Volume 2, Chapter 36 – Welcome Feast

“Hahaha, how delightful, truly delightful! There is no doubt that the current Saint is a relative of our village. Now, everyone, let us feast! A banquet to welcome our new village companions, Liera and Lumia, as well as our relative and next Saint, Fiene Argentata-dono, and her Holy Knight, Christina-dono!”

As the veil of night fell over the Silver Village, Ingolvina-san laughed joyfully.

The current Saint, huh?

Well, I suppose it’s only natural they’d think that this time. Ingolvina-san looked quite shocked when I told her I defeated the enemy with my Purification Magic.

I settled down near Ingolvina-san to eat.

The main dish was reindeer steak. Despite the lack of herbs, it wasn’t gamey and had a clean taste.

That said, it wasn’t too bland; it was actually quite delicious. Lu-chan and Liera-san were sitting around the table with the other villagers.

Looking around like this, despite being called the Silver Village, there are surprisingly few residents with silver hair and red eyes like mine. Even just among the fifty or so Elves attending this banquet, I’d guess only about ten of them have those features.

“Elder, regarding the Elves living in this village… there are fewer people with silver hair and red eyes than I imagined. Why is that?”

“Oh, I see. So you were unaware of that. Those with silver hair and red eyes are all High Elves who were born and raised in this village, and later underwent evolution. Everyone else is simply an Elf.”

“Um, so you mean everyone except the silver-haired, red-eyed High Elves migrated here from the outside?”

“Many are like that, but that is not what I mean. Tell me, do you know of ‘Existence Evolution’?”

“No.”

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“Hmm. ‘Existence Evolution’ is the act of evolving into a higher race.”

Huh? Like Pokémon?

“What is with that look on your face? When an Elf undergoes ‘Existence Evolution,’ they become a High Elf. By doing so, their base power as a race increases, allowing them to eventually obtain far greater power.”

Hoh. I see… I guess?

“And the condition for that is to evolve one’s own Contract Spirit into a Greater Spirit.”

Ingolvina-san explained this with a smug look on her face.

“Hehe, for your self-proclaimed Vampire race, one evolves into a Vampire Noble. I do not know the specific evolution conditions for Vampires, but since Vampire Nobles invariably command a staggering number of thralls, perhaps that is part of the requirement.”

I mean, it’s not “self-proclaimed.” I really am one. But since I’ve already been logically dismantled, it’s kind of hard to bring up.

“Based on what you said, Spirits evolve too, right?”

“Exactly. They evolve by utilizing their power and fulfilling their duties as Spirits. The order of evolution is Young Spirit, Lesser Spirit, Intermediate Spirit, Greater Spirit, and finally, Elder Spirit. Living a normal life, it would take several thousand years to evolve into an Elder Spirit. If you obtain a Contract Spirit, you should deepen your bond and raise them to a Greater Spirit. Well, they’ll likely evolve in less than a thousand years.”

No, no. A thousand years? The scale here is completely insane.

While thinking that to myself, I brought up my original objective.

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“Right. By the way, do you think the Spirit Tree will accept me?”

“Hmm? Ah, that’s right, you did mention that. Bah, you are a user of Holy Magic capable of repelling the Dark Dragon King, even if it was only a Fragment. You should be fine. You may try as early as tomorrow.”

“Thank you very much.”

Alright, I finally got permission. You could say I’ll finally have some combat power of my own.

Eh? You’re asking if my status went up like crazy from the Level Up?

Yeah, well, I noticed. I had already blown past the rough benchmark of 100 in each stat that Chris-san mentioned.

It’s probably because I won against a completely superior opponent while at a low level, thanks to favorable matchups and my cheat abilities.

“Speaking of which, what kinds of Spirits are there?”

“The most common are the Four Elemental Attributes: Fire, Earth, Water, and Wind. There are fewer of Light and Dark, and even rarer are the Life Spirits.”

“Light? Not Holy?”

“Indeed. That is correct. Light Spirit cannot perform the purification of miasma.”

“Miasma?”

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“Yes. That substance that dwells within the magic stones of monsters. If you have traveled as a Saint, surely you have been involved in purification at least once?”

“Ah, now that you mention it, that did happen.”

“That… is like a poison that erodes the world. We do not know where it comes from, but living creatures go mad if they remain in contact with it. If only there were no miasma… If only…”

As Ingolvina-san spoke, she cast her eyes down, looking somewhat lonely.

“Ah, right. If you’re interested in legendary beings, there are supposedly such things as Flower Spirits as well.”

“Flower Spirits?”

I wonder. Like Dryads or Alraunes? Something like that?

“Well, they are legends. Supposedly, they can purify soil contamination—such as miasma or poison that defiles the earth—bring blessings to the land, and make flowers bloom. I have lived a long time, but I have never even heard a story of someone meeting a Flower Spirit.”

Hmm. Well, if a High Elf over three thousand years old hasn’t seen one, it’s probably just a fairy tale.

Once the conversation reached a natural pause, I looked around. Lu-chan seemed to be eating as usual, chatting happily with the other Elves of the village.

It’s a bit sad to part with a cute little sister-figure who admires me, calling me “Onee-sama,” but she’ll surely be happier living among her own kind in this village where her mother is.

As for her mother… well, she’s her usual self.

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Though she’s eating less than when she’s truly serious, she’s still piling her plates high. And for some reason, she’s making Bjorgolfur-san lick her shoes.

Ah, it’s such a familiar sight, it’s almost comforting. Ahaha.

Yeah, I’ve made up my mind. This monster should stay sealed in this village. Definitely. That’s for the best.

“Fiene-sama, are you feeling lonely after all?”

“I suppose so. Liera-san aside, I’ve traveled with Lu-chan for quite a while. Thinking that we’ll be parting in a few days does make me feel lonely.”

Chris-san really is kind. She’s always so considerate.

“Chris-san, thank you for everything.”

The words of gratitude came naturally.

Chris-san simply smiled and replied, “You’re welcome.”

Translator Note

大精霊 literally means “Great Spirit.”

However, that would be easily confused with “Greater Spirit” (上級精霊), so I chose “Elder Spirit” instead.