IRE 46

chapter 46

A warm sensation enveloped my entire body.

It was comforting, soft, and cozy.

So much so that I unconsciously wanted to bury myself in that warmth.

Intoxicated by it, I curled up and wriggled, moving my hands and feet, trying to coat my entire body in that gentle feeling.

―“Baby, our baby.”

My body gently swayed.

It wasn’t an uncomfortable motion; it moved softly, as if keeping rhythm with a melody.

The voice, stirring a sense of longing, whispered with a tone like singing, and that coziness slowly shook my body.

A soft breeze blew.

The sensation brushing my cheek felt as gentle as being caressed by delicate hands.

The voice flowed into my ears again.

―“Baby, my son. My beloved son. Grow up strong and healthy.”

The voice was so full of love it left me helpless, yet mingled with sorrow, it tugged at my heart.

―“Though I raise you alone without your father, the forest will fill that absence. The villagers will shower you with abundant love. Always remember—you will receive the blessings of the forest, the happiness I leave you, and the love of nature.”

Something warm and soft touched my forehead.

The sensation was pleasant, and I let out a soft sigh.

A voice full of laughter felt close to me.

―“Eldmir, my son. Please, be happy.”

When I opened my eyes, the voice was gone.

Only the lingering scent of food brushed past my nose.

I raised my hand to my eyes and touched them; tears clung to my fingers.

“Ah, dear.”

Wiping away my tears, I stretched and yawned, and the blanket covering me slipped off.

The muscles around my neck felt stiff from sleeping awkwardly.

I lightly turned my neck and massaged the muscles with my hands.

Stretching my curled body, my joints and muscles gave a refreshing cry of relief.

“Kids…”

I was about to call the three sisters, but stopped when I sensed them in my mother’s room.

They were lying together, cozy and snug, asleep just as expected.

“Kerice said she’d wake them up.”

I chuckled softly, got up, and stretched the rest of my stiff limbs.

It was almost time to prepare dinner.

Feeling slightly excited at the thought of cooking at home for the first time in a while, I looked over the ingredients.

…It was all vegetables.

“Ah, dear.”

It wasn’t mandatory to be vegetarian, but elves typically stuck to a plant-based diet.

Not for any special reason—it simply suited their taste.

I didn’t mind eating meat or vegetables; if anything, I preferred meat. But because my mother was vegetarian, I had grown up eating only vegetables.

So the first time I cooked meat was probably when the Kerice sisters joined us.

I considered eating meat, but after over twenty years of vegetarian eating, my stomach might reject it, so I refrained.

“I’ll need to go quickly.”

I strapped on my bow and belt hanging on the wall.

After checking my equipment and confirming everything was fine, I left the house.

I started slowly, but as soon as I left the village, I began running. My speed increased so much that I had to slow myself down.

“This… is too fast.”

I could reach the top of a tree, which previously required several jumps, with a single leap now.

The landscape changed so rapidly that it was incomparable to before.

I could definitely feel that I had become a monster.

Running again, I felt the astonishing speed once more but didn’t panic this time.

“Track.”

Activating my skill expanded my senses; I could detect things I hadn’t noticed before.

Now, I didn’t need to touch the ground or use all my senses—the tracks of animals revealed themselves naturally.

Truly, this was top-tier skill.

Chasing the animal tracks across the trees, I suddenly noticed a familiar doll.

I stopped, descended from the tree, and approached the source of movement.

Moving silently, I saw a shape unmistakably familiar.

A smile spread across my face as I called the name.

“…Eder?”

At the sound of his name, Eder turned around. His face lit with recognition and joy.

It was Eder.

“Eder.”

Had it been three weeks?

He hadn’t changed much, and he looked exactly as he had when we parted.

He called my name with a delighted expression.

“Eldmir? By the gods! When did you come back?”

He seemed to be returning from a hunt, carrying three deer on his back.

He set the deer down and approached me.

“Three weeks have passed? You didn’t even have your coming-of-age ceremony. I really thought you’d left the forest.”

His words reminded me of a past conversation with him. Had I said that?

“I returned because it wasn’t the time yet.”

“Same old answer?”

Eder chuckled at my response.

“Iris and our teacher really thought you had left—they missed you so much.”

Iris I had met, but not our teacher. Perhaps they were at the village meeting by now.

“What happened to your eyes and hair? Only three weeks, and such a change?”

“Ah… this.”

I touched my hair.

The color, reminiscent of Atir’s, still felt unfamiliar.

“I’ll explain on the way to the village. Oh, Eder, about those deer…”

I gestured to the deer he had set down.

“Can I take just one?”

Eder shrugged.

“Of course.”

“…What a terrible ordeal.”

After everything, Eder finally spoke.

The story had continued all the way back to the village and my home.

Eder had naturally entered our home and listened to everything, shocked.

I was preparing dinner, dismantling one of the deer he had given me.

The sun was setting; a couple of hours had passed, and Kerice still hadn’t returned.

“Oh my, your lady…”

“…”

“Unbelievable. How can you stay so calm after all that…”

“Eder.”

I calmly interrupted him and met his gaze.

He lowered his eyes and said:

“…I’m sorry. That was inappropriate of me.”

I nodded.

Eder muttered, still shocked.

“So there are still those betrayers roaming the forest? And you’ve been falsely accused by them?”

“Yes.”

I cut the meat and put it in a pot.

Normally, Atir or my mother’s spirit magic would light the fire, but now I handled it myself.

As the pot simmered, Eder asked:

“Were those tracks I saw theirs?”

I froze, knife in hand.

“Today, while hunting, I saw faint elf tracks I hadn’t seen before. I thought about following them but decided to inform the villagers first.”

“That was wise. Don’t chase them recklessly.”

If those were indeed Chitaen’s or their associates, things were moving faster than expected.

“Where were the tracks discovered?”

“Not far from the village. They probably checked on the village before leaving.”

‘But they followed us? No way.’

I was confident I would’ve noticed if they had.

“They didn’t follow us directly. They reached out to a village near ours.”

That made sense—they used the village’s sentinels, manipulated by their schemes, to scout Le Ruel.

“I’ll need to report to the elder.”

“The elder? Did you tell him everything? The others?”

“Yes. The others will judge after hearing the story.”

“Judge? About what?”

“About the alliance between the beastfolk and elves.”

“Seriously?”

Eder looked skeptical.

“Do you think I’d make it up?”

I gestured toward my mother’s room; Eder noticed the three sisters and looked astonished.

“So… that happened.”

Eder exhaled, relieved.

“Well, I don’t exactly disagree… Anyway, stay strong.”

“What nonsense, acting like it’s someone else’s business.”

Eder widened his eyes at me.

“You should help as best you can.”

“…Me?”

“Weren’t you planning to help?”

“No… how could I?”

“Shut up and follow diligently. There’ll be plenty to do.”

Eder muttered in disbelief.

“Your personality hasn’t changed in that respect.”

I chuckled.

“Friends, huh.”

Eder gave a wary look.

Then—

“EL!!”

With a bang, Kerice burst through the door.

She looked around, spotted me, and ran straight to me.

Startled, I quickly put away my knife and caught her.

“I did it!”

“Did what?”

“The villagers of your village listened to me!”

Kerice beamed up at me, glowing brighter than ever.

“The alliance is sealed! El!”

Eldmir’s mind raced with countless thoughts.

Even though the alliance with Le Ruel was made, it didn’t represent the opinions of all elves.

Many challenges remained, and other villages faced Chitaen’s interference.

For now, he decided to match Kerice’s smile.

He faintly curved his lips.

“That’s something to celebrate.”

“Just that? El, you can be happier. Your dream is almost realized!”

Kerice boasted triumphantly.

Though the dream was near, the path ahead was still long, and Eldmir couldn’t fully agree.

“Even though you were confident and dignified at the meeting…”

Two elves who hadn’t entered yet arrived.

One was Iris, and the other…

“You become a cute little girl around El.”

“…Teacher.”

Her soft, wavy blond hair shimmered; her blue eyes gleamed like the sea.

She looked at Eldmir with a mature smile.

“Hello, Er. Welcome back.”

“…Yes.”

Eldmir smiled softly for the rare moment.

“Nice to see you, Teacher.”

I pushed Kerice into the room to wake the others.

“Oh, and good job. You did well.”

“…Hehe.”

Blushing, Kerice entered.

“Hmm… I was here too.”

Eder spoke, asserting his presence, and Eldmir apologized.

“Sorry, I’ll introduce you properly later. I was distracted…”

It wasn’t just Eldmir’s problem—Kerice had noticed the other elf but hadn’t paid much attention, and Eder’s presence had been subtle.

“You get along well.”

The teacher sat at the table; Iris followed, smiling brightly beside her.

Eldmir checked the cooking, lowered the heat, and sat opposite them.

Eder sat naturally next to him.

“So you were here, Eder.”

“Yes. I just arrived.”

“Teacher, did you attend the meeting?”

“Yes. Elder Asheira called everyone together—impossible to miss.”

“I see.”

Eldmir simply smiled, saying nothing.

Having her here, he felt emotionally fulfilled.

“I heard about your mother.”

She expressed sympathy; Eldmir showed a bitter smile.

“Overcoming sadness pleases your mother. You did all you could. No need to mourn, right?”

“Haha, I’m not a child. I can control my emotions.”

“Good. That’s what worries me most about you. You understand why, don’t you?”

Eldmir raised his hands obediently.

If it had been anyone else, he could argue, but with her, he could not. They shared much history.

“I was young then.”

“Oh? Trying to cover recent events as childish misdeeds. When did our El become so sly?”

He laughed at her joke.

In the midst of the cozy atmosphere, Kerice’s voice cut in:

“Greet them, everyone. This is El’s teacher.”

“Hee, really?”

The sisters were impressed; the teacher stood and introduced herself warmly.

“Nice to meet you, children. I’m Elinys Ario, a Sentinel of Le Ruel. As your sister said, I’m Eldmir’s teacher.”