Chapter 88

After parting ways with Alice and the others, we headed toward the elf village.

I needed to return the camping gear I’d borrowed, and quite simply, the elves had invited us over.

“Man… I really heard something unpleasant back there.”

“Are you referring to the conversation from earlier?”

“Yeah. Since the Hero is targeting Grandfather and Karin, it’s not something I can just ignore. I know it’s naive, but if there’s a path where we don’t have to clash, I want to take it.”

As long as Thea hates monsters, I’m well aware that such a future is difficult, but I still want to avoid it if possible.

In that case, I should probably start thinking about how to keep avoiding her.

“I sympathize with your plight.”

“Well, she might have hit it off with Taiga by now and forgotten all about me. It would be a huge help if she’s just living happily on her end.”

“Does the Hero have a man she likes?”

Ouka chimed in with a question.

“It’s not so much that she likes him—it’s more just a hope of mine. I just wish she’d get together with Taiga, since he’s always by her side.”

Most of the men around Thea seem to be older guys; Taiga is probably the only one her own age, right?

I’ve heard occasional stories about noblemen and the like, but she never seemed very interested.

“………”

“Ril, cheer up. I’ll definitely put a stop to it.”

“But they’re your friends, right? You’re worried about them too.”

“Well… yeah.”

“Ryu, you say you’ll try not to hurt either side, but I know how incredibly difficult that is. If the time ever comes where you absolutely have to choose one… what will you do?”

“I’d choose all of you, obviously. I’ll take my wives over my friends any day.”

I could say the words, but even I knew I was still wavering.

That’s why Ril was anxious.

That’s why she needed me to say it over and over.

The others were surely feeling the same anxiety; they just didn’t speak of it out of consideration for me.

I felt like I had to make a firm decision eventually.

And that moment wasn’t some distant future.

It would likely arrive sooner than expected.

With those murky feelings lingering, we arrived at the elf village.

The elves all welcomed us with a blessing.

It was a stroke of luck that they hadn’t been moved to another country yet; I had simply been destroying the Underground Guilds.

“Lord Ryu, and Lady Ril… thanks to all of you, we can live together once again. You have our deepest gratitude.”

Elder Al spoke on their behalf.

Beside him were Ellen and Wilos—it looked like the entire Solon family was bowing in thanks.

Seeing a sight like this made me feel like I hadn’t done the wrong thing, but if you asked me if I could do this alongside Thea, it felt doubtful.

Elves are recognized as demi-humans, so they aren’t at risk of being killed on sight, but for some reason, I couldn’t shake my unease.

“I only gave everyone a little help. This victory belongs to all of you.”

“You are too humble. It is thanks to you that a force of five hundred was repelled. Even if our quality was superior, we would have been crushed by their sheer numbers.”

“Then you should thank my wives. I only took down the Underground Guild.”

“Even so, it was Lord Ryu who liberated our captured kin.”

After a bit of back-and-forth like that, I asked a question that had been bothering me.

“Will the village remain here?”

“Yes. Our ancestors have lived and thrived in this forest for generations. we have no intention of leaving now.”

“But this location has been discovered by bad people. To be honest, I think it’s dangerous.”

“However, since we have nowhere else to go, moving the village would be difficult.”

I understood that.

But, maybe… just maybe, there was something that could be done.

“Is the Spirit Queen here?”

“Yes. She said she wished to thank you personally, so she is waiting.”

With that, we headed toward the massive tree at the center of the village.

“Great Spirit King! I have brought Lord Ryu!”

As Elder Al spoke, the giant tree began to glow, and two tiny, palm-sized spirits emerged.

They were a boy and a girl with rainbow-colored wings.

Before I knew it, the surrounding elves had all dropped to their knees.

“Thanks, Al. Nice to meet you, Ryu. I’m the Spirit King.”

“You’re the Spirit King? I didn’t expect you to look like a child.”

“Is it that surprising? In some places, people call us fairies. Does that fit the image better?”

Now that he mentioned it, the fairy illustrations in picture books did look like this.

I had honestly expected a crotchety old man with a bushy beard.

“So that’s your image of a king. I suppose that would feel more dignified.”

“Wait, did you just peek inside my head?”

“I can manage at least that much. Also, she wants to say thank you as well.”

The other spirit, the girl, stepped forward.

She seemed shy, avoiding eye contact with me.

Keeping her gaze averted, the girl spoke.

“I am Titania. Thank you for saving my contractor, Wilos.”

As soon as she said her piece, she hid behind the Spirit King’s back again.

“Sorry about that. She’s fine with spirits and elves, but she’s still not great with humans.”

“No, that’s fair. Humans were the ones capturing elves for their own greed; you can’t expect everyone to get along immediately.”

“I appreciate your understanding. Now then, let’s decide on your reward. First is money, then the cost for purchasing Wilos… and what else would be good?”

The Spirit King asked with a strained smile, seemingly unaccustomed to this sort of thing.

I thought he could just peek into my heart to solve the problem, but…

Well… there isn’t anything I particularly want right now, and I don’t really need any rare materials for the time being.

In that case…

“Then, please move the elves to a safer place. That’s my reward.”

“Lord Ryu!?”

Elder Al cried out in shock, but hey, I really didn’t have any desires of my own.

“If you can’t do that, then please strengthen the barrier around this village so that nothing like this ever happens again.”

“Are you sure about that? We had already decided to strengthen the barrier anyway. Is there nothing else?”

“I can’t think of anything.”

It wasn’t exactly a hundred percent selfless; I just never wanted to deal with this kind of trouble again.

It was a pain, it took a lot of time, and I hated being looked at with those “eyes of respect.”

I just want to relax, you know?

“Hmm… In that case, would it be alright if we gave you the greatest reward we can offer?”

“No, I can’t take anything that extravagant.”

“It’s not a thing. It’s a spirit. That said, it means I’ll be presenting you with a spirit that suits you, so I’ll have to look into you a bit.”

“A spirit? Well… I guess that’s fine?”

The Spirit King seemed determined to give me a reward, so this felt like a good compromise.

I’ll leave the rest to him.

“Alright, let’s take a look.”

He placed a tiny hand on my forehead.

I didn’t feel like I was being “investigated” or anything, but…

Suddenly, he jerked his hand back.

“Something wrong?”

“What do you mean ‘something wrong’?! Get over here for a second!”

The Spirit King pulled me behind the giant tree.

“Why is Azi Dahaka inside you!?”

“Ah, you noticed. I guess you really aren’t just a kid.”

“And there’s someone even more dangerous than Azi Dahaka in there too! Why is the inside of your body like some demonic realm!?”

“Don’t ask me. If you’re so curious, go ask the ‘more dangerous’ one. They’ve got power, but they’re reasonable enough to talk to.”

“You’re sure about that, right? If I get erased, it’s going to cause some serious problems.”

Trembling, he gently placed his hand on my forehead again.

I just stood there blankly for a while until the Spirit King descended back in front of me, looking exhausted.

“How was it?”

“It’s been settled. I will become your contracted spirit.”

“Wait, the Spirit King? Won’t that cause problems?”

“I wouldn’t say ‘none,’ but it can’t be helped. He—or rather, she now—wants it. If I refuse, something terrible will happen.”

What the hell did Ulu say to him? Her status is definitely higher, but…

She didn’t threaten him, did she?

“What are you going to do? The elves will be worried if you’re gone.”

“It’ll be fine. Just because we have a contract doesn’t mean the rule is I have to be with my contractor at all times. I have my own work to do, and she acknowledged that. As long as I help out whenever you need my power, there’s no issue.”

If it’s not an issue, then fine…

Either way, it’s decided that I’m gaining yet another skill I have to keep secret.

“Now, let’s go back and finalize the contract. We can’t exactly do a secret contract here.”

“Eh~ you’re doing it in front of everyone? Won’t there be a riot?”

“There won’t. If anything, they might welcome it.”

I really don’t want to be welcomed.

What a pain.

However, the Spirit King ignored my protests and forced the contract through.

I wondered if the elves would have something to say, but for some reason, they accepted it.

With a tired smile, I waved goodbye and headed back to the inn.