“…Why would those people want to come to such a remote place…?”
When Ayano murmured this absentmindedly, the young bureaucrat replied matter-of-factly:
“It’s obvious, isn’t it? They wanted to see with their own eyes what kind of person the Frontier Margrave is.”
“Ah—”
That’s right, Ayano belatedly remembered.
She, too, had once visited him for that very reason.
Back then, she never imagined she’d end up buried in paperwork like this—
“…Yes. You’re absolutely right.”
“Unfortunately, we missed the Frontier Margrave himself, but there was more than enough material to gauge what kind of man he is. And those rotten bureaucrats of ours—sharp-witted and keen-nosed as wild dogs—decided to bet everything they had on the Frontier Margrave. That, in essence, is the true nature of the commotion that caused you such confusion, Ayano-dono. My deepest apologies.”
“No, I’m the one who should apologize for doubting you.”
They bowed to each other.
Both of them knew that if they didn’t return to work soon,
those around them might grow suspicious.
“Well, I’ll take my leave now.”
“Ah, one last thing, if I may?”
“If it’s something I can answer, anything at all.”
“Why were some people using fake names in the transactions? Because of that, the investigation took much longer than it should have.”
If the transactions were aboveboard, they shouldn’t have needed fake names, Ayano wanted to say.
Moreover, because of that, she had mistakenly assumed the ducal house was involved.
The young bureaucrat’s answer was straightforward.
“Ah, probably as insurance in case debt collectors caught up with them.”
“…………”
Once again, Ayano was reminded—the ducal house’s people were truly not to be underestimated.
3
After trekking endlessly through the deep forest and scaling an absurdly high mountain, they arrived at a cliff.
“…Just how deep is this cliff? What do you think, Yuzuriha-san?”
“W-Well, this looks like it’s easily several thousand meters…”
“But, Big Brother, the light leads down this cliff…?”
“Master. Find… way down…?”
“Unyuu~”
But you see. If you look closely, the light seems to cut off in midair. So, holding Unyuu-ko, I made my declaration.
“Alright. Let’s jump.”
“Unyuu!?”
“First, Unyuu-ko and I will go down. Look, Suzuha—see how the light disappears partway?”
“Yes…”
“My guess is there’s a spatial rift or something where the light vanishes, leading to another dimension or something. So if you see me disappear after jumping, you all can follow.”
“But if you’re wrong, Big Brother, you’d just be jumping off a cliff for no reason…?”
“U-Unyuu!? Unyuu!?”
“I’ll manage on my own.”
Unyuu-ko was thrashing in my arms, but there was no need to worry.
I had sturdy grappling hooks and rope—if things went wrong, I could just hook them onto the cliff. Besides, without Unyuu-ko, it’d be hard to track the light’s path.
“Here we go! Unyuu-ko, hold the gem tight!”
“Unyuu──────!?”
With Unyuu-ko’s long scream, I jumped off the cliff.
＊
As expected, there was a spatial rift leading to another dimension.
At first glance, the place resembled the deep forest we’d passed through, but the air was different.
Somehow, the space itself felt solemn and pure—ethereal, even.
A while after we arrived, Suzuha and the others caught up.
“Th-That was scary, Big Brother…!”
Suzuha tearfully complained, so I patted her head reassuringly.
Meanwhile, Unyuu-ko had gone cross-eyed and fainted.
Yuzuriha-san let out a low hum.
“Hmm… So this is the elven ruins…?”
“Maybe?”
“The atmosphere is spot-on… And if this is the entrance, it’s no wonder no one ever found it…”
“Yeah.”
Even we wouldn’t have found it without the gem’s light.
“We owe everything to the gem.”
“…Partner, even with the gem, no normal person would’ve managed this…?”
Yuzuriha-san lectured me with a serious face. I wonder why.
After walking a little, we soon found a settlement.
And standing there was a stunningly beautiful woman—presumably a resident.
“Hmph. It’s been seven hundred… no, eight hundred years since humans last came here…?”
“Excuse me, where exactly is this?”
“This, my dear, is the village of the elves.”
“The elven village!”
Just as I’d guessed. Which meant the person before us was an elf.
“So it really is. Thank you.”
“Hold on a moment, you.”
“Yes?”
“Shouldn’t you have a bit more of a reaction? We’re elves, you know? The objects of human desire? Beings of incomparable beauty, with unrealistically bountiful chests and backsides?”
“…………”
I glanced sideways at the girls in our group.
The elf followed my gaze, clapped her hands once, and declared:
“Ah! So you’ve brought elven kin with you!”
“Nope.”
Sadly, Suzuha, Yuzuriha-san, and Kanade are all human. …Right?
When I explained this, the elf muttered with the expression of a cat that had glimpsed the cosmos.
“…I’ve lived for millennia, but the world never ceases to amaze.”
“I see.”
“My apologies for the late introduction. I am the elder of this elven village.”
“Oh, how polite.”
We introduced ourselves one by one.
As for Unyuu-ko, still asleep on my head with her hood on, I kept quiet about her connection to the elves for now.
The elder offered to guide us through the village, so we obediently followed.
I did wonder why she wasn’t worried about humans suddenly attacking, but it seemed rude to ask, so I stayed quiet.
The elven village felt… nostalgic, like the village I’d lived in as a child.
There were maybe a few dozen elves.
On the surface, they were friendly, but their expressions carried a weariness.
There were no groundbreaking magical tools revolutionizing daily life—not a trace.
Perhaps sensing my thoughts,
the elder gave a wry smile after we finished touring the village.
“This village… is a dying one.”
“What do you mean…?”
“Elves possess overwhelming magical power and create wondrous magical tools. That much is true. But it comes at a price.”
“A price?”
“We cannot live without orichalcum.”
The elder explained.
Orichalcum, it seemed, housed a special kind of magic.
Elves needed to ingest it to wield their true power.
But now, with the orichalcum depleted, they were slowly withering away—waiting only for extinction.
“So, um… you’re saying this would solve things?”
I pulled an orichalcum raw stone from my pocket and showed it to the elder.
“Hah, what foolish—WHAAAAAAAA──────T!?”
As the elder stared in shock, I explained that an orichalcum vein had recently been discovered in my territory.
“H-How!? Orichalcum only forms under the rarest of conditions—you’re not lying, are you!?”
“Well, if you don’t want it—”
“I APOLOGIZE! I spoke out of turn! I was entirely in the wrong! So please, I beg of you, give us that ore! It’s the request of a lifetime!”
Instantly, the elder prostrated herself in tears.
Flustered, I hastily handed over the orichalcum.
READ THE ORIGINAL TRANSLATION AT LOCALIZERMEERKAT.GITHUB.IO
＊
That night, the elven village held a festival.
The elder claimed it was to welcome us, but the real guest of honor was probably the orichalcum. Not that I minded.
It was their first festival in about six hundred years, and the elves seemed delighted.
Suzuha, Yuzuriha-san, and the others—mistaken for elves—joined the festivities, blending into the celebrations.
Meanwhile, I found myself drinking alone with the elder.
“Truly, thank you. You are the savior of our village.”
“Don’t mention it. Are there other elven villages?”
If so, I wanted to share the orichalcum with them too, I explained.
“Hmm… Are there, I wonder?”
“You don’t know?”
“We’ve had no contact. Elves are exceedingly few as it is. Even if others existed, they’ve likely perished by now.”
“I see…”
According to the elder, there was once a time when humans who hunted elves were rampant. Eventually, the elder grew tired of dealing with them and relocated the village entrance to its current remote location.
That said, I found it odd that they were so friendly from the start. Apparently, after centuries without human visitors, they had grown lonely.
And sadly, it seems unlikely that any other elf villages still exist.
If there were, we would’ve at least heard rumors.
“Still, I’m surprised you managed to find this place.”
“Ah, that’s thanks to this jewel.”
I pulled the jewel from my pocket and handed it over. The elder narrowed his eyes and stroked it thoughtfully.
“Ohhh, so this thing still exists, eh?”
“Do you know about this jewel?”
“Know about it? Of course! This was made by the High Elf who once lived in this village.”
“Huh.”
“Originally, this jewel was created… to seal away the Wandering Silver Haired Vampire.”
My breath caught.
The sudden mention of the Wandering Silver Haired Vampire—what a loaded term.
“…Could you tell me more about that?”
Suppressing my shock, I asked, and the elder nodded solemnly.
“Sure. Though it happened thousands o’ years ago, back when I was just a wee lad… At the time, this village was led by a great High Elf. She was far beyond us ordinary elves in both magic and wisdom.”
“I see…”
“The Wandering Silver Haired Vampire was a scourge upon us. A monstrous creature that fed on orichalcum to grow stronger. Many elves tried to slay it, only to be slaughtered in return. Eventually, our orichalcum veins were nearly depleted. In the end, it was the High Elf of this village who faced it in a final battle. This jewel was one of the sealing tools she carried with her.”
“And… what happened in that battle?”
“They fought to a stalemate, so I heard. The Wandering Silver Haired Vampire never attacked elf villages again after that… but the High Elf never returned.”
“…”
“After that, no new orichalcum veins were ever found. The elves slowly declined. Had you not arrived, this village too would’ve vanished soon enough. We truly owe you our thanks.”
“No, don’t mention it.”
A realization dawned on me.
If that High Elf never returned… then her fate must be—
“Elder, could you take a look at this child for me?”
I lifted Unyu-ko from my head and set her down.
“C’mon, Unyu-ko. Wake up.”
“Unyuu…?”
Rubbing her sleepy eyes, I removed her hood—
And the elder’s expression changed instantly.
“Y-Y-Y-YOU ARE—!?”
The elder leapt back in shock before prostrating on the ground.
This reaction… There was no mistaking it.
“So Unyu-ko was the High Elf.”
“…Unyuu…?”
Unyu-ko tilted her head in confusion, clearly not understanding.
And then, when I finally noticed—
Behind the elder, every single elf in the village—dozens of them—had dropped to their knees in perfect unison, their foreheads pressed to the ground.
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