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“My name is Erulala Zaphyra Fyrasilula Akatsuka. If that’s too long and hard to say, please just call me Eru.”

That was the name of the elf woman standing before me—the owner and proprietress of the Elf’s Restful Pavilion, who had once lived in Japan.

.

“—So, you came to this world after your husband passed away, Eru-san?”
“Yes. After Yasutaka-san… after my husband lived out his natural life, I came to this world using the power of a dagger imbued with magic that allows me to cross worlds. For me, this world is the third world, following my home world and Earth.”

Sitting at the counter of Elf’s Restful Pavilion, Tatsumi and Calcedonia listened as Eru recounted her life story.

Once upon a time, Eru was hurled from her home world to Japan due to the runaway power of a certain magical item.

There, she met various people, was helped by them, and eventually even obtained Japanese citizenship and officially married as a Japanese citizen.

However, she and her husband were unable to have children, and as an elf with a lifespan far longer than that of humans, she used that magical item again after her husband passed away to come to this world about 20 years ago.

“But the fact that the hostess was from the same country as my husband… I was really surprised, to say the least.”
“I was too. Who would’ve thought that you were a cockatiel in your past life, Calcie-san, and that you managed to summon Tatsumi-san out of your deep love for him.…? If you think about it normally, it’s not something you’d even imagine, let alone believe.”

Tatsumi, Calcedonia, and Eru were having a lively conversation, reminiscing about Japan.

Incidentally, since this conversation among the three was being held in Japanese, the mabeast hunters desperately eavesdropping nearby couldn’t understand a word.

“A cockatiel, huh. I’ve never owned one myself, but I used to see them often at pet stores. They were so cute… Come to think of it, he liked animals too, didn’t he?”

Eru turned her gaze toward a photo frame displayed on the counter.

In the photo were she and three young men and women, all about high school age. Presumably, the boy standing next to Eru in the photo was her husband.

The gaze Eru was now directing at the photo was incredibly tender. It was clear to Tatsumi and Calcedonia that she still deeply loved her late husband.

After that, Tatsumi and the others enjoyed chatting about Japan.

Tatsumi and Eru, in particular, had rarely been able to talk about Japan before, and combined with a sense of nostalgia, their conversation really took off.

“Huh? You lived in Nisshin City, Aichi Prefecture, Eru-san? I used to live in Seto City…”
“What?! Nisshin and Seto were right next to each other, weren’t they?! I’ve been to Seto many times. I went to the Seto Pottery Festival, and in the fall, I’d go see the autumn leaves at Iwayado.”
“Hmm… On the other hand, I haven’t really been to Nisshin much. At most, I went to Aichi Farm on an elementary school field trip.”
“Maybe we even crossed paths somewhere, Tatsumi-san.”

Tatsumi and Eru are having a fun conversation. Meanwhile, Calcedonia looks a bit sulky, propping her chin on her hand at the counter.

Apparently, she wasn’t happy seeing Tatsumi chatting so happily with Eru.

Calcedonia does have some knowledge of Japan. However, since she used to be a cockatiel, her knowledge is extremely limited, so she can’t keep up with Tatsumi and Eru’s conversation.

Midway through his conversation with Eru, Tatsumi noticed Calcedonia’s expression. He reached out and gently stroked her hair.

That simple gesture was enough to instantly soften Calcedonia’s expression, which had been puffed out in a pout.

She smiled happily and let her head fall gently onto Tatsumi’s shoulder.

Seeing this exchange between the two, it was Eru’s turn to widen her eyes in surprise.

“…I’m surprised. I never thought Calcie-san would be this affectionate with a man…”

Back when she used to frequent this shop, Calcedonia would only exchange the bare minimum of conversation with men.

As a mabeast hunter, she had sometimes teamed up with other hunters for jobs. Even then, however, Calcedonia had never once shown any signs of being affectionate toward others.

It was a happy smile on Calcedonia’s face that even Eru had never seen before. And Tatsumi, receiving that smile, was smiling back just as warmly.

No words were exchanged between them, but perhaps words weren’t necessary in the first place.

Eru, too, sensed the unbreakable bond between the two of them, and a warm smile spread across her face.

.

“Now, once again, welcome to the Elf’s Restful Pavilion!”

After they’d finished discussing Japan, Eru changed her tone.

From here on out, they couldn’t just reminisce—they had to discuss what lay ahead.

Perhaps that was why. Eru switched from the Japanese she’d been using throughout the conversation to the Continental Trade Language, which is widely used across the Zoisalite Continent.

“This inn and tavern primarily serves as a base for mabeast hunters. I am the hostess, Erulala Zaphyra Fyrasilula Akatsuka. Of course, there are several other employees here besides me. I’m usually in the shop, but since the staff works in shifts, they may or may not be present.”

It’s not just mabeast hunters who gather at this tavern; information about mabeasts and requests for mabeast hunts also come in here.

Of course, some people visit simply as a regular tavern or diner to enjoy drinks and meals, while others come looking for a place to spend the night.

“Mabeast hunters don’t have a supporting organization like the ‘Guilds’ you see in games or novels. So, naturally, there’s no such thing as a rank system. The moment you decide, ‘I’m a mabeast hunter,’ that’s when you become one. Of course, whether you actually have the skill to defeat mabeasts is a whole other story.”

The requests for mabeast hunts that come into the tavern are basically first-come, first-served.

However, you have to judge for yourself whether a request is something you can actually handle.

Regulars and more experienced mabeast hunters might offer advice, but in the end, it’s your own responsibility.

“As the owner of this establishment, I simply cannot entrust a request to someone who can’t defeat the targeted mabeast. If you keep failing the requests we receive, it’ll damage this shop’s reputation. Even so, there are quite a few people who, without considering their own abilities, get lured by the reward and end up biting off more than they can chew. And it’s precisely those people who end up suffering serious, career-ending injuries—or, in the worst cases, never come back at all.”

“So, Tatsumi-san, please be very careful when accepting requests,” Eru added.

“I understand. I won’t rush into things—I’ll start slowly with simple jobs at first.”
“Yes, that attitude is what matters most.”

“By the way,” Eru prefaced, flashing a slightly meaningful smile.

“As the owner of this shop, I need to assess just how skilled you are, Tatsumi-san. So, I’d like to give you a little test. Would you be willing to take it?”

As someone responsible for arranging jobs for mabeast hunters, it was undoubtedly important for her to assess the skills of the hunters who gathered at her shop.

The test Eru mentioned was surely designed to gauge the minimum level of ability required of a mabeast hunter.

So, Tatsumi agreed to take the test without hesitation.

.

“So, what’s the test like?”
“Ufufu. When it comes to putting a newcomer to the test in a situation like this, it’s got to be the classic ‘Herb Quest,’ doesn’t it?”
“I see. So basically, I just need to gather a certain amount of some kind of herb, right?”
“Yes. But it doesn’t have to be a certain amount—just a single plant will do. Go and get the medicinal herb I’m about to name and bring it back here. That’s your test, Tatsumi-san.”

The herb Eru specified seems to be called Gurendan. Apparently, it’s been used in this region since ancient times as an ingredient for wound ointments and to prevent infections.

“Since this is strictly a test for Tatsumi-san, Calcie-san, you cannot accompany him.”
“Yes, I understand.”

Caledonia answered obediently, but her expression seemed somewhat disheartened. She probably didn’t want to be separated from Tatsumi, even if only temporarily. That said, she certainly couldn’t afford to be selfish here.

“But I’ve never actually seen that Gurendan herb before…”
“Gurendan is this kind of herb. Tzir-kun?”

When Eru spoke to the ring on her right middle finger, a tiny figure appeared atop it.

By Tatsumi’s estimation, it was about 15 centimeters tall. It was a stylized, three-headed version of a human, with two dragonfly-like wings on its back.

It wore green clothing and a triangular hat of the same color on its head. And above all, its most striking feature was a bulbous nose that seemed to dominate the center of its face.

The tiny figure smiled at Eru, then vanished immediately. Replacing it, a fresh, lush clump of grass materialized in Eru’s palm.

“This is the Gurendan herb. Be sure to memorize its characteristics well.”

The medicinal herb had suddenly appeared in Eru’s palm, just like a 3D image. Seeing this, Tatsumi couldn’t help but stare in astonishment.

“Th-that’s magic… right?”
“Yes, that’s right. I created this illusion by borrowing the power of a phantom spirit.”
“Huh?! I-is that what they call spirit magic?”

Spirit magic.

A magical system completely different from the incantation magic used by Calcedonia and the others.

Tatsumi didn’t know much about spirit magic either, but he did recall hearing about its existence from Giuseppe when he was summoned to this world.

And Giuseppe had said that it was a single woman who had spread that spirit magic.

“Could it be… the woman who spread the use of spirit magic is you… Eru-san?”

When Tatsumi asked that, Eru gave a shy smile.

“Hehehe. I suppose that’s technically true.”

She came to this world about 20 years ago.

At the time, several people took an interest in Eru’s magic—a completely new system that had never existed before—and became her disciples, seeking her guidance.

However, not all of her disciples were able to become practitioners of spirit magic.

To use spirit magic, one needs not only the innate talent of a mage but also a separate aptitude for communicating with spirits.

For that reason, even among the already scarce number of mages, only a handful are capable of mastering spirit magic.

It was about 10 years ago that her few disciples began to acquire a certain level of skill and gain public recognition. Consequently, the prevailing view among the general public was that spirit magic had only become widespread about 10 years ago.

“I’ve been nothing but surprised today. Not only did you once live in the same country as my husband, but you’re also the founder of spirit magic?”

It seemed that even Calcedonia hadn’t known that Eru was the founder of spirit magic.

Calcedonia hadn’t been a regular at this shop for very long. During that short time, she had never seen Eru use spirit magic.

“Now then, Tatsumi-san. Have you memorized the characteristics of the Gurendan herb?”

The phantom image of the Gurendan herb still hovered in Eru’s palm.

Tatsumi stared intently at the phantom, committing its overall shape, color, and characteristics to memory.

But just by looking at this phantom, he wasn’t entirely confident he’d be able to identify the actual herb.

So, Tatsumi decided to rely on the tools of modern civilization.

Tatsumi took something out of the small pouch hanging from his waist. It was one of the items he’d brought with him when he was summoned to this world: a cell phone.

His cell phone was an old-fashioned “feature phone.” However, since it was a light-powered model, it still worked perfectly well.

Of course, he can’t use it for its original purpose—making phone calls. But he can use features like the built-in digital camera.

Tatsumi launched the camera app and took a photo of the medicinal herb in Eru’s hand. Now he’d be able to refer to the photo of the herb whenever he needed to.

Then, seeing Tatsumi fiddling with his cell phone, Eru let out a surprised gasp.

“Wow, that’s quite the antique. Is that a model from the early 2010s? By the time I started living in Japan, that type was already in the minority.”
“True, I was in Japan in the mid-2010s… but even though feature phones are old-fashioned, there are still quite a few people who use them. I wouldn’t say they’re antiques, though??”
“Huh? The mid-2010s?”

Eru looked completely bewildered. Tatsumi finally realized there was a slight disconnect in their conversation.

“Um… Eru-san, until about when were you in Japan?”
“I was in Japan until the 2080s…”

Eru was transported to Japan in the 2010s. That’s when she met her husband, who was still a teenager at the time. From then on, Eru spent about 70 years in Japan until her husband passed away of natural causes.

“…I see. So there’s a time discrepancy between when I was in Japan and when you were, Eru-san…”
“It seems so. Maybe when we crossed over between worlds, we crossed over time as well. After all, there’s no guarantee that time flows the same way in different worlds, and there’s no way to verify it. It’s possible that the Japan I was in and the Japan you were in, Tatsumi-san, are‘very similar, yet different versions of Japan.”

Tatsumi nodded in agreement with Eru’s words.

As Eru said, there’s no guarantee that time flows the same way in all different worlds. Perhaps there’s even a difference in the very speed at which time flows.

“But I think what’s more important is that Tatsumi-san and I were able to meet like this,”

Eru said with a bright smile.

.

“So, what should we do about the exam? You could go ahead and take it right now, if you’d like.”

With an expression like a child who’d just thought of a mischievous prank, Eru said to Tatsumi.

“You’re right. Let’s just get it over with.”

Tatsumi nodded at Eru’s words, then stood up from the counter and turned to face Calcedonia.

That was why Tatsumi didn’t notice the “Huh?” look that flashed across Eru’s face at that moment.

“Well then, I’m going to head home first to get ready, and then I’ll go pick some Gurendan herb. What about you, Calcie?”
“I’ll stay right here and wait for you to return, darling.”

Calcedonia’s voice was just as it always was. There wasn’t a trace of anxiety in it.

She probably didn’t even doubt for a moment that Tatsumi would pass the exam.

“By the way, Eru-san. Could I ask where that Gurendan herb grows…?”
“T-the Gurendan herb grows near the entrance to the forest, which you’ll reach if you head south for a while after exiting the city’s south gate… Are you seriously planning to go right now?”

When Tatsumi asked her, Eru couldn’t help but answer honestly.

After hearing from Eru where the herb grew, Tatsumi smiled, said, “I’ll be back,” and left the Elf’s Restful Pavilion right then and there.

Eru found herself watching Tatsumi leave, but only then did she finally snap back to her senses.

“C-Calcie-san!! Are you really going to let Tatsumi-san go like this?!”

Eru’s words were filled with panic.

But Calcedonia didn’t flinch; on the contrary, she replied to Eru with full confidence.

“It’s fine. My husband will get the medicinal herbs and be back in no time.”

However, one of the mabeast hunters—who had apparently been listening to their exchange nearby—interrupted with a worried expression.

“Hey, hey, ‘Holy Maiden.’ If he heads out of town right now to look for Gurendan grass, there’s a chance that guy might not make it back alive, you know?”

***

Note: For more details on Eru, who appeared in this chapter, please refer to my work, The Elf is a Freeloader