"Missing? More like absconded with treasures, according to the town's gossip. They say he was blinded by greed or trying to monopolize trade with Drake Castle."
"Now, how much of that gossip is true? Does a person entrusted by the Mermaid Queen with connections to Drake Castle so easily succumb to desire?"
"Who knows? People are bundles of desires, and sometimes they snap unexpectedly."
"Like Trinity?"
"...Are you provoking me?"
When I teased him about Trinity attacking us, he shot me a half-hearted glare.
"...By the way, when exactly did that envoy from Drake Castle go missing?"
"Um, I think it was about five days ago," Trinity replied, while Ava placed her hand on her cheek, deep in thought.
Hmm? There's something off about this conversation. What is it?
"So, what are we going to do? We won't find a way to Drake's Castle at this rate. I don't mind, but isn't Suzanne the one who will be in the most trouble?" While Ava was wrestling with her thoughts, Trinity asked what their next steps would be.
If we can't take the most conventional route... Wait, didn't Ava say there are three possible methods?
"Uh, Ava, you mentioned there are three methods, but what's the third one?"
"Well, it's certainly an option, but it's extremely dangerous. I wouldn't recommend it at all. We could use the Drake Cave near Longness to reach Drake's Castle. The cave runs underground and allows us to walk directly to the castle, but its danger level is classified as A-grade. It's teeming with monsters on par with those found in a Drake's nest. The place I was concerned about is definitely the cave. I took a quick look inside, and it's swarming with A-grade monsters."
Yikes, seriously? A dungeon with the same danger level as a Drake's nest?
Moreover, trekking through the ocean floor would take a considerable amount of time given the distance. Walking for hours through an A-class dungeon definitely isn't the best option.
"Ahh, I'll pass on the third option. As for the others… it looks like they're all no good! Ugh, what a hassle. Let's go with the method that seems the most viable: summoning the servant from Drake Castle. For now, we just need to track down the missing servant, right?"
"Yes, let's focus on finding the servant from Drake Castle for now," Ava agreed. However, for some reason, Trinity was staring at me with a blank expression.
"What's wrong? Are you against searching for the Drake Castle servant?"
"Oh… no, it's just that I thought, being Suzanne and all, you would suggest taking the Drake Cavern to get to Drake Castle!"
"We don't have to choose a dangerous route just because we can."
"...Are you really the one saying that? Just a little while ago, you were all about quickly helping Deep Blue—was it Yuki?—without caring about time or risks!"
Oh wow, that's right, I really was like that. Hearing it from them made me realize just how unrelaxed I had become.
"Of course my old man tells me to cool my head," I said.
"Well, I'm reflecting on the whole fire incident. I'm really going to stop recklessly diving into danger," I added.
"Wow... that doesn't sound like you at all, Suzanne. It's kinda unsettling…"
"Are you trying to pick a fight?"
◇ ◆ ◇ ◆ ◇
After deciding on our next steps and finishing dinner, a commotion broke out in a corner of the inn's dining area.
"What? Why are those traitorous brats eating here?"
"Do you even realize how much trouble you're causing for everyone in the town?"
A pair of unusual figures—an intimidating, burly elf and a cunning-looking, slender elf—loomed over two children seated at a table in the corner. These kids were a rare sight in the Jipan Empire: beastfolk.
And not just any beastfolk—they were minor turtlefolk.
The boy was a full-on bipedal turtle, with pale green skin and webbed hands. Though hidden under his clothing, he likely had a hard shell covering his back.
The girl looked almost human, but like her brother, she had webbed hands and skin that resembled a turtle's shell on her back.
Both children cowered, literally shrinking back like turtles in the face of the approaching adults' menace.
The girl stands protectively in front of the boy, glaring bravely at the gang of thuggish elves. She seems older, almost like a big sister.
"Do you have any idea how much damage your old man caused our business by messing with the envoy from Drake Palace? Huh?"
"You're going to have to take responsibility for your parents' actions. And here you are, blissfully enjoying a meal... You clearly don't understand your position."
It appears that the two frightened children are the offspring of the missing envoys from Drake Palace. Wait, how can children take responsibility for their parents?
"Hey, in a world that supports heaven and earth, do kids really take on their parents' responsibilities if something happens?"
"No way. If that were true, kids would be doomed to a life burdened by their parents' mistakes. Sure, noble families might have some inheritance obligations, but..."
Thinking this might just be a quirk of this world, I glanced at Trinity, but she shook her head, indicating that it wasn't the norm.
As this unfolded, the gang of elves began resorting to physical violence against the children, throwing punches and kicks.
"Hey, come on! No matter what, that's just wrong!"
Just as I was about to step in to help, the innkeeper rushed forward to intervene.
"Please stop that violence. No way should you be raising your hands against children..."
"I was the one who invited the two of them to dinner. The responsibility lies with me, so please don't harm the children."
"Huh? You, the owner, are defending them? You're one of the victims too. Surely you're aware that because of this kid's father disappearing, you can't get fresh seafood from Drake Bay anymore. So why are you allowing them in your establishment?"
"This is hard to understand. Just look around; not a single person here is willing to help these two. The townspeople suffer great losses because of their parents. This is the collective opinion of the town and a form of retribution."
"Understood, step aside. The children must bear the weight of their parents' responsibilities."
The bulky thug elf forcibly shoved aside the shopkeeper and resumed his violent actions. The boy crouched in fear, while the girl huddled over him, screaming, "It's not my dad's fault!" Honestly, it was repulsive to watch.
Most patrons in the shop seemed awkward, yet not one person moved to intervene. I stood up and approached the hulking thug. Naturally, Ava and Trinity watched me go, practically signaling me to take action.
I delivered a kick to the back of the brute, who was focused on bullying the children.
The large man stumbled amusingly and slammed his face into the floor. At that moment, a woman in the crowd stood up and slapped a slim, sly-looking elf.
Oh? It seems there was someone in the audience who couldn't ignore this situation.
"What the hell are you doing!?" the large man exclaimed, glaring at her as blood dripped from his nose. The slapped, slender elf protested, his pride wounded in front of everyone.
"What's with the bravado against a child, huh?"
"Your actions are just a misdirected venting of frustration disguised as concern for the town," she replied.
The thuggish elves seemed taken aback, clearly not expecting to be challenged in such a tense atmosphere.
"H-Hey, who do you think you are? You're an outsider! This is our town's problem! Stay out of it!"
As soon as the large man realized I was human, he shifted to an aggressive stance.
"You're an elf, so you must know the situation in this town. Why are you so hell-bent on defending those children?"
The woman who had slapped him wore a light blue dress, and her long black hair reached her waist, making her a stunning elf. Among many beautiful elves, she stood out even more, especially with her glossy, straight black hair that shimmered as if wet, reflecting the light.
"Whether you're from the town or not, it doesn't matter," he shouted. "What you're doing is just venting your frustration on this person, as someone already pointed out."
"Isn't it you who has gone mad? Hurting children won't make up for the town's losses. It makes no sense at all."
The beautiful elf gracefully brushed past the thug elves, offering the children a gentle wave of her hand. The kids, overwhelmed by her kindness, instinctively burst into tears as she scooped them into her arms.
"Now, could you explain something to me, as an outsider? How do you plan to hold children responsible for the town's losses? Is violence going to magically generate money? Impressive. I might feel tempted to join in, too.
Are you planning to make those kids work to compensate for the losses? But that amount would be far from easy to repay—are you saying they'd have to toil until they die? And just how much do you think they could possibly cover?"
My voice echoed through the dining hall. The thug elves glared at me with resentment, while others around us quietly shifted their gazes, sensing the tension.
"What you're doing isn't for the town; it's just a mob attack! And don't you dare say you merchants have no responsibility in this."
"Huh? What are you talking about? Why would we have any responsibility?"
"Let me ask you this. Why isn't there any guard or oversight for the one and only envoy from Drake Palace, who's vital to this town's survival?"
"If something happens to the envoy of the Drake Palace, you're the ones who will be in trouble. Look at the situation we're in right now.
You merchants have shifted all the responsibility for the town's economy onto the envoy while only chasing your own profits, completely disregarding their existence. And you think you bear no responsibility?"
Typically, the envoy of the Drake Palace would be the most important person in this town. Yet, you leave them to fend for themselves? Are you all out of your minds? The thin man looked so shocked he seemed unable to grasp the situation.
"We trusted the envoy of the Drake Palace! They betrayed us, not the other way around! There's no way we are responsible!" shouted the large man, but I ignored him.
Trust and credibility are different things. It's fine to trust the envoy, but it's reckless for merchants to completely black out their credibility. Isn't it the merchant's job to have contingency plans in case something goes wrong? This mess is the result of that negligence.
...The conversation is spiraling out of control.
"Your arguments don't matter right now. If you plan to keep using violence against the children, then I will step in," I said, clenching my fist and thrusting it out in front of the thug elf.
**253:** Anonymous Adventurer: 1/31/2059 (Fri) 22:15:20 ID: 2ChN6erM07r
Whoa! I've finally arrived in the land of the Elves!
**254:** Noja-san: 1/31/2059 (Fri) 22:17:51 ID: Noja3prprelf
Oh, congratulations!
**255:** Anonymous Adventurer: 1/31/2059 (Fri) 22:18:45 ID: 100Sho9Zoc
The Elf Kingdom... I'm so jealous!
**256:** Angry Newbie: 1/31/2059 (Fri) 22:20:03 ID: EVA2014Srd
I've never been to the Elf Kingdom. Isn't it on a continent across the sea?
**257:** Depu-chan: 1/31/2059 (Fri) 22:23:18 ID: Dpbl16Slv
>> 255 Actually, it's an empire. The land of the Elves, the Jipan Empire, is a great place!
**258:** Makiha Mari Ikasudori Asu: 1/31/2059 (Fri) 22:24:18 ID: EVA2014Forth
Hmm? Are you a bit of an elf enthusiast, Wanko-kun?
**259:** Noja-san: 1/31/2059 (Fri) 22:25:51 ID: Noja3prprelf
Indeed! The imperial capital is filled with Noja-san!
**260:** Suzu Hara: 1/31/2059 (Fri) 22:27:26 ID: EVA2014wille
What is a Noja-san?
261: Angry Newcomer: 1/31/2059 (Fri) 10:28 PM ID: EVA2014Srd
"W-Wait! I'm not an elf fetishist! It's just that many elves are beautiful, so I was curious..."