Chapter 70

A loud voice made my shoulders jump.

Then, Sammie patted my back as if to calm me down.

"Mr. Hasan, I understand your joy, but Lady Rini is surprised."

"Ah... You're right. I'm sorry."

At Sammie's stern voice, the bespectacled intellectual beauty, who had been clenching her fists and roaring, seemed to come back to her senses and returned to a calm expression.

Then, she slowly met my eyes.

"Thank you for such a cute greeting. My name is Hasan. I'm Rini's aunt, and I'm the current queen of the elves."

She smiled gently and introduced herself.

At first glance, it was hard to tell that she was my mother's sister. But seeing her smile, I could see that her eyes were just like my mother's. Although her hair color, eye color, and aura were different, I could definitely feel the blood connection to my mother.

Seeing a resemblance to my mother, the tension in my body eased.

Good. It seems my greeting wasn't taken in a bad way. This way, my parents won't be spoken of poorly because of me.

If that's the case, there's something I need to tell her.

"Hey, Mom is doing well."

—I'm sure you're worried about it.

"She looks happy with Dad."

This is from my perspective, of course.

Although my mother, who left the Elven Forest, has gone through many hardships, she has never spoken of regret.

There's a possibility she might not say it in front of me as a child, but my mother has always been positive, even in the toughest times, and has always worked hard to live with my father.

I think my mother is amazing for that.

I feel that my father and mother supported each other, and because they were a pair, they were able to overcome many things.

"Mom is doing fine."

The matching headbands the elves wear and the rare branches of the "Tree of Radiance," which only grow in the Elven Forest, indicate that they are truly welcoming me.

I had heard from Sammie that elves cherish children and that the entire elven community is like a family. But to prepare so much for a child they've never met must have been a lot of work.

They did this—because they cared about my mother.

My mother, who lived in the Elven Forest until she met my father and existed as a queen, must have been cherished and loved by everyone.

So, when I told the current queen about my mother, her face looked as if she was about to cry—

"We elves... have always regretted what happened to Sonia and our actions."

It was just for a moment. She quickly closed her eyes as if to hide that expression.

"But... Yes... If that child is happy, that's good."

Her voice was strained.

When she opened her eyes again, she smiled with the same gentle eyes as my mother.

"Rini looks young, but you're a very smart child, aren't you?"

"Yes! Lady Rini is special!"

Sammie's voice sounded delighted at those words.

The current queen chuckled and answered, then gently stroked my head.

"Rini, would you like me to hold you?"

"Okay."

The gentle hand stroking my head. I'm sure I can feel safe in her arms.

"Is it okay with Sammie?"

"Yes."

The current queen confirmed with Sammie and then reached out to me.

I also reached out and moved from Sammie's arms.

When I was hugged tightly, I could feel her warm body heat.

"Rini, can you call me with that cute voice of yours?"

"Call you?"

"Yes. I'm Rini's aunt, so you can call me 'aunt.'"

Hearing that, I thought for a moment.

I don't mind calling her 'aunt,' but it feels a bit awkward to call a bespectacled intellectual beauty 'aunt.'

So, after thinking for a bit, I opened my mouth softly.

"...Hasan-chan?"

Is it rude to call an older woman 'chan'?

I looked at her, and the current queen—Hasan-chan—turned her face away and let out a breath.

"Phew."

Then, again—

"Cute!! I love it!!"

—she roared.

Her voice echoed in the night sky, which was turning from purple to black.

"Please try to control your shouting. Lady Rini will be surprised."

And Sammie's calm voice to stop her.

Hasan-chan seemed to come back to her senses at those words and took several shallow breaths.

"Phew... Phew... Uh. Yes... I'm sorry, Rini. It's not for nothing that I've lived as an elf for 300 years. I couldn't handle this shock, and what kind of elf queen am I?"

Hasan-chan said that and wiped the sweat from her forehead.

"...Okay."

I'm a bit confused.

Looking closely, it seems there are some elves in the crowd who are having trouble breathing.

For now, is this way of addressing her okay?

"Hasan-chan, you don't mind, right?"

"I don't mind at all. It's very cute, and I'm really happy."

Hasan-chan said that and chuckled.

"Anyway,"

Then, she cleared her throat.

"Rini, thank you for coming to the Elven Forest. I've heard about your condition from Sonia through [Mental Sensing]."

She said that and gently stroked me.

"Thank you for reconnecting the bond between that child and us."

Her green eyes were gentle—

"Thank you for being born."

The words spoken directly to me were ticklish—

"I won't just watch you be lost. Not again. To prevent the days of lamenting our immaturity from returning, we elves have worked hard. Rini, your body is still in pain, right? I can tell from the heat of your body. First, we'll perform a [Magic Power Appraisal]. Is that okay?"

"Magic Power Appraisal?"

Tilting my head at the strange word, Sammie explained.

"[Magic Power Appraisal] is a technique to appraise the magic power in the body. Each elf has magic power, and we can determine the amount, type, and size."

"Can Sammie do it too?"

"Yes, but I'm still young, so I can only tell if there is magic power and its rough size."

"I see."

I nodded at Sammie's words.

The double jump I did when I defeated the dragon. At that time, Sammie said she felt magic power. And when I purified the capital of Giral and during the [Magic Power Surge] afterward, she explained about magic power.

It seems that elves have a technique to sense magic power and have been using it. However, it's a rough sense, and Hasan-chan can perceive magic power in more detail. They call this technique [Magic Power Appraisal].

"Ms. Hasan is an expert in [Magic Power Manipulation] and [Magic Power Appraisal]. She is one of the top two in knowledge and skills among all living elves and even in the history of elves."

"Wow."

At Sammie's words, I couldn't help but look up at Hasan-chan. Hasan-chan chuckled.

"Then, I'll start flowing my magic power now. It might feel strange, but please bear with it."

"Okay."

The [Magic Power Appraisal], which doesn't exist in the game world, made me excited to experience it.

While being held by Hasan-chan, I stayed still, and suddenly, I felt a strange sensation on my forehead...

"This magic power circle will slowly go down. Does it make you feel sick?"

"I'm okay."

"I'll use this to see the magic power pathways and sources inside you."

"Okay."

I nodded at Hasan-chan's words.

It seems that Hasan-chan is creating a circle of magic power and passing it through my body.

Starting from my head, I felt a circular sensation slowly descending.

It felt like a health check-up at a hospital, where a large machine can see through your body from top to bottom. In Hasan-chan's case, she is seeing the magic power flowing inside me.

The strange sensation that started from my head passed through my chest.

For a moment, I felt the sensation intensify.

"Hasan-chan...?"

"...I'm sorry, I put a little too much force. ...I'll continue down to your feet."

"Okay."

When the intensified sensation returned to normal, it continued down to my abdomen.

Finally, it reached my toes and slowly faded away.

I think the [Magic Power Appraisal] was successful. It was a new sensation, but I'm glad I experienced it.

Excited to see the results, I looked at Hasan-chan.

However, unlike my excited eyes, Hasan-chan had a very pained expression—

"Rini, could it be—"

Hasan-chan squeezed out a pained voice.

"You were born inheriting not only your own magic power but all of Sonia's magic power...?"