Like a Leaf (2)
It was pretty blatant, to be honest. Even I could see it clearly, so there was no need to elaborate. I could finally understand why the other elves had been shaking their heads at the situation. Still, that didn’t mean I was going to shake Elia off here. After all, it wasn’t as if I was currently receiving help from the entire elven race. Most importantly, she didn’t seem like the type to pounce the moment she brought me here. Rather… well, how should I put this?
“Here, this one’s delicious too. And that one as well…”
“Um, I really appreciate you looking after me like this, but…”
“Speak comfortably. I’m simply doing what I want to do because I like you, Lucia.”
“That’s… really kind of you, but I’m a bit tired right now.”
“Ah, o-of course! It is nighttime, after all. And you were dragged off by that person before ending up here, so it’s only natural you’d be exhausted. Come, let’s get you to bed.”
After entering what looked like an entire massive tree hollowed out to serve as a house, I’d been a little wary when she suggested going to bed, but she actually gave me a separate room. Moreover, the way she treated me after our arrival—carefully watching my reactions, clearly trying not to offend me—left me wondering what to even call this.
A lifelong singleton?
The reason I didn’t say the phrase that suddenly popped into my head was because I knew full well how rude it would be if it turned out to be true. Actually, it would be rude even if it wasn’t. It basically meant she came across as that clumsy. Besides, the other party was the Forest Priestess. Even if she was currently showing personal favor, committing such rudeness could be seen as offending the entire elven race. At the very least, I should avoid anything risky until I had a better grasp of her. Especially when the other person held such a clear advantage like right now.
“Um…”
“Ah, you’re awake? How was it? Was the bed comfortable?”
“Yes, thanks to you. It felt very well-maintained, which made it even better.”
“Is that so? Then why not stay a little longer? For your sake, Lucia, I could prepare a place for a year, or even ten. Please don’t feel burdened.”
Forest Priestess, you’re being way too obvious.
Did I really have to keep pretending not to notice? Wasn’t this basically her deliberately trying to get me to notice? Of course, I hadn’t exactly been sitting idle either. No matter how suddenly I’d been dropped into this place, wasting time staring blankly into space would be a waste.
“I can’t stay that long. There are many people outside searching and waiting for me.”
“Even so, wouldn’t it be better to stay a few more days? The Spatial Demon King lost you midway, so he’s surely searching nearby.”
Right, there was that problem too. No matter how you looked at it, I was currently in the middle of escaping after being kidnapped by a Demon King. It made sense to assume he was looking for me. So even if I insisted on leaving immediately, the realistic choice was to buy more time here. What could I do? It wasn’t as if I had the power to handle it myself.
Therefore, I decided to use this time more usefully. More productively.
“Even so. Or how about this? What if the spiritual guardian of the elven race and the spiritual guardian of the human race engaged in material exchange? Surely there would be some common ground?”
“Material exchange?”
“That’s right. The elves of the Great Forest already trade with humans, don’t they? I’m suggesting we make that more official, using the connection between you and me, Elia.”
I had already identified the marketable goods. Above all, in this world, the very perception humans held toward the elven race was so overwhelmingly positive that it could be called a brand in itself.
“Hmm, material exchange, material exchange…”
“I’m not sure if you’ve heard, but recently in the north, some kind of Black Sphere appeared in a certain forest, spawning monsters everywhere. It nearly swept away all the high-ranking nobles of the various kingdoms. But since some in each kingdom will claim it’s not their problem, the Church needs to step in.”
The awkward, romance-inexperienced atmosphere had vanished in an instant, replaced by a face that was now carefully calculating gains and losses. Well, this was closer to testing the waters anyway. No matter how much of a saint I was, it was unrealistic to expect something like this to happen just because of a sudden personal “favor” from someone who had literally fallen from the sky. What I truly wanted wasn’t the actual trade itself, but to use the discussion of trade as an excuse to establish a line of communication with the elves. That alone would be enough to create a political foothold.
“Not bad. Then we should negotiate the specific details, shouldn’t we?”
“Yes, of course. Though right now the specifics… wait, what?”
“I said it sounds good. The Forest Priestess and the Saint engaging in material exchange—a trade negotiation. Isn’t that what you wanted?”
What? She was just going to accept it like that? It was good for me, but it felt too smooth to swallow without question. There was no way she’d accept something they’d never done before just because of me. But it would also be problematic if I suddenly acted like I’d changed my mind after bringing it up.
“I did want that, but I didn’t expect you to accept so readily. Is there a reason? If there is, I’d like to hear it.”
Here I went with a slightly direct approach, assuming the so-called “posture of truth.” Without hesitation, I stood up and sat down on her lap. This was something Yulia often did to me. When she looked at me in this position, it became difficult to dodge any question. It would only work if there was mutual affection to begin with, but honestly, the way this Forest Priestess acted was rather cute, and I didn’t particularly mind it right now.
Elia seemed to freeze for a moment, startled, but then she naturally wrapped her arms around my waist as I settled onto her lap.
“Do you do this often?”
“There’s one priestess who can manifest divine power because of me. She’s originally the imperial princess of the empire, you know? She does this to me quite frequently. Since you’re positioned higher than me this time, Elia, I thought I’d try it. I’ve been curious what it feels like.”
“Ahem! Then… are you very close with that imperial princess priestess?”
“We’re just close friends. Quite a few people have feelings for me, so I make sure to draw clear lines to avoid getting caught up in strange situations. This is actually my first time sitting on someone else’s lap like this.”
“I see, your first time… So that’s why you’re a little tense. Here, relax a bit more and sit like this. It’s more comfortable for both the one sitting and the one being sat on.”
Rather than seeming predatory, the closer I got, the calmer she became. It felt more like we were developing a clean, platonic, affectionate relationship.
“So could you tell me why you accepted so readily?”
“This would be an agreement between you and me, correct? In that case, it also gives me a legitimate reason to leave the Great Forest.”
“…You want to leave the Great Forest? As the Forest Priestess?”
This was unexpected. The elves weren’t exploiting or pressuring the Forest Priestess—in fact, her treatment was exceptionally good—yet she wanted to leave. Of course, there were plenty of people who hated being confined even with good treatment. Elves were no different. Still, even so.
“Then must I devote my entire remaining life to this place simply because I am the Forest Priestess?”
“Can’t you relinquish the position of Forest Priestess?”
“It depends on how well one can communicate with the World Tree. It’s not something one can simply choose to give up.”
I roughly understood the situation. Whether out of frustration or boredom, she wanted to get out of this forest for a while. Until now, she simply lacked a plausible justification. But now, she could use the exchange with me—someone holding a similar spiritual and religious guardian position among humans—as an excuse. Conveniently mixed with the Demon Kings beginning their activities.
“What will the other elves think? Won’t they try to stop you?”
“Haven’t you already sensed it? What my kin need is a Forest Priestess, not me personally. As long as I perform the duties required of a Forest Priestess, they won’t care where I am.”
That sounded a bit like she was finally facing the consequences of what she herself had done until now.
“And regarding the trade?”
“Didn’t you say it yourself? That your kin also need human goods, so why not open formal trade? I agree with that statement. The question then becomes whether we possess anything that humans would be interested in, does it not?”
Ah, so that was it. She had such excellent products and didn’t even realize it? Well, it was human nature not to recognize the true value of something when it was commonplace around you, no matter how precious it might be. And since elves fell within the category of “people,” it was the same for them.
“What do you think of these?”
“These… you mean the teacups and bowls?”
“Yes. The bowls that held our meal earlier, and the tea set used to serve it.”
Elven tea was already a fairly popular product. It was both a luxury good and a status symbol. Trade did occur, but only in extremely small quantities, making it extremely expensive and constantly in short supply. As for these tea sets, given how most races hesitated to touch the elven forests, they were usually made through other methods. If one were to make vessels without using wood but from materials obtained from nature, what other options were there?
“Aren’t they just ordinary tea sets?”
“Here, yes. But once they go outside, I guarantee they’ll be seen differently. Since fuel comes from those black lumps from the ground, production can increase without damaging the forests, right?”
“That’s true. They come out in such abundance that we simply mine what we need and store the rest. The dwarves buy them eagerly, but humans would buy these instead?”
These? These were tea sets that a single person—a single elf—had crafted with maximum durability over decades or centuries, while still satisfying elven aesthetic standards. China or white porcelain? Don’t even compare them. These were literally the works of master artisans who had spent centuries shaping and firing clay solely to create vessels. This was what had surprised me most when I first ate here. Humans outside worked hard to make beautiful, splendid, and sturdy bowls, but what they called their finest products were treated here as near-failures—used as pet food bowls.
“They won’t just buy them eagerly. They’ll offer everything they have, begging and clinging to us to please sell them some.”
“Hmm, is it that much?”
“Really. It’s perfect.”
It was about time to diversify our revenue streams anyway. The peak demand for gold coins was gradually passing, and they were effectively becoming financial products. We needed more ways to steadily acquire real assets. In that sense, this was truly a blessing in disguise. I’d been kidnapped by a Demon King, escaped, and fallen here—only to find high-value goods practically rolling around begging to be picked up. And the high-ranking person who could freely handle these goods had both the motivation and personal affection toward me. This was practically a divine revelation.
“Will we see remarkable results from just one time?”
“From just one time. Elia will be doing something great that the other elves never thought of, with foresight. It’s exactly the kind of thing a Forest Priestess should do for her people, isn’t it?”
Even while sitting on her lap, I met her gaze from below and flashed a smile like a scheming villain. Elia’s expression wasn’t all that different from mine.