Amidst the growing murmur of the audience following one shocking development after another, Kousuke and Colette descended from the stage.
The rest could be left to Shiomara.
This was no longer their concern, but a problem for the elves of the Seuri Village.
Romana, the representative of the village, visited Shiomara’s mansion the day after the ritual, around noon. Even the elves, who usually took their time with most matters, couldn’t ignore this particular issue. It seemed that a certain degree of resolution had been achieved in just half a day.
Romana, guided by Shiomara, was seated before Kousuke and the others. She bowed deeply to Kousuke.
“Once again, I sincerely apologize for causing you trouble.”
She had likely already heard the details from Shiomara. Her demeanor was exceptionally polite.
Kousuke felt a little awkward but nodded slightly in response.
“Well, I didn’t really do anything myself. If you want to thank someone, you should thank Colette, who was the avatar for the God Spica?”
The representative nodded slightly at Kousuke’s words and turned to Colette, bowing her head.
“On behalf of the village, I thank you.”
Colette also gave a small nod.
“Well, I just performed the ritual as I was told. That’s all there is to it.”
“Thanks to the gift from the God Spica, the commotion has been largely resolved, hasn’t it?”
Since further bowing wouldn’t make either party feel any better, Kousuke quickly steered the conversation back to the main topic. Sensing his intention, Romana nodded and began to explain what they knew so far.
“Based on what we’ve learned from those captured by the Avatar’s companions yesterday, it seems they were aiding those who wished to leave the village.”
“Aiding… Were they slave traders?”
Romana’s expression turned bitter at Kousuke’s puzzled look.
“Well, it appears they initially thought their opponents were the kingdom.”
“You mean?”
“Apparently, the first contact was with border guards of the kingdom, who then introduced them to someone who would help them find work once they left the forest.”
Kousuke’s mouth fell open at the ridiculously naive story, and Colette pressed her hand to her forehead, looking like she had a headache.
“… I mean. Haven’t they gone too far with their naivety?!”
Even in this world, a basic tenet hammered into children from a young age is that one should not easily trust anyone, even a royal soldier. Romana nodded, her bitter expression deepening.
“It can’t be excused as ignorance due to a lack of knowledge about the outside world.”
“Even when I left, I knew that much. How could they be fooled like that?”
Roma sighed deeply at Colette’s exasperated disbelief.
“I completely agree, but apparently, they had met the guards several times in the forest and had developed friendly relations.”
“Ah~, I see.”
The elves of the village, for better or worse, were raised in a very insular environment. It was conceivable that they might come to trust someone after several interactions.
However, only Kousuke seemed to accept this explanation; the three elves shook their heads.
“In the first place, only the most strictly disciplined elves are assigned to forest patrol, and they wouldn’t normally engage in casual interactions with outsiders… or so I thought.”
“It was difficult for me to sneak out without being noticed by the guards back then, too.”
Colette casually confessed to having slipped out unnoticed, which caused Romana to sigh again.
“It seems that might be part of the reason.”
“Yes?”
Surprised by this unexpected statement, Colette widened her eyes.
“At that time, when you left the village so easily, the guards were reprimanded. It seems that some disgruntled individuals caused this incident… Please don’t misunderstand. I’m not saying it’s Colette’s fault.”
When Kousuke instinctively shot her a critical glance, Romana hastily explained.
“In the first place, most of the villagers didn’t have a problem with Colette leaving. In fact, many were relieved that a troublesome person was gone… at that time.”
“Ah, that seems plausible.”
Kousuke felt ill listening to this, but seeing Colette nod readily, he decided not to say anything further.
“The talk about the guards being reprimanded was merely a playful jab from a few people about failing to find a single young girl.”
While the individuals who spoke likely meant it lightly, some of the guards who were reprimanded did not take it that way. After all, only the most capable elves were assigned to forest patrol, and their pride had been wounded.
“It seems they realized they had been deceived later, but by then it was too late, and they continued this relationship until now.”
Kousuke let out another deep sigh at the absurd circumstances.
“It’s like a bunch of members of a weird underground organization who were deceived, recruited, and then completely got sucked in.”
“Kousuke. Not ‘like,’ but precisely so, I think?”
Colette cut through Kousuke’s attempt at a considerate remark with a single, decisive statement. Romana nodded deeply in agreement.
“Whether the entire nation was involved or not, the ones who were deceived were foolish. And so were we for not noticing.”
“Ah~, in times like these, I don’t know what else to say.”
Kousuke, at a loss for words, could only say that.
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“By the way, how much do you know about the kingdom’s involvement?”
Romana shook her head in response to Kousuke’s question.
“We know that the border guards are involved, but not much else.”
“I heard that a survey team has entered the forest. What about them?”
“We’re not communicating with them, so I can’t say for sure. Besides, we can’t be sure they aren’t connected to the perpetrators.”
Romana’s sensible words made Kousuke pause thoughtfully.
“… Kouhi. Bring out the communicator.”
At Kousuke’s sudden request, Kouhi, without the slightest change in her expression, produced a communicator from her Item Box. Kousuke took it from Kouhi and initiated communication with a specific location.
Despite the sudden call, the recipient answered immediately.
“Is something the matter, Avatar?”
The communicator Kousuke had created was designed to identify the caller. The person who answered also knew it was Kousuke calling. Romana and Shiomara tilted their heads, unable to discern who it was, but they would soon be surprised by the name Kousuke announced.
“Yes. I have some information and wanted to contact you. King Ernest.”
The person Kousuke was communicating with was King Ernest of the Thausen Kingdom.
Kousuke began by recounting the stories he had heard in the towns and villages before entering the elven village, explaining the current situation of the elven village to the king.
“My, my… you always seem to get caught up in trouble, Avatar.”
At King Ernest’s words, Kousuke’s face contorted into a bitter smile, while Kouhi, Mitsuki, and Colette stifled their laughter.
“So? Is there something you want me to do?”
Kousuke shook his head at King Ernest’s question.
“No. I just wanted to confirm if I could use that thing you gave me before.”
“…Ah, I see. Well, if it’s for gaining trust, that should be fine.”
What Kousuke wanted to confirm was the ‘King’s Commendation’ he had received as a reward previously. The location of the Seuri Forest was not adjacent to the Thausen Kingdom, so it had no direct impact, but it could be useful in gaining the trust of the other party. However, since he would be using it outside the country, he wanted to obtain the king’s permission.
“Is that so? That’s good.”
“Avatar. I would prefer if you didn’t make a bigger deal out of this.”
Kousuke could only offer a wry smile as King Ernest issued that warning.
And so, King Ernest made another appearance. This is the end.
By the way, I’ve deliberately omitted the details about the foolish individuals.
