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“Let’s head to my house for now.”

The Elder really did leave our guidance to Lindy and engaged in conversation with Rone, the elf who was playfully joking around with her. I pondered whether it would be rude to leave without saying a word to the Elder, but Lindy, seemingly accustomed to his attitude, didn’t even mention to him that we were leaving and simply led us along.

Even though it’s called the Elf’s Forest, the entire area isn’t exclusively a village for elves, so we still had to walk a bit further to reach the village. During that brief moment, Lindy shared various stories with us.

She talked about trivial rules that needed to be followed in the village, and how her home isn’t just for her alone, but she lives there with her family…. She provided us with plenty of helpful information for our stay in the elf village.

When I heard that we would be going to Lindy’s parents’ house, I started to wonder if we should look for another place. After all, even though we were visiting with Lindy’s invitation, it would still be awkward for both us and her parents.

However, to begin with, our visit to the Elf’s Forest was an extraordinary event; normally, outsiders wouldn’t be allowed entry. I had heard that it had been over 100 years since outsiders last visited, so I was reminded once again of the elves’ seclusion.

Consequently, there was no lodging for outsiders like an inn, and the only option we had, as Lindy suggested, was to stay at her parents’ house.

“By the way, is it really okay to show up unannounced like this? Especially with so many of us; I hope they can handle it.”

“Don’t worry about that. They probably already know since I told the spirits. As for the shortage of rooms… well, if necessary, we can ask the villagers for understanding, so don’t fret too much.”

In any case, we had no real choice. After walking a little further, we finally reached the village.

As we entered the village, unlike the outskirts of the Elf’s Forest, we could see many elves. It was my first time seeing so many elves in one place, and it felt surreal. Yet, the elves seemed to be just as intrigued by us, the outsiders visiting the elf village, as they were whispering and watching us.

“…Huh? That girl over there. Isn’t that Lindy?”

“It seems so! Isn’t it true that Lindy fled the forest a few years ago? Was it 30 years ago?”

“Probably longer than that.”

…I inadvertently overheard comments about Lindy’s age.

“By the way, since you liked girls so much, you came back with a bunch of them. Looks like your dreams came true.”

It seems Lindy’s preferences were already well-known back home. Of course, Lindy’s only interest right now was in me, so their assumptions were entirely misplaced.

“Hahaha… Come here. This way.”

Once her past came up, Lindy felt embarrassed and didn’t introduce us to the villagers, promptly walking away. However, given how small the village was, word must have spread quickly because on our way to Lindy’s house, we could see elves observing us as if we were a spectacle.

Especially Lilith, who was burdened by the gazes of the villagers, tried to hide behind Frecia but, due to their size difference, couldn’t entirely conceal herself and ended up closely following me instead.

“Here’s our house. Let’s go in and unpack our things first.”

The elves’ house was surprisingly ordinary. I had cautiously speculated that it might be built in the trees due to the elf image, but it was just a regular house on the ground.

The only thing that stood out was that it was made from eco-friendly materials like earth, wood, and leaves, rather than bricks.

“The purpose of our visit is to meet the Elder tomorrow and discuss some matters, but for today, you must be tired from traveling, so just rest. If you need anything, feel free to ask.”

“Me! Me! I want to see my squirrel friends!”

“I want to see the rabbits!”

As soon as Lindy asked, Annie immediately raised her hand and shouted. Luna soon joined in, urging Lindy as well.

“…If you go to the spring at the back of the village, you might see some kids coming to drink. But don’t scare or bother them too much.”

Finally hearing the answer they wanted, Annie and Luna didn’t even bother unpacking and instead hastily tossed their bags into a corner and bolted out as they were. Watching them hit it off so well, I couldn’t decide whether to feel happy or to be troubled by having two childish companions.

“By the way, where are your mom and dad? Isn’t this your parents’ house?”

“Well, they might be out or something. Don’t worry about it. They’ll be back soon.”

Even though it had been decades since she last saw her parents, Lindy was quite calm, just guiding us to the room. The room we were directed to was slightly too small for all of us, but it was still usable, so our group decided to stay in one room together. Rather than taking refuge in the home of someone we didn’t know, opting for a bit of discomfort was the better choice.

“Lindy! You’re back home!”

True to Lindy’s words, as soon as we unpacked, Lindy’s parents arrived home. As we all rushed out of the room, we spotted two elves.

Rather than appearing as Lindy’s parents, they looked more like her older siblings. No matter how many times I looked, the ageless appearance of elves never ceased to amaze me.

“What’s with all the fuss as you come in?”

Lindy’s blunt voice came through.

“Your only daughter ran away and got into trouble, so how could we not fuss? Honestly, it’s probably all because she takes after her father.”

“Why am I being brought into this? And from another perspective, Lindy’s personality resembles yours more than mine.”

“Oh, come on, speak properly. The only thing I passed on to Lindy is my outstanding looks; she inherited your personality.”

As Lindy’s mother spoke, it was evident that the two of them looked quite similar. A stranger might even mistake them for sisters. It wasn’t just their faces that were alike; they even shared the trait of having small chests….

“Ah, I’m sorry. We’ve brought such precious guests and are showing a foolish side of ourselves. I’m Levy.”

“I’m Dillon, Lindy’s father.”

Honestly, I felt uncomfortable standing there like a straw doll, as Levy said.

“Hello. I’m Elysia Frentz, staying with Lindy. Please, feel free to call me Elysia.”

Despite Annie and Luna having dashed outside, there were still six of us left, so it took a while just for individual introductions.

“Right. If you need anything or feel uncomfortable during your stay, just ask anytime. Since this is our first time hosting guests, we can’t be perfect.”

“No! Just providing us a place to rest is more than enough. I feel bad for showing up without notice like this.”

Fortunately, the two of them weren’t uncomfortable with our visit and instead treated us with such hospitality that I felt almost embarrassed.

“By the way, you love girls so much, yet you came back dragging all these girls with you. It’s amusing to criticize your daughter’s preferences, but you should have some principles, you know? Honestly, I can’t even show my face around.”

While they were overly kind to us, they didn’t stop nagging at their daughter, Lindy.

“Uh, no! What do you think of me?!”

Lindy vehemently denied it. Yet, she had certainly lived a life without principles enough to hear such things before meeting me.

“Your life is yours to live, but it’s best not to do something you can’t handle. If you go around flirting with this girl and that one, you could really get into serious trouble later on. You still have a long life ahead, and I don’t want to be cleaning up after funerals for my daughter.”

“…You’re really quite wise.”

In the meantime, Selian chimed in, agreeing with Levy’s words. Looking around, it seemed the others shared the same sentiment, nodding along.

Well, since this was a topic completely unrelated to me, it didn’t resonate much, but it certainly wasn’t wrong.

So, Lindy, make sure to take this to heart and don’t do that again.

*

“Tomorrow, we’re visiting the Spirit Realm.”

Before going to sleep, Lindy called me aside to talk.

“As I mentioned before, I don’t know how long it will take. I need to personally ask the Spirit King for forgiveness, and those guys are even less sensitive to time than us elves, so 30 years might not be enough.”

“What exactly did you do wrong?”

“Well, that’s…”

What kind of sin could possibly be so significant that one wouldn’t be forgiven for 30 years, or even potentially more? However, Lindy didn’t respond to my question and just hesitated. After all, it wouldn’t be easy to talk about one’s sins, especially ones so significant that they hadn’t been forgiven for over 30 years.

“If it’s hard to say, it’s fine. But could I possibly join you?”

Instead of forcing her to answer, I brought up another reason I had for coming to this Elf’s Forest.

“I think it’d be more effective if someone were beside you to speak on your behalf when asking for forgiveness rather than doing it alone…. And after all, I’m a hero, right?”

I thought it was reasonable enough to apply some pressure, saying that Lindy’s power was necessary to save the world. That could be considered a sort of legal deal, couldn’t it?

“I don’t mind, but… it’d be best to ask the Elder first. It’s fine for me, but since you’re human, you need permission to enter the Spirit Realm. For now, it’s too late, so let’s get some sleep and ask the Elder in the morning.”

We settled on a rough schedule, and as I stood up to return to my room, Lindy followed me into the already cramped space, even though she surely had her own.

“Lindy?”

“Uh, my mom tidied up my room! She turned it into a storage room, so I think I have to sleep here!”

The space, already tight, grew even tighter. But given that it wouldn’t have been possible to borrow such a room without Lindy, I couldn’t complain.

In the end, in a cramped room where nine of us, including me, had to huddle together, we had no choice but to spend the night squeezed in. Despite there being nine of us in one room, it somehow felt even smaller than it had before we lay down; I was sure that was just my imagination.