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Chapter 63

Somewhat surprisingly, with just a bit of explanation, we were able to get an opportunity to speak with the dwarf elder. ……To go the long way around when it was this easy, elf. I let out a deep sigh.

"Fortunately, I saw that strange ogre with my own eyes. Otherwise, we wouldn't have gotten anywhere."

Zendor clicked his tongue tch-tch, threw the door open, and sought out the elder.

"Aidorf! I need to talk to you. About that elf business."

Aish. A strange exclamation came from below, and a white-haired dwarf appeared, stomping up the stairs.

"I told you, no more elf, elf! No more elf news!"

The dwarf who hurried up had his white beard trembling bureureu. He still held a large hammer, red-hot from the forge, in one hand. Zendor scratched his head as if annoyed.

"Calm down. You know elves are naturally prickly."

He casually dissed the elf, calming Aidorf down.

"I saw some things on my way here, and it seems more serious than I thought."

Just one more conversation……. Zendor, continuing his story, glanced at the hammer.

"More importantly, what are you making? A shield?"

"Keu-ha-hat. I nearly lost my arm beating that mithril."

Whoa! Zendor's eyes sparkled as he patted Aidorf's shoulder.

Perhaps because he's a dwarf, despite his white hair and thick beard, his muscular arms bulged.

"Even though I do it as a hobby occasionally, it still turns out decent."

"You're getting old, take it easy."

Aidorf, insisting he was still hale and hearty, raised his hammer-wielding arm. Keu-ha-hat, Aidorf and Zendor burst into laughter.

Enough, you forge-obsessed madmen.

Unable to bear the endless talk of hammering, I tugged on Zendor's beard before we could finally get back to the main topic.

"Ahem. If Zendor and the humans feel that uneasy about it, I suppose I can listen one more time."

Aidorf crossed his arms and tried to regain his dignified dwarf elder expression.

Hmph. I already know you're just like the other Berg dwarves.

Aidorf, wanting to resolve things quickly and send the elf away, strode past us toward the door.

Bulk.

……Well, the elf was always camped out in front of this house anyway.

"Hey, elf! Come in!"

Aidorf, frowning and looking grumpy, called out to the elf.

"……Have you finally decided to listen?"

She seemed a bit surprised at being called.

The elf widened her gray eyes slightly and hesitated.

"Come in quick!"

I poked my head out from the side and urged the elf.

How about that? Impressive, right? Aren't you grateful? We did a big thing for you.

I secretly winked at the elf.

"……?"

……Does the elf not know what a wink is? Embarrassed, I smiled softly at her instead. And the elf, as if seeing a bizarre monster, frowned deeply and never looked my way again…… Tch.

"This way, have a seat."

Seated around a round table were Aidorf and Zendor, me and Elija, and the elf. A summit meeting.

"Why are humans and that monster included here?"

Our elf lady still didn't seem to grasp the situation properly.

"……We can talk properly?"

"Of course."

The elf sat upright, unmoving. Aigoo.

"I will not yield an inch for my kin. I will do whatever it takes to secure support."

This is a conversation, not a battle. A deal. A negotiation.

"Hey, elf! If it weren't for the humans bringing new information, you might have been kicked out of the village soon."

Zendor, looking displeased, scolded her and waved his hand.

"Yeah. Enough, let's talk properly this time."

"……I am Aria, daughter of Loel."

The platinum-blonde elf introduced herself to Aidorf. Aria. A surprisingly soft name compared to her stiff tone.

"……By any chance, how old are you? It's hard to gauge an elf's age."

Zendor cut in and asked the elf. Rolling her gray eyes, Aria lifted her chin coolly.

"I am 256 years old. I don't think age is particularly relevant."

256. At that, Elija and I stared with our mouths agape. They said elves all look young, but this is no joke!

Conversely, Aidorf and Zendor groaned, holding their foreheads.

"……No wonder."

"What can we expect from a young one."

Young? I widened my earthquake-stricken black eyes, looking back and forth between the dwarf and the elf.

"To come all this way alone at an age when you've just become independent. What to say."

"There's no way they'd send such a young elf as a representative."

Aidorf shook his head, saying this was the first time such a young elf had come to Berg.

Judging by his constant beard-stroking, he seemed to be feeling some guilt for having turned her away.

"The situation must be urgent due to the monster problem."

Elija quickly got to the point. Nice.

At that, the elf also snapped back to attention and presented her request again.

"We need a supply of weapons and armor for our people."

"Hmm, you mentioned before that monsters had increased. But why did you leave out the fact that they've become abnormally strong?"

"……I didn't think it was necessary to share our village's situation in detail."

"You elves really are much more closed off than dwarves."

Zendor let out an irritated sigh.

"It might not be at the level of the elf village, but we also witnessed an ogre in the Cert Mountains whose condition suddenly changed. It's a bit concerning."

Elija cautiously opened his mouth.

"I don't know where the elf village is, but if strange ogres have appeared in the Cert Mountains too, it might be worth looking into."

"Hmm, that's true."

Aidorf and Zendor stroked their chins, pondering.

"There's no harm in it if we agree to share information about the monsters."

"What payment do you require? I'll try to meet it as best I can."

At Aidorf's first positive response, Aria seemed to snap out of her rigid attitude. Her gray eyes gleamed with determination as she waited for Aidorf's answer.

"Hmph! Last time, it didn't seem like you'd even coordinated your story properly. How do you plan to get the elders to agree to this?"

Aidorf snorted, arms crossed.

That's true. Even if she brought an advance payment, it must be her personal funds. Dwarf-made weapons and armor must be incredibly expensive.

Aria shook her head.

"……I may be young by elf standards, but I hold a position of responsibility in my village."

She is confident in her persuasion. She simply judged she didn't have time before coming. Aria lowered her gray eyes, her light lashes almost covering them.

"How can you persuade the elders at barely 200 years old?"

"I am, though insufficiently, responsible for a section of the forest's border."

"……Huh?"

Euh?

A moment of silence, and then Aidorf's mouth dropped open as if his jaw would fall off.

"At that age, you're a Guardian?"

"……Yes."

Aria lowered her eyes and answered quietly.

……Could that expressionless face be her being shy?

Pushing aside that uneasy feeling, I tried to process Aria's words again.

Guardian? Is that a job, or something like that?

"So that's how you could come all the way to Cert alone. A Guardian at that age."

Aidorf and Zendor's eyes softened slightly as they examined the elf.

I looked up at Elija and whispered quietly.

"……What's a Guardian?"

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