Chapter 19

“…And that’s about the size of it. Miss Zariché was planning to use a monster called the Queen’s Heart Rose to spread pollen that would have put everyone in the world under her control. But I took care of all the plant monsters producing pollen and brought you Miss Zariché. So you don’t have to worry about any of that now.” “Please don’t kill me…,” Zariché mumbled. “““…………””” Soon after saving the world from Dr. Zariché’s toxic ambitions, Lorna explained everything that had (and would have) happened to the elves. “Um. Are you all okay? You’re so quiet… Don’t tell me. Is there already something else troubling your village?” “Not quite… We are simply at a loss for what to say. How shall I put this?” Ellhar, Queen of the Elves, spoke on behalf of her people. “It all happened so fast… I have no idea what just happened.” In the end, Lorna handed Zariché over to the queen to decide her punishment. Zariché, for her part, seemed to have been scared straight. And it turned out she was quite weak when she had no plant monsters to control. Taking these facts into consideration, the queen settled on indefinite forced labor under supervision, rather than sentencing her to death. Then the elves decided to kick off a host of celebrations. They wanted to commemorate everyone’s recovery, welcome the Savior, express their joy over Zariché’s defeat, and toast Lorna saving the world. And so that day in the Hidden Village of the Elves, several large parties were held in tandem. “Woo-hoo! How long has it been since I partied like this…?” “It was this afternoon. In fact, I don’t think we ever stopped…” “Wait, what are we celebrating again?” “Who cares?! Drink, drink! It’s a day worth celebrating, no matter what the reason!” “Yeeeaaah! All hail Lorna the Savior!” The elves, normally thought to be rather formal, drank and sang to their heart’s content. The sounds of tankards clacking and beautiful singing voices echoed throughout the woods. As the party continued through the night, fairies who looked like orbs of light gathered around to join in. Their glowing bodies lit the festivities in a dreamlike glow. “Well, that was a lot. But I’m glad I was able to help,” Lorna said with a contented sigh as she sipped on Elf Juice and munched on Elf crackers. Lorna had always been weak; she’d never really had a chance to help people before. So being thanked and seeing people so happy with her was a wholly new experience. That alone had made the trip to the village worthwhile, she supposed. As Lorna sat thinking… “Wheeee!” “Hey, wait up!” …two children running around energetically slammed into her with a loud bonk. “Oh! Sor—” “Wheeee!” “Hey, wait up!” The children, seemingly unaware that they had bumped into someone, continued crying out joyfully as they stepped in place, still pressed against Lorna. “Wheeee!” “Hey, wait up!” “……” “Wheeee!” “Hey, wait up!” “……” Lorna silently took a step backward. Their way no longer impeded, the children resumed chasing each other around in circles. “Wheeee!” “Hey, wait up!” “……………” Lorna watched them in silent disbelief as they chased each other in a circle, around and around, on and on, and on, and on… …What’s happening? This is super weird… The strange occurrence distracted Lorna completely, making her lose her train of thought. She had the sinking feeling that she had seen something she was never meant to see. Just then… “Are you enjoying yourself, O Savior?” “There you are, Savior!” “Oh, Your Majesty. Elna. Hi.” Queen Ellhar and Elna had wandered over together to check up on her. “The villagers are more cheerful than I have ever seen them,” said the queen. “All of this is thanks to you.” “Y-you really think so?” “Of course! I just knew you were the Savior, O Savior!” exclaimed Elna, her eyes sparkling as she grabbed Lorna’s hand. “I bet you’ve been on all sorts of adventures, right?! Oh, please, Savior! I want to hear tales of your travels!” “Um…” “I heard that only someone who has overcome all sorts of difficult trials is worthy of the Staff of World Tree. How did you overcome them, Savior?” “W-well, I…” Lorna was at a complete loss. All told, her entire journey had lasted only three days so far. And as for the staff, she had found a way to skip its trial entirely… But she couldn’t find it in her heart to burst Elna’s bubble. “Ha-ha-ha. It would appear my Elna has become quite a fan, O Savior. Come now, Elna. Let us not trouble the Savior with so many questions, hmm?” The queen seemed to sense Lorna’s unease and quelled her daughter’s curiosity. “Oh… I didn’t mean to be a bother,” said Elna. “I’m sorry, Savior…” “No, no… I wouldn’t say you were a bother, exactly,” Lorna replied. For a brief moment, Lorna was relieved to be spared an awkward conversation. Then again… But after a moment, she began to reconsider. The Staff of World Tree was an important item in elven culture. I…really don’t deserve to have this staff. Not only had she cheated to get her hands on it, but now the elves revered her as though she were a savior instead of a fraud. Lorna knew she should come clean to the elves and return the staff to them. If I don’t, I think the guilt alone might kill me… And so with some trepidation… “Your Majesty, Elna… I have something important to say to you.” “…What’s the matter, Savior?” …Lorna steeled her resolve and began to explain everything that had happened over the past few days. She told them about being thrown out of the Guugelheit household, about the strange skill known as Internet, and about how that skill had allowed her to bypass the trials and obtain the staff. She had planned to keep everything a secret, but the elves hardly left their village, and she felt that she could trust them. Besides, the pressure of keeping everything under wraps had been weighing on Lorna’s conscience; she needed to get it all off her chest. “…And that’s about everything.” After Lorna wrapped up her tale, the queen and princess sat in shock for a while. “Y-you’re saying you have a skill that allows you to look upon the words of the gods? And that all the secrets of the world are written therein…? It…truly boggles the mind.” “How could those no-good meanies abandon someone as kind, strong, and cool as you, Savior? How despicable!” “Um… What?” Queen Ellhar seemed captivated by the details of the internet. Meanwhile, Elna had turned her frustrations on Lorna’s former family. The pair of royals had mostly ignored the main point of Lorna’s tale—that she had obtained the staff through unjust means. “Um, aren’t you…y’know, angry at me?” she asked nervously. She had expected the elves to have lost all faith in her by the time she concluded her story. “…Hmm? Angry? What for?” asked Elna, sounding confused. “Well, I am the daughter of the human Zariché was working with, so I… But more than that, I know this staff is important to your people. And I only got it because I cheated…” The Staff of World Tree in Lorna’s hands was a sacred object to the elven people, so… “…I think it’s best that I return this to you, Your Majesty.” The staff clearly belonged with the elves. As long as they kept it hidden in their village, it would be safe from anyone who might try to use it for nefarious purposes. Lorna presented the staff to Queen Ellhar. ““……”” The queen and the princess exchanged glances, and a moment of silent passed. Then the two of them broke out in laughter. “To think you have been concerned with something like that all this time.” “Uh…?” “Oh, pardon me. I simply could not help being amused that one with so much power was concerned over something so trivial.” “T-trivial…?” “The trials themselves are of little concern. What truly matters is what you accomplish with the staff’s power. The elves of this village have borne witness to your fine deeds, Lady Lorna—one of which, I must remind you, was saving the world.” “All I know is you’re an amazing Savior, Lorna!” Lorna felt tears well up in her eyes at their praise. She felt like she had received enough compliments to last her an entire lifetime. Lorna had hardly ever been praised growing up, so while she was embarrassed, she had to admit, it felt pretty nice. “And besides,” said the princess with a chuckle, “the fact that you were chosen to wield a skill that shows you the very words of the gods is proof enough that you’re the true Savior.” “The Guugelheits, huh…,” muttered the queen, moving on. “To think I would hear that name again.” “You know of them?” asked Lorna. “Indeed. They caused quite the commotion in the forest when they interfered with the great mana vein. I thought the warning I gave them would be enough to keep them away. However…if Zariché’s story is true, then it would seem they have continued their efforts to seize control of the forest. I suppose I am partly to blame for not realizing sooner…” Even in town, Lorna had heard nothing but terrible things about her former family. They really did seem to be a despicable lot. “Um… S-sorry about that…,” she said. “Worry not. Their sins are not yours to bear. Besides…” A harsh grin spread across the queen’s face. “…They have chosen to disobey me despite my warning. And now I hear they have disrespected our benefactor. I think it’s about time I put an end to that family.” “Oh, uh… Right.” In the past, the queen of the elves had signed a nonaggression pact with the countries of the human world. The elven people’s population was small, but they lived long lives. Even their common soldiers were incredible warriors skilled in magic, and all of them above Level 30. Even outnumbered, the elves could hold their own. If an elf so desired, they were perfectly capable of doing as Zariché had planned and taking over the world. The human leaders had no desire to make the elves their enemies. As such, the queen insisted that all they would need to do was to tell the human king about the mana vein’s depletion and Zariché’s schemes, and the humans would turn on the Guugelheits themselves without the slightest hesitation. “Heh-heh… Those idiots have made a grave mistake. If only they had not been so foolish as to abandon their own daughter… They might well have seen riches beyond imagination. Heh… Heh-heh-heh-heh…” Th-the queen’s acting kind of scary… Lorna felt ill at ease watching the queen chuckle malevolently. Discreetly, she put her hands together and offered a humble apology to her former estate. After her conversation with the royals was over, Lorna and the elves continued their merrymaking. Lorna got to enjoy elven delicacies the likes of which she had never seen, the children of the village all looked up at her with admiration, and the elven warriors asked her to join forces with them. Once the party came to an end, the queen invited Lorna to spend the night at the castle. “Oh? This board made of light… These are the words of the gods…?” asked the queen. “Nothing happens when I touch it.” “Those words were all written by the gods…?” Elna chimed in. “What do they say?! I can’t read any of it!” “Ngh…! To think, such hallowed words would be before my very visage, yet I am completely unable to read them…!” “Ah-ha-ha…,” Lorna chuckled weakly. When she showed the internet to the queen, the normally dignified elf’s eyes lit up like a child’s as she struggled in vain to try to touch the window. The internet was apparently a thing of unimaginable worth to a pious woman like Ellhar. Meanwhile, Elna sat by her mother, watching her struggle with a look of slight embarrassment. “And what of this?! Please, tell me what this says here!” The queen reminded Lorna of a dog wagging its tail as she energetically pelted her with question after question. “Um, this part that says ‘lol,’ you mean? That is grass.” “Grass? Why grass?” “Well, in the language of the gods, it is customary to sprinkle little images of grass among one’s words to indicate laughter. Sometimes the grass is more elaborate, with other shapes and letters, like little buds and flowers. The more letters one uses, the louder and more elaborate the laugh.” Lorna, who had become something of an expert on the internet, felt some measure of pride as she explained this and that to the queen. “Hmm… I see! It seems the gods draw a comparison between the sound of laughter and the wind as it blows through the meadows. Quite the divine outlook indeed.” “Wow…! It’s so poetic!” added Elna. “Heh-heh… I suppose one might say that this situation is worthy of a whole meadow of grass lolololololol.” “Hee-hee! When I see the Savior, it makes me want to roll in the grass lololol!” “Very good, Lorna! Grass all around lololololol!” The queen and princess continued to test out their newfound knowledge of internet slang long into the night. Eventually, all this talk of “grass” would lead to a major commotion within the Hidden Village of the Elves. But that is a story for another time. The next morning, the elves all gathered at the village gate to see Lorna off. “You’re really leaving, Savior?” they asked. “Yes. I want to keep traveling. And people might start worrying about me if I don’t get back to town soon.” She had told both Elmina and Reinharte that she was going to gather herbs, after all. And the family that ran the inn where she was staying were likely wondering why she hadn’t returned. “Sob… But, Savior…” “If only you could stay with us in the village forever…” The elves all hated to see her go—a stark contrast to their cold reception the day before. It was hard to believe they had all grown this fond of her in the span of a single day. “I suppose this is not the ideal time to ask, but…are you certain you wouldn’t prefer to stay with us in the village?” asked Queen Ellhar. “Though you may be a human, you are our Savior. You could spend your days here in peace. You would want for nothing.” “You’re…probably right about that,” answered Lorna. “Then, you mean—” “I’m sorry. I can’t.” If Lorna had stumbled upon the village right at the start of her journey—before she had learned how to use the internet—then she might have accepted the queen’s invitation without hesitation. Back then, survival was the only thing on Lorna’s mind. But thanks to the power of the internet, she had become stronger, eaten delicious food, gazed upon beautiful landscapes, met all sorts of people, and been thanked for helping them. Those experiences had made Lorna look inside herself and wonder what she really wanted. And what she found was the desire to be free to travel the world. Until recently, Lorna had mostly stayed cooped up in her family’s estate. That was partly because she was weak. But it was also because her family was hated all across the region. Now Lorna was finally rid of her connection to the Guugelheits, and so… “I want to live a life of freedom. There’s so much I want to see. I want to eat all kinds of foods, meet all sorts of people… Once I’ve done that, I’ll return. Someday.” Lorna wanted to try the local delicacies from every region, like Ipple pie and Elf crackers. She wanted to be moved by beautiful landscapes like the Twilight Temple and the Hidden Village of the Elves. She wanted to master all manner of spells and skills. She wanted to make a bunch of new friends. All these desires welled up inside her—there was just so much Lorna wanted to do! “I…see. If that is how you feel, then it would be inconsiderate of us to stop you.” The queen chuckled, then took the pendant necklace she was wearing and hung it around Lorna’s neck. “In that case, I shall entrust you with this amulet. It is proof of your fellowship with the elven people. As long as you are carrying this, the humans you meet—be they noble or king—will receive you with courtesy.” “Um…are you sure? This thing looks pretty important.” “This is but a small token of our appreciation. A trifle when compared to all you have done for us.” The queen jovially clapped her hand on Lorna’s shoulder. “You are welcome in our village anytime. Our people never forget our debts. You are—now and forever—a friend to the elves. This land is and will continue to be your home.” “Thank you… I swear, I’ll come back someday.” “Heh. I look forward to our reunion. May your travels be covered in grass.” After everyone had said their farewells, Lorna was finally ready to return to her journey. “““Ready? One, two… Graaasss!!!””” That was the word the elves chose for Lorna’s send-off. And with that, Lorna left the Hidden Village of the Elves.