The Unforeseen Elf #4
“So, you want me to help Charlotte-senpai… with her adaptation?”
“Not exactly ‘help.’ Just… get her to settle in a bit.”
“If I don’t want to?”
“If you truly don’t want to?”
I hadn’t expected outright refusal. Not even in my wildest dreams. Naturally, I refused.
I pictured the scene from the opposite angle: if I were Rie, I would have scowled instantly and told the person off.
Seeing a strange elf man lounging casually beside my woman with a casual “Heh”…
Well, I swear I would have worn my displeasure right on my face.
This is precisely how the law of cause and effect works.
“…Then I suppose I have no choice. I can’t say I don’t understand.”
“I’m glad you get it.”
“But it’s not that strange, right? Because so many nannies keep blocking everything, it’s like Minerva Academy isn’t just a place to study—Lebechia is a place where people eat, drink, and have fun. We’re basically here to tell Charlotte-senpai a little about that kind of life.”
“Still, I don’t want to.”
Rie said that, then turned her gaze to the senpai sitting blankly in front of us, staring at the sky.
Her eyes blinked rapidly as she gazed at the blue heavens. She was doing absolutely nothing—just sitting there with her mind wandering, and an oddly childlike smile seemed to hover around her lips.
She had no awareness of it, yet the men around her kept drawing closer like moths to a flame. Her beauty was that subtle, that irresistible.
From my perspective, it was impossible not to feel a flicker of unease.
Even if I had zero interest in that sort of thing, I still had every right to feel legitimately suspicious.
If that was the case, I would have to pull out the big guns.
As Rie, I had no choice but to accept it.
“I’ll bet you a chocolate.”
“Huh?”
“If even a little of that strange atmosphere leaks out between me and the senpai, I’ll stop eating chocolate.”
“…You’re serious?”
“I’m completely serious. When have you ever seen me hostage-taking over chocolate, pinning down some sugar fiend, and making this kind of offer? You haven’t, right? You know me well. You know how precious chocolate is to me.”
I had never once tried to pin down chocolate for anything. It was only ever the other way around—Rie grabbing my arm to drag me along.
Still, knowing me as well as Rie did, she would have understood exactly what this meant.
My proposal was shockingly bold, yet it also screamed unwavering resolve.
“Why on earth would I… well, I want to help Charlotte-senpai, okay?”
“Because I’ll get something out of it too.”
“Something from the thesis? Is it that important?”
“It’s not about the thesis. Writing it is fine, sure, but that’s not what I want.”
“What is it, then?”
“I just want to draw a line with the elves. Build some connections, basically.”
At my words, Rie blinked a few times, then tilted her head.
I was a full-fledged academy genius who could become Grover’s son-in-law and the Haniel family’s chosen heir at any moment. Why on earth would I chase after some elf connections?
Besides, there was no reason to suspect me of harboring any malice toward you. So why bother building ties with the elves?
Her reaction made me click my tongue inwardly.
Rie was the academy’s genius, the one called the future Sword Master, yet she still had room to grow.
Especially in social matters. It was a pity she was so lacking there.
Do those who reach the peak always stay happy? If that were true, why did the most popular people end up suffering from depression and ultimately choosing the ultimate escape—suicide?
Humans are social creatures. We live as one member of a society we belong to.
When we feel our existence has been completely erased from that society, we lose the will to live.
Sometimes the target of that erasure is a poor soul with no talent at all.
Sometimes it’s a lucky person who has everything.
The first time I wrote a thesis is the perfect example.
At that moment, when I used my abilities to achieve something at a young age, some people clapped and applauded while others hurled insults the moment they heard about it.
No matter how much of a Deodore I was, it wasn’t right for someone to receive help from all sides and simply add their name at the end.
My father and sister had been furious and immediately rejected the proposal.
In moments like that, “family” had become the very obstacle.
I wasn’t blood-related to them, and I had no external connection, yet someone else was quietly building a rock-solid relationship behind the scenes.
“Later, the bastard who tried to stab me in the back created a Magic Tower connection, installed a magic circle in his estate, and I squeezed every last drop of favor out of him—removing one pillar of the family in the process.”
Rie’s engagement to Forbes was also crushed by mobilizing those same connections.
I didn’t know the exact details, but the “acquaintance” completed the favor perfectly.
In this harsh world, people’s power was indispensable.
A connection everyone could see was never truly a “connection.”
What I meant was stepping carefully onto someone’s unexpected path without them noticing.
That was the kind of connection I envisioned, and its real utility.
“I don’t want to hurt my family or yours.”
“…Why? You and I are already so close.”
“That’s exactly why I can’t afford to.”
“I don’t get it. We’re supposed to help each other and grow together.”
“I don’t want to make this dirty. There are people who will handle it if I just ask.”
“….”
“I want you to stay forever the noble knight of Lebechia. Your family too. I’d go mad if even the slightest harm came to you because of me.”
I had experienced something similar in my previous life.
After watching my family and friends suffer because of me, I learned the importance of connections more than anything.
Back then I was nothing but an ordinary guy, so connections were impossible.
But not here. I possessed abilities on a level that could be called “fraud.”
If you have power like mine, why hide it? You’re just a fool for not using it.
So I used it to build connections everywhere, whenever I needed them.
To make sure no strange people ever scratched me or my surroundings again.
“Anyway, that’s my stance. Rie, you might be a little disappointed, but my mind won’t change.”
“No. It’s fine. I can’t say I’m not disappointed, but… honestly, I feel better. You thought of me and my family so deeply.”
Rie nodded, then carefully checked her surroundings before inching closer.
Knowing exactly why she had done that, I glanced around. No one was near us.
It was only Charlotte-senpai sitting far away that confirmed it. I took her hand.
It was soft at first, then the calluses of a knight made themselves known.
She had endured far more hardship than I had, yet she had come to my side. It was only natural that I would think of her.
“Thank you for thinking of me like that. But I really am fine. If you ever feel like trusting me and asking for something, please don’t hold back, Lucian.”
“…I understand. If you think it’s okay, I’ll always ask for your help, Rie.”
With my answer, she smiled brightly and squeezed my hand a little harder.
Then she quietly turned her head to look at Charlotte-senpai, still staring blankly at the sky.
Even after we had been talking for a while, senpai showed no interest in our conversation.
Or perhaps she simply believed eavesdropping on others was rude.
“At first I thought she was just some elf princess who thought she knew everything and didn’t listen to anyone. Other elf seniors often acted like that.”
“So that’s why you gave such a sharp reaction earlier.”
“Elves are stereotyped as arrogant and prideful. What can you do?”
Rie let out a long sigh, released my hand, and walked over to the senpai who had been sitting alone.
“Charlotte-senpai. You know who I am, right?”
“Rie Arche von Haniel. I’ve heard the name, but I’ve never actually seen you.”
“…Were you told by the surrounding elves that there was no need to know?”
“Yeah. Even if you’re great, elves are a different species. I was told to ignore you.”
You’re talking nonsense. With Rie’s current level, she would surpass even the elves in just a few years.
She wasn’t very good at magic yet, but swordsmanship? She was probably destined to become the continent’s best.
“I’ve heard you want to help Lucian.”
“Yeah. My teacher said it was a good idea. Good for me.”
“Yes. It’s a good thing. Lucian is different from the other students.”
If I heard that line, I would feel embarrassed. She was talking about me as if I wasn’t there.
“So, Charlotte-senpai, how do you feel about Lebechia?”
“Hmm… Honestly, I don’t know much. I don’t know anything, so I might say something wrong.”
“It’s fine. Just tell me whatever little you’ve noticed.”
Normally it would have been my job to ask questions, but Rie was doing them.
It felt like a freshman interviewing the elf princess, and I couldn’t help smiling.
But Rie must have genuinely wanted to help with my thesis, or perhaps she was unconsciously focusing on the matter. She kept asking questions.
“Well… at first, it seems like we’re not very guarded against each other. Elves usually don’t speak even if we gather together.”
“Why don’t you speak?”
“I don’t know. We don’t talk much. I guess they think it’s a weakness.”
“Hmm.”
“Lebechia’s humans are incredibly lively. They’re pleasant to listen to. Fun. But I haven’t seen it for a long time.”
“Were those people around you urging you to go inside quickly?”
Charlotte-senpai nodded with a sad expression at Rie’s question.
She had been extremely curious, and at the party there had been so much delicious food, yet they had insisted she go back to her room and rest. She had been very unhappy about it.
“By the way, Rie. Isn’t it wrong for me to interact with humans?”
“No way. They misunderstood. This isn’t the Minas Elf Kingdom. This is Minerva Academy in Lebechia. It’s not a good idea to focus only on academics without knowing even one bit of the local culture.”
At that, Charlotte-senpai smiled and said, “That’s a relief!”
After that, Rie continued asking Charlotte-senpai all sorts of questions in my place.
I had thought she was sealing off any chance of getting tangled with the elf princess, but seeing the smile on her face, it didn’t seem like that was her only intention.
“…Come to think of it, did Rie once say she wanted a younger sibling…?”
The memory was a little hazy, but she had definitely said something like that.
To avoid fighting over the family succession because of the age gap, she had wanted a much younger sibling.
She wanted to be able to act however she liked without worrying about others’ eyes, and she wanted her sibling to be able to follow her without hesitation.
Recalling the Rie from back then and comparing her with the current Rie, the reluctance had turned into quiet happiness.
Above all, Charlotte-senpai gave off a stronger impression of an innocent freshman than of an elf princess.
Curious, I quietly stepped back to observe the two women.
“….”
They seemed to be getting along well.
It wasn’t just a baseless fantasy or wishful thinking.