I had intended to gain something while escorting the elf to her village, but I hadn't expected the girl to be the elf king's child. Luck was on my side.
After the girl spoke, the king slowly stood before me. He was tall, with white hair and a sharp jawline. He also had a very fit physique. But his skin tone was close to purple. The other elves were the same way, except for the girl.
"Oh human, I offer you my thanks. I am Sekratos. You rescued my daughter from the darkness and brought her here. Ask of me whatever you wish!"
I told him it was an honor to help, then I explained the game I was in, in detail.
"So you're asking us for help in battle, human?"
Interestingly, we could both speak each other's language.
"Not exactly like that. Actually, I just want you to stand on the right side of the designated area."
I noticed three soldiers with bows in the back.
"But it would be good if those archer elves could join my team and provide long-range support with their bows. They can join my team. They don't have to fight the entire time. They can use their bows and withdraw from the battle the moment they feel in danger. Other than that, the other soldiers don't need to join my team. They just need to stand on the right side during the preparation phase until the battle begins. Then they can leave the area."
"I understand your tactic, but couldn't we just win by fighting?"
"I don't have any information about their weapons. I also don't like being direct and predictable. That's why it's enough for your soldiers to just stand there. Forgive me for asking, but do you perhaps have any valuable items you think could be useful to me?"
After I spoke, the king scratched his chin and thought for a moment.
"I do, actually. Come to my room."
I followed the king to his room shortly after. When we arrived, he removed a book from his bookshelf. A hidden door opened. We entered the hidden passage, and I closed the door behind us. This was a secret treasure room. Various items of apparent value were on display. After thinking for a moment, the king pulled out a small orb emitting a dark energy. He held it in his hand and then extended the orb toward me.
"Here, take this."
"What is it?"
"This is the Orb of Creation. With it, you can mark a location. When you die, you can be reborn once at the location you marked. I thought this would be the most suitable thing for your needs."
I took the orb and examined it. My eyes looked at it with curiosity. The orb radiated a strange energy. It was very small in size.
"The Orb of Creation... I understand. Thank you, my lord. This will be extremely useful to me."
As I looked at the orb, my plans began to shift. I was seeing new options.
The king extended a small pouch with his other hand.
"Here, take this as well. Consider it spending money."
"Thank you."
The moment I took the pouch, it vanished. A notification came to my phone. When I checked it, I saw that ten thousand game coins had been deposited into my account. The king looked at me with curiosity.
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"Do you humans control things through that device?"
"How do you do it?"
The elf pulled out his own small magical stone. When he activated it, a status panel appeared before my eyes.
"This is how we elves do it."
"I see. Yours looks better. By the way, I'm curious—how many languages do you speak?"
"One hundred and seventy-two."
I was slightly taken aback when I heard him.
"One hundred and seventy-two? Is it normal for elves to know that many languages?"
"Mine is a bit on the higher side, but everyone in the village knows at least over fifty languages. Why do you ask?"
The king began looking at me as if it were completely normal.
"Nothing. I was just curious. Well then, since you're knowledgeable, may I ask a few more questions?"
"Of course. Go ahead."
"What exactly is this place? This region, I mean."
"This?" He looked at me as if questioning why I didn't know the answer. "You really don't know?"
"No. I honestly have no clear idea."
"This is a transitional dimension between two planets, of course."
"A transitional dimension?"
When I heard that, I began to stare in despair.
"Yes. Why, what's wrong?"
"Why are we here, then? And why are all of you here?"
"The human world made a journey to our planet. After a dispute, we decided to reach an agreement. We created a habitable zone in the dimension between the journeys. In this zone, everyone could live regardless of race. Everyone was overjoyed by this freedom and decided to name it Rakuen."
"I see..."
I felt tense for the first time in a long while.
When did human technology advance this far?
"You asking me that, as a human, is quite an interesting question, honestly. But they were perfectly capable of communicating with us."
"I see. So a dispute broke out, and then to establish peace, this place was created in the space between dimensions. Am I correct?"
"Yes. If war had broken out, we might have had a slight advantage, but we still would have suffered losses. We had encountered a new race. New things mean new teachings. That's why our planet didn't push too hard and decided to create peace. Then, as I said, this place was established."
"I understand."
This means the system is far more powerful than I thought. And far more expansive. It seems our world has advanced enough to wage war against other races. When I was underground, I wasn't aware of anything. But I don't think it's related to time. If you have hidden power, you always want to keep it hidden.
I was internally questioning the situation with these thoughts.
"So why are you here? Exactly because this place is more peaceful?"
"Yes. Some races on the planet settled here because there is far less war in this place."
"I understand. Thank you for the information."
"I have a small request for you as well, human."
"What is it, my lord?"
"I want you to marry my daughter. Virtuous young men like you are rarely seen. Take care of my daughter, human!"
"Eh?"
I was surprised when I heard him. My face flushed slightly. I began scratching my hair with my left hand—a habit of mine when I felt embarrassed.
"Well... I'd like to think about it, but my life moves fast. I have many tasks and duties. At the same time, I don't know if I'll be here for long. So I have to decline. My apologies..."
The king let out a calm breath.
"I understand. That's a shame. But I'm sure my daughter will want to see you again and again. I saw the way her eyes looked at you while you were walking. She's never looked at anyone like that before. You can visit here whenever you like, alright? I grant you the teleportation authority to come here quickly. You can select the region from your device and arrive here instantly. No need to tire yourself out."
A notification came to my phone, but since I knew what it was, I didn't pull my phone out of my pocket to check.
"Understood, my lord. Thank you very much. I need to continue with my plans, so I must take my leave for now."
"Oh mighty human, may your path be clear! Until we meet again!"
I bowed my head respectfully. I exited the king's building. Celebria was waiting for me at the entrance. The moment I stepped out the door, she suddenly hugged me.
"Rei! Did it go well?"
"Yes. It went well. Your father helped me."
"So, um... are you going to marry me, then?"
"I'm sorry. I explained the situation to your father, but I'm not in a place right now where I can start a romantic relationship. But I'll come see you often. I promise."
Celebria's face first went pale. Then, upon hearing my words, she accepted the situation with understanding.
"Alright, Rei. However you want..."
In return, I gently hugged her. Then I set out to leave the village.
If the area has what I'm hoping for, this orb will be incredibly useful. I'm going to separate the system from us.
As I walked, I began to snicker slyly to myself. The elves in the village heard my strange laughter and started looking at me. I ignored them and left the village.