Chapter 167 The Mixed-Blood Child
――After the monster invasion incident was somehow resolved, there was talk of moving to a different city, but Ingrid-san and the elves declined. Since Arnold has the power of the demon king within him, there's a high chance that the demon king's side would find out about their location, and...
The current city has already allowed monster invasions twice, and if they settle down, the people of Rustu will likely abandon it. If they move to another city and allow monster invasions again, they'll have to abandon that city as well. To avoid that, the elves of the village seemed to be considering the people of Rustu.
There was an offer to move the city with just me, but I declined. It's not like we can guarantee that the same kind of trouble won't happen again. If that happens, I'd like to be able to do something about it, and...
"Laura."
I was called out while working in the synthesis room and turned around. A large dog was sitting there, holding a large bag in its mouth.
"Akari! I'm sorry to trouble you with this errand."
"No need to apologize, I'm happy to help."
When I took the bag, the dog that was sitting there - no, Akari, the water spirit, transformed back into puppy form. It seems Akari is mastered the technique of changing to other appearance recently.
(Is it really okay to make Spirit-sama do this kind of thing...?)
Inside the bag were letters from Lukas and others, as well as empty bottles of used healing potions. While the people of Rustu can exchange items with each other, it's more efficient to use "this" method when dealing with large quantities of goods. ――It's a pretty rough way to treat a spirit, making them carry goods.
Akari doesn't seem to mind, and even looks happy to be carrying the goods, so I end up relying on them. I feel sorry about it, but I think we need to use every method we can right now.
"Do you want to take a short break?"
I ask Akari, who looks up at me. If I do, the child-like Akari will spin around in joy, right there on the spot.
So, I peeled the fruit I bought in the city and served it. Akari seemed to be waiting for it, and they started eating with gusto.
I thought to myself, "You don't have to rush," but I couldn't help smiling at their energetic demeanor. Just then, the door knocked. When I responded, Marcedes-san entered the room.
"Laura-chan, it's lunchtime――ah, wait!"
She noticed Akari's presence and approached her with sparkling eyes. Akari also heard the footsteps and looked up from their plate, their ears perking up.
Although Marcedes-san and Akari had been in the same room several times, this was their first formal meeting.
"Well, well, well, you're the famous Akari-chan?"
Akari responded enthusiastically to the name, and Marcedes-san bowed her head slightly towards the puppy.
"Elvira is indebted to you."
"El, fine."
"Really? I'm so happy, thank you for telling me."
Although it was still a bit awkward, their conversation was going surprisingly well――I watched their exchange with a maternal feeling, as if I were their mother.
After exchanging a few words, Marcedes-san stood up, saying "That's right." Then, she winked at me.
"Lunch, it's better to eat here. I'll bring it."
With that, Marcedes-san quickly exited the room before I could even call out to her. As I watched her back, I noticed the clock on the wall near the entrance, which showed it was exactly lunchtime. She must have come to invite me to lunch, and since Akari was here, she suggested eating here to make things convenient.
Feeling a bit apologetic, I decided to wait for Marcedes-san's return, as leaving Akari alone would be unsettling.
Akari, who had finished eating the fruit, moved to the window and sat down in a sunny spot, letting out a big yawn.
I'm not exactly well-behaved, but I sat down next to Akari. And as I basked in the warm sunlight, I started to feel drowsy too. It was so cozy and relaxing that I couldn't help but yawn.
"Oh my, sunbathing?"
I was startled by Mercedes-san's voice behind me, and my shoulders jerked. When I turned around, she was holding a lunchbox.
I shook off my sleepiness and hurriedly approached Mercedes-san, taking the lunchbox from her.
"Ah, yes. Thank you for lunch."
"You've just been born. It's cute, it's like a baby."
Mercedes-san crouched down next to Akari, who was still sunbathing.
Despite it being almost their first meeting, Akari seemed quite relaxed beside Mercedes-san.
"El, how's it going? Not bothering you?"
"Amazing, Wentle, praising me."
"Yeah, that's great."
As I watched Mercedes-san let out a sigh of relief, I thought to myself. She must be worried about Arnold's share as well, and Elvira's safety.
Even with her strong magic powers, Elvira was still just a child. Mercedes-san's anxiety was understandable.
――After that, I finished chatting with Akari and had lunch with Mercedes-san. The lunchbox contained warm soup and crusty bread.
I was hungrier than I thought, and I finished eating in no time. Mercedes-san's eyes widened in surprise, saying "You're so fast!" I had something I wanted to ask her, something that might happen if Arnold used sealing magic, and the worst-case scenario――
I waited until Mercedes-san finished eating, timing my question carefully.
"Um, Mercedes-san. If Arnold uses sealing magic, will he get...."
I couldn't bring myself to ask if he would get expelled from the Elf race.
I've been thinking about this since I heard about the former elf hero who was banished from their hometown. The hero used sealing magic and sealed away the demon king's weapon, which led to their exile. So, in this case, Arnold too――
Marcedes-san seemed to have picked up on my doubts without a single misstep, her expression solemn as she nodded.
"That's right. As an elf, he might not be able to live anymore."
It was the answer I had imagined. But hearing it again, I felt a pang of frustration, despite being an outsider.
Arnold's actions this time would normally be praised. He's a hero who risked his life to weaken the demon king, after all. However, from the elves' perspective, Arnold is seen as someone who broke a taboo――
Marcedes-san raised her bright voice to encourage me, who was feeling down.
"But didn't he lean more towards being human than an elf from the start? As an elf, he was an outcast from the beginning, and personally, he didn't have any particular problems, did he? Don't you think so?"
That's certainly true. If I'm going to live as the Royal Alchemist from now on, he won't be spending much time in the elven kingdom. However, the fact that he's not recognized by his hometown――it's frustrating, and I couldn't help but think so.
But this is just my selfish emotions. If Arnold himself doesn't mind, then an outsider like me has no right to intervene.
"That's right, maybe."
I smiled softly at Marcedes-san, who was watching me. She deepened her smile in response.
It's ironic that Arnold and Elvira, who are too skilled at using sealing magic, might be banished from their homeland. They don't seem like the type to worry about it, but it's a bitter story, and I ended up wondering――why do Rocco's siblings have such strong magic powers?
They have half-human blood flowing through their veins, after all.
"Elvira and Arnold have strong magic powers among the elves, right?"
"That's right, those 2 are special."
"That's why..."
Marcedes-san let out a wry smile and shook her head.
"I don't know why. Their mother was an excellent magician, and their father was from a knight's family, but..."
According to Marcedes-san, Rocco's sibling has excellent bloodline. And, the sealing magic ―― although it's limited to the elves in the village ―― only Arnold and Elvira can use it. Even Ingrid-san, a pure-blooded elf and my mother, can't use it.
It's said that mixed-blood elves have stronger magic powers. Is that a fact, or is Rocco's sibling a "sudden mutation"?
As I thought about it, I made a difficult face, and Marcedes-san poked my forehead with her finger.
"Most mixed-blood children are rare, and we don't know how their blood changes. Maybe they're not different from us, or maybe they're the same as humans. Or maybe they're different from both..."
Since they've been living in a village where outcasts gather, it's certain that mixed-blood children are unusual. In fact, I've never met anyone other than Arnold and Elvira. ――Although, if I had met someone with pointed ears, I would have recognized them as an elf.
Marcedes-san went "hmm" and put her hand on her chin, then tilted her head and laughed.
"In the end, I don't know anything either."
Marcedes-san didn't know, and I couldn't know either. I was drawn to her beautiful smile and laughed too.
"Do you worry about it, Laura-chan? Mixed-bloods are... full of unknowns, and it's unsettling?"
When I was asked in return, I shook my head vigorously and said "No!"
I had just been wondering about it. It's not like I would think it's unsettling just because it's unknown. ――But, I thought that maybe some elves have "that kind of recognition", thanks to Marcedes-san's question.
Other races' blood is mixed in, yet they possess stronger magic powers than people. The reason is unknown. It's unknown, so it's terrifying and unsettling.
Perhaps the Elves, who fear great power, are the type to exile those who can use seal magic, eliminating anything that's too much for them to handle and maintaining peace.
That sentiment isn't unfathomable. But to me, neither race nor magical strength matters. Arnold is Arnold, and Elvira is Elvira.
"I never thought of that."
Marcedes-san seemed satisfied with my response, and she thanked me with a beaming smile, saying "thank you" from the bottom of her heart.
Marcedes-san, in high spirits, began cleaning up after lunch while humming a tune. I stood up to help her as well.
Why does Rocco's sibling have strong magical powers? Honestly, I'm still wondering, even after Marcedes-san said "I don't know." But maybe there's no answer to begin with. Maybe there are many people with similar talents, and it's just a matter of finding them. There's no deep meaning; it's just "that's how it is." It's not a necessity given by God, but just a coincidence. A coincidence that the 2 of them were born with magic powers strong enough to use seal magic.
Yeah, that's probably it.
I was satisfied with my own conclusion when Marcedes-san suddenly leaned in close and whispered to me.
"When Arnold wakes up, make sure to take advantage of him. That's a right you have, Laura-chan."
"Eh, a right?"
"You still haven't properly thanked about Elvira, have you? And that's not all; there's also what happened this time."
Well, regarding Elvira's matter, I did receive a gift from Arnold, calling it a "thank you"... but in this case, I suppose the loan has indeed increased.
However, it's not something I can simply repay. I'm still troubled by what Ingrid-san said to me, which is similar to this.
"I still haven't thanked Laura-chan, either If there's anything I can do to help, please let me know."
I thought about what I wanted to ask Marcedes-san for help with――and then it hit me.
She owns a house in the big city of Sittenhelm, and you could say she's the city's alchemist. As a guide for the alchemists in the nearby towns, the day might come when I'll need to borrow her hand.
"Uh, about the guidance of the city's alchemist――."
I brought up the vague, uncertain topic of the future with Marcedes-san. If I did, she would smile and say "That's wonderful!" and promise to lend me her power for sure.
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