Chapter 97

“And most people from other continents aren’t aware of the latter’s existence.”

“Hmm…”

“A long time ago… back in my great-grandmother’s generation, it’s said there was a dispute in the heavens between the gods Noina and Merina. Noina wanted to bring the Merina Elves down to the surface and make them her kin, just like the other elves. Naturally, Merina strongly opposed this.”

“Then, in a fit of rage, Noina secretly moved some of the Merina Elves from the moon to the surface. And so—”

“Wait. Time out.”

“Yes?”

“I think I just heard something very strange.”

“Strange? Like what?”

“You said they moved the Merina Elves from the ‘moon’ to the surface…”

“Yes. What about it?”

“So… are you saying the Merina Elves used to live on the moon?”

“No.”

“Ah, I see. It’s a metaphor of some kind.”

“No, that’s not it… Even now, the vast majority of Merina Elves live in the sanctuary of the second moon, Merina.”

“…What?”

“I mean, our tribe originally lives on the moon. The total population is about 200,000, but only about 30,000 are active on the surface. The rest live on the moon.”

Good grief. Not moon rabbits, but moon elves?

While I was struggling to process this absurd piece of information, she continued her explanation.

“Anyway, furious at this, the God Merina bestowed a Blessing of Madness upon all Merina Elves.”

“A Blessing of Madness?”

“Yes. It’s a blessing where you lose your reason and run wild, but in exchange, your combat power nearly doubles.”

Is that… really a blessing?

“Consequently, a war broke out between the maddened Merina Elves and the allied forces of Noina Elves and humans who tried to stop them. As a result, 30,000 Merina Elves, 100,000 Noina Elves, and 110,000 humans died.”

“…….”

“Only then did Noina regret what she had done, but it was already too late. Terrified of the madness-stained Merina Elves, the Elf-Human allied forces fled. Even after the war ended, the 20,000 surviving Merina Elves couldn’t overcome their madness and began slaughtering other sentient beings.”

“Mmm…”

“And… the ones who finally suppressed those rampaging Merina Elves were none other than their own kin. Unable to witness the tragedy any longer, the Merina Elves from the moon descended to the surface to grant eternal rest to their maddened family and friends.”

“…….”

“As a result, our Merina Elves have carried madness and ferocity in our blood for generations… and at the same time, we came to deeply detest the Noina Elves and humans.”

“…….”

“Well, nothing much happened after that. Regardless of the tension, we lived in different places. But then… when the Demon Kings appeared 200 years ago, the other gods demanded that Merina join the front lines against them. Merina accepted and sent some of the Merina Elves down to the Western Continent.”

“It wasn’t a bad deal for us, either… Merina Elves need to periodically vent their madness and ferocity, but there aren’t many places on the moon to do that. So, we targeted the beasts and monsters of the surface. Most Merina Elves on the Western Continent spend the majority of their time on the front lines against monsters.”

“I see… so that was the situation. Ah, but then that ‘license to kill’ you mentioned…”

“Ahahaha! A license to kill? What a scary thing to say. Each Merina Elf simply possesses individual immunity (the right to be exempt from certain legal penalties). Besides, in the case of killing, it’s only valid when the madness is uncontrollable—that is, in a state of rampage—so it’s only a half-measure anyway.”

“Hmm…”

I scratched my head and bowed my head slightly toward her.

“Huh? Oppa, what’s wrong?”

“I’m sorry. I didn’t know such a tragedy had occurred, yet I spoke lightly of things like split personalities for fun… I’ve committed a great rudeness.”

“No, it’s fine. How is that rude? I’m the one who dragged you into that mess at the shop earlier, so we’re even.”

I paused… recalling the carnage at the general store and the madness she had exuded.

“Indeed, a rampage is truly terrifying. To think it could make someone as kind as you, Kelly, so ferocious.”

She tilted her head.

“Eh? That was just me getting pissed off and wrecking things. If I had actually rampaged, it wouldn’t have ended so quietly.”

“…Huh?”

What kind of nonsense was this?

“Are you saying that just now wasn’t a rampage?”

“Of course not. Everyone ran away alive, didn’t they? There’s no way that was a rampage.”

“……”

“For the record, the reason I was working as a clerk at a general store was because I caused some trouble during a rampage. Don’t you think they’re being too much? It’s not like I went around killing a thousand people… I only sent about 300 guys who hit on me to the hospital in ambulances.”

“…….”

“Ah, it was so hard. For an entire year, I had to deal with those loathsome humans, saying things like ‘Welcome’ and ‘Goodbye’… I was so busy that even when we hired extra help, the male part-timers were driven out by the customers, and the female ones fled because they couldn’t handle being compared to me… Even I think I endured it for a long time.”

“…….”

“They said my temper would cool down if I experienced the service industry with humans. But a person’s personality doesn’t change that easily, does it? Don’t you agree, Oppa?”

“Hahaha…”

So that was it. Even among the destructive Merina Elves, she was the one with such a foul temper that she had been sent away.

“The Queen of Crazy.”

“Oh my, that’s right! That was the nickname my friends gave me. How did you know?”

I see. The local lunatic was right here.

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Come to think of it, why did I want to meet her? Ah, right. I just came because she asked me to show my face later. To thank her properly.

Yes. Before I met her, the conversation I had simulated in my head went roughly like this:

1. Greet her warmly.
2. Exchange proper introductions.
3. Mention how great she looks in her new clothes.
4. Thank her for giving me the discarded goods from the shop back then. Say it was a big help and that I won’t forget her kindness.
5. She says, “Don’t mention it, please visit again.”
6. I explain that I’m actually leaving the city for the countryside.
7. She says, “Oh, really? That’s a shame. Good luck there. Stop by if you’re ever in Redna City again.”
8. “Haha, thank you. Well then, until we meet again.”

…ETC.

I had painted a beautiful story of receiving the blessing of a pretty elf I happened to meet and then heading off on a train—choo choo!—like a classic fantasy trope…

But what the hell is this?

I watched her plunge her fork into a freshly delivered strawberry cream cake and asked again.

“By the way, I am a human too… Why are you showing me so much favor?”

“……?”

At my question, her eyes suddenly went wide. It was the most shocked expression I had seen from her yet.

“Haha! You’re such a jokester, Oppa. Where in the world is there a human like you?”

“No, I’m serious. I’m human.”

She clutched her stomach and burst into laughter for a long time, as if my words were the funniest thing she had ever heard.

No, seriously, why? Did I say something strange?

She replied with a voice still laced with laughter.

“There are differences between individuals… but Merina Elves can see souls. In my case, I can see something like the color of the soul…”

“Soul? What’s wrong with mine?”

“Oppa, you are a blaze.”

“A blaze?”

“Yes. A flame burning in iridescent colors. A massive fire that pierces through the clouds and the sky, continuing forever.”

“Is that a good thing?”

“Is it good? Well, I wouldn’t know.”

“You don’t know?”

“Because I’ve never seen anything like it before. However… when I first saw you… I thought you were a god.”

“A god?”

“Yes. I thought Merina had descended to see me.”

“Heh…”

“Perhaps, as you say, you really were born human. But even if the material is the same, you can’t treat a divine sword and this fork as the same thing, can you?”

“Mmm…”

“So, don’t introduce yourself as human to other Merina Elves. They’ll think you’re a con artist.”

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She poked the last remaining piece of cake with her fork and brought it to my mouth.
Startled, I eventually ended up opening my mouth and eating the cake.

“Heehee. And I’ve never seen anyone as handsome as you, Oppa. Honestly, you are perfectly my type.”

“Uh… thanks for that.”

“So, can I call you ‘Orabeoni’¹ from now on? Ah, and you can speak casually to me. It’s weird for an older brother to speak formally to his younger sister.”

“No, I can handle the casual speech, but… why ‘Orabeoni’ all of a sudden?”

“Because ‘Orabeoni’ sounds more affectionate than just ‘Oppa,’ doesn’t it?”

“…S-sure. Fine. Whatever you like.”

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After exchanging small talk for about thirty more minutes, we picked up our drinks and stood up from our seats.

“So… you were caught up in some accident and dropped into the Western Continent… and you want to return to the Eastern Continent?”

“Yeah.”

“To do that, you need to use a grand fleet or a sanctuary, but you’re penniless right now? So you want to earn money?”

“Yeah.”

“But you don’t have an ID, so it’s impossible to work here in Redna City? That’s why you’re planning to head to the countryside where enforcement is weak and earn money through hunting?”

“Exactly.”

She went “Mmm, mmm,” tapping her empty plate with her fork. Suddenly, her face lit up like a lightbulb, and she clapped her hands together.

“Right! That’s it! Then, Orabeoni, don’t go anywhere else—just come to the guild I was in! If it’s an ID, we can get one issued through our connections.”

“Huh? The guild you were in?”

Ah, I suppose even if she ran wild on the front lines, she probably didn’t do it alone. There must have been people backing her up. I see. She belonged to a guild.

“The scale is, well, so-so, but everyone is an elite.”

Mmm. Not bad. No, it was actually great. The earnings aside, the fact that they could issue an ID was incredibly attractive.

“Really? That wouldn’t be bad. Can you write me a letter of recommendation?”

She tilted her head.

“A letter of recommendation? Why?”

“Well, I’ll need one, won’t I? As proof that you vouched for me.”

“I’m going back with you, though?”

“Eh?”

“This works out perfectly. My Guild Master gave me a two-year penalty (working in the service industry) to cool my temper. But it’s only been one year. So, if I bring a brilliant talent like you, Orabeoni, and use that as an excuse to return… mmm, it’s a wonderful scenario. I guarantee the Guild Master won’t be able to refuse you. And by extension, my return for bringing you along.”

“Wait. What makes you think I’m a ‘talent’? Surely, you’re not just betting on that ‘soul color’ business, are you?”

She smiled brightly and said to me:

“Be honest. Even right now, you’re confident you could subdue me instantly, aren’t you?”

“Uh…?”

“I may not look it, but I’m incredibly quick-witted. Even back at the shop, you were thinking of cracking my skull if push came to shove, weren’t you?”

“…….”

“When I blew the shop away with just a mana discharge, the emotion you showed wasn’t fear or dread—it was indifference. In other words, that level of power didn’t even register as a threat to you.”

“…….”

“I can tell by looking. You’re a person who has never lost, Orabeoni.”

Having said that, she suddenly lunged with her fork toward my eye. She even packed it with a generous amount of Aura.

Clang!!

In the next moment, the fork was already in my hand, stabbed into the cake.

“Good grief. See? I knew you’d do that.”