A Summons From The Elves

About an hour and a half passed after that, and it became time for breakfast.

We did have servants who could cook, but even now it was Aira who held control over our household’s dining table.

Today’s breakfast was pound cake made by mixing chopped dried fruit into the batter, bean soup, and mixed juice made with Wenti-brand fruits.

I put a suitably cut piece of pound cake into my mouth.

Because it had been properly baked, the outside was crisp, and as I bit further in, the inside was surprisingly moist.

As I enjoyed the difference between the two textures, the chewy bite of dried fruits such as mango and raisins followed.

The multiple textures that surged in made my mouth feel pleasantly surprised.

Perhaps because the amount of sugar used was reduced, the flavor of the batter itself was mild, which made the intense sweetness of the dried fruits stand out even more.

All the moisture in my mouth was suddenly taken away, so I took a sip of the mixed juice.

It seemed to use a lot of peaches, and a sticky sweetness spread through my mouth.

At the bottom, squeezed fruit pulp remained, and when I scooped it up with a spoon and carried it to my mouth, happiness spread through me.

Because the original sweetness was so strong, even the squeezed pulp still had plenty of sweetness.

But after consuming sweet things back-to-back with the pound cake and juice, my mouth felt a little too sugary.

That was where the bean soup came in to wash it down.

Thinking it was quite well thought out, I took a sip of the soup, and what came was a gentle saltiness.

The slight grassy flavor of the beans, softened by boiling, restored my tongue, which had been numbed by consuming so many sweets.

At first glance it seemed simple, but the soup contained a hidden depth.

When I asked Aira about it, she said she had made the broth using dried fish.

Care had been taken even in the smallest details, and I felt a certain satisfaction in the competence of my maid…

“Woody-sama, you have crumbs around your mouth.”

“Bring me another serving, Aira!”

“Please get it yourself.”

“What is this difference!? I demand better treatment!”

“I refuse.”

“Don’t refuse!”

Aira wiped around my mouth with a white handkerchief, while Nadja fiercely protested to her.

Incidentally, in our household, this level didn’t count as a fight.

It was more like playful banter, so I didn’t intervene and simply listened to the two of them while eating.

“Munch… but really… lately there haven’t been many strong monsters, and it’s boring.”

“Isn’t that a good thing? Peace is best. Though perhaps a real Amazoness like you wouldn’t understand.”

“What do you mean by real Amazoness!?”

“It means a real Amazoness.”

“That’s not what I’m talking about!”

This didn’t count as a fight… right?

…No, this was probably stepping into the territory of an actual argument.

Of course, things often heated up.

When that happened, it was my role to stop them.

“Aira, could I have another serving?”

“Yes, immediately.”

Aira bowed her head and left the room.

Perhaps realizing that they had gotten a little too heated, Nadja looked slightly embarrassed.

By the time Aira returned with another glass of juice, the momentum between the two had already calmed down.

After giving a small nod, I slowly finished the juice—

“Woody-sama, by the way, the elves said they had something to discuss…”

“Which ones?”

“Ah, sorry. The ones in Tree Village.”

“Got it. Then today I’ll go visit Utena-san and the others.”

Aira not only handled all the household affairs but also acted like my secretary.

I say this about myself, but I’m a rather easygoing person.

The reason someone like me could get by without falling behind or making fatal mistakes was entirely thanks to her ability to keep everything organized.

Still, the elves, huh… If I had to guess, Utena-san was probably saying something again.

Aside from exceptions like Akabane-san, who had lived outside for a long time, and Fana-san, who had lived for an incredibly long time, most elves were extremely particular about trivial matters.

She had made me remake the House Tree several times until it matched her preferences, and it felt like she always had something to say whenever we met.

If she disliked it that much, I thought she should just go back to her village… but things weren’t that simple.

The people of Bibi Village, where the elves lived, had issued a declaration to deepen personal friendship with me by the decision of their village chief, the High Elf Fana-san.

But my conflict with the Conrad domain was already over.

So in order to take another step forward and develop the relationship further, several elves had come to Tree Village and Guinea Village for exchange.

And the four who came because they already had acquaintances with me and Simurg-san were Utena-san, Akabane-san, Mego-san, and Mago-san.

Incidentally, Akabane-san and Mago-san were in Tree Village, while Utena-san and Mego-san were in Guinea Village.

Apparently Akabane-san decided that the latter two might cause trouble with the Dark Elves.

“I should bring someone along again. Recently I’ve been bringing Rebecca every time, so maybe I’ll bring Rent-kun this time.”

Whenever I met Utena-san, I usually brought along one of Wheel-san’s children.

Otherwise the conversation tended to drag on.

I wished she could become a little more easygoing like Akabane-san or Fana-san…