Boukensha Ni Naritai To Miyako Ni Deteitta Musume Ga S Rank Ni Natteta - LightNovelsOnl.com
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Why did you decide to become an adventurer?
The red-haired boy didn't know how to answer.
He didn't want fame or fortune; nor did he strive to be like the high-rank adventurers. It was just the simple fact that his parents had died, leaving him alone in the world.
A young boy, left to fend for himself.
“It's… It's the only thing I can do,” the boy finally said. He offers a soft smile to the elven girl beside him, nervously scratching his cheek. The elven girl can only stare at him from across the table, her emerald eyes held a glint of understanding.
Her gaze softens.
“Is that so? Yeah, it's the same for me. Adventuring is the only thing I know how to do as well,” the girl replied, returning the smile back to the boy.
The boy frowns. “But isn't it unusual for… well, you're an elf? I thought elves hated adventurers.”
The girl stares at the boy for a second, before bursting into a fit of giggles at his confusion. “Not everyone has to be the same as everyone else. You've heard of the Elven Paladin, haven't you? Are you saying he's unusual too?”
The boy squirmed. “Well no, of course not… but you're the only elf I know and…”
"You're saying I'm strange?"
"No!" the boy exclaims. He coughs nervously, unable to meet her gaze when he sees the girl raise a questioning eyebrow.
The girl just shakes her head, looking down at her wine. “If it really bothers you that much. Well… I just wanted to see the outside world.”
The boy looks at her but doesn't attempt to interrupt.
"I didn't want to spend my whole life cooped at home, not when I knew nothing of the outside world. Just think of all the sights that the world has to offer, the countless people I can meet… I want nothing more than to see it for myself…"
The boy doesn't say anything for a moment, taken away by the girl's words. He smiles. “I can understand. I grew up with fairytales of the Elven territory. A magical land of beauty and wonders that few ever get to see… I would love to see it with my own eyes one day.”
“Really? You'll be disappointed to find that it's a very boring place,” the girl says.
The red-haired boy smiles wryly and rests his chin in his hand. “I don't know about that, but… I think it would be amazing to still see it."
“Do you really believe that? As far as I'm concerned, discovering unknown lands sounds more exciting.”
“Yeah… I suppose so. Venturing into the unknown sounds kinda exciting. There are still so many mysteries that no one knows about… I suppose it's in our nature to want to discover that.”
“That means we can learn from each other, right?”
“Haha. Sure, I'm down.”
Suddenly, a cold wind blew from behind as the doors to the guild opened. Everyone's murmurs and conversations became louder to be heard over the cold winds.
When the boy turned around, he could see a group of S Rank adventurers enter through the door.
A huge man in a military cap and thick coat laughs thunderously as several young adventurers try to talk and approach him. A man with an elegant moustache watched the scene from the side, shaking his head solemnly.
The elven girl sighed loudly and twirled her beautiful silver hair around her finger. “The ‘Destroyer' and ‘Silver Head'… Authentic S Rank adventurers. Someday I would like to reach their level. Then I could travel anywhere I wanted and no one would dare stand in my way.”
“Haha. I'm sure you'll become one. I'll be cheering you on the whole way.”
“What about you?”
“Me? I don't know. I'm not that skillful.”
The red-haired boy began to smile, but the elven girl pouted, leaning forward to pinch his cheeks.
“Stop belittling yourself. You have a nasty habit of thinking too lowly of yourself, and it's not true."
“Sorry.”
"And stop with that fake smile of yours when you insult yourself!"
"Sorry…"
The girl sighs, facepalming. "And you're buying tonight!”
“Sor-… Uh… okay…” The redheaded boy scratched his head with a complicated expression.
The elf girl couldn't help but let her frown slip. She broke into a fit of mischievous giggles and gently placed her hand on the boy's shoulder. “Well. Ready to do your best tomorrow?”
“Y-Yeah… Anyway, they're late.” The boy looked around with an embarra.s.sed expression.
Although until a few moments ago everything was fine. When the boy is aware that their companions had not yet arrived and that he was alone with the beautiful elven girl, he started sweating and fidgeting.
“What's wrong? You seem a little restless,” the girl says.
The smooth porcelain cheeks of the girl were dyed a light pink due to the effects of the hot wine. A warm and pleasant scent reached the boy's nose, leaving him speechless. The boy looked away as his cheeks and ears began to redden and steam.
“Fufufu. You're just too cute you know that?” the emerald-eyed girl teases with a mischievous smile.
“P-Please… Don't make fun of me.”
The boy puffed up his cheeks and looked away.
○
It was just before the crack of dawn. The sky is clear and bright, but because the morning fog is particularly thick today, it is a little difficult to see ahead.
Belgriff, Duncan, and Graham were making their way through the fields.
“It's hard to walk today isn't it?”
“Yeah… it's like we're inside a cloud. We have to move carefully.”
The clothes of the three warriors are soaked and weighing down heavily. The humid air sticks to their skin like an itchy plaster, they're sweat glistening in the morning rays.
As the horizon begins to rise, beautiful rays of light penetrated the morning fog. The fog begins to fade little by little and the bright and vivacious colors that adorn the mornings in Tornela appear once more.
“I dare say this is quite the view… If only there were sights like this at home,” Graham gives off a warm satisfied smile.
Duncan's eyebrows furrowed in confusion. “Huh? The Elven Territory isn't surrounded by natural paradises?”
Graham is taken back for a second before a humouring grin adorns his face. “Oh dear me, perhaps I worded that wrong. Duncan, my home is surrounded by forests. It's impossible to watch the horizon behind a dew-covered plain such as this.”
“Oh.”
“Don't get me wrong though. I love my home, it's peaceful and full of life and magic Truly it is a sight to see… But when you travel out here in the world before you, you can see scenery you would never find inside a forest.”
Duncan grins toothily. “I understand perfectly. I enjoyed my travels a lot too.”
Belgriff listens in silence to the conversation of the two. Certainly, his last trip to Bordeaux was short but pleasant. Moving away from familiar landscapes always provides a kind of satisfaction and admiration.
Of course, Belgriff can't leave Tornela right now, but maybe once they've solved the crisis of the magic beasts, he'll be able to get out again.
What place would be the best option for his next trip?
Soon the fog is completely gone, the sun illuminates the meadows with all its splendour and a few white clouds calmly cross the clear sky. At the zenith, a transparent moon keeps the last remnants of the last night.
Then, the three warriors decide to return to the village.
A few days have pa.s.sed since Graham's arrival. Belgriff's house, which is again at its maximum capacity, has a very different atmosphere than when Angeline and the girls visited the village.
Following Belgriff's itinerary, the three make morning and afternoon patrols, as well as training in both the morning and afternoon.
Graham's swordsmans.h.i.+p is nothing flashy. He uses minimal precise movements, honed to perfection from years of experience. As if the blade of his was a part of himself, it's sensitivity and power with each strike is honestly what one would call perfection.
Belgriff has done his best to match Graham's level, but still has plenty of trouble stopping Graham's sword during training sessions.
At first, the villagers were nervous and agitated by the presence of the old elf, but with the intervention of Belgriff and Duncan, everyone gradually got used to seeing him in the village.
Graham is an elf of few words and a peaceful att.i.tude. He, unlike all the rumours that the villagers had heard, never adopted a haughty or petulant att.i.tude, thanks to which the Elf Hero was accepted into the village without any objection.
As for the Elf Princess, she still hasn't appeared. According to Graham, they spend most of their lives inside their forests, which is why when some of them go out into the outside world, it's not uncommon for them to not know what to do in such unfamiliar territory…
And the Elf Princess is no exception.
Despite Graham's arrival, the work in the village of Tornela is not over yet. In Kerry's house, for example, there are still enough sheep to shear for everyone.
Belgriff again takes on the task of keeping an eye on the children, holding a baby in his arms as he watches the rest of them play in the garden.
Duncan and Graham have entered the forest along with the village youth to fight the magic beasts. For now, the magic beasts only lurk inside the forest, but if they allow their numbers to increase, they could attack the village in the near future. That is why it is convenient to reduce their numbers from time to time.
“Oh, wow. We've had a lot of work this year.” Kerry says wiping the sweat from his forehead and sitting next to Belgriff.
“It's true. But the younger ones are getting the hang of shearing.”
“Haha, I don't see any improvement though. Anyway, what about Lord Graham? Do you think he likes this place?”
“I think so. At least he doesn't have a bad impression of the village.”
“I see. I'm glad to know that such an important person likes my village.”
“Despite that, you still can't talk to him properly, can you?”
“Uh, well… I don't know what to say to him… I've never used a sword before.”
“You can talk to him about anything. Just because he's an elf doesn't mean he does things that are so different from what we do. Elves also like to eat delicious food and sleep peacefully at night.”
“Well, I'll invite him to drink with me next time. Duncan and you as well.”
“Haha, that sounds good. I'm sure that will make him happy.”
Tornela is at the northern end of the Duchy. And even further north, pa.s.sing the mountain range is the Elves' Territory.
Very few humans dare to cross the mountains because of the low temperatures, and the dangerous roads there. Business with the Territory of the Elves is conducted exclusively using the Eastern Highway.
Thus, Tornela can be considered both the nearest and furthest place from the Elven Territory.
The children of the village grow up listening to stories about the lives and deeds of the elves who live on the other side of the mountain range. Some of these stories have become fairy tales that children listen to before going to bed. This has contributed greatly to the villagers' reluctance to talk normally with Graham. For many of them, he is a being they have only heard about in legends and stories.
The sun rises high and lunchtime approaches.
Duncan and the others are supposed to return soon from their incursion into the forest, but there is still no sign of them. Belgriff is not worried because Graham is with them, but he does find it strange that it takes so long to return.
Belgriff has already returned the baby to its mother and is now helping prepare lunch while continuing to watch the rest of the children. At that moment a young man comes running and panicking to the place.
“Mr. Bel! Mr. Bel!”
Belgriff frowned at the young man. “What happened? Did magic beasts appear in the village?”
“No, it's not that! But you must come now! There's an elf! An elf girl!”
Everyone present makes a fuss when they hear this, and Belgriff starts running after the young man, who leads him.
There, right in the middle of the swaying golden wheat fields is a young woman. She stands tall and proud, her ears distinct and easy to see past her silver hair.
Most definitely an elf.
Her glaring pale blue eyes s.h.i.+ne confidently. Her smooth, s.h.i.+ny silver hair is tied to the back of her head. She wears a, a leather cardigan, shorts, and knee-length boots. It's quite a strange outfit for an elf, as they usually don't like clothes that leave too much skin exposed.
If the crossed arms and impatient tapping of the woman was any indication, she seemed in a terrible mood. She looks at Belgriff as he approaches, snorts through her nose and stares at him with a sharp look.
“That boy saw my face and ran away screaming. You humans clearly know how to leave an impression you know.”
Ignoring the sarcasm, Belgriff takes a deep breath and bow. “I apologize for that. Not everyone is used to seeing elves in this place. Please don't take it to heart.”
“Well, who are you then? Are you the boss of this place?”
“My name is Belgriff. I'm just a farmer.”
“Ha,” the elf spits out. “A farmer with a sword hanging by his side? Do you think me gullible?”
Belgriff smiles wryly and places a hand on the hilt of his sword. “Not at all. But when we have to defend the village, we learn to exchange the plow for a sword.”
“Interesting,” The elf girl's eyes sparkle fiercely. “Defend the village indeed. Tell me, do you intend to defend your village from me?”
“I prefer not too,” Belgriff hastily drops his sword on the ground to indicate that he has no hostile intent.
The elf, who had already placed her hand on the hilt of her thin sword, seems to lose interest in Belgriff when she hears his answer. “Tsk! Talk about being a bore.”
“Are you by chance the daughter of Oberon, the Elf King of the Western Forest?” asks Belgriff with a wry smile to the belligerent elf.
The elf suddenly approaches Belgriff and grabs his s.h.i.+rt tightly. Her eyes reflect the anger she feels at that moment. The aura around her is incredibly intimidating. As expected, Belgriff is taken by surprise and holds his breath.
However, the old adventurer manages to see the desperate look in her eyes. “I'm right, aren't I?”
“You b.a.s.t.a.r.d. Where did you hear that?” she growls, and when she is about to say something else, a loud thundering grumble fills the air.
The girl's eyes widen in surprise as she brings her hands to her stomach. Belgriff deadpans and takes a wary step back. The girl's face turns red (from the interruption Belgriff a.s.sumes), then a pale white (as it sinks in why her stomach grumbled), then she turns red once more (realising that Belgriff was present for the whole thing).
“Out of all the times…” the girl mumbles angrily.
“Are you hungry?” Belgriff asks cautiously.
“N-No!" the girl barks. "Although I've lost all my and haven't eaten anything since yesterday, I am fine! I don't need your pity!”
The girl's face turned red like a tomato as her stomach growls once more.
“So uh… It's nearly time for lunch. If it's alright with you, you can come with me and grab a bite as well,” Belgriff says with a smile.
“Guh! Alright. Since you insist and I have no reason to refuse…”
The Elf Princess seems reluctant to accept the proposal, but there is no way she can ignore her stomach. So Belgriff awkwardly brings her into the village.
○
Under the circ.u.mstances, Belgriff has no choice but to bring the Elf Princess to his home. If he were to take her to Kerry's house, all the villagers there would surely make a fuss.
The Princess is already in a bad mood if she felt everyone's attention on her, who knows what she would do…
As the interior of the house is a mess, Belgriff decides to put out a table to eat in the garden. Belgriff rushes to Kerry's house and returns with some steaming plates of food. It's a thin bread baked with b.u.t.ter, and stewed meat and vegetables cooked over low heat.
The girl seems to be on guard at first and eats slowly, observing her surroundings with curiosity in her eye. But when the delicious food enters her mouth, she relaxes and begins to wolf down on the food. The two ate without saying a word, but after lunch, the Elf Princess's expression has softened quite a bit.
Belgriff looks carefully at the Elf Princess in front of him.
According to Graham, she devotes herself to confronting Demon Kings in different places. And, with the sense of intimidation the old adventurer felt the first time he saw her, he has no difficulty believing this claim. But now that the girl has eaten and rested from her long and arduous journey, she is no different than any young girl who can be found in Tornela.
And there is no doubt that her reckless and daredevil att.i.tude is not something that reflects her position as an elf princess.
“Was the food to your liking?”
The Elf Princess, who seemed about to doze off in her seat, stifles and quickly opens her eyes when she hears Belgriff's question. “I… Well… I suppose…”
“That's good.”
“…Hmph”
Belgriff smiles cheerfully at the sight of the Princess' reddened cheeks.
“If it's not an indiscretion, may I ask your name?”
“Before that. What do you know about me old man?”
“Only what I have heard from Lord Graham. He's in this village too.”
The girl leaps from her seat with a surprised expression.
“Honorable Granduncle?!”
The Elf Princess pales, her eyes scanning around her at rapid speeds. She quickly turns around and grabs her blade. She was about to bolt out of that place, but at that moment a voice calls out nearby.
“Marguerite.”
“Ugh!”
The Elf Princess is paralyzed in her place. The girl slowly turns around meekly.
Graham doesn't look pleased.
Duncan is behind him with an expression of confusion.
Without saying anything, Graham beckons the Princess for her to approach. The Elven Princess slowly approaches Graham as her body trembles visibly, as if the courage and impetus she had shown until recently were a lie.
She's even unable to look directly into Graham's harsh eyes.
“H-Honorable Granduncle… It's very good to see you…”
“I know you're following the sources of magical power,” Graham sighs, crossing his arms. “Although I a.s.sume this is also partially my fault… What do you hope to achieve by being selfish? Your father is extremely worried.”
Marguerite lifts her face and despite having tears in her eyes, she stares at Graham with disbelief in her eyes.
“That's impossible, father has never shown an interest in me.”
“Come on, don't say that. There's no way a parent wouldn't worry about their missing child.”
“Father has never cared about me, the only thing he cares about is the welfare of the Western Clan.”
“A king must always put his people before himself. But Oberon has always cared for you.”
“What about my feelings? Should I remain locked up in a forest for the rest of my life?” shouts Marguerite with an expression of anguish. “I am no longer playing around Honorable Granduncle. I don't need to be coddled. In fact, I have already defeated three demon kings. I defeated the one who was withering the Southern Forest and also the one who was lurking in the abandoned mines, and…”.
“…No matter how many you defeat, Marguerite. This way your reputation will be based only on rumors. That fame is too superficial.”
“I don't care. I also want to create my own reputation, like you, Honorable Granduncle. I don't want to spend the rest of my life in a small forest. I want to see everything this world has to offer.”
That said, Marguerite turns around.
“If I can defeat this new enemy… Even you will have to recognize my abilities, Honorable Granduncle.”
Marguerite storms out of the room, slamming the door behind her.
Graham closes his eyes, pinching the bridge of his nose.
“Why did I have to tell her about my travels…?”
At that moment, Belgriff quietly approaches Graham. “Lord Graham… are you all right?”
“…I'm really sorry. You didn't have to witness something like that.”
“Don't worry about it… so she called you Grand Uncle? Lord Graham?”
“She is my grandniece. Oberon is my nephew…”
That fact surprises Belgriff quite a bit. The blood of the legendary hero Graham also runs in the Elves' royal family.
However, the Elves are an originally calm and spiritually oriented race. The adventurers, who base their lives on fame and money, are seen as undesirable beings. How do the rest of the elves treat Graham, who chose the adventurer's path? And how will they treat Marguerite, who decided to follow Graham's path and leave the Elven Territory in search of adventure?
Maybe that's why I occasionally see a shadow of bleakness on Graham's face, thinks Belgriff.
“Anyway, I have a responsibility. I have to go through with this,” Graham says with a sigh.
Listening to Graham, Duncan steps forward. “If so, then you have a big problem ahead of you!”
Graham scratches his head with absent air. “It's my job after all. And… there's nothing wrong with helping my family.”
After saying this Graham walks away. Seeing the elf leave, Belgriff looks at Duncan.
“You're quite late, where were you?”
“After patrolling with the youth, Graham and I decided to go deeper into the forest. But apparently, the strange magic has begun to affect more areas of the forest. Graham said it was best to return as it would take us a long time to get to the deepest part of the forest.”
In other words, half the forest is now affected by magic. Things seem to be getting more and more serious.
But now Marguerite was heading for the forest and Graham is following her. From what Belgriff heard, Marguerite has defeated three Demon Kings on her own. And as for Graham…
Well, he's a living legend.
It's likely we can resolve this before those two leave, Belgriff thinks as he strokes his beard.
“It may not sound good but… the fact that Graham and Marguerite have reached Tornela is a gift from heaven…”
“I believe that too. With the help of those two, we can take care of anything, even if it's a few Demon Kings. Besides, the Elf Princess seems to know what she's doing. I would love to see her skills with the sword."
Seeing Duncan's expression, Belgriff smiles. It gives him some relief to know that even in such situations, some people don't change their way of thinking.
The Team's Corner *Translator's Notes: Thank you very much for your understanding, your words and your support. I will try to bring you more chapters in a short time.I would also like to thank our editor for continuing to support us. Remember to thank him in the comments. Cheers to all! And apparently, there is already a great candidate to become Belgriff's wife! *Editor's Notes: Enjoy!