After my sudden competition with Remily ended and we finished clearing out the remaining undead, it was time to face my penalty—or rather, fulfill her request.
As a result, I currently found myself in a tent, sharing the same bedding as Remily. To be specific, I was lying on my side with my left arm down, and Remily was clinging to my back like a human hugging pillow. Because of the difference in our heights, the back of my head was resting against something very soft.
"Just how exactly did it come to this?" I asked.
"Because you lost by disqualification, obviously, Ryoma. Besides, shouldn't a young boy be a bit happier about this?"
"I admit you’re a youthful beauty, Remily, but my heart doesn’t have the capacity to enjoy the situation."
To be sure, most men would probably find this position enviable. However, while I might have looked like an elementary schooler, I was a man who had lived for over forty years on the inside. Furthermore, during that entire time, my only real interactions with women had been with my mother or through professional acquaintances. Being thrust into this situation so suddenly was simply distressing. Also, while I doubted it would happen, I lived in constant fear of being sued over sexual harassment allegations.
"You really aren't moving a single muscle, are you? You'll never sleep if you're that stiff. Well, it's fine. I wanted to talk for a bit anyway."
As she spoke, Remily began stroking my head.
"Talk? Also, what exactly are you doing?"
"Hmm? I used to do this for my younger brother all the time. When he couldn't sleep, he'd drift off right away if I did this."
"I see. So you have a younger brother?"
"One back in my hometown. Though, I ran away from the village so long ago and haven't been back in ages that I can't really act like a big sister now. Well, it isn't a happy story, but you can listen to it as a lullaby. Feel free to ask questions if you have any."
And so, Remily began her tale.
"I live in the city now, but I was born in a village inhabited only by dark elves. It was a place where nothing ever changed. Tell me, Ryoma, have you ever seen old people who do nothing but talk about how things used to be?"
"I have. I understand what you mean."
"Even humans find it harder to accept new things as they age, but that tendency is especially prominent in a village where long-lived races gather. For humans, you're treated as an adult after fifteen or twenty years, but for a dark elf, you only finally reach adulthood at fifty at the earliest. Until then, you live a life without change, following adults who have lived even longer. By the time a child becomes an adult, they’ve become just as incapable of accepting change, and they don't even think to question it. I hated that. So, I ran away from the village before my coming-of-age and became an adventurer."
"Wasn't that difficult?"
"I'd be lying if I said it wasn't, but it wasn't a case of a naive girl fresh from the countryside getting tricked. I mean, it was before a dark elf's coming-of-age, right? I was already over thirty when I left the village, and I was strong enough to repel anyone who approached me with wicked intentions."
"I see..."
"If anything, leaving the village was the hardest part. They sent out pursuers and started a mountain-wide search, so I had to hide in thickets and caves during the day and move under the cover of the night, heading for a city as far away as possible."
From an adult's perspective, they probably thought they were desperately searching for a child lost in the forest. But hearing it from the perspective of the one fleeing, it sounded like a high-stakes stealth mission.
"My life as an adventurer was smooth sailing. Going to new cities, seeing new sights, tasting new foods—it was truly fun. Until 'that time.'"
Suddenly, the tone of her voice changed.
"My adventurer life was going well—perhaps too well. I kept subjugating monsters and thieves with my specialized magic, and my name spread further and further. Before I knew it, I had become a target for everyone's jealousy."
"How did you handle that?"
"I didn't do anything. I just figured, 'I'm capable of doing this, so it can't be helped,' and I continued my work without letting it bother me. I told you, didn't I? 'I repelled anyone who approached me with wicked intentions.' I was quite sharp back then."
Remily’s tone sounded like she was laughing, but it carried an underlying shadow.
"As I continued to do as I pleased, the eyes of jealousy gradually turned into eyes of fear. Eventually, people started calling me the 'Witch of Death's Shadow.' The magic I'm best at is shadow magic, which combines light and darkness. It's suited for interpersonal combat and assassinations, and because of those traits, I often took on subjugation work. Foul rumors spread, saying things like, 'Countless corpses are left in the wake of the Witch of Death's Shadow. She kills living things for a hobby. She only targets monsters and thieves so she can satisfy her bloodlust without breaking the law.' Well, even so, I didn't particularly care."
"That sounds like a terrible rumor."
"It was malicious, but then and now, I don't think I did anything wrong, nor did I actually do anything bad. If anything, I was eliminating dangers for people. I didn't feel like anyone had a right to complain. In fact, the frequency with which I took on subjugation work actually increased."
I wondered if "strong mentality" was enough to describe her. I was at a loss for how to react.
"But my work wasn't fun anymore. Hardly anyone wanted to form a party with me, and while clients would keep up appearances, it was obvious they didn't want to be involved with me if they could help it. So, while I worked as an adventurer, I spent more and more time looking for hobbies and just idled along. But it seems the people who disliked me reached their limit. They set a trap and tried to kill me... Even now, it's hilarious when I remember it."
Contrary to her tone, the content was heavy. I wondered what could possibly be "hilarious" about an assassination attempt.
"Ah, when I say it's hilarious, I mean the trap itself. I can't laugh about almost being killed, even if it's my own story."
"I see... I think? I'm still not sure I understand what a hilarious trap would be."
"Perhaps it's more accurate to call it a situation. As I said, I focused on subjugation and did as I pleased. I hunted down countless thieves and crushed many dark guilds. Those actions led to the arrest of nobles who had their hands in dirty dealings, so I had earned quite a few grudges. It wasn't just once or twice that assassins were sent after me, but I suppose they realized they were at a disadvantage if they fought me normally. One day, I was suddenly called to the guild and practically forced to take an emergency request. Based on the details, neither the urgency nor the high reward was unnatural. But when I went there... truly, it was spectacular. I was ambushed by a massive crowd. And they were all completely naked."
"Completely naked?" I reflexively asked for clarification, doubting my own ears. However, it seemed I hadn't misheard.
"It sounds ridiculous, but there was a serious reason behind it. My specialty, shadow magic, is exactly what the name suggests—magic that manipulates shadows—and many of its spells use shadows as a starting point."
"Wait... the shadows formed underneath clothing."
"Exactly. If an attack magic is launched from beneath armor, the armor serves no purpose. They judged that against me, wearing poor armor would only increase their weaknesses. There are armor and magic tools that can block shadow magic, but they're rare. Since that ambush was a strategy based on overwhelming numbers, I suppose they couldn't prepare enough for everyone. If they'd had a limited amount, it probably would have caused infighting anyway. Though, I don't think wearing clothes would have mattered much, since there are plenty of places to aim for, like inside the mouth or nostrils."
Attack magic detonating from inside someone's mouth—shadow magic really was gruesome. If you could directly project magic into the body, you could deal massive damage even with a small amount of mana. I finally understood why it was called magic suited for interpersonal combat and assassination. If Parallel Casting were added to such a lethal school of magic...
"Anyway, I managed to get through that somehow, but I was just so exhausted. I thought I should leave the area as quickly as possible, but I couldn't move for a while even after the battle ended. And that's when I first started thinking: 'What on earth am I doing?' I didn't have any doubts about being hated, but all of them were thieves or that sort of people. They weren't in a position to complain about being subjugated. Their resentment was completely misplaced. I knew that, but I stopped understanding. I mean, grown men and women, all of them completely naked, carrying nothing but weapons, charging at me with death-defying determination while screaming that they were avenging someone. Gathering that many people, all in such a pathetic state, throwing away their lives—did they really want to kill me that badly? After that, since the number of enemies was so large, it naturally became a big deal. I exposed the people pulling the strings from the shadows, but I lost all motivation to be an adventurer and quit."
I didn't know what to say. I had thought she was a bright, light-hearted person, but she had lived a far more intense life than I ever imagined. If I were in that situation, a mental breakdown wouldn't have been surprising. When she said it was "hilarious," it was likely a dry, hollow laugh born from trauma rather than joy.
I really didn't know how to react. I hesitated to pry or touch upon things she might not want revisited with a clumsy question. Someone more socially adept might have known what to say, but I lacked the confidence. Inevitably, I fell silent.
As if sensing my internal conflict, Remily chuckled softly.
"You don't need to worry. I told you, didn't I? Then and now, I don't think I did anything wrong. I was lost for a while, but it was really only that. It happened right around the time I was being recruited by the country, and I figured it was a good time to quit being an adventurer and become a court mage."
She continued stroking my head.
"My work after becoming a court mage involved guarding the castle, protecting the royal family, instructing knights and soldiers, and various other things. At first, there was some pushback and jealousy, but compared to my adventurer days, it was a much calmer life with a high salary. After a long time, I even came to be respected. If it hadn't been for those rumors and that ambush, I surely never would have become a court mage. The version of me that had just left the village never would have accepted a life with so many constraints and restrictions."
Remily had made peace with her past. In that case, there was nothing for me to say, and perhaps I shouldn't say anything at all.
"To be able to charge straight toward a goal without looking aside... that's a grand way to live. But only a handful of people can actually do it. The vast majority of people don't have it go that smoothly. They stumble, they fall, they stop. They lose their way, they worry, and sometimes they wander down side paths. While they're doing all that, they might eventually find their way back to the original road, or the goal itself might change. But I think that's perfectly fine. That's just what life is."
At that point, she suddenly fell silent.
"Remily?"
"The way I'm talking right now, I sound so incredibly old. Telling stories of my own past... that's exactly what old people do."
"Um, you have far more life experience than I do, Remily, so it's very educational for me."
"Ryoma, I'm sure you mean that as a compliment, but that was a bit subtle. I won't get mad because I know you're trying to be considerate, though."
Yeah, even as I said it, I realized I was right on the edge of being rude. If this were soccer, that would be a yellow card. The arm holding me seemed to tighten slightly.
"Anyway, I talked because I wanted to talk, so it's not something you need to worry about, Ryoma."
"Is that so? By the way, may I ask why you chose to tell me this?"
"Personally, I was just a little curious. Remember when we were talking about the trouble that happened at the adventurer guild?"
"We talked about it after the match with Siber."
"When I heard about how you handled it afterward, it reminded me of my old self. I thought, 'I was like that too.' Though, unlike me, I think you're the type who cares about how those around you see you. It looked to me like you were aware of that and were intentionally trying to be more assertive—to stop holding back."
"Ah... you might have hit the bullseye."
Now that she mentioned it, she might be right. Since the incident at the end of the year, I had been much more uninhibited, but was that because I was trying to avoid becoming timid again?
"Just so you know, there's no need to stop. That's something you decided to do after thinking it through in your own way, and there are many things you won't understand until you try them. However, I don't know if that method will continue to suit you. And if you ever feel like it doesn't, you don't need to force yourself to continue. It's fine to go back to a way of life where you adjust to others, and it's fine to look for a new path and start over. I think it's good to keep that in the back of your mind."
"...I understand. Thank you for your guidance."
The fact that she gave me more than just a conclusion and shared her own experiences was likely because she was thinking about what I might face in the future. She had gone to great lengths just to make sure I heard it. Now that I had listened, I felt nothing but sincere gratitude.
"Someday, if I ever find myself in a similar situation, I'll have to make sure I remember today. Although the details will be different, I expect many things will happen from here on out."
"People with abilities that stand out will always attract jealousy. This is something that can't be avoided as long as humans live in groups. If you wanted to avoid it entirely, you'd have to either put your soul into creating perfect relationships or thoroughly conform to others."
"That's true."
Feeling a sense of helplessness, I let out a sigh. At the same time, the tension finally left my body.
"Though, that isn't easy either. Especially if you're a God's Child."
The words she spoke at that exact moment were a complete surprise attack.