Chapter 81: Special circ.u.mstances half-elf, last part
“Kusyu……”
“First of all, take off that heavy armor. Please clean your body properly”
“Ah, yes……”
“It"s still a strange armor”
“Oh, is that so? I think it"s not so weird compared to Celesta"s different races”
“Well, yes, but……at least not a Trot product, right? Shall I repair it”
“Repair!?”
“Oh, in the old days, I was used to repair the armored guards of the frontiers. My dead husband was a blacksmith……”
“I see……then I will accept your offer. It"s an embarra.s.sing story, but as you can see, it"s a foreign product and it"s tempting to put it out in a regular blacksmith. Someone has been working on it, but it hasn"t been maintained properly in recent years”
“Yeah, then I will try to do as much as I can. ……And for the time being, try to wear this clothes”
“……A sweater? It"s huge for Marie-dono……”
“My size is a bit smaller. ……I got it for my son”
“You have a son! I"m sorry, but I cant stay here!”
“Its okay. He isn"t here”
“……What?”
“……He was living in the remote town of Polka some years ago with me. From there, when he was ten years old, he went out to study blacksmithing in the royal capital, but he was pulled out by the Celesta army. No matter how many years past, there was no sound from the blacksmith here worked for or from him……maybe he died”
“I see……I"m sorry, it probably was painful”
“It"s ok. …….He only might be dead. His bones didn"t come back. Polka is a cold town, so I have knitted a sweater with the expectation that he would come back someday. It became a habit and I always imagine the height of my son by looking at the neighboring children……from the age of becoming an adult, I knit it behind my husband"s back”
“……”
“……I"m sorry I didn"t care about you, it would be imprudent to you to wear anything knitted for my dead child”
“No. ……No problem. Marie-dono, thank you very much for letting me wear it”
That night we were put into the prison of the military police.
“I"m sorry that I everything is checked out” he said and the military soldier put his hands together. Because the hotel in that area are expensive we stayed here. Above all else, I´m afraid as spearwoman Almeida is somewhere in this town.
And the next day. With mats and blankets brought by the military police, mainly to Maia, the morning is much more comfortable than in a hotel. However, before the morning sun had risen, I was awakened by the noise in the general office.
“……What happened?”
“What"s up?”
Selenium who was leaning on my shoulder looked at me. Maia still clings to my knees in a sleepy state. When.
“……Here!”
Suddenly, when I thought that someone had looked into the prison, a lot of people rushed into the hallway in front of the jail and broke the grid of the jail quickly.
“……After all! Smithson-dono, Maia! And Selenium-dono!”
When he saw our faces, a beautiful young elf with long hair cried out.
“Gorkus!?”
It was Gorkus, the clan chief of the Orange Clan who we fought together in the northern elf territory. And for a while as I was surprised at the reunion, Gorkus directed a sword to the guards behind him.
“Let me explain, you"ve put our allies in jail in some way! Depending on things, our orange clan cant kept silent!”
“Wait, wait, wait, wait”
He misunderstood it!
“Smithson-dono, I know that you are a brave and respectful person, but for unreasonable brutality a firm att.i.tude is required! I will do it even if disagree with the human race…..that"s what we are owing you……”
“Wait! We just borrowed the jail!”
“……Haa?”
“There was something a little bothersome! Yesterday!”
“Good morning, Marie-dono”
“Good morning, Almeidsan. Have you slept well?”
“I"m sorry, for occupying the bed……”
“It"s fine. Look at that, is it okay?”
“Oh, oh……the armor is totally new!”
“I didn"t have much tools, so I was really able to do it……but because the joint on the left shoulder is about to reach the limit soon, you"d better ask a blacksmith for repairing it, even if you feel a little depressed. But if you can"t do it in a couple of times, it may get broken and taken off”
“No, I am really grateful……I will surely repay you for this kindness”
“It"s okay, because it only was the comfort of a widow. ……Nevertheless you dropped something in the ca.n.a.l, right? I"m going to go to the fish market now, but do you want me to ask the young child who"s good at diving?”
“N……No, I will dive in myself. If there is only this day, there is no problem”
Gorkus seems to have come here to accompany the elves who study abroad. The Folklore Inst.i.tute is relatively active in accepting elves.
“I"m really sorry……”
“No, I"m glad you understood that it was only a misunderstanding”
The commander of the military police feels sorry to accept Gorkus" deep bow. Like the dragons, the northern elves must be unknown. You don"t want to worry too much about it.
“Even so……to rent a jail as sleeping place. What kind of situation is it to be troubled? While Maia is also here”
“Ah……we"ve been attacked by Afilm elf paladin”
“Elf……? Can you tell me more?”
“No, we"re not sure if we"re going to let you hear it……”
Gorkus tightens his neat face and looks around us slowly.
“The elf on the Afilm peninsula is our branch as well as the original. You are the blessed man of our nine clans, and turning the blade against you deserves to be excommunicated. Nonetheless if we can do it properly, we can stop the dismay”
“U, Uh……cold”
“Have you found it?”
“Eh, yes”
“Iron cane……and your wallet. It"s nice not to be a light one that flows”
“Surely……uuu”
“Even though, you are bold. A young girl who is naked and jumped into the ca.n.a.l. ……It"s a good idea to say such things, but shouldn"t you be a little more modest?”
“It, It"s not uncommon for me to be able to see bare skin on the battlefield. It"s not okay to leave the search for my belongings to others……and the sweater of your son, is getting wet and stretched out”
“If you"d told me, I"d have done something about it”
“Uh. ……We, Well, I found it. Let"s say it"s all right”
“Chuckle. ……You"re not good at spoiling people, Almeidsan”
“……”
“My dead husband was a man who was very sweet”
“……Ah, it"s not something you"ve given up so much”
“That"s right. Normally, yes. ……But when I think now, it was a wonderful thing”
“?”
“In the old days, I used to think that people were just annoying and embarra.s.sed. But you know, it"s warm to have someone who"s going to come out into this city and cause trouble and someone who"s going to bother you. I think”
“Warm?”
“‘Cause it"s a connection. Trouble someone, apologize, and pay for it. You"re being bothered, forgive me, help me. It"s still warm to be able to repeat that kind of thing without worrying about it. And my husband wasn"t a man who hesitated to apologize, pay back, and return. Even if the other party said, ‘It was good", he returned even if it was mean. Thanks to him, I was very much at a loss, but I liked it a lot. Almeidsan, it may be a virtue that you can not afford, but I think that it is not a vice either.
“……Marie, you”
“Be good at spoiling. ……I feel like you look like me”
Gorkus, who heard about the story roughly, nodded forcefully.
“Deep green Almeida. I have heard of her. I don"t know how she would end up being out of Afilm"s protection”
“Speaking, Communicating”
“Now that I"ve heard it, I"d like you to leave it to us. If she attacks Smithson-dono again, we"ll pick her up”
“……That"s reliable”
Gorkus is said to be a good swordsman just like red clan´s Diel who bought out his private soldiers to subjugate monsters near the Holy Beast Labyrinth. At least he seems to have the ability of Anzeros and Aurora cla.s.s. But.
“The essential Almeida, I don"t know if it"s just that she fell into the ca.n.a.l”
“……”
We don"t know where she came out from. Maybe she went downstream, maybe she creeped up and lurks around that area. Either way, it"s hard for us to keep that trend down. The town of Folklore is wide and complex, so the number of elves isn"t enough.
“Then I"ll be with you as an escort. You have come to this city for a purpose. Do it. In the meantime, Almeida should show up. If she shows up, we"ll intercept her. I think this is the best way”
“……That"s right”
That means.
“……Going back to find her spear, or something like that, I"m feeling that she is too ashamed now”
“But, even though Gorkus-san is saying so, there is nothing wrong with doing a homecoming without doing anything?”
“Freeze and kill in large areas”
“No, no, we"re not going to do that”
Well, I decided not to go at first, but after a few minutes of trouble, I go.
“Come to think of it, if its a military police man, they should be familiar with the streets to some extent, right?”
“Ah, yes. It is not going to be a story if they don"t have a land book to keep the security”
Selenium talks and the captain of the military police feels proud now.
“Well……we don"t know if a middle-aged woman named Smithson has moved in the last few years because Maichan went on a rampage yesterday”
“Mu……I"d like to wait a bit. Hey, who is in charge of island 18?”
“It"s Cornell”
“Call Cornell to come here and ask him if he knows that woman”
After a few minutes. Cornell appeared.
“Smithson-san. I don"t know the names clearly because there are so many people coming and going, but there are several middle-aged women living alone”
“A woman with maroon hair who is about fifty years old but may still look to be in her forty”
Thinking a little. There should be a few more hints that Apple gave.
“I think she is working with fish or wool”
“……A, Ah, yes there"s a widow who"s out there to clean up the fish market there. It looks like she was called Aunt Marie”
“That"s her!”
……No, if you believe in Apple´s divination and Selenium´s profiling, though.
“Please show me around!”
Well, lets try. If we"re wrong, we can go back to Polka again and divine again.
“……Marie-dono, can you listen to me?”
“Yes”
“I am an elf. A paladin of the Afilm empire. I was a knight honored with the nickname dancing spear”
“……So”
“Forgive me for deceiving you……you are not surprised”
“I was a blacksmith"s wife. ……From the style of the armor, I know about the place of production. I´m not so uneducated that I can"t even tell the emblem”
“……You"re right. ……I"m a knight of the Rennes dukedom and a kind of military soldier in the elves clan”
“……”
“Elves are a largely closed race, but the Rennes Forest elves are particularly fierce. It is excessively aimed to be a strong monolith because they pledge allegiance to the spirit of the light to live in the land while going out of the northern forest. …..It"s a kind of fear politics by making the bloodless elf"s genus, which moves out of the will of the clans, to suffer from a “disease that changes them into a tree” and make them part of the forest”
“So……”
“The unification of will brought a powerful force to the community and I didn"t doubt the policy. For an impurity that could not be part of the forest, it was a pity, but it was an honor on the other side. But……”
“……”
“The central part of the deep green clan……the Grand d.u.c.h.ess of Rennes ordered to harvest the” trees” of such mixtures for the construction of the new royal castle in Rennes. Even though it was unrighteous, she split the bodies of the children and said they would use them for the royal castle!”
“……”
“I wasn"t convinced. And i finally realized my mistake for a long time. It was neither an honor nor anything. It was only a procedure for the creepy cold maintenance that the old, worn-out sensibility made up at the end of the repet.i.tion of each festival which chased only the shadow of a far authority. It was nothing more than a procedure for a resolutely cold life that sensibility had built up and I came to Trot, ashamed of myself, cutting off from my clan to compensate”
“Was it so……”
“Trot is the first place for the mixtures to escape the chase of the deep-green clan inspectors. It is said that Trot has become tolerant to the elves since the war. I decided to set up in Folklore, the gateway to the west of this country and protect the escaped chaos with my own hands. ……Perhaps just hypocrisy. I just want to make amends. Even so, I can"t think of anything else”
“……It must be hard for, Almeidsan”
“No. Ah……no, I guess. It was hard. ……But I carry a sin that cannot be spoiled by anyone. I don"t think I should be spoiled”
“No, there is no such thing, Almeidsan”
“……Even if I"m like this, can I learn how to indulge?”
“Yes. Yes. It will be difficult. ……If the hard people put up with it even more, they will only run out of power. You still have a tomorrow to walk”
“……Marie, dono……”
“Almeida”
Knocking on the door. …I feel like I heard a voice saying “Kya!?”.
“……Who is it?”
There was a nostalgic voice from the inside.
“Are you Marie Smithson?”
When Cornell visits, a female voice said “Yes”. It is a hit.
“Mother”
When I call out, the other side of the door is silent for a few seconds.
“……My son died in the war……”
A confused voice. Well, no wonder. I know. She only know my 10 year old self from the time in Polka. She cant get my present figure or voice right away. Let"s be patient.
“I heard it at Polka. My father, he is dead”
“!”
“I met Jackie-san. ……I saw the baron, Keel from the bun shop and Johnny from the liquor store. They all thought I was dead”
“……”
“But, I"m alive. I"m a part of the Celesta army, with just a little of successful career……I"m alive and I"m back. I"m Andy, mother”
“……”
After a few more seconds of silence. Suddenly, the sound of something breaking across the wall can be heard. ……Is it a gla.s.s window? And the next moment, Gorkus, who was nearby, knock me away.
“!!”
I flew from the top of the stairs to the road all at once, but I"m caught by Maia before falling to the ground and landed. And on the top of the stairs, a swung iron cane was smas.h.i.+ng down the wooden stairs.
“Almeida……!”
“……”
Gorkus dares to jump down the stairs to pull out his sword. As it was, the pa.s.sage was narrow and I couldn"t escape. Cornell-san is still stuck with his eyes in the top row without knowing what is happening. Next to him, for some reason, a s.e.xy sweater wearing Almeida stares at me with an iron cane on her side.. And, ignoring Gorkus, she jumps first and landed on the ground. Maia, step back further with me in her arms. Securing a large place. The elves under Gorkus hold their weapons and harden around us. Almeida ignores Gorkus who is pulling his sword behind her and calmly transforms the iron cane into a spear.
“Are you the son of Marie-dono?”
“Hee?”
“Despite being born to such a great woman, a garbage like you made a weak mixture a slave and you enjoy it……I cant overlooked it”
“Eh? Eh?”
What"s going on!?
“Marie-san……Marie-san!?”
I can hear Cornell"s irritating voice from my mother´s home.
“Smithson-san! Your mother has fainted!?”
“……Don"t deduce in the moment you hear the voice. The cruel reality is for that person……”
……I see. I don"t understand well but they know each other.
“Almeida. Unfortunately, you are probably misunderstanding”
“Is the name carved on the collar of Selenium not yours?”
“It"s different”
“She is already a impurity……no, I"m not going to make her follow her destiny”
“Hear a little talk!”
The paladin in a naked sweater set up the spear deeply.
“Prepare!”
And she disappears. The spear stuck in a straight line to something standing in the middle.
“Selenium……!?”
Almeida opens her eyes. Selenium talks in breaks to Almeida who is stunned.
“Almeida……talk, listen……emm…… I became happy……”
“Selenium……Selenium!!”
“So……I?”
The spear was carrying out beautifully in front of me.
……The wheat bag that was around there. Almeida, with a desperate face is in front of the wheat bag (which apparently looks like Selenium only to Almeida because of an illusion). On the other hand, Selenium is perfectly fine and talks to Almeida with such a voice on purpose while supporting the wheat bag.
“You know……I……I became a slave……as a prove of being a part of the person I love……”
“It, It"s a lie……that"s……”
The military policeman and Gorkus approach from behind and pick up the spear. The wheat bag falls down quickly. Almeida is obsessed with it. ……She seems to have noticed the illusion around here.
“……Hmm?”
“Deep green Almeida. In the name of the orange clan, I Gorkus will restrain you”
“……E, Eee!?”
Almeida screams, comparing the hollowed wheat bag, her taken spear and Selenium who is standing calmly.
“Wh, What!? What"s up!? He, Hey Andy Smithson! You"re a coward!!”
“……Well calm down and let"s talk. Okay?”
—————————–
“……Its impossible”
Almeida, who was detained by the silk chains brought by Gorkus (which seems to have been made at Misty Palace, the same one that Laila had), said in vain.
“It"s funny no matter how you think about it. You became a female slave by yourself!? I cant understand you as a woman!!”
“But there are six more people around Andy-san?”
“I think he"s using some kind of medicine”
Almeida is raging.
“Its different, dark green Almeida”
Gorkus goes forward with a mysterious face.
“Smithson-dono is a skilled animal trainer who is known throughout the northern forest”
“Please don"t misunderstand me, but please shut up”
Silence.
And, of course, we cant inquire Almeida on the streets, so we borrowed my mom"s house. And my mother seems to have woken up in the middle of the questioning.
“Andy-san is really kind, brave and cool!”
“Yeah. I"m glad to have such a good friend”
“That"s why it"s not common sense to have seven female slaves on this Trot´s monogamy. How else do you interpret it!”
“I"m sorry, but Andy-san is working for the Celesta Army.”
“You can"t tie Andy-sama down by Trot"s law in the first place. He is a dragon rider of two dragons”
“Ah, no matter how long it is the fact, where is it! Gorkus-dono, swear to the spirit of light and pick up only the facts”
“……I can swear to the spirit of light, that all of this is true”
When I was looking over the questioning in various ways, I was. .h.i.t from behind with full strength.
“Ouch!?”
“……Andy”
“Wh, What is it?!”
“Is what they"re saying true?”
“……”
“Good grief, I"ve always thought you were a leecher since you were little. I didn"t think I would say that I can"t face the world no matter how I look at female slaves or animal trainers! I thought you were going to be a blacksmith!?”
“I"m sorry, there are various reasons for this!”
“What will you say to your deceased father!”
The reunion of me and my mother isn"t as moving as I thought it will be. ……Ah but. It was good to see my mother while I was alive. It was really good.