“Yeah. Since male elfins can’t use magic, a lot of them work on magic research and item-making instead. They make a ton and install their creations around the village. They say that without humans around to annoy them, they make good progress.”
I nodded. “That makes sense.”
Apparently, whenever elfins tried to do their work in human towns, people would always try to interfere.
They’d come to pester them to craft things to make their lives easier or to help them garner further authority.
While the former wasn’t too bad, the latter was nothing but trouble for the elfins. And the most powerful people were especially determined to surround themselves with those knowledgeable in magic. Even in this day and age, where mana wielders were shunned by society, there were probably tons of people trying to take advantage of magic users—just like how the royal family of Tête and the Faith used the Mercures for their own gain before I stepped in.
Some humans just exploited mana wielders to benefit from them, while persecuting them at the same time.
They could even lock them up and force them to craft magic items without rest...
Obviously, this kind of treatment would be considered repulsive, and there was no way the proud and haughty elfins would put up with it. As such, in their opinion, the smartest thing to do was to avoid getting involved with humans altogether. This might be the reason they’d stopped appearing in front of us entirely.
Well, Finis used to do these things five hundred years ago when she worked as a mage for the crown, though.
But she was an outlier among outliers. Even back when mages weren’t being persecuted, she had been the black sheep of the elfins.
“They also stay in the village because it’s safe—on top of being a good research environment,” Vesper continued. “If push comes to shove, Finis and I can protect them, so they have a higher chance of surviving here than on their own. In exchange, they craft items to make our lives easier and share their new inventions with us. While everyone keeps interactions to a minimum, the settlement functions more or less like a proper village.”
“Shouldn’t male elfins be able to craft items to protect themselves, though?” I pointed out. “They could literally make it so that no one can approach them.”
Vesper seemed to agree. “They totally could. These guys’ items are incredible. But... Okay, so this is just my theory, but I think that some elfins unconsciously crave the company of people who share their sense of values, especially in the current world where almost all magic has disappeared. And those elfins are the ones who have come to live in this settlement.”
“So in your opinion, your village, which is more or less led by Finis, is a gathering of such elfins?”
“Well, I’m half human, so I don’t know everything about elfins, but sometimes, it seems that way to me. I couldn’t really tell you why, though.”
“Can elfins even feel lonely? I’m struggling to picture it,” I said.
“It depends on the individual, I guess? I’m not sure... But as far as Finis is concerned, I think that she understands the concept of loneliness,” Vesper said, fixing his gaze on the ground at our feet.
He seemed concerned about Finis’s feelings, if his expression was anything to go by.
Well, considering that she abandoned me without so much as a goodbye five hundred years ago... I wouldn’t go so far as to say that she’s heartless, but I certainly don’t think that she cares that much about others.
She might have some level of emotional attachment to certain people, but I didn’t think that she could fathom the concept of “loneliness.”
Unless something changed in the five hundred years while I was dead?
I had a hard time wrapping my head around Vesper’s claims. He must’ve noticed my inner turmoil because he offered me an awkward smile.
“I don’t know how Finis was five hundred years ago, but I know the current her. She definitely cared about you back then.”
I’d be very happy if that were true.
Because I love her.
With a spark of hope in my heart, I followed Vesper down the path to the strange little village. Every magical detail that caught my eye seemed both fresh and nostalgic. There was a different feel to this place compared to the towns humans I’d lived in, even those from five hundred years ago.
When I glanced at Char, I saw that he was just as captivated by our surroundings. His hand still gripping mine, he stared with intense concentration at the enormous trees adorned in magic items. He’d always loved magic and had an enormous collection of old grimoires—some of which weren’t even related to Aurora. He was just a hardcore magic enthusiast. This place must’ve been like a treasure trove to him.
“This is incredible. I’ve never seen anything like it in my life,” he whispered.
“Me neither; not even five hundred years ago,” I said.
The magic items scattered all over really were tugging at my heartstrings. I wanted nothing more than to disassemble and analyze them all.
Seeing as Char and I hadn’t budged in a minute, too busy gawking at our surroundings, Vesper urged us forward. “Come on, you two. Let’s enter the village.”
He put his hand over one of the ornaments on the wooden gate, and the trees shuffled around, revealing a passage.
“This door only opens to those whose mana it has recorded,” he explained. “If you try to force your way past it, the bird sentinel will react and teleport you somewhere else—though I have no idea where that somewhere is.”
That was concerning. If it were anywhere within this world, I would likely be fine, considering I’d be able to teleport myself somewhere familiar, but being teleported to a different dimension or an alternate universe would be a pain to deal with. I’d never been to such a place, after all.
“Um... Are we allowed to pass the gate?” I asked.
“Yeah, you’ll be fine since you’re with me. As long as the door is open, anyone can come in.”
“Good to know.”
Gliding past the gate, we entered the small settlement on a path lined by enormous trees. I studied each one with great interest.
“Part of the trees’ sides have been carved in the shape of a door,” I remarked. “So these are the elfins’ houses, huh? They’re a little strange, but it seems like living in one of them would be fun.”
“Finis’s house isn’t among these ones, by the way,” Vesper supplied. “It’s on the other side of the bridge.”
In the direction he indicated sat a small pond. Faint little lights danced over the water like bubbles, illuminating the surrounding landscape. The village was completely silent save for our footsteps, the burbling of the water, and the rustling of the leaves overhead. There were no signs of life otherwise. The roots of ginormous trees grew into the pond, each of the tree trunks linked to one another through thin wooden bridges.
“Finis’s house is the big one in the middle after the bridge,” Vesper explained. “The tree is super old, but since Finis has used magic to arrange it, it’s pretty comfy inside.”
I could tell from his words just how fond he was of this place.
We walked up to the house, and Vesper swung the door open.
“Finis! I’m home! I’ve brought you a souvenir!” he called out.
There was no answer. Knowing Finis, she must’ve been working on something somewhere deep within the house, like she often used to five hundred years ago.
“Lam, Char, come in,” Vesper urged, and we followed him into the large tree.
It was much larger inside than I had been expecting.
“An expansion spell, magic to adjust the temperature and humidity, and Light Magic for the interior design, huh? Now, that’s my master for you,” I said.
“She did this using that dreadful spell you cast on the study at home?” Char asked.
“Stop complaining. I made that creepy room much cuter!”
“I won’t stop. Plus, I can’t believe you cast a second spell on it to prevent us from lifting the first one. That’s just malicious,” he grumbled.
I couldn’t believe that he wanted to get rid of the adorable room I’d created. I’d had no choice but to stop him.
“Although unlike our study, this place isn’t half bad,” Char said. “I’m curious about all these apparatuses everywhere. Were these made five hundred years ago?”
“There are some that I’ve never seen before. They must’ve been invented after my death. Ugh, I want to disassemble them so bad!”
Char nodded. “Me too. I’d love to dissect them.”
That was my husband for you. The two of us were both equally fascinated by magic.
“This way, you two.” Vesper ushered us toward a magic-powered lift.
It was a bit cramped for the three of us, but we managed to squeeze in, and the lift slowly ascended. The tree house had several rooms, arranged vertically.
A magic-powered lift like those from five hundred years ago... How nostalgic.
As I reminisced about the past, the elevator came to a stop, and we arrived in what looked like a living room that was furnished with an old-fashioned table and chairs, an unlit fireplace sitting in the back.
Someone’s on the sofa in front of the fireplace!
They seemed to be reading. From where we stood, we could only see their back and their long, black hair.
“I’m home, Finis,” Vesper called out to them.
The person closed their book and, not moving from the sofa, replied, “That was awfully quick. Did you already manage to determine the cause of our kin’s death?”
“Yup. And I’ve brought someone with me—someone I want you to meet.”
Finis paused before saying, “I haven’t given you permission to bring strangers into this house.”
“She’s not a stranger. She’s basically your daughter.”
“Huh?” Finis said, annoyed, as she turned to look at us. “What in the world are you...”
Her voice trailed off as her eyes landed on me.
“Aurora?”