An Elf for the Cat (2)
Clack.
Having carefully folded away the Saint's habit I'd struggled into for two whole days and neatly stowed it in my closet, I slipped back into my original clothes—and I've never felt freer. It was like shedding a heavy sandbag I'd been lugging around for ages.
I'm genuinely grateful that Ellie even pulled an all-nighter sewing it for me by hand, but I knelt before the great wall called design, and honestly, wearing that outfit often is a bit beyond me. Unless Ellie brings it up again, I doubt it will ever see the light of day from the depths of my wardrobe.
"Sister, today's the day for the outdoor field lesson, right?"
"You're up early, Iris."
Since the crack of dawn, I'd been holed up in the kitchen, busily preparing for the field lesson. Only a single day had passed since we began studying herbology, so heading straight out into the field for an examination was terribly sudden.
"Are you really sure it's okay…? I haven't memorized anything properly yet…."
"Oh, it's absolutely fine. Try not to get too hung up on the word exam."
The reason I'm pushing through with this abrupt outdoor lesson in the first place is simple: it's a picnic disguised as fieldwork.
Thanks to that wretched can, not only did my first picnic with the children turn into a disaster, it ended up erased from existence entirely. This time, I intend to enjoy a cozy first picnic with the children to my heart's content, with no one to interfere.
Of course, I plan on conducting the field lesson with due diligence as well.
"By the way, where's Ellie right now?"
"Ellie is studying in her room. She won't even answer when I talk to her."
"Hmm. And Eisen?"
"Sleeping."
Unlike yesterday's burst of enthusiasm, Eisen was still wandering through dreamland even though long past waking hours. Roughly the result I'd expected. Anyone could see at a glance that Eisen and studying are a fundamentally poor match.
"It seems Ellie is awfully excited about the monster hunt."
"…You really think so?"
"Why else would she be sitting at a desk studying first thing in the morning?"
"……"
If I'm being honest, the monster hunt was a condition I dangled purely in hopes that Eisen would take the bait. But contrary to expectations, it was Ellie who swallowed the hook, and a completely different scene than I'd imagined was unfolding before me. Since the end result was still a good one, I saw no need to comment on it. As long as someone studies hard, who am I to complain?
"Dinner tonight is going to be a pic—ahem, a meal eaten outdoors. Please let Eisen and Ellie know."
"Okay─."
Determined not to repeat my earlier mistake, I planned to bring fully cooked food this time. Circumstances are quite different from back then, so there's little to worry about—but one never knows, after all.
Clack.
The plan and the preparations were perfect.
That evening.
I strolled through the forest as quietly as ever, heading toward the field lesson site I'd scouted in advance. Given how many bad memories this forest held for the children, I'd been worried on many counts, but they were far braver than I'd anticipated. Not a shred of fear, not a moment of hesitation.
"Levi, where are we going?"
"There's a spot I picked out ahead of time. This area is safe enough, but there aren't many herbs around here."
It would be lovely to hold the lesson near the lake we'd visited before, but regrettably, herbs are scarce there. However picnic-like the field lesson may be, teaching the children about herbs was still important, so that spot wouldn't do.
"Healinggrass… Numbingherb… Gladgrass…"
"Ellie, you should watch where you're walking. You'll trip."
"Sleepygrass… Gloomyherb…"
Ellie had finally gone so far as to take the very book I owned and was drilling herbs into her head. I truly never dreamed she'd take the monster hunt this seriously. At this rate, nothing I said would register in her ears at all.
"Here we are—the practice grounds. It's quiet, and there's very little here that's dangerous."
"…Doesn't seem much different from around the church."
"Delusiongrass… Antidoteweed…"
"It's really quiet out here."
Eisen was right—this place boasted the ordinary scenery you could find anywhere. And yet, looking around closely, there were plenty of curious things to be found here and there. Especially the herbs, today's main subject.
"This is a spot I've grown fond of using lately. The herbs from the book line every corner of the place, so it'll be a wonderful practice ground for beginners like yourselves."
"Hmm… you think so?"
I gazed steadily at the still-half-doubting Eisen and let a faint smile touch my lips.
"Yes. I guarantee it."
Then, clapping my hands twice with a loud crack, I noisily announced the start of the lesson to the children still standing there in a daze.
"You have exactly one hour, starting now. Whoever gathers the most of the herbs I named earns the right to join the monster hunt."
"Oohh─!!"
"Dandelion… Deadgrass…"
"Yes ma'am─."
I drifted quietly over to Ellie, who still hadn't lifted her eyes from the book, and smoothly plucked it out of her hands. Her eyes flashed for an instant, and she floundered in rather comical bewilderment.
"Aah… but I still have more to memorize…"
"Begin─."
At my quiet word, the children bolted straight into the forest, heads swiveling busily in every direction. Each time their figures vanished one by one into the trees, the corners of my mouth curled higher into a look of deep satisfaction.
"……"
Until recently, a few stray monsters had occasionally appeared in these woods, but now they had vanished without a trace, leaving the place safe. I had no need to worry about the children being ambushed.
Which meant I had one whole hour to leisurely finish my picnic preparations and simply wait, at my ease. Honey-sweet time, truly.
Thirty minutes later.
The sounds of the children moving about had long since faded away completely. A forest filled with nothing but stillness was rather bleak—even faintly eerie—but the scenery had its charms, and it was hardly a bad place for savoring a moment of peace.
Hoo-hoo…
I poured the tea I'd brought in my bottle into a cup, and settled into a leisurely tea break, with the faint hoot of an owl somewhere in the distance for music. When I thought about how this quiet, tranquil place would soon be bustling with the children's chatter, I figured the picnic was already half a success. The other half I'd simply get to enjoy slowly with the kids—and so I began to bask in the satisfaction of a picnic well planned.
Siiip…
Just as I sat there on my mat, patiently waiting for the children to return—
Rustle.
It had only been thirty minutes, yet I heard the faint stirrings of someone moving nearby. I turned my head gently toward the sound, and in the shadowy underbrush, something began to tremble and shift.
"…Done gathering already?"
"……"
I spoke softly, just in case, but no answer came from the direction of the sound. Only an empty silence filled the air around me.
"Eisen? Ellie? Iris?"
"……"
"I know you're there. Quit playing games and come out."
"……"
After several unanswered calls, I let out a short sigh and slowly scanned my surroundings. It didn't seem to be our children, and the faint presence I could sense felt quite ordinary—as I'd suspected, it was probably some animal.
"…Tsk."
Perhaps my nerves had grown a bit raw from recent events. To be this wound up over a single wild beast merely passing by… There was no one around to see, and yet I felt absurdly embarrassed all the same.
I soon recovered my composure, turned my head back around, and reached for the handle of the teacup I'd set down on the ground. That was the moment—
Rustle.
Another rustle of movement, and out of the pitch-dark thicket, a human silhouette appeared without warning. Then the pale blue moonlight fell upon it, and the black shadow cloaking its body slowly lifted—revealing, little by little, the form of a stranger.
"…A vampire?"
In a voice that was somehow quite cute, the figure stepped fully into view before me. Against all expectation, it was neither one of the children nor a beast, but a small, adorable elf.
"…An elf?"
The first elf I'd encountered since coming to this world. That alone was bewildering enough to leave me gaping—but the otherworldly mystique the elf radiated even just standing there, doing nothing, was more than enough to overwhelm me entirely. A strange yet potent charm, as though she'd stepped straight out of the pages of a fairy tale. The moment my eyes met hers, I could do nothing but stand there, blankly blinking, words lost.
"The vampire said to be haunting this forest lately… would that happen to be you…?"
With that single remark, a quiet, awkward silence settled between the elf and me. Her gaze remained as pure and harmless as ever. Even so, a strange tension I couldn't quite release had my lips growing dry.
"What is this, all of a sudden? As far as I know, no elves live in this forest…"
At my cautious question, the elf answered without a moment's hesitation.
"Yes, that's right. I came from Roen Forest, across the great river."
"…Roen Forest?"
A forest I'd never heard of. I'd grown reasonably familiar with the woods I lived in by now, but beyond the great river that ringed this land, I knew nothing at all. Not that I could go find out, with my body violently refusing to cross the water.
"It seems you know nothing of the land beyond the river yet. Roen Forest is a forest where elves live—a place of truly beautiful scenery."
"Ah… is that so…?"
Before I could even ask more about the forest, the elf opened her mouth unprompted and began explaining, quite naturally. The explanation ran longer than I expected, and the more I listened, the more an odd sort of exhaustion crept over me. We'd known each other barely a few minutes, and yet through that long speech I couldn't help catching an unintended glimpse of the fierce pride she took in the forest she called home.
"Oh, that's right. My name is Lilrune. I've come this far at the Elder's command to meet you."
Only after a good long while had passed did the elf finally deign to give me her name. By then, I was already wearing a wry expression, my lips twisting into an awkward half-smile.
"I've come to make a request of you."