Author: Himezaki Shiu	Original Source: Syosetu
Translator: Jiro	English Source: Re:Library

Project GB is an official initiative by Re:Library.

After a fierce battle, the Elves managed to secure victory without any of them falling. However, the mood was hardly celebratory, as some of the Elf knights had lost their arms in the fight¹.

From what I witnessed, the Elves held the advantage in long-range combat, while the Beastmen excelled in close quarters. Despite the Beastmen’s strength in numbers, the Elves’ ranged attacks and skillful coordination ultimately led to their success.

However, due to my poor communication skills, I likely wouldn’t have been able to change anything even if I’d gone out. So I’d decided to simply wait and see how things would unfold.

If someone came to check on me, I would thank them, though I was certain their loyalty was not directed toward me, a young foolish girl, but rather toward the elven royalty.

Even so, I couldn’t help but feel sympathy for them, especially considering their sacrifices, even if such duty was part of their job, and it just wouldn’t sit right with me to ignore them when they’d lost their arms.

I waited to see if Sarok would appear, and as expected, he approached the carriage, fuming.

“Why didn’t you help²?!”
“You and the others are supposed to be my escorts, aren’t you, Sir Sarok? Why should the one you’re supposed to protect intervene in battle?”
“Still! There are those who lost their arms!”

Sarok was more passionate than I’d imagined. Still, it felt unfair for him to direct his anger toward me.

“If I was the target of their attack, I might have helped. But I believe that wasn’t the case. All I can do is thank them for fighting on my behalf. So thank you, Sir Sarok. You fought well.”

I bowed my head, and Sarok gritted his teeth, seemingly holding something back. If he were a knight, he would have likely faced more unreasonable situations than this, which urged him to swallow his frustration.

Besides, I had promised not to cause a disturbance, so even if I were attacked, I would only defend myself.

“Please tell that to the others as well.”
“Would it really be okay for me to go to them? I doubt it would leave a good impression.”
“Don’t take it wrong. They’re not thinking anything about you, Miss Finis. They’re simply upset about losing a comrade’s arm to the Beastmen.”
“If that’s the case, then I’ll go.”

After that exchange, I went to thank the guards, and they all accepted my condolences. It seemed Sarok had indeed been correct.

As our departure took longer than usual, I used the Saint skill to heal their wounds, which ended up lifting my spirits instead. Amid the noise, I returned to the carriage, and soon after, we began to move.

◇◇◇

The Tree of Spirits was, how can I put it, truly a tree? The massive tree housed a town within its crown.

I felt it was a bit of a missed opportunity that I hadn’t noticed it sooner, as I had been in the carriage, but as a former lover of novels, I was genuinely impressed by its fantastical nature.

“Do you like these kinds of things, big sister?”
“I’ve only encountered similar scenes in fairy tales. It’s astonishing to see it in person.”
“I see. Is there anything else you’d like to see then?”
“Of course. I’d love to see a floating island if there is one. I’d also like to witness a massive waterfall or a castle built on top of a cliff. If I had simply searched, I might have been able to locate everything else in the area around me aside from the floating islands, but I didn’t.”
“Thank you for sharing; it’ll be of great help³.”

I wasn’t sure what she meant when she said it’d be of great help, but I decided not to dwell on it.

(Speaking of which, let me confirm something.)

“Is the spirit inside the tree?”
“I’m almost certain it is. Its strength grows the higher up the tree you go, so it’s safe to assume it’s somewhere near the top.”
“I’m guessing the size of this tree must also be due to the spirit.”
“It is irregular, that’s for sure.”
“The spirits really are amazing.”

Lullus smiled happily at my comment.

If the tree was a town, then the upper levels were likely inhabited by those with higher status. Which made it certain that the royal family would have access to the spirit.

As I waited with Lullus, observing the surroundings, I suddenly noticed something.

Although a good number of Elves passed us, their overall skin tone was light. The Elves in the town we’d first visited had been the same. So, given that I had a similarly light skin tone, Lullus would be the one who stood out more.

Though given that about 10% of elves had blonde hair, it wasn’t likely that she’d stand out all that much.

As I was pondering those minor things, Sarok came back. His anger from after the fight with the Beastmen was nowhere to be seen, and he was acting as usual.

“Ladies, please wait in the carriage a moment longer while we take you to the King Floor.” He spoke in a polite manner, but there was a certain softness to it that I found quite impressive.

I couldn’t help but wonder if girls found this to be cool. So I looked at Lullus, but she showed no reaction.

“How do you go up?”
“This carriage is in fact a Magic Tool. It can float in certain places.”
“Oh, it can float…”

(How in the world does a damn carriage float?! Besides, if it can float, why didn’t you use something more appropriate for the carriage?! Like, I don’t know, something more magical looking, like a pumpkin⁴?)

While thinking this, the carriage began to move around the tree and floated up into the sky.

⇐ Previous

Next ⇒

⌈ Index ⌋

Footnotes:

Robinxen: That’s impressive in its own way.
Robinxen: I considered this as one of the possible reactions.
Robinxen: Pft, is God planning to promote Finis to a full god in the future with the spirits aid to rebuild the world? And the spirit is already taking notes on what sort of additions and changes to make?
Robinxen: What logic is this?!