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Chapter 69

While Zelmir brought out tea to ease the atmosphere between us, five elves filed in through the door.

"……They are the elven elders and guardians. For your reference, Lord Zelmir is the eldest, closest to wisdom."

Aria explained in a low voice.

So three elders and four guardians, all gathered.

"What does 'closest to wisdom' mean……?"

Leon fidgeted with his nails and asked Aria.

"……It means he has lived the longest."

What? That man is the oldest?

At this unbelievable news, everyone's eyes fixed on Zelmir.

Zelmir, who had served the tea and taken his seat, stood tall even among the elves. The slender, handsome man's green eyes curved roundly.

"I'm still far from it, I'm embarrassed."

His shy smile looked no older than someone in their 20s or 30s. Seeing Leon's gaping mouth, Zelmir flashed a fresh smile. Well, none of the elves gathered here looked particularly old.

"……Elves are certainly fascinating."

Even Delro made a foolish face and scratched the back of his head.

Ahem, ahem. One of the elves in a thick robe coughed and raised a hand.

"Ahem, well then, would you explain how humans came to be allowed in?"

Phew, she tightened her robe, tapped the table, and glanced at Aria.

Soon, Aria began reporting in a calm voice the circumstances of how we came to the village with her.

Ahem. Dear elder granny and grandpa elves! Please don't look at us so warily.

"……So that's how it happened."

After roughly grasping the situation, Zelmir bowed his head toward us.

"I saw earlier that you protected the elves from harm."

Zelmir politely clasped his hands and expressed his gratitude.

"Lord Zelmir……!"

A few guardians looked displeased, but he still wore a smiling face.

"Having crossed the Cert Mountains with Aria, you must be a fairly capable mercenary group."

"Well, harpies were no problem! ……Sir."

Delro, with a brazen face, shrugged.

He only handled the ones that came down, though. I smirked, one corner of my mouth lifting.

"The elves were so outstanding that I'm not sure we were much help."

Elija quickly added with a small smile.

The elves' fighting was truly impressive. I recalled the scene from Elija's shoulder. Aria leading the elves had been incredible.

Zelmir placed his arms on the table with a warm smile.

"Then, how about taking on a request from me this time?"

Excuse me?

Before we could grasp the context, the elves stood up in a flurry.

"Excuse me? Lord Zelmir!"

"What do you mean……."

Even Aria looked up at Zelmir with blank gray eyes.

"Even though they're both swordsmen, they handled the harpies well. Since most of us elves are archers or spirit mages, we're at a slight disadvantage in aggressive combat."

Still, this is sudden. Elija fixed his gaze on Zelmir's green eyes, trying to discern his intentions.

"Lord Zelmir, what do you mean by that?"

The elves, unable to hide their bewilderment, questioned Zelmir's words. I would have done the same.

"What kind of, what role do you expect from us?"

Elija, who had been quietly listening to Zelmir, also asked.

"Lord Zelmir, is there a need to entrust work to these humans? Aren't the elves enough?"

Aria frowned, asking as if she couldn't understand. Zelmir, about to answer Elija's question, hardened his expression toward her and opened his mouth.

"Since Aria left the village, the situation has worsened rapidly."

Aria's round eyes turned to the guardians, and the elves flinched, lowering their chins. Zelmir continued.

"With the mutant monsters expanding their habitat, fights between monsters have increased."

Another elder in a robe also leaned on the table and let out a deep sigh.

"Attacks have become more frequent than before. Ah, Aria, ah-chew! Sniff. If you hadn't gone to get supplies despite the opposition, the damage would have been much worse."

Zelmir handed her a handkerchief.

"Ah, thank you. Cough, cough. We never expected the situation to deteriorate this quickly……."

The elders lamented that stress from monsters had been absent from the peaceful elven forest for hundreds of years.

Hundreds of years……. Leon muttered blankly.

"I think."

Zelmir tapped his chin with his finger and surveyed the room with serious green eyes.

"Now that our equipment is well-stocked thanks to Aria, this seems like an opportunity. What do you think?"

"Yes?"

A guardian with thick blonde hair tied tightly, eyes wide, asked back.

"Looking at the supplies Aria brought, the quantity and quality are excellent."

"Well, yes."

The guardians looked at Zelmir with gentle, childlike faces.

"I think it would be good to root out the nearby monsters now."

The white-haired handsome man spoke terrifying words in a fresh voice. Wow. I silently opened my mouth.

"We need to deal with them before they settle and multiply. The longer we wait, the more the forest will become a mess."

That's true. It means we need to nip them in the bud before the mutant monsters increase.

"Aren't we all exhausted already?"

One guardian expressed reluctance.

"If monsters keep attacking like this, we won't have time to recover."

"I also think it's better to deal with them while we have the strength."

Aria agreed with Zelmir's opinion in her characteristic stiff expression.

After all, if the main combatants get worn out, it's the elves who suffer.

"So, I was thinking we could borrow the hands of the human mercenaries."

Zelmir's eyes crinkled with humor as he turned to Elija. Watching him look at Elija made me gulp involuntarily.

That elf…… seemed to have instantly discerned that our group's leader was Elija, just by observation.

My monster instincts tingled pareureu. The golden energy thread around the elf named Zelmir was constantly swirling. As expected, he's a powerful elf.

Hearing Zelmir's opinion, the other elves also seemed conflicted.

"Having lived long, one's ability to judge skill grows as well. Just as that small monster is not merely a common slime."

Eek. I, quietly watching Zelmir, startled and tensed up.

I hadn't said a word since Zelmir appeared. How did he know? Aria hadn't mentioned me while briefly reporting the situation either.

Elija, his shoulders twitching slightly, quickly hid me under the table. As if that would hide me now? The elves' eyes narrowed.

"Anyway, it's a shame for such talented humans who have come after a long time to just resupply and leave, so I thought I'd make an offer."

Zelmir smiled and stepped back slightly. At his words, the other sturdy elder who had been sitting quietly also voiced approval.

"I don't want to see any more of my family hurt or killed. Even borrowing a cat's paw would reduce our losses."

A cat's paw? As Delro's bottom began to twitch, Melden suppressed him without any change in expression.

Moved by the suggestion, the other elves gradually nodded, their opinions converging. Down with the monsters of the Forest of Morein!

"Of course, the payment will be substantial too."

Suddenly reminded of the payment we'd all forgotten, we straightened our backs. Right. The situation had been so chaotic that I'd been naturally focused on the monster problem.

"I don't expect humans to risk their lives for elves so easily."

Zelmir quietly lifted his teacup.

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