Chapter 9

The girl, asked if she was an elf, hastily pulled the hood of her robe over her head.

It seemed she had done so without much thought, out of reflex, and a somewhat guilty expression could be seen through the gap in her hood. After a few seconds, the girl removed her hood as if in resignation.

"Thank you for helping me."

The girl bowed her head slightly.

Her semi-long blonde hair fell from under the robe.

The girl was wearing a green tunic with white embroidery, with two belts wrapped around her waist for carrying knives. She wore culottes and sturdy leather boots, and the skin visible between them was pale and translucent.

With her white skin, golden hair, and ears shaped like bamboo, she was of the white elf lineage. It was unclear what her rank was, but she was of the white elf lineage.

There are two lineages of elves: white and black, both of which are known for their proficiency in magic and archery. With proper training, regardless of lineage, they can learn a variety of offensive, supportive, and healing magic. However, among them, the white elves excel in support and healing.

Seeing the girl, who seemed to be an elf, bow her head deeply, Helian secretly felt relieved.

(Good, we can understand each other! And she's not hostile!)

In the game [Tactics Chronicle], a high-level language analysis system is built-in, automatically translating common languages like Japanese and English. This is treated as [Common Language] and is understood by almost all races.

However, in addition to this, each race has its own unique language.

In the case of elves, there are two unique languages: Elkish and Ancient Elkish. These are original languages created specifically for the game, and without the corresponding language skill, they cannot be deciphered, and the player would not understand what is being said.

Of course, since there is Ertina, one of the highest ranks of the white elf lineage, the Ancient Elf, even if the girl she helped could not speak [Common Language], Ertina, who possesses the [Elkish] and [Ancient Elkish] skills, could translate and facilitate communication.

But for Helian, the fact that the girl, who was his first contact, could understand and speak the same language gave him a sense of relief.

(...Well, it's a dream, after all. It's only natural that we can understand each other.)

He muttered to himself.

He almost felt like he was making excuses to someone and shook his head to dispel the thought.

"I'm glad you're safe. I heard a scream. Are you hurt?"

Looking at the girl's face again, she had the refined features typical of an elf. Her green eyes had a gentle light, while her thin, arched eyebrows suggested a strong core. Her lips were tightly pursed, giving the impression of sharpness within her gentleness.

However, to Helian, she seemed to still have a hint of youth. While it's hard to estimate an elf's age, if she looked her age, she would be around middle school or early high school age.

Helian took a step forward toward the girl.

The girl, however, shuddered and stepped back by the same distance.

...Is she afraid?

After a moment of thought, Helian looked to his sides and understood. Reive and Ertina were watching the girl with clearly wary expressions.

Even if they weren't hostile, the sharp gaze that missed no movement would naturally make the girl, who had just been helped, feel uneasy.

"Please forgive my rudeness. They are... my traveling companions."

He tried to speak in as gentle a tone as possible. Having a middle school cousin, he found it easier to act this way than in a king-like manner.

"...Travelers?"

"Yes. We've been wandering the forest together. It's nice to finally meet someone."

He scratched his head and smiled. While not a believer in the power of a smile, he knew that a smile was the first step in building smooth communication and a basic necessity.

Lacking confidence in his king-like stern expression, he felt more comfortable as a kind relative in the real world. He had some confidence in his ability to ease the wariness of a younger person... but.

"..."

Conclusion.

It didn't work.

It didn't work at all.

If anything, the girl seemed even more wary, placing her hand on her chest as if to protect herself.

(...Yeah, I guess my smile isn't worth much...)

He wanted to write a 'no' on the ground but maintained his smile with determination. His cheeks might have twitched a little, but he hoped it would be overlooked.

"Elves and werewolves, right?"

"Huh? Oh, right. The one on the right is Ertina, and the one on the left is Reive."

"...I am Ertina. Nice to meet you."

"..."

For some reason, there was a moment of silence before the introduction.

Moreover, Reive only gave a slight nod and did not even state her name.

Their overtly wary attitudes made Helian's smile twitch again.

Perhaps prioritizing Helian's protection, their attitudes toward the girl were not friendly. Reive, in particular, was giving the girl a sharp, threatening look, as if to say, "I won't hesitate if you make any suspicious moves."

Despite the girl's initiative to start a conversation, this was ruining everything.

"---I'm sorry. We were a bit rude, weren't we?"

Ertina bowed her head in apology.

With the character trait [Grace], Ertina's movements were refined, and her bow was somewhat elegant.

Seeing this, the girl's eyes widened in genuine surprise.

When Ertina smiled at the girl, the girl's surprise seemed to increase even more, and she appeared to be somewhat flustered.

...Perhaps she's captivated.

With the character trait [Beauty], Ertina was popular with both men and women. To the girl of the same race, Ertina might be a mesmerizing presence.

...Alright. I'll leave it to Ertina.

Helian decided to pass the conversation to his subordinate. Honestly, while he could handle social interactions online, his real-world social skills were not high. He lacked confidence in his communication abilities.

Moreover, considering that Ertina, being of the same race, might be easier for the girl to talk to, it seemed like a good idea.

He couldn't give up all control of the conversation to Ertina, but if the conversation took an unfavorable turn, he could intervene to steer it back on track. Thinking of himself as a support role, he felt he could manage.

With renewed determination, Helian watched as Ertina, with a gentle smile, took a step back.

...Huh? Why did she step back?

"But, my companion and I have certain reasons that make it difficult for us to talk to people. Please forgive us, but we will keep our distance."

...Ertina!?

Helian couldn't help but turn to his left subordinate.

He had thought he could pass the conversation to her, but she had easily betrayed him.

Well, he had only hoped, and Ertina herself might not have had such intentions, but the disappointment was significant. It felt like his ladder had been kicked out from under him.

In response to Ertina's words, the girl looked back at Helian.

It seemed she was completely locked onto him.

His cheeks twitched even more.

"Are they... your slaves?"

"Huh?"

Another question from the girl.

He reacted genuinely to the unexpected words and quickly tried to cover up.

"N-no, they are my traveling companions. We're not in that kind of relationship."

We have a clean relationship.

Well, whether the master-servant relationship is clean or not is debatable, but at least they weren't forced into it, he hoped.

"...Why did you help me, a half-elf?"

Without hiding her wariness, the girl took another step back and asked.

"...? Are you a half-elf?"

"---!"

When he asked, the girl's face clearly changed.

It was a reaction that said, "Oops, I shouldn't have said that." A look of regret for saying something she shouldn't have.

By the way, a half-elf, as the name suggests, is a half-breed born from an elf and another race.

In most fictional works, it usually refers to a child born from a human and an elf.

However, in [Tactics Chronicle], it is slightly different.

In this game, a [Breeding] function is adopted, allowing the creation of half-breeds. However, due to the nature of the game, the breeding partners are limited to demi-humans and humanoid monsters, not humans.

Moreover, [Breeding] is not something to be done lightly.

There is a disadvantage that the parents can no longer [Reincarnate]. Additionally, the success rate of [Breeding] can be significantly low depending on the combination.

However, if successful, the child inherits the parents' traits, which is a significant advantage. Helian, of course, utilized this function.

Therefore, in this game, mixed or half-breed races are not particularly rare. In fact, the leader of the Seventh Legion was created using this function.

But---

"...Yes, that's right.

I am not an elf. I am a half-elf.

Do you regret helping me?"

The girl showed a smile that seemed to convey resignation.

It was as if she was saying, "You only helped me because you thought I was an elf, didn't you?" A look of resignation.

To this, Helian tilted his head and asked.

"...Why?"

"Huh?"

"Why would helping you, a half-elf, lead to regret?"

"...Huh? Ah, what?"

The shadowy smile was gone, and the girl showed a puzzled expression typical of her age.

Now that he thought about it, her ears were indeed slightly shorter than Ertina's. It made sense if she was a half-elf with mixed blood from another race. But that was all there was to it.

However, it seemed that for the girl in front of him, it was not just that. What kind of problem could there be for a half-elf?

"---It's simple. Because they are a tainted race."

A third voice spoke.

Helian turned around.

Behind the scattered remains of the monster, a man stood there.

White skin, long bamboo-like ears. Another elf, but this time a male. His ears were the same length as a regular elf, indicating he was not a half-elf. He appeared to be in his late twenties.

It seemed that Reive and Ertina had sensed his presence a while ago.

They did not show any particular surprise.

However, Helian had not noticed his presence until he spoke.

This was because he had hidden the [Map] window, which was the only clue to his presence.

The window is set to be invisible to others, but it slightly obstructs Helian's view and can be a hindrance at times.

When talking to the girl, Helian had hidden the window because it was in the way.

"Still, you are not ordinary. To easily slay my hunting dogs. From the looks of it, that elf over there is not one of us."

"Hunting dogs... Ah, so that monster was your familiar."

That explained why it didn't run away when Reive approached. Even the giant dog-like monster had curled its tail and fled in front of Reive, but the dog-type monster had not shown any signs of fleeing. It was a familiar, not a stray.

"An unexpected catch. This area is close to the Abyss Forest, yet I didn't expect such a fool to be here."

"Abyss Forest...? No, before that, what did you mean