"You can understand us, young human?
"You are not an elf, yet you can speak freely with us."
"You are a witch. It's been almost a hundred years since I last saw one."
"You're right, Mrs. Turtle. I am a witch. An apprentice witch to Master Merlin to be exact" [Diana].
"The witch Merlin... The legendary witch is still alive! Color me surprised!"
"And the core in your wand? No! Even before that, your wand was made from the World Tree! The earth core is from the Adamantoise, and the water core is from the Sea Diamond Serpent!"
"You are a knowledgeable Elder Turtle!" [Diana]
"I am not an elder. That title belongs to someone even deeper in the swamp."
"Really!? You're big and knowledgeable, so I naturally assume that you're the elder and the leader. Can you lead us to the Elder?" [Diana]
"We will ask the Elder first. I believe the Elder will grant your request."
"Thank you very much!" [Diana]
I went to the place where the Coffin Turtles gather, along with others. Surprisingly, even some adventurers and knights wanted to see me talk to the coffin turtle. This in turn led to the villagers of nearby wanting to see it as well, hence our group for today.
The coffin turtles are sunbathing without a care in the world, and our arrival doesn't seem to affect them much. However, as soon as I started talking to them, they were surprised, but quickly opened up to me.
I'm sure it's because I have no intention of harming them. If I do, the coffin part will try to suck out my essence. Not that they can, or at least I hope they can't, since I am an apprentice to your truly master, Merlin. I'm glad she's my master!
There are different kinds of coffins. One made of pure gold. One made of marble. There are even ones made from the skeletons of other monsters. Reminds me of Jester Bone. Master Merlin asked me to bring one that was detached from the turtle that are still full of energy and life, but I don't see any that fit the criteria. There's still time, so I should prioritize the adventure guild request first
While waiting for my chance with the Elder Coffin Turtle, I noticed that the people were getting restless. I'm sure they wanted to know what happened themselves, so I just told them that I was going to meet an elder coffin turtle.
"There is even an elder. As expected."
"There's no mention of it in the application, but considering the size of the group, it's more surprising if there isn't one" [Dana].
"We should make it the official guardian of this land!"
"I'm sure we can live together somehow!"
"For now, let our little heroine go and talk" [Linda].
"You're awfully calm... Don't you feel the pressure?" [Kat]
"What pressure?" [Diana]
"As usual, you have a nerve of steel" [Kat].
And when a young Coffin Turtle said that my request for an audience was granted, I entered the swamp with the other Coffin Turtles at my side. Dana asked to be with me. Though the elder didn't mention it explicitly, they granted Dana's wish to follow, so Dana, Fie and I enter the swamp while the others wait outside.
"Hmmm... Is the Elder capable of space magic? I feel like we are entering some kind of realm" [Diana].
"You are indeed right. I don't want to go into details, but the fact that our kind is able to proliferate from near extinction is due to the Elder."
"I see. The Elder must be wise" [Diana].
"Not as wise as the Wandering Sage."
"Wandering Sage... Wait!? You know the Wandering Sage?" [Diana]
Color me surprised. No... What's even more surprising is that for a group of animals that are treated as borderline monsters, they're very organized! I know for a fact that turtles are generally smart, but this is beyond what I expected. While it's not unusual for a group to have a leader, much like us humans have a king, their way of organizing is indeed human-like. From the one who carries a message to their one elder. It's really very surprising!
"Welcome. We meet in an unexpected place, blessed child Diana and her sister, warrior Dana" [Elder Giant]
"It's been a while. Maybe a year or so? The last I heard, you and Teliara were exploring the new dungeon in Emas" [Joseph].
"It's like you said, she really is blessed" [Elder Coffin Turtle]
"Elder Giant!? Wandering Sage!? What are you two doing here?" [Diana]
The Elder Giant who wanted to unite all the giants in this continent to fight the Devil King one day, the ever wise Wandering Sage, Sage Joseph, and now an Elder Coffin Turtle.
"Please, have a seat, one blessed by fairies" [Elder Coffin Turtle].
"Thank you. I will" [Diana].
"This is really surprising..." [Dana]
"Meow" [Fie]
"I agree with you both" [Diana]