Chapter 35

Chapter 35. "The Dark Elf, the Dwarf, and a Single Rose." 15

At that, the Lizard Man tilted his head to the side and spoke.

"Is that, truly, so? Can, such, a, thing, be? Between, a, human, and, an, elf?"

At his words, I smiled faintly and looked at Rene, who was standing beside me.

"My dear, what do you think of me?"

Rene gave me a gentle smile and said,

“I truly love the way you are always smiling with that foolish expression on your face, the way your face still turns red from a single kiss even though you ought to be used to it by now, the way you can never refuse anything when it is a request from your wife, the way you never know what to do during even the smallest argument and always apologize first, the way you flee first with a calm face whenever I try to tempt you, and the way you are so happy you hardly know what to do when I hold you. And what about you?”

Looking at her face, I answered,

"Rene when she gets irritable if I wake her after she has overslept, Rene when she gets angry with a smile if she breaks even a single dish while helping with the washing up, Rene when she sneaks up behind me and pounces on me while I am cleaning, Rene when she asks for the next one after I happen to kiss her, Rene when she glares at me with frightening eyes if I make her angry by mistake, every Rene I just mentioned is the Rene I love."

"You and Rene both are remarkably good at saying such embarrassing, skin-crawling things."

As we watched the Lizard Men snap their heads to one side all at once, Rene and I turned our heads as well. Luna was coming out through the door of the study with a book in one hand. Behind her, Narsh followed with a bright smile, her arms full of books.

"Welcome back. It looks as though you found some books you liked?"

"Yes! There were so many truly interesting books. Especially all those books that went out of print and were thought lost. It was amazing. Um, may I bring these out here and read them? Luna said I could."

Narsh had been holding up the books with a bright face as she spoke, but by the end, her expression had already grown timid.

At that, Luna, who had been standing beside her and shaking her head lightly before glancing at her, lifted the book in her hand toward Rene and said,

"She can, right?"

"Of course she can."

At Rene’s reply, Narsh brightened at once. Carrying the books in her arms, she went with Luna to the table beside the one where the Lizard Men were sitting.

That table got the most sunlight from the window. She set the books down on the tabletop, pulled out a chair, sat down, and opened one of the books with a delighted face.

Then, realizing there were guests beside her, she turned her head slightly in greeting, froze solid, and dropped the book she was holding.

Thud!

"There, is, a, human, here, as, pretty, as, an, elf."

One of the Lizard Men had said it, and with those words, they all turned their heads back toward me and Rene. Narsh stiffened and seemed about to say something, but Luna, looking entertained, stopped her.

"A Lizard Man. It is my first time seeing one in person."

At that, the leader turned his head, gave Luna a quick look, and asked,

"Are, you, a, dark, elf?"

"That is right."

"Is, there, something, you, want?"

"Not particularly at the moment."

"I, see. Understood."

What kind of conversation had just passed between them? Luna answered the Lizard Man casually, and after hearing her, he nodded and turned his gaze back to us.

"If, greetings, are, finished, then, we, shall, return, now. From, now, on, this, one, will, come, to, seek, you, in, my, place. I, ask, that, you, treat, him, well."

He raised a hand and pointed to Aruma, the Lizard Man who was still staring at us as though he simply could not understand what he had just heard from me and Rene. Aruma rose from his seat and said,

"Between, an, elf, and, a, human, there, is, something, I, cannot, understand. I, learned, many, things, while, traveling, but, I, have, never, seen, anything, as, strange, as, this. An, elf, together, with, a, human. Have, you, forgotten, what, happened, twenty, years, ago?"

"I have not forgotten."

"Then, why? Are, you, not, angry? Do, you, not, hate, humans?"

At Aruma’s words, Rene gave him a gentle smile. Aruma tilted his head, so she spoke to him in a soft voice.

"But that and this are separate matters. Not all humans are the same."

"They, are, all, the, same. They, think, only, of, themselves. There, is, no, difference."

That is wrong. They are different. Shall I give you an example? In the war between Serpiz and our people, we bribed a human.

He granted our request and helped us win that war. Why did he do it? If all humans were the same, as you say, then such a thing could never have happened. And yet there was a man who, though human, helped us.

There was one who, without thinking only of himself, moved for the sake of us, who were not even fellow humans but merely a nonhuman race. He was someone different from ordinary humans.

And why was she looking at me while saying that? As Rene spoke to Aruma, she glanced at me, and I could only smile awkwardly and avoid her gaze. Aruma listened to her in silence, stared at her for a moment, and then asked shortly,

"Is, that, true?"

"It is true."

Aruma looked at Rene with an uncertain expression, then turned around and simply walked outside. The other Lizard Men followed after him, and only the leader remained behind, watching their retreating backs as he said,

"I, hope, you, can, understand, him. He, is, the, sort, who, thinks, he, is, the, finest, above, all, others."

At those words, Rene gave him a bright smile. The leader looked at that smile for a moment, then turned his head toward me and said,

"You, said, your, name, was, Han? My, name, is, Kan."

Kan? So his name was Kan? As he spoke, Kan removed a large pouch hanging from his waist, held it up, and asked,

"Do, you, have, more, of, that, thing, I, took, last, time?"

"Business is truly going well."

It was Luna who said that, standing beside me with her arms folded and one beer barrel resting on each shoulder as she watched the Lizard Men walk away. After saying that, she turned her back and went into the inn. I watched them retreat for a moment, then turned my head at the sound of a voice that did not feel unfamiliar.

"My, my. Lizard Men. Every sort of race is gathering in this forest."

"Mr. Jimant? Where are you?"

"Over here."

I went out into the yard and looked around for the source of his voice. Before long, I found Jimant on the roof, tilting a bottle of liquor. He grinned and raised the bottle toward me.

"The view from here is quite good."

"How did you get up there?"

"Through the window. But Han, let me ask you one thing. Did you build this inn by yourself?"

Still looking up at the roof, I folded my arms and smiled. A dwarf really was a dwarf.

"Why do you not take a guess?"

"Looking at the joints of the doors and windows, I could tell it was not human craftsmanship. Did you hire a dwarf?"

"Yes. I tried building it alone at first, but then I gave up and asked a dwarf I knew to help me."

At that, he grinned, and I shrugged as I headed back into the inn. He looked quite pleased. Since it was a building made by one of his own kind, perhaps that was only natural for them.

"I will not tell you to come down, but do be careful. If you roll off, you will hurt yourself."

"Oho! The view is splendid!"

I had no idea whether he was listening. Perhaps the drink had gone to his head, because he muttered a few words in Dwarvish as well.

I shook my head and went inside. In the hall, Luna, Narsh, and Rene were gathered around a table, huddled close together, admiring the jewels Kan had given us.

Rene picked up a small black gem from the pouch, turned it over with an interested expression, and said,

"It is a black diamond."

"Is it expensive?"

At Narsh’s question, Luna, who had been sorting out only the red rubies, rummaged through the pouch and pulled out a large diamond. Setting it in front of Narsh, she said,

"I heard that one of those is worth about ten of these."

"Wow. That is incredible. Do you make this much every day?"

Narsh placed the diamond, as large as a baby’s fist, on her palm and asked Rene. Rene smiled with the corners of her eyes lowered and waved her hand.

"No. Would you believe me if I told you that this is the first time so many guests have come here in the five years since we opened the inn?"

"Then... usually no one comes at all?"

I sat quietly listening to their conversation, then moved over and took the seat beside Rene before answering Narsh’s question.

"That is right. Aside from the occasional Lizard Man like the ones earlier, or adventurers like you who happen to discover this place and visit, our days are quiet."

"Ah, welcome back, Mr. Han. So then, do the three of you always live quietly together like this? I am jealous..."

Jealous? Just what sort of life did this young lady live at home? I looked at her for a moment, then asked how she usually spent her days, and why she had come into this forest.

"It feels as though only we have spoken of ourselves. How do you usually live, Miss Narsh?"

"Me?"

I nodded as I looked at her. Narsh thought for a moment with a blank expression, then gave a simple answer.

"Would you try imagining how the eldest daughter of a high noble house lives?"

Hm? If she put it that way... well. Endless parties, dancing, and what else? While I was picturing something of the sort, Luna set the red rubies aside in a separate pile and grinned as she looked at them. Then she spoke.

You wake in the morning and, with a maid’s help, cause a great commotion while forcing a corset so tight around your body that it nearly crushes you.

Then you put on a dress that, aside from being lavish, has no practical value whatsoever, and go out for breakfast. There, you repeat the same things every day and dine while observing ridiculous little manners.

But you cannot eat much. You are afraid your figure will be ruined, and you are afraid of other people’s eyes.

And when the meal is over, a private tutor leads you away and teaches you all the things a lady ought to know.

Speech, etiquette, perhaps the dances performed at a ball, and you must even stay sensitive to the latest fashions, because you cannot afford to fall behind the other young ladies. Then, when evening comes, you are dragged off to a party.

There, you have to deal with those worm-like men who puff themselves up because of their family names. Even I grew tired just watching from the side. And when you return late at night, you throw that exhausted body onto the bed. Then the next day, the same thing repeats.

"You know quite a lot about it."

Narsh smiled faintly with a weary face as she said that. Luna picked up one of the rubies gathered on the table, held it to her eye, shut one eye, and looked at the world refracted through the gem.

"The daughter of my second master was exactly like that. She had the same sort of air about her as you. I cannot remember her name very well, but she treated me very kindly. Thanks to her, I was able to give up the thought that all humans are wicked."

"Your second master? Luna, were you perhaps a sla..."

Narsh stopped herself and hurriedly covered her mouth. But Luna had already guessed what she had been about to say.

Looking entirely unconcerned, she slowly gathered up the ruby in her hand along with those on the table and dropped them back into the pouch.

"That is right. I was sold several times as what you humans call a slave. I tried running away many times too. But no matter that I was an elf, with this leg I could not run faster than humans. Then, perhaps because fortune favored me, I was able to escape their hands with the help of a perverted werewolf and the human sitting next to you."

"I am sorry..."

"No, it is all right. It is in the past."

Luna gave Narsh an open, refreshing smile, then her expression hardened again as she gathered up the jewels spread across the table.

She truly had a wide range of expressions. And just as she had packed everything away and pulled the pouch tightly shut with its cord, a pair of men came trudging out of the kitchen together with a resounding belch.