Chapter 57: Townsperson A and the Villainess...

After that, the Elven Village was thrown into a state of total pandemonium.

The Light Spirit had bestowed a Blessing upon a human woman.

In a village where every single resident had gathered to celebrate the decennial Summer Festival, there wasn't a soul left who hadn't heard the news.

Thanks to that one incident, Ana was fully recognized and accepted by the local Elves. That part was all well and good, but...

"Allen-sama, Anastasia-san, my sincerest congratulations to you both."

The Queen herself offered us her well-wishes.

"Ah, th-thank you very much."

"Hmph. Well, you do make a well-matched couple, I suppose."

Even Sherilralra-san joined in. Look, I appreciate the sentiment, but it’s not like we actually got married, okay?

"""Congratulations!"""

"Er, thanks."

As you can probably tell, Ana and I were now being treated as a full-fledged married couple. I only found out after the fact, but that event was essentially the elven equivalent of a wedding ceremony.

To be precise, Elves don't actually have a concept of "marriage" the way humans do. If two people hit it off and their personalities mesh, they become partners and live like a married couple. If things stop working out, they apparently just part ways with a clean, casual break.

However, passing the Summer Festival gauntlet is a different story. Participating in that event is considered a formal declaration of intent to conceive a child.

As for those guys who had been hounding me about being a "loser" or a "lonely-hearts" type? Apparently, the Elves just take turns playing those roles for the sake of the festival. They were just having a bit of fun. In fact, one of the guys in that group supposedly has a partner and kids of his own.

Well, since we had jumped into an event like that and actually cleared it, the Elves naturally assumed we were deeply committed. And since their understanding of humans is that "making children" equals "marriage," they were all congratulating us on our nuptials.

Still, I have to say one thing.

If it was that big of a deal, you should have told me beforehand!

While I was reeling from the realization, Ana spoke up.

"Hey, Allen. I’ve grown to really like this village. The Elves, the Spirits... everyone seems so happy here."

"They do."

"There are no royals or nobles extorting taxes from the people just to fund a life of useless luxury. Everyone is equal."

"Yes."

"Why can't human society be more like this, I wonder?"

Ana looked terribly melancholy as she spoke.

Lively music echoed around the bonfire, and Elves and Spirits alike were dancing and singing, clearly enjoying themselves. Even Sherilralra-san, the literal princess of the Elven Village, was out there in the thick of it, dancing with a smile on her face. There wasn't a hint of a social divide to be found. In that circle, she was simply one Elf named Sherilralra.

"What is the point of being a king or a noble, anyway?"

"Ana..."

There is a Queen in the Elven Village, certainly. However, she didn't seem to rule through authoritarian mandates. She acted more as a mediator when problems arose, or as a commander in the rare event of an external threat. She would never dream of using her status as a shield to bark orders at people, unlike a certain Crown Prince I knew.

"But I suppose it’s an impossible dream for humans."

Ana whispered those lonely words and rested her head against me. I wrapped my arm around her shoulders to support her gently.

"Tell me, Allen. Do you think I could stay here not as the Daughter of Duke Ramslett, but just as Anastasia?"

"...I believe so."

Affection, a desire to cherish her, a need to protect her—all these feelings welled up from the bottom of my heart.

"Then, Allen... would you stay here as just Allen, rather than Allen the commoner?"

Ana stared up at me with moist, pleading eyes.

Unable to help myself, I leaned down and sealed her lips with mine.

That moment felt like it lasted an eternity. And then...

・

・

・

The night in the Elven Village deepened.

Deep within the Forest of Bewilderment, a place no human is ever meant to tread, the music and dancing of the decennial festival continued to ring out in celebration of a new couple.

And that night, Ana and I...

＊＊＊＊

When I woke up, I had absolutely no sensation in my left arm.

Ah, right.

I looked down at the precious person responsible for my dead limb. As she slept peacefully with my arm as a pillow, she was beautiful beyond words. I felt torn between the desire to watch her forever and the pragmatic concern that we shouldn't sleep in too late.

As I was agonizing over whether or not to wake her, Ana opened her eyes.

"Ah..."

The moment our eyes met, she turned bright red and cast her gaze downward.

"Good morning, Ana."

"G-good morning, Allen..."

After that muffled reply, Ana fell into a bashful silence.

"Uhm, Ana? Do you want to get up?"

"Ah—yes, uh, r-right. I need to put some clothes on."

With that, Ana climbed out of bed. She walked toward her luggage with a slow, awkward gait—as if she were gingerly protecting her own body—which was quite unlike her usual composed self.

＊＊＊＊

I took Ana to a beautiful spring located on the outskirts of the village.

It was a mystical place. The spring was filled to the brim with crystal-clear water, surrounded by a profusion of blooming flowers and fluttering Spirits.

In the midst of that serene atmosphere, I mustered every ounce of my courage to speak.

"Ana, hey."

"What is it?"

"About, uh... about last night."

The moment the words left my mouth, Ana’s face flushed a deep crimson.

"Wh—?! D-don't you dare start apologizing now! I—I wanted to!"

As she spoke in a frantic panic, I shook my head and dropped to one knee.

"Ana. I don't know how long it will take, but I promise I’ll earn enough merit to be recognized by the Duke and come for you properly. I’m going to protect you forever. So... I know we did things out of order, but please, marry me."

I held out the Ring of Substitution.

Ana looked back and forth between my face and the ring, and then the tears began to fall.

"...Yes."

As she gave her answer, I gently slipped the Ring of Substitution onto the ring finger of her left hand.