The Elf

The moment I stepped into the cottage, I felt a swaying sensation.

It was a floaty feeling, like entering a portal.

Looking around at what had happened, I was speechless.

It was spacious. Clearly much larger than it had appeared from outside.

The cottage should have been the size of a small detached house when viewed from outside.

But inside, it was many times larger.

Some kind of magical effect… perhaps?

"Don't stop, keep moving."

"R-right."

When I stood there dumbfounded, Finn told me that, and I hurried forward.

I'd fallen behind the puppet.

Deeper inside, there was a fireplace, a table, and sofas.

The rest was just empty space with only carpeting laid out, no furniture.

As I approached the fireplace, I noticed a scent.

Flowers and… was that soap?

It was a relaxing fragrance.

The puppet moved to stand along the wall once it reached the fireplace.

Its duty was done, perhaps.

Someone was lounging on the sofa in front of the fireplace.

I could see translucent, long golden hair trailing on the floor.

"Humans filing in, what do you want? Let me tell you, I have no intention of removing that stone."

"… We are from the Kingdom. My name is Yohane, and I've come after hearing about the matter from the representative of the mining city of Shirok. That mine is an important source of burning stone for the Kingdom, and if it remains sealed, people may freeze to death this winter. Would you please hear us out?"

Silence dominated the space.

I waited patiently for a response.

The fact that we were let inside meant there should be a willingness to talk… hopefully.

Even if negotiations fell through, I at least wanted some room for compromise.

I was used to waiting patiently.

"Haah…"

After hearing a sigh, the person lying down slowly sat up.

From behind, their height was greater than expected.

They appeared slightly taller than Alexia, but with a slender build.

With a snap of fingers, the figure who had been facing away was suddenly in front of us.

Spatial teleportation through magic! Activated with just a snap of fingers.

I had seen spatial teleportation before.

But that had been a much more elaborate process, not something that could be activated in an instant.

Yet such questions vanished the moment I laid eyes on her.

Unblemished white skin.

Brilliant golden hair that seemed to let the torchlight shine through.

A slender frame, yet well-proportioned.

Clothing that was little more than a leotard-like outfit with sheer fabric draped over it.

Above all, a face boasting perfected beauty.

If there were a goddess of beauty, surely this was her creation.

That was the impression I had.

However, having grown accustomed to the beauty of Princess Yupe, I snapped out of it in just a moment.

There's a saying that even a beautiful woman becomes ordinary after three days. If not for that, I might have been captivated.

If all elves looked like this, they truly were different from humans.

"Hey, don't go getting entranced."

"I know."

Alexia pinched my back from behind.

Ignoring the reproachful, cold stares from the women, I cleared my throat and composed myself.

"I believe there are some misunderstandings. Will you hear what we have to say? Um…"

"I am Evalin, an elf. But you don't need to remember that."

Evalin stared directly at me.

There was a serious gaze in her eyes.

As if she had her own role and was fulfilling it.

"I believe I've already told you what you need to know. That mine is causing troublesome monsters to appear. I'm containing those monsters with a barrier, so things will stay as they are until I can confirm their complete disappearance. Even after they're gone, I won't leave the source as it is. Humans would do the same, wouldn't they?"

The words were a flat refusal, as if to leave no room for argument.

"Certainly, if that mine is negatively affecting this northern Great Forest, then this conversation is over. However, it has been operated with careful attention to the rivers and forest. As evidence, I've heard that from when mining began until now, there has been no contamination and no problems. This monster only appeared recently, didn't it?"

I had inspected the wastewater treatment site. I confirmed that it was being purified to a nearly harmless state.

It would be rather pitiful to blame that for the contamination.

"They started digging rocks just recently. From my perspective, things got noisy and then a monster appeared, so that's enough to establish cause and effect."

"… May I ask, did you arrive at this conclusion after investigation?"

"How many years do you think I've been in this forest? The only change has been human activity."

I frantically turned thoughts over in my head.

It seemed highly likely that Evalin hadn't conducted any real investigation.

From her perspective, having lived in this forest for so long, a troublesome monster suddenly appeared, and the timing coincided with humans doing something, so she'd forcibly stopped it.

Her thinking was far more rough-and-ready than her appearance suggested.

Or perhaps living for so long made one that way?

"Evalin-san. Then don't you think that if the mine isn't the cause of these monsters, rather than stopping their appearance, things might actually get worse?"

"That… might be true."

"Dealing with a monster that even someone of your caliber has difficulty with is a troublesome situation for the Kingdom as well. Won't you cooperate with us to resolve this?"

"Cooperate? Me and humans? … Have you already forgotten that humans abandoned elves after saying the same thing before?"

The moment I felt a chill, I was pulled back by the neck.

It seemed Elza had pulled me.

Immediately, Elza, Alexia, and Azu moved to position themselves between me and Evalin.

The surroundings were filled with Evalin's tremendous magical power.

So this was elven magic power…

It seemed I had stepped into territory I shouldn't have.

I could see anger in Evalin's eyes as she looked at us.