READ NOVEL ONLINE Chapter 30
“S-sorry… I just sat down because I was told to sit…”
“No one ever told you to sit on Sister’s lap.”
The atmosphere around us grew even colder.
I tried to lighten the mood, but I only made things worse.
“I’m not sure if I heard correctly, but Rune is a guest, so don’t be too harsh on her.”
“No, Levi! This is exactly when we need to be more cautious.”
“Right.”
The kids had gathered in front of me, forming a tight, vigilant circle.
Their determination to protect me with their small bodies was admirable, but it also felt a bit overwhelming.
After all, the person they were guarding against was just a young elf.
She didn’t seem to have any ill intentions or suspicious motives, so I wondered if all this fuss was really necessary.
“I-I won’t do it again… I really didn’t know…”
“It’s too late for apologies!”
“We’ve never even sat on Sister’s lap before, and you dare…”
“Unforgivable.”
I managed to introduce Rune to the kids, albeit briefly due to the situation.
At least I made it clear that Rune was an elf guest from across the river, so they probably wouldn’t make a bigger fuss than this.
“Alright, everyone, stop. As you can see, Rune is a shy girl, and if you keep pressuring her like this, she’ll feel really uncomfortable.”
“But Levi…”
“For now, let’s check the herbs we’ve gathered. We’ll deal with the rest later.”
“Huh?! Do we really have to do that now…?”
“Of course. Why do you think we came here?”
At my quiet remark, not only Aizen but also Ellie and Iris looked visibly tense.
“Sorry, Rune. We’ll talk about the rest later, okay?”
“Ah, yes… Of course…”
Rune sat quietly at the edge of the mat, hunched over and staring at the ground.
Every time the kids’ wariness grew, she visibly shrank, which was pitiful to see.
But there were things to do, so I decided to put Rune’s matter aside for now and check the herbs the kids had gathered.
“Hmm, Aizen, why did you only pick weeds?”
“Huh? Aren’t they herbs?”
“None of these are the herbs listed in the book. They’re all weeds.”
As expected, Aizen never fails to disappoint me.
His enthusiasm and results are inversely proportional—truly a leader paving his own path.
As a reward, I think I’ll gift him some extra studying.
“Ellie, you did perfectly. Great job.”
“Really?!”
“Yes. Your hard work paid off immediately.”
“—!!”
Ellie, who had shown even more passion and enthusiasm than Aizen, had perfectly identified all the herbs.
It was the result I expected, but seeing Ellie jump around happily in front of me made me smile proudly.
“Lastly, Iris…”
“Yes.”
When I checked the herbs Iris had gathered, I noticed something odd.
All the herbs she brought looked unfamiliar, and their sizes were all over the place.
Even after checking the book, I couldn’t find any information about these mysterious plants.
Compared to the herbs Ellie had gathered, the difference was stark.
“…Iris, what are these?”
“I don’t know. They just looked interesting, so I picked them.”
“You didn’t pick them knowing what they were?”
“No.”
This felt both in line with and completely off from the purpose of this outdoor training.
Where on earth did Iris gather these from?
“Ah, I know what those are…”
Just as I was staring intently at the herbs Iris had gathered, Rune, who had been keeping her distance, shyly raised her hand and spoke up.
“Oh, as expected of an elf, you’re quite knowledgeable about plants.”
“Those are narcotic plants…”
Rune’s calm words immediately shocked me.
I quickly threw the plant I was holding far away, but the confusion that surged within me didn’t subside easily.
“N-narcotic…?”
“Yes… Just touching them won’t do much, but… they’re still very dangerous…”
“But this plant isn’t mentioned in the book at all…?”
“That’s probably because… they’re not well-known plants…”
It was shocking enough to learn that the plant I was holding was a narcotic, but what worried me more was that Iris had been carrying it around for quite some time.
“Iris, are you feeling dizzy or nauseous…?”
“No. I feel the same as usual.”
“Phew… That’s a relief…”
Who would’ve thought narcotic plants were growing around here…
I was so focused on monsters, demons, and beasts that I never considered such dangers.
“Anyway, thank you for letting us know. That could’ve been a disaster…”
“It’s nothing…”
Rune blushed and scratched her head, seemingly unaccustomed to praise.
“Iris, from now on, don’t just pick anything because it looks interesting, okay?”
“Did I do something wrong?”
“Yes. You need to reflect on this.”
“…Sorry.”
Iris’s expression turned gloomy after being scolded.
While it was clear she had tried her best, the fact that her actions nearly put everyone in danger couldn’t be ignored.
This was a good opportunity to instill some caution in her.
“It’s okay as long as you understand. Just be more careful next time.”
“Yes…”
My heart was still racing, and cold sweat was dripping down my hair.
I was more shaken than I thought—more than when I first encountered a demon.
“……”
Just as I was about to wrap up the outdoor training and give the kids their results, Rune, who had been sitting quietly at the edge of the mat, suddenly appeared right next to me and presented her head.
“…Huh?”
“……”
The atmosphere instantly grew silent, and everyone’s gaze naturally turned to Rune.
“P-please pat my head…”
Rune’s quiet request followed.
Though she tried to act nonchalant, it seemed she had been hoping for more praise.
“Ah… okay. Thank you so much.”
As I gently patted Rune’s round head, Ellie, who had been watching closely, started stomping her feet and frowning.
“Me too… me too…!! I was the one who did the best in this training…!! Why is she the only one getting…?”
“I know. Ellie, you did really well too.”
Leaving Rune, who was beaming with joy, behind, I turned around with a faint smile and stretched out my arms to Ellie.
“Come here. I’ll praise you too.”
“Gasp!”
Ellie hesitated for a moment but then charged at me like an angry bull, hugging me tightly.
“Hehe, I’m so happy─.”
Her strong embrace felt like it might squeeze all my organs out.
Contrary to my plan to end things warmly, Ellie reacted more intensely than ever, pressing against me.
“What… So Ellie won this training?”
“…That’s right. Ellie was the only one who gathered everything perfectly without any mistakes.”
“Ellie doesn’t seem particularly interested in hunting monsters, though.”
“No, Aizen. Ellie was really looking forward to hunting monsters.”
“Huh? Ellie was?”
“Yes. Can’t you tell from how hard she worked?”
“……”
As expected, the first outdoor training ended without any major incidents, with Ellie as the winner.
There were some gains, and it seemed like the kids had a unique learning experience, which made me feel proud.
Originally, I planned to wrap up the herb discussion and spend some leisurely time with the kids until we returned to the church, but—
“C-congratulations…!! Since it’s such a happy occasion, how about we throw a small party in our village…?”
There was still the matter of Rune to deal with.
“A party?”
“Yes…! We’ll prepare lots of food that you can only taste in our village! The Elder will gladly help if I ask…!!”
“Oh… An elf village…”
Aizen, who had been glaring at Rune like he wanted to devour her, suddenly seemed oddly interested.
“H-how about it…?”
As the kids started showing more interest, Rune naturally turned her gaze to me, blinking innocently.
Though her intentions were transparent, her adorable proposal was hard to refuse.
At this point, I began to wonder why Rune was so eager to invite me to the elf village.
“Do you want to visit the elf village?”
“Yes! Yes! Yes!”
“…I’m a little curious, honestly.”
“I really want to go.”
Though Rune didn’t seem to have any ulterior motives, I sensed something strange about the elves behind her.
Were they inviting me to the village because they genuinely wanted an ally, or was there a deeper reason?
“Is visiting their village part of my mission?”
Whatever the reason, it was clear that the elves had some shady intentions.
“No…! That wasn’t mentioned. They just said to keep you happy…”
“Huh?”
Rune fidgeted with her hands, clearly uncomfortable.
Her awkwardness only made the situation more bizarre.
“I thought you all might be suspicious of me… So I just wanted to clear up any doubts…”
“So, inviting us to the village was your own idea?”
“Yes… But I’m sure the Elder would be happy to have you visit. That’s what I think.”
No matter how I looked at it, this situation didn’t seem good.
For some reason, it felt like Rune had been thrown into this as some kind of sacrifice.
“I see.”
Plus, with the strange rumor that I like children spreading, visiting the village to clear up misunderstandings didn’t seem like a bad idea.
“Alright. Since we’re already here, crossing the river to visit might not be a bad idea.”
After all, I can’t stay tied to this land forever.