Chapter 5: Welcome to Elle Village!

 

 

 

Chapter 5: Welcome to Elle Village!

 

“WITHOUT much ado, meet our new villagers!” I announce, waving my hands over the dozen or so people I abducted from the desolated village.

The servants I brought from Analia stare at us in shock. Not that I blame them for being surprised to discover that their mayor came back from a shopping trip for sugar and salt with thirteen strangers instead.

Meanwhile, the kidnappees don’t know how to react to my announcement that they’re now a part of my village. And by the way, I went through a world of trouble to kidnap them.

Things were working out great and all when the healing mist cured the injured, sick, and emaciated people who breathed it, but everything went south when the villagers zoned out thinking the sudden change in their health was just a dream. Amid the confusion, Canna and Jasper helped persuade them to come to Elle Village.

Even the branch-wielding boy who saw what I did was very hesitant at first after seeing his sister regain her health. But he was quick to pick up on who was responsible for it, thanked me, and assisted in convincing the other villagers. Apparently, the villagers put a lot of trust in him, because the majority didn’t resist once he spoke to them. He’s amazing for his age.

As for the boy, his eyes dart around the fields growing throughout the village. The seeds and seedlings have grown quite large since we planted them. The desolated village’s fields were more barren dust bowls than productive farmland, so he’s probably in shock seeing how lush and healthy the neatly arranged crops in our village look.

We ended up dedicating more land to fields than expected, which is likely going to come back to bite us during harvesting season with our lack of farmhands. Maybe it was the correct choice to bring in more people after all.

Our new residents are going to live in the open houses left over from Julius’s initial building project. Now it’s starting to feel like a pretty decent-sized village with about thirty residents. Still on the small side, but good enough. Women, children, and the elderly make up the majority of our newcomers. Or rather, that defines them all. Most of the able-bodied men left to become bandits, like the boy said.

Elle Village warmly welcomes our newcomers after I introduce them.

Meide whips up a soup that’s easy to ingest for our starving new villagers, and we sit down to eat together. The healing elixir may have relieved the long-term effects of malnutrition, but they will still get hungry. Not to mention, Meide’s cooking tastes the best in the whole wide world. I spot them cracking the occasional smile and starting to enjoy themselves as they eat their first solid meal in a long time.

What a relief. Everyone feels welcomed. Things should work out.

Reassured by what I see, I look around and notice Julius looming like an awkwardly placed statue a slight distance from where everyone else is eating. He’s been acting kinda funny, brooding ever since I cast my spell on that village. He hasn’t spoken a word and his face is grim.

I don’t like it…

“Lady Elle, is it all right if I give the new villagers clothes? I would also like to have them bathe,” someone says as I’m watching Julius, drawing my attention away from him.

Marie, the former laundress at my manor, is standing there with a big, friendly smile, holding the hand of one of the new children. The kid has a dorky smile after enjoying hot, tasty soup, but his clothes are full of holes and mud is smeared on his face and hair. The rest of the kids are just as filthy.

“Of course you can. Take them to the river first. I’ll bring some clothes by later.”

With my permission, Marie leads our new residents to the river.

I collect a bunch of garments and head to the riverside.

◆◆◆

“MARIE! I’ve brought clothing!” I call out, gesturing to the towels and clothes piled on top of the magic carpet floating next to me.

Marie thanks me and tells the girls and women washing up in the river that clean clothes have arrived.

The women show hesitant diffidence, as if they’re still nervous around me. But the children, having already adapted to the change, race over to the carpet and cheerfully clamor over who gets what outfit.

Hehe, that’s little girls for you.

Speaking of little girls, I don’t see a single boy?

“Hey, Marie, what happened to the boys?”

“I told them to wash up further down the river.”

“You did?! That’s dangerous! Aren’t there only young boys?! Is anyone older with them?”

I didn’t see a single adult male in that entire village. Each of the boys looked younger than ten, with the oldest-looking one being the boy poking the ground with a stick. The water current may be idyllic in this part of the river, but it’s game over if a little kid slips and drowns.

“Laurent said he would look after them,” Marie explains.

“Who’s Laurent?”

“The village chief you brought back with you, Lady Elle. He’s the man you call ‘boy.’”

“Then he’s still just a child! That kid was the village chief? Either way, I’d hate for anyone to slip and drown. I’ll bring their clothes and check on them in the process.”

“B-But Laurent is—”

Marie tries to stop me for whatever reason, but I don’t want to risk anything happening to them while I hear her out, so I hurry downriver.

◆◆◆

I can hear the kids’ playful voices as they splash around in the water downstream. From this distance I can see fully naked children throwing handfuls of water at each other. The boy is having fun with them, too.

Oh, he has a pretty nice face without all the dirt and grime. Actually, I kinda remember that face from somewhere… Gives me a weird sense of déjà vu.

Meh. I’ll let him know I brought clothes for now and watch over them until they’re done playing.

“Boy! I’ve brought clothes and towels to dry off with!” I call out.

The boy looks over his shoulder and cries “Hey! Why?!” when our eyes meet. He quickly crouches down until his shoulders are under the water.

Oh my, what’s wrong with him? Is there some strange critter wandering around? I sweep my eyes over the area, but there’s nothing of note here.

“What’s wrong, boy?”

“You don’t know?! I’m…naked…! Don’t ya stare at me! I mean, please do not look,” he pleads, switching from casual to formal speech with cheeks redder than a tomato.

Oh, I get it now. He’s embarrassed to be seen naked. Just like a grown-up! How silly. He’s still just a kid who hasn’t even hit the double digits yet.

“Don’t be shy. It means nothing to me if I see a child’s body. When do you turn ten, boy?”

He’s tinier and more slender than my petite size, and my character was a legit loli in the manga. Actually, he’s too skinny to be healthy!

“E-Excuse me, Lady Elle, you should know that he is…” Marie shows up behind me fumbling over her words.

“I’m…years old,” I hear a low voice growl.

It’s the boy who spoke. Failing to catch what he said, I look at him and cock my head. “Come again?”

“I told you…I’m sixteen!” he shouts.

HUH?!

“Wha? No way. Sixteen?!”

“Yeah… Yes, ma’am,” the boy sullenly affirms, covering his chest with his arms.

I’m in shock.

“It’s not unusual for this to happen to children in Gaea with food shortages becoming the norm these days,” Marie explains hesitantly. “They just stop growing. But once they get proper food in them, they will grow up strong and looking like their actual age. Even Canna, who is two years older than you, Lady Elle, looked like a small child in comparison at first. Don’t you remember?”

“Did she?”

Now that she mentions it, Canna was pretty tiny when I kidnapped her… Since when did she grow up to look like an adult? Her chest has gotten way bigger than mine, and her body is looking more feminine by the day…

Uh, if that’s the case, then I just checked out the naked body of a teenage boy my age? For that matter, isn’t this the first time I’ve ever seen a naked man in the flesh?

Studying anatomical models and drawings of the human body was a part of the Demon Lord Institute’s education, so I know how they look and work. But I think this is my first time seeing the real thing…

Just thinking about it is making me embarrassed. The small, obscured glimpse I caught of the boy’s— Stop right there, Elle! You mustn’t finish that picture!

“Um…uh, it’s okay!” I blurt to stop my thoughts from going down the gutter. “I got used to seeing pictures of the naked human body during my anatomy studies! A-All that’s different is the dangly bits, right?! No biggie! Don’t give it a second thought! B-Bu-But…I’ll take my leave for the day! Take care of the kiddos for me! Marie, you’re coming, too!” I rattle off and flee from the riverside.

My feet swiftly carry me deeper into the forest.

They don’t need a babysitter with a sixteen-year-old around. He’s the same age as me, making me even more unneeded. Staying there would make me nothing more than a Peeping Tom…

Oh my gosh! My face feels like it’s burning up. H-How do I cool off? I-It’s not my fault I saw just a tiny, wee glimpse of it…

So that boy is the same age as me. Sixteen is a bona fide adult in Gaea, making him the only adult male and the village’s chief, I guess. Checks out in my books. And his name is Laurent.

…Laurent? Where have I heard that before?

“Ah!”

A foreboding feeling stops me in my tracks.

Those looks, and the name Laurent! Could he be the genius sorcerer and legit shota Laurent?!

I finally understand where the déjà vu is coming from. That boy is a member of Saint Aela’s party in the manga!

If my past memory serves me right, Laurent’s village is overrun with an unrelenting plague, causing him to leave for the big city in search of a cure, which leads him to Saint Aela. Seen as a dangerous plague-bearer, he’s chased down and nearly killed by the city people when Saint Aela saves him.

They have a touching scene, and then she heads to his village to cure the plague with her holy powers, but the villagers have already died by the time they arrive. Embittered with deep sorrow and regret, Laurent is saved by her tender words and becomes her devoted follower afterward.

In the process, he awakens to his hidden magical talent…

Laurent is a formidable sorcerer within the manga. Aela has a palm-sized fairy named Lylish who teaches her how to use her saintly powers and happens to teach Laurent about magic on the side. This makes for a super-shocking section later on where readers are treated to a scene of him showing off an insane talent for magic.

In fact, in the manga, there were many enemies in the Demon Lord’s Army that could only be defeated because he was there. Yes, for example, Elle of the Four Grand Magi… The saint’s power alone couldn’t have overcome Elle. She’s defeated only after being tossed around by Laurent’s magic.

That boy is the genius sorcerer Laurent capable of striking me down someday. To think such a prime prize has fallen right into my hands…

Whoa! Bad villainess. Don’t go there. I accidentally started thinking like an evil general in the Demon Lord’s Army!

I’m not plotting anything sinister, nor do I plan to become like manga Elle, but with the main cast of characters from the manga world gathering around me like this, I can’t disregard that Saint Aela must be out there somewhere, too.

I’m seriously scared. Will I end up being defeated by Saint Aela just like in the manga? I don’t want that. I wanna continue living my way with everyone in Elle Village.

Worst of all, it’s getting close to that time. Close to when a mere village girl named Aela is called to the capital as a saint and sets out on a journey to save a ravaged Gaea. No, her journey could’ve started by now.

She might already be nearby…

“Elle, is this where you’ve been? I was looking for you.”

“Gyah!” A high-pitched squeak is scared right out of me. I whip my head to the side to find Julius. “Wh-Wh-Wha? Julius?!”

“What’s wrong? You’re overly jittery.”

I have every right to be! I was just scaring myself about Saint Aela sneaking up on me! Ugh, my heart leaped out of my chest and I’m gasping for air because he had to ambush me like that.

Julius gives my reaction a puzzled look and cuts straight to the point. “I need to talk. Do you have a minute?”

I manage to get my rampaging heartbeat and shortness of breath under control and take a good look at his face.

Huh, what’s up with him? He’s awfully serious. That reminds me—he’s had this pensive expression ever since I used magic on Laurent’s village.

“I have time… What’s up?”

“Elle, what kind of trick did you use with that spell you cast on the village?”

“No trick. I just directed my magic into the magic circle to create mist—”

“That’s not what I’m talking about,” he interrupts, then clarifies, “You amplified and expanded the magic healing properties the DemiOracle imbued in that liquid. Since when have you been capable of doing that?”

“Since when? I never paid attention. I’ve been able to do it as long as I’ve tried?” I shrug. “Can’t you do the same thing, Julius? Like when you increase water capacity with Water Magic. Isn’t that the same thing?”

“It’s completely different. In that example, magic is used to increase the volume of matter. The more you increase the water and manipulate it, the more magic is consumed. You, however, did something very different. In your case, you used just a small portion of your own magic to massively multiply the amount of available magic—and it was someone else’s magic you were amplifying. There’s no other explanation for it. You increased the healing magi the DemiOracle stored in that liquid.”

Huh? I don’t get it.

“Sorry, what? Isn’t that normal?”

“Like hell it’s normal!” Julius shouts.

Wow, he’s on edge!

“Wh-Why are you mad? You don’t have to raise your voice at me!” I huff, shocked by his outburst.

Surprised, he presses a hand to his mouth. “Sorry. You are just too unassuming, Elle… I’m in the wrong. I still haven’t organized my thoughts yet. What is the best move…?” he says, acting unusually flustered. He inhales and exhales several times before looking at me again. There’s an ashen quality to his complexion.

“Ultimately, what I am trying to say in the simplest language possible is that you have the potential to become a perpetual magic generator.”

“A perpetual magic generator?” I echo.

“Yes. Elle, have you ever felt like you have run out of magic after casting one of your favorite wide-area spells?”

“…Never. But isn’t that just because I have a larger supply of magic than other people?”

“I thought so, too. But that’s probably not it. In your case, it’s not a matter of having a huge amount of magic to pull from—it’s how fast your magic restores. A normal sorcerer condenses magic particles in the air and in food into their internal magic supply. The only way to replenish the body’s magic is to collect a large amount of particles over a few days and wait as it slowly converts into usable magic,” Julius explains, creating an hourglass in his hand with magic and flicking the glass as each bead of sand slowly spills to the bottom.

“Even my magic restores at the same rate as the average sorcerer. You, however, have an abnormal restoration speed, making you capable of endlessly increasing magic output with magic. No, restoration may be too weak of a word choice. You have the potential to continue multiplying magic as long as your body allows it without ever needing magic particles. Simply put, Elle, you will never run out of magic,” he finishes.

Never run out?

It’s true that I’ve never been able to measure my magical power. On orders from the DemiOracle, I’ve done a lot of experiments to determine how much magic I have, but none of them worked. I just thought I sucked so much at controlling my magic I couldn’t measure it correctly, but…I never imagined a hidden talent was behind it!

Should’ve expected that from the youngest Grand Magi and a prodigy sorceress like me!

My thoughts are interrupted by Julius’s heavy sigh.

“We may have been two of the Four Grand Magi, but we were nothing more than useful cogs put in motion to control Analia. But if your magic has the potential to become a perpetual generator…!” Julius bites out. “Aaah, thinking about it in that light, did you struggle with more delicate spells because adjusting the constant flow of magic was too difficult? Damn it all! Why didn’t I realize sooner?!” He runs an agitated hand through his hair and sinks his teeth into his bottom lip.

I can see that he’s in a huge panic and filled with regret over something. What can I do about it? I don’t really understand what he’s worked up about.

Even if what he said about my magic is true, why does that make him act like it’s the end of the world? It’s not that big of a deal. If anything, isn’t it pretty awesome to have an unlimited supply of magic? What’s so bad about it?

“J-Julius? Why are you so flustered? Is that a bad thing?” I ask gingerly. He looks at me with an ashen face drained of hope.

“…It could be world-endingly bad depending on several factors. One of which I want to confirm right now: Does the Demon Lord know about your condition?”

“You mean the magic circle? I never went out of my way to mention that I can do these things, but I didn’t hide it, either. I’m honestly not sure if it knows or not… But now that I look back on it, I was pretty much made to do nothing but experiments on my magic capacity ever since joining the Centers for Magic Research.”

“I see,” Julius murmurs, his hard expression softening a tad. “We might just be able to get by as long as the Demon Lord hasn’t found out, but…wisdom dictates we assume the worst,” he says softly, walking closer to me.

Determination has replaced the panic gleaming in his eyes only seconds ago. Captivated by the resolved air about him, I don’t move when he wraps his arms around my back.

“Huh?! Uh, hello? Julius…?!”

Julius just walked right up and hugged me! Why is he hugging me? Did I really zone out so bad to end up encapsulated in his strong arms?!

“Elle, refrain from doing anything else to draw attention to yourself. Please don’t use powerful wide-area magic like you did today. We can’t let the Demon Lord catch on about you.”

“Wh-What’s the big deal?! And would you lemme go already?!” I cry, shoving his chest with my hands. Being the strongest Grand Magi, he doesn’t even flinch.

“I will protect you no matter what comes. I swear to never hand you over to the Demon Lord.”

“What has gotten into you?!” I ask, lifting my head. Julius’s face is much closer to mine than expected.

Julius looks like he’s about to cry.

He rarely ever showed any emotion in Analia, earning him the nickname Prince of Glacial Beauty, and while he’s become more expressive since establishing Elle Village, he has always been more mature, calm, and levelheaded than me. That very same Julius is on the verge of tears.

I’m held hostage by those liquid pools of blue. I reach out my hands—

“Oh, hey, there’s someone over here!”

“GYAH!”

I shove Julius away. Is this a case of hysterical strength during an emergency? Julius falls back two steps this time even though he didn’t even blink with my last shove.

Wow, that was dangerously close. What in the world was I about to do?

I lift my eyes to look at Julius just as he turns in the direction of our visitor. I step to the right and look around him at the speaker.

Oh, it’s Laurent. And the village kids are trailing behind him. Seeing as their hair is wet, they must’ve come this way after finishing up in the river. Sounded like one of the younger boys spoke.

Surprise flashes across Laurent’s face when our eyes meet, with me in Julius’s shadow. “Ah, uh, umm, I see Lady Elle was with you. I’m sorry. I interrupted your alone time together…,” he bashfully stammers, cheeks flushed, and averts his gaze.

Oh my gosh! That reaction! Laurent has totally misunderstood what’s going on between us! He’s definitely got the wrong idea about me and Julius.

Seeing him act all embarrassed with rapidly reddening cheeks is making me flustered now.

Stop it! I-It’s not how it looks. Sure, we were gazing into each other’s eyes while hugging, and I was lifting my hands up to his cheeks…

Oh gosh, just thinking about it in that light makes my cheeks burn hot. Stupid Julius, what are you doing to me?! Hugging me close and looking into my eyes in that way will make me…make me…

Gah! Crud. I’m so embarrassed my thoughts are traveling down a dangerous path!

Anybody, not just Laurent, would get the wrong idea about us if they saw what we were doing!

Why did he hug me?! Especially when he’s going to fall in love with the stupid saint someday!

“L-L-L-Laurent! Don’t you get the wrong idea! J-Julius and I are nothing like that! What you just saw was that! You know, that! Julius was just acting funny!” I blurt out in a loud voice, earning a look of dissatisfaction from Julius.

“I wouldn’t say I was acting funny…,” he says. “However, I acknowledge I wasn’t being calm. I apologize for offending your personal space… I’ll go cool my head off. I have to strengthen the barriers I have up around the village anyway.” He quickly takes his leave.

He’s walking away so fast I can hear his feet cut through the wind. He won’t even look back. I don’t know how else to put it except that he got over it and out of here fast!

As for me, my face is still on fire, and my heart is doing a little jig. It’s not fair!

I’m sending all my irritation into a pointed glare directed at his back when I hear Laurent’s reserved “Excuse me, Lady Elle…?”

“What?” I ask without looking at him. My eyes are too busy sending hate beams in the direction Julius left. I have every right to! I mean, what’s his deal suddenly holding me in his arms, then leaving with the wind without an explanation?!

“Um, are you and Lord Julius lovers?”

“Didn’t you hear me say not to get the wrong idea?!” I spin on Laurent and glower at him for asking such a thing. Yet the kid cracks a happy smile.

“You…aren’t? …I’m glad.”

What is there to be glad about?! Sheesh.

“ANYWAY! Let’s head back to Elle Village, since you’re done with your bath! Back to our loving community!” I trumpet while struggling with an annoyance I just can’t put my finger on. I march back to the village with Laurent and the boys.