The next morning.
Gulp gulp.
“Phew! That water tastes great!”
The cool, clear water was refreshing.
“Fabir.”
After finishing my farming and quenching my thirst, Elenia approached and asked,
“Have you thought about how to build the house?”
“The house? Hmm… I’m a bit worried. I’ve never built one before.”
“I’ve been thinking, how about building it with wood?”
“Wood? Like a log cabin?”
“That’s a good idea, but it’d be hard for me to help with that. Fairies have their own way of building houses.”
“Oh? There’s a technique like that?”
Elenia shrugged proudly.
“With my power, I can alter the growth speed of trees to shape their interiors into a house.”
“That sounds convenient! No need for nails or saws.”
“The advantage is that you only need fertile soil, no other materials. It’s a natural house in itself.”
“But… won’t the house be too small for me to live in?”
“No need to worry. I’ll make it with trees much taller than you. But it requires a special seed.”
“A special seed?”
“That seed can be found in the vast forest to the east. As you know, that’s elf territory. The problem is, elves don’t like other races trespassing on their land.”
“That shouldn’t matter, right? Dorori can go and get it alone.”
“Trying to get it for free, huh? That tree only bears seeds once every few hundred years. You could search the whole forest and still not find it.”
“Then how am I supposed to get it?”
Elenia gave a mischievous grin.
“You’re not seriously suggesting I go ask the elves for it, are you?”
“Exactly. They’re sure to have some stored. Rare items from the forest are as valuable as jewels to them.”
“No way. I’d rather earn money and build a house myself. Going to those savage elves is too dangerous.”
“Savage? That’s the first I’ve heard of that.”
“Anyway, I’m not doing it. It’s not worth risking my life.”
“Didn’t you say you wanted to make a lot of money? Aren’t you tempted by the rare herbs from the forest?”
“Well, that’s true, but…”
“There’s no downside to befriending them. It’s hard to get close, but once you do, it’ll bring you a lot of benefits.”
“Hmm…”
Most herbs can’t be cultivated due to lack of information and can only be gathered from mountains or forests.
That makes them expensive.
“If you can trade with the elves, you could make a fortune.”
“That’s true… but wait. Why are you so desperate to send me to the elf forest?”
“N-no, it’s nothing. You’re imagining things.”
“You’re acting suspicious.”
Elenia avoided my gaze.
“Chirp!”
Dorori revealed the reason.
“Maple syrup? Oh, so you wanted to send me there to get maple syrup?”
“Tch, traitor. Fine, I’ll admit it. If you could pick up some maple syrup on the way, I’d be grateful.”
“So elves make maple syrup too?”
“That’s not all. You could trade for all sorts of forest fruits, honey, and other rare items.”
Sweet maple syrup made my mouth water.
In my whole life, I’d never even seen honey or maple syrup up close.
Such expensive treats, out of reach for common folk, were something an orphan like me could only dream of.
The thought of tasting maple syrup was tempting.
“Alright, I’ll give it a try. But if it doesn’t work, I’m running away immediately.”
“Good attitude. Be careful.”
“Got it. Dorori, let’s go.”
“Chirp!”
“Don’t forget to bring back maple syrup!”
Why does it feel like she’s more excited about the syrup than I am?
I’d heard elves are hostile to humans but dislike killing.
Surely they wouldn’t try to kill me on sight, right?
***
I rode Dorori to the jungle in the center of the continent, a treasure trove untouched by human hands.
“Dorori, set me down there.”
Dorori landed me in a dense forest.
“Wow! These trees are huge.”
Towering trees, clearly hundreds of years old, filled the forest.
I moved cautiously.
Having roamed the woods near the Village as a kid, I was familiar with forests.
I’d learned from Dorori what was dangerous and what to avoid.
Like poisonous plants or mushrooms.
“Huh? What’s that…”
While walking, I spotted a beautiful flower, unlike any I’d seen in human lands.
It was mystical.
“What a pretty flower.”
Drawn to it, I reached out toward the flower.
At that moment—
Thwack.
An arrow flew and struck the ground at my feet.
“What the—?!”
My body froze, my heart pounding wildly.
Who shot that arrow?
“How dare a human trespass in elf territory? You’ve got some nerve.”
A clear, feminine voice.
It came from up in the trees.
I crouched low, scanning my surroundings warily. Another arrow could come at any moment, and my body tensed.
Should I run?
But I didn’t know the forest’s layout.
I couldn’t even spot anyone in the trees.
Let’s try talking first.
“H-Hold on! I’m not here to fight! How about we talk this out?”
No response came.
They clearly didn’t want to talk.
What do I do…
I racked my brain and came up with an idea.
It was to provoke the elves’ pride.
It could backfire, but I had no time to hesitate. I’d just go for it.
“Are the noble elves this cowardly?”
Rustle.
Over there? I heard movement from the trees. Surprisingly, the taunt worked.
I raised my voice further.
“Hiding and shooting at an unarmed person is really low! Are you scared of me or something?”
At that moment—
Thud. Something dropped.
A blonde woman appeared before me.
She looked about my age, her pointed ears confirming she was an elf.
“Cowardly? Scared? You’ve got a big mouth for someone so reckless.”
Her incredulous tone matched the voice that had warned me earlier.
“Finally showing yourself.”
I stood up from my crouched position.
“What did I do to deserve an arrow out of nowhere? I thought elves hated killing. Was that a lie too?”
The elf girl narrowed her eyes, glaring at me sharply.
“What use is talking to a thief? I’ll scare you off if I have to.”
“Thief? Who? Me?”
“Who else is here? You were just trying to steal that herb!”
“That’s ridiculous. Why would I steal an herb?”
“Don’t play dumb! I saw you reaching for it!”
“Don’t accuse me like that!”
Huff.
I was fuming, and so was the elf girl.
But getting emotional here would mean losing. I suppressed my feelings and said,
“Phew… There’s been a misunderstanding. I just thought the flower was pretty and wanted a closer look.”
“You expect me to believe that? Just get out of this forest!”
The elf girl grabbed an arrow from her quiver and nocked it on her bowstring.
I twisted my lips. I didn’t want to continue this conversation either.
“Fine, I wouldn’t stay even if you begged me! Dorori! Let’s go!”
I called desperately for Dorori into the air, but only silence answered.
“Hey, Dorori! I told you to stay close—where are you?!”
“Are you messing with me? What kind of trick is this?”
The elf had now drawn her bowstring taut, aiming at me.
“Get out of this forest now!”
The arrow seemed ready to fly at me any second.
Gulp.
I swallowed hard.
“Okay, okay, calm down.”
“Keep spouting nonsense, and I’ll really shoot!”
She pulled the bowstring even tighter.
At that moment—
“Chirp!”
Dorori suddenly appeared, startling the elf, who released the bowstring.
Twang!
The arrow grazed my body as it flew past.
“You crazy elf!”
Her eyes widened as she stared at Dorori.
I seized the chance to hide behind Dorori’s back.
She wouldn’t dare shoot at Dorori.
“Dorori! Let’s go!”
I hurriedly climbed onto Dorori and fled the scene.
***
The elf girl, Mary, lowered her bow and watched the bird fly away.
“How did a human…”
She had thought the small human man was trying to deceive her, but then a giant bird appeared out of nowhere and vanished with him.
Even for elves, who commune with animals, this was difficult.
Moreover, he had spoken to the bird as if conversing.
Could a human talk to animals?
She’d never heard of such a thing.
Unlike the structured language of humans, animal speech is rough and complex.
Even elves, who’ve lived alongside animals in the forest for ages, take years to learn it.
A human living a short life in a civilized city couldn’t easily pick it up.
Am I mistaken…
If the giant bird was well-trained, it might seem that way. Like taming a horse.
But even then, is taming a bird that easy for a human?
Riding on its back showed a deep bond of trust.
What a strange human.
The more she thought, the more questions arose.
Feeling uneasy, Mary moved to retrieve the arrow stuck in the ground.
Step step.
“…”
She stopped beside the flower the human had reached for earlier.
The flower, adorned with morning dew, glowed with freshness.
Was he really trying to steal it?
It wasn’t even a valuable herb with any special properties.
A sudden doubt crept in, and Mary shook her head to clear it.
“No use thinking about it.”
Regardless of the situation, the fact remained that a human had trespassed in elf territory.
As a member of the elves, driving out intruders was her duty.
Swoosh.
She picked up the arrow from the ground, turned to leave, but paused.
With a lingering unease, Mary glanced back one more time.
Her gaze lingered on the spot where the human had disappeared.