"So I see. The World Tree is a symbol of prayer for the Dark Elves... something akin to a god to them."
Seated on the sofa, these words of understanding slipped from Rei's mouth as he read a book about Dark Elf history—one he had asked the Dark Elf Guard stationed outside his room to bring him.
No matter how essential the World Tree was to the Dark Elves' daily lives, Rei now understood the reason they held feelings beyond mere necessity.
Still, even if it was close to a god, the saving grace was that there were no religious zealots like those of the certain cult that had attacked Rei in the past.
If a World Tree religion had been established to worship it, Rei probably would have refused to treat it.
Given just how much Rei despised organized religion, in that sense perhaps it was fair to say the Dark Elves had gotten lucky.
He was about to turn to the next page when he suddenly stopped and turned his gaze toward the door.
He had sensed someone approaching.
Normally, he would not have paid it much attention.
But given that Rei was currently under house arrest, he could not help but be on guard.
"Did someone come?"
Even so, considering his circumstances, he did not immediately drop into a combat stance.
He tucked a nearby string into the book as a bookmark and fixed his gaze on the door.
After a few seconds, the guard outside opened it.
"Rei, you've got a visitor, but... well, is it all right to let them through?"
His manner of speech toward Rei was hardly the way one would address someone under house arrest.
This too was likely thanks to Marina.
Judging as much, Rei gave a nod without hesitation.
"Yeah. I was just at a loss for how to kill time. If someone's come to visit, that's welcome news. More importantly, I'd appreciate it if you could bring me something to snack on."
His gaze fell on a plate of roasted, salted nuts that had been brought in alongside the book.
The plate was already empty, and seeing it, the guard looked surprised.
"You already ate them all? ...Well, fine. Understood. Either way, I need to serve Optis-sama a drink, so I'll bring more along with that."
"...Optis? Is that the name of the person who came to visit?"
"That's right. He's a VIP of this settlement, so make sure you don't do anything disrespectful."
With that, the guard picked up the plate and took his leave.
Entering in his place, as if swapping shifts, was an elderly Dark Elf.
"So you are Rei."
"And you are? The man out there said you're some important figure among the Dark Elves."
"Umu. I am the elder of this settlement... to put it in terms you would understand, I am one called Optis Ariansa, in a position akin to a Village Chief."
"...Ariansa? That's..."
Hearing a surname he recognized, Rei turned his gaze back to Optis.
The old man looked considerably aged, but even so, there was something about his features that resembled Marina.
At Rei's reaction, Optis gave a nod.
"The Marina you know is my granddaughter."
"Grandfather, huh. But why would the grandfather of Marina—the important figure serving as this settlement's elder—come to see me?"
"It is simple. I wished to see what sort of person you are. Until a short while ago, we were deliberating on how to handle you, but... without knowing the man you are, whatever we decided might end up being wasted effort, no? Besides..."
Pausing there, Optis fixed his gaze steadily on Rei.
"What sort of man my granddaughter has chosen... I must confirm with these arms of mine."
"...Arms?"
Normally, one would say they would confirm with their own eyes. Rei found that odd, but the Dark Elf who had introduced himself as Optis wore an amused smile at Rei's puzzlement before speaking.
"Umu. Arms. If you are to enter such a relationship with my granddaughter, naturally, proportionate strength is required."
"No, even if you say that..."
Rei could understand that the person standing before him was strong, contrary to his appearance.
From the stories Marina had told him on the journey to this forest, it was obvious that the Dark Elf before him was powerful.
The tale of him pursuing a slave merchant alone to rescue a kidnapped compatriot and returning stained with blood—Rei had heard that story in full as well.
With a personality like that, it's no surprise he'd want to fight me directly... I guess?
Even while wondering about that, the prospect of getting out of his confined room by going along with Optis's proposal was significant to Rei.
It was true that he could pass the time comfortably in this room, but a guard stood outside the door, and from the window he could see watchers stationed at a distance, keeping him under constant surveillance.
He knew that keeping watch over Rei also served to protect him from anyone who might try to harm him, but even so, being watched was not a pleasant feeling.
Since the situation had finally started moving, it was only natural to think of riding that momentum.
"All right. So where do we do it?"
Those words from Rei were apparently unexpected. Optis opened his eyes slightly wider, if only a little.
"Hoh, you certainly decide quickly. I am glad of it, but... is this truly all right?"
"Yeah, I don't mind. Staying here is just boring anyway. I was in the mood to move my body a little."
"...You have only been in this room for a few hours at most. You are quite an impatient man. Well, but perhaps it is precisely that personality that Marina took a fancy to."
"Ah..."
At Optis's words, Rei started to say that the matter with Marina was a misunderstanding.
But since he did not fully understand Marina's intentions, he hesitated to carelessly dismiss it.
Besides, it would be a lie to say Rei felt no attraction toward Marina.
Had he not felt any fondness for her from the start, he might have said something.
But the truth was, Rei did hold favorable feelings toward Marina.
At any rate, Rei gave a vague response without saying anything further to Optis, and was led out of the room.
"...Where is this?"
Led from the room, Rei found himself alongside Optis in what appeared to be a plaza at the outskirts of the settlement.
He had asked aloud where this was, but seeing Dark Elves training and conducting mock battles in the vicinity, the nature of the place was self-evident.
At the edge of the plaza, Dark Elves were nocking arrows at targets.
"You can tell by looking, can you not. This is where the people of this settlement train their bodies."
The Dark Elves who had been training noticed Optis as well. Several turned their gazes toward them.
Some among them apparently knew of Rei; a few grimaced in understanding of what was about to happen. But Optis paid them no mind and led Rei toward the center of the plaza.
"Hah! Kuh! ...Eh? The elder?"
"Oh, the elder? What brings you here... well, it's not unusual for you to come, but. Who's that human?"
Two Dark Elf men who had been sparring with rapiers near the center looked up at Optis and Rei.
Optis smiled at them—a look of sheer delight on his face—and spoke.
"Umu. He is Marina's husband."
"...Eh?"
At those words, not only the two men but everyone who had been watching from the surroundings let out similar sounds of disbelief.
At the same time, all manner of gazes—curiosity, jealousy, pity, as if to say, that man?—were directed at Rei.
The news that Rei had kissed Marina had naturally spread through the settlement at tremendous speed, but the identity of the other party had become tangled with various rumors along the way. By the end, he had been described as a brawny, heavily muscled giant. It was only natural that they would be surprised to see Rei, who was the polar opposite of those rumors.
"At any rate, I will be borrowing this space for a bit, if that is all right. As Marina's grandfather... and above all, as the elder of this settlement, I wish to confirm just how much ability this man possesses."
"Y-yes... of course, but... you yourself, elder?"
Knowing full well what sort of power Optis wielded, the men asked timidly. Optis nodded as if to say that was only natural.
"And the rest of you—watch closely. See just how much power this man can demonstrate. Observe properly."
At those words, everyone training in the plaza put distance between themselves and the two.
Even those practicing archery from afar stopped what they were doing.
Just how much attention am I drawing here?
Rei could not help but think that, but fighting under the eyes of a crowd was something he had done countless times before.
At the Fighting Tournament held in the Bestia Empire the previous year, he had fought before the eyes of people from across the Imperial Capital... and even from neighboring nations.
Compared to that, fighting before this many people was no problem at all.
Then again, at the tournament most of the spectators were amateurs. Here, there are Dark Elves with a certain level of skill or higher. That's different.
Looking around, Rei judged that anything he said now would be pointless and drew the Death Scythe from the Misty Ring.
As expected, the surrounding Dark Elves who had been watching showed virtually without exception looks of surprise at the sudden appearance of the Death Scythe—larger than Rei's own stature—seemingly from thin air.
But Optis alone was the exception. He was surprised, but only to the degree of someone seeing something unusual rather than impossible.
At that sight, this time it was Rei who looked surprised.
"I thought you'd be a little more shocked."
"I have lived a long life despite how I look. Seeing an Item Box is not my first time."
"...Huh."
At Optis's words, Rei let out a sound of genuine admiration—an attitude born from knowing exactly how much value something like an Item Box held.
Even while impressed, Rei readied the Death Scythe without lowering his guard.
Optis, for his part, raised his staff in response.
The staff Optis held served as both a magic catalyst and a blunt weapon.
The head of the grip had something embedded in it that at first glance resembled crystal.
That crystal-like object was roughly twenty centimeters in diameter; being struck by it would clearly carry considerable force.
Furthermore, the tip of the staff was sharply pointed, evocative of thrust-oriented weapons like an estoc or rapier.
That staff, no matter how you look at it, isn't just a magic catalyst. I mean, thinking about it normally, even if you sharpened the tip of a wooden pole, it wouldn't have much power... but surely the elder of the Dark Elves wouldn't use such a flimsy weapon. First strike!
With the Death Scythe in hand, Rei kicked off the ground and charged toward Optis.
He had no intention of killing, so he channeled no magic into the Death Scythe, but even in its base state, the weapon weighed roughly a hundred kilograms and possessed overwhelming destructive power as a blunt instrument.
Optis seemed to understand that power as well. Rather than deflecting or attempting to block the incoming strike, he leapt far backward.
With a thunderous roar, the Death Scythe cut through the space where Optis had been standing.
The swung strike was not the giant blade but the shaft that passed through the spot Optis's body had occupied a moment before.
Seeing that Rei had no intent to kill, Optis suppressed an urge to laugh inwardly.
To think that at this age, I would be on the receiving end of someone holding back. ...But that too is fine!
Converting his amusement into fighting spirit, Optis kicked off the ground and closed the distance with Rei.
Rei was startled for a moment by the speed of the footwork—far too quick for Optis's apparent age—but even so, he quickly brought the Death Scythe back to a ready position.
Seeing Rei's form, Optis was inwardly surprised as well as he pressed forward.
The Death Scythe was roughly two meters long, and its weight did not seem like something that could be handled so casually.
That was the surprise of someone who did not know one of the Death Scythe's abilities—that the wielder felt almost none of its weight.
Even so, Optis swung his staff, attempting to slam the rounded, crystal-embedded head into Rei's torso—
A high-pitched metallic sound rang out across the surroundings.
The source of that sound was the shaft of the Death Scythe in Rei's hands.
Hearing the sharp clang that came from blocking Optis's strike, the two men exchanged smiles, neither moving to take further action.