Chapter 139

Instead of asking Paras to help me obtain the Gryphons.

I asked for the ‘Elves’ themselves to help me.

Help… though I said help, it was a gamble on my part.

‘How will Paras take it?’

In fact, objectively speaking, asking the entire Elf race to help me was a very selfish request.

It was dragging a peacefully living race into a war.

If someone else were to make such a request to me… I would refuse immediately.

I might pretend to consider it out of courtesy.

‘Because that’s the realistic thing to do.’

Paras always called me family, ‘nephew’, and treated me warmly.

But before that, Paras was an Elder Elf. He was an Elven royal. He was in the same position as me, responsible for those who believed in and followed him.

‘So, let’s not be disappointed even if he refuses. Instead, I should try to get the Gryphons somehow—.’

As I was thinking, Paras smiled faintly and spoke.

“Is that what you want?”

“……?”

What? Why is he smiling like that?

“Uh… yes. That is what I want. I wish for you to help my kingdom.”

“I see.”

Paras was still smiling. He was also nodding his head, looking at me as if he were proud.

This was different from the reaction I had expected.

Pat—.

Paras suddenly put his arm around my shoulders and led me into the Foothill's Rest.

“Leonardo. Listen well. I’m telling you this because you know the true meaning of ‘family’.”

“Yes.”

“You don’t have to ask for favors so difficultly among family.”

“……”

“There are so many heavy and worrisome things in the world. Shouldn’t you at least be able to talk comfortably about anything with your family?”

“Ah……”

As I nodded my head reluctantly, Paras chuckled again. It felt like an adult finding a very young child’s serious worry over something trivial cute.

“Child, you follow along too. You said your name was ‘Yoanna’, right?”

“Eh? Ah, yes! Understood!”

Yoanna, who had been watching the situation blankly from behind, came closer.

Paras spoke casually as he led me and Yoanna deeper into the forest.

“It seems all the humans in your kingdom feel like family to you. People you want to take responsibility for, and protect.”

“……”

“I will take you to your grandfather, the elder. Tell him directly. That to save your many family members in the kingdom, you need the help of another family, the Elves.”

Really, the conversation went much better than I had expected.

It was almost as if Paras was saying that the Elves would help me.

‘Are the Elves really going to help me?’

—Such a hope suddenly arose.

But I decided not to let my guard down.

‘No, it’s not certain yet.’

Paras spoke as if it were no big deal, but he had definitely said it just a moment ago. To ask for help from my grandfather—the Elven Elder.

That meant the final decision-maker was the elder.

‘I need to check the diary before I meet the elder. It might not be easy to persuade him.’

Come to think of it, there was content about the elder in the Future Diary before.

It said the Elven Elder didn't even listen to my greeting properly and scolded me.

And it also said he used magic to chase me out of the forest.

‘Of course, the situation is a little different now from that future… but I should always think of the worst.’

Let’s check the diary as soon as we get to the Elven village.

***

The Elven village at the center of the Foothill's Rest, ‘Roterion’.

The elder's house in the center.

The Elven Elder, Elvandor, was talking with a small squirrel.

It was about Leonardo and Paras's conversation.

“Hmm… I see. Thank you, for relaying the story.”

—Nod!

“Do you have anything else to say?”

—……Squeak!

“Ah, yes. I was supposed to give you a bag of peanuts today. I'm sorry. My memory is getting hazy as I get older.”

Elvandor smiled warmly and opened a drawer. Inside the drawer was a cloth bag too luxurious to be called a peanut bag.

In fact, the cloth was indeed a precious cloth. It was a cloth imbued with the Elven Elder's magic, which preserved the freshness of food.

“Here it is. Don't eat it alone, you must share it.”

—Nod! Nod!

The squirrel put down the walnut it was holding and instead took the peanut cloth bag and quickly disappeared.

Watching the squirrel's retreating back, Elvandor let out a chuckle.

‘Did it leave the walnut for me to crack?’

Like this, that squirrel was cute, and on the outside, a normal squirrel, but.

That squirrel was actually a family member Elvandor had known for over 100 years.

Thud—.

Elvandor put the walnut in his desk drawer for now. He had something to think about rather than cracking walnuts right now.

‘All the humans in the Plank Kingdom are his family… my grandson is a truly kind-hearted child.’

He was truly pleased. He was also proud.

He even wanted to boast in front of all the Elves, saying, 「“This is my grandson!”」

But.

‘Still… even so, I truly resent that child.’

Paras had said it before.

The story that, 「“My sister’s body weakened rapidly after giving birth to her third child, and she died from an illness.”」

The ‘sister’ Paras mentioned was, of course, Elvandor's daughter, Victoria.

‘It is not Leonardo's fault that Victoria died of an illness. Leonardo did nothing wrong. Rather, I should be the one to comfort that child who lost his mother at a young age.’

……However.

‘This resentful feeling just won’t go away.’

There may be no finger that doesn’t hurt when you bite all ten.

But among them, Victoria was a particularly painful finger.

Victoria was always a bold, beautiful, and wonderful Elder Elf.

Elvandor had no doubt that Victoria would succeed him as the elder.

‘But one of the culprits who caused such a child to die… is my grandson.’

Whoooosh—.

—!

—!

—!

—!

As Elvandor's emotions grew intense, a heavy and sharp wind arose in the room. The animals in his house were startled, hid, and fled outside.

“Ah… I shouldn't.”

Calming his heart again, Elvandor stared into the air.

‘Victoria. What do you wish for me to do? For the sake of your son, who killed you, my most beloved child, should I ask other Elves for sacrifice and devotion, or should I refuse him coldly?’

Whatever you say.

Honestly, I…….

‘I want to refuse. In all my life, nothing good has come from getting involved with humans. My grandfather, and my father, they said so too.’

As Leonardo was slowly approaching Roterion.

Elvandor's head and heart were heavy.

***

I followed Paras deep into the Foothill's Rest for quite a long time.

As time passed, Paras returned to his usual self.

He would say things to me like, 「“So, that child isn't a 'real' wife candidate? She’s pretty, though? Even if not as much as an Elf, she's in the top tier among humans, isn't she?”」 or, 「“Leo, be careful of Jereuth. There are surprisingly many women who like that kind of dignified grandfatherly type. You can't think he’s not your rival just because he’s an old man! Got it?!”」… mostly talking about my love life.

I laughed it off lightly, but Yoanna was startled every time she was mentioned.

For some reason, she was red up to her neck.

‘Marriage… yes, I'll do that someday, but now is not the time. I don't have the capacity for things like dating.’

As I was having such thoughts.

Paras suddenly went ahead quickly and spoke with an exaggerated gesture.

“Well! That over there is the Elven village, Roterion. What do you think? Isn't it pretty?”

I looked ahead.

And what I saw was—

“Ah……!”

When I went to Misty Port before, the Ateras Gorge I had seen.

I felt a similar sensation.

I could feel a wondrous and mysterious beauty.

It was to the point where I felt the illusion that my head was clearing.

Swoooosh—.

A fairly deep stream cut through the center of the forest.

And I could see a bridge made of pure white stone and wood crossing that stream.

Across the stream, there were buildings made of pure white stone and wood, and they had the feeling of ‘a home that best harmonizes with nature’.

‘It’s exactly as described in the Future Diary…….’

It was much more beautiful than nature left as it is.

—The diary had said so, and I had wondered to what extent, but it was exactly as it said.

I could see Elves peeking at me from the windows of the houses made of pure white wood and stone. I could feel a sense of ‘welcome’ rather than hostility or interest towards an outsider.

—Hellooo!

An Elf child I had never seen before waved.

I waved back without realizing it.

‘Somehow… it feels like I've returned to a home I left a long time ago. Everyone is truly welcoming me.’

As I was blankly looking around Roterion.

Paras patted my shoulder and spoke.

“Then, Leo, wait here for a moment. I'll go and tell the elder you've arrived. Well, that old man probably already knows anyway.”

“Just a moment, uncle. Is there a place I can rest before I see the elder? I'm tired from the long journey.”

“Ah, then I'll take you to my house first. Aren't you hungry?”

“I’m fine for a meal.”

“Alright. Follow me.”

***

Paras's house.

I looked at the scenery outside the window and thought reluctantly.

‘……It's so high.’

Paras's house was on top of a tall tree. A very tall tree.

There were stairs built around the tree, so I could walk up, but since I'm not a big fan of high places, I was honestly a bit scared on the way up.

The view from the window was truly a forest—or perhaps a ‘jungle’. The forest stretched endlessly to the north, and it continued quite far to the south as well.

Before I came to this world, it was my dream to leave the city and travel to a forest like this.

That aside.

‘I need to check the diary.’

Paras took me to his house and then immediately went to see the elder. I didn't know when he would be back, but I needed to read the Future Diary beforehand and come up with a strategy to persuade the elder before he returned.

I spoke to Yoanna, who was standing blankly in the middle of the house, looking around.

“Yoanna, you must be tired too, so get some rest. If you want to wash up, you can.”

“No! It’s alright! While Your Highness rests, I will stand guard—!”

“It’s fine, so get some rest. And there are only Elves here, so there’s no danger.”

“But still……”

“It’s an order.”

“……Understood.”

As expected, Yoanna was such a diligent knight that she only listened to ‘orders’.

Yoanna kept glancing at me, as if she felt sorry for resting while I was around. But she seemed to want to wash up and rest herself, so she slowly went to the bathroom.

Thud—.

Yoanna closed the bathroom door.

I immediately took out the Future Diary from my backpack and opened it.

Swish—!

First, I checked the 'future closest to the present'.

…….

It was almost sunset when Paras returned home.

“Hmm… Leo, let’s go see the elder first.”

Paras's voice was a bit heavy. For some reason, I could also feel a sense of apology towards me.

From the emotion in his voice, I could vaguely tell that Paras had failed to persuade the elder.

‘……It seems Paras couldn't persuade the elder. To have the Elves help humans.’

If Paras had persuaded the elder and the Elves were to help the Plank Kingdom, that would have been the best development for me.

However, as if my life wasn't meant to be that easy… it didn't happen.

‘Can I persuade the elder myself?’

Honestly, I wasn't confident.

…….

This was the first chapter of the future closest to the present.

I immediately checked the next chapter.

…….

Leaving Yoanna at Paras's house, I followed Paras and arrived at the elder's house.

Knock, knock—.

“Elder, I've brought Leonardo.”

—Come in.

The elder's voice from inside the door was truly that of a ‘dignified sage’.

The voice of an enlightened old man.

Creeak—.

Paras opened the door and went in, and I followed behind him.

‘Hmm… the Giant elder Barut's house was like this too, but the Elf elder's house is also very modest.’

The difference between the two elders' houses was that Barut's house was decorated with steel armor and armaments.

The Elf elder's house was decorated with books and wooden vines.

I could also see animals peeking out their heads here and there.

After looking around the house for a moment, I took a deep breath and greeted the elder.

“It's a pleasure to meet you, Elder. My name is Leonardo. From the Plank Kingdom, south of the Foothill's Rest—.”

“The king. The Plank Kingdom, where the man who seduced my daughter was king. And now you are the king of that kingdom.”

……I had expected it, but the elder's voice was colder than I thought.

“Paras, you may leave. You all may leave as well.”

“Yes, Elder.”

—Tatata.

At the elder's words, Paras and the animals left the house. I hadn't noticed before, but with all the animals gone, the house became deathly quiet.

The sound of the stream from outside also seemed to have quieted down.

“Sit.”

Rustle—.

As the elder spoke while extending his hand, a chair made of wooden vines was created behind me.

Magic was something I could never get used to, no matter how many times I saw it.

As I sat on the wooden vine chair, the elder spoke with his back to me, looking out the window.

“My name is ‘Elvandor lo Tera Roterion’. If you had been born in this village, you would have had the name ‘Leonardo lo Tera Roterion’.”

“Ah, yes. My name is—.”

“‘Leonardo von Plank’, I presume. Just as my daughter abandoned the name Roterion and became ‘Victoria von Plank’.”

“……”

“Do you happen to know the meaning of the name ‘Leonardo’?”

The meaning of my name?

‘The meaning of a name… I've never thought about it.’

“You don't seem to know.”

“Uhm… yes. I'm sorry.”

“There is nothing to be sorry for. It is natural not to know if your mother did not teach you. Then, let us get to the point.”

Elvandor continued to speak.

“I heard from Paras. Soon, a monster army will advance on your kingdom, and you are seeking the help of the Elves to stop it. Is that correct?”

Elvandor asked me, ‘Is that correct?’

But I could tell that he already knew everything.

Still, since he asked me, I had to answer.

“That is correct. To save my family in the Plank Kingdom, I came to another family—.”

“If you are going to say you came to ask the Elves for sacrifice and devotion, there is no need to say it. I have heard well from Paras that you, like an Elf, know the meaning of ‘family’.”

“……”

“First, let me say one thing. The reason I invited you to my home is because you are in the same position as me, a ‘king’. In other words, I invited you out of respect for you as a 'king'. Not as family.”

Not invited as family?

“What do you mean—.”

“You are certainly my precious family. And among family, you are even more precious blood. Even if human blood is mixed, you are certainly a family and royalty of the Elves.”

“……”

“But at the same time, you… no, 'humans' are the ones who killed the child I loved most. If it weren't for your father, ‘Philip’, my daughter would still be living happily and peacefully in this village.”

As Elvandor spoke.

Whoooooooosh—!

A wind rose in the house. It was a gentle wind, but it was a wind that felt distinctly sharp and frightening.

What was strange was that the wind did not make me uncomfortable at all.

I could even keep my eyes wide open in such a strong wind.

A frightening and sharp wind. But a wind that did not harm me.

Through that wind, Elvandor spoke.

“Leonardo von Plank, king of humans who does not even know the meaning of his own name. I am sorry. I cannot help you. No, I cannot even look at you properly. Your eyes resemble my dead daughter's too much.”

“……”

“However, I will permit Paras to help you personally. I also permit you to go to the cliffs of the Gryphons, and if you gain the acknowledgment of a Gryphon, I permit you to take that Gryphon with you. But beyond that, I cannot offer any help.”

Elvandor finished speaking while still facing away from me, looking out the window.

Of course, I couldn't just back down like this.

So, I stood up from my seat to say something.

But before I could even speak—

Thwip— Thwip— Thwip— Thwip—.

“W-wait a minute—!”

The wooden vines that had been my chair bound me and threw me out of the house.

Even in that urgent situation, Elvandor's voice reached my ears.

“……But I truly do not wish for your death, so if you wish, you are welcome to stay in this village.”

Slam—!

The door to Elvandor's house closed.

“……So the talk is already over, Leonardo.”

Outside, Paras was standing with an apologetic expression, closing his eyes and letting out a sigh.

His expression was as if he knew it would turn out this way.

This was the last content of the future closest to the present.

Of course, it was not the content I had hoped for.

‘The only fortunate thing is that the elder treated me quite warmly. In the Future Diary before, he had chased me out without even talking to me properly. ……But the conclusion is still the same. I failed to persuade the entire Elf race to help me.’

What should I do?

How should I speak to persuade the elder?

‘The reason the elder doesn't want to help me. It's because his daughter died early because of me, because of humans. So he resents me and hates humans.’

So if I can make Elvandor not resent me and humans.

Then I will be able to get the Elves' help.

The only problem is.

‘……How do I do that? The elder seems to think of me and humans as his daughter's enemies?’

To persuade such an elder…….

Hoo—.

A sigh escaped me on its own.

But still.

‘There must be a way to persuade him. There must be.’

I thought it over carefully while reading the Future Diary.

How could I melt Elvandor's heart and change his mind?