"Hee… the people here are friendlier than I expected…" I said after the two of us entered this settlement.
Iris let out a small laugh while covering her mouth with her hand, as if holding back her laughter.
"What did you think they'd be like before?" Iris asked.
"Well… I thought they wouldn't welcome me, since this is the first time they've ever met me," I replied.
"But look at the result. Besides, this is the first time I've ever walked around with a man other than my family. So of course the people here would welcome you as well, right?"
"I see. Hearing that actually makes me pretty happy," I said.
—
We walked around this fairly large settlement, and I received several warm greetings from the people here.
Especially the humans who lived side by side with the elves—they were very friendly and kind to me.
I suppose seeing someone of the same race in a place like this was a rare opportunity for them.
The same went for Iris, who kept being approached by many people wanting to chat with her.
Most of them even offered various goods and food to Iris, but she declined, since her purpose for coming here was simply to take a walk.
"Yuusha, it's already getting late. How about we head back? Mother's cooking is really delicious, you know. You'll definitely get hooked," Iris said after we made our way back up the slope.
"You're right. If you say so, then I'm really looking forward to it!" I replied.
——
After we passed the place where Iris and I had previously talked about her wishes and duties, there was no longer any conversation between us.
There were only the sounds of children running around and chasing one another, along with the bustle of merchants and their customers.
Those sounds alone seemed enough to fill the atmosphere between the two of us.
When I tried to glance over at Iris's face, she looked rather expressionless—there was neither sadness nor happiness visible on her face.
Maybe it was just my imagination, or nothing more than a guess, but from that expression… I felt like Iris was thinking about something.
But since I didn't know what I should say to her, I chose to remain silent and let her wander through her own thoughts.
I was worried that if I said something to her right now, it might only bother her and make her uncomfortable.
So… it's better if I stay quiet, right? After all, the two of us are just acquaintances who only met a few hours ago…
…If she's thinking about something so deeply, then why doesn't she want to talk about it with me, even though she's walking right beside me right now?
Earlier, when we were still chatting, she talked about herself so happily, her smile clearly etched on her face at the time.
Yosh, I've made up my mind.
Maybe she invited me out today because she wants to awaken her power together with me, not with Luke.
If that really is what she wants, I don't mind at all. In fact, after everything she told me today, I'm very sure that I truly want to help her fulfill her wish.
——
We finally arrived at the building connected to the giant tree, and I could see several people on guard approaching us.
They immediately asked her a few questions, but she quickly urged me to go inside with her, returning to the original room on the third floor.
"Iris, is this building your home?" I asked.
"Hm? Of course it is. What did you think this building was?" Iris asked back.
"Maybe a building made specifically for guests like us…?" I replied.
"You could say that too, but this is actually my home," Iris said.
I see… so that's why there are so many rooms inside this place—it's because this building is her home.
Still, it's hard to believe they could build a house like this inside a giant tree.
I'm not curious about how they built it, because I'm sure I wouldn't understand anyway, but I can say that this house feels very cool and comfortable.
Maybe because it's directly connected to the giant tree, the air inside feels especially pleasant?
Eventually, the two of us reached the third floor and opened the door to the room where she and her family had previously welcomed my party.
"I'm back…" Her voice was loud at first, but it quickly grew quieter, and I couldn't hear anything after that.
I looked inside right away, but there was no one there. There had been plenty of people here earlier, so where did they all go?
"Do you think they went out?" I asked.
"I don't know. Maybe," Iris replied.
"Oh, Her Highness has returned?" I suddenly heard a voice behind us, and I immediately turned around.
Oh, it was the elder elf who had welcomed me earlier. If I remember correctly, his name was Nephyr-san.
"Nephyr-san, um… where did everyone else go?" I asked.
"They all just went to the dining hall. You should join them as well. They asked me to bring you there. This way, Princess," he said.
The two of us headed to the dining hall, which Iris said was on the second floor, so we had to go down one level.
There were about eight rooms on this floor, and we entered one of them, which should have been the dining room.
Creak.
"Oh, you two are back already? Hurry up and sit down, we're just about to start," Loki-san said when he saw me and his daughter return.
"Yukito, we've been waiting for you," Luke said.
Loki-san and his wife, Forn-san, along with Luke, Hime, and Yuu-chan, were all already seated at the low table in front of them.
There were a few other people I hadn't seen before, but they were probably close associates of Loki-san.
I looked for an empty seat and found one—right next to Hime.
Aside from the seat next to Hime, there was also an empty spot beside Forn-san, and I was sure that seat was meant for Iris.
Naturally, I walked toward the empty seat and sat down next to Hime—
Thump.
After I sat down, I heard the sound of someone sitting right beside me, and I felt like I already knew who it was—
"I-Iris, why are you sitting here? There's still an empty seat next to Forn-san, right?" I asked.
"It's fine, isn't it? I think it's already my duty to awaken my power, right? If I get closer to you, I'm sure that power will awaken faster," Iris said while resting her chin on her index finger.
"It's fine, right? Besides, we're guests here, so we should respect the wishes of our host," Hime said after hearing our exchange.
I turned toward Luke and stared at him, hoping he would help me out.
But… he noticed my gaze and completely ignored it, smiling instead. Damn it!
Hah… I don't have any other choice.
"Alright… you can sit there," I said.
Iris looked happy after hearing that, and… wait, is it just my imagination, or is she sitting closer to me?
W-well, whatever. I'm already hungry—I should focus on the food.
"Alright, to celebrate the arrival of the hero's party here… everyone, a toast!" Loki-san said as he raised his glass.
I took the glass that had been given to me and did the same, just like everyone else in the room.
"Cheers!" I said.
Gulp, gulp.
I drank it right away, and I could tell that it was just plain water. I-I mean, aren't drinks at gatherings like this usually something like sake?
"Aah!! What's wrong, Yuusha? Is the drink not good?" Loki-san asked, looking a little disappointed.
I didn't expect him to notice me.
"It's fine—" he cut me off.
"Do you want this? I can give it to you if you like. This is our local specialty!" Loki-san said while holding up a glass bottle filled with a yellow liquid topped with foam.
Whoa, that's exactly what I was talking about earlier.
"I want to try it!" Luke said, his eyes sparkling.
"Oh, you look pretty enthusiastic. Want to have a contest?" Loki-san asked.
"I accept your offer. And what happens if I win?" Luke asked.
"Heh, I'll give you twenty bottles of this drink just for you. But I won't lose that easily!" Loki-san replied, looking fired up as well.
What are those two planning to do?
W-wait a second… I think I should be more worried about the people sitting right next to me right now—