An Elf for the Cat (4)
"I-I'm sorry…. I only sat down because I was told to sit…."
"Nobody told you to sit on the Sister's lap."
Somehow, the atmosphere around us had turned several degrees colder. I had tried to smooth things over in my own way, and instead only made everything worse.
"I don't know how much of that you actually heard, but either way, Rune is a guest, so don't be too hard on her."
"No, Levy! This is exactly when we need to be even more vigilant."
"Right."
Before I knew it, the children had gathered in front of me, mounting a rather solemn guard. The way they huddled together with their tiny bodies, as if determined to protect me, was genuinely endearing — and yet, at the same time, just a little much.
And for good reason: the person in question was nothing more than a young elf. She wasn't radiating any intent to harm us, and she didn't seem to be harboring any suspicious schemes either. I honestly wondered whether all this fuss and vigilance was really necessary.
"I-I'll never do it again…. I really didn't know…."
"Apologizing is already too late!"
"To think she dared to sit on the Sister's lap — the one we've never once sat on ourselves…."
"Unforgivable."
Somehow, I managed to wrap up the introductions between the children and Rune. Given the circumstances, I kept things brief and to the point, but I made absolutely sure they understood that Rune was an elf guest from across the river. Surely there wouldn't be any more uproar beyond this.
"Now, everyone, that's enough. As you can see, Rune is rather shy, so if you keep pressuring her like that, it's going to be very hard on her."
"But, Levy…."
"For now, let's start by checking the herbs everyone gathered. The rest can wait until after that."
"Huh?! Do we really have to do that now…?"
"Of course we do. Why else did we come out here?"
At my quiet remark, not just Eisen but Ellie and Iris too, their expressions shifted into visible tension.
"I'm sorry, Rune. Can we talk about the rest a little later?"
"Ah, yes…. Of course…."
Rune sat quietly at the edge of the mat I had spread out, her whole body drawn in on itself as she stared blankly at the ground. Every time the children's wariness grew, she visibly shrank smaller, and it was pitiful to watch — but there was still work to be done. So I set everything concerning Rune aside and turned to checking the herbs the children had gathered.
"…Hmm. Eisen, why did you bring back nothing but weeds?"
"Huh? Aren't they herbs?"
"There isn't a single herb from the book here. They're all weeds."
That's our Eisen, the remarkable boy who has never once disappointed me. So he'd decided to demonstrate firsthand that effort and results don't always go hand in hand — how admirable. Truly befitting the party leader, boldly forging his own path. As a reward, I decided I would gift him some additional studying.
"Ellie, yours is perfect. You gathered them beautifully."
"Really?!"
"Yes. All that hard studying is paying off right away."
"—!!"
Ellie, who had shown even more passion and drive than Eisen, had sorted the herbs without a single mistake. It was roughly the result I'd expected, but watching her bounce up and down with joy in front of me, an involuntary smile of pride spread across my face.
"And last but not least, Iris…."
"Yes."
Finally, I checked the herbs Iris had brought back. And for some reason, every single plant she'd gathered was something I had never seen before, each one a wildly different size. Even when I flipped through the book to verify, they remained a mystery — unidentified grasses with no information whatsoever. Compared side by side with Ellie's herbs, the difference was all the more stark.
"…Iris, what is this?"
"Don't know. It looked interesting, so I picked it."
"You didn't pick it knowing what it was?"
"No."
It vaguely fit the spirit of this field practicum, and yet somehow didn't — an ambiguous feeling all around. Just where on earth had Iris been gathering things?
"Ah, I know what that is…."
Just as I was scrutinizing Iris's harvest with all my attention, Rune — who had been keeping her distance from me — shyly raised her right hand and spoke up carefully.
"Oh, well, I suppose that's elves for you. You clearly know your plants inside and out."
"That's a narcotic plant…."
The words that fell flatly from Rune's mouth sent me straight into a panic. Without a moment's hesitation, I flung the plant I'd been holding as far away as I could — but the wave of confusion that surged up in that instant showed no sign of settling anytime soon.
"A n-narcotic…?"
"Yes…. Merely touching it won't cause anything too drastic…. But it's still extremely dangerous…."
"But this plant isn't in the book at all…?"
"That makes sense…. It's not a well-known species…."
The fact that the plant I'd been holding turned out to be a narcotic was startling enough, but what worried me far more was that Iris had been wandering around carrying the thing for quite a while.
"Iris, do you feel dizzy at all? Or nauseous…?"
"No. Same as usual."
"Phew…. Thank goodness…."
To think a narcotic plant had been growing right around here…. I'd been so focused on monsters, demons, and wild beasts that this kind of danger had never even crossed my mind.
"Anyway, thank you for telling us. That could have ended very badly…."
"Oh, it was nothing…."
Rune flushed and scratched her head, looking embarrassed. Apparently she wasn't all that used to being praised.
"Iris, from now on, you mustn't just pick anything that looks interesting. Understood?"
"Was I wrong?"
"Yes. This deserves some reflection."
"…I'm sorry."
Scolded, Iris's expression darkened dramatically. There were plenty of signs that she had tried hard in her own way, but it was also true that the results had nearly put everyone in danger. Thinking of it as a chance to build her awareness, I made sure to lecture her thoroughly.
"As long as you understand, that's enough. Just be careful next time."
"Okay…."
My heart was still pounding away, refusing to calm down. Cold sweat was even trickling through my hair — it seemed I'd been far more rattled than I'd realized. Even the first time I met a demon, I hadn't been this flustered.
"……"
Just as I finished tidying up the situation and was about to give the children their results for this field practicum — Rune, who until that very moment had been sitting quietly at the edge of the mat, had somehow crept right up beside me and was abruptly presenting the top of her head.
"…Huh?"
"……"
The surroundings fell utterly silent in an instant. Everyone's gaze naturally swung toward Rune.
"P-pat me, please…."
At last came Rune's quiet plea. Outwardly I maintained my composure and played coy, but inwardly she'd apparently been hoping for even more praise.
"Ah…, well then. Thank you very much."
As I slowly stroked Rune's round little head, Ellie — who had been watching from up close — frowned and stamped her feet with growing urgency.
"Me too…, me too!! I came in first place in this practicum, didn't I…?! So why does she get…."
"I know, I know. Ellie, you did wonderfully too."
Leaving behind Rune, who wore a smug grin at receiving my praise, I gently turned and stretched both arms out toward Ellie with a soft smile.
"Come here. I'll praise you too, Ellie."
"Gah!"
Ellie hesitated for a moment — but then, like an enraged bull, she charged straight into my arms and began hugging me with tremendous force.
"Hehe, I'm so happy~."
It was a crushing embrace, the kind that felt like every organ in my abdomen might come bursting out at once. Unlike my plans for a heartwarming conclusion, Ellie was reacting more intensely than ever, squeezing me relentlessly.
"What…. So Ellie came in first for this practicum, then?"
"…That's right. The only one who gathered everything flawlessly was Ellie."
"Ellie doesn't even care about monster hunting, though."
"That's not true, Eisen. Do you have any idea how much Ellie was looking forward to hunting monsters?"
"Huh? Ellie was?"
"Yes. Can't you tell from how hard she worked?"
"……"
And so the first field practicum ended in Ellie's victory, without any major surprises, just as I'd expected. We'd made our own little harvest, and it seemed like a fairly novel learning experience for the children, so I felt quietly proud.
Originally, this was the point where I planned to wrap up the herb talk and spend a leisurely time with the children until we headed back to the church — but then…
"C-congratulations…!! Since it seems like a happy day, how about we hold a small party in our village…?"
The matter of Rune still remained unresolved.
"A party?"
"Yes…! We'll prepare plenty of dishes you can only taste in our village! If I speak to the Elder, I'm sure she'll gladly help…!!"
"Ooh…. An elf village…."
For some reason, Eisen was starting to show a peculiar interest. I found myself wondering if this was really the same Eisen who had been glaring at Rune earlier like he wanted to devour her.
"W-what do you say…?"
As the children began to show more and more interest, Rune naturally turned her gaze toward me and blinked innocently. It was an obvious, transparent ploy — and yet such an adorable proposal that I couldn't bring myself to refuse it easily. By this point, I was genuinely starting to wonder just why Rune was so determined to invite me to the elf village.
"Do you want to go see the elf village?"
"Yes! Yes! Yes!"
"…Honestly, I am a little curious."
"I really want to go."
I couldn't sense any particular ulterior motive from Rune herself. But from the elves lurking behind her, there was a strangely off-putting aura. Was it truly because they wanted an ally that they were inviting me to the village? Or was there some deeper reason behind the invitation…?
"Does my visit to the village fall within the scope of my mission as well?"
Whatever the reason, one thing seemed certain: something fishy was going on with the elves.
"No…! She said nothing about that. She only said that I needed to keep you in a good mood…."
"Excuse me?"
Rune, her hands folded neatly together, kept fidgeting and squirming, at a complete loss. The helplessness written plainly across her face made the whole situation feel even stranger.
"It seemed like you all thought of me strangely…. I only said it hoping to ease your suspicions, even a little…."
"So that means inviting us to the village was Rune's own decision, then?"
"Yes…. But if I invite you all to the village, I'm sure the Elder will be happy too. That's what I believe."
No matter how I turned it over in my mind, I couldn't bring myself to see this situation in a good light. I didn't know the reason, but judging by the feeling I got, Rune seemed like something offered up — almost like a sacrifice.
"I see."
Besides, they'd gone and spread that bizarre rumor about me liking children. Visiting under the pretext of clearing up that misunderstanding actually didn't sound half bad.
"All right. Since things have come this far, crossing the river for a visit doesn't sound like a bad idea at all."
After all, I couldn't stay bound to this land forever.