-That sound again, again.
-I am a child who should not have been born.”
-Usually precocious kids like you think like that at least once, right? There’s nothing strange about it.
As usual, Winis responds with a playful voice. But Leffen did not lose his expression.
-Nothing strange? huh? Nothing strange?
Leffen spread his hands and scolded.
-A precocious kid would do something like that? What kind of precocious little boy would do something like that?
Winis’ expression became serious as she saw the crying child.
-Dad! Mom too! He died because of me! Those kids almost died because of me! I don’t know who else will die because of me in the future! But there’s nothing strange about it?
Leffen sat down on the ground. The child with the eyes of a dead person let out a helpless lament.
-Rather than continue living like this… … It’s better to die… … .
Winis looked down at the child. There was no longer the usual playfulness on his face. She said coldly.
-That is the stupidest of all stupid things.
match!
Leffen’s cheek turned. Even after being slapped, Leffen did not move a muscle. It was as if he expected Winis to slap him.
-Seeing as you’re not surprised, I guess you knew what I said was correct, right?
-At least I knew that Winis would think that way.
Leffen looked up at Winis without hiding his red cheeks.
Strong Winis.
Beautiful Winis.
Anyone in the world can’t help but envy her. Anyone in her world could not help but love her.
-I don’t know anyone as blessed as you. My feelings… … .
Leffen will have to live like this from now on.
You will become an object of contempt and fear from people, be persecuted, and spend your whole life curled up in the shadows like a rat.
Leffen looked up at Winis with a sneer on his lips.
-You know what? Feeling abandoned by the world?
Winis didn’t respond at all. There was silence.
Suddenly she opened her mouth in a low voice.
-… … I know, kid.
Winis looked at Leffen with calm eyes and put her hand to her ear.
-I know very well what it feels like to be abandoned by the world… … .
An earring with a blue gem, Winis lightly took it off. At that moment, a pale light flashed. Leffen’s eyes widened.
-… … uh?
Her earlobes changed. Rather than a round human shape, it has a long, pointed shape.
-Well, that’s… … ?
Winis smiled with a bitter face.
-The situation is different, but even if it’s like this, I’m not a very comfortable seller, right?
Leffen knew full well what those ears meant.
-L… … print?
3
A winter sky with a shining moon.
Winis was looking out the window in the cabin, holding Leffen in her arms.
With the child buried deep in my chest, I embrace him from behind and look up at the sky. And she speaks in a playful tone.
-Are you surprised, kid?
-huh… … .
Leffen quietly nodded while being held in his arms.
To be honest, I still couldn’t believe it.
-Winice is really an elf… … ?
Rependo knew quite a bit about the stories about other races, including elves. A wandering priest of Sayre would often come to the village and give sermons, and Leffen would sometimes hide outside the village hall and listen to the stories.
A species that lives only to serve humans.
A lowly being who was created as a slave from birth and can only feel happiness when living as a human slave. Without human mercy, he is no better than an animal.
But, Winis, who is confident and easy-going, is that elf?
-Yes, I am an elf. If this fact is revealed, slave hunters will come running right away. Elves are very expensive. In their eyes, I probably look like a piece of gold, right?
-Is that why you’re hiding like this?
-Well, it’s similar.
It is said that Winis originally formed a team with several human colleagues to explore dungeons. However, he made a mistake along the way and his identity was revealed.
-This earring is a magical tool with a magic effect. So it makes you look like you have normal ears like a human, but there was a space to remove magic in the dungeon you had the misfortune of going into? Thanks to you, it was revealed in a sad way.
The moment they realized that Winis was an elf, their colleagues’ attitudes changed. For an elf with excellent swordsmanship like her, her price was astronomical. It was an instant for the camaraderie and friendship to turn into desire.
-Well, there are all those guys!
Leffen became angry and raised his voice. Rather, Winis had to comfort him.
-There’s nothing to be so angry about. Because I understand everything.
In fact, Winis didn’t seem very angry.
-An elf the size of me can earn money to support almost three generations. Who wouldn’t be greedy when they can earn in one go the amount of money they could only earn by risking their lives and going in and out of dungeons for over 10 years?
-What is that? Even being nice has its limits!
-There’s nothing to be angry about? She died anyway.
-He died? … … Could it be Winis?
-They’re attacking me, saying they’ll catch me and sell me. What should I do then? I have to live too.
-… … I understand why you need to hide.
——————
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I didn’t know, but there was a bit of a scary side to it. Leffen clicked his tongue inwardly. I’ll have to be more careful when talking to Winis in the future.
-After all, it wasn’t the first time something like that had happened.
For the most part, I was able to hide my identity and get along well, but there were times, like this time, where I was unluckily exposed. Each time, Winis had to painfully realize that he was an elf and how the world viewed him.
-It’s not easy to live in this world.
Leffen looked up at Winis in silence.
Strictly speaking, her situation is different from his own. Because we are receiving greed and disregard from the world, not contempt and fear.
However, there is no difference in terms of living a difficult life.
-… … I thought Winis lived happily ever after. He is so confident, he seems to have no worries, and he has a lot of leisure… … .
-Because I lived a long time.”
After shrugging his shoulders, Winis helped Leffen up. Leffen asked innocently.
-How can I live like Winnies?
She spoke seriously, looking straight into the child’s eyes.
-I don’t know how to live yet, kid. So, they disguise themselves as elves and struggle in the human world.
Her voice came softly under the moonlight.
-Anyway, just being alive is enough to make a living, right? Because the living can choose death, but the dead cannot choose life.
If it were to come from someone who has lived a happy and peaceful life, there could be nothing more hypocritical than this.
However, the person who said those words was an elf who was persecuted on the continent.
-So just live for now. As we live, good days may come, or they may not. But if you die, good days will never come.
Leffenhardt nodded.
-Yes, Winis.
☆ ☆ ☆
Even after that day, Winis’ attitude did not change. He was still cheerful, playful and confident.
The long ears that showed elf characteristics were also hidden again. You never know when you might get caught, so you have to be careful at all times.
Leffen, who was cleaning, tilted his head.
-Looking at it this way, Winis really seems human.
Seeing her with shortened ears, somehow that day feels like a dream.
-It doesn’t look like an elf at all.
Winis, who was sitting in the corner of the cabin reading, snorted and asked.
-okay? So what’s with the elf thing, kid?
-to… … ?
Something like an elf? Now that I think about it, what is something like an elf?
Leffen trailed off, pouting.
-… … Still, the elf I saw back then definitely didn’t look like Winnis.
I even saw an elf in person, albeit from a distance.
It happened when I was still living in the village, when the son of the lord who ruled the area came to inspect the village. The son of a fairly wealthy lord brought the elven slave he had been working with to this mountainous area, and the sight of that moment remained strongly in young Leffen’s mind.
She was certainly beautiful, but humble at the same time.
She was certainly elegant, but she was also very servile.
The elf that Leffen saw at the time was like a pet dog, without pride or self-esteem, and only knew how to obey its owner. It was exactly as Sayer’s priest had taught.
-I thought all elves were that servile. But Winis is too human-like, right?
Winis asked back with a grin.
-You are saying that humans are proud and not servile, then?
For a moment, Leffen was speechless. Winis’ question continued.
-Do you remember the appearance of the villagers meeting the lord at the time? Were they proud? Did you show yourself confident and not servile in front of the lord?
-Come to think of it… … .
It wasn’t like that. Everyone bowed towards the lord’s son, bowed deeply, and made unusually servile voices.
-Wow… … I don’t know. difficult.
-Come here, kid.
Winis gestured towards Leffen, who was in trouble. It meant that I would give you a hug and that you should come sit on my lap. In the past, she was a bit rebellious, but these days, Leffen really enjoyed being held by her. I was happy so I ran over and hugged him.
Winis calmly opened her mouth while stroking the child’s head.
-The servility you saw was not because they were elves and humans. It’s just servitude created by the situation of being a slave and a citizen.
While holding the child, she continued speaking in a whisper.
-Just because you’re an elf doesn’t mean you’re lowly. They are lowly because they are slaves. It’s not like he’s groveling because he’s human, but because he’s a citizen.
He shares his soft warmth and offers a kind voice.
-There is not much difference between humans and elves. They just act according to the situation they are in.
