Martial Elf

“…Do you really think you’ll be allowed?”

Despite Demis’s growling words, Araya smiled innocently and scratched her insides.

“Will you let me?”

“Is that even possible?”

Demis firmly asserted without hiding his wrinkled face.

“In fact, I got permission from mother. I came here to say goodbye.”

When Araya raised her left arm to show a simple wooden bracelet, any High Elf would sense it.

The strong aura of her mother was imbued in the bracelet.

Demis wrapped his forehead with both hands and eventually began to splash water on his face, feeling inadequate with that alone.

When he finally calmed down and lowered his hands, he wore an expressionless face as usual.

“That’s not allowed.”

“I don’t want to.”

“It’s dangerous.”

Araya, who usually intended to throw a tantrum, read worry and concern in Demis’s typically annoyingly handsome expression.

And that was a joy so great that it could not even be concealed from Araya.

That feeling was surely the love for her reckless sister.

“I’m happy.”

“I feel like I might explode.”

Seeing Demis’s furrowed brows, Araya thought he would probably become quite a stubborn old man if he aged, though he would still be handsome.

“You know, Demis? This vast forest, which began as mother’s domain, will soon be an area we can manage and will be almost fully tuned. At that point, the Elves will have to eventually venture beyond this forest we’ve been living in together for the past ten years.”

“This forest is our land, where we should live. What do you mean by going anywhere?”

“Demis.”

For rare moments, Araya continued in a serious tone.

“There’s a difference between not knowing something but choosing not to act and outright refusing to engage when you don’t even know what it is.”

“Mother said that there are siblings out there in this world.”

“Just like Mother was born with a mission of life among the stars, maybe those on the other side could be doing something in this world.”

“If among them there are beings hostile to us, are we going to stop them with animosity without even trying to understand them?”

“Don’t you feel it? The ominous flow of mana coming from the east. It’s definitely the energy of a delinquent who doesn’t want to fit in with most of this planet. Surely worse than Saras’s temperament.”

“You know? When we were born, mother gave us our first and last mission.”

The next words were echoed by Demis.

“To benefit all widely.”

Araya smiled broadly.

“I love this world, Demis.”

“This world has always treated me warmly.”

“I love mother, and you, and Arti, and Saras, and Palas, and Anya, and Elmony, and all the other Elves. I love this world that embraces everyone I live with.”

‘It’s something I’ve never felt before.’ Araya whispered in her heart.

“If it’s something someone has to do someday, and if I’m the most suitable one here, I will go.”

“…You don’t just want to burst out of here because it’s stifling?”

“Well, that’s partially true~☆”

Demis seemed to lose the argument and let out a small laugh.

“Let’s go down.”

“Huh?”

“I need to tell the others too. No matter what, Anart is going to cry and make a fuss. It’ll be tough handling the aftermath, so be sure before you go.”

“Ugh… If it’s Anya, she’s definitely going to be like that.”

◈ ◈ ◈

‘It’s going better than I thought.’

Looked at the handsome back of the head, which seemed to shine even at night.

In reality, the only person left to physically stop him from leaving the forest now is likely only their mother.

And since even that mother gave her permission, going out itself is not a big problem.

However, not wanting to worry her siblings by disappearing without saying anything, as mother said, was weighing on her heart.

She truly thought of her High Elf siblings as family.

It was a different kind of feeling than romantic love, but she loved them.

It was different from the previous life where blood relations existed without any interaction.

She was genuinely grateful for her new life, which not only provided a healthy and talented body but also gave her a new family.

While she believed her past personality was not sociable, if she now addressed her sisters with nicknames or had a brighter manner of speaking, it was undoubtedly because she was surrounded by a happy environment.

‘… Honestly, I often find it hard to manage my emotions at times.’

Every time she remembered being a man who lived in that desolate home, harboring a desolate mindset, she felt somewhat nauseous.

Though she had the face of a baby without a trace of stubble, imagining a man who hardly said a word to a servant acting innocently in the body of a ten-year-old girl was quite discomforting.

Nevertheless, aside from that, her behavior and outward demeanor were gradually adapting to her physical form and environment.

In the end, the past life is the past.

Now she lives as Araya, and unless she dies somewhere outside, her Elven life would soon overshadow the brief life of her previous existence.

Above all, the happiness of her current life is overwhelmingly greater than that of her past.

Her previous life’s parents and siblings could not possibly complain about the love given by her mother and High Elf siblings, as she would deny the past morally and spatially.

“Hey? Araya?”

As Arti was weaving on the loom, she looked surprised as soon as she noticed us, but regardless, her hands continued moving the loom.

In many ways, that’s quite remarkable.

A familiar presence approached from behind, and something soft pressed against the top of her head.

“Araya— I missed you!”

Then, with that, she slipped her hands under her armpits and lifted her.

In an instant, she was hoisted up like a cat being carried by a maid in her past life, dangling and spinning around.

In the meantime, Saras and the other boys glance over before ignoring her and starting their own tasks.

These indifferent creatures.

“Aha! Ahahaha!”

“Uh… Anya.”

“Anart, put Araya down.”

“Huh? Why?”

Why not, you ask? Because humans aren’t toys to be lifted and shaken like that.

“I have something important to discuss.”

When Demis spoke solemnly, Anya, who had a startled expression, secretly glanced down at Araya, who was being spun in the air.

“Araya is going out.”

Thud!

As soon as those words were spoken, the loom that seemed to not stop suddenly halted.

And even the indifferent ones turned to look.

All stared with shocked eyes.

When the focus of attention gathers like this, she felt an urge to do something silly, but it was quite an important matter.

“Yeah, well, that’s what happened. I’m leaving tomorrow.”

“What! I didn’t hear anything about that!”

Of course not, Anya; I just said it.

But could you please stop shaking me now?

Essentially, my body doesn’t weigh more than 30 Rongoelds (30 kg).

Though Anya doesn’t fight much, being a High Elf, she could easily lift this weight, hoisting her up to dangle without any foothold.

Growing heavier as a technique like the “Heavenly Seizing of Weight” made her grunt for a moment before placing her back down on the ground.

“Araya, that’s mean! My sister is hurt!”

While she rubbed her cheek against her sister, that overwhelming affection was always both heartwarming and burdensome.

The handsome, carefree-looking Palas approached and teased.

“Hey.”

“What?”

“When are you leaving?”

“I told you I’m leaving tomorrow. Did your big ears get blocked?”

With Anya occupying all the right side of her body, she raised her left hand to tap her ear.

Palas made a stiff expression and left the spot.

“What the…?”

“…Going outside is… because of that to the east…?”

Elmony, who had been meditating quietly, glanced over with an astonished expression, half-open eyes like usual.

“Well, that’s part of it. I also want to know what the outside is like.”

“What do you mean part of it! Do you know how dangerous it is out there? No! No! This sister is against it!”

Being an elf with ears as great as her appearance meant she could scream like crazy, making it unbearable.

She twitched her ears and dulled her senses.

Yet, the vibrations of the sound were still felt.

Anya… what a scary kid.

“Hmm… Indeed, while the forest is being organized, we do need to figure out what kind of world is beyond.”

“Saras! You don’t oppose Araya going outside?!”

“Ugh— really, you girl. You’re way too loud. Anyway…”

“What if Araya gets hurt… or dies?”

“Die? Her?”

Looking at Saras, who was gazing at her with a questioning look, she shrugged her shoulders.

“I was like that back then when that giant dog attacked too! What if she gets badly hurt again? But if I’m far away, I won’t be able to help her!”

Mentioning Fenril, even Saras quiets down a bit.

Surely, back then, she had been hurt badly enough for mother to step in.

Mother’s powers were so substantial that there wouldn’t even be a trace left, but under normal circumstances, regardless of whether she lived or died, she would have the horrible scar crossing half her body.

“Well, that was seven years ago. Now she’s much stronger, so there’s nothing to worry about.”

“I want to go too!”

“What?”

“I want to go too! I can’t send Araya off to dangerous places alone!”

“That’s not allowed.”

“Why!”

With Anya’s whining voice, he asserted it without a care in the world.

“Because you’re weak.”

“……”

“You’ll just be a burden.”

As he calmly stated the facts, Anya’s expression quickly turned gloomy, and she looked at him with teary eyes.

‘Can’t you not go?’ her gaze implored as he tried hard to look away.

With even the most beautiful woman appearing to be on the verge of tears, he honestly felt a bit shaken.

Then, she burst into tears and clung to him again.

“…When are we leaving tomorrow?”

Stopping her loom quietly and finishing her thoughts, Arti asked.

“Umm… I think as soon as I wake up in the morning?”

“It would be better to leave after lunch, then. Depart in the afternoon.”

“…Huh?”

“Depart in the afternoon.”

With that strange command, she nodded.

As soon as she received the answer, she stood up and headed somewhere.

“Well, is there nothing to take with you?”

He swayed the bracelet on his left arm like he did with Demis.

“Ah… it’s mother’s.”

Surprised by the substantial energy contained in the bracelet, but when considering she was going outside, he must have deemed it reasonable and nodded in agreement.

“If it’s that type, there’s something to contemplate.”

Then, just like Anya and Palas, he left swiftly.

With three out of seven gone, the space felt quite empty.

One of them even closed his eyes again to meditate after just a few words earlier.

“Is it usually like this when someone is about to leave?”

“Well, you’re the first among us to go, so there’s no comparison to reference.”

“Um…”

Her response was somewhat dissatisfied.

Grumbling a bit in dissatisfaction, Demis chuckled and ruffled her hair.

“Even if you leave tomorrow, you should still sleep tonight. The last moments should be with family.”

“Right! Araya! Let’s sleep together tonight!”

With a huff, Anya once again tried to hoist her off to her room.

“Araya.”

“Yeah?”

“Sleep well.”

That was a little careless.

But whether it was due to Demis’s concern or not, she couldn’t get a good night’s sleep due to Anya constantly clinging and chattering.

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