"It's already so late tonight. Everyone, take a rest early and prepare for tomorrow's work."
'There is no need for a stiff greeting, really,' she said while waving the folding fan in her hand.
And judging from the wry smiles on the faces of the castle servants as they complied with her order, I guessed that the elven lady, Erneah-sama, probably interacted with all the servants in a similar easygoing manner.
"Umu. Alright, this way, you can use this place for tonight."
"Thank you for the hospitality......"
When I entered the guest room I was led to, its splendor shocked me.
The room was several times bigger than my room in our mansion, and one glance was enough to tell me that the furniture and the other items were obviously of high value.
While I was shocked at the sight of the room, Erneah-san, the person who guided me here, lazily sat on the sofa and fetched a wine glass and a liquor bottle from the shadow she summoned with a gesture of her finger.
"Haaa… A drink after finishing my rounds in the forest is the best."
"Err...... I am really grateful for your protection, but are you sure you have to stay here with me?"
"Well of course, I can't leave a child to sleep in such a big room alone as a guardian. Fortunately, the bed is wide enough for both of us to sleep in easily."
Certainly, it sounded reasonable if she put it that way, but......
"I assume Erneah-san is one of the great figures in this castle. So, wouldn't it be more appropriate to leave this matter to the servants from earlier?"
"Erneah-san...... It has a nostalgic ring to it......"
I stared at Erneah-san's appearance with a narrow gaze as she seemingly had taken a liking to the way I called her as could be seen from her repeatedly muttering it joyfully while drinking. Though she coughed and rectified her appearance when she noticed my gaze.
"Ahem...... well there is some truth to your words, child. But I was simply curious about you."
"It's my pleasure to receive your praise, but I am not at an age to be called a child, just so you know."
"Hmm-hmm. No matter the age, young'uns will always try to act all mature. But for me, you are an adorable child in my eyes no matter your age."
After hearing her say that as she beckoned me, I sat down on the adjacent sofa.
I was slightly befuddled receiving the type of treatment that differed from Teto's, as she patted my head and treated me like I was some sort of cute kid. Then I realized I haven't eaten dinner.
"I'm hungry."
"Hmm? Ah, how careless of me. Let me prepare dinner for you, child."
"No need to take the trouble. I am properly carrying food with me."
I said that as I fetched a small box from my magic box.
The box, which was named 'lunch box', was equipped with a similar time-stop mechanism used in the storehouse of the «Empty Wilderness», so it allowed me to preserve freshly cooked meals.
"You, that's a magic tool, isn't it?"
"You can tell?"
"Well, yeah. I have seen many magic tools due to my position, but a magic tool that specializes only in keeping food fresh is something new...... From which dungeon did you get it?"
"......Who knows? I just purchased it so I don't know the origin. I am just using it since it's convenient. Want to eat together?"
I averted my eyes and took out food enough for two people from the lunch box.
I had initially prepared it for my trip with Teto, but since she wasn't by my side, I decided to entertain Erneah-san.
"It has been made by a maid at my place."
This time's lunch box menu was curry rice and salad as a side.
"Hmm, it looks quite delicious from the smell...... But is this rice covered in brown, thick gravy? How nostalgic..."
"Nostalgic? Have you tried it before?"
Initially, I used to make our portion with «Creation Magic» in the «Empty Wilderness», but as the demand for rice increased with the increase in the population of the residents there, we were now cultivating rice, although small in quantities, with the seeds I created.
"Yeah. The gravy wasn't thick like this, but I have eaten rice with thin spicy soup poured over them. It was said to be a trial product, and the rice in your food seems to be of a different variety as well."
"I think the rice you saw before was a long-grain variety. This one is a short-grain variety, sticky and firm."
"I see...... I guess it would be impolite to reject your kindness, so I shall have it as well."
Erneah-san gingerly reached out her hand for the curry rice.
Once she had a taste of the complex flavor of the spices, the sweetness of the caramelized onions, and the richness of the meat that enveloped her taste buds, all her trepidations went out the window as she began to eat with relish.
As much as I wanted to say that I was an adult, the spiciness was kept mild catering to my childish palate which was also just the right level for a beginner curry eater like Erneah-san to eat.
She ate gracefully, occasionally taking a bite of the salad or sipping on the alcohol, savoring each bite.
After how she had been treating me like a child, I felt like I had gotten back at her slightly as I ate the curry, courtesy of Baretta and the maids.
"Hmm, it was delicious. It was much more delicious than what I had in the past."
"It was nothing special."
Once we were finished eating, I cleared the dishes. I had just entered the bathroom that was in the room and was about to cleanse myself when Erneah-san also joined in, unabashedly revealing her beautiful physique before me.
"W, Why the hell are you coming in!?"
"There was no way I could let a child take a bath by herself, you know? Besides, we're both of the same gender, so it's not like there's any need to be embarrassed."
"I am not so young that I can't even take a bath alone! And we might be the same gender, but this is still surprising......"
"Just chill and take it easy."
I glared at Erneah-san who, despite my reluctance, didn't leave the bathroom and started to clean herself. Fortunately, the bathroom was big enough to accommodate two people with plenty of space in between.
In the middle of my bath, my gaze caught a glimpse of Erneah-san's well-shaped, ample breasts and as I subconsciously compared them to my underdeveloped chest which had stopped growing, a melancholic feeling welled up inside me.
"Child. You'll grow a chest like mine someday. There is hope."
"Y, Yeah......"
I responded with a dull nod to Ernearh-san's encouragement, but deep down, I felt a pang of guilt for not being able to tell her that as an immortal my chest would not grow any larger.
Afterwards, it was time for sleep but since I was made to sleep for a long time by the fairies, sleepiness didn't come easily to me.
On the other hand, Erneah-san, who drank, took no time in falling asleep on the bed.
I stared at the night scenery of the Eldar Forest Kingdom as my thoughts drifted towards our trip. Reaching here should have been our goal, but I ended up here in such a roundabout way, it honestly didn't sit well with me.
"......Teto, I wonder what she's doing now."
Honestly, there was a lot to digest, like the fairies kidnapping me and putting me to sleep in a subspace while absorbing my mana for a month. But everything was so surreal to me that I didn't feel any anger inside me.
Although I was worried about Teto and how she must have passed the time in my absence, there was nothing I could do at that moment, unfortunately. I laid down on the sofa and drifted to sleep, the wide sofa with a soft sinking feeling was enough for my petite body.
T/N: Quite an interesting she is, the elven woman, no?
