if that obstacle is out of Kaeha¡¯s control, I will break it down for her.


    If there is a burden she can¡¯t carry, I¡¯ll carry it for her instead.


    Because the way of the sword for me overlaps with the way of Kaeha¡¯s.


    It¡¯s called being in the same boat.


    ¡°All that¡¯s left is for you to say what you want to say.¡±


    Kaeha wouldn¡¯t stop swinging her sword, so I kept swinging mine as well and said so.


    If it¡¯s up to me, the best move for Kaeha to do would be for her and her mother to move to Vistkort.


    I still have my house in Vistkort, and the Great Pruha Forest Sea is close by, so it is easy for her to gain experience in actual battles against monsters there.


    We didn¡¯t get into trouble with Rhodoran Great Swordsmanship or the other schools, and there are many good-natured people, so Kaeha¡¯s mother won¡¯t be left alone in the house and feel lonely.


    But perhaps Kaeha will not choose such a sweet and gentle path.


    ¡°I¡¯ve been spoiled by you all this time, Acer. This sword, my mother¡¯s illness, and about Cleias-dono. ¡­¡­but, I¡¯ll be brazen enough to ask you for one more favor.¡±


    Kaeha¡¯s sword is getting sharper with each swing.


    Now, as she speaks like this, she trains and refines her mind.


    ¡°I will become an adventurer in order to experience actual combat. But I can¡¯t leave my mother alone. My mother would tell me to not worry about her. However, my mother is my only blood relative and my emotional support. That¡¯s why, Eisa, I want to ask you, my one and only disciple whom I can rely on more than anyone else, to take care of my mother.¡±


    Saying this, Kaeha stopped her sword swinging with a snap.


    Well, I see what she meant.


    If that¡¯s what she wants, that¡¯s fine too.


    ¡­¡­ Although I will feel a little lonely.


    ¡°If that is what master wants¡­¡­. But I have two conditions. One is to have me make you armor before you start as an adventurer. The other is, you¡¯ll use my house in Vistkort as your base of operations as an adventurer.¡±


    I will never tell her to return safely.


    Because if one works as an adventurer, it is never a surprise of what will happen in the future.


    But that is why these two conditions are absolute.


    Weapons are necessary, of course, but one can¡¯t be an adventurer without armor either.


    After all, Kaeha will not be a collector, but rather an adventurer who will be taking down enemies in order to gain actual combat experience.


    Using all of my skills, I will forge a protective suit of armor that will not interfere with her swordsmanship but will protect her.


    I will also let her use my house in Vistkort.


    In other words, for her to use my connections in that town is just as necessary.


    Because even though the dojo was destroyed and in ruins, Kaeha was basically a young lady.


    Or you could say that she was a princess on the dojo grounds.


    She wasn¡¯t good at earning money, and she was also pretty good-natured.


    If she became short on money or was followed by strange people, she will not be able to gain real-world experience.


    Using my house would at least save her some money on lodging, and the presence of my acquaintances would also make it difficult for strange people to approach Kaeha.


    Even if I can¡¯t say that she¡¯s free from any inconvenience, she should be able to avoid a situation where she would be overwhelmed in her daily life and lose her training.


    It is up to Kaeha to decide on her own path, but I¡¯d like to support her as much as possible.


    Those were the conditions I put forth.


    ¡­¡­ How should I say it, I suddenly remembered Airena, the one who took care of me when I just came out to the outside world.


    I wonder if she felt the same way as I do now.


    ¡°Understood. From anything to everything¡­¡­ No, my gratitude. Acer, I will definitely become a swordswoman worthy of being your master. ¡­¡­ Please wait just a little longer¡±


    Saying that, she sheathed her sword, and when Kaeha turned around, there was no longer any hesitation or weakness in her eyes.

 CH 2.22

    High Elf and Sword Princess


    Translated by Mlzkzr


    Edited by Mlzkzr


    A large group of carpenters enter the site and proceed to demolish the ruins of what used to be the dojo for the Yosogi-ryu school.


    Their dexterity is really good, and the dismantling progresses at high speed, although I can¡¯t say that it happened in the blink of an eye.


    The blacksmith union introduced me to a group of carpenters, and it seems that their skills are solid.


    The thing that one should possess is, after all, the power of connections.


    When Kaeha left for her journey as an adventurer, I suggested to her that we rebuild this dojo.


    That¡¯s because now that I¡¯ve been entrusted with her precious mother, I don¡¯t want to behave so as to leave her side for too long.


    However, this would not allow me to do the blacksmithing work requested by the blacksmith union, so I decided to build a smithy on this property.


    In that case, it would be easier and more inexpensive to rebuild the dojo together anyway, as the construction would only have to be done once.


    Of course, most of the money I have on hand will be blown away by the large-scale construction of rebuilding the dojo, but if the smithy is built, I can receive work from the blacksmiths¡¯ union and earn a decent amount, so I don¡¯t have to worry about it.


    Kaeha looked extremely apologetic, but this was more for my own sake, so it was no problem.


    On the contrary, I¡¯d get a benefit from having a space set up with a forge on the premises¡­¡­ even if it doesn¡¯t earn much money, at least it won¡¯t be a one-sided loss.


    Besides, I also use the dojo for training in form and practice swinging.


    Until she returns, as Kaeha has been doing all along, I will continue to imitate the Yosogi-style imprinted in my mind, all by myself.


    And what makes me feel a little sorry for Kaeha is that she will not be able to witness the completion of this dojo, as she will soon be leaving for the town of Vistkort as an adventurer.


    It was Kaeha who looked the happiest and sounded the most joyful when the carpenter showed her the blueprints, so when she heard that it would take more than half a year to complete the dojo, her face was full of despair.


    In the end, due to my blacksmithing work, the first thing I have to start with is the construction of the forge.


    I quite like Kaeha¡¯s not-too-heavy, but rather easygoing expression of despair.


    Kaeha¡¯s mother nodded her head, without raising objections to her daughter becoming an adventurer or to the rebuilding of the dojo.


    It is not that she doesn¡¯t have thoughts about it, of course, she has.


    She has lost her husband, and the last remaining member of her family is willing to jump into danger herself.


    But even so, Kaeha¡¯s mother hugged her daughter, did not stop her, and then thanked me.


    A very strong and noble woman, that¡¯s what I think she is.


    That is why I must protect her properly now that I have been entrusted with her.


    At least until Kaeha grows up and comes back safely.


    After that, about two seasons later, the dojo was completed.


    That said, there hasn¡¯t been much change in what I do.


    At best, I now swing my sword inside the dojo, whereas I used to swing it outside.


    In the morning, I wake up to eat and then swing my sword, and in the afternoon, I accompany Kaeha¡¯s mother to the stores when she¡¯s shopping.


    Once the shopping is done, I shut myself up in the smithy and sleep at night.


    After the weapons and armor have been smithed, the staff of the blacksmith union would come to pick them up and leave charcoals for fuel, metals as the materials, and gold coins.


    Since I started training with swords, my blacksmithing skills have mysteriously improved by another notch.


    Perhaps it¡¯s because I have had more time to think about how to move my body, I now have a better understanding of the center of gravity of weapons and the effects of armor on movement.


    But the new dojo is big, so it is inevitably conspicuous, and if word spreads that there is a skilled blacksmith in here, strange people will gather.


    They would say, ¡°I am a famous warrior, so you should forge me a weapon,¡± or ¡°It would be a waste if this splendid dojo will not be used properly, so I will use it myself¡± and something alike.


    One or two fools come a month to say those nonsense.


    This royal capital, Warfiel, is said to be a city where people come from all over the Kingdom of Ludria, but apparently, fools also gather here from all over the country.


    Of course, if I ask the spirits of the wind, for example, when some of them were bragging about their skills, I can easily blow them away.


    I also think that it¡¯s not a good idea to treat an opponent who comes to the dojo of a school with the power of a spirit, but shooting with a bow and arrow or cutting them with a sword will inevitably cause excessive wounds and blood will flow.


    It would be a shame to have blood staining our new dojo and grounds, so the quickest and least messy way to deal with them is to have them blown away by the wind so there would be no future trouble.


    But even so, I am getting a little tired of dealing with them when they keep coming back.


    If the other party belongs to an organization, I can use the method of cutting them off from the roots by destroying their base, but most of them are just drifters, warrior types, and occasional members of small schools who want to make a name for themselves.


    In other words, as far as I was concerned, they were all opponents who did not have a decent base.


    Should I feel fortunate that there is no meddling from big organizations like the three major schools, or should I feel disappointed that I can¡¯t make an example out of them by smashing them up?


    When my thoughts go in such a disturbing direction, I can¡¯t laugh at the worries written in Cleias¡¯ previous letters.


    Speaking of letters, Kaeha, who has become an adventurer, will send a letter about once a month, and even if there is a gap due to her taking requests, I will receive her letter once every two or three months.


    The merchants who carry materials obtained from monsters from Vistkort to the Royal capital bring the letters along with them and deliver them to familiar stores.


    The first person to receive it and read it was, of course, Kaeha¡¯s mother.


    She is the one who sends the reply letter, and I just let her read the letter that arrives next.


    Or rather, I¡¯m not a diligent writer to the extent that I can exchange letters on a regular basis, so it¡¯s just right for Kaeha¡¯s mother to gently add the words I want to convey to her in a letter.


    Well, putting aside the topic of replying, the contents of the letter that was sent to us were about half of it being a recent status report, and the rest was about joyful events, worries, and sometimes things like complaints.


    When I was served meat on bones at a bar, as I asked for cutlery, I was laughed at and told to grab it with my hand and eat it.


    A male adventurer, who had gone out with me as a temporary team in order to subjugate an enemy, made a pass at me after our return, and I had trouble dealing with that.


    Other things she noticed in an actual battle, stories of mistakes she made during fights, and so on.


    From the letters, Kaeha¡¯s joys and anguish are conveyed one by one, and both her mother and I look forward to receiving them.


    Kaeha seems to have become a four-star ranked adventurer on her own, not in an adventurer team, within a year of becoming an adventurer.


    In short, it means that she did not form a fixed team, and yet to reach four stars in one year is quite a fast rank-up.


    I was worried that she was going too fast and reckless, but I had confidence and peace of mind that even if Kaeha was leaning too far ahead in Vistkort, Cleias and the others would stop her.


    What I mean was for her not to over-extend herself, though she was still meeting the rank-up requirements at a fast rate.


    In short, right now, Kaeha is probably increasing her ability at a faster rate than her rank advancement, using the experience she has gained in actual battles as her flesh and blood.


    I can say that the foundations that she has built up through diligent sword-swinging are blossoming one after another.


    ¡­¡­I am a little jealous of Cleias, who must have been able to see this up close and personal.


    After all, I am such a fan of her sword that I have decided to look up to Kaeha as my mentor.


    I was really, really looking forward to the day when Kaeha would return to this dojo.

 CH 2.23

    High Elf and Sword Princess


    Translated by Mlzkzr


    Edited by Mlzkzr


    Two years after Kaeha left the Royal Capital to become an adventurer, I received a request from the blacksmith union to participate in a competition to select a sword to be presented to the king.


    The result was, I was in third place, with first and second place going to Dwarven blacksmiths living in the royal capital.


    It seems that I competed with second place to some extent, but since the current king prefers ornate decorations, it seems that my sword, which emphasizes practicality, did not suit the purpose of the competition.


    I would like you to say that first.


    But it seems that the knight captain of the castle liked the sword I submitted and bought it, and it turned out to be quite a bit of profit, so all¡¯s well that ends well.


    However, as a result of that, more people are coming to me asking me to forge them swords, so I guess that is a bit of a negative.


    And it seems that there are several elf adventurers in the royal capital, and they have heard rumors about me and have come to consult me ??about equipment.


    At first they come to see the elven blacksmith, curious to see what he looks like, until they see my face, realize I¡¯m a high elf, and kneel; that¡¯s the pattern.


    But since every elf adventurer was an oddball, once they understood that I didn¡¯t want that kind of attitude, they would treat me normally.


    Little by little, my acquaintances in the royal capital are growing.


    Incidentally, in that year, Kaeha rose in rank as an adventurer to a five-star rank.


    It¡¯s my third year, I wonder if it¡¯s the influence of the Knight Commander having seemed to love my sword?


    Requests through the blacksmith union began to include more and more items from the nobility.


    That said, no matter what the status of the other party is, it is still the same work of making and delivering a product.


    However, I am fed up with the fact that among the people who come to the dojo, messengers from the nobility are mixed in.


    I¡¯ve refused all of their requests, such as giving priority to accepting their own requests, coming to their territory because they have something to do for me, or inviting me to a dinner party, but if they¡¯re persistent, I ask the wind spirit to blow them away.


    In human society, it is said that the nobility has great power here in the Kingdom of Ludria, but that is irrelevant to me.


    When more than one person came at me, I would blow them away and file complaints through the blacksmith union. Eventually, the nobles understood that I was even more stubborn than the dwarves and that it would be a loss for them if they touch my nerves.


    Also, in this year¡¯s competition, despite having more decorations than the previous year, the result was I was in second place.


    The dwarf who took first place was the same as last year, he was apparently a master craftsman without a doubt.


    It is said that the top rank in this fair is usually occupied by dwarves, and it is unprecedented for a non-dwarf, even an elven blacksmith, to be in the top position two years in a row.


    Well, in the first place, there seems to be no elven blacksmith other than me, so that¡¯s natural.


    Ah, and I haven¡¯t neglected my sword training either, so maybe I can swing my sword at a similar level, if not the same as Kaeha before she became an adventurer and went to Vistkort, I guess.


    I still have the image of Kaeha swinging her sword in my mind, and I continue to train with that as my role model.


    Up to this point, so to speak, I have walked along a well-maintained road.


    And in the letter that arrived at the end of this year, it was written that Kaeha had been promoted to six-star rank, and that she would return to the royal capital and to this dojo in a little while.


    That day, I would swing the sword in the morning, help Kaeha¡¯s mother with the shopping at noon, and then hammer the iron.


    Since the time the letter arrived, Kaeha¡¯s mother has been preparing a feast every day and waiting for Kaeha¡¯s return.


    Of course, I couldn¡¯t let them go to waste, so I ate what was left over day after day.


    If Kaeha doesn¡¯t come home soon, I will definitely gain weight.


    When I wiped the sweat that flowed out from being roasted in the furnace with a cloth, the wind blew through the open door and cooled my skin.


    The blacksmith shop is supposed to be closed, but I dare to open the door a little so that a little breeze can come in.


    That is because, yes, if someone approaches the dojo like right now, it will be taught to me by the spirit of the wind in this way.


    ¡°Yes, thanks for letting me know. I¡¯ll go meet them.¡±


    I hang my sword from my waist and head for the dojo gate.


    If this feeling in my heart is correct, today would be the last day of me playing the role of a watchdog.


    However, the world did not go the way I wanted it to.


    After waiting for a while inside the gate, two figures climbed the stairs and came inside.


    One of them is definitely Kaeha.


    Before she became an adventurer, she was at the end of her years when people can call her a girl, but now she has become a fine adult woman.


    The atmosphere she wore is also very different.


    She was no longer the girl who had always struggled to be tall enough to handle everything herself, and the one who was standing there was a calm-looking woman whose overstretching had caught up with her stature.


    But the problem is the person standing next to her.


    I pull out my sword and take a stance, with a faint feeling of foreboding that the person I know so well is here.


    Then, perhaps sensing my intention, Kaeha did the same.


    The next moment when our gazes entwined, she and I stepped forward at the same time and swung our swords.


    There was no sound of swords clashing with each other.


    However, the sword I swung was cleanly cut off from the middle.


    Instead of colliding with each other, my sword was cut unilaterally.


    Hence, there was no sound.


    ¡­¡­in terms of sword quality, the one I had would have been superior.


    This is because what Kaeha is holding is the sword I forged three years ago, and the sword that I slashed with just now was struck about half a year ago.


    My blacksmithing skills have become a little better than they were three years ago, so I have no doubt that this sword would have been better, if only slightly.


    With an overwhelming difference in skill, my sword was cut down.


    I see.


    This is the current sword of Kaeha, which has been refined and sublimated after experiencing several actual battles over the past three years, huh.


    Ah, it is an amazingly, beautiful swordsmanship.


    Although it must have been polished through actual battles, it does not seem rough at all, it even seems graceful.


    Seeing it just before my eyes, I think.


    The three years of waiting for her were not in vain.


    In just three years, she has blossomed into such a brilliant and great flower.


    ¡°Welcome home, Kaeha-shishou. ¡­¡­And long time no see, Airena. You need my help, don¡¯t you?¡±


    Once again, the guidepost is firmly burned into my eyes.


    So although I feel sorry for the sword that was cut, I am satisfied with this outcome.


    Therefore, I asked her.


    To Airena, who showed up with Kaeha, whom I presumed was bringing trouble.


    I who stayed in this place, foresee that I would probably not have time to learn the sword from Kaeha.

 CH 2.24

    High Elf and Sword Princess


    Translated by Mlzkzr


    Edited by Mlzkzr


    Since we could not just stand there and talk forever, we moved inside the dojo.


    The picture of Kaeha, who is the master of the dojo, looking around with the most curious look on her face is so amusing that I can¡¯t help but burst out laughing.


    Well, even if she had seen the blueprints of the dojo, she wasn¡¯t able to witness its completion, so it can¡¯t be helped.


    ¡°Long time no see. Acer-sama. Today, I wanted to borrow the power of Acer-sama to rescue my captured brethren, so I asked Cleias about your whereabouts, and he introduced me to Kaeha, who guided me to you.¡±


    Airena, a female elf acquaintance of mine who bowed deeply as soon as she sat down, began the conversation that way.


    She says that apparently some of the nobles of the Kingdom of Ludria secretly capture and own elves as slaves.


    It¡¯s a story that¡¯s easy to understand, but I couldn¡¯t help but wonder if it was really possible for a human being, even an aristocrat, to do such a thing, but Airena must have sensed my doubts.


    ¡°The elves you know, Acer-sama, are either eccentrics who have become adventurers, including me, or people from the deep forest, right? The common elves who live in ordinary forests outside of the Great Pruha Forest Sea aren¡¯t as used to fighting as we are.¡±


    She smiles a little troubledly and says those words.


    It seems that even if they can talk to the spirits, whether they can successfully borrow their power or use it in battle is another story.


    That¡¯s why it¡¯s not impossible for humans to capture elves by force.


    In other words, these nobles must have used their private armies to raid the forest settlements in their territory and captured elves who were not good at fighting.


    Many people don¡¯t even realize what was happening to the closed elven settlements.


    ¡°Also, captive elves are regularly forced to take drugs that rob them of their sight and derange their senses in order to sever their connection with the spirits. It is a method to take away their connection to the spirit that is our stronghold, to fill the void, and to make them recognize humans as their Lord and Master. ¡­¡­to,to train them things¡±


    If she was embarrassed, she didn¡¯t have to say it, but Airena struggled to squeeze those words out.


    As I thought.


    Certainly, if their connection of recognizing spirits were severed, the elf¡¯s mind would be in a very unstable state.


    From the elf¡¯s own sense, it is the same as being cut off from the world.


    And if they make a connection there as the elf¡¯s only other one, they can build whatever kind of relationship they want, huh.


    Whoever thought of it was very knowledgeable and clever about elves, so much so that I was unintentionally impressed by such impudence.


    Elves are a less varied race, but they are well-dressed in appearance.


    Their lack of change may also seem counterintuitively appealing to those who are constantly changing.


    I don¡¯t understand the feelings of people who want things like slaves, but I could understand that there must be a demand for it.


    ¡°The government is probably aware of this situation. But still, they don¡¯t move because the nobles involved in this situation are too big and can¡¯t be punished lightly.¡±


    The people involved in this case are big-name nobles, such as marquises and counts, who have large territories in the eastern part of the Kingdom of Ludria.


    By taking the initiative and spreading the trend of secretly owning elves without being punished among the nobility, there will eventually be a movement to officially create a law that allows people to own elves as slaves in the Kingdom of Ludria.


    Therefore, this case does not simply end with secretly helping the captured elves.


    In order to break this trend, the marquises and counts who started it need to be held accountable and punished, and the matter needs to be taken care of to the extent that the state makes a public apology to the elves.


    Humans forget their pain as generations change, so if the elves, with their longer lifespan, are to avoid the same plagues again, they must inscribe the sufferings they felt on the country.


    ¡°¡­¡­ That¡¯s why you need my power, not yours.¡±


    Airena¡¯s power is enough to save the kidnapped elves.


    She is an active seven-star adventurer and her influence on the human world is far stronger than mine.


    But in order to take care of this case, Airena¡¯s influence alone will not be enough.


    First, we will cause destruction in that marquis¡¯s or count¡¯s territory that is big enough for all to see, directing the wrath of the elves, and then we will rescue the captive elves in the process.


    Next, all the elf settlements within the Kingdom of Ludria will condemn the incident and move to the forests outside the country.


    Since elves often live in forests where natural forces are strong, once they go away, monsters will take advantage of the vacant and unmanaged land and multiply and increase in number.


    What will happen as a result is the overflow of monsters that has increased out of the forest.


    Knowing that, they won¡¯t want the elves to leave the forest.


    They hate changes in the environment of their beloved forests more than anything else.


    Therefore, it will take my words as a High Elf to convince the elves to migrate and to convince the forest they were settling in to accept it.


    And for large-scale destruction, my power as a High Elf is needed.


    The situation is so serious for the elves that they have to resort consulting to deleterious high elves.


    ¡°I understand. Airena, you don¡¯t have to bow your head. If this was the case, then I can no longer live in this country, but that is the same for all elves, including you. It¡¯s not your fault.¡±


    I accepted such consequence and nodded at Airena¡¯s request.


    But Kaeha, who was sitting next to me, widened her eyes and changed the complexion of her face at my words.


    ¡°Wait a minute, I, I haven¡¯t taught Acer anything yet. I still haven¡¯t done anything to repay you for the last three years, or even for the time before that!¡±


    Kaeha grabs my left arm and spits out those words strongly.


    Kaeha looked like she had grown much calmer in the past three years, but up close, the intensity of the emotion reflected in her eyes was the same as before.


    As I glanced to the side, Airena was keeping her head down.


    In other words, Airena must have let Kaeha lead her to this place without telling her the detailed circumstances, or at least nothing about the conclusion of this matter.


    Therefore, it was not only to me that Airena was bowing, but to Kaeha as well.


    I think it¡¯s inevitable.


    What is important to Airena is to save as many elves as possible.


    For that, she desperately needed my help.


    But I do resent Airena a little for getting me into this situation.


    ¡°It¡¯s not like that, master. Your sword from earlier is burned into my eyes. My guidepost has been shown again. In three years without you, I will aim for that guidepost again, just as you have arrived here now.¡±


    I say this with my own right hand on Kaeha¡¯s hand, as she holds my left arm.


    Yes, it never occurred to me that I haven¡¯t been taught anything, that I wasn¡¯t getting anything back.


    I have already gotten more than I invested.


    Right now, I have no complaints about leaving this place¡­¡­ I wouldn¡¯t go so far as to say that, but my complaints aren¡¯t that big, and I¡¯ve already swallowed them up.


    ¡°But even so, if you think you¡¯re not good enough, please go further down the path of the sword. And pass it on to your disciples or to your children.¡±


    After all, I am a high elf and have plenty of time to live.


    At the time the remaining heat has cooled down, I can show up again in a flash and learn the continuation of that.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know if it will be in ten years, thirty years, or fifty years from now. If you aren¡¯t around then, one of my children, grandchildren, or disciples will teach you.¡±


    Kaeha¡¯s hand that grabbed my left arm increased its power.


    Honestly, it hurts.


    But that pain made me realize just how much she had been looking forward to seeing me again and teaching me how to use the sword.


    ¡°I understand. I promise to further sublimate this sword and succeed it to the next generation. But, that¡¯s no good. ¡­¡­I won¡¯t permit it. I am your teacher. ¡­¡­That¡¯s why, please come back while I¡¯m still alive.¡±


    At those words that seemed squeezed out, I let go of Kaeha¡¯s hand, then turned to face her and bowed deeply.


    Kaeha¡¯s sword was burned into my eyes, and her words engraved in my heart.


    What a lucky fellow I am.

 CH 2.25

    High Elf and Sword Princess


    Translated by Mlzkzr


    Edited by Mlzkzr


    After that, it took about half a year to prepare for things to happen because it was necessary to go around not only Ludria¡¯s surroundings but also the surrounding countries¡¯ forests.


    I felt sorry for the elves who would have spent six months as slaves, but if we were to save them, we had to save them all at once, or those who remained behind could be disposed of to erase the evidence.


    Therefore, until arrangements were made for the migration of the elves, the whereabouts of all the enslaved elves were ascertained, and arrangements for their rescue were made, it was impossible for us to make any rash moves.


    And now that everything is finally ready, I am in the middle of the eastern part of the Kingdom of Ludria, in the forests of the Marquis¡¯s domain, which is considered the most fertile land.


    Yes, in the place that used to be the elven settlement that was attacked and destroyed by the private army held by the marquis.


    I went over in my mind time and time again how I would attack the noble territories who were involved in enslaving the elves.


    For example, with the help of the water spirit with whom I had previously gained a connection, I could flood all the rivers in the eastern part of the country and inundate them.


    Like, in each noble¡¯s territorial capital, I borrowed power from the spirits of wind and fire, creating a tornado of flames.


    Really, I have thought of all kinds of moves.


    The proposal to flood the eastern part of the city was rejected because the impact would not be confined to the eastern part alone.


    If muddy waters hit the grain-producing region, crops would rot and not be harvested, and the entire Kingdom of Ludria would be plunged into a food crisis.


    Tornadoes of flame could kill people too directly and would result in a full-blown conflict between humans and elves.


    I need to make things as big as possible, but minimize the actual damage.


    After much deliberation, I came to the conclusion.


    ¡°O spirit that dwells in the mighty earth that sustains all things. Lend me your strength.¡±


    An earthquake in the eastern region centered on the Marquis Territory emerged.


    When I threw my palm into the ground with those words, the ground shook violently.


    What I needed is a solid image of control over this phenomenon.


    If this is not conveyed correctly, the Earth spirit will go on a rampage with their boiling hearts, bringing about tremendous destruction.


    The shaking is concentrated on the aristocratic territories that I have to attack, on the map of the eastern part of the country that I actually walked, and was drawn in my brain.


    Instead of a violent destructive vertical shaking, I made it gently sway horizontally.


    Perhaps, even among the high elves, only I, who know specific things about tremors, can control this kind of definite tremor.


    In terms of seismic intensity, it was about 4, or a little stronger in some places, and the tremor lasted a little longer, about a few minutes or so.


    From my experience in my past life, it was an earthquake that could cause a certain amount of anxiety, but not a tremor that could cause extensive damage.


    But for the residents of the Kingdom of Ludria, who have never experienced an earth tremor since birth, it would inflict fear that could wipe out their souls.


    I aimed the ground shaking at the time before dawn, before the hearth was set on fire, when people were not moving, but that must have been a huge surprise.


    Old houses may have broken down because it could not withstand the shaking, and someone may have been trapped underneath them.


    It was me, of all people, who caused all those tragedies.


    People will know the cause because the shaking was limited to the area where it occurred and they will be quick to issue condemnations to the local nobles for the enslavement of the elves.


    Perhaps people¡¯s fear will turn into anger at the aristocrats who started it all, and at the country that didn¡¯t prevent it, but that doesn¡¯t change the fact that it was me who did everything.


    Well, even if I worry about it and get depressed, nothing will change.


    Taking the earlier earthquake as a cue, the elves who had been adventurers began rescuing their captive brethren, and the elves who lived in the forests began emigrating out of the country.


    The number of elves who have begun to emigrate out of the country is approximately eight thousand.


    Although it was a small number compared to all the people living in the Kingdom of Ludria, it was much larger than I had imagined.


    Things are already moving.


    If the Kingdom of Ludria were to act immediately on this matter and execute the nobles who owned the elven slaves, especially the ones who initiated this, such as the marquis and the count, and publicly apologize to the elves, the situation would be quickly resolved.


    If this happens, I have told the chiefs of each village to suspend the migration and return to their original forests.


    But it probably won¡¯t.


    Even if the punishment for the marquises and counts is carried out, they will not admit that the state has turned a blind eye to their deeds.


    But only a public apology from the state, and only when it is engraved in history, can the repetition of the same tragedy be prevented.


    I can never give that up.


    Even though I knew that the ones who would be harmed by it would be the weak people who lived toughly, as I had told the spirit of water before¡­¡­


    With this, it seems that the gap between the humans and elves will not be filled easily, but I planned for Airena to be the point of contact for negotiations.


    She is a seven-star, highest-ranked adventurer who is held in high esteem even in the human world, so the Kingdom of Ludria would not treat her carelessy.


    But there are other problems that this case has caused.


    If any of the elves rescued in this case were carrying children, the tragedy would still continue.


    The reason is that elves hate half-elves as abominations, as they bring misfortune.


    Perhaps when their human blood is strongly exposed, half-elves are somehow unable to draw on the power of spirits, which makes them anathema to elves, who value their connection to spirits.


    There is also a difference in lifespan and growth rate between elves and half-elves.


    And in many cases, half-elves are returned to the earth by other elves as soon as they are born.


    I explained to them that the custom of elves hating half-elves was nonsense, but to be honest, I was not sure if they understood me or not.


    At least they shouldn¡¯t kill them without question since I directly told them to, but¡­¡­ it may be better to consider taking it back.


    In any case, I could no longer stay in this country.


    I had forgotten completely about it, but in the end, I still haven¡¯t learned any magic.


    Where shall I go next?


    I stand up, brush the dirt off my hands, and pull out the sword at my waist.


    The chilly glow of the steel helped me to somewhat adjust my disturbed mind.


    Then I slowly swing my sword.


    I was just chewing one by one what I have gained in this Ludria Kingdom, single-mindedly.


    Just for now, I won¡¯t think about whether or not this was the best choice.

 CH 3.26

    The Sea, Fishermen, and Sailors


    Translated by Mlzkzr


    Edited by Mlzkzr


    ¡°I-t-s t-h-e s-e-a!¡±


    I scream out in surprise at the tide-like breeze that bathes my entire body for the first time since I was born into this world.


    But that scream was not because it was uncomfortable, but because I could not control the tension that was rising in me.


    Further going south beyond Paulogia, the southern neighbor of the Kingdom of Ludria, I reached the Republic of Vilestrica, a country that faces the sea to the south.


    The Republic of Vilestrica, as its name implies, is a republican country with no monarch, but is ruled by a parliament of noble families and a head of state elected by the parliament.


    Although the country is by no means large, it has made quite a huge profit from maritime trade and has a powerful military force with its rich wealth.


    They have many border skirmishes with Paulogia, in which they want to move south and gain a port, and the Kingdom of Rudria, which supports Paulologia by exporting food, does not have good relations with the Republic of Vilestrica.


    So, the journey I took from the Kingdom of Ludria through Paulogia to the Republic of Vilestrica was not peaceful, but even so, the only reason I wanted to go to this country was¡­¡­ no, I have three.


    Yes, it has been a long time since I was born into this world, but I had never eaten seafood.


    If I didn¡¯t know it, then there would be no problem, but I know the taste of seafood from my memories of my previous life.


    When I suddenly remembered that, I couldn¡¯t resist the urge to eat it, so instead of taking the city roads, I crossed one country through the meadows and forests, and arrived at the sea.


    No, really, it was seriously hard.


    I am also interested in the imported goods that come across the sea.


    I¡¯ve heard that the Republic of Vilestrica does business not only with the countries on the coast of this continent, but also with the southern continent, which is completely across the sea.


    Maybe I will be able to encounter things here that I can¡¯t even imagine.


    In the end, I had a lot of things on my mind in the Kingdom of Ludria, so I wanted to come far away and see the wide-open sea without thinking about anything.


    Well, but for now, it¡¯s seafood.


    I especially want to eat shellfish.


    Soy sauce would be great, but that would be too much to hope for.


    If it¡¯s fish sauce, I might find it if I try hard enough, but no, shellfishes should be delicious even with only salt.


    Ah, maybe I should drop butter on that too.


    Excited with anticipation, I lined up at the gates of Saurote, one of the port towns in the Republic of Vilestrica.


    To enter the town of the Republic of Vilestrica, of course, my citizenship of Vistkort, which is a town of the Kingdom of Ludria, cannot be used as an identification card.


    Also, although my senior blacksmith certificate would be accepted in this country, a traveling elf would stand out even more if he/she advertised himself/herself as a blacksmith.


    Hence I went and entered the town as a traveling swordsman in training, without providing any identification, and settled the matter with money.


    In the Republic of Vilestrica, three silver coins are required to enter a town without identification.


    It¡¯s three times the price in the Kingdom of Ludria, but on the other hand, if you show proper identification, you can enter or leave free of charge.


    Apparently, in the Republic of Vilestrica, it is easy for those who have their identity assured to enter and leave the town in order to promote the revitalization of commerce, but on the other hand, in order to keep out spies and the likes, they are being strict for those without a guarantee of their identity to enter and leave.


    So I, too, was bombarded with questions as I entered the town.


    First, age and name.


    Where did I come from and where will I go next?


    What is my purpose in this town?


    How long will I stay?


    ¡­¡­ and so on.


    But perhaps because I am an elf, even this was still a relatively light question.


    After all, elves stand out too much, so there¡¯s no way they¡¯ll have aptitudes for being spies.


    However, the fact that I came from the Kingdom of Ludria did seem to alarm the guards a little, though.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. Elf nii-san. Our country has been getting a lot of meddling from the north. We have no choice but to investigate various things from a traveler. Aside from that, welcome to the city of Saurote. The seafood you desire is really delicious. Enjoy yourself.¡±


    After being bombarded with questions for about 20 to 30 minutes in a separate room for examining people without identification cards, the guard who was in charge of me let me through the city.


    Well, well, I don¡¯t have the slightest bit of intention to blame the guards for their work ethic.


    The fact that the guards do not cut corners in their duties, even if they were asked for a bribe for protracting the questioning, is an element that makes me believe that the security of this town is not in disarray.


    Moreover, he told me three shops that he himself recommended.


    I salivate in anticipation, then thank the guards and walk through the streets.


    By the way, the reason why he recommended three restaurants to me is that one is for beginners which doesn¡¯t serve dishes such as shellfish, raw fish, and carpaccio-like for travelers.


    The other one was a middle-class establishment used by local residents for dining, and the last was an advanced establishment where fishermen brought in their catch directly and drank sake.


    I, of course, headed for the advanced store without hesitation.


    Because it¡¯s a restaurant close to the harbor where fishermen bring in their freshly caught seafood.


    I bet it¡¯s absolutely delicious.


    In this town, you can be sure of the freshness of the food no matter where you eat it, but it¡¯s human nature to still want to choose the best of the best.

 CH 3.27

    The Sea, Fishermen, and Sailors


    Translated by Mlzkzr


    Edited by Mlzkzr


    When I went inside the door of the bar, the door made a creaky sound.


    The hinges are badly rusted by the sea breeze.


    I guess it can¡¯t be helped, but for some reason, I feel sad when I see the rusted metals left untouched.


    It¡¯s just my selfish sentimentality.


    Although some metals rust easily and others do not, most metals rust, which is a natural phenomenon.


    Some works of art made of metal are created with rusting in mind, and it is probably because of rusting that they are completed.


    Well, rather than that, I look around the store and look for an empty seat.


    Unfortunately, the counter seats were full, so I pointed to one of the few empty tables and asked the young woman serving me if I could sit down there.


    Then, in a slightly surprised way, she said,


    ¡°Haa~, I can¡¯t believe a nice-looking elf-niisan would come to a restaurant like this. What a rare one, I guess. No, no, of course, you¡¯re welcome to this place. Sit down, sit down.¡±


    She uttered such words.


    No, no, this kind of diner is outragous.


    I¡¯m already full of anticipation. Looking around lightly, I see that there are indeed some burly men, who are either sailors or fishermen, drinking and making noise, but with arms that thick, they aren¡¯t far behind my blacksmith master, Asvald, that fucking Dwarf Shishou of mine.


    More than that, the fish and shellfish dishes that they are eating raise my tension.


    ¡°For the fish, recommend me one dish for each, a grilled one and a raw one. For the shellfish, I like it large, about 6 pieces of them grilled. Also, please bring me a sake that matches those appropriately.¡±


    Since I still don¡¯t know the names of the fishes and shellfish in this world, I asked the waitress so and leave it to her.


    There was already a mysterious sense of trust that I would not be disappointed with the dull stuff that would come out.


    Or rather, to be honest, if fresh fish and shellfish would come out grilled, I won¡¯t be disappointed anymore.


    ¡°Yes, yes, elf onii-san, you eat so much for such a thin body. You look surprisingly tough. So I guess it¡¯s fine¡±


    The waitress, who took my order, laughs and sways her hips heading towards the kitchen.


    While cleverly dodging the hands of the customers who occasionally stretched towards her.


    She called me surprisingly tough, but that¡¯s more of the impression I had towards her.


    I sipped a little of the sake that was served first, but it was a dry cider, so I waited quietly for the food to be served.


    Even though it was a little bit, the alcohol that entered my mouth stimulated my taste buds, so my appetite started to rise more and more.


    I don¡¯t care if it¡¯s grilled or sashimi, I want to eat squid for some reason.


    However, when I look around, I don¡¯t see anyone eating squid. ¡­¡­ as it is hard to believe that there are no squids in the sea, so I killed time wondering if squids and octopuses are being avoided because of their appearance.


    ¡°Sorry for making you wait. Here are your orders, a red fish salad with white oil and six grilled clams. The grilled fish is big, so wait a little longer for it to cook through.¡±


    I inwardly squeal with delight as the waitress brings me the dishes.


    The first thing that caught my eye was the grilled shellfish.


    The shell came out with its mouth open, and its body was as big as a clenched fist.


    It¡¯s no wonder that she was surprised, saying that I eat so much.


    The whole thing is too big to fit in my mouth, so I grab the shell, remove the meat with a fork, and cut it into three pieces with a knife before bringing it to my mouth.


    Though the juices were overflowing when I cut it with a knife, the moment I bit into it, my mouth was filled with those hot, delicious juices.


    What I did were chew, drink the juice, chew, drink the juice, then finally swallow the shellfish.


    It¡¯s so delicious that I don¡¯t care how it¡¯s seasoned.


    However, if I eat the next meal as it is, it will remain a little persistently, so I put the cider in my mouth first to wash off the remaining taste.


    Even though the cider is not very cold, it still gently cools my heat-stricken mouth.


    In other words, yes, it¡¯s a bliss.


    The red fish salad with white oil, I wonder if it¡¯s a carpaccio-like salad of salmon.


    This is also tasty, but not as impactful as the grilled shellfish.


    But it is by far the easiest to eat, so I¡¯ll likely take in as many as I can.


    While I was enjoying the shellfish and salad, I saw the waitress bring in a platter of grilled fish from the kitchen.


    It¡¯s really big.


    As I smile, a little pleased, she smiles back when she sees it.


    But it was then that an incident occurs.


    ¡°What was that, bastard! Say that again!!!¡±


    When I looked over at the sudden curse, the fist of a large man caught the chin of a slightly smaller man, and his body flew into the air.


    At that time, I wasn¡¯t thinking about anything in particular, but my body was moving in quite a hurry.


    I got up and ran, pulling the waitress, who was about to be hit by the man who had been struck so vigorously, as it was, in order to protect her.


    ¡­¡­ As a result, the waitress escaped the collision, but my grilled fish was flipped off from the platter by the man who flew in and crushed it on the floor in a sticky mess.


    Seeing the pitiful appearance of the grilled fish first filled my heart with sorrow, and after a moment, all the sorrow turned into anger.


    I see, I see.


    If this is the manner of these ruffians of the sea in the city of Saurote, then I¡¯ll go along with it.


    I stepped forward in front of the big triumphant man, and


    ¡°My fish is dead*. You bastard! Your sentence is execution! Die and apologize to my fish!!!¡± (TN: Your fish is already dead. It has been cooked, you know)


    He looked at me with a dubious look on his face, and with a yell, I slammed my fist into his face as hard as I could.


    It was from the tension that rose in me when I encountered the seafood I sought at the end of my journey and the momentum of the sake.


    It was transformed into anger by the tragedy that happened and drove me to fight him.


    Elves are a slender race, not much taller or slightly taller than humans.


    The same is true for high elves, who, being slender, will probably be inferior to humans in terms of muscular strength.


    However, my physical abilities are not comparable to those of an ordinary elf, as I have developed my strength from over a decade of blacksmithing and the sharpness of my movements from training in swordsmanship.


    Even if my opponent is a big, muscular, and rough guy, if he eats my fist straight on, he wouldn¡¯t be able to get away unscathed¡­¡­ that was supposed to be.


    ¡°Guh, oh, you bastard! What the fuck are you doing!!!¡±


    But to my surprise, the man managed to withstand my fist and immediately fired back.


    I immediately pulled my chin back and received his counterattack fist on my forehead, but the impact that ran through my head caused a flash of light in my eyes.


    It was a fist of terrible power.


    But this is a battle.


    If I take one step back, it will be my loss.


    ¡°I¡¯m telling you to apologize to my fish!!!¡±


    That¡¯s why I continued to step further in and hit my opponent¡¯s cheek with a hook.


    The fist fight that followed suit, was spectacular.

 CH 3.28

    The Sea, Fishermen, and Sailors


    Translated by Mlzkzr


    Edited by Mlzkzr


    ¡°¡­¡­Yes, I did it in a fit of rage. I am very sorry.¡±


    I bow deeply to the owner, who turns his gaze at me angrily.


    The waitress appealed to the owner that she was saved by me, and she defended me, but there was no doubt that I voluntarily went on a rampage afterwards, so there would be no way for her to defend me in that area.


    ¡°No, wait. Grand. I¡¯m the one who gave this elf-niisan trouble first. This nii-san is not at fault.¡±


    Even the man I fought with is protecting me for some reason.


    Wrong. That¡¯s not it.


    You are the one who went wild with me, so you should be in the position to be scolded alongside me.


    Why are you changing your position on your own.


    But the owner, the man called Grand, seems to know about that.


    ¡°No, Driese. Of course, it¡¯s your fault. How many times have you acted violently at my store? Ahh? Even though we¡¯ve known each other since childhood, it¡¯s about time I smashed your empty head in and killed you!¡±


    He¡¯s very threatening towards my quarrel partner.


    Crazy. Terribly scary.


    The atmosphere he creates is just like that of the fucking dwarf master when he gets angry because he is interrupted from his work by something trivial.


    In other words, this Grand, as he was called, was a craftsman, albeit in a different field, and his anger regarding his work of being a craftsman is quite caustic.


    ¡°Tha,that¡¯s because. Of that fucking sailor from the Larette Trading Company. They say that the food at this restaurant is lackluster and inferior. So I unintentionally¡­¡­¡±


    Pushed by the momentum of the shopkeeper and Grand, Driese, who was my quarrel partner before, uttered such words which were inaudible.


    No, no, no, that¡¯s not true.


    It¡¯s not a dish that is lacking in elegance because it¡¯s not a dish that demands elegance, so it¡¯s natural to say that it¡¯s inferior, isn¡¯t it?


    Come to think of it, the first guy who was hit by Driese ran away from the store as soon as the fight started.


    This is despite the fact that he was one of the initiators of this commotion.


    ¡°Ah, was that so? Sorry. It¡¯s so delicious it made you angry, right. I¡¯d be angry too. I hit the wrong person¡­¡­¡±


    When I said this with a hint of anger, Driese blinked his eyes a couple of times and then put on a lively smile on his face.


    He slapped me on the shoulder as we were lined up next to each other.


    ¡°Right? Elf-niisan, you really understand what I¡¯m talking about! I ruined your fish, didn¡¯t I? Well, it¡¯s only natural for me to get hit. Ah, are you going to stay in this town for a while? If so, I¡¯ll feed you plenty of the fish I caught as an apology.¡±


    He said so with a really happy expression.


    This sudden, but extremely gratifying offer brings a smile to my face.


    ¡°Oh, you made up, huh. That¡¯s good. But you guys should reflect first. And if you pay for the chair and table you broke, I¡¯ll let you off the hook for today; it¡¯s also in exchange for your word that the food is delicious. And then, of course, you¡¯re going to cook that fish at my place, right?¡±


    The owner and Grand, perhaps taken aback by our tone, were also able to control their anger. ¡­¡­ Early on in my arrival in this town, I made three acquaintances: Driese, a fisherman; Grand, the owner of a tavern; and Karena, a waitress.


    And that¡¯s what got me involved in the situation that was happening in this town.


    Grand told me about a place to stay that was relatively close to the port, so I decided to stay there for the duration of my stay in town and paid for a week¡¯s worth of lodging in advance.


    The rooms are well-cleaned and the employees are courteous, as recommended by a local resident.


    I wouldn¡¯t call it a luxurious inn, but it wasn¡¯t uncomfortable at all.


    Feeling a slight itch on my body, probably due to me being exposed to the sea breeze for the first time in this world, I get plenty of hot water to cleanse myself.


    Wiping my face with a cloth soaked in hot water, I felt a sinking pain in the area where I had been hit by Driese¡¯s fist.


    It might become a little swollen tomorrow.


    It was a very exciting and enjoyable day, although I think my behavior at that time was that of a fool.


    But the right hand I used to punch also hurts a little? so let¡¯s be a little more careful from now on.


    These hands are indispensable for both blacksmithing and sword wielding.


    If I handled them roughly and needlessly injured them, my skills at smithing and swordsmanship will become dull.


    It is nothing but injustice towards Asvald and Kaeha.


    If it was the fucking dwarf shishou, he might say that I don¡¯t have enough training for my hands to get hurt in fights.


    My hands are not that stumpy by any means, so let¡¯s put on some leather gloves later.


    For quarrels.


    Well, putting the fight aside, I plan to go see Dreise¡¯s boat tomorrow.


    Apparently, he¡¯s going to fish for me as an apology for today, so if possible I will ask him to get me some squid or octopus as well.


    Even if it is considered a strange food in this world, I can push it away on the grounds that I am an elf and I can eat strange food.


    I am very much looking forward to tomorrow, but the only thing that I feel uncomfortable about is, yes, the man who ran away after being punched by Driese.


    There are idiots in this world who misunderstand that customers are gods because they¡¯re the ones who pay money.


    However, at a restaurant full of regular customers and rough-minded fishermen, it would require a certain amount of courage to dare to degrade its food.


    In fact, I was beaten up by an enraged Dreise.


    And even though he had the courage to say something like that, he had done a pathetic action of sneaking away at the first sign of an opportunity.


    His actions on the side are not quite right.


    If the food served tastes bad, your mouth may slip such words unintentionally.


    But the food at that restaurant was definitely delicious, nothing to complain about.


    Driese said that the other party was a sailor from some trading company, as I recall, but ¡­¡­.


    It is a story that makes me feel uncomfortable.


    While twisting my head in doubt, I laid myself down on the bed early today, once I had finished cleansing myself up, in preparation for tomorrow.

 CH 3.29

    The Sea, Fishermen, and Sailors


    The next day, I headed for the port that Driese had told me about and learned the answer to the question I had last night.


    When I arrived at the harbor, Driese and her fellow fishermen were surrounded by a large group of men who appeared to be sailors.


    Among them was a man who has a vaguely familiar physique with a blue bruise on his face.


    Rather than saying that it was a critical situation, it seems that I had just arrived at the scene where a large number of sailors were trying to lynch fishermen outnumbered and outgunned.


    Ah, no, I don¡¯t mean it in a bad way, but it¡¯s more like I just came in time.


    ¡°Elf brother! Don¡¯t come here, you have nothing to do with this, run away!!!¡±


    It was a voice from Driese who quickly noticed my approach.


    Hearing these words, I decided to take the side of my acquaintance whom I had just met yesterday, even though I had no idea what was going on.


    Both the sailors and the fishermen¡¯s attention were momentarily drawn to me by that voice.


    ¡°Hey, Driese. I¡¯m here to get some fish. You look like you¡¯re having a hard time, but is it okay? I actually have something I want you to catch for me.¡±


    Even though I was exposed to many eyes, I didn¡¯t stop walking and headed to Driese.


    I don¡¯t care what the circumstances are.


    Since entering this town, Saurote, I have encountered nothing but violent incidents.


    That¡¯s why I too, following the customs of this town, don¡¯t restrain myself from a little violence.


    I won¡¯t hit them with my bare hands and hurt my hands, though, because I had reflected for myself yesterday.


    I already knew that Driese had a short temper and quick hands, but he didn¡¯t seem to be a bad-hearted guy.


    And if he was willing to get seafood for me, then, of course, I would help him.


    ¡°Oy, wait elf. This has nothing to do with you, uwahh!?¡±


    A sailor who tried to stand in front of me was blown away by a mass of water that flew in from the sea without warning.


    Of course, the water is the only thing that hit him, so even if he is knocked unconscious by the impact, he is not likely to suffer serious injury.


    ¡°Eh, what? You¡¯re the one interrupting me, you know. I have important business with Driese right now, and it¡¯s going to hurt you a little bit if you interrupt me.¡±


    It was, in a manner of speaking, a kindly advice.


    Right next to us, even if we were in the harbor, was already the ocean.


    The spirit that dwells in the huge body of water called the sea is overwhelmingly majestic and powerful.


    I will take this into account and adjust the amount of water to a sufficient degree, but even so, I think the power of the water would be somewhat stronger than usual.


    ¡°He,he¡¯s the one who got his hands on us first! We¡¯re here to retaliate for what they did to our people! We won¡¯t let some unrelated stranger get in the way!!!!!!!¡±


    And yet the sailors ignored my advice and surrounded me with open hostility.


    Ah, I see.


    In other words, yesterday¡¯s commotion was deliberate to make Driese put his hands on him in order to have an excuse for retaliation, huh.


    Then I am by no means unrelated.


    ¡°Ah, yesterday. He, over there, turned the food I was eating over. Unrelated? After you got me involved and brought me into a fight?¡±


    Thinking of the fish he ruined made me angry again.


    It seemed to have sensed a sign of conflict in my anger.


    The waves in the sea are getting higher and the anchored boats are rocking violently.


    ¡­¡­ I haven¡¯t asked for anything yet, but isn¡¯t the spirit of water that dwells in the sea a little too belligerent?


    ¡°Don¡¯t f*ck with me, abuah!?¡±


    The sailors who attacked while saying curses were blown away one after another after receiving several masses of water.


    Some rolled on the ground, others were unlucky enough to fall into the sea.


    The morale of the sailors, realizing that they could not win, instantly collapsed, and they ran frantically away without helping their fallen comrades.


    And standing behind them are the stunned Driese and the fishermen.


    ¡°For the time being, even if we have to hand them over to the guards, should we save the people who fell into the sea? Or¡­¡­ do we just feed them to the fish?¡±


    When I jokingly asked them that, they came to their senses and hurriedly began to rescue the sailors who had fallen into the sea.


    ¡°E,elf-niisan, you were absurdly strong¡­¡­ But if you were this strong, why did you let me hit you yesterday? With the power you just used, I would have been defeated with one hit.¡±


    Driese, who seems to have some reason for releasing the sailors he rescued without turning them over to the guards, asks me that curiously.


    The fishermen around us, some of whom had been at the bar at that time yesterday, nodded their heads, as if they had the same question.


    ¡°¡­¡­Eh? I¡¯m not going to have a spirit help me in a one-on-one fight in a bar, and it¡¯s not like you¡¯ve drawn your weapon. In a drunken brawl, would Driese beat his opponent alone or with his friends, even if the other party comes at him with his bare hands? If so, that would be a bit revolting¡±


    For me, spirits are close friends and companions.


    But even so, bringing up the power of spirits in a fight between drunks would be out of the question no matter how anyone thinks about it.


    That was an equal fight.


    Well, yesterday was the first time in my life that I got into a drunken fistfight.


    If Driese had asked for help from the fishermen around him at that time, and if I had been surrounded by more than one person, it would have been a completely different story, and I would have borrowed power from the spirits without hesitation.


    Driese smiles brightly, perhaps convinced by my words.


    Yeah, maybe he was wondering if I had gotten out of hand in yesterday¡¯s fight.


    It was not intentional negligence. That hurt!


    ¡°I see, as I thought, Elf brother was interesting! Oh, I¡¯ve got another debt. I¡¯ll be out fishing soon. Do you have any fish you want to eat? I¡¯ll take any of your request, depending on the mood of the sea god.¡±


    Those words, which sounded like it was a deception, were apparently intended to keep me out of the mess between the fishermen and the sailors I had just met.


    But if Driese intends to hide it, it would be too much of an intrusion on my part to dig into his affairs and ask him about it.


    Therefore, I honestly fell for the deception, described the shapes of the octopus and squid, and told them that I wanted to eat them.


    ¡°That one with eight feet and ten feet, huh. Are you going to eat them, elf brother? They¡¯ll spit black liquids out of their mouths, you know. Wouldn¡¯t something like that kill you if you eat it?¡±


    As expected, Driese frowns in surprise.


    As I thought, octopuses and squids are considered strange foods for humans in this world.


    Even so, eight and ten pairs of legs are nothing short of crude names.


    ¡°Because I¡¯m an elf. We know how to eat seafood that humans don¡¯t eat. I don¡¯t think it¡¯s available on the market, and if Driese doesn¡¯t catch it for me, I have no choice but to just give up. ¡­¡­¡±


    Speaking this with a little regret, Driese shook his head in a panic, boarded the ship with his fellow fishermen, and left the port.


    I don¡¯t know what fishing is like in this world, but if they don¡¯t say no, they must be confident that they will be able to catch it.


    I¡¯m looking forward to it.


    As I thought, Driese is a good-natured guy.


    So unless he tells me, I won¡¯t force myself to ask him about their current state, but¡­¡­ still, as for the dispute between the sailors and fishermen, I¡¯ll sneak in and find out what¡¯s going on.


    Half of it was out of curiosity, but the other half was because I was worried about my new acquaintance, whom I had just met in this town.


    The sea breeze blowing from the ocean was refreshing, but the air in this harbor was somehow filled with a sense of uneasiness.

 CH 3.30

    The Sea, Fishermen, and Sailors


    Translated by Mlzkzr


    Edited by Mlzkzr


    I remove the internal organs from the octopus, rub the octopus with salt several times to remove the sliminess, rinse it thoroughly with water, and then boil it.


    Then I cut them into pieces of appropriate size and it was ready to eat.


    It would be great with soy sauce, but it tastes good enough without it.


    ¡°Delicious. The texture. It¡¯s good. It¡¯s got a subtle saltiness and flavor. Yup. It¡¯s a taste that makes you want to drink.¡±


    Ignoring Driese, who¡¯s complexion is paling, wondering if I¡¯m really going to eat it, I carried the octopus to my mouth.


    If I wanted to promote the taste of octopus, it would be better to make a dish in which the octopus is hidden from view, but this is enough for me to eat.


    Even if I were to make takoyaki, it would honestly be a hassle for me to lock myself away in the forge now to work on it and prepare the uneven iron plate.


    Ah, I¡¯m pretty sure copper plate is better in terms of heat conduction, isn¡¯t it?


    ¡°No, I tasted it a little. It definitely was delicious. I could make a lot of things out of the eight-legs if I did research about it.¡±


    The owner, who cooked the octopus, placed a dry cider on the table while saying that.


    Apparently, he was the only cook and checked its taste before serving it to me.


    ¡°Ueh, seriously. ¡­¡­¡­¡­Hey, elf brother. Can I have some?¡±


    Seemingly intrigued by Grand¡¯s words, who appears to be his childhood friend, Driese hesitantly reaches for the octopus.


    As for me, this was something originally caught by Driese, so I have no complaints if he eats it a little.


    I would be really angry if he ate all of it, though.


    ¡°After that, the squid¡­¡­ it¡¯s called ten legs, right? It¡¯s delicious too, you know? You can remove its entrails and suckers, wash them in salt water, dry them in the sun, and then grill them to eat them.¡±


    I tell Grand while looking sideways at Driese, whose eyes become black and white from the unfamiliar texture and the flavor that spreads in his mouth.


    Sadly, Driese had only caught an octopus, saying silly lines that eight-legged and ten-legged octopuses are the same.


    No, I was grateful enough to him for catching the octopus, but he was, what can I say, a bit of a brusque person.


    Grand¡¯s eyes sparkle with curiosity at my words.


    ¡°Oy, Driese. Why didn¡¯t you get the ten legs? Go get them right now. Right now.¡±


    What a ridiculous thing to say, but for me, as long as I can eat it, I don¡¯t mind the squid at a later date.


    Because the octopus is so delicious, I¡¯m already satisfied for today.


    Besides, I plan to stay for a while until I get tired of eating seafood anyway.


    For this reason, I would like for Driese to concentrate on fishing without worrying about trivial matters.


    From what I heard at the inn and the market, I soon learned of the problems in this Saurote town.


    Currently, in this town of Saurote, there is a serious conflict over the right to use the harbor between merchants who trade with large vessels and fishermen who fish in the surrounding waters with smaller vessels.


    Saurote was originally a town that made its living from fishing for a long time.


    The Pastelli family is a well-known family that has been in charge of the fishermen in Saurote since ancient times.


    The Pastelli family holds a seat in the Congress of the Republic of Vilestrica and is a respected and prominent local family.


    However, the dominance of the Pastelli family in Saurote was severely shaken when another prominent family, the Tritoline, established a stronghold in the town.


    The Tritoline, like the Pastelli, were a prestigious family with a seat in the parliament, but their livelihood was commerce, and not fishing.


    The Tritoline family, which manages a large number of merchants such as the Laretto Company, has set their sights on Saurote as a new trading center.


    Nevertheless, it seems that at first, both the Pasteri and Tritoline families worked hand in hand to develop the town of Saurote.


    If the number of people visiting the town for trade increases, they could also sell their fish as food.


    If the fish sells, the fishermen get rich.


    But I wonder from what time.


    Cracks gradually begin to appear in the relationship between the two, which had been hand in hand.


    For example, trade ships have a deep draft, so they want some construction to deepen the port.


    They want to invite more merchant ships, so they want to use the port widely.


    A small fishing boat would be able to go out to sea from a sandy beach, if not from a harbor.


    If they expand the port more, the number of merchant ships visiting this area would increase.


    With that, they built a sandy beach and turned it into a harbor.


    ¡­¡­what a manner.


    I don¡¯t know if this is a common problem in seaside areas or not, but at least in this town of Saurote, these things sparked a conflict.


    If there was only one prominent family with a seat in Congress, the problem would have been cleared up quickly, with one side driving the other out.


    But in the town of Saurote, there are now two great families, and their positions are completely opposite.


    As a result, conflicts have escalated, and sometimes there have even been incidents involving violence.


    Driese is quick to get into a fight, but he has a strong arm, and with his caring nature, he is like a facilitator for young fishermen.


    Therefore, it was probably the plan of the Rahreto Commerce Company to make an example of him to the fishermen by lynching him in retaliation.


    It was indeed a troublesome problem.


    What is troublesome is that there is no entity that can be declared evil at the root of the problem, even if the method of lynching people is the worst.


    The merchants and fishermen are just trying to protect their livelihoods, to make them better, and that in itself is not evil.


    Also, even if both the merchants and the fishermen are at odds with each other, they do not want the other side to disappear altogether.


    If, for example, all the merchants withdrew, Saurote would revert to its original fishing-only town.


    However, after the fishermen had experienced the prosperity of the town, it would take a long time for them to forget it and return to their former lives.


    Conversely, if the fishermen are expelled, there will be a shortage of food to feed the merchant ships and merchants who visit this town.


    Of course, they would have ways to transport food from other towns, but this would certainly reduce the value of using this town as a trading base.


    Moreover, the reason why Saurote is kept safe and secure from miscellaneous people who visit by boat is because the Pasteri family uses strong-armed fishermen to help maintain public order.


    In short, the two sides are at odds with each other, but they are working for the betterment of the country.


    Hence, the problem shows no sign of being resolved anytime soon.

 CH 3.31

    The Sea, Fishermen, and Sailors


    Translated by Mlzkzr


    Edited by Mlzkzr


    In the human world, elves are very conspicuous.


    If I get mixed up in a crowd of people, I might get buried unexpectedly, but most people who see me up close were usually surprised or look at me in an unusual way at first.


    Although, I don¡¯t particularly dislike it.


    Standing out often worked badly, but there were also times when it worked for the better.


    For example, it is not suitable for me to act secretly because it will become a rumor immediately, but on the contrary, but on the other hand, the fact that I am conspicuous makes it possible for things to happen on their own without my active participation.


    There are people who hate and avoid conspicuous strangers, but there are also people who treat them extra kindly because they are rare.


    Yes, it all depends on how things roll at the time.


    So, I wonder which viewpoint of the story will this turn out to be.


    A letter arrived for me on the fourth day after I came to the city of Saurote.


    The contents of the letter are an apology for the dispute caused by misunderstanding, and an invitation.


    The sender is the Raretto Trading Company, an affiliate of the Tritoline family, as was mentioned before.


    In short, it was a letter asking me to visit the Chamber of Commerce to apologize for the trouble I had with the sailors.


    Among the trading houses under the Tritoline family, the Raretto Trading Company is a hardliner who will stop at nothing to make a profit.


    It is a trading company that is rumored to be involved in pirate-like activities when out at sea.


    At this stage of the match, they probably call me to win me over, but depending on how the conversation turns out, it could turn into a trap.


    I naturally ignored such a summon from the Raretto Trading Company.


    Because even if they have business with me, I don¡¯t have any business with the Raretto Trading Company.


    Rather than receiving an apology from some merchant, it¡¯s more important for me right now to fill my stomach with seafood caught by Driese and cooked by Grand.


    But maybe it¡¯s because I ignored the invitation from them like that.


    On the fifth night, on my way back from Grand¡¯s place, when I came to take a walk to relieve my hunger and look out over the dark ocean from the beach, I was surrounded by several armed men.


    The men who surrounded me drew their swords without question.


    Apparently, they couldn¡¯t hide their threatening intention, and that they¡¯re just thinking about making a foolish stranger who comes to a place like a sandy beach at night into bait for fish.


    Hypothetically, if this had happened in town, they might have been able to get away with using threats, but they chose to eliminate the adversary quickly at the first opportunity.


    They must have thought that if they all latched at me once, someone¡¯s blade would reach me before they would be hit by the water mass.


    But, of course, this is my invitation.


    Ever since the day I had my altercation with the sailors in the harbor, there had been eyes watching over me.


    The watcher was quite skilled, and though he was hiding his presence well among the people, the spirit of the wind told me of his presence.


    Therefore, because of the letter the other day, I did not drink today and acted carelessly on purpose.


    But as expected, I didn¡¯t think they would fall for it so cleanly and come on so well-armed, though.


    Was I being too shortsighted, or did I look that much of a threat, or was I being underestimated?


    Only, yes, the essential observer is not among the men surrounding me.


    Even now, their line of sight is constantly watching me, and regardless of whether he¡¯s a rabbit of the Raretto company, I feel something I can¡¯t let my guard down when it comes to the individual observer.


    The men around me did not utter a sound, but they came slashing at me at once.


    The blades they used that glow in the moonlight are, marine knives with curved blades, a cutlass.


    A weapon favored by sailors, it has a short blade and is easy to handle in narrow spaces such as on ships.


    So, simply put, it¡¯s not the best weapon for fighting on a wide sandy beach.


    If I avoid the slash by stepping backwards, I will find myself at the edge of the waving water.


    There¡¯s no longer any escape behind.


    However, I had no intention of running away from the beginning.


    ¡°Spirit of Earth¡±


    I muttered so and spoke to the spirit at my feet, drew my sword, stepped forward, and swung it.


    The sandy beach at the edge of the beach has the worst foothold for the unaccustomed.


    However, those who are accustomed to it would move on the assumption that their feet will be caught in the sand from the beginning.


    That¡¯s why if the scaffolding suddenly becomes as hard as stone pavement, their movements will crumble and be disrupted.


    And then my sword, the Yosogi-style swordsmanship of Kaeha, which is unrivaled in terms of sharpness, strikes them.


    Five men have surrounded me, and I swung my sword three times.


    But in those three times, all of the cutlass that the men had in their hands broke off in the middle and became useless toys.


    I don¡¯t know who made them, but they are very poor-quality weapons.


    Moreover, they must have used them without proper maintenance.


    As if the cutlass chose death itself, it broke without resistance.


    They may have been careful about the attack of the mass of water, but they probably did not expect that I¡¯ll counterattack with a sword.


    I can wield a sword to a certain extent, though not as well as Kaeha.


    The men, who had lost their weapons, were shaken, and instead of attacking or turning to flee, they stiffened for a moment.


    Well, no matter what action they take, the end will be the same, though.


    ¡°Spirit of the earth, one more, please.¡±


    When the spirit of the earth hears my voice, it immediately digs a hole under the men¡¯s feet and drops them.


    I check the faces of the five men buried up to their necks in sand, but I don¡¯t recognize any of them.


    I searched for his presence again, but the gaze of the observer who was looking at me had already disappeared.


    The wind spirit told me that as soon as I got into a state of engagement with the men, he fled towards the town.


    I suddenly have an idea for a prank and request the spirit of the earth for the third time.


    If someone comes to rescue them, I want them to be dropped in the same hole and buried in the sand from the neck down.


    Now then, I wonder how many additional people I can catch with this.


    I don¡¯t plan on killing them, so before the tide changes, I¡¯ll call around Driese and the others to capture them again, but now that they¡¯ve pointed their weapons at me, I¡¯ll have them feel scared for a while.

 CH 3.32

    The Sea, Fishermen, and Sailors


    Translated by Mlzkzr


    Edited by Mlzkzr


    The number of people I captured in the recent raid was five attackers who attacked me directly and ten who came to help those who were buried in the sand and were buried themselves.


    Since all of them were sailors belonging to the Raretto company, I turned them into the guards, and as a result, there was no longer any excuse for the commerce that they have tried to kill me.


    When the security forces conducted an investigation of the Raretto Trading Company, they conveniently discovered that the company had been harassing the fishermen in order to expand their own interests, and that they had committed a number of egregious acts of harassment and business malfeasance.


    Perhaps the Raretto company will be downsized, if not demolished, with several of its executives, including the chairman of the firm, facing charges.


    In short, the Raretto Trading Company was cut off from the Tritoline family because the attack on me was discovered in a way that they have no excuse for it.


    Otherwise, the other crimes would not have been conveniently discovered all together like that.


    Alternatively, it is even possible that in relation to some matters, the Tritoline may have placed the blame on the Raretto firm.


    Well, it was such a big scandal for the Tritoline family, whose mainstay is commerce, that their attempt of trying to kill a traveler with the whole company, was discovered after a ragged defeat.


    Of course, that doesn¡¯t mean that the problems facing the city of Saurote have been resolved.


    Certainly, the Tritoline family suffered some damage as one of the companies under its umbrella shrunk, but the Pastelli family didn¡¯t take advantage of this opportunity to crush their opponents.


    Even if the Raretto Company or fishermen like Driese and the others didn¡¯t understand, the Tritoline family and the Pastelli family should understand that each other¡¯s existence is indispensable to the town.


    The two families let the sailors and fishermen under their control fight moderately to vent and play tug-of-war for their interests, leading to the development of the town.


    So this case, in essence, ends up being a lone defeat for the recklessly stubborn Raretto Firm.


    Although it was a sudden development which was more than a trifle, in the end, nothing changed.


    It was as if everything had been planned.


    In other words, was I perhaps used for someone else¡¯s convenience?


    There is no end to my doubts, and the deeper I think about it, the scarier it gets, so I put a lid on my thoughts.


    I continued to eat and drink at Grand¡¯s place and ended up staying in the town of Saurote for almost a month, enjoying the seafood to the fullest.


    And today is my last night in town.


    ¡°Yes, dried and salted ten-leg. Acer-san, you love this, don¡¯t you. But recently, the number of people asking for this and the other eight-legs has increased dramatically. Thanks to that, I¡¯ve been very busy.¡±


    Laughing, Karena, the waitress, brought roasted dried squid to my table.


    Well, it¡¯s not only because of the store¡¯s prosperity that she was busy.


    ¡°If you¡¯re that busy, tell Grand and ask for more manpower or an increase in salary. I¡¯m sure that Grand will add more variety to both the eight and the ten legs dishes, so the number of your customers will continue to increase.¡±


    Laughing at Karena, whose lips become sharp at my words, I take a sip of the dry cider.


    There were some incidents, but this was a good town.


    It is precisely because they¡¯re trying to develop that they¡¯ll have clashes over their direction, and problems arise.


    It looks like the town of Saurote was a lively place, including that.


    I thoroughly enjoyed my relationship with people and seafood in the past month.


    It¡¯s about time.


    ¡°Well, Karena seems to be busy with various things, but I¡¯m already planning to leave, so I think you¡¯ll have a little less work to do.¡±


    At my words, Karena opens her eyes for a moment and looks at me.


    Yes, the identity of that someone who has been watching me all this time, is Karena.


    However, that doesn¡¯t mean anything.


    Even when the Rarreto Trading Company was forced to scale back its operations and I was no longer a priority, that watchful eye didn¡¯t leave me.


    In other words, it was probably the Tritoline family or the Pasteli family or both, not the Raretto Trading Company that had Karena watch on me.


    In short, she is a kind of counterintelligence that has her roots in the town.


    I don¡¯t know if Grand knows about it or if he himself is involved in it, but it isn¡¯t clear.


    At the very least, I think she was the one who set up the Rarreto Trading Company.


    I had no proof, but Karena was just as I thought on the first day, a surprisingly robust woman.


    ¡°Certainly, Acer eats well, so my workload may be reduced a little. But it¡¯ll be certainly lonesome. For Dreise, Grand ¡­¡­ and of course me too.¡±


    I smiled at Karena when she said such a thing.


    Without a doubt, the person who looked at me the most in this town was none other than her.


    Putting the circumstances aside, feelings spring up.


    Would it be presumptuous of me to call this a secret, unspoken relationship?


    ¡°Yeah, thanks. But perhaps I¡¯ll be coming back again sometime. I also want to eat fish, shellfish, eight-legged and ten-legged again.¡±


    Karena nodded in response to my words.


    Yes, I am not saying that this would be goodbye for life.


    Even if I¡¯m completely satisfied with seafood now, I may still want to eat it again in another six months or a year.


    So until that time, I hope that this town will remain as it is now, that it will not change too much while it develops, and that it will wait for me.


    Now then, where shall I go next?


    I want to do a little blacksmithing soon, and I want to go learn magic as well.


    I¡¯m also worried about the future of the Ludria Kingdom and whether or not a half-elf will be born, so I need to settle down somewhere and contact the elf Airena.


    Yes, let¡¯s do that for now.


    ¡°Tomorrow morning, I¡¯ll be travelling to the northeast. I¡¯m aiming for one of the small nations in the east, Odine, which is said to be the country of magic.¡±


    I dared to tell Karena, the counterintelligence officer, where I was going.


    There¡¯s no lie in these words.


    By daring to tell her where I¡¯m going, I¡¯m sending a message to her employer, to whom Karena will be reporting, that I have no hostile intentions.


    If it¡¯s her, she would understand the meaning of these words correctly.


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯m looking forward to seeing you again. Acer-san, at that time, let me show you around the town properly.¡±


    When I raise my right hand at Karena¡¯s words, she makes a light snap and exchanges a high-five with me.


    And with that, I left the town of Saurote.

 CH 4.33

    Journey and Whim


    The group of small nations in the east is an area of city-states that were originally created when a large country named the Azuedda Empire was ruined by a succession dispute, and each city became independent as it pleased.


    The countries in the sub-national group are all very small in size, with the majority consisting of only one city and surrounding villages.


    There are more than a dozen cities in the region, but even the largest countries have only three cities at most.


    In short, it¡¯s a bad way to put it, but it¡¯s a gathering of small fish, but the reason why these small fishes aren¡¯t eaten by the surrounding big fish is because they stand united against foreign enemies.


    It¡¯s like a school of small fish gathering together to form a flock that imitates a large fish.


    Cities in small nations sometimes fight over resources, so it¡¯s not like they usually get along well with each other.


    At the same time, however, they correctly understand that they are able to stand on their own because of the existence of the other cities.


    Therefore, regarding trade and defense, there are many agreements and tacit understandings outside of the Azedda Alliance.


    And one of the agreements or tacit understandings that have been made is the city of Odine, which was newly built after the region became a group of sub-national states.


    Odine was a city for magic, created by these group of small nations, each of which was far inferior to its neighbors in terms of size, that pooled their money to train magicians and conduct research on magic, which could sometimes determine the outcome of a war.


    In addition, Odine is independent as a city-state, although it is a city created by pooling money from the group of small nations so that no country can monopolize the city¡¯s benefits.


    Hence, it¡¯s called Odine, the country of magic.


    Yes, it¡¯s end of explanation.


    It¡¯s a small country group that is a bit confusing and troublesome for me, who isn¡¯t a local or a human in the first place, but I know that if I go to Odine, I¡¯ll have a good chance of meeting an excellent magician.


    Even if I don¡¯t meet a magician who can be my teacher, just looking around the city for magic will satisfy my curiosity.


    I have sent a letter to Airena, an elf I know, stating that I¡¯m going to Odine before I leave the town of Saurote in the Republic of Vilestrica.


    So if I spend some time in Odine, I¡¯ll receive some contact from her in one way or another.


    However, the fact that the letters we send out are not always delivered is a more troubling aspect of this world than the world in which I lived in my previous life.


    Well, it was all in the past now.


    If I receive no news from her after reaching Odine, I can send the letter again.


    Anyway, all I can do now is walk towards my destination.


    Because horse-drawn carriages make me drunk.


    In the end, I didn¡¯t try it in the Republic of Vilestrika, but I wonder if I get sick on boats too.


    The way it sways would be completely different from a horse-drawn carriage, and if I do it right, I might be able to ride it without getting drunk.


    If I can do that, the range I can travel will expand considerably, so¡­¡­ the next time I have the chance to go to the town of Saurote, I¡¯ll ask Driese to give me a ride.


    If I walk northeast on the highway, the wind that blows will also change.


    I have left the sea breeze far behind and now the westerly wind blows high above me.


    Looking at the sky from below, as if they had come up with a prank, the wind spirits came down from the westerly winds to near the surface and laughed as they blew strong gusts of wind.


    I held my head to prevent my sun hat for long trips from flying off during the wind spirit¡¯s prank.


    I can¡¯t help but smile at the good breeze that blows through.


    If I had wings to catch the wind, I¡¯m sure I could fly well.


    That way, even if it¡¯s someone like me who gets motion sickness, I can move quickly around this world.


    Well, there¡¯s no point in saying it.


    Then, as if sensing my thoughts, a gust of wind pushes against my back and blows.


    For that reason, I bounce forward with a thump, as if I¡¯m riding the wind which pushes my back.


    No, of course, even if I did that, I¡¯m not a bird, I¡¯m a mere high elf, so I can¡¯t fly, but the spirit of the wind seems to be enjoying itself, so I guess it¡¯s fine.


    As I walk silently down the highway, a carriage comes rattling up from behind me.


    When I deviate from the highway and opened the way, the driver slowed his horse¡¯s pace a little while I walked.


    ¡°Yo, nii-san. Do you need a ride?¡±


    And kindly asked in such a way.


    He¡¯s probably a merchant who carries goods from town to town.


    The wagon had a number of fixed loads and two armed men on board.


    ¡°I¡¯m fine. Thank you. I¡¯m not very good at carriages. I travel leisurely by foot.¡±


    The coachman and the merchant nodded in agreement with my words, raised their hand towards me, and made their carriage pass me by.


    I declined because I didn¡¯t want to get carriage sickness, but I still feel good when kindness is directed toward me.


    When I instinctively wave my hand at the carriage, the armed men who must be its escorts wave back.


    They were good-natured people.


    Praying to the wind for my safe journey, I walk down the path again.


    The first country in the group of small states is not that far away anymore.

 CH 4.34

    Journey and Whim


    Translated by Mlzkzr


    Edited by Mlzkzr


    The southwesternmost country of the group of small nations, the Principality of Travoia, is a city-state consisting of a city called Janpemon and surrounding villages.


    Not only the Principality of Travoia, but also other small states have a mild climate and fertile lands, and since they draw water from large rivers and their tributaries, they do not have much trouble finding water and producing a lot of food.


    It was, in short, what one would call a blessed land.


    Conversely, it is precisely because the land was so blessed that it afforded the small states the luxury of being able to establish themselves in disarray.


    When I arrived at the town of Janpemon, the sky was beginning to turn red.


    Around the town of Janpemon, fields of wheat, the main product, stretch endlessly, as if the end isn¡¯t in sight.


    The wheat shines golden in the setting sun¡­¡­and the town of Janpemon looked just like a stone ship floating on a golden sea.


    ¡­¡­Would it be poetic to say something like?


    As a matter of fact, the expression was from a poem by a poet who used to work in this area, Paku, about the town of Janpemon¡­¡­. a quotation so to speak.


    A traveling merchant with whom I shared a table at a bar in the previous town told me about it for the sake of making conversation.


    Well, to me, it looks just like a town of wheat fields and stone buildings, but just knowing a phrase or two like this gives me the illusion that my heart has become a little richer.


    Yeah, there¡¯s no point in dressing up in the middle of nowhere, so let¡¯s enter the town of Janpemon before the sun goes down.


    I also left the deep forest, and even after leaving the Kingdom of Ludria, I traveled across several countries, so I¡¯m quite accustomed to the procedures when entering a city.


    Since the small nations are very cautious about people coming in and out of other regions, I know that I will stand out this time, so I will use my senior blacksmith¡¯s license as an identification card.


    Since leaving the Kingdom of Ludria, I haven¡¯t had the opportunity to go in and out of the forge, so my blacksmithing skills have probably dulled a bit.


    Therefore, I don¡¯t plan to stay in Janpemon very long, but I would still like to do one or two blacksmithing jobs in there.


    Besides, having a history of working in a town in a small group of states would make the guards¡¯ attitude a little softer than that of a traveler who goes on ahead without doing anything.


    Now then, as I entered the town of Janpemon, the first thing I always do is look for an inn on the street.


    The sun is already setting, and my belly is gurgling and asserting itself as if it¡¯s about to reach its limit.


    That¡¯s why, I can¡¯t resist the smell of dinner wafting through the air, and I dive into a nearby inn where the first floor is a dining room, as if I were being sucked into it.


    I will probably stay in this town for a week or two for my blacksmithing work, maybe a little longer, but that doesn¡¯t mean I can¡¯t change my lodgings once I¡¯ve decided.


    If I did like it, I can extend my stay. If don¡¯t, I can simply decide again on a place to stay that¡¯s closer to the blacksmith shop where I will rent a room.


    ¡°Ye~s, you¡¯re alone, right! Good evening, are you eating today or are you staying the night?¡±


    When I entered the inn, a girl about ten years old or younger, who was serving someone, turned to me and asked so.


    She is young for a hired employee, yet she¡¯s skilled at her work.


    In other words, she must be a child born and raised in this inn.


    ¡°I¡¯m staying the night, but I¡¯m also hungry. So can I ask for both?¡±


    When I say this, the girl smiles happily.


    From the child¡¯s point of view, one more customer is just one more work to help out with, but the smile on her face seemed like she was genuinely happy.


    The cafeteria was reasonably crowded, and even now it would be busy, but apparently, she is a very good girl.


    ¡°Mooom, there¡¯s a guest staying overnight! Ah, err, a room for one cost 50 copper coins. The meal costs 12 copper coins for dinner and 8 copper coins for breakfast. If you don¡¯t mind, please put your name in the ledger.¡±


    The sight of the girl working so hard makes me smile just watching her.


    The cost of lodging is a little cheap, but the cost of the meal is fair to normal.


    If anything, this is the type of inn that mostly makes its money from dining.


    For the time being, I ask for one night and dinner, then I write my name on the ledger.


    ¡°Acer-san. It¡¯s Acer-san, right. Then I will show you to your room. Please come down to eat after you put your luggage aside. Ah, the hot water and laundry will each cost five copper coins.¡±


    I nodded to the girl who added so in a flustered manner.


    I would get the hot water after dinner, and if I were to continue to stay at this inn, I would probably ask for laundry.


    It is not a luxurious inn, but the atmosphere is not bad.


    Guided by the girl, I climbed the stairs to the second floor.


    Then with a sparkle, she occasionally looks back at me and steals a glance.


    When I looked at her, she waved her hand in surprise and panic.


    ¡°Uh,uhmmm, Acer-san, you¡¯re an elf, aren¡¯t you?¡±


    Then, she timidly asked so.


    She probably thought it was rude to pry into the guests.


    The girl¡¯s face paled as if she had just asked a question that unintentionally came out of her mouth.


    Well, since I don¡¯t care about that,


    ¡°Yes, yes, I¡¯m an elf. Is this your first time seeing one?¡±


    I placed my hand on her head and stroked it as if to soothe her.


    Even I encountered only a few elves who were active outside the forest, even in the capital of a large country like the Kingdom of Ludria, so being in small countries or city-states, she probably never saw any.


    ¡°Ah, err, only once, from a distance. But you are the first elf who comes to us as a guest. Ah, the room for one is here. Please don¡¯t lose the key.¡±


    The girl says shyly and bashfully


    I unlocked the door and entered the room, and she went back downstairs to work.


    I wouldn¡¯t go so far as to say the rooms are old-fashioned, but it was showing their age.


    The quality of the bed is also commensurate with the price.


    However, the room was clean, and a single flower was placed in a vase on a chest by the window, which showed the thoughtfulness of this inn.


    The locks were well made, so it might be okay for me to stay here for a while.


    ¡­¡­ I guess it depends on the taste of the dinner.


    Yes, if it¡¯s about the meal that this inn will serve, it¡¯s still too early to decide.


    After making a quick check of my room, I put down my luggage, locked the door, and went downstairs to the dining room.

 CH 4.35

    Journey and Whim


    Translated by Mlzkzr


    Edited by Mlzkzr


    The town of Janpemon is known for its barley production, as it said in the poem ¡°a stone ship floating in the wheat¡±.


    Well, the land is fertile not only in the Principality of Janpemon and Travoia, but also in many other countries in the small nations group, and the other countries are known for their apples, grapes, and other unique products, depending on what they cultivate.


    Of course, since wheat is their main food, it is produced everywhere.


    But that aside, it seems that in the Principality of Travoia, where wheat production is thriving, the way to eat it is also being extensively researched.


    Dinner served in the first-floor dining room, where I went down with an empty stomach, was a large bowl of pasta tossed with white sauce.


    A shaved bacon is sprinkled on top and it is moderately satisfying.


    Then I used the small loaf of bread to clean up the sauce left on the plate, and drank wine.


    It is really full of wheat, which makes me laugh, but the taste is not only not bad, but honestly delicious.


    When I was eating it, it fits easily in my stomach, but afterwards, it asserts its presence in my belly, giving me a feeling of satisfaction.


    As I was enjoying my wine while being immersed in the afterglow of the meal.


    ¡°Let me put the empty plates down. Acer-san, was it delicious?¡±


    The girl at the inn looks at the clean empty plate and asks with a smile.


    I nodded and asked her for some hot water to wash my body, and I paid for the hot water along with the cost of the meal.


    The hot water is heavy and I feel sorry to make the girl carry it, so I want to carry it up with me when I come to the first floor.


    I was fully satisfied with the meal, and I think this is a good place to stay in this town.


    The next day, I visited the Blacksmiths Guild of the Principality of Travoia in Janpemon, and while they were a little bewildered, I was treated with courtesy.


    If an elf blacksmith appeared in a city-state where elves were already rare, confusions would be unavoidable.


    A blacksmith will be able to borrow the equipment owned by the union, and he should immediately accept the work.


    However, even though I have a license as a senior blacksmith, they wouldn¡¯t assign a wanderer who suddenly appears on the scene to a job of great importance.


    What is needed to be entrusted with that kind of work is the trust that has been cultivated in this town.


    Hence, I took on the job of making more than ten spearheads for the town guards to be used by them, in the shape of their sample, with the due date in a week.


    The material is iron.


    It seems that the Blacksmith Guild will take responsibility and pay for the extra tips.


    The cost of using the equipment, fuel, and materials is paid by the blacksmith association, and the remuneration is one silver coin for each spear tip.


    Well, the remuneration is a bit low, but I guess that¡¯s the kind of work that can be entrusted to a wandering blacksmith.


    The title of Senior Blacksmith who had learned from a dwarven master craftsman was just at that degree, because this is different from blacksmithing in the Kingdom of Ludria.


    The quota imposed on me is a little less than two spear tips a day, but if there is no upper limit on the purchases, there is no need to hold back.


    If I just hit the quota, that would have gotten me ten silver coins worth of work a week, and if I deduct the cost of my stay and living expenses, I wouldn¡¯t have much money left over, but if I do twice or three times of my quota, it would be a completely different story.


    From what I¡¯ve seen, the tip that was given to me as a sample isn¡¯t very good, so I¡¯ll try to make as many better ones as possible.


    Since it was my first time blacksmithing in a long time, I set to work, while being invigorated and having fun at the same time.


    The heat generated by the furnace and the sweat that runs down my face are pleasant, and with each swing of the mallet, my own concentration increases.


    Also, my own arms are not as dull as I thought they would be, and the fire spirit that lives in the furnace is cheering me on with crackling sparks of fire.


    But when it hits sparks, it gets really hot, so I don¡¯t think that¡¯s necessary¡­¡­


    And by the evening, I had five tips that has been completely processed except for polishing and finishing.


    I¡¯ll do the finishing touches tomorrow, then the delivery.


    Tomorrow, I have to polish and finish today¡¯s spear tips, so¡­¡­ I will only be able to make about four new tips.


    Once I get a little more familiar with the process just now, I will be able to increase the amount I make.


    Partway through today¡¯s work, the employees of the blacksmith union came to observe my work in turn.


    Perhaps it was out of curiosity, but what came out of their mouths was pure praise for my skill.


    No, I feel embarrassed to be praised by others, but I am happy.


    But when I¡¯m immersed in blacksmithing like this, I suddenly feel nostalgic for Asvald¡¯s, my damn Dwarf shishou, cursing.


    From the High Elf¡¯s long perception of time, it wasn¡¯t that long ago that I parted ways with him.


    The staff members of the blacksmiths¡¯ union see me off as I head back to my lodgings, soaked in sentimentality.


    I wasn¡¯t able to talk much to them today because I was so engrossed with my work, but once I get used to it and my work speed increases, I¡¯ll try interacting with them a little more.


    I¡¯m satisfied with the food at my current lodge, but I would like to go out to eat at some of their recommended restaurants that they know because they are locals.


    At that time, I would be happy if they would go out to eat with me.


    But aside from that, what will be dinner at the inn tonight?


    If it¡¯s that white stew, I would be very happy.


    The breeze felt good on my body, which was still feverish, and although I felt tired, my steps were light.


    Yes, this is what I call a satisfying day.


    Perhaps tonight I will sleep well.

 CH 4.36

    Journey and Whim


    The land of the former Azedda Empire, now home to a group of small nations, is fertile.


    Wheat was actively grown around the town of Janpemon, and fruit trees and whatnot were being grown in the surrounding city-states.


    In addition to that, as evidenced by their use of white sauce in the inn¡¯s meals, they must have also been doing livestock farming.


    Now, what would happen is that I can now eat sweets in addition to regular meals.


    If you put wheat, milk, butter, and fruit together, it would seem as if you could make any kind of candy.


    Although honey and sugar are available, they are precious and expensive, so even if they are used, they would be in small quantities.


    To make up for this, a fruit is processed as dried fruit to enhance the sweetness, and is used to sweeten confections.


    Come to think of it, speaking of the sweetness of barley, is it possible to make starch syrup from malt?


    I have something like that in my memory from my previous life, but¡­¡­ I don¡¯t know how to clearly make it, so I guess it can¡¯t be helped.


    So today I was in the middle of eating sweets while walking around.


    The guide is the girl at the inn, Nonna.


    When I tempted her with sweets when she was just free of work, Nonna followed along without a hitch.


    Seducing a ten-year-old girl with sweets is definitely a matter of concern in the world I lived in my previous life.


    However, as I have only been here in Janpemon for a week, I am unfamiliar with the town, so I had no choice.


    Six days work, one day rest.


    It was the custom when I was in the town of Vistkort, in the Kingdom of Ludria.


    Working hours per day should also be enough to avoid leaving you tired the next day.


    Eat well, rest well.


    If anything, I would even take a little nap.


    In my case, I can only concentrate at full strength for five or six hours a day, so I should keep my condition at its best so that I can fully perform in that time.


    I delivered 32 spear tips in six days.


    The staff of the blacksmith union didn¡¯t expect it to be over 30, and when I told them I would take the seventh day off, they looked relieved.


    I wanted them to leave everything to me if possible if it were spears, because I couldn¡¯t see the overall balance if I only had the tip of the spear, but there was no point in complaining about the job I had been given.


    They will have another job for me tomorrow.


    ¡°Mm~! Mm~! Delicious!¡±


    With a big smile on her face, Nonna tastes the cake with whipped cream and dried fruits on top.


    Yes, I was a bit surprised to find that some of the pastries made in the town of Janpemon were coated with whipped cream.


    To make a sweet whipped cream, however, a lot of sugar and fruit juices are used, as sweetening and flavoring must be added.


    In other words, its price is incredibly high.


    The cake that Nonna is eating right now is also something that I paid for with silver coins.


    She seems to be eating it for the first time, and is very pleased, or rather, very excited.


    Well, sure, yes, it¡¯s delicious.


    The strong sweetness, which I haven¡¯t had in a while, makes me want tea, but unfortunately, the culture in that area does not seem to have spread yet.


    I took out a clean cloth and wiped the cream from the head of Nonna¡¯s nose.


    Then she shyly and regretfully stares at the cream on the cloth, but as expected, I think it¡¯s too immodest to lick it off after wiping it.


    After quickly folding the cream-covered part of the cake inside, Nonna finally came to her senses and deceptively brought the cake to her mouth.


    And again, with a big smile on her face,


    ¡°Yummy~!!¡±


    She raised her voice.


    What an interesting creature indeed.


    It seems that in Nonna¡¯s head, the events that happened a moment ago no longer remain.


    I couldn¡¯t help but be taken in by her truly happy smile.


    As I thought in the town of Saurote in the Republic of Vilestrica, it is a good thing that food is abundant.


    My heart was definitely richer when I ate with a sense of joy and sorrow over the contents of my meal, rather than when I brought the same food to my mouth day in and day out without feeling anything.


    Yes, just like knowing the poem ¡°Stone boat floating on a sea of golden wheat¡±, for example, makes one¡¯s heart a little richer.


    Perhaps that is what people call culture.


    Of course, not everyone enjoys this richness.


    ¡°Hey, did you hear that?¡±


    Suddenly, my long ears catch the shoppers talking across the street.


    The reason why I was concerned about that voice was because it was mixed with feelings of anxiety.


    ¡°I heard that the Dalotte¡¯s army attacked the northern border fort of the Kingdom of North Zairu.¡±


    North Zairu is the northernmost country of the group of small states, and it has two cities.


    Incidentally, there used to be a South Zairu, but it seems to have disappeared after being absorbed by the North Zairu.


    It is also a country of warriors and mercenaries who gather from all over the small states, and it is also called the northern wall of Azuedda.


    In contrast, Dalotte was originally a country created by nomadic people who drifted from the east and destroyed the kingdoms in the region, and had a powerful cavalry.


    The difference in status is very large, with the descendants of nomads as the ruling class and the descendants of the people of the ruined kingdoms as the ones being ruled.


    Dalotte is also said to be a belligerent country that likes to fight and pillage.


    Since there are monsters in this world, if they want to fight, they should just turn their fangs to them, but I think they are a difficult bunch.


    ¡°The Azuedda Alliance may be called upon.¡±


    Their talk concluded with these words.


    For the time being, it¡¯s a rumor, and I don¡¯t know the truth yet.


    However, the story must have come from far and wide to the north for ordinary shoppers to talk about it.


    Even if not everything in the story is correct, there are definitely some roots and bases.


    When I suddenly realized it, Nonna was looking at me worriedly while I was deep in thought.


    ¡°Acer-san, what¡¯s wrong?¡±


    I cut my remaining cake in half and put it on Nonna¡¯s plate to deceive her.


    There is no need to make a girl, who is only ten years old, uneasy by telling her war stories.


    Though Nonna, with her eyes shining with joy, was easily fooled, but¡­¡­ I¡¯ll have to ask the blacksmiths guild for the details tomorrow.

 CH 4.37

    Journey and Whim


    Translated by Mlzkzr


    Edited by Mlzkzr


    The next day, I came to the Blacksmiths Guild and was asked to do a single sword, ignoring the cost, with all my might.


    They are going to use it as a model to improve the skills of the town¡¯s blacksmiths.


    Apparently, that¡¯s how much my skills were recognized by the blacksmith union of the Principality of Travoia.


    It is indeed an honor, but at the same time, it¡¯s a story that also puts a lot of pressure on me.


    I asked them about the rumor I heard yesterday, about the war, and they said that it is true that the northern part of the small nation group is being attacked by Dalotte.


    However, the state of affairs is still in a skirmish, and the northern countries of the small group of states provide reinforcements to the Northern Zairu Kingdom, but it is not yet clear whether the Azuedda alliance will be called up.


    In any case, there seemed to be nothing I could do about it.


    Perhaps there are already blacksmiths who specialize in military equipment, or perhaps a retinue of blacksmiths is needed to accompany the troops and repair worn-out weapons and armor, but it is not a job I, a drifter, would be asked to do.


    Well, it¡¯s not like I wanted to be actively involved in the war, but¡­¡­ I don¡¯t feel comfortable saying that I was far away and uninvolved while a big incident was happening nearby.


    Curiosity will kill a high elf as well as the cat at some point, but what can I say, I have a tendency to do that.


    But, as a matter of course, I have no obligation, reason, or sense to be involved in this situation, no matter how restless I may be.


    Since I have been entrusted with a big task, I must first devote my mind and devotion to it.


    Come to think of it, it seems that any kind of sword will do, so I will use the type of sword used in Yosogi-ryu, which I understand and am familiar with the most.


    In short, it would be a single-edged straight sword that cuts through.


    I rent the rooftop of the blacksmith¡¯s union building to prepare myself for this big job.


    Preparation for striking the type of sword used in the Yosogi-ryu means wielding a sword of the Yosogi-ryu style.


    The techniques to wield are left and right diagonal slash, left and right reverse diagonal slash, left and right torso cut, swinging down, rounding up, and if I add a thrust at the end, there are nine.


    All of these movements will have a form, balance, and center of gravity that is suited to them.


    To put it simply, it is not the Yosogi-ryu, but a huge sword that is powerful when swung down because of its weight, but not suitable for cutting up because of its weight as well.


    However, there would only be one sword actually held in the hand, and if one is to wield the Yosogi-ryu, it must be the right sword for every movement.


    This is not an easy task.


    I swing a sword with all my might, searching for the ideal shape, weight, and balance of the sword.


    But of course, I can¡¯t find anything those kinds of things.


    The vague figure in my mind is like a lady behind a curtain, floating in the air, but if I reach out my hand, she will move away from me.


    But as I continue to search for it, my mind fills with heat like a furnace, and I feel compelled to give form to even a portion of the image that is currently in my mind.


    That is my mental focus when I strike the sword used in the Yosogi-ryu.


    The Blacksmith¡¯s guild employees looked at me as if they couldn¡¯t understand me, but I don¡¯t care about them one bit.


    Only Asvald or Kaeha, my two mentors, would be able to understand me now.


    And I am happy enough or too happy as long as they understand me.


    I hope the other people would look only at the results, not at me.


    It¡¯s easy to understand for everyone, since I¡¯m giving shape to the finished product.


    I then spent three weeks, eighteen days to be exact, with three days off in between, working on the sword.


    All the energy I have for the day was poured into the steel through my hammering, so much so that in the beginning, Nonna would worry about me every time I returned to the inn.


    Well, as a matter of fact, she understood that I was putting a lot of energy into my work and took care of me in various ways at the inn.


    She worked hard to bring the hot water for me to cleanse my sweat, and she gave me a little extra food without her mother scolding her.


    Each one was a trivial thing, but the sight of a girl who cared for me in such a way gave me motivation.


    I swung and finished a steel straight sword nine times today, and deliver it with satisfaction.


    The blacksmiths¡¯ guild officials were effusive in their praise of my workmanship, but such praise was falling on deaf ears at the moment.


    Yes, I¡¯m completely burned out now.


    Mentally, I don¡¯t want to do anything for about three days, and I think I will probably stay in my room at the inn in those three days and do nothing.


    I feel a pleasant mixture of fatigue and satisfaction, and now I want to immerse myself in it.


    It seems that the reward will be paid after a careful evaluation, but even that doesn¡¯t matter anymore.


    Maybe when I get better, I¡¯ll be happy with the evaluation again, and I¡¯ll be grateful for the money.


    Once I¡¯ve received my reward, I¡¯ll go eat cake again with Nonna.


    I also feel like my brain is craving the sweetness of whipped cream.


    More than anything else, she took care of me a lot this time.


    If I at least treat her to something sweet, I¡¯m sure I won¡¯t get punished.


    ¡­¡­Ah, ah, but I thought it was a bit lonely that Asvald, my fucking dwarf master, couldn¡¯t see that straight steel sword, and Kaeha couldn¡¯t swing it.


    Even though that is much more attractive compared to the reward of a large number of gold coins.

 CH 4.38

    Journey and Whim


    Translated by Mlzkzr


    Edited by Mlzkzr


    The work was satisfactory and the reward was unbeatable, which was ten large gold coins, but I stayed a little too long in the town of Janpemon.


    That¡¯s why, after finishing a big job, I spent most of the three days sleeping, then spent the next four days playing with the girl at the inn, Nonna, and sightseeing in the town to recover my energy, before deciding to depart.


    I don¡¯t have much time to spare because I¡¯ve used up too much of it.


    If I took it too easy any longer, I and Airena, an elf of my acquaintance, would pass each other.


    In that case, I don¡¯t want to think too much about what kind of action the worried Airena will take.


    To reach Odine, the land of magic, I need to pass through a few more cities.


    It would be a shame to rush through a town without seeing the scenery, even if I didn¡¯t go there for a leisurely stay.


    Therefore, the time I have for the town of Janpemon has already been used up.


    Nonna seemed a little sad when I told her of my departure, but she is also the innkeeper¡¯s daughter, so she is used to meeting and parting with people.


    I understand that this is not necessarily a farewell in this lifetime,


    ¡°See you later!¡±


    Then I said with a smile.


    Nonna is a good businesswoman, too, because if I were to say so, I would be tempted to stop by this town again and stay at this inn the next time.


    And so, I leave the town of Janpemon and walk along the road northeast pass through the territory of the Travoia Principality, toward Odine, the country of magic.


    The troublesome thing about traveling in this world was that the only way to get information about the road ahead was to talk to someone.


    It¡¯s not like the concept of a map or an actual map doesn¡¯t exist, but most such items are strictly controlled by the state.


    At least for a drifter like me, it¡¯s not something I can easily get.


    Of course, if it is a place where I have lived for a long time, for example, in my case the Kingdom of Ludria, I¡¯ve lived there for more than ten years, so I can conjecture the shape and size of the land up to the extent of the surrounding countries.


    That¡¯s why when I left the Kingdom of Rudria for the Republic of Virestrika, I walked through the forest and forced my way through Paulogia.


    However, if I tried to do the same thing in a group of small states, I would definitely get lost.


    The city roads that bypass mountains and forests sometimes seem redundant, but in the end, walking along the road in a straightforward manner is probably the fastest way to get there.


    At the end of the road to the northeast was the Kingdom of Ardeno, a small country with only one city.


    The name of the city it owns is also Ardeno, which is easy to remember and has a favorable impression.


    If I head further north on the road from Ardeno, I will reach Fokka, a city in the Republic of Zia, a country with a large lake, also known as the land of water jugs.


    From Fokka, if I take a boat ride north on the lake, I should find myself in Ruronte, a city of the Republic of Zia, on the opposite shore.


    The name of the lake is also Lake Zia, and the Republic of Zia made a vow to live with this lake and named the country after it.


    And if I take the northeast road from Ruronte, I will find Odine, which is my destination.


    The names of towns and countries are complicated if put side by side, but in terms of distance, they are not that far away.


    It takes some time for me to walk, but the distance from city to city is about two or three days on foot.


    Of course, if I use a carriage, it would be possible to travel from city to city within the same day.


    Well, yup.


    I will definitely refuse that since I get nauseated, though.


    I continued walking along the road, making stops along the way, and when I was probably close to Ardeno, the city of the Kingdom of Ardeno, I could see apple trees standing even in a row from the roadside.


    Yes, the Ardeno Kingdom is a country where fruit production is prosperous.


    Several farmers roam among the fruit trees, harvesting and tending the trees.


    I wonder if it noticed my curious gaze.


    One of the fruit trees not far from the road asked if I needed some apples.


    I¡¯m thirsty from all the walking I¡¯ve been doing, so I really appreciate the offer, but ¡­¡­ I smiled and shook my head.


    To that fruit tree, every apple is a part of itself, and that is definitely true, but to the farmer who takes care of it, it is a different story.


    Even if I got permission from a fruit tree to get an apple, I would still look like a thief to the fruit growers.


    In this area, there was a difference in sense between humans and high elves that could not be bridged.


    Naturally, it was between plants and humans.


    But still, the large number of fruit trees that grow here live leisurely and are cared for by human hands.


    Seeing such a scene makes me kind of happy and joyful.


    But then it happened.


    I heard a loud bang and screams carried by the wind on the other side of the row of fruit trees.


    When I looked there, I saw apple trees that had been crushed and reaped, and a huge wild boar that had poked its head into the trees and was devouring the fruits.


    Compared to the trees in the forest, the apple trees seemed a little slender, but still not soft enough to be crushed and broken by a single physical hit if the other party was an ordinary boar.


    Hence, now, the fruit trees are pressed down and folded for it to be able to eat the fruits,


    ¡°I,it¡¯s a Greed Boar. Someone, call an adventurer from town!!¡±


    Yes, it was a Greed Boar just like that scream.


    In other words, it is a kind of monster that boasts of physical strength and a huge body that cannot be compared to an ordinary boar.

 CH 4.39

    Journey and Whim


    Translated by Mlzkzr


    Edited by Mlzkzr


    Monsters, are beasts that have changed under the influence of a power called magic(mana), or from their descendants.


    Most are larger and more powerful than the beasts they hail from, but that doesn¡¯t necessarily mean they are evil.


    Magic(mana) itself was also a kind of power that existed in nature.


    So to speak, a monster can be said to be the evolved form of a beast that has taken on magic power.


    But although I said they are not evil, many monsters are rabid.


    Because they are strong.


    The pride that no ordinary creature could defeat them made the monsters arrogant and belligerent.


    Hence, to protect their lives, people need adventurers skilled in battle who can defeat such monsters and reduce their numbers.


    ¡­¡­Nonetheless, it seems that the adventurer won¡¯t be able to make it in time at this rate.


    The Greedboar must have felt annoyed with the farmers, who could not leave the place because they were worried about the fruit trees, even though they should have quickly fled.


    It paused its eating, turned its angry eyes on them, and is beginning to kick the ground in a gruff, threatening manner.


    If the Greed Boar attacks as it is, the consequences will be a tragedy.


    I was forced to leave my load on the ground, took out my bow, and readied my arrows.


    I¡¯m not saying that Greed boar is guilty of something.


    I think it wandered out of the forest and moved on to this place with its curiosity, only to find out, by chance, that there¡¯s an abundance of food and a row of fruit trees here.


    It is impossible to tell beasts and monsters that do not know and understand the human world not to eat the food in front of them.


    But still, that Greed boar must be hunted.


    If a monster were to come close to attack me during my trip, I could try to deceive it and let it pass by and send it away.


    In fact, if I sense the presence of monsters during my travels, I try to hide and get away from them.


    However, since it was targeting the farmers, the only way to stop it was to hunt it.


    With a hyu sound, I released the arrow.


    The arrow I shot did not miss its aim and pierced the left front leg of the Greed Boar from the side.


    It has a thick and hard skin of a monster that can repel even iron arrows depending on the angle.


    However, the arrowhead of the arrow I just fired was specially made by sharpening the fangs of a Gran wolf, which is also a monster.


    Depending on the skill of the archer, it will even pierce the bones of monsters.


    The sudden pain and immobility of its left front leg stopped the Greed boar¡¯s rush.


    Its eyes burn with anger as it catches the hateful person who hurt it, in other words, me.


    But now that it has seen me, the uproar it has caused is over.


    Another arrow, which I aimed and fired at it, also pierced between the Greed Boar¡¯s eyebrows, and the skull underneath it, and reached its brain.


    No matter how high the vitality of a Greed Boar is, if its brain is destroyed, it will die.


    It can no longer command its body to move, so its breathing and heart will stop.


    Some monsters have multiple brains ¡­¡­ ah, no, there are other species of creatures, not just monsters, that have more than one brain, so one can never be too careful, but the sight of its fallen figure means that the Greed boar was stopped completely.


    In case you are wondering, the creatures with multiple brains other than monsters are the octopus, which I ate the other day, the thing they called eight-legs in this world.


    Something like having one brain on one leg.


    Well, let¡¯s leave it at that. From here on out, it¡¯s a race against time.


    This time, I killed a Greed boar.


    However, even though it was meant to save the people, the death of the Greed boar would be useless if it just ended with its kill.


    Therefore, I have the responsibility to peel off the Greed Boar¡¯s skin, eat and digest its flesh, and turn it into my own flesh and blood.


    ¡­¡­ I want to eat it in the name of that, but I have to eat it anyway.


    Even the peeled skins can be tanned and made into cloaks and boots.


    That was my nature, my style.


    If I can, I will eat the prey I hunted.


    Even if it cannot be eaten, I would strip off their skins, tusks, and other usable materials and put them to use in some way.


    I don¡¯t want to make killing it futile, because I don¡¯t want it to become something that won¡¯t be of use.


    I must do the dismantling of the Greed Boar as quickly as possible.


    Of course, if that were the case, then there would be nothing in the world that is useless.


    When a living creature dies, its soul returns to the cycle of reincarnation, and even if its body is not eaten, it will eventually turn into dirt.


    People, beasts, and monsters are no different, and from the world¡¯s point of view, their life and death have no meaning, yet none of their existence is in vain.


    ¡­¡­ If I think like the wind spirit, my nature and manners would be nothing more than sentimentality.


    After all, I¡¯m an oddball, so I didn¡¯t like being so divisive.


    I wonder if the High Elves of the Deep Forest would say that since human life and monster¡¯s life are no different, there is no point in getting recklessly involved with them.


    ¡°O,ooh! I¡¯m sorry, you, saved us!¡±


    The farmer, who was being intimidated by the Greed boar, finally grasped the situation and came running toward me while thanking me.


    I put my bow away, pack my luggage, and head for the Greed boar.


    ¡°I¡¯m glad you¡¯re safe. Err, I apologize for being rude, but I want to dismantle the prey I hunted and cool the meat, so I¡¯m going to have to go to a watering hole¡­¡­ I¡¯d appreciate it if you could help me carry it, though¡±


    I was happy to hear that he was safe, and I asked him for a favor, although it was a bit brazen of me to say so.


    Because it seems impossible for me to carry it alone.


    Even though the Greed boar has ravaged the area, we are still in the orchard.


    If I were to dismantled it and blood flowed beside the trees that the farmers were painstakingly caring for, they would never feel good.


    ¡°Oh, I got it. I¡¯ll bring the trolley, so please wait a moment. It is such a big one. Surely, it¡¯s better to dismantle it in a hurry.¡±


    So with that, the farmer agrees to my request, and even lends me a trolley.


    I can¡¯t eat it all by myself anyway, so I¡¯ll share the meat from the Greed Boar with the farmers as a thanks for the trolley.


    In order to split the hard monster¡¯s skin, I pulled out a large knife carved out of the Gran wolf¡¯s fangs, just like with the arrowhead.


    I guess the menu for tonight would be Greed boar¡¯s steak.


    I think I¡¯d like to eat the wild boar¡¯s meat in a pot, but there is no miso around here, at least not in this area.


    Mountain lodge, hot spring, hot pot dishes with wild vegetables and wild boar meat¡­¡­ Is there a place in this world where I can satisfy the extravagant desires that have suddenly occurred to me?


    The world is a big place, and High Elves have a long life span, so if there is one, I would like to go looking for it, or so I think.

 CH 4.40

    Journey and Whim


    Translated by Mlzkzr


    Edited by Mlzkzr


    ¡°Now, Acer-san, eat a lot. You are our lifesaver!¡±


    At night, I was invited to the home of Azirte, one of the farmers I had saved during the day, where I was treated to a meal prepared by his wife.


    The menu is very generous, and the first thing that catches my eyes is the platter of spare ribs from the Greed boar with a generous amount of apple sauce.


    Apples not only tenderize the meat, but also suppress its odor.


    Above all, of course, it makes it taste good.


    The other dishes include an apple pie, a Greed boar ground beef meat pie, and a rather surprising apple soup.


    Furthermore, with a sweet cider, yes, it really was a luxurious feast.


    The reason I was invited to Azirte¡¯s house was that I turned down the reward for defeating a Greed boar that the farmers tried to offer me.


    Because I¡¯m not an adventurer, and I didn¡¯t kill the Greed boar for money.


    If someone is about to be killed by a monster in front of me and I can do something about it, I will help them, regardless of whether they are rich or poor.


    Ah, I might abandon them if they are obviously not some people I should be helping, or if they are likely to be detrimental to me or my surroundings.


    Of course, I don¡¯t deny the notion that adventurers get rewards for helping people, and I think it¡¯s actually a good thing.


    I simply wanted to say that I am not an adventurer now and that I didn¡¯t hunt the Greed boar for money.


    I am not a professional monster exterminator; I am just a hunter who happened to pass by and killed his prey.


    However, the farmers, especially Azirte, who seemed to be the organizer of the group, did not feel comfortable with this and invited me to their house, at least for the duration of my stay in the town of Ardeno.


    It was neither a mountain inn nor a potluck, but Azirte¡¯s hospitality was warm and the food was wonderful.


    The greed boar spare ribs had a very strong umami flavor, but thanks to the apple sauce, I didn¡¯t feel the heaviness.


    No, well, there are some quirks, but it was more in the range of my preference.


    The apples have a similar flavor to the Apua fruit, and were considered one of the favorite fruits of elves.


    But when it is cooked in this manner, it shows a completely different charm, even though it is indeed an apple.


    I stuff my stomach with the food with gusto, not to the point of being crude, but with enthusiasm.


    Since I¡¯ve been traveling, I¡¯ve had so many more opportunities to eat delicious food, so I¡¯m really happy.


    ¡°Hahaha, I¡¯m glad to hear that my wife¡¯s cooking suits your palate. Since I didn¡¯t know what the elves liked.¡±


    His wife also laughed at Azirte¡¯s bright words.


    That said, I eat most things, so I¡¯m probably not going to be of any help in figuring out the tastes of picky elves and high elves for them.


    However, many elves will be delighted with this kind of apple dish.


    Judging from the lavish entertainment, the size of the house, and the interior design, Azirte seems to be reasonably wealthy.


    Apparently, fruit farming is very profitable.


    This means that the town of Ardeno, whose main industry is fruit cultivation, or the Kingdom of Ardeno itself, is rich.


    Of course, that is a bit of a stretch for a country of its size.


    The next day, I thank Azirte and leave his house and the town of Ardeno.


    I¡¯ve been repeatedly stopped by people who want me to stay here longer, but¡­¡­ this may sound strange, but it¡¯s smarter to leave while they are still stopping me.


    A life in which one is so dependent on others for food, clothing, and shelter is something that one does not experience so many times, and I know firsthand that too much dependence would become a habit.


    Besides, more than anything else, I want to process the skin of the Greed boar I carry on my back.


    According to Azirte, between this Ardeno and Focca, the next city of the Zia Republic, there is a village named Parnor, where I would be heading next.


    The village belongs to the Republic of Zia, not the Kingdom of Ardeno.


    It was said that Parnor is located on the shores of a river that flows out of Lake Ziar, from which the Republic of Ziar takes its name.


    And in the village of Parnor, cloth dyeing, and tanning hides are carried out using the abundant water of the river.


    I had heard somewhere that one of the processes of tanning hides is to expose them to the flow of a river, or river soaking.


    Perhaps, it was at the time I was working as a blacksmith in the Kingdom of Ludria.


    I have actually handled leather materials that have been tanned many times.


    For example, it can be wrapped around the grip of a sword, attached to a shield, stretched on the inside of metal armor, or sewn into leather armor.


    Therefore, once the tanning process is complete, I can consider the use of the skin of the Greed boar when I have time.


    It is the skin of a large, hard monster, so it could be used in any number of ways.


    From the town of Ardeno to the village of Parnor, it takes a day on foot.


    From the village of Parnor to the town of Focca, it is still a day¡¯s walk as well.


    I made a request to tan Greed boar skin in the village of Parnor, where I stayed only one night, and headed for Focca.


    I was actually interested in the process of tanning hides, but in a big town, they would just be skeptical, but in a small village, they would be sensitive to the leakage of techniques that were passed down from generation to generation.


    I can¡¯t bother the villagers of Parnor because I¡¯m going to entrust them with the skin of a big prey I caught.


    And if I really do want to learn it, I can just become an apprentice at a leather workshop in a larger town.


    After more than ten years of living in human society, one can learn to care for others to that extent.


    Well, after that, yes, it was time.


    Careful tanning of a hide can take several months at most.


    As expected, even for me to have such a long time¡­¡­ I can wait for it if I¡¯m not in the middle of my journey, but I couldn¡¯t wait a bit now, so I had no choice but to give priority to heading to Odine, the country of magic.


    I have no choice but to decide where to stay in Odine and come back to this village of Parnor after spending a few months there, or ask a merchant or hire an adventurer to pick up the leather.


    So, although I am a little sad to leave it behind, I will leave the skins of the Greed Boar in the village of Parnor and continue my journey, looking forward to seeing it again in its leather form.

 CH 4.41

    Journey and Whim


    Translated by Mlzkzr


    Edited by Mlzkzr


    ¡°Uwah, that¡¯s amazing. This still isn¡¯t the ocean, right¡±


    Moved by the sight of the horizon even though it was inland, I plunge my hand into the lake and wash my face.


    The water was not salty as I thought, and it made me realize that this is not the sea, but a freshwater lake.


    The main industry of the Republic of Zia is water transportation, using the Lake Zia, from which it takes its name, and the rivers that flow into and out of it.


    Anywhere in the group of small nations¡­¡­., although it¡¯s nothing like that as expected, the Zia Republic plays a significant role in distribution within the group of small nations.


    Both the wheat of the Principality of Travoia and the fruits of the Kingdom of Ardeno are transported by boat from the nearby river to the Republic of Zia, where they are scattered throughout the group of small nations.


    In other words, the Zia Republic is characterized by its thriving commerce as a transit point.


    As I walk along the river from the village of Parnor, I come across a large lake, the Lake Zia, and from there, a two-hour walk along the road along the lake would bring me to the town of Focca.


    My identification to enter the town is, as usual, the senior blacksmith certificate and a document with delivery history and evaluation given by the blacksmith¡¯s union of the Principality of Travoia.


    If I only showed them the senior blacksmith certificate, they would treat me as an outsider with good blacksmithing skills, but if I present them with documents showing my delivery history, I will be treated as an outsider who may be useful to the group of small states.


    In short, it increases my credibility.


    Of course, it¡¯s not like you¡¯d get that document for every job, as it was something like a letter of appreciation from the blacksmiths¡¯ union of the Principality of Travoia.


    It will be a great proof of identity, provided that it is within a small group of nations.


    The fee required to enter the town of Focca was a small amount, just ten copper coins.


    Moreover, if you take a boat from here and move to Ruronte, there is no need to pay a tax to enter the town.


    But the traveler I shared a meal with at a bar in Focca was mumbling and complaining that the amount was added to the lake crossing fare by the boat anyway.


    I don¡¯t know the actual situation, but, well, it¡¯s not an impossible story.


    But I also think that they dare to keep the taxes, or tariffs, on the comings and goings of the town low in order to stimulate commerce.


    Lower tariffs will increase the flow of people and goods, increase the amount of money that falls into the town, and ultimately increase tax revenues.


    This is the kind of policy that a country whose main industry is water transportation would take.


    This is the kind of policy that a country whose main industry is water transportation would take.


    For what it¡¯s worth, I have no intention of staying in Focca for long.


    I have avoided boats going on rivers in the past for fear of getting seasick, but ¡­¡­ as expected, Lake Zia is too big for me to go around and proceed.


    From Focca to Ruronte, if I set sail with the boat in the morning, I will arrive in the evening.


    However, once the sun sets, there is no way to resist the monsters that live in the lake, so boats only leave Focca for Ruronte in the morning.


    The lake crossing fare by boat was three silver coins, which was indeed expensive.


    It¡¯s a price that I can understand that travelers sharing a table at a bar can complain about.


    However, since the boat will also carry a rower to ensure speed and an armed escort, it is a price that can¡¯t be helped.


    Even if the price is cheap, if the boat is slow and there is no escort, there is a possibility that the boat will be attacked by monsters and fall into the lake, and if that happens, there is no way out of it.


    If you really want to save money, you can bypass Lake Zia, although it is very troublesome.


    Once I decide to get on board, the only thing left to do is to pluck my courage.


    After I paid the ferry fare and boarded the boat, I was guided to one of the seats prepared in the center.


    The edges of the ship are in danger of being attacked by lake monsters, so apparently, passengers are gathered in the center like this to protect them.


    The boat, floating on the water, was already swaying a little before it left the port, but it didn¡¯t make me feel uncomfortable.


    Then, when it is time for the boat to leave, drums are sounded at the stern of the boat in a steady rhythm of ¡°dong, dong¡±.


    The rowers row their oars in unison to the rhythm of the drums.


    As the strong men rowed with all their might, the boat¡¯s speed increased so rapidly that I could feel the wind in front of me.


    It was a lot faster and much more fun than I had imagined.


    I hear the voice of the spirit of the wind frolicking in my ears.


    The wind on the lake is cool, which is very pleasant.


    The surrounding scenery is also excellent, and the way the sunlight reflects off the lake is something I could watch forever and never get tired of.


    Perhaps it is thanks to this sense of openness.


    I didn¡¯t feel any discomfort like when I was riding in a carriage.


    Don, don, the sound of the drum continues to ring without stopping.


    Whatever that drumming is, it¡¯s not just to get the rowers in rhythm, but also to keep cautious monsters away and draw the attention of belligerent ones to the drummers at the stern of the boat.


    Therefore, the drummer is the bravest and most capable of the sailors, and he attracts the attention of the monsters, preventing them from attacking unexpected places.


    If it were not for the sound of the drums, the monsters would target the rowers or attack the bottom of the boat.


    Because if that happens, in the worst-case scenario, the boat could even sink.


    The drummers put themselves on the line to attract the attention of the monsters and also the honor of the other sailors.


    In addition, by narrowing down the area where the monsters could attack, it would also make it easier for the escorts to do their duties.


    Protecting the entire boat would be a challenge, but if they knew it was the drummers who were going to be attacked, there¡¯s less attention to be paid.


    ¡­¡­Nevertheless, there is nothing better than not being attacked by monsters, so the drummers and rowers keep the boat moving toward the destination without resting their hands at all.


    Then, when the sky turned red, the ship arrived at Ruronte, on the opposite shore of Focca.


    Ruronte is a twin city of Focca, and the structure of the town is almost identical.


    The two cities are designed to be symmetrical across the lake.


    There is the public facilities such as ports and town halls, of course, but even the warehouses and shipyards of their Chamber of Commerce are in the same location and have the same shape, which makes me feel somewhat paranoid.


    After all, the same places that had lodging in Focca also had such lodging in Ruronte.


    Therefore, there is nothing new in Ruronte that I want to see, and after spending the night, I left the town early and headed for Odine.


    I have no regrets, though I feel that I could have seen a bit more of the area if I had not been too relaxed in the town of Janpemon.


    Looking back, it seems like it was a really good trip.


    In the distance, a walled city with many tall spires comes into view.


    Powerful magicians from small nations, people called mages, are said to flaunt their presence by living in the spires.


    In other words, that was Odine, the land of magic.


    The destination of my trip is just around the corner.

 CH 5.42

    The Blacksmith, the Magician, and Winged Bird*


    Translated by Mlzkzr


    Edited by Mlzkzr


    (TN: The kanji used in the title can also mean happily married couple)


    Odine, the country of magic, well, the name of the city is also Odine, but this is a city for magic created by the nations of the small nations.


    It is a bit of an old story, but before the cities of this region became independent and formed a group of city-states, there existed a great power in this region called the Azuedda Empire.


    Then, like most of the great powers, the Azuedda Empire also seems to have had a number of institutions dedicated to the study of magic, in short, magic academies.


    Before the fall of the Azuedda Empire, however, authoritarianism was rampant in those magic academies, and the institute¡¯s function as a place of learning and research became inadequate.


    The Azuedda empire itself was on the verge of collapse, and a school of magic where authoritarianism was rampant could not possibly be healthy in such an environment.


    Therefore, one after another, the cities became independent, the Azuedda Empire collapsed, and after the group of small states was established, the existing Academy of Magic was dismantled.


    And when the new city of magic, Odine, was built, it was said that looking back on the failures of the Academy of Magic in the past, it was decided that Odine should be a city of magic and should be made a wide-open place.


    So while Odine was a city and country built and maintained with funds from the nations of the group of small states, it was also relatively tolerant and open to people from other regions.


    In other areas, citizenship is required, and on top of that, there are many magic academies that require high taxes, or you have to be a noble or similar status to attend.


    However, even in Odine, which is considered an open magic city, not everyone can learn magic.


    That¡¯s because, in the first place, it is said that in order to use magic, one must have enough magic power to meet the conditions of use and the talent to interfere with the magic power inside the body.


    If the test shows that a student lacks such magic power and talent, even if they¡¯re in Odine, they won¡¯t be able to learn magic.


    So the next day after arriving in Odine and spending a relaxing night at the inn, I went to the town hall to take an aptitude test for magic power.


    Taking the magic aptitude test and feeling it¡¯s like a real fantasy makes my heart beat faster.


    But if I was told that I don¡¯t have the aptitude for this, what would I do then?


    I had never expected such a thing at all before, and now I¡¯m starting to get worried.


    To tell the truth, I don¡¯t have much knowledge about magic in this world.


    You may be thinking, ¡°I came all the way to this faraway place to study magic, what am I talking about now?¡±, but 90% of my reason for coming here is simply admiration.


    According to what I have heard, magic is a technique that uses the energy called magic power in a person¡¯s body and a technique called a formula to give it directionality and produce the phenomena they desired.


    Although the explanation is not very clear, the person who told me this story probably told it to me as he had heard it from someone else.


    In case you are wondering, there are four kinds of arts that can exert this kind of supernatural power, or magic in terms of knowledge of my previous life, as far as I know.


    The first is the technique of borrowing the power of spirits, Spirit Arts.


    The second is the miracle that is caused by mental strength and strong faith developed through rigorous training, the things called Divine Arts and Law Arts.


    The third is magic which uses a technique called a formula to inscribe in one¡¯s own body¡¯s magic power.


    The fourth is not of inside the body, but of outside the body; it¡¯s Senjutsu*, a magic that causes phenomena by interfering with the magic power found in nature. (TN: If you watch Naruto, then you¡¯ll know. It¡¯s the power that can be gotten in nature)


    Well, I¡¯ll avoid explaining each of these techniques because it would be too tedious right now, but magic is probably the only thing that can be clearly called a technique among these four.


    The spirit arts, after all, are just asking the spirits to do something, and the Divine Arts and Law Arts, as far as I was shown by Martena, a female priestess of my acquaintance, were probably some kind of supernatural ability


    As for the last one, I can¡¯t say anything about Senjutsu, other than the fact that there are a very small number of users of it at the farthest east, and I only know it by its name.


    When I told the town hall the purpose of my visit, a middle-aged man, who must have been a veteran staff member, was extremely surprised.


    In any case, since he started working at the town hall, and¡­¡­ perhaps even since the city of Odine was built, I guess this was the first time he witnessed an elf coming to take a magic aptitude test.


    In the first place, it¡¯s rare for elves to visit this Odine itself.


    I was a bit curious, so I asked him for more details, and he told me that dwarves have come for aptitude tests for magic three times since this male staff started working there, and more than ten times since the construction of Odine, according to the records.


    In the field of magic, there are tools called magic tools, which are inscribed with a formula and into which magic power is channeled in order to cause a phenomenon.


    It is said that the dwarves tried to learn magic in order to adapt such techniques to the weapons and armors they make.


    Unfortunately, there are only two dwarves who have ever had an aptitude for magic, one left the town decades ago, and the other several years ago and is no longer in Odine.


    Also, the magic tools themselves are a skill that is not considered very important among magicians.


    In order to use the magic tool, magic power must flow into the tool inscribed with the formula, which means that the magic power necessary to activate the magic and the talent to interfere with it, in short, the aptitude for magic, are required.


    Therefore, magic tools cannot be handled by ordinary people and are therefore not distributed.


    That said, many magicians believe that it is quicker to perform magic by themselves rather than engraving the formula on a tool.


    ¡­¡­It was truly, truly a sad story.


    Just listening to what he just said, I can¡¯t bear to make a magic sword anymore.


    As we talked about this, I followed the instructions of the male staff member, and in my left and right hands, a metal I didn¡¯t know, yes, it was a metal that I, as a blacksmith, didn¡¯t know! ¡­¡­I brought the tips of the two sticks together.


    Then, with a snap, a spark was produced at the tip of the stick.


    And when the male staff member saw this, he nodded in satisfaction.


    Apparently, now we know my aptitude for magic.


    I was told that this metal rod is something that pulls the holder¡¯s magic power, and that the sparks now were caused by my magic power.


    A person who does not have the talent to interfere with the magic in their body is a person who has a hard-type magic power in their body, and this metal rod cannot pull the magic out of someone like that.


    And even if it could pull out their magic power, if the amount is small, it would not spark as it does now.


    Furthermore, it is said that the size of the sparks and the distance between the sticks when they disperse can determine the ease of movement and amount of a person¡¯s magic power.


    In other words, yes, I had an unquestionable aptitude for magic.


    Yay


    No.


    To be honest, I¡¯m really, really happy.


    I was so happy that I couldn¡¯t help but shake the hand of the male staff member.


    I would very much like to have this metal rod for future study.


    I tried to negotiate with the male employee to see if I could buy it, but he looked very troubled, so I gave up after about five minutes of persistence.


    No, it really bothers me tremendously, but, well, if I did study magic here in Odine, I will probably see this metal rod again somewhere.


    Finally, the male official also states.


    ¡°The power of magic right now is no match for the power displayed by spirits. Therefore, for you who can borrow the power of the spirit to learn magic¡­¡­ I think jealousy and resentment will follow. But Odine is a city for those who study magic. If you have any problems, please feel free to contact us. I welcome you, Acer-san.¡±


    ¡­¡­and so.


    That¡¯s how my life began in Odine, the land of magic, where I aspired to become a magician.

 CH 5.43

    The Blacksmith, the Magician, and Winged Bird*


    Translated by Mlzkzr


    Edited by Mlzkzr


    (TN: The kanji used in the title can also mean happily married couple)


    Once, when I was saying goodbye to my blacksmith mentor, Azvald, the fucking Dwarf-shishou, he asked me what I was going to do next.


    At that time, I think I answered that I intended to learn swordsmanship and magic.


    And I remember Asvald saying something like, ¡ºYou can borrow the power of spirits, why magic¡».


    I didn¡¯t understand what he meant at the time, but in hindsight, he must have had some knowledge about both spirits and magic.


    I realize the words of the male employee at the town hall the other day, in my first week in Odine.


    When all of the mages I met with the intention of applying to become their apprentice told them that I wanted to learn magic, their eyes more or less became tinge with hostility.


    Both Asvald, the master blacksmith, and Kaeha, the master swordswoman, initially turned down my offer of an apprenticeship.


    But even so, the reason I clung to them, begged them, and became their disciple was because they didn¡¯t hold any kind of hostility toward me even though they had refused.


    Of course, it¡¯s not just that, I fell in love with their skills and felt a sense of destiny, but even so, if they had hated me from the bottom of their hearts, I would not have thought of forcing myself to become their apprentice.


    Maybe, surely, probably.


    ¡­¡­ and that¡¯s why I can¡¯t seem to get an apprenticeship.


    In Odine, the land of magic, there are two ways to learn magic.


    One is to study under one of the magicians, which I gave up on earlier.


    Only when a magician has trained an outstanding pupil does he attain the position of a mage, a position of great honor.


    By increasing the number of excellent magicians, they are seen as having contributed to the world of magic.


    In order to return the favor they received from their master, the apprentice then shares the knowledge gained through their own research with their master after becoming a full-fledged one.


    Of course, this is a one-way relationship, and the knowledge acquired by the master through their own research will not be given to their disciple.


    Of course, many teachers will pass on their own research results to their disciples and leave them to future generations, but there are exceptions among them.


    For example, there is a story that a mage who had multiple apprentices left everything he had researched to one apprentice and nothing to the other apprentices.


    Well, even if it wasn¡¯t in the world of magic, it was a story that could be found everywhere if there was a teacher-student relationship.


    Even though the knowledge gained by the apprentice is shared with their master, it is quite normal for the apprentice to keep one or two skills secret and hidden.


    And another way, the second method, was, yes, to attend the three magic academies in Odine.


    The first of the three magic academies is the Academy of Military Magic, where students not only learn magic, but also study tactics to apply it to warfare.


    The second is the Academy of Anti-Magic Tactics, where aspiring magicians who plan to work as adventurers learn magic to fight monsters and how to protect themselves.


    The third is the Basic Magic Academy for those who cannot enter the above two magic academies.


    First of all, the Academy of Military Magic is a school of magic to supply the countries of the small states group with magicians as a fighting force, which was also the purpose for which this Odine was originally built.


    It is, so to speak, the most important school of magic here in Odine.


    However, it is said that only those who have citizenship in the small group of states can enter this military magic academy, and after graduation, they are required to serve in the military for a certain period of time in the country where they have the citizenship.


    Of course, the salary paid to the magicians is not comparable to that of ordinary soldiers, and they are treated with respect as important personnel and rise quickly through the ranks of the military.


    In short, it was an elite course that allows no mishaps, making it an institute of magic that has no relation to me.


    Next is the Academy of Anti-Magic Tactics, which is a magic academy that trains magicians to be adventurers, and after graduation, students are required to be active as adventurers in the group of small nations for three years.


    Well, at this point, it¡¯s a place that has nothing to do with me, but to explain it simply, just having one magician in an adventurer¡¯s team greatly expands the tactics of the team and stabilizes their actions.


    However, magic is a special skill that cannot be used without the aptitude, and there are not many people who have them.


    Therefore, there was always a shortage of magicians among adventurers, and in fact, I knew not a few adventurers, but only a few of them were magicians.


    The small states took notice of this, and by training magicians as adventurers in Odine, they attracted adventurers who wanted magicians as party members to the group of small states.


    They have them work within the group of small nations, greatly reducing the damage caused by monsters.


    Lastly, the Academy of Basic Magic does not have post-graduation stipends like the other magic academies, but instead, the tuition fee is significantly higher.


    And the content being taught there is, as the name implies, only the basics of magic.


    If they want to gain further knowledge about magic, they will still have to seek a master after graduation.


    In other words, none of them were subtly clear, or rather, the content was disappointing.


    If I just want to satisfy my curiosity about magic, the Academy of Basic Magic is the best choice, and the high tuition fee is not that much of a problem for me.


    Nevertheless,¡­¡­ yes, I¡¯ve come this far, and when I¡¯m told that there is only one choice I can make, I feel somewhat frustrated that I would honestly have to choose that.


    And above all, I don¡¯t feel any kind of a chance encounter.


    Well, I think that¡¯s how it¡¯s going to be.


    Even if I don¡¯t study here in Odine, I am sure I will make friends with excellent magicians in other places, and just knowing that I have an aptitude for magic is a sufficient accomplishment.


    That¡¯s why, in order to deal with this deflated feeling, let¡¯s do some blacksmithing for the time being.


    Anyway, I have to stay here for a while and wait for contact from my acquaintance, the elf Airena.


    Since it¡¯s a city dedicated to magic, the demand for weapons and armor is probably low, but it would be fun to mass-produce daily necessities such as pots and knives, or even nails, going back to the basics.


    As I can¡¯t help but become sulky, I visit the blacksmith¡¯s union in the town of Odine.


    I had no idea that this time, a fateful encounter would await me there.

 CH 5.44

    The Blacksmith, the Magician, and Winged Bird*


    Translated by Mlzkzr


    Edited by Mlzkzr


    (TN: The kanji used in the title can also mean happily married couple)


    ¡°Please, make me your apprentice!!!¡±


    It was in my third week of blacksmithing here in Odine that I was clutched by a young man in a robe at the blacksmith union.


    At first, I thought that only daily necessities would be in demand for my blacksmithing work, but surprisingly, the union only requests me to create weapons and armor.


    The Academy of Military Magic and Anti-magic Tactics Academy also teaches combat with weapons, so it¡¯s not like there¡¯s no demand for them.


    Also, regarding the production of daily necessities, they said that the town¡¯s blacksmiths will starve if it is stolen from them.


    Therefore, there is not much demand for weapons and armor, but at the same time, there are no skilled blacksmiths, so they wanted to take this opportunity of having a senior blacksmith in town to make as many high quality weapons and armor as possible.


    Ah, yup, that makes sense.


    Of course, I would not feel bad if someone asked me to do something like that, and I was in a good mood as I repeatedly delivered swords, axes, spears, and other weapons, first completing them and then delivering them.


    However, on that day, as soon as I entered the blacksmith union, a young man, a magician by the looks of him, rushed toward me, got down on one knee, bowed his head, and uttered the words that were just spoken.


    Not knowing what was going on, I was so overwhelmed by his momentum that I tried to take a step back, but the young man clung to my legs as if he would not let me go.


    If he had acted out of hostility, I would have kicked him to the ground and that would have been the end of it, but he was desperate, but his feelings toward me were not vicious at all.


    I was inwardly a little taken aback, but I calmly quieted them down for the time being and asked him about his situation.


    Now that I think about it, yes, up until now, when I requested to become someone¡¯s disciple, I would only step in as much as the other person would withdraw, and I have been able to force my way into an apprenticeship.


    Without realizing that we are doing the same thing, I involuntarily pull back and reach out to him and ask him what¡¯s going on.


    That¡¯s probably why at that time, my defeat had already been decided.


    Meeting the young man, Kauschmann Fiedel, was truly a fateful encounter, and I am only a little disappointed that it was he, and not me, who brought about that fate.


    Kauschmann is a full-fledged magician who has his own laboratory and atelier here in Odine.


    He¡¯s not as good as a magician living in the spire, but if he¡¯s a full-fledged magician under the age of twenty, he is more than good enough.


    And there is only one reason why such an excellent magician bowed his head to want to learn blacksmithing from me.


    It was because he wished to make a magic tool, a magic sword, that had a technique engraved on the weapon.


    Kauschmann, who was an apprentice until a few years ago, says he was the apprentice of a magician.


    The magician¡¯s name is Rajudol.


    A dwarven magician, who was very rare even here in Odine.


    Yes, he was one of the dwarves who has magic aptitude, as I had been told by the male official at the town hall.


    Rajudol had an atelier in this town, and it seems that he was conducting research into magic tools by engraving techniques on the weapons and accessories he made.


    Therefore, Kauschmann, who had such a dwarven magician as his teacher, also went on to study magic tools after mastering the art of magic.


    But a few years ago, Rajudol received a request from the Dwarven Nation to return to the country, so he left this town.


    Fortunately, Kauschman had already learned enough of the basics of magic, so he left him to study the rest on his own¡­¡­.


    After that, Kauschmann continued researching magic tools while engraving magic formulas on ready-made tools, until he was recognized as a full-fledged magician by Odine.


    Kauschman, however, was distressed by the comparison between himself and his mentor.


    Unlike his teacher Rajudol, Kauschman did not have the skills to make his own accessories or weapons.


    Rajudol returned to the land of the dwarves before he could pass on the technique, so the magic sword cannot be struck by Kauschman.


    Conflicted, conflicted, and still not seeing any way to resolve it,¡­¡­he saw the sword I struck at a certain place at that time.


    That¡¯s right, a sword forged with a technique that draws on the flow of the dwarves.


    Kauschman seems to have sensed fate in it.


    Even though he did not have the skill to strike it himself, he had an eye for discerning things, having looked up to the dwarf as his mentor.


    At first, he thought that a master craftsman from the Dwarves had come to town, and when he asked the blacksmith union for an introduction, he could not believe his ears when he heard that it was an elf who had forge it.


    However, there¡¯s the fact that my master was a dwarf mentioned in the senior blacksmith certificate that I showed to the blacksmith union, so Kauschman was convinced and thought that an elf who had learned from the dwarves and acquired dwarven skills would be able to pass these skills on to him as well.


    Therefore, Kauschman, not wanting to miss this opportunity, visited the blacksmiths¡¯ union on a daily basis and waited for my arrival.


    Ah, what can I say?


    My personal information is being leaked to the fullest extent huh.


    Well, in this world, it¡¯s no wonder since there is little concept of protecting personal information, though¡­¡­


    ¡°Please. I will do anything. I¡¯ll even pay you. I¡¯ll also do your chores, so please teach me that skill too.¡±


    I honestly understood his feelings about asking me to teach him that, as much as it hurt.


    Or rather, when I heard the details, Rajudor left this town almost at the same time as when I parted from Asvald, my fucking dwarf master, so it felt like we were destined there as well.


    Yes, I empathized with him.


    That¡¯s why, I think.


    I thought Kauschman was sneaky.


    Because if I teach him blacksmithing, ¡­¡­ well, it will probably take close to ten years, but Kauschman will be able to forge a magic sword.


    But no matter how I think about it, it¡¯s unfair that I can¡¯t forge a magic sword.


    Rather, yes, if he needed a magic sword, it would definitely be more efficient for him to teach me magic.


    I¡¯m sure it is.


    ¡­¡­Perhaps?


    But even if I thought so, it was not so long ago that I would honestly speak out and fight about it.


    I¡¯m clever now.


    The journey I have taken since leaving the Kingdom of Ludria has taught me that running forward in the dark is not the only way to achieve my goals.


    Just because I want to fulfill my purpose does not mean I have to deny other people¡¯s purpose.


    After all, Kauschman said earlier that he would do anything.


    ¡°Is that so. Then if you¡¯re willing to do anything, why don¡¯t you teach me magic. In magic tools, I ¡­¡­am also very interested in magic swords. In that case, maybe our terms are fair.¡±


    When I said that and held out my right hand, Kauschmann, who had bowed his head, looked up in surprise, blinked his eyes, and stared alternately at my face and my right hand.

 CH 5.45

    The Blacksmith, the Magician, and Winged Bird*


    Translated by Mlzkzr


    Edited by Mlzkzr


    (TN: The kanji used in the title can also mean happily married couple)


    Before dusk, I was brought to Kauschmann¡¯s atelier after leaving the inn.


    His atelier, which he inherited from his master, the dwarf Rajudol, was equipped with a forge.


    I feel a strange sense of nostalgia in that forge.


    Perhaps, yes, I feel the same atmosphere in this place as I did in that blacksmith forge in Vistkort in the Kingdom of Ludria.


    The furnace must have been left unburned for a long time, but the smithy was kept clean, which tells me that this place is very well cared for.


    That¡¯s why I, for one, felt some closeness with Kauschman.


    Even if he can¡¯t do blacksmithing, he who takes care of the smithy¡­¡­ No, he who can take care of the smithy even though he can¡¯t do blacksmithing will definitely become a good blacksmith.


    ¡°I will teach you blacksmithing. You will teach me magic. At the same time, each of us will cooperate in the creation of the magic sword by taking advantage of our respective areas of expertise. When we squabble, we fight fist to fist, Dwarf style¡­¡­ there¡¯s no problem in these conditions, right¡±


    Kauschman nodded at my confirmation and once again held out his right hand.


    And I also squeezed his hand back strongly.


    Now, I wouldn¡¯t go so far as to say that he and I share a common destiny, but we are important companions.


    The winds of destiny, which I have not felt at all since I came to Odine, are now blowing with great force.


    Unable to control my heart pounding in my chest, I lit the forge furnace.


    Because first and foremost, I am so happy to be able to work in this forge that even feels nostalgic.


    ¡°Well then, I¡¯m thinking of hitting something right away, but what¡¯s good? Kauschman, how far have you learned? What do you want to learn from?¡±


    I put the charcoal I bought at the blacksmith union into the furnace and watch for the mood of the spirit of fire.


    The fire spirit, who had been sleeping without a fire to dwell in for a long, long time, made a great big yawn.


    The surrounding air is sucked into the furnace, and the fire becomes stronger.


    The atmosphere in the forge changed dramatically when the furnace was set on fire.


    Yes, just as the spirit of fire was awakened, so did the forge.


    Slowly, the heat emanates and fills the room.


    Kauschman narrowed his eyes at the appearance of such a forge,


    ¡°Ah, no¡­¡­ anything, anything is fine. Right now, I just want to hear the sound of steel being struck.¡±


    What a nice answer to my question.


    He must have loved his Dwarf mentor for magic.


    Well, I like my shitty dwarf master even more than he does.


    No, yeah, rather than that kind of thing, what should I strike.


    ¡°I agree. ¡­¡­Then, first of all, yeah, I¡¯m going to strike the magic sword eventually, so let¡¯s start with a sword.¡±


    Kauschman¡¯s eyes lit up at my words.


    Just like a boy.


    I can understand what he wants to say, as if he can take it in my hand.


    And that feeling is by no means unpleasant at all.


    I am a blacksmith, Kauschman is a magician, and we are both birds with only one wing each.


    Before the goal of creating a magic sword, we had to fly in cooperation with each other.


    Yes, at least until they get the other¡¯s technology and become both wings of the team and aim for our own goals on our own and no longer need each other.


    And surely then we can be friends with each other.


    From the next day on, I spend my mornings learning magic from Kauschman.


    The first step is to interfere with the magic power in my own body.


    If I can¡¯t do this, no matter how much I learn magic, it would be useless, since I won¡¯t even be able to handle magic tools.


    But I¡¯ve already experienced that feeling once, during the aptitude test.


    If I try to reproduce it while remembering that, interfering with the magic power inside my body won¡¯t be that difficult.


    However, even after passing the aptitude test, it seems that there are many apprentices who stumble and take their time here, and Kauschman used to be one of them, and his eyes are a little complicated when he sees me who cleared it without any trouble.


    Well, I can¡¯t help it.


    Maybe before I say anything about me, High Elves are such unreasonable creatures.


    As for the differences between races, unless you are a god-like being, you can¡¯t do anything about it.


    By the way, once you have grasped the sensation of interfering with magic and pushing it out of the body, all you have to do is learn the technique.


    Then, speaking of what a technique is, it represents all the elements that affect magic power.


    Depending on the words, will, patterns, etc., the magic can be affected and altered, or attributes can be added.


    All of these things are called techniques.


    Err, for example, if one emits magic power with feelings of anger, the person who receives it will feel something like pressure.


    Unless you¡¯re a magician or someone who is naturally sensitive to magic power, you won¡¯t notice it when you¡¯re bathed in it.


    However, by adding a technique of anger to it, it was possible to apply a slight amount of physical pressure.


    Of course, there are many things other than emotions that can be used as a technique, such as the words one utters and the patterns engraved on objects.


    Magicians examine the effects of these and other techniques on magic, analyze the laws, record and accumulate them, and combine them to create magic.


    In other words, magic was a technique that was a crystallization of the accumulated efforts of the magicians who had gone before them.


    I can see why magicians dislike the art of spiritism, which is more effective than magic simply because it allows us to talk to spirits that we are born with.


    From their point of view, the elves who can borrow the power of the spirits would only look like cheaters.


    ¡°But it¡¯s like how I envy birds that can fly. It¡¯s like saying I¡¯m jealous of dragons that can breathe fire. You don¡¯t care about such petty jealousy. If you want to learn magic and you have the aptitude for it, then you can learn magic.¡±


    Kauschman told me this as he taught me the technique of making my magic power heat up, both using words and patterns.


    He is willing to disclose his knowledge to me.


    Yes, in the end, it was nothing more than a difference between races.


    Something that no one can do anything about.


    Then I don¡¯t have to worry about it at all.


    I became enthusiastic with Kauschman all over again.


    We took turns teaching each other blacksmithing and magic, while at the same time discussing what kind of magic sword would be ideal.


    Pursuing the true nature of the sword, the ideal would be a magic sword with enhanced sharpness.


    Or is it the feel of the strength of the magic sword that is sturdy, hard to break, and follows its owner without deteriorating.


    Or the fascination with the flashiness of a magic sword that emits flames.


    We innocently talked about such childish fantasies without getting bored.


    Because, yes, we¡¯re boys.


    We can¡¯t help but like, and love such a weapon full of romance.

 CH 5.46

    The Blacksmith, the Magician, and Winged Bird*


    Translated by Mlzkzr


    Edited by Mlzkzr


    I taught Kauschman blacksmithing, then he taught me magic, and after a while, I received a letter and a delivery.


    The letter, delivered by a traveling adventurer, was sent by Airena, an elf of my acquaintance


    It was a status report from her.


    First of all, regarding the situation in the Kingdom of Ludria, the royal family executed them all, claiming that the cause of the disturbance was the nobles who had enslaved the elves.


    They must have thought that otherwise, they would not be able to calm down the criticism of the people who were frightened by the earthquake.


    However, no apology was made to the elves, as the matter was the arbitrary action of the nobles and had nothing to do with the country.


    Well, the Kingdom of Ludria has its own face, so it is to be expected that they cannot bow down their heads there.


    The royal family should have guessed that the elves have disappeared from the country, but they probably haven¡¯t guessed what the consequences of that would be.


    The change will happen¡­¡­ maybe three to five years from now.


    By that time, even the elves who migrated would have gotten used to living in their new homes, so not all those who migrated would want to return to their original forests, which had changed.


    In other words, it was inevitable that the forests of the Kingdom of Ludria would become a nest of monsters in the future.


    That is very unfortunate, but without a formal apology from the royal family, the elves have already decided not to move.


    If we don¡¯t make it clear in the history of the Ludria Kingdom that it¡¯s become such a big deal that even the royal family apologized, a similar incident could happen again.


    So it will be nearly ten years, or even longer, before I can show my face to my sword master, Kaeha.


    But putting aside the inevitable big story, what is important to me is the rest of her story.


    Among the rescued enslaved elves, there was only one person who conceived a child.


    No, I don¡¯t know if this is really the right way to put it.


    ¡­¡­ Whether you consider a child as a gift or as a misfortune based on the circumstances, is not for me to say.


    The chances of having a child between a human and an elf seem to be quite low, so¡­¡­ if I could, I would have liked to think of her as a gift, but I knew it was a lukewarm thing that did not conform to reality.


    Elves, like High Elves, are also raised as children of the community.


    Therefore, inevitably, the affection between parents and children is weaker than that of humans.


    And half-elves who are raised as children of the village will inevitably stand out from their surroundings.


    This is because half-elves differ from ordinary elves not only in their lifespan, but also in the degree of growth.


    I, think I mentioned earlier that high elves live for over a thousand years, but normal elves are said to live between 500 and 700 years.


    Half-elves, however, have a life span of 200 to 300 years, almost the same as that of dwarves.


    High elves grow up more than ten times slower than humans, and it took me thirty years to come to my senses.


    Normal elves are not that laid-back, but it still takes nearly 20 years for them to become old enough to remember things.


    Half-elves, on the other hand ¡­¡­ are not well known because most of them will be returned to the earth as babies, but it is said that they come to their senses after about six or seven years.


    If one were to ask whether the elves would accept a child growing at such an unusual rate in the village as a fellow being, the answer would probably be no.


    Even if I say that the custom of regarding half-elves as abominations is wrong, the prejudice will not disappear so easily.


    Furthermore, if the half-elf has a strong human blood expression and cannot see the spirits and take them as friends, there would be no place for them in the village anymore.


    Then, when the suckling period is over and they can recognize things, the elf that had that child in her belly and the head of the village want me to adopt and raise them as soon as possible, regardless of whether the child will be able to make a spirit a friend in the future. (TN: I don¡¯t know the gender of the child, I¡¯m gonna use them/they for the time being)


    They want me to do it before feelings spring up, love and hate mix, and things become troublesome.


    If I refuse the offer, will Airena take over?


    No, of course I, won¡¯t refuse.


    I was the one who told them not to return the half-elves that are born to the earth.


    I should take responsibility for that statement.


    But yes, the feeling I have for that child now is a pity.


    I cannot feel anything but pity for the child who has not yet been born, and yet I am troubled by the treatment of that child.


    But being directed with pity is what makes that child pitiful.


    Will I be able to love the child properly?


    I fold the letter, close my eyes, and ponder deeply, deeply, and deeply.


    I guess I have thought about it long enough.


    It suddenly occurred to me.


    ¡­¡­¡­¡­Ah, yeah, I thought it was totally doable.


    Or rather, I think I feel sorry for that child?


    I don¡¯t know, but I¡¯m kind of looking forward to it.


    If the child is a boy, we¡¯ll catch bugs together.


    No, I¡¯m a high elf, but I don¡¯t really like bugs that much, but ah, fishing is fine too.


    If it were a girl, I would dote on her.


    When she becomes a bride, I will cry and scream.


    It doesn¡¯t matter if he, or she, can¡¯t make friends with a spirit.


    I¡¯m friends with the spirits, but it¡¯s only natural that the friends of his/her adoptive parents won¡¯t necessarily become friends with their child.


    The way that they can live with me is to be a blacksmith or a swordsman¡­¡­ maybe even becoming a magician in a little while, if they want to be one, I can teach them many things.


    If they want to choose any other path, I¡¯ll do that with them.


    Whether it was a tanner, dyer, embroiderer, poet, farmer, or merchant, it should be fun doing that together them.


    Even if I outlive him or her, and he or she dies first, I will still love him or her.


    Although I had never met her or him before, I was convinced of this.


    I¡¯m probably a selfish, if not free-spirited, elf who doesn¡¯t have the personality or qualifications to be a parent.


    But I am sure that I can become their guardian and closest friend.


    So I write in my reply letter.


    I¡¯m looking forward to the day the child is born, the day I can pick him up.


    Well, that is still a long way off.


    Ah, the delivery was the tanned greed boar leather brought by an adventurer from the village of Parnor.


    I have nothing special to say about this one.


    I have no complaints about the quality, and I¡¯m happy about it, but you see, compared to the small friend I haven¡¯t seen yet, its impact is weak.


    Guess I¡¯ll take my time and think about what in the world am I going to make with this.