In the gondola, which unexpectedly doesn’t sway at all, I gaze at the scenery with the little dragon, who’s completely attached to me and sitting on my shoulder.
[Looking up from here, the Symphonia Kingdom is brimming with greenery, isn’t it?]
Despite the Symphonia Kingdom’s royal capital being so developed, the view from above reveals a landscape that’s lush and beautiful.
It doesn’t feel like untamed wilderness, instead, it gives the impression that they’re carefully preserving nature.
[Yes, the Symphonia Kingdom is home to the largest elven forest in the Human Realm and is a country rich in nature.]
[As expected, though, the key factor is that the Symphonia Kingdom has a close relationship with World King-sama.]
Upon hearing my words, Lilia-san and Lunamaria-san explained.
[The Elves, in particular, firmly worship World King-sama, and the Sacred Tree Festival is considered a celebration to give thanks to World King-sama for the good harvest.]
[…………………]
Sieg-san nodded vigorously in agreement with Lunamaria-san’s words.
Apparently, for the Elves, she really is akin to a God.
[If I remember correctly, Chronois-san told me that the World King is the spirit of the World Tree. Is that why they consider her a God?]
[Yes, the Elves… lost the forests they once lived in when the Demon King’s army invaded. When World King-sama learned of this, after the treaty of friendship was signed, she used her power to create vast forests for the Elves. Since then, the Elves have evidently treated World King-sama as their God, holding firm faith in her.]
[The Elves are a large race, but no Elvish Chief has named himself a king since the Treaty of Friendship. Perhaps it proves that, to the Elves, the only king they have is World King-sama.]
It seems that the World King is the greatest benefactor of the Elven race, which is why they worship her so strongly.
But even so, creating the world’s largest forest… I guess that’s to be expected from one of the Six Kings—she truly has an outrageous power.
[Incidentally, since it was the Symphonia Kingdom who provided the land, World King-sama has since sent her spirit and fairy followers to the Symphonia Kingdom, which resulted in the development of Symphonia’s incredibly rich food culture.]
I see. That explains what Lilia-san meant earlier when she said that Symphonia Kingdom has a close relationship with the World King.
I remember hearing that there’s no God of Fertility in the Symphonia Kingdom, so I guess the one who brings fertility to the country is the World King.
On the way to the Elven Forest, Lilia-san told me the story of the World King and the Elven Forest.
After a short three-hour journey with the Flying Dragon Services, we finally caught sight of a city nestled in the center of a vast forest below us.
Most of the buildings were made of wood—some resembling log cabins, others tall wooden towers. At the heart of the city stood a huge tree, several hundred meters tall.
That’s probably the Sacred Tree that symbolizes this festival. I had heard they lived alongside nature, so I expected the place to be more like a large village. But even though their homes differ from those of humans, this place could easily be considered a large city.
[T- This is amazing… All their buildings are made of just wood?]
[As expected, they didn’t only use wood, but they made use of as much of nature as possible.]
The white dragons landed near what looked like the entrance to the city. From the sky, it was breathtaking, but standing before it like this was even more awe-inspiring. Kusunoki-san seemed to feel the same way, looking deeply moved as she muttered to herself.
Entering the city of the Elves, which made us realize once more how truly different this world is from ours—would have been a wonderful experience if we could just head straight into the city, but we first had to deal with a problem.
[Kyuuuu~~~~!!!]
[Errr……]
The little dragon that took a liking to me just won’t leave my side.
Just as my Sympathy Magic lets me transmit my emotions to others, it also allows me to sense theirs.
I’m not sure if the baby dragon likes me that much, but it sat on my shoulder the whole time we were traveling, and now, it’s still clinging to my clothes, refusing to separate from me.
[Miyama-senpai, it’s really attached to you, huh.]
As Yuzuki-san pointed out, the female driver is trying to separate it from me, but the baby dragon isn’t listening at all.
I’m not sure whether to be happy or troubled that it’s become so emotionally attached to me… but in any case, if I can’t convince this baby dragon, I won’t be able to enter the city of elves.
It’s not that they’re preventing us from entering, but… the fact is, this baby dragon isn’t my pet. It belongs to the Flying Dragon Services, so I can’t just take it with me for my own convenience.
[Don’t worry. We’ll meet again when we’re heading back, and we can also meet in the royal capital.]
[Kyuuuu~]
[Yeah, so you need to listen carefully to what the driver says.]
[……Kyuuii.]
The baby dragon looked really sad, but with my words, I managed to convince it, and it gave a small nod.
Then, its grip on my clothes loosened…
[Kyuu!]
[ ! ? ]
Then, without warning, she bit my neck.
I was startled for a moment, but it didn’t seem like she actually sank her teeth in. After playfully biting me twice, she let go.
What was that just now? I’m not sure, but the fact that the female driver seemed surprised probably means it was some kind of affectionate gesture.
Anyway, after that, the baby dragon moved away from me. As I waved my hands to her, she let out a reluctant cry as she saw me off.
She was such a cute child. I’d heard that the Flying Dragon Service had set up a shop in the royal capital, so when we head back, I’ll make sure to visit her occasionally.
Saying it once again, we finally stepped into the city of the Elves.
This world has something called magic, and the large city is enclosed inside by a Barrier Magic, so there are no ostentatious walls around it, and we were able to enter with ease.
[Everyone, we will now be meeting with those who will guide us here.]
[The ones who will guide us?]
Lunamaria-san mentioned that, although her father was a half-elf, she had never been to the Elves’ city before… Could it be an elf acquaintance of hers? Or perhaps there’s someone acting as a tour guide around here?
I was about to ask Lunamaria-san, but at that moment, I suddenly heard a loud voice from nowhere.
[Symphonia Kingdom’s!]
[Duchess Albert and her entourage!]
[ [ [ ! ? ] ] ]
[……!?!?]
The voice startled me, Kusunoki-san, and Yuzuki-san, and for some reason, Sieg-san also wore a shocked expression.
When I turned my gaze toward the source of the voice, I saw two figures running toward us from a distance.
A male elf with short blonde hair and a female elf with long red hair—both of them ran toward us from diagonally opposite directions, and they began crossing with each other a few distance in front of us.
[Hahh!]
[Touu!]
The two figures crossed midair, somersaulted once, and then landed. With a dramatic pose, they stood back to back, striking a confident stance.
[ [ Welcome to the elven city of “Rigforeshia”~~!! ] ]
[ [ [ ………………… ] ] ]
How the heck am I supposed to react to this? Something feels off. Their energy was clearly more intense than even ours, and we’re the ones who just arrived.
Then, noticing Sieg-san holding her head, I couldn’t help but wonder… could it be that these people are…
[……A-Arehh? Why do I feel like all of you are distancing yourselves from us?]
[Mhmm, could it be that our pose is a bit too sophisticated for them?]
[ [ [ ……………. ] ] ]
I guess it’s expected from elves. The blonde man and the red-haired woman are both strikingly beautiful, but… how should I put it? Their excitement felt completely out of place.
In front of our stunned faces, Sieg-san, still holding her head, slowly rises and draws her two slender swords.
[……………………]
[A-Arehh? Sieg-chan? What’s wrong? Your face looks really scary.]
[Hahaha, she must be feeling bashful!]
[However~~ I have a feeling she’ll try to slash me any moment now…]
[H-Hahaha… W-Wait a second, Sieg. Let’s calm down and talk…]
[……!!!]
[ [ Gyaaaaaaahhhhh!? ] ]
Sieg-san, now looking like a raging demon, attacked the two elves, and their miserable screams rang out.
[…..Umm, Lilia-san. Could those people be…]
[Yeah, err… they’re Sieg’s “parents”.]
[ [ [ …………….. ] ] ]
What can I even say? No… I don’t think there’s anything I can say.
Just when she’s about to attend a festival in her hometown with people she knows, and then her parents suddenly show up, ridiculously excited, from a daughter’s point of view, it’s nothing less than an embarrassing spectacle.
Sieg-san’s frustration and sadness were fully conveyed, even without my Sympathy Magic, from the deep blush on her face and the visible anger.
Dear Mom, Dad—We’ve arrived in the elven city of Rigforeshia. And there—I met Sieg-san’s parents.
T/N: 10/13. Last Chapter for the day.
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