Seeker 120

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Chapter 120. Elf Village And Warriors

"We...we've arrived. This is our village." 

Riviera's walking at the front, as she turned around.

Kazane-san, Yuzuki, and I followed Riviera's gaze and looked ahead.

"Wow...!"

"This is incredible. I've never seen anything like this before."

Kazane-san and Yumitsuki exclaimed in awe.

I, too, was breathless at the sight.

We saw a stretched green lush village of treehouses. 

They built wooden dwellings on the branches and forks of giant tree trunks. 

Ladders were placed on the trees to allow for movement up and down. 

It was what you would call a treehouse.

There were more than twenty such dwellings within the visible range alone. 

There seemed to be even more throughout the entire village.

On the treetops and the ground, numerous elves were going about their lives in the village.

One of them, a male elf who was nearby, called out to Riviera and her companions.

"Riviera? And Rize and Shia too. What's going on? Weren't you supposed to be living in the human city?"

"We had our reasons and came back. Can we live here again?"

"I don't mind. Hey! Riviera and the others have returned!"

Upon the elf man's call, the elf from the village came one after another, curious about what was happening.

They quickly surrounder Riviera and the two other elf girls.

As we watched over them, we basked in the sense of accomplishment of completing a mission.

"Now, everything seems to be settled."

"Yeah, it looks that way. Helping people isn't easy, huh?"

"No, it's not. Well, at least they could return safely."

Then, a message box popped up.

The usual one.

───────────────────────

Mission Accomplished: Reached the Elf Village!

Each party member receives 3000 experience points.

Special Mission Accomplished: Brought the elves to the village!

Each party member receives 3000 experience points.

New Mission Acquired: Reach the World Tree (Experience points: 30,000)

Current Experience Points:

Msou Daichi... 102,816/105,188 (Next Level: 2,372)

Kodachi Kazane... 102,536/105,188 (Next Level: 2,652)

Yuzuki Hotaru... 102,819/105,188 (Next Level: 2,369)

───────────────────────

There is another peculiar new mission has appeared. 

Well, we can think about it later.

Now that the mission is over, what should we do? 

We didn't expect any gratitude, and we could go and head home.

As I ponder, I heard a voice from the crowd surrounding Riviera.

"By the way, Riviera, who are these people? They seem to be human warriors."

"Daichi and the others saved us from human traffickers. All three of them are incredibly strong warriors and wonderful people. But we haven't done anything to repay them for saving or bringing us here."

"I see. In that case. It's up to us to show our gratitude."

From the midst of the crowd, a female elf approached us.

Maybe she's in her late 20s if I compare her to a human. 

She had the beauty of a mature woman, yet there was an air of dignity about her.

It seems she was a warrior, carrying a slender sword at her waist. 

The elf beauty approached us with a respectful bow.

"I'm Titis, the leader of this village. Human warriors, I express my heartfelt gratitude for rescuing Riviera and the others. I wanted to show my gratitude somehow. Could you spare some time to visit our village? If you haven't eaten yet. I can treat you to a heartfelt elf meal."

Upon hearing that, and we were still hungry for lunch, we accepted her kind offer. 

We were also interested in trying elven cuisine. And so, Kazane-san, Yumizuki, and I visited the elf village. 

We decided we'd like to be entertained at Titis-san's house. It was located in the middle of the village. 

However...

On our way, we encountered an elf man. 

He, too, appeared to be a warrior, carrying a spear on his back. 

As soon as the elf warrior laid eyes on the three of us, he spat out these words.

"Hey, Titis, who are these people? Why are you allowing humans into the village?"

"Raul, they are the benefactors of Riviera and the others. They rescued us from kidnappers. From now on, I've decided to entertain them at my house."

"What? I object, Titis. I can't trust humans. I don't know the circumstances, but if their business is done, we should promptly send them away."

"Raul, show some respect to our guests. Watch your words."

"Hmph, there's no need for courtesy toward humans. They claim to have saved us from kidnappers, but who's to say those kidnappers aren't humans too? Isn't it proof enough that humans are untrustworthy?"

"This is my decision as the village leader. If you have a problem with it, go patrol outside."

"Fine, I will. But remember Titis. You let humans into the village. If anything happens, you'll have to take responsibility."

"Raul, I'm telling you again. Show some respect to our guests. Leave."

"Hmph..."

The elf warrior named Raul glanced at us with a hostile look before leaving. 

Following behind him was a young elf boy, also seemingly a warrior.

"Wait, Raul-senpai!" 

Meanwhile, the three elven girls, including Riviera, chased after him while protesting. 

As for us, we were taken aback by the blatant hostility directed at us.

"...What's with that?"

"He's so unpleasant. Hey, Daichi-kun, can I sneak up behind him and smack him on the head? Just once?"

"Please refrain from doing that. It might escalate into inter-species conflict."

Nevertheless, he certainly left a bad impression on us. 

If Titis hadn't intervened, I might have been quite angry if we had confronted him directly. 

On the other hand, Titis lowered her head deeply toward us.

"I apologize, dear guests. One of the villagers was rude. Allow me to apologize on their behalf."

"N-No... But are there many elves who dislike humans?"

"Some individuals hold certain prejudices, but Raul is an exception. Anyway, my house is just ahead. Let me guide you."

Titis said so and continued ahead. 

While I couldn't help but think about that elf warrior named Raul, I gathered myself and followed Titis's lead.