"We are approaching the Spirit Home. What is all this noise about?"
" "Yes, ma'am! Our deepest apologies, it is nothing!!" "
As they drew closer to the sanctuary where the spiritual beings resided, Riveria let out a sharp sigh of reprimand. She directed it at the trio who had become so engrossed in their chatter that they had neglected their duties as guards.
"Excessive noise might disturb the Spirits. Compose yourselves before we set foot in the forest."
" "Yes, ma'am!!" "
"Y-yes, we will be extremely careful!!"
Filvis and Ryuu responded in unison, sounding like soldiers in a military drill, while Lefiya raised her voice in a flustered panic. Riveria continued forward, sighing at their apparent lack of focus. Behind her, however, the debate among the Elves resumed. Their heads had cooled slightly, but their conversation remained fixed on what Lefiya had suggested earlier.
Riveria's advice had vanished from their minds entirely.
" (So, Lefiya, is Cranel truly the one Lady Riveria favors?!) "
" (N-no, it is only a guess on my part...) "
In truth, if one overlooked the difference in race, no one could deny that Al and Riveria suited each other. Unlike that bearded dwarf or the young boys some might admire, Al possessed a tall stature and striking features. Aside from his occasional eccentricities, he carried the aura of a hero and the dignity of a knight. Combined with Riveria, the beautiful princess and pride of her race, they made a magnificent pair.
Even if his daily actions skewed toward the bizarre due to his extraordinary power, it remained within the realm of the acceptable. In fact, some of his admirers considered that very quirk to be the secret of his charm. As for the refinement required of a High Elf's partner, Al possessed more than enough in his natural state.
Above all else, his proficiency in domestic affairs was suspiciously high; he could cook, clean, wash, and sew with a skill that defied description. With Riveria as the strongest mage and Al as the ultimate frontline fighter and the Sword Saint, they shared a perfect dynamic and peerless combat compatibility.
Most importantly, Al was a true hero who had saved the world years ago. That legendary achievement made the obstacle of different races seem insignificant. Because of the genuine greatness he had achieved, his presence beside Riveria felt entirely natural. Even the news of his feat in toppling a god had reached the ears of the reclusive Elves, far from the world's standard news.
Stories were told of Saint Celdia and her relationship with the Great Hero and mercenary leader Valtstein. While this irritated devout Elves, the truth remained. Even an Elf prone to excluding and despising other races would find it hard to object to a peerless hero, even if he were human.
" (But isn't there another candidate? Still, even if it is him, how can we be sure of the truth?) "
" (.. That is..) "
" (.. There is no other way. We must ask her directly who she intends to give the Panacea Fruit to..) "
Thus, they reached the same conclusion. No matter how long they talked, they would never know if Al was the intended recipient. The fastest solution was to ask the woman herself.
"What?! Isn't that disrespectful? Uncovering the secrets of noble lovers is not an easily forgiven offense! .. No, wait, there is no other way to be certain.."
Ryuu sank into thought after Filvis spoke. The argument was sound. Pursuing rumors about a High Elf like Riveria was forbidden, but the other party was allegedly Al. His strength was unparalleled, and his character and humanity were beyond reproach; he would certainly never take Riveria's feelings lightly.
Yet, the fact remained that Al was a problematic figure who could not be measured by conventional moral standards. Though searching for hidden intentions might be viewed as petty, they had to confirm the truth for the sake of those slim possibilities. Logic said it was impossible for the High Elf who was the pride of their race to fall for that white-haired man, but emotion could not be ignored.
"I am well aware that this is disrespectful! But I cannot simply sit by without knowing! What if the person Lady Riveria cares for truly is Cranel?!"
"!! Y-yes, we have an obligation to know!!"
"We have no such obligation!!"
The two ignored Lefiya's protest. Nothing could stop the frenzy of Filvis and Ryuu. Once an Elf is consumed by emotion, no one can hold them back. In their minds, the two Elves imagined Al and Riveria walking side by side—holding hands, embracing, and moving in such perfect harmony that they formed a beautiful painting. They even imagined the Elven race giving them their blessing.
Faced with this mental image, neither Filvis nor Ryuu could wait any longer. They clenched their fists and gritted their teeth so hard they tasted blood. Lefiya's words as she tried to stop them never reached their feverish minds.
"We must uncover—I mean, we must confirm the identity of the person Lady Riveria is thinking of."
"Good grief, I am telling you..."
Even Ryuu, usually the composed Elven warrior, was driven by a sharp intensity entirely foreign to her nature. Lefiya was at her wit's end. For her, it didn't matter if Al and Riveria became lovers; she respected her mentor Riveria and her colleague Al equally. Lefiya loved them both, and if they were happy together, that was for the best.
Just moments ago, she was merely a girl interested in the romantic news of those around her; she didn't truly believe Al and Riveria were dating. While the evidence suggested they were compatible, it was nothing more than a theoretical possibility.
"Lefiya, understand us. We wish for nothing more than Lady Riveria's happiness, whether it is Cranel or anyone else."
"But this is different. Even if my body crumbles, I must uncover the truth."
"Very well..."
Seeing the Elves' eyes filled with such unnecessary resolve, Lefiya lost the ability to speak. Their complete lack of reason had reached the level of madness. Lefiya put her hand to her head, wondering how things had come to this, but their goal had clearly possessed them. They would not retreat.
As she was considering what to do, a steady voice rang out.
"You lot, stop this nonsense."
" "Y-yes, ma'am!" "
●○●○●
An attack occurred involving thieves who tamed monsters, hoping to disrupt the ritual, but those outcasts from outside Orario were no match for two first-class and two second-class adventurers. They were crushed instantly. The crisis involving the Great Tree catching fire was also resolved thanks to Riveria's efforts in communicating with the Spirits.
"L-Lady Riveria.. to whom will you give the Panacea Fruit?"
"What?"
"I.. I know this is a difficult thing to say, and certainly Lady Filvis, the others, and I would never reveal the secret. So.. tell us in confidence.. who is the person in your heart?"
After returning from their meeting with the elders and obtaining the "Panacea Fruit" that grew from the Great Tree, the four were in a room at the Loki Familia headquarters. Filvis and Ryuu, following Lefiya's lead, nodded their heads vigorously in agreement. Lefiya herself seemed interested in her mentor's romantic news, regardless of Al.
".. I see, so that is what this is about. (Truly, the Panacea Fruit is known as a secret medicine that grants love as well.)"
The reason Riveria went to the Spirit Home and endured the royal treatment she detested was for the fruit. However, the "love-granting" effect was merely a legend surrounding it; its true value lay in its extraordinary healing properties. The fruit from the Great Tree possessed a power close to a panacea that could cure any ailment. Riveria sought it for an old friend she had known for ages—someone who could, in a sense, be called a person "in her heart."
".. Very well, if you swear to keep this a secret, I will tell only you. (It seems this is what they have been noisy about all this time.. I'll tease them a little.)"
The name of that person was Aina Tulle. She was the former lady-in-waiting and the only friend who had not abandoned the rebellious princess Riveria when she decided to flee the forest to see the world. Aina was now married to a human man and had a daughter, but the environment of the outside world apparently did not suit her Elven nature; her health had begun to decline over the years. To ease her pain even slightly, Riveria had sought the Panacea Fruit.
"R-really?! Wonderful!!"
" "We are deeply grateful!!" "
".. That person knows everything about me."
Riveria cared nothing for the legend of love, but seeing the amusing enthusiasm of Lefiya and the others despite her being a High Elf, she decided to indulge in a bit of mischief. She spoke in vague terms, failing to notice the meaning the trio intercepted.
"E-everything.."
Lefiya, Filvis, and Ryuu could not help but swallow nervously at Riveria's words. Riveria began to speak calmly about that person.
"They know my face when I laugh, when I am angry, and even when I cry.. and even my face while I sleep."
"Your face while you sleep?!"
"Yes, we sometimes shared a bed.. in fact, I was the one who would ask for it, as I needed the warmth of companionship."
"Eh.. ehehe.."
" " ── (Loss of consciousness) " "
Filvis and Ryuu fainted while standing. Riveria, lost in her memories, and the interested Lefiya failed to notice that bombshells were dropping one after another upon the ears of the devastated pair.
"And of course, we exchanged embraces as well.."
"E-e-embraces?!"
"Yes, we even bathed together.."
" " ── (Complete mental breakdown) " "
Of course, Aina Tulle is a woman, so there was no issue. But for Filvis and Ryuu, who had barely regained consciousness while at the height of their misunderstanding, this was a brain-destroying shock. It was a cosmic disaster for the two Elves; had a devout extremist been there, they would have died from sheer outrage.
"B-b-bathing.. impossible.. it cannot be.."
"We would pour water on each other's backs and wash our hair together. Hehe, such fond memories."
Lefiya knew the relationship between Riveria and Al was that of a mentor and student, but she was stunned by the idea that things had gone this far.
"I-is this a joke?! Lady Riveria.. with that profligate man.. you do all this?! Our Lady Riveria.."
" " ── (Foaming at the mouth and white eyes) " "
Lefiya was nearly in tears at the thought that her idol Riveria had bathed with a man (her colleague), while Filvis and the others rejected reality entirely and departed for a dream world. Riveria, unaware of the scale of this misunderstanding, continued her joke without noticing their condition.
"And there is also.. no, perhaps it is best if I do not say."
"W-what?! What else did you two do?!"
Lefiya trembled as she saw Riveria sink into her memories, her cheeks flushing like a girl talking about her first love.
"Are you sure? If you hear this, there will be no turning back."
"What do you mean by that?!"
"It means it requires a firm resolve. If your will is strong, I will answer."
"I-I-wait!! I am not mentally prepared yet.."
Sharing a bed, embracing, bathing together—and more?! For the innocent Lefiya, she was imagining rosy and lewd things that shouldn't cross one's mind, until her head nearly exploded from the heat. Ryuu was no longer breathing, and Filvis was trembling with a pale face.
"No.. I will say it all at once, or I will hesitate too."
In the eyes of Lefiya and the others whose minds were boiling, the shy Riveria looked like a girl at the height of love and──.
"It is──"
"That person is── A"
"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!"
" " ── (Lefiya drags the two lifeless bodies and flees) " "
Lefiya, who lacked the courage to hear the rest, utilized her full capabilities as a third-tier adventurer to drag the two lifeless bodies away from Riveria.
" ──────── Aina, my old friend.. Hah, they're gone. I hope this serves as a lesson for them to stop being so curious about a High Elf.. well, I'll clear up the misunderstanding later."
If Al had been present to witness this scene, he would have thought to himself: ── Aren't Elves just a race full of idiots?
"One bed.. embracing.. bathing.. and more.. ugh."
"Ah, Lady Filvis has collapsed again!!"
"Pull yourself together!! I understand how you feel, but we must accept reality. Lady Riveria with Al.. ugh."
"Ah, Ryuu-san has lost consciousness too!!"
" ── Pleeaaaassseee stay with meeeee!!"
●○●○●
After a while, the three regained their senses and entered a nearby cafe to discuss the storm of bombshells Riveria had dropped. Everything Riveria said was shocking, especially the part about bathing with the opposite sex, which was more than Lefiya—who had no experience in such matters—could handle.
"L-Lady Riveria has been responsible for Master Al's training since he joined.. couldn't it just be an extension of that?"
"Fool! What instructor in this world bathes with their student?!"
"That.. is true, but.."
For Elves who prized purity, communal bathing was impossible. How much more so if the High Elf Riveria herself had done it with a man? If devout Elves heard this, they would think Riveria had been defiled and would have died of grief.
But did Riveria truly do that? Lefiya, who saw Riveria daily as a teacher, could not believe this was reality, even though she heard it from the woman herself.
"Even as an instructor, Al joined the Loki Familia four years ago; he was eleven or twelve at the time! And Lady Riveria was certainly an adult! The age gap between races is inevitable, but.."
Though she had not yet reached her third century, by human standards she was quite old. The idea that she was "playing around" with Al when he was twelve was unbelievable. Especially since Al at the time was very small, before his growth spurt, and the size difference between him and the tall Riveria was vast.
To Lefiya, this scene reeked of a crime. If he had been younger, perhaps communal bathing might have been acceptable, but at twelve, it became realistic in a way one couldn't ignore. If this were true, her sin was greater than that of a middle-aged man who became engaged to a girl a third his age. If two-thirds of the leaders possessed such inclinations, poor Gareth truly deserved pity.
Filvis sensed Lefiya's feelings and continued. Having lived longer than Lefiya, she was slightly more rational. Incidentally, Filvis had been foaming at the mouth earlier, but she had regained her balance now.
" ── Hah!!"
"W-what is it?! Ryuu?!"
Ryuu, who was half-unconscious, suddenly snapped her eyes open as if she had remembered something and stood up from her chair.
"Kaguya.. I heard from my old companion; in the Far East, there are tales of a plan to raise a younger person so they become the perfect adult for you in the future!!"
If Finn, Gareth, or Loki were here, they would have said, "Impossible, that's not it." Unfortunately, there were only three Elves with boiling brains.
"Ah!! I heard this from Loki too!! Usually, a man does this with a younger girl, but they say the reverse happens as well..!! In such cases.. it is called the 'Reverse Hikaru Genji Plan'!!"
This was an insult worthy of Riveria striking the speaker with all her might. Unfortunately, there were only these foolish Elves. In other words, there was no one present to correct this massive misunderstanding.
" "T-the Reverse Hikaru Genji Plan..!!" "
Since Al himself was outside Orario, the misunderstanding was never resolved. Although they were bound by the promise not to reveal the secret, Lefiya's suspicious behavior caught Loki's eye, and Syr questioned Ryuu quite cleverly. Consequently, the rumor of a relationship between Riveria and Al spread through Orario like wildfire.
When Al finally returned to Orario with Bell and Ais, he found that every Elf in the city was looking at him with eyes that held an equal mix of murderous intent and admiration.
──────────────────────────────────────────────────
Al, who for once in his life, had done absolutely nothing wrong.