Chapter 36

Overall daily ranking 20th place! Overall weekly ranking 4th place!

It's also on the high fantasy ranking!

Thank you very much!

"Hildegard, did you have an older sister?"

"Yes. It was about fifty years ago, but I still remember it clearly. At the time, the elves in the village opposed love with humans."

"So she left?"

"Yes. In a way, my sister was not the type to be bound by rules or the voices around her. She met a human without our knowledge, fell in love, and decided to live with him, ignoring our words, and left the village."

Hildegard's expression was dark.

She must be remembering those times.

Although Mina, who was being carried by Hildegard, didn't speak, I could tell she was worried.

"I don't like humans. It's because they took my sister. However, I don't think only humans are to blame. One could say my free-spirited sister was also at fault. If there were no humans, my family, my important sister, wouldn't have left the village... I can't help but think that way."

"It's tough when family members leave, isn't it?"

Thinking about it, Reta hasn't returned to her hometown in a long time.

I can't help but wonder how everyone in the town is doing.

I thought it might be nice to take Mina back there someday.

"Because of my sister, there were countless unnecessary troubles. That's why I don't think well of humans. I feel that way, but the elf who was my sister's fiancé hates humans even more."

"Was there a fiancé?"

"It's a small village. It's not uncommon for a fiancé to be decided at birth."

"Do you have a fiancé, Hildegard?"

Mina, who had been listening to Reta and Hildegard's conversation without interrupting, perked up at the mention of "fiancé," a keyword that girls often like, and her eyes sparkled. The elf with gray hair chuckled.

"I used to have one. ...However, as I became a stronger warrior elf in the village, we grew distant. We are childhood friends, so we talk when we meet, and I don't dislike him. But I can't see him as a marriage partner."

"Marriage is complicated, huh?"

"Yes, it is. To be honest, I can't forgive the human my sister ran away with, but if possible, I want to be with someone I love, just like my sister."

"...Big sister."

It was a gentle smile that Hildegard showed only to Mina.

However, Reta could see a hint of loneliness in Hildegard.

It's just a guess, but as the village's strongest, she must be relied upon for many things.

It might be difficult for someone to see her as a woman and fall in love with her.

Not just getting married as arranged, but Hildegard wants to love and be loved by someone, like her sister. Reta wished that Hildegard would meet a good person someday.

"...I've been telling a strange story. When I'm with Reta and Mina, I tend to talk about unnecessary things. Let me make it clear that I do want to get married eventually, but I'm still 316 years old. I'm an adult, but I'm still young, right? In other words, I'm not at an age to be anxious about marriage, okay?"

"A, yes."

(Oh, that's important.)

I don't know much about elf ages, but she doesn't want to be treated like a child, nor does she want to be thought of as an age to be anxious about marriage.

It's a really complicated age.

"Understood. Still—huh?"

Hildegard's pointed ears twitched as she was about to say something.

"Big sister? Is something wrong?"

"Someone is running towards here. I hope it's not something bad."

Just as Hildegard, who was sensitive to sounds, turned her face towards the room's partition, Klaus burst in.

"Klaus!?"

"Milady Hildegard, I apologize for interrupting your conversation. But! It's here! He's coming closer again!"

"―!"

Hildegard's gray hair stood on end as she released magic.

I had a bad feeling.

Klaus, who was out of breath and speaking in a hoarse voice, and Hildegard, who had clearly changed the atmosphere of the room.

I thought something bad was approaching the village.

"Reta, Mina. Thank you for the pleasant time. I must go to battle. You two stay hidden here."

"Wait, Hildegard, you don't mean—"

There was only one thing that could make her, or any elf, change so drastically.

"That thing, the Black Dragon, is coming!"

Reta's bad feeling was confirmed.

Holding her breath, she searched for words, and in the next moment,

a deafening roar shook the village.