There are a lot of elves. Actually, there are fewer elves than beast people here. Grandma told me they live a long time, maybe it has to do with that.
I think all the elves are really pretty, and very different from humans or beast people.
The elves are in front of us. This village that feels like it’s a part of the forest feels very mystical.
Among the elves, I notice something strange. There is an old elf holding a staff, and right next to him I see something half transparent, but in the blink of an eye it disappears. Am I just seeing things?
Our eyes meet as I think about that. Is he looking at me?
After looking at me, he looks over to mister Dongu and speaks to him.
“Am I correct in assuming you are the leader of this group?”
“…Yes, you can think of me in that way.”
Mister Athos was the village chief. They haven’t decided on a new chief, but I think we can consider mister Dongu our leader.
The old elf nods.
“I heard you were driven away from your homes.”
“Correct.”
“Hmm, then you can relax in this village.”
Says the old elf. I’m surprised by the friendly words. Mister Dongu also looks surprised for a second, and miss Lan looks worried.
Everyone else looks relieved and happy about being able to stay in such a nice place.
At first I’m very happy, since I really want us to get along, but then I remember what miss Lan said and get a little worried. There’s a chance that the elves don’t really want to be our friends.
The old elf says that since they don’t have a space ready for us to live in, we are going to be separated and live in the elves’ homes.
Mister Dongu seems hesitant as he hears this, but the old elf says ‘We welcome you here. I swear it on the name of the spirit tree.’
Spirit tree? I have no idea what that means, but miss Lan seems relieved, so I think it means something good.
I go with miss Lan, and get separated from Gaius.
Miss Lan says it’s probably a good idea to keep my contract with the gryphons and Scifo a secret, so I tell that to Reimar in secret and they all act accordingly. It’s better to act like the gryphons were working in our village, she says.
Miss Lan is watching out for us.
But the little gryphon Rema follows us. The elf girl that’s guiding seems very curious about Rema.
We are staying in the elf girl’s house. Her house has two rooms, and since she lives by herself, she tells us we can use the other room.
After confirming that the elf girl has moved on to the other room, I ask miss Lan a question.
“What does in the name of the spirit tree mean?”
“Elves are good at using magic, and because of this, they have a close relationship with spirits. To them, the spirit tree is absolute. I have only read about it, so I am not sure how true it is, but it is said that the spirit tree is a tree that births spirits.”
“Birth spirits?”
“Yes. Spirits are born in the spirit tree, move around inside it, and eventually leave to see the world. That is what I read.”
“…I see.”
The spirit tree is where the beings known as spirits are born. The elves swore on that tree.
“Elves have a very close relationship with spirits, so swearing on the spirit tree is not something they take lightly. Swearing on it so openly like that must mean they really do welcome us.”
Different species have these sorts of differences too.
Beast people live differently than humans, and have a different culture.
I’m sure their culture has a lot of things I don’t know too, so I have to ask miss Lan. There is so much I don’t know and don’t understand.
“…But, you still look serious.”
“Yes. Even if they do welcome us, we still don’t know how things will be from now on. So be careful Lerunda.”
“…Yes.”
Miss Lan says they really do welcome us, but we don’t know what it will be like from now on. I nod, and start wondering what the elves are thinking.
The elves are cold, but the old elf welcomes us.
That’s when I realize that the elves haven’t told us their names yet.
—Girl and elves – part three
(The girl that is probably the miko is staying in an elf girl’s home with the woman, and realizes she doesn’t know their names yet.)
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…is the old elf aware of the Miko ?