71 – Senior
The scent of wood hit my nose the moment I awoke,
a gentle fragrance of flower petals wafted about.
Out of habit, I reached for the edge of the bed,
intending to unfold the newspaper I always read,
but my hand hovered in empty air,
grasping dried flower petals instead of newsprint.
I slowly sat up completely when
a knock echoed from the door, a gentle tap.
“It is time to rise and prepare yourself, Young Master.”
“Yes, I’m awake.”
It was Ella’s voice, the one who unpacked my belongings yesterday and retired to her own room,
come to rouse me.
We originally were fine sharing a room,
but perhaps unable to bear the gaze of those around us,
even now she continues to use honorifics.
Hastily I changed my clothes
and after a brief preparation, I left my room.
Stepping outside, I saw the knights already awake,
tending to their arms, and
the elves who had been our guides yesterday
were already finished preparing, sipping tea.
I ordered breakfast from the elf who seemed to be the innkeeper,
and the food appeared promptly.
Salad accompanied with appetizing fruits, and
what looked to be a stew of simmered vegetables.
I had been briefed beforehand that elves are vegetarians, so
I didn’t have any particular complaints.
And as I finished my satisfactory meal,
the elves who had been waiting rose from their seats.
And at the same moment, Silvia,
she approached us.
“If you’ve finished your meal, we shall now
commence the tour of the Great Forest.”
“Hahaha, I’m looking forward to it.”
“You have every right to be.
The Great Forest is the pride of us elves.”
And true to their word it was.
The Great Forest flaunted a beauty more striking
than any vista I had yet beheld.
Green and blue blended harmoniously,
with valleys flowing between sculpted rocks.
The fruits visible amongst the branches
exuded their individual nectars, and
each rustling leaf as we passed
infused the air with its unique verdant scent.
“Mister, are you a human?”
“..Yes, I am human.”
“Hee hee, first time seeing a human!”
“A real human! Human!”
And it wasn’t just that.
Young elves clung to us,
chanting ‘Human, human,’
while their parents, it seemed, desperately
tried to peel them away.
A rather endearing scene to witness.
A pleasant breeze fluttered through the air, and
everyone indulged in their chosen pastimes.
The knights watched the elven style of combat
with obvious fascination, and
Ella strived to learn the recipes
for dishes cooked in the elven manner.
I dove into various books,
filling the gaps in my knowledge that I had
longed to explore.
Among them, the book titled “Elemental Mana and Circuitry”
proved remarkably useful.
The approach itself was different.
From the method of manipulating mana
to the ways of weaving its circuits.
Everything was lightyears away
from human magic.
A time would come when I could put this to
Having finished the purchase, convinced it would serve its purpose,
the sun was already sinking low, painting the sky with fire,
when elves arrived and gathered us in one place.
“A moment, your attention, please.”
“…?”
“From here, we shall visit the Royal Citadel.”
It was another bombshell, dropping relentlessly.
The Royal Citadel,
literally, the King’s castle.
Among the elves, there is no caste system.
They do not differentiate people based on status, like slaves, nobles, or commoners.
Yet, even they possess a King.
Of course, not a King elected by some old-fashioned,
hereditary method.
For them, there is the World Tree,
a tree revered by the elves as a sacred being.
Outsiders are not even permitted to behold it,
a guardian spirit protecting the elves and the forest.
And that World Tree, on rare occasions,
deigns to lend its voice,
and the one who can hear that voice becomes King,
and *that* King’s residence is where we are heading.
Naturally, the mouths of everyone present
dropped open in astonishment.
“Wh-What…!”
“Di…did she say the Royal Citadel… just now?”
Even the grim knights, usually silent and maintaining a solemn atmosphere,
became chatterboxes in that moment,
and Ella, who had been demurely holding her hands in her lap beside me,
froze, her hands flying up to cover her mouth.
“W-We’re going to the Royal Citadel?
There must be some kind of mistake…”
“Nay, the Queen herself has extended an invitation to you,
so do not fret over it.”
Robert, attempting to appear composed, gripped his trembling hands,
trying to reconfirm what she had said.
And Sylvia, with her words, hammered the confirmation home.
She spoke as if it were nothing of consequence, as if wondering what all the fuss was about,
prompting Robert to tilt his head back in disbelief.
And bringing a hand to his forehead,
he mumbles something, but it doesn’t reach me.
Of all of us, I seem to be the only one not surprised, but
I have a perfectly good reason.
I heard it yesterday.
*
The royal castle was reached sooner than expected.
As if sculpted directly from nature,
beautiful stones and trees.
The ornate peaks of the buildings, soaring high towards the sky
like leaping flames, and
walls imbued with unmistakably potent
magical elements.
And the spirits, beautifully embroidering the sky,
made us realize once more that this was the royal castle, and
the trees, interwoven to create a single gate,
were so beautiful you could believe it was a work of art.
“Welcome to the royal castle.”
“Th-this is the royal castle…”
“Indeed. I will inform you when the meal is prepared.
For now, please unpack your belongings.”
The moment Silvia finished speaking,
different elves stepped forward to guide us to our quarters, and
all of us, including myself, feeling the smooth stone floor beneath our feet,
followed them into our assigned rooms.
The inn we stayed at last night was a good one, but
it couldn’t compare to the royal castle.
A bed large enough for several people to lie on without issue, and
a fragrant scent unlike anything I’d ever experienced.
Each piece of furniture was a luxurious item, clearly
hand-finished by master artisans, and
even a single sip of water held a refreshing taste,
making me realize how much care they had taken.
So, I unpacked my things, lay on the bed, and
was re-reading the book I had purchased when
there was a knock, knock, knock at the door.
And along with it,
a delicate, but low voice followed.
“Excuse me, the meal is ready.”
“..I wasn’t finished reading.”
But having eaten almost nothing all day,
I couldn’t refuse,
And so, I went out to the main hall.
Wooden utensils and tables were arranged there,
And, a sight uncommon for elves,
Succulent dishes of meat gleamed.
With Sylvia’s words that the head chef had put in effort,
We began eating without waiting for an invitation,
And the meal was incredibly satisfying.
The texture of the meat was unlike anything I’d had,
And the fresh vegetables further stimulated our appetites.
The sauce, said to be made with a secret elven recipe,
Clung enticingly to the palate, creating a harmony of flavors.
And so, after everyone finished the satisfying meal,
And were about to return to their rooms to relieve their exhaustion,
Robert, perhaps having imbibed,
And with his face slightly flushed, headed somewhere.
“Haha, Princess Sylvia, we are, after all, representatives
of our respective factions… shall we go somewhere nice, just the two of us…?”
His footsteps were directed
Right towards where Sylvia was seated.
It seemed he was quite taken with Sylvia,
As he displayed behavior that felt overtly like courtship.
Especially with his subtle emphasis
On the word “representative.”
Usually, he would know well that such behavior was impolite
And would never do such a thing,
But now, he had the support
Of a hangover assisting his actions.
However, that didn’t excuse him.
Even at this moment, I could see
The elves around us narrowing their eyes,
And even the knights who had been eating,
Seemed to have thoughts like, ‘Ah, that’s a bit much,’ written on their faces.
“….”
“Sylvia? Still no answer…”
“Jennison.”
Such a drunken advance
Was never going to work on Sylvia.
As a matter of course, she ignored him, then
She approaches, whispering something to me, just as before.
“Same hour as yesterday. This time, I come for *you*.”
“…?”
Her words only stoked my dread, wondering what new torment she planned.
But to anyone witnessing this spectacle, it seemed a moment of tender longing,
Judging by the slight crack forming in the liquor bottle clutched in someone’s hand.
*
“Jeeeeeeeeeennniiiiiiiiisss!”
Inside the room, the sounds of shattering and breaking raged without ceasing.
*Clatter,*
A glass, once resting on the table, explodes.
*Crack,*
Even the table leg supporting it succumbs, splintering.
*Riiiip, Riiiip,*
The blankets, neatly laid on the bed, are torn to shreds, beyond repair.
Only after this tempest subsides does the room’s occupant drape himself across a still-intact chair, gasping for breath.
“Why… why him and not *me*?!
What does she see in that nobody, from some family that *isn’t* even one of the Four Greats?!”
A desperate soliloquy,
The fact that no one was there to hear only fueled his frenzy.
Once more, he lashes out, smashing nearby objects indiscriminately.
“She keeps… keeps ignoring me…
A wench who’d have been sold as a slave and dead already, had she lived in the Empire!”
Oblivious to the fact that he was in the Elven lands,
He spews venomous words that should never be spoken.
“I’ll break her… I *will* break her.
Then I’ll throw her to the starving soldiers… Heh heh heh!”
“Say, that sounds like quite a plan, *yes*?”
To him, lost in his rant, comes a reply that *shouldn’t* have.
In an instant, a single possibility
flashes through his mind.
If this voice belongs to an elf,
I mustn’t let this elf leave alive.
No matter that I’m a son of a Duke,
That won’t absolve me of speaking ill of an elven princess
Within the very lands of the elves.
Thinking quickly, I cast a spell
Toward the source of the voice.
“Huh? That’s dangerous, it is!”
“..Guh..”
An energy too foul to name swallowed his magic whole,
Then slammed him against the wall.
“Ah, I didn’t mean to,
But I overheard your little monologue, I did!”
“Kuh.. Ack, who.. wh-are..”
“But aren’t you being a bit shameless?
‘Senior’ is far better than the likes of you, I say!”
“Guh.. Ugh.. Waaah..”
“Hmm, but who’d have known ‘Senior’ would be here…?
I suppose I’ll need to revise my pla—”
Before him, uttering such incomprehensible words,
Was nothing but a gouged-out mark in the wall and, before it, “something.”
That “something” remained exactly as it had been,
Save for the maddening bloodlust in its eyes.