This place, located in the northeastern part of the empire, is the Heiner territory.
It’s a quiet town without anything particularly special.
Its lord is merely a baron.
However, there are many within the empire who know this name.
It is a name frequently mentioned.
The reason lies not within the territory but beyond its borders, thanks to its neighbors.
Right next to it is a great forest, and its inhabitants are none other than elves.
Heiner is the first place where one encounters the forest’s clan.
“…What did you just say?”
Baron Heiner, who was troubled by a certain issue, showed a curious expression at what his servant said.
“So, you’re saying a relative of yours was dining at a restaurant when an elf came in, mistreated the staff, and caused trouble, only to be stopped by another elf?”
“It wasn’t just stopping them, my lord. From what I heard, they grabbed their ear and dragged them out of the restaurant.”
“An elf’s ear? Is that true?”
“Yes, many other witnesses saw it too.”
Ha! Ha-ha-ha.
My word.
The baron couldn’t hide his amazement.
As the lord of a territory frequently in contact with elves, he knew much about them.
What they like, what they dislike, what makes them happy, and what angers them.
He also knew how much elves hold their ears in special regard.
For someone to touch an elf’s ear recklessly means one of two things.
Either they are family or as close as family,
Or it is an outright declaration of hostility, akin to a fight to the death.
‘Of course, that’s just saying it. In reality, even family members rarely touch each other’s ears.
But to grab and drag someone out by their ear? This isn’t a trivial matter.’
The elves of the great forest clearly view humans as beneath them.
From ancient times until now.
From commoners to nobles, even kings and emperors.
Even if a human achieves something great, they would belittle it, saying, “In the end, they are just human.”
Such is their race.
If one were to witness a dispute between a human and an elf?
Nine times out of ten, or rather all ten times, they would side with their kind.
Who started it, how, or why doesn’t matter.
It’s like how people naturally side with a person over a beast in a confrontation.
No, it’s even more so with elves.
At least beasts lack reason, whereas humans possess it.
It’s only natural to discern right from wrong, but elves are drunk on their elitism as a “chosen race.”
“Hey.”
“Yes, my lord.”
“Those elves, do you think I could meet them?”
“If they are still within the castle, it shouldn’t be difficult.”
The servant didn’t ask why he wanted to meet them.
That wasn’t his role.
He simply provided an answer about whether it was possible or not.
The baron slipped him a reward and gave further instructions.
“Then go find them. If we could invite them and meet by tomorrow, that would be ideal.”
“I’ll make the arrangements immediately.”
As the servant left the office, Baron Heiner leaned back deeply into his chair.
One piece of news he had heard a few days ago floated idly in his mind.
[A dungeon was discovered near the road leading to the capital. Monsters were also confirmed in the area.]
[Currently, part of the road is under control, and imperial soldiers have been dispatched. The severity of the situation is not yet fully known.]
Why now, of all times?
Why does a dungeon have to appear now, and on that road, of all places?
Just when his children needed to head to the capital, this happened, leaving him feeling suffocated.
If things went wrong at this crucial moment, it could ruin not only his children’s future but also the future of his territory.
The exact type and number of monsters that appeared were still unknown.
Even though the imperial army had been dispatched, they were soldiers trained for battle, not personal escorts.
They wouldn’t abandon their mission to protect the children of a mere baron’s family.
He wanted to assign plenty of guards to them, but his territory wasn’t exactly overflowing with resources.
Hiring mercenaries wasn’t a feasible option either, as they lacked the funds and it would look inappropriate.
He was a noble, after all, and this was the road to the capital—hiring mercenaries would seem disgraceful.
What he needed was someone with reliable skills, especially those adept at escorting individuals.
Such qualifications typically narrowed down to two groups: skilled mages or exceptional spirit summoners.
And under the current circumstances, the two elves he had heard about earlier seemed absolutely perfect.
“It’s better if the group isn’t too large. Plus, we don’t need to consider the return trip to the territory. If they are the elves who recently arrived, they must be heading toward the Empire anyway.”
Most importantly, it was impressive how much they cared about maintaining a good relationship with humans.
These were elves who subdued troublemakers by grabbing them by the ears when they caused problems in human domains.
With them, he could trust their help without worry.
They might even willingly assist.
Of course, he had no intention of asking for a favor without offering something in return.
He wasn’t crazy enough to expect free assistance from elves.
“Let’s see. What should I offer as payment for their help? Since they’re likely planning a journey to the Empire, they’ll probably need imperial currency. If I prepare a generous reward, they might agree to my request.”
To be honest, the baron didn’t have a very high opinion of elves.
How many disputes, conflicts, and troubles had that race caused in his territory?
Every time he heard news of harm coming to his people, his anger boiled.
Even so, he couldn’t deny their remarkable skills and talents.
If these particular elves didn’t share the same problematic attitudes as others, then they could be trusted.
That was why he decided to seek the two elves to make his request.
*
…This was the reason Elenia and I ended up meeting the lord of this territory.
But monsters?
This was the first time I’d heard of such a thing.
A world where monsters exist?
I asked Elenia about it, curious, and she gave a wry smile before explaining the truth.
“Tyreal, this must be your first time hearing about monsters, right?”
“Yes. My parents, and everyone else for that matter, never mentioned anything about them.”
“Monsters rarely appear near the Great Forest. Maybe it’s because of the climate, or perhaps it’s a habitat issue. Or maybe there’s something there they find too difficult to deal with.”
Too difficult to deal with.
That likely referred to us elves.
Elenia wasn’t boasting.
At least in this regard, it was an undeniable fact.
The combat ability between an average human and an average elf was vastly different.
That’s why even when elves caused havoc in the human world, humans couldn’t do much about it.
“However, if you move away from the Great Forest, you can easily spot monsters. There are even dungeons where they frequently appear. I’ve heard that one of the main duties of the Empire’s nobles is to exterminate those monsters.”
“I see.”
“I was planning to tell you about this before we left here to start a real journey, but I ended up explaining it like this.”
Monsters.
Monsters, huh.
I begin to think that this might be another possible method.
A way to perhaps change how humans perceive us elves, even just a little.
“I’ve heard about the two of you. You stopped what could’ve been a serious commotion!”
Although his rank is only that of a baron, he is still the lord who governs this area.
On the other hand, Elenia and I, though elves, are ultimately outsiders.
And we’re not even from the Empire.
Despite that, Baron Heiner was treating the two of us elves very well.
“Tyreal?”
Elenia glanced at me slightly.
It was my doing, so she must have been implying that I should answer.
“Ah. It’s nothing, my lord. As an elf, I simply did what I had to do when our kin failed to show proper courtesy to their guests.”
“Even so, it is true that you were a great help. I was worried there might be another big commotion, but thanks to you, we avoided it.”
Afterward, there were some simple conversations.
We introduced ourselves to each other and exchanged trivial talks.
How we ended up leaving the Great Forest and coming here, and where we intended to go next.
“So, you’re planning to head to the capital.”
“Yes.”
“A dungeon near the road to the capital… That’s concerning.”
“Oh, there’s no need to worry too much. The Empire’s forces have already been deployed, so the monster subjugation will be completed soon. My concern is just….”
“Why are your children heading to the capital?”
“The academy entrance season is approaching. It’s incredibly difficult to get in, but fortunately, both of them passed. So, we have to set out for the capital, but the situation has turned out like this.”
The Empire’s forces will take care of the dungeon and monsters.
However, there’s still the possibility of stragglers spilling out.
Attaching escorts would be the most reasonable choice, but the current state of the territory leaves us severely short on manpower.
Hiring mercenaries was considered, but the idea of relying on them for a trip to the academy seemed a bit concerning.
That’s why the baron came up with the idea of asking us, as we were preparing to leave this place anyway.
“Could you possibly help us? I promise to offer you the best reward I can.”
At the baron’s words, I asked for some time to think and decided to discuss it with Elenia.
“What should we do, Elenia?”
“What do you want to do?” Tyreal asked.
“Since I was planning to head to the capital anyway, and it’s not like it’s an unpaid favor, I think it’s not a bad deal….”
No matter how it turns out, the request is essentially asking us to protect human nobles.
It’s not a big deal to me, but it might be different from Elenia’s perspective.
Or, there’s also the possibility that the baron’s children might bother us and turn the journey into an unpleasant one.
As I hesitated and trailed off because of this, Elenia smiled faintly.
“Tyreal said he wanted to change how humans perceive our kind, right?”
“Yes, he did.”
“Then this is a perfect opportunity. If we politely fulfill a request and promise proper compensation, wouldn’t that somewhat dilute the perception of elves as arrogant and haughty?”
The meaning was clear: don’t think about your personal feelings, only focus on the goal you want to achieve now.
From that perspective, the answer to give to the baron was as good as decided.
“Baron, I will grant your request.”
“Oh!”
“Since I’m headed to the capital anyway, having someone to talk to along the way doesn’t sound bad.”
“Truly, thank you! I will reward you generously!”
At first, I considered refusing the compensation, but decided against it.
If you give too much from the start, they might start thinking lightly of our kind.
That would only give those with already foul tempers more reason to act out.
“I think it would be best to depart today. Is that acceptable?”
“That’s exactly what I was hoping for. I’ll be counting on you!”
Baron Heiner repeatedly expressed his gratitude.
It’s unlikely that something as small as this will raise the perception of elves.
But if, even for just one second, it gives someone pause before shouting an insult “Kanph”.
That is enough for me.
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