Paradigm Parasite

Chapter 147: "Standby"

I arrived at the Elven village, guided by a High Elven child - Brosdan.

I was currently sipping a cup of tea that he had brewed for me at his house.

He's a very wary child, by the way.

I'm not sure what to expect from him, but I'm sure I'll be able to find out.

It's fortunate that I got him into the village smoothly, but I don't know what I'm going to do with him now.

Still, it's a very distorted social structure, even though I knew about .......

The High Elves lead and the Elves follow.

It sounds good, but it's a controlled society with a completely defined hierarchy.

I confirmed this when I repeatedly asked Brosdan a number of questions, and indeed the basic information matches my memory.

...Well, the trap story was new to me, as it had recently been installed.

However, my knowledge is still a bit hazy.

I don't remember the name Grigori.

They only recognise them as 'great beings' and don't seem to understand what they are essentially responsible for.

In the first place, the elves are rigid in their thinking that they are safe in the hands of the High Elves, so they do not have any unnecessary doubts.

If you ask the elves a lot of questions, you will get these answers.

What makes your daily life better?

It is rich thanks to the knowledge the High Elves have received from the 'Great Ones'.

Why shouldn't you leave the forest without permission?

Because the High Elves say that we must not leave.

And if the High Elves ask you to die?

I think it is necessary, so I must die.

That's an extreme analogy, but it's like this.

They are not extreme idiots, but they are like this only when it comes to the High Elves' system of rule.

It's not surprising.

The High Elves have built the foundations of life in this forest where they have drifted.

From the elves' point of view, the High Elves are the messengers of God who have been given power by God.

No wonder this delusion.

From my point of view, it's like they're receiving weird radio signals.

Etienne's words are muddled, but I'm convinced he's donned up and walked away from them.

Sipping warm tea.

Well.

Savage hid nearby.

Successfully made gentle contact with the inhabitants.

Now it's just a question of what I'm going to do when the top brass find out about me.

For once, I'll just go with the flow.

If they don't do anything, good. Let's continue exploring the forest.

On the other hand, if they do something to us, we'll have to find out what they are and then decide what to do.

To tell the truth, I can't help but feel that it would be quicker to burn this area to the ground, but as we don't know what might come out of it, it's better not to.

If Grigori is an organisation similar to Gnosis, there is a high possibility that there are people who play the same role as the knights of the cathedral, just that the elves don't know it.

I remember the ant I came across in the Royal Capital.

It is more than possible that they have reincarnated people.

It is a fool's errand to rush in without a plan.

Mr Brosdan.

I've told him a lot of things.

At best, keep me in your good graces.

...it's late.

A few hours have passed, but there is no sign of anyone coming.

I look out of the window.

The current location is the Elven West Village.

The elven villages all exist on top of giant trees, and the view outside can be seen for quite a distance.

They call it a village, but if you ask me, it's on the scale of a city.

If one dares to call it an arboreal city, it is.

Of course, trees that can hold entire houses do not appear so conveniently.

They are said to have been magically bred.

As a result, there are huge trees and rows of houses on top of them, and bridges connect the trees to each other and form roads for people to come and go.

The Elven Realm is a cluster of villages.

There are five elven villages in total.

In addition, there are smaller gatherings...settlements around the villages.

According to what we have heard, the area is relatively peaceful, but only the southern village has suffered considerable damage from goblin attacks, and a significant number of residents have been killed or taken away.

I know so much more about this area than he does because of Abdullah's stories and the goblins' memories.

They attacked at once in a night raid, set themselves on fire, and then were overpowered by sheer numbers.

In fact, it seems that they did whatever they wanted until reinforcements arrived from the centre.

It would have been a good thing if they had been able to attack as they did, but after that things didn't go so well.

The elite goblin units fought hard, but sadly the difference in quality was too great to overcome and they were pushed back to the outside.

After that, they managed to attack, but were unable to break through the defence line that had been set up a short distance beyond the boundary.

Even if they tried to bypass it, to the west is Goriberingay.

To the east, there are vast swamps and bird monsters called Picchidei flying around, making it a tough path to bypass with their numbers.

Abdullah would have been lost for a long time, but in the end he chose to break through from the south.

And the odds are against them. Looking at the history of the war so far, it seems difficult to break through.

In fact, since the first surprise attack, they have been unable to attack into the village, and have been routed at every turn.

They are pushing with their mass and cutting down to some extent, but it will take a long time in this way...

For some reason, they haven't left the forest, so they're at a stalemate, but if they attack them, they'll be trapped.

If possible, I'd like to hear about the situation...

...finally, they're here.

There are multiple signs outside the house.

I'm hoping that someone from Grigori or something like that will come out, but what do you think?

The door opens and elves and high elves come rushing in.

There are four armed elves and one high elf who looks a bit old to Brosdan.

They are all men, by the way.

"Is this the same person?"

"Yes."

High Elf asks Brosdan, but does not take his gaze off me.

"I am Manuel. I hold the position of Uates the Diviner in this western village."

"Thank you for your courtesy. I am Roe. As you can see, I am a traveller."

The man called Manuel sits down opposite me.

If I were to judge by his appearance alone, he would be in his late thirties or early forties.

He has a clean-cut face with no beard.

He is dressed in a light green robe of some sort of expensive-looking cloth.

There are no elaborate decorations, and he looks clean.

Brosdan looked at me and Manuel alternately with a flustered look on his face.

"Before we start talking, can you tell me about your position as a Uates?"

"...... I see. If you don't know, then you really are from the outside."

Manuel's gaze wanders as he chooses his words a little.

"Have you heard about the warding?"

"As I recall, they're supposed to be easily visible if there's an intruder."

"You are correct. Our role is to guard the wards."

...In short, you're in charge of detecting intruders.

"The rest of the time, we mediate in the city, and if there is a problem or trouble, we're there to help."

"Sounds like a tough job. Thank you, I understand."

"So now I'm going to ask you a question? Brosdan has told us some things, but we want to hear it directly from your mouth."

Well, that's the way it should be.

"That's fine. Ask me anything."

"First of all, let's check. Is it true that you come from the south?"

"Yes, that's true."

"That would mean you came from beyond the territory of those goblins?"

I nodded broadly.

"How?"

"...... I have lived among humans, hiding my elven identity beyond the mountains. I am an adventurer among them. My main work is a variety of chores, but I often have to defeat monsters. I gain a lot of knowledge as I go on with my life. It's not so difficult to move around while hiding from goblins."

"You mean, you've been able to get around under the goblins' noses?"

"That's right."

"You mean you can't ...... tell me exactly how?"

"It's the nature of adventurers. I can't reveal my handiwork."

I'll just say that and let it go up in smoke, because if you get into it too deeply, it'll come out.

Manuel looks me in the eye.

"You're not lying, are you?"

No, I'm lying a lot.

"Well, next. You're going to answer this one no matter what. How did you get here? At least to get in here you have to cross the territory of the Goriberingay. How did you get past the beasts?"

Would it be bad to answer honestly that it was a normal fight back and ploughed through?

"Is it correct to say that the Goriberingay is that humanoid monster?"

I saw Manuel nodding, and I wondered how I should answer, stalling the conversation.

"Yes, I was attacked, but to be honest it was tough to fight back, so I managed to escape."

"How?"

"First of all, they always attack in equal or smaller numbers. You know this."

"What?"

What? You didn't know that?

I thought about it for a minute and thought, well, that's right.

When dealing with them, they have the numbers, so they don't go it alone and there is a buffer on the way, the Dark Elven Village.

The chances of encountering them are probably reduced considerably, and it would not be unnatural if they did not know about it.

"It was quite a struggle, but I managed to disable one of the ones I faced and got away with it."

I added, in passing, 'I thought I was going to die'.

Manuel responded with a reaction that could be taken as either agitation or interest.

"Hmm. If you say you got out, did you go to the dark elves too?"

"Yeah, they showed me where this place is. They were very kind people."

"How is the chief over there?"

"If you're talking about Etienne, he was fine."

Manuel nodded, 'Oh yeah?'

His expression is heartily happy.

Oh? I thought you didn't get along?

"I see... Looks like you went through a lot."

Manuel, who had closed his eyes as if chewing for a while, regains his composure and continues his story.

"Well, in its own way."

"Last. Is this where you want to go?"

"This is it for now. I'm just a traveller, and once I've seen this place, I'll just continue my journey again. ...... if that's all right with you. ......"

"Yes. I understand your situation. Finally, just to confirm, you're not here to move in?"

"No, I don't."

I've made that clear.

I'm sorry, but I can't do group activities.

"...I see. Normally I would like to give a warm welcome to my compatriots who have come a long way, but the situation is what it is. I have to discuss it with others."

"I'm aware of the situation. I have nothing to hide. Talk about it until you're happy."

Actually, I've got nothing to be guilty of.

"Yes. Then you can spend the night here at Brosdan's house to recover from your journey. I'll tell you the result in the morning. But if..."

"Don't worry about that. If you say you can't, then I'll just leave. But I'm heading north, so I'd just like to be allowed through if possible."

"We'll discuss that as well. Then I'll leave you for today."

Manuel then left the house with his companion.

After he left, only me and Brosdan remained.

He exhaled heavily and sat there.

"Phew, I'm so nervous..."

"I'm sorry I put you through so much trouble."

When I said that, Brosdan shook his head exaggeratedly.

"No, it's not like that! But, Manuel, ...... will this ....... ...... go over well..."

"I wonder? I don't know. I'd be very grateful if you'd let me stay here for the night."

"Is that so?"

The reactions here give a sense of cultural differences.

"It's like that. Now, let's have a meal instead of paying for accommodation. I've brought some food with me, so why don't I treat you to a meal? And some meat, too?"

"Really!?"

Brosdan's face lights up.

I thought he would be pleased because meat seems to be very valuable here, but he bites more than I expected.

I smiled and took out some dried meat from my bag.