Chapter 27

The floating island where the elves live.

Leading the way through the forest was Kyle, Marié's personal servant.

Marié is so carefree.

"Kyle, you should have told us you were going to your hometown. I even prepared some souvenirs."

Perhaps she is watching her personal servant return to his hometown, but from Kyle's perspective, it might be a bit awkward, right?

Bought as a slave, he is now returning to his hometown with his master.

Is he going to introduce, "This is my master!" to his family?

I wouldn't want to do that.

Kyle, walking ahead, didn't look very happy.

"...Souvenirs are not necessary."

Kyle, looking somewhat depressed, didn't seem to want to return to his hometown.

Livya was worried.

"Mr. Leon, isn't Kyle acting strange? He's going back to his hometown, so why is he so down?"

Unlike the carefree Marié, Livya was closely observing Kyle's behavior.

"There are probably a lot of things on his mind. Maybe there are reasons he doesn't want to go back."

Unlike Marié, the kind-hearted Livya was concerned about Kyle.

As for Ange—

"This is the forest where the elves live. I didn't know there was a dungeon here, but I'm getting excited."

True to her noble blood, she is excited about the adventure.

The reason Ange is accompanying Marié is to explore the dungeon—ruins—in the elf village.

In the game, it's not particularly difficult, and the boss can be easily defeated.

However, this ruin is rich in treasure.

It's a profitable dungeon, so Marié remembered it and decided to clear it to pay off her debts.

If Ange were acting normally, she would have said that there was no need for me to provide an airship.

In other words—

"Ange seems to be having fun."

"Indeed! Isn't Livya excited too?"

"A little. After all, it's a ruin, so there might be some amazing discoveries."

"No, it's treasure. I feel there's treasure! I'll definitely find it and show it off to my family!"

...He's really hyped up.

On the other hand, Marié is more serious.

"It's fine. If we make a big profit here, the debt will be wiped out. We might even have a surplus. Then, we can buy street food from popular stalls, have dessert with dinner, and buy new clothes... My socks are all worn out."

Listening to Marié's monologue makes me feel sad.

I was angry that the reincarnated Marié, pretending to be a saint, was so pitiful. Why did she end up in such a sorry state? Even though she became a saint and had her living expenses and necessary funds provided, she still ended up with debts. What did she do in her previous life to deserve this?

Zilc and Gregg walked behind, with the women in the center.

Walking alone, looking troubled, was Heltrude.

"I should have just waited."

"It's my choice. Besides, I'm not comfortable leaving the debt repayment and the exploration of the ruins to you all."

Well, I can understand, but shouldn't the kingdom be more concerned about giving this person so much freedom?

The forest path is well-maintained.

Lukseon, floating on my shoulder, looked at the path—

"...Master, what exactly are elves?"

"They're a fantasy race. What's the matter?"

"I don't have any data on a race called elves. They suddenly appeared while I was on standby. Doesn't that seem strange?"

That's a problem.

Did they appear due to a mutation or something?

"Also, the fact that they can't mate with human women is concerning. But with men—"

Lukseon keeps asking questions, but Kyle pointed to the village he could see.

"That's the village where I was born and raised."

Marié, excited, said—

"Wow, they're all handsome!"

The village, with its log houses, looks peaceful at first glance but is well-maintained.

A few elf villagers are wearing tight-fitting clothes.

All of them are well-built and handsome.

Zilc, putting his hand on his chin, started showing off his knowledge.

"Elves are generally handsome, but they don't judge beauty by appearance like humans do."

Marié was surprised, and so was Gregg, who was standing next to her.

...You didn't know either?

"Really?"

"Yes. They have preferences based on the magic power a person possesses. So, they don't really have preferences based on appearance."

The group is interested in elves, who judge beauty by magic power, but Kyle is looking down and not saying anything.

I call out to him.

"What's wrong?"

"...Don't talk to me. Don't be kind to me just to make yourself feel better. I hate people like you the most."

I feel my head getting hot.

"I don't like brats like you either. Introducing Marié to your family as 'This is my master' would be awkward."

Kyle sighed and looked at me with a mocking attitude.

"That's why schoolboys are so stupid. Understand, being a slave to elves is like working away from home. The treatment is proper, and it's much better than being a schoolboy."

That's true, but it makes me angry to hear it.

Lukseon seemed to understand.

"I see, it's like working away from home for elves. I understand."

"Elves have a longer lifespan than humans. Even if they waste a few decades, it's not a problem."

...A few decades of working away from home. But Kyle's tone is a bit concerning.

Well, that's probably how a slave feels.

As we approached the village, one of the villagers came towards us.

A cute-looking woman with green hair and brown eyes. She seemed a bit older than us but was small and cute.

"Kyle!"

The woman, who seemed to know Kyle, waved and ran over.

When she got closer, Kyle straightened his posture and moved to stand next to Marié, who was talking to Zilc—

"Milady Marié, this is my mother. Her name is [Yumelia]."

"Ah, oh! H-hello!"

Marié, flustered, greeted her, and Yumelia, Kyle's mother, also bowed hurriedly.

Kyle calmly informed Yumelia—

"Milady Marié and her companions want to enter the ruins in the village. We need to get permission from the village chief."

"But, Kyle, you just got back. Don't talk to me like I'm a stranger—"

"I am Milady Marié's personal servant now."

Kyle's attitude, while correct as a servant, was cold towards his mother.

Yumelia looked sad.

"Don't be so cold. It's your hometown, right?"

I said, and Kyle laughed through his nose.

"What?"

"Don't talk to me so casually. I am Milady Marié's personal servant and have no intention of being friendly with you."

Faced with Kyle's prickly attitude, Gregg was a bit irritated.

"Hey, that's going too far. Baltofalt is our captain."

Seeing her personal servant acting strangely since they arrived at her hometown, Marié tried to intervene.

"Kyle, no fighting. And you seem different today."

"It's always like this. Let's go. It's faster to go to the village chief's house."

Saying that, Kyle entered the village without even looking at Yumelia.

Livya, worried, called out—

"Since we arrived on this island, he's been acting strange. Maybe he's not feeling well."

But Yumelia smiled sadly.

"It's fine. It's my fault. I'm a poor mix."

The word "mix" stuck in my mind.

◇

The village chief's house was large.

I heard that he returned to the village a few decades ago after finishing his service as a personal servant. He received a substantial reward and built this house.

A young-looking male elf, in his late twenties, with a goatee.

"You want to see the ruins in the village?"

I spoke on behalf of the group.

Given my position, such troublesome tasks fall to me.

"Is it possible?"

"Entering the ruins itself is—however, it's a sacred place for the village. Normally, we would need the agreement of the other village chiefs. While we freely enter and exit, it's different for outsiders—"

The floating islands with elf villages.

They all seem to be called villages.

"The village chief will oppose it, so it's probably not possible."

"Village chief?"

"A wise old woman. The previous generation believed in her strongly, but now her predictions are often wrong. In the past, humans often visited the village chief."

It seems we won't be able to enter the dungeon—ruins.

"Besides, we also visit there, but there's no treasure."

"Huh?"

As the village chief spoke, there was a loud knock on the door.

An elf woman entered.

"Village chief, the village elder!"

The village chief threw a nearby ornament at her.

"Kyaa!"

The woman was hit and looked scared—

"Running and banging on the door like that! How many times do I have to tell you! It's rude in front of guests!"

He then approached the woman and started kicking her.

Seeing this, I hurried to stop him.

"Hey, what are you doing!"

The village chief pushed my hand away and looked at me with disdain.

The same look the personal servants at the academy give to the boys.

"Don't interfere. Etiquette is important for elves. If we don't pay attention to it, the children will become ill-mannered. If that happens, they won't sell for a good price as slaves."

...I don't understand the elf's situation, but this is too much.

"That's a disturbing sight in front of guests."

That was the best I could do to stand up to him.

"Apologies. Now, what is your business?"

The woman, who had been kicked, tearfully reported that the village elder had come to the village.

◇

In the village square.

All the elves gathered were handsome and beautiful.

Among them stood an elderly woman, supported by others, with a large staff.

She was bent over, and it was hard to tell if her eyes were open or closed.

An old woman with a lot of white hair, supported by women in similar traditional clothing, was muttering something.

The elf woman next to her relayed the message—

"The village elder says, 'You must not enter the ruins again. If you do, you will incur the wrath of the ancient demon king.'"

The village chief scratched his head.

"...Village elder, what is this demon king? Besides, people from other villages also enter and exit the ruins."

The village elder mumbled, and the young elf woman answered—

"Do you think we don't know? The village elder knows you are deeply involved with the ruins. The village elder says, 'You must not touch the taboo. You must not enter the sacred ground of the elves.'"

The surrounding elves seemed skeptical, but the village elder and the priestesses seemed serious.

Lukseon, floating near my shoulder, also seemed skeptical.

"Divination?"

"What? Are you a complete skeptic?"

"Not at all. People with mysterious abilities do exist. Aren't you one of them, Master?"

Relying on my memories from my past life, I found Lukseon, who might indeed be a non-scientific existence.

Anyway,

"Do you know anything about the demon king?"

"Isn't Master more knowledgeable? Does the demon king appear in the dating game?"

"He doesn't. But I'm curious... Should I consider him old?"

It's sad to think that a once capable diviner has aged.

The one pushing through the crowd to the front was—Marié.

"Hey! It's too noisy. Just take me to the ruins! I will definitely clear it—"

Marié, trembling with fear of debt, stepped forward, and the village elder's eyes widened.

She whispered something to the woman next to her, who then relayed the message to us.

"Are you the holy maiden?"

"Oh, you can tell? Yes, I'm the holy maiden. If you understand, then—"

Before Marié could finish, the woman said—

"...It's fine to enter the ruins. The holy maiden will bring the ancient demon king. That is the future the village elder has predicted over the past few months."

The surrounding elves murmured.

Marié tilted her head.

"Demon king? I don't know any demon kings."

To me, you're the final boss. You're like a demon king.

I looked at Lukseon.

"Could it be Julius? He's royalty, and the descendants of the new humans can use magic. In the sense of a royal family that manipulates the laws of magic, he could be called a demon king or related to one."

"...That makes sense, but the prince isn't here, is he?"

"I can't help you with that."

The woman who had been relaying the village elder's words announced to the crowd—

"The time of judgment has come. Whether this island will sink or be spared... The village elder says we must not interfere with these people. Everyone must wait calmly for the time to come."

With that, the village elder and the others left the village.

◇

Inside the ruins.

When we arrived, we were disheartened by what we saw.

"...There's nothing here."

There were only rooms, and the walls and floors were covered with tree roots and vines.

To me, it looks like an old, dilapidated modern building, but to Livya, it seems like a romantic ancient ruin.

Livya was excited.

"Amazing! Leon, look at this. This shape has been found in other ancient ruins. It's a bit different, but this something near the door is a characteristic of ancient ruins!"

"...O-oh."

That's a card reader.

The machine to read card keys is broken, but it still retains its shape.

Lukseon, seeing Livya's excitement,

"Should I not tell her the truth?"

Livya is probably having fun thinking it's something meaningful.

He's probably wondering if he should tell her the correct answer right away.

"It would make her happy if you did."

"...Discovering things on your own can be fun too. Master wouldn't understand that."

"You're really a pain in the neck."

"I can't match you. But, this—"

Lukseon's gaze turned to Ange and the others.

"There's no treasure. Well, just being able to see the ruins is a good story."

Zilc was disappointed.

"I had high hopes for the elf ruins."

Gregg looked resigned.

"You don't find treasure-filled ruins that easily. The fun is in the unexpected. But, it's refreshing to find nothing."

Surprisingly, Heltrude was the one who seemed most disappointed.

"Huh? You were actually looking forward to it?"

"...Yes. Is that bad?"

"Not bad, just surprising."

"The principality, like the kingdom, has a history of adventurers. I have the same admiration for them as you do."

But why is the marriage situation so different?

When I looked at Marié,

"...I can't stand it. This is ridiculous!"

I saw her sobbing.

Zilc tried to comfort her.

"Marié, it's okay. We can go on another adventure sometime. We'll find treasure then."

It's a bit off the mark.

Marié doesn't want to go on an adventure; she just wants the treasure.

Her expression when she heard Zilc's kind words was proof of that.

"Y-yes."

Ange, annoyed by Livya's enthusiasm for the ruins, came to me.

"Leon, what do we do now? Should we just leave? The village chief looks annoyed too."

Looking at the village chief at the entrance of the ruins, he was glaring at us coldly, probably because of what happened at his house.

"...It makes me angry to be looked down on."

I want to punch him right now.

Whether it's old or new, I hope the demon king will deliver a righteous judgment.

But, there's no such thing as a demon king.

The village chief called out to us.

"That's enough. The ruins aren't very large. There's not much to see."

...That's strange.

I'm sure there's something in these ruins.

"I can't give up! The longer we wait, the more the debt grows! I—I won't give up! I'm tired of living in debt!"

Marié ran off into the depths of the ruins.

Ange looked annoyed.

"Running off like that, what an idiot."

I slung the rifle I brought over my shoulder and set off with Lukseon to find Marié.