The sun is at its peak, showering everyone gathered on the village entrance with heat ray of death. Among them is me, or maybe I should say I am the cause of this. As the tutor is an academician specially dispatched from the famous Rohan Academy, it is only proper to welcome him at the entrance. Somehow everyone in the village hear about it and decide to accompany us in this heat endurance party, yet the main actor is still nowhere in sight.
"Father, may I sit under the shade for a while?. The heat is killing me."
Rupherd look back at me with disappointed expression before replying with low voice as to not be overheard by nearby villagers.
"Look at the villagers Glen, they stand here together with us to greet your tutor. How can you sit by yourself while letting them on guard for the tutor instead?."
"Then can't they sit as well?, we can just resume again after the carriage is within sight."
"That would be disrespectful to the tutor, if we're really honest to welcome him we should stand still until he arrive."
And just when will he arrive?, the merchant caravans he supposed to be in should have arrive a few hours ago. What if he arrive tomorrow?, or even worse the caravan might be attacked by bandits on its way here. He might even-oh wait never mind, I can see the caravan on the horizon.
"See, It's good that you manage to hold on for a little bit longer right?."
"...Yes father."
The caravan is moving ever closer, there is at least five carriages in the group. I still have my leftover doubt whether the tutor is in one of the carriages or not, but one of it change its direction towards our village. Normally the merchant caravan will stop at larger cities before visiting us to sell leftover goods.
After another waiting session, the carriage finally reach our village entrance. Two person came out from it.
The first one is a female wearing grey robe with long silver hair, she just glance towards us before walking to village outskirts.
The other one is a male in blue uniform who looks a little bit older than Rupherd. The villagers rushing forward to help him carry his baggage out from the carriage. After offering gratitude to them, he turn to face us with a heartwarming smile.
"Thank you for the reception, I am Volwyn Salim, an academician from Rohan Academy. I assume you are Rupherd Postou?."
"Yes I am, please accept my gratitude for accepting the request to tutor my son."
"Ah no, it is my pleasure as well to teach the hero Rupherd's son. Especially after I learn of his great admiration for books, is this the one?."
The so called academician bore his eyes into mine, gazing it as if measuring my worth. I know better than to buckle down at this moment, it's time to put my greeting training into practice. I bow to him as befitting of a noble just like how Rupherd taught me.
"My name is Glenard Postou, I will be in esteemed tutor care from now on."
"..So, Glenard. I heard you like books, could you name a few of them for me?."
"Yes, I recently read Routor's Moon Sky Night, Grizel's The Great Forest Anomaly, and Lothar's Silver Edge of the World."
"Ho.., that's all nice books. But do you understand them to the fullest?.
This tutor really get it straight to the point, reading a book is different from understanding it. There's many jargon neither I or anyone in the mansion have any knowledge of. Usually I will just skip it or make a wild guess of its meaning, but there's limit to that as well.
"I can't say that I do, there's plenty of words I do not understand."
"Of course, those books are not the type one would read in their pastime. Each of those contain records normal people shouldn't bothered themselves with. Knowledge in the hands of a wrong person will bring more ruin than a sword, it is the worst thing to be spread without control."
I couldn't help but found myself nodding at Volwyn explanations.
I name those books because their context are different than the rest of mansion collections.
Routor's Moon Sky Night is a collections of many observers record of night sky over several hundred years, there's a note about moon shape changing bit by bit every year. For general public who is indoctrinated by church to revere the moon, this would bring them needless worry.
Grizel's The Great Anomaly Forest is an observation of the forest anomaly, stating different speed the trees will rejuvenate based on the damage you dealt to it. However, he also wrote several personal opinions of how stupid the humans are to brute force their way across the great forest anomaly to invade the demons, with an end note saying that humans need help from the demons native of the forest to travel through it safely.
Lothar's Silver Edge of the World is perhaps the mildest of the group. It tells the story of Lothar's adventuring party called Silver Edge and their travel around known world. The book may be considered as normal party diary if not for the discovery of secret path and underground tunnel on major settlements.
Certainly not the type of book a six year old kid would read.
I want to talk more about the books, but Rupherd noticed the villagers have finished unloading baggage from the carriage. He offer an invitation to save the group from ever intensifying heat ray.
"Scholar Volwyn, you must be tired from the travel, what you say we continue this conversation in the mansion at later time?, we have prepared a room for you."
"Much appreciated Lord Rupherd, this year summer is quite unforgiving as usual. The caravans is behind their schedule because we have to make a lot of stop at nearby well. One that haven't dried up yet that is."
Rupherd lead the welcome party to move into the village while chatting with Volwyn about how our maids fruit juice is the best solution to quench the summer heat. It seems he also took a liking on the new tutor.
We only been walking past the village gate when I notice a strange movement on the corner of my vision. Someone wearing grey robe is leaping the village wall, most likely the female who came together with the tutor. Couldn't she just enter the village together with him?, but perhaps she was surprised by the mob. There's no rule stating you couldn't enter the village by leaping the wall, but to think someone would actually do it when the gate is wide open, totally suspicious.
Rupherd is enjoying his chat with Volwyn to the point of almost ignoring me, I guess this is a good time to split from the group to investigate. Since I'm already outside I want to venture a little bit before return to the mansion, too bad Gaby is occupied helping the maids giving last touch to the tutor's new room.
My steps become slower as I move away from the front where Rupherd and Volwyn are. A few more steps and I found myself on the backside of the welcome mob with other villagers. They were a little bit surprised to found me within them, but not curious enough to start conversation with me.
I run back to where I saw that woman earlier, yet she is no longer around here. Someone who purposely wear a grey robe and leap over the wall should have good reasons to hide themselves, It will be hard to find someone like her without any clues. Thankfully tutor Volwyn already gave me one, she should be looking for a well to quench her thirst. In this blazing summer you can't stay too far from water.
There's is only a single well inside the village, and that's where I found her.
She take her hood off to wash her hair, while sprinkling some water to the rest of her body to ward off the heat. Giving clear view of her appearance to me.
Pale almost-transparent skin, eyes which could see your soul, long ear piercing the sky. Trademarks of a well known sub-race of demons.
What's an elf doing over here?, to start with they are very rarely seen outside their forest habitat, never mind human settlements. If she arrive together with Volwyn, that would meant she came from the center of human territory, that raise even more questions. I guess it's a good choice to stalk her.
I wait until she finish her business before moving closer to greet her. I'm contemplating between using human or demon language, but the answer become clear as I move closer to her. She's singing something in human language.
"-Walk past the wood, and you will see the light.
Run around the mountain, and you will see behind it.
Riddle me this, Riddle me that.
Whose land is this?, From whom is it taken?.
Is it me?, Is it you? , or is it both of us?.
Who is afraid of who?, Why should you be afraid?.
For hatred has run too deep, never to be unearthed."
The voice is sweet but the tune somewhat off, nevertheless I was enchanted and clapping by reflex at the end of it. She was taken by surprise and clumsily put her hood back on before looking for her single applauding audience. The cat's already out of the bag, so I steel myself and walk towards her.
"Thank you for the song lady elf, it was delicious."
The female was taken aback when I called her an elf, it seems she really doesn't want to be recognized.
"EH!?!?.. What do you mean by elf!?. This lady here is just plain normal human right!?. Why won't you join your friends over there instead of spouting nonsense!."
She gave me a deep stare while pointing to a spot behind nearby tree, I can see several people staring at the tree mindlessly. My head become dizzy for a second and I felt a strange feeling to join them. This seems to be her work, elf are known to be a manipulator of minds.
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I try my best to fight the suggestion, now that I know what is going on the mind control won't be as effective to me. Strangely enough my particular affection to the tree is gone with a little bit effort, I guess she might have gone easy on me since I'm currently just a child.
The female elf satisfaction smile wither away when she notice her mind control doesn't work on me. Fear start to show on her face as she hold my head as to not stray from her eyes.
"No way.., there's a child who is capable of repelling my [Mind Control]?. Guh!, let me try again!."
Dear lady elf, can you stop trying to do the same thing over and over?. I don't think the result will differ no matter how many times you try. Mind-based attack doesn't work that way, it may be very strong against people weaker than the caster, yet the opposite is true as well.
"Uh.., can you please let go of my head?. And other people under that tree as well, please release them from your control."
"Wait a bit!, let me check something first!."
Her eyes change color from green to pure white, it seems she still have something else under her sleeve. I tried my best to escape myself from her grip, but my strength is still nowhere strong enough against an adult elf. This time I didn't notice anything in particular that could be caused by her. Yet it seems she successfully activate it, as her eye twitch in unbelief even wilder than before. She release her grip on me and step back unsteadily until a pebble topple her to the ground.
"That domain.. what is that..? Not even that human's domain can be compared to this... Could a human possibly have a domain this big?."
"Domain?, what's that?."
I tried to move closer to her, but that just make her back away even more. It seems she have a deep trauma to this domain thing.
"Please let me go!, I promise I haven't done anything to your people!. The [Mind Control] can be dispelled without any lingering effects!"
She's really hysterical at the moment, it seems any action I took will be seen as threat in her eyes. At times like this it is best to give said person breathing space. I take a few step back and sit on the ground as well.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
At first she was suspicious of it, but after quite a bit of time has passed she seems to understand I have no intention to hurt her. I think this is a good time to restart the conversation.
"Uhm, as you may know already, I have no intention to hurt you. So could you please explain yourself properly?, why is an elf like you in this village?."
"...I'm sorry.."
The female elf open up and start to talk about herself.
She once live in the anomaly great forest together with other elf, she is in possession of several mind-based technique normal elf doesn't have and so they nominate her as one of their chief. They spent their days carefree as neither human nor demon dare to intrude too deep into the forest.
But one day there's a human woodsman who is chased by wild beast and ventured far too deep into the forest and entered their territory. As elf are normally a non-hostile tribe who doesn't sides with either human or fellow demon, they treated said person back to full health.
When the woodsman fully heal his wounds, he need a guide to escape unscathed from the forest back to human territory. An elf volunteered to escort him, as she's the one who spent most of her time tending to him. Both of them grow affections for each other over that time.
She is that elf, called Sylv'air Gry'e.
The escape from the forest was swift without any meaningful hindrance. As they finally reach the edge of the forest, they confessed their love to each other in fear of never seeing each other again. When they know the other person also feels the same affection, they decide to not leave each other. The woodsman brought her back to his home in a small village near the forest, where they live their life happily.
The other residents was afraid at first at the prospect of living together with a demon, although they know an elf isn't as dangerous as the other sub-race. The woodsman tried his best to explain the situation and proclaim that he will took all responsibilities as her husband. He even went so far as explaining how her power works.
As days gone by everything seems to be going well, but although no one fear her anymore, there's people who see her with greed in their eyes. Eventually they kidnap her from their house, blocking her eyes with cloth as to stop her from using mind control. Before they sell her to the travelling merchant, they told her how her husband thought that she have returned to the great forest, he entered the forest in attempt to chase her, never to be seen again.
She spent her days in darkness as the travelling merchant carry her to the capital of Western Kingdom Maltris. Castle built on an island inside a lake, Torbalt Castle.
She was sold to the highest bidder in an underground market, the crowd is in uproar after noticing a elf slave for sell. Her owner is a noble related to the royalty, someone who bought other people life for their own satisfaction.
For ten years she resisted their torture, trained as their play doll. Her escape attempt was always thwarted by the noble personal guard, a man possessing the same domain as I have, although at smaller size. That man is way stronger than her, nullifying any chance of mind control.
There's time when she felt like it will go on forever, as a slave there's no limit to how long you will work for your master, death is the only salvation for many of her colleagues. Yet she keep her mind intact and wait for the opportune time while learning the human language for her eventual escape.
Then war came, Eastern and Western Kingdom fought each other in attempt for unification. After a few years the eastern army manage to lay siege upon castle Torbalt. The castle itself is famous for natural moat and strategic chokepoints, it took many months until its fall. When the fated time came, she took the opportunity to escape in the chaos following the siege aftermath.
After tasting the scent of long awaited freedom ,she decide to return to the great forest. Post-war devastation and lack of funds hinder her plans for swift return, but after eight long years she have finally come this close to the forest. Almost twenty years after she left it.
She finish her story with how I found her at the village well, and an apology for jumping to conclusion about me. I think I'm also at fault for not introducing myself properly, but I don't plan to tell her about my demon origin.
"Lady Sylv'air, I'm sorry for the late introductions. My name is Glenard Postou, son of local governor of this county and village. You may call me Glen."
"Ah no.., how could I call someone as powerful as you like that."
I still can't understand why she call someone who isn't able to escape from her grip as powerful.
"Then how about this?, I will call you Sylv and you will call me Glen. That way it will be easier for both of us to forget past hostile actions."
"If..if you say so..."
She's fidgeting a little bit from our conversation, this is perhaps the first time she ever told her story.
Her road is a long and painful one with a light at its end, but that light is long gone. It may be hard for her to take, but I have to tell the truth.
"Lady Sylv, I regret that I have to tell you this, but there's no more elf in the Anomaly Great Forest. Seven years ago they were attacked by goblin bandits, the forest itself is still overrun by bandits until this day. There may be survivors, but I doubt they will return to the forest while the bandits is still rampant."
"..No..more..?"
"I am afraid so. The goblins my father captured have testified about it. The elves is not the only one flushed out by the goblins. Almost all demons except goblins have fled from the forest."
"But..then.. what should I do now?."
Sylv'air stare at the ground as she just lost her goal of life for the past twenty years.
The part about captured goblin is a lie, there's no way a far away town like this is in possession of demon language translator. But the rest of it is true, that is included in the list of report I received during the last two months of my reign.
This is my fault, the goblins took their chances when Ga'ux Demon Kingdom is embroiled in the rebellion war, there's no reinforcements to sent when entire military rebelled. A rebellion I purposely sparked. It seems my past mistake is sill following me no matter where I go.
She is just like the old me, void of home and purpose. Rupherd and Lana have given me both of them, shouldn't I be able to help her?.
"Couldn't you just stay here?."
"Eh??"
"I mean, this village is close enough to the great forest. You can easily check whether the elves have returned to the forest or not. It may take a few more years until the forest quiet down, you would need a lodging until then."
"That's true.., but is it really okay for a demon like me to stay in this village?"
Well, technically you aren't the first demon who took reside in the village. There may be some problems but I can use my position as the governor's son. When worse come to worse, we can use a little bit of mind control.
I gave her my best smile as I say my answer
"Of course!"