Graduated from Witchcraft Institute

We were taken to Finola, mother of Lephania, and walked about half a day out of the elf settlement into the woods.

And in the evening, when the appearance of the surrounding trees began to take on the shades of Zhu, we were to see one cave worn under the cliff.

One elf man stood with a bow in front of the entrance to the cave, but when he admitted this one, he rushed over and spoke to Finola.

"Finola! You've come back often. -That's your daughter and the warriors in that settlement. Are you with... humans, and cat people (Myr)? What's this all about?

The elf peeks into our line and asks that towards Finola.

In addition to me and the four Satsuki, Cyril and Mi, the total number of Elf warriors with them was about ten.

"I'll gather everyone around and explain later. - The orcs haven't found this place yet, have they?

"Oh, that's okay"

Finola shows satisfaction with the watch elf's reply and takes us to the cave.

I followed her and eventually stepped into the cave.

Satsuki, Cyril, and Mi follow me, followed by Lephania and other elf warriors.

The cave was tunneled like it could have been made by sliding through a wall of red earth.

The height of the ceiling is so slightly beyond my reach that the road is about the same width.

I have a somewhat more cramped impression than the caves I met with the Lephanias.

When Finola takes you on, the tunnel curves to the right once large on the way, then straight for about twenty meters, then breaks to the left and goes ahead.

It should also be noted that the tunnel is equipped with lights at regular intervals from somewhat deeper to earlier due to light (light) spells, and there was no need to provide separate lights here.

Elf warriors will hear that many of them use magic as well as swords and bows, which means that these kinds of arts and crafts are possible.

While I admire it, I confirm for Finola, who walks forward.

"Is the survival of the elves who lived in the settlement of Finola gathered in this cave?"

"Oh.... but only those I have guided. When the orcs attacked him, many fled scattered. We are gathered here only to be some of our surviving compatriots"

"What are the chances of joining the rest of the survivors?"

"No. Some may have based somewhere else, and many will be lost on the streets. Ask for a neighboring elf settlement to be protected, I hope..."

Speaking so, Finola steps into the hall at the end of the tunnel.

There were about twenty elves in that hall, and they were delighted with Finola's return with a look that gave them a slight glimpse of hope in the dark.

Finola tells the leader of the room a word or two, then goes further into the back.

From the hall, there's a passageway... a tunnel that leads us further.

I go on, I hit Finola with a question.

"Why did the Finolas choose this cave as their base?

To this question of mine, Finola has turned her suspicious face.

"... what does that mean"

"It means exactly what you say. I want to hear why you chose this place. It was secured in advance as a base for evacuation, doesn't it?

When I heard that, Finola, walking ahead, often reticed and then responded.

"Oh. This is what I stumbled upon while I was guiding everyone away. As a base, I wanted to avoid a place that would rain, and moderately far from our settlement, which was also attacked at a distance. So-so in size. I decided it was desirable as a first base."

I rated that Finola's decision as reasonable to some extent.

But on top of that, I'll mention what I care about.

"I support that Finola judgment, too. But... other than the entrance ahead, is there a way in and out of this cave?

"... no, at least not to the best of my knowledge,"

"If so, this is not a defensive base. It's a big danger."

"... what do you mean?

Finola stopped and turned around.

I urge her to keep going with the trick, make sure she starts walking again according to it, and keep talking.

"The worst part is that this is the trail. If this cave can be found by the Orcs and attacked by a large army, all the elves here will be crushed with no escape and killed to the last one, or taken prisoner and made their toys."

…………

"Other than that, it's a long, short time. The narrowness of this passage, for example, will be negative in that it does not take advantage of agility for the elves, but if it is as narrow as this, the orcs will all be miserable and cramped with that physique. Besides, there are some parts of the terrain that seem to favour this one. In that sense, I can't say it's suitable for interception, but it's still a bad idea not to have a way out. I don't know what my enemies would do if they had the wisdom to turn around."

"... mmm"

To my point, Finola looked like a jerk.

If you compare it to a human, it goes hand in hand with the youthful appearance that you can see in your early twenties, which makes you look much cuter.

But a race called Elf lives far longer than a human being, and she is many times more likely to be a senior in life than I am.

Sometimes even Lephania is significantly older than me.

Because the first encounter was in that form, I'm having the same cheerful way of talking as I am in that flow, but maybe it's supposed to hit me with rudeness.

But it's easier not to go up and down when we talk about strategy and tactics, so I'm going to let you go in the same way.

Thinking about it like that, Finola crushes like a bump and a stiffness.

"... I'm ashamed, you seem to be right. Tell everyone what you're talking about and consider moving your base."

She seemed to fold into the grid in herself, and the words were constructive.

I thought the breadth of her vessel, which allowed young people like me to take their opinions apart, was something to admire.

Well, after that, we were led through the cave by Finola.

There were several halls in the cave, shaped as it was connected by a passage, with nearly a hundred elves in total staying in the cave.

The story is that there were originally more than three hundred elves in Finola's elf settlement, so this would still only mean that there were about a quarter of them, and that the remaining three quarters or so of the elves were either missing, fled to another base, or killed or captured by orcs.

The elves in the cave, as a whole, appeared bright without brightness in their expressions.

It won't even be possible.

Because for them there is a huge budget of friends and family being killed, or captured and miserable.

It should be noted that there were several wounded elf warriors in the cave, and they had Cyril running around doing a healing miracle.

I hear that the elves have no ideological soil to believe in God and that the elf settlements have none of the clerics (holy orders).

Therefore there was no one in the elf settlement who could use the miracle of healing, and Cyril was appreciated by the elf warriors without exception.

And some of the elf warriors treated by her also appeared to think she had become a passionate fan of hers, and Cyril herself, stuffed with gratitude, seemed greatly bewildered.

I didn't know what the hell it meant for her to send me the kind of gaze she'd explore.

Finola, on the other hand, thought she'd be a leader and warrior when she finished showing us all the way through the cave, and suggested that we should explain what I told her earlier and move the base.

Among the assembled elves, the debate gradually inclined in the direction of whether a suitable location could be found as a base beyond this one, and concerns about pleasure moderation and health hazards caused by being based in a place exposed to wind and rain, but that would also be unavoidable if the benefits and risks were weighed.

That's how the debate progressed, and eventually the story was packed with regard to the specific relocation plans - such an arrowhead.

An elf watching at the entrance to the cave rushed into the hall where it was a place for discussion.

He rushes to Finola to report, letting him out of breath.

"Finola! I sensed an orc and a thought existed! That number is thirteen! It's coming this way!

"─ What!?"

Finola stood up and tension ran on the face of everyone who was on the spot.