Legend

It was the old man who showed up out of the bush. It was also familiar to Ray... and to the others.

Representing the Rays, the marina opens her mouth.

"Grandpa!?

Yes, it was Optis who showed up scratching the bushes to be the grandfather of the marina and elder of the dark elf settlement in this forest...... acting like a village chief.

But Ray wonders as he looks at such an optis.

Ray was having a conversation with Optis yesterday, and that's why I understood that the voice calling earlier Polo was not Optis' voice.

I guess that was the same with the marina.

I've known Optis longer than Ray, so that was natural.

That's why Marina asks Optis, who came out of the bush.

"Grandpa, your voice earlier wasn't Grandpa, was it? Whose voice is that?

"Marina. I've had a hard time with the world tree. Even from afar, the world tree regained its power. Well, that's what I heard earlier. Let me introduce you. Earth."

With Optis' voice, one man emerges from behind it.

Looks like something like late teens a little older than Ray?

The height is about one head bigger than Ray's, and he's tough compared to Ray the female face... he has a masculine face.

Brown hair catches my eye as if I had made the earth itself my hair.

It would make it easier to move. He was wearing a breastplate made of monster leather.

I guess the chest, not the leather armor kind, is for more ease of movement.

And he carries a bow and an arrow barrel that seems to be a magic item, with a dagger-fitted sheath on his hips.

All in all, it was obvious that it was an equipment that valued lightness, and that the way men fought was one that took advantage of speed.

"Huh!? Grandpa Optis, these people..."

A person called Earth looks at the Rays... no, it breathes a moment to see Seto on Rays' side, to be exact.

But seeing Seto's appearance didn't seem to disturb him, I guess it shows how the man's stomach stood.

"Hmm, I told you, didn't I? Nan's grandson, Marina, and his son-in-law, Ray. This is Earth. I'm not an adventurer here to look into forest freaks. I just met him in the woods. At first, I thought it was an enemy, but I should talk to him."

"Grandpa..."

It was the wand that Optis always used that turned the marina's gaze on her as if she were stunned.

Confirming that there was no blood on the cane, the marina exhales in relief and then calls out to the earth, which is blinded to Seto.

"Looks like your grandfather took care of you... I thought you said Mr. Earth. Is that carbuncle your obedience?

"Huh? Oh, yeah, I am. At all, I thought you were gone, and you were playing with someone else in a place like this?

"Polo!

To Earthly's words, Polo rings with joy.

For Polo, conversations with monsters like Seto and Yellow would have been so pleasant.

Seeing such a polo, Ground lowers his head to the marina with a grin that he had no choice.

"Looks like our polo's been taken care of..."

Some of the people around them express their surprise at the earth speaking to the marina without even showing their cowardice.

Ray, in particular, could not hide his surprise at how Ground was doing.

Marina is undoubtedly beautiful enough to be blinded and not so comfortable talking to someone with this much beauty.

No, you might be able to talk to him if you work hard, but still it's normal to be nervous.

But… now at the end of Ray's gaze, Earth is exchanging words with the marina without looking particularly impressed.

(Maybe there are beauties like Marina, Elaine and Vihera close by? Because it's possible that you're used to it)

That's how I thought Ray was, but when I see Earth inadvertently turning his gaze toward me, I have to interrupt that idea.

That's not just a glance, it's all the more so because the next moment he walked toward Ray.

"Hey, you're Ray... deep red, right?

"... oh"

Compared to when he was talking to Optis or Marina, Ray, speaking in a somewhat rambling tone, answers that briefly.

So while I'm at it, I'm on alert so I can activate Nebra's eyes at any time under the dragon robe.

I'm pretty sure Optis is no more of an enemy than he is with us, but he still can't totally believe a stranger.

I don't know if you've felt that tension in Ray, or if you're simply talking at your own pace, but Earth reaches out to ask for a handshake on Ray.

"I'm Earth. Rank C Adventurer. It's a pleasure for me to meet the rumor."

"It's Ray. Rank B Adventurer belonging to Gilm. So, that's Seto."

"Grrrrrr? Grrrrrr!

To Ray's call, Seto joyfully leans closer to Earth with his throat ringing.

If it were normal, it would only be fear that Griffon would approach.

... different story when it comes to the residents of Gilm, which is too special for Gilm but it is a late thing.

"Hmm? What? Hey, what's up? There you go."

Ground doesn't look frightened at all by Seto, but reaches for his head and strokes him.

"Grrrrrrrrrrrr!

Seto rubs his face against the earth, creating a lukewarm atmosphere.

That look of complete relaxation also surprises Ray.

Many times before, Ray has seen Seto miss his opponent.

Originally Seto is nostalgic and basically doesn't neglect against someone who adores him.

Beyond that, it's not uncommon to think of such a sight as normal either... but from Ray's eyes, there was something very different from normal.

Even when it comes to the same nostalgia, there are several nostalgia there.

For example, the person who caresses his head lightly and the person who gives himself food really puts the emphasis on the latter as well.

In that sense, Seto's current nostalgia for earth was quite nostalgic.

That's just as much against Mileyne and Johanna.

The way you gently rub your face against the body of the earth, as if it were smelling good from the body of the earth, seems relaxed even from the side.

(WHAT? Maybe you're even using some special magic item? Or is it just physical?

In doubt, Fujirai's gaze is directed towards the non-polo and seto monsters on this occasion...... the yellow one.

Yet there was nothing in particular about the yellow, and he went back under Elaine and was caressed in silence.

That looks different no matter how you look at it compared to Seto, who is nostalgic for Earth.

"Look, look, how's that? Is this it? Does this feel good? Here."

At the end of Ray's gaze, Ground was grinning and stroking Seto.

Watching you play like that, I don't really think Ground is using some kind of magic item to stir up Seto...

Ray was uncommonly wondering what to do, but after seeing how Ray was doing like that, Marina calls out to Earth.

"Is it time? This is near the Dark Elf settlement for once. He said he was here to check out the forest anomalies, but can you tell us a little more about them? Of course, I don't think there's anything more backward than Grandpa showing you around.... Oh, yeah. You forgot to introduce yourself."

Once the words are cut, the marina smiles small and opens her mouth.

"I'm Marina. Marina Ariansa. Grandpa there... granddaughter of the elder of the Dark Elf settlement in this forest."

"Huh? Elder!?

Haven't you heard from Optis about the area, Ground looks stunned at Optis.

Seeing that, Marina concluded that Optis and Earth would be the first to meet.

"Yes, Elder. So, by the way, I'm Guildmaster of the Guild of Adventurers"

"Huh!?

It must have been an unexpected word to get out of Marina's mouth, too. Ground stopped completely the hand he was stroking Seto and turned his gaze to those around him.

"So, maybe the others are important people, too?

"Right. That's Elaine Kelevel over there.... if I may say General Princess."

Ground, who turned his gaze toward Elaine, was surprised and already speechless.

Earthly enough to look as good as you can call it tough, but as far as I could tell he was thus eye-opening to surprise, he was also a familiar face somewhere.

(This kid is funny. Ground... That said, the name of the adventurer who attacked some dungeon about five years ago was Ground. Yeah, I'm talking about Tamer, and I'm pretty sure he's got a rare species of carbuncle called polo)

Speaking with Earth, I recall that it was a name I had previously heard at the Alliance Master's meeting.

"Uh, so... maybe that beauty over there is also a celebrity?

From Elaine and Marina, we were able to stare back directly from the front, but Vihella was not the only one who could see from the front.

The reason for this is, naturally, the thin clothes that Vihella is wearing.

Thin clothes that the other side can see through are not very much a substitute for the adventurer to wear.

It is a substitute for those in the profession, such as whores and dancers, on which Vihera was the most beautiful opponent Earth has ever seen.

Ground's female experience was too little to see from the front the absence of such a beauty either.

(Didn't think there was someone prettier than Liv)

One way or another, the woman in close relationship, such as a friend or less than a lover in the back of her brain, is too much.

I leave my usual expression unchanged on the liv behind my brain...... then I feel like I've been turned to a jito eye that I can understand because I'm intimate with him, and Ground rushes to shake his neck to the side to get rid of his guilty thoughts.

I guess such earthly behavior is easy to foresee for Marina. Smile small and open your mouth.

"Right. I can't tell you exactly what's going on, but I'm pretty sure he's important."

"... others too?

"Well, I don't know. Maybe it is, and maybe it isn't.... well, as for that anyway. We were talking about you coming to check out the forest freaks, but whose request? I'm basically supposed to stay out of the woods around here."

"It's a request from a cross trader."

"... I see, you're a cross merchant. I know who you're talking about. Then you'll be convinced."

Cross is a village not far from this forest.

The marina was convinced by the village's merchant that the Dark Elf settlement was a small deal with the cross merchant.

I'm sure the lord ruling the cross would like to do business with the dark elves more dramatically if he could, but as a dark elf, he was moving on in the direction of avoiding human involvement as much as he could.

As a result, the deal was narrow.

A lord who had ruled the cross in the past tried to raid a dark elf settlement, which was consequently heavily damaged by a counter-attack, and eventually collapsed, and then came more than the current lord's lineage. Nor did the current lord attempt to mimic it forcefully.

That's why we give the cross generous protection, but we don't imitate it like a compulsion.

Part of it was this Earth dispatch.

(I guess I pay the reward instead, to be exact)

That's what Marina expects.

Some people in a village called Cross do business with dark elves, but they are still thin.

If such villagers ask me if I can afford to save enough to hire a Rank C Adventurer, I have to lean my neck.

In other words, it was likely that some of the rewards for the request to have this forest anomaly examined… or the full amount was out of the lord.

"So, I was looking into the woods, and the polo guy ran out of nowhere... and I was chasing after it, and I met Grandpa Optis"

"You've been well."

That's what I told him yesterday, Ray, when Optis suddenly put up a fight.

But Earth tilts his neck in such a way that he doesn't know what he's talking about in Ray's words like that.

Determining that he probably didn't do anything to set up a fight over such an earthly appearance, Ray turns a jitty eye to Optis.

Ray's gyto-eyed Optis softly strays his gaze.

Ray turns his gaze to such an optis, but still Optis kept looking away even.

"Ha... let's both be around that. I'm going back to the settlement. I found your grandfather.... can you come earth too?

"Huh? Oh, yeah. I don't mind... Um, can I just leave those two alone?

"It's okay. It just fits."

Saying so, Marina sighed and turned her gaze toward the settlement.