The Apostle of Love
"A guide? Oh, of course. That's the least I can do."
As a matter of course, Martha promised to guide them out of the Great Forest once the job was properly finished.
And so, Elbridge and his companions rested for a full day before beginning their proper exploration of the Great Forest the next morning.
Or rather, they tried to begin.
"...There seem to be even more Land Boars than yesterday."
The three of them felt a sense of utter helplessness even before climbing over the wooden fence.
In the Great Forest, already packed with colossal trees, the plump, fattened Land Boars filled every gap between the trunks. The sight stirred up some primal emotion that was difficult to put into words.
Elbridge let out a sigh-like breath.
"Still, we have to do what we have to do..."
The three steeled themselves and stepped outside the fence. Fortunately, the Land Boars were docile today as well.
The only problem was that they were too docile.
"The merchants didn't avoid this village because they were scared of the Land Boars. They just couldn't move through them."
"I was thinking the same thing."
"I get that there are a lot of them, but why are they so damn big?"
The Land Boars were far larger than ordinary wild boars. Their shoulders reached up to Elbridge and Marcus's chests.
While they could still see their surroundings somewhat, more than half their vision was blocked, making it incredibly inconvenient.
But to Rombel, that was a luxury complaint.
"Marcus. You and Elbridge can at least see around you. Ever since we left the village, all I've seen is Land Boar armpits and crotches."
Rombel grumbled for a moment, then looked around as if something had occurred to him.
He began climbing onto the Land Boar in front of him.
Elbridge panicked.
"Be careful. If you slip..."
"Don't worry. I won't fall."
"I'm not worried about you falling. I'm worried the Land Boars will start rampaging."
Rombel glared at Elbridge for a second before replying.
"...I know. Anyway, these guys don't seem to mind at all, do they?"
Sure enough, the Land Boar showed no particular reaction even with Rombel perched on its back.
Having regained his field of vision, Rombel's expression brightened considerably.
"Since we're doing this, let's split up and search separately."
"That sounds dangerous."
"It does. But if these things start causing a ruckus, it won't matter if we're together or alone."
Since it wasn't a wrong point, both Elbridge and Marcus nodded.
Rombel continued.
"Besides, we're not even going deeper. We're just circling the edges. At this rate, how are we supposed to find anything?"
Rombel stood up on the Land Boar's back and began leaping skillfully from one boar to another, heading deeper into the Great Forest.
"I'll take a look around and come back. Just wait here."
Soon, Rombel's figure disappeared from sight.
*
That evening, Martha asked.
"Where did that dwarf gentleman go?"
"...Good question."
Rombel had not returned to the village by dinner time.
Marcus's expression grew serious.
"There's no way Rombel would miss mealtime... Did something happen to him?"
"Let's go look for him first."
Elbridge and Marcus skipped dinner and headed out for a night search.
Since Rombel had moved toward the center of the Land Boar herd, the two aimed for the area where the boars were most densely packed.
"Careful not to kick the piglets..."
After moving for some time, Marcus urgently waved at Elbridge.
Elbridge pushed through the Land Boars to reach him and asked.
"Did you see something?"
"Just now, I think I saw someone riding a Land Boar past us."
"...Wasn't it Rombel?"
"That person was way taller than Rombel."
Rombel's silhouette was easy to recognize, so Marcus wouldn't have mistaken it.
"And the person I saw had a strange face. I only caught a glimpse of the outline, but..."
"Did they have scars?"
"No. Their ears seemed really long."
Elbridge's expression turned grave.
It reminded him of what Martha had said about elves.
"Just how long were the ears?"
"About this long? Roughly twice as long as a normal person's. I almost thought they were horns at first."
Elbridge's face grew even more serious.
"That... could really be an elf."
Marcus grew slightly excited.
"An elf? Wow, I've only seen a few elves before."
"Marcus. Getting involved with elves is rarely a good thing."
"The elves I saw in Soleneon were all wonderful. Beautiful or handsome, with gentle, refined speech and manners..."
Elbridge's voice sank a little.
"Marcus. I'm not someone who discriminates against other races. But there's one thing I'm certain of. There is no other race with as much individual variation as elves."
"What do you mean by variation?"
"Do you know anyone whose personality got weirder as they got older?"
"Plenty."
Decent, upright people didn't become mercenaries.
Even if they did out of desperation for money, once they earned their target amount, they quickly left the profession. In the end, only those who weren't decent or upright remained.
That was why most old mercenaries were eccentric.
"Plenty of guys who seemed normal when they first became mercenaries turn completely rotten after five years or so. Drunks, thieves, con artists who lie every time they open their mouths, gambling addicts..."
"Do they return to normal after a few more years?"
"Most of them just get worse. Assuming they live that long, of course. Guys like me who stay sane after ten-plus years as a mercenary are rare."
"Marcus. Elves live for over a thousand years."
"..."
The quick-witted Marcus immediately understood what Elbridge was getting at.
A human life was like drawing a line on the ground with your eyes closed.
When you first start drawing—that is, in childhood—all the lines look roughly similar.
But as you draw longer, parts inevitably start to curve or bend.
The longer the line, the greater the deviation. When you finally open your eyes, you're faced with a crooked, wayward line.
Those that deviate especially far become what people call "eccentric old geezers."
If humans, who struggle to live even a hundred years, end up like that, what must it be like for elves who live over a thousand?
However, while Marcus understood the point, he didn't agree with Elbridge's view.
"But the elves I've seen were all wonderful. Setting aside their looks, they were more refined than most nobles."
"Elves are a closed-off race. They don't send out elves who would tarnish the clan's reputation."
"If that's true... then wouldn't the elf here also be an outstanding one? After all, this elf left the North and came all the way to the other side of the continent."
Marcus still couldn't shake his preconception that "elves are wonderful and refined."
But Elbridge was different.
When you fight together on the battlefield, you inevitably see each other's true bottom whether you want to or not.
From what Elbridge had observed so far, elves sometimes revealed even stranger depths than ordinary humans.
Elbridge shrugged.
"Well, I'm not saying this elf is definitely bad or weird. Just that not all elves are refined. That's all."
Marcus's opinion wasn't entirely wrong either.
Elves who were noticeably strange were rare.
Even slightly odd elves only revealed their true nature in extreme situations like battlefields. In daily life, they appeared upright and refined.
Living for over a thousand years meant maintaining social life for over a thousand years, after all.
"Anyway, which way did that person—or elf—go?"
"That direction."
Elbridge and Marcus pushed through the Land Boars, occasionally leaping over them as they advanced.
At one point Marcus nearly kicked a baby Land Boar by mistake, but Elbridge reacted quickly and prevented any disaster.
After moving for some time, the two spotted a faint light leaking from deep within the forest.
"Isn't that a cabin?"
"Looks like it."
The small cabin surrounded by a massive herd of Land Boars gave Elbridge and Marcus a strange feeling. It felt almost unreal.
The two cautiously approached to see who was inside.
But before they could even peek into the cabin, a cheerful voice rang out.
"Oh, more guests. Must be the friends you mentioned?"
"Probably."
The first voice was unfamiliar, but the second was very familiar.
Sure enough, the cabin door creaked open and Rombel appeared.
"You came?"
Elbridge reflexively frowned.
"It's nighttime. Why didn't you come back? What the hell are you doing here?"
"Figured it'd be too late to head back. Decided to stay the night."
"...If you disappear without a word, how are we supposed to know if you're dead or alive?"
"I have no choice but to stay alive. I'm not dying until I become a god!"
Rombel laughed heartily as he spoke.
And Elbridge caught a strangely sweet scent of fruit wine on Rombel's breath.
This bastard. He even found time to drink comfortably.
While Elbridge was wondering what to do with Rombel, someone stepped out from behind him.
Long platinum hair, a strikingly handsome face, and long ears. It was indeed an elf.
The elf extended his right hand toward Elbridge and Marcus with a refreshing smile.
"Hello! Um... what was the name again? Rombel told me. Elby? Elkus?"
Asking for a handshake right away?
It was rare to see an elf this sociable. The worry that had settled in Elbridge's heart eased a little.
Elbridge took the elf's hand and answered.
"My name is Elbridge."
"Right. Nice to meet you, Elbridge. May I ask which order you're from?"
"I'm a holy knight of the Rusty Shield Order."
"Good. You pass."
"...?"
He didn't know what "pass" meant, but there wasn't even a trace of hostility in the elf's voice.
Elbridge was led by the elf's hand into the cabin. The interior was filled with the savory, oily aroma of cooking meat.
The elf extended his hand to Marcus as well.
"If he's Elbridge, then you must be Marcus?"
"Uh... yeah."
"Can you tell me which order you're from?"
"I'm with the Fox Rain Order. Not a holy knight though—just a mercenary."
"Good. Marcus passes too. We have quite a few welcome guests today. I'm Nicesas."
Nicesas brought over two more chairs made from tree stumps and placed them by the table, laughing cheerfully.
"This is the first time I've had three guests since building this cabin. Well, it's not exactly an old cabin either. Elbridge, Marcus—have you eaten dinner?"
His tone was as friendly as an old friend's.
Marcus shook his head.
"We haven't eaten yet."
"Really? Just wait a moment. And I don't like formal speech, so talk casually. I'm sick of being treated like an elder."
With that, Nicesas placed butter in a small pan and began grilling meat.
It wasn't particularly unusual. Contrary to popular belief, less than half of elves were vegetarians. For a robust elf like Nicesas, the odds were even lower.
Once Elbridge and Marcus sat at the table, Rombel brought two wooden cups and set them in front of them.
Then he poured fruit wine into their cups, and a sweet fragrance rose.
Marcus tensed up slightly.
Among all the alcohols in the world, wasn't elf-made fruit wine considered the absolute best?
This wine would surely trade for more than its weight in gold coins.
While Marcus carefully sipped and marveled at the drink, Elbridge scolded Rombel.
"Rombel. How do you think it feels when the guy who disappeared without a word is relaxing and drinking?"
"If I think about it from the perspective of a broad-minded dwarf like myself... I'd probably think, 'Good, my friend's being treated well.' Something like that."
As Elbridge debated whether to show this narrow-minded man the taste of his fist, Rombel lowered his voice.
"Elbridge. I'm not here for no reason. Do you know how well Nicesas handles Land Boars? Plus, he said he'll move the Land Boars somewhere else when the sun rises tomorrow. That means we'll finish the request in one go."
Come to think of it, Marcus had said he saw an elf riding a Land Boar.
Elbridge muttered quietly.
"So Nicesas is a druid."
Among elves, there were those with special abilities.
Druids, who could easily tame and communicate with animals, were one such group.
Suddenly, what Bireon had said came to mind.
That Land Boars were estimated to be hybrids of demonic beasts and wild boars.
"...I thought druids couldn't tame demonic beasts. Maybe since Land Boars are half animal, he can communicate with them."
As soon as Elbridge finished speaking, Nicesas, who was grilling meat, answered.
"Hm? Haha. I'm not a druid."
The person most shocked by this wasn't Elbridge, but Rombel.
"What? Nicesas. You're not a druid?"
"Of course not. Not all elves who don't eat meat are druids, and not all druids refuse to eat meat."
When he thought about it, it made sense.
It would be rather strange to communicate with animals and then eat them.
"But the Land Boars followed you well, didn't they?"
"That's true. But other animals don't necessarily follow me."
Then was Nicesas some kind of Land Boar-exclusive druid?
No. There was no such thing in the world.
Rombel asked.
"Then why do the Land Boars follow you?"
"Because I created them, obviously."
"...?"
Nicesas gave a thumbs-up and declared proudly.
"I'm the one who first paired wild boars with demonic beasts."