I was led to a private room where the lady currently managing the inn told me her story. Her name was Sheyne and she was Nonna’s granddaughter. Apparently the reason the inn had grown so large came back to Airena and the elven caravan.
At around the same time I had left on my journey east, the elven caravan had visited Janpemon. That would have been to deliver my letter to Nonna. They had decided to make this inn their regular place to stay whenever they were in the city. It was common for caravans to stay at inns when visiting cities, but the fact they had chosen this one in particular for all of their nights in Janpemon had pushed the local lord to work. I’m sure Airena had done it on purpose.
After all, the elven caravan wasn’t just for trade; they also served as ambassadors for the entire elven race. To the lord of Janpemon, who was also the duke of Travoya, the requests of the caravan were like official political exchanges between the elves and the human kingdoms. It had become a diplomatic affair. As a result, the lord of Janpemon needed to protect the inn at all costs. The inn had been facing some kind of trouble at the time, so Airena chose to bring the lord of the city to its defense. That had made for a much smoother conclusion than if Airena had tried to solve the problem by herself, and it had led to the inn receiving long-term protection.
I really had to give it to her. I didn’t think anyone but Airena would be capable of coming up with such a clever solution. As a skilled adventurer, she had learned how to deal with humans, and with her experience acting as an ambassador to the human kingdoms for the elves, there was little doubt she’d spent more time among humans than any other elf. I had spent a long time living in the human world, but even with my faint memories of a past life as a human, I doubted even I would compare to her ability to negotiate and show discernment.
I would likely have tried to resolve the situation with force, or stand guard at the inn myself until the trouble had passed. I could only say I was glad the elven caravan had visited at that time. Of course, they had only been there to help in my and Win’s stead.
As rumors spread of the elven caravan favoring this particular inn, many people came to see what set it apart, and this led to a huge boost in the number of guests. In order to accommodate the new business, the inn had expanded to what I saw today. Considering how good the food they served was, even if it had been a gimmick that brought customers here to start, they would have no problem holding those customers for a long time. It was no surprise to me that the inn flourished.
The great environment Nonna and her parents had created here had been recognized by the many new guests that came. Now that I thought about it, the fact that the elven caravan visited here regularly had probably played a part in how easily I had made it through the gates into the city. I didn’t know how much of this was also part of Airena’s plan, but I was quite happy to see the results of her work in Janpemon.
“My grandmother was always telling us stories of you and little Win...ah, I suppose he’s older than me though, isn’t he? But that’s how she always talked about him. In any case, she very much admired you,” Sheyne said as she poured some tea. Ah, so that was how she had recognized me without ever having met me. I had told Nonna in the end that I was a high elf, but it seemed Sheyne didn’t know.
The tea cakes served alongside the tea matched perfectly, having a consistency that was firm but not hard, and carrying a full flavor from the butter baked into it. Tea hadn’t been all that common when I last visited the Alliance, but now it was being served not only like it was natural and common, but with appropriately matching snacks and everything. It was a strange sight.
I noticed the young girl I met watching me from a distance. It was Sheyne’s daughter, Nonna’s great-granddaughter...if I recalled, her name was Aina. Apparently curious about this elf she didn’t recognize, the way she stared bashfully from afar was honestly adorable. It made me want to invite her over and share the snacks with her, but that would just get her yelled at by her mother later.
As much as the inn had preserved its relaxed atmosphere from my last visit, teaching this girl to beg for handouts from customers wouldn’t do her any favors. That said, I highly doubted my leftover cakes would be served to other guests, so there was a good chance they’d end up with Aina anyway. So I made sure to leave some behind and focused on enjoying the tea instead.
A pleasant feeling of nostalgia filled my heart. I was really glad I had come. When I had first set off on my journey to the East, I hadn’t been ready to accept losing more people I cared about, like Nonna and Kawshman. But now, things were different.
I couldn’t be sure just how much I had changed in the decade or so I had been gone. I had seen many things, thought through many things, and felt like I had gained much, but from my perspective, I didn’t feel like I had changed significantly.
But I suppose that’s how things went. As small a step as it might have been, I was sure I had taken at least one step forward. Out of my thousand-year life span, that’s about as much as I could hope for in only a decade or so. What mattered was that I could now accept that feeling of loss I had been afraid of back then.
When I had first left for my journey east, I probably could have met Nonna one last time while she was still alive, but I had chosen not to. There was nothing to be gained from regretting that choice now.
I glanced over to Aina and gave her a smile, prompting the young girl to blush and patter away. Though she had been quite energetic and assertive when she first met me, after calming down somewhat, she had grown quite a bit more bashful. It seemed she’d decided to avoid me for now.
I wanted to enjoy my stay here and take some time to visit Nonna’s grave, so I would probably be staying for a week or two. I might also consider staying a bit longer to get some blacksmithing in. Would Aina take a liking to me within that time? I thought it would be wonderful if we could go out for some fruit tarts like I had done with her great-grandmother.