kscans

Chapter 211 - Momoka and the Days in Nieren

"Sorry to interrupt while you're all worked up,"

Trusar said.

"Lord Mash, you elevated Lady Maryanne to the head of the One-Land family. And you decided to leave her political rivals in place. I understand that it was a practical decision for Lady Maryanne, who is still lacking in political skill, but it is also true that it puts her in a delicate position."

He folded his arms and stared at me.

"You're being roundabout. What are you trying to say?"

I asked him.

"In short, it will take time for Lady Maryanne to stand on her own. Until then, she needs your backing, Lord Mash. I would ask you to refrain from acting in a way that suggests you do not trust her."

He was right. But given the current situation, I didn't think Maryanne could successfully negotiate for Sameim's release. Since I was now involved, I should probably negotiate alongside her. I suddenly noticed that Marmi and Momoka were listening to our conversation with dark expressions.

"Mo, I want to negotiate with Clovis with Maryanne. Just setting up the meeting would be enough. Can't we borrow your mother's power?"

"…There are some things that even Mother's power cannot resolve. I think you are underestimating Clovis's abilities, Mash."

"What do you mean?"

"…What's your level right now, Mash?"

At her question, I checked my status sheet.

"Thirty."

It felt like it had taken longer to reach level 30 than it had to reach level 20. The amount of experience needed probably increased with each level. However, my level seemed to have risen sharply after fighting the Area Guardians on the fortieth and forty-fifth floors of the Crystal Palace.

"…It takes a normal person a considerable amount of time to level up. Especially for mage types. Clovis has lived for over seven hundred years. Even if he doesn't have skills like yours, Mash, he has that much experience."

"Doesn't leveling up just increase the correction values for your class? Isn't your base strength more important? I've never really felt the benefit of leveling up."

On top of that, when you see naturally talented people like Marmi and Mizuki, it makes you think that levels are meaningless. Especially for mages, the spells they create themselves seem more powerful than the ones they learn by leveling up. Marmi's lightning strike was a prime example.

"…That's just because the enemies you fight get stronger as your level increases. In a way, the correction is working properly so that you can fight strong enemies."

Hearing her words, I thought for a moment about what would happen if I fought the Goblin King that had occupied the settlement near Richel now, but it still seemed impossible to win without Aidan.

"…In any case, the level correction is so powerful that it's impossible for a level 1 person to defeat a level 99 person, no matter how much of a genius they are. But most humans either change their class or die before they reach level 99. But we elves can continue to level up without being constrained by time."

"Is Clovis Leafkraut really that amazing?"

"…It is known that he is a master archer, a sorcerer, and a master swordsman. Besides the difference in lifespan between the human and elven races, we also do not age until we are near the end of our lives."

In other words, their strength and intelligence did not decline with age. Come to think of it, Marmi's parents and the elves who were on guard duty at the gate today were also young.

"It's said that humans live long after they lose their ability to reproduce. Is it different for elves…"

"What is that?"

Myra interjected. She seemed to be trying not to interrupt the conversation, but she couldn't hide the curiosity shining in her eyes.

I was still standing, as if I'd gotten used to it. But Myra had, at some point, taken a seat and was drinking the tea Patricia had prepared. Claire must have come by while we were out, or Patricia had bought it from the Mateo Trading Company. I wanted some too, and as if on cue, she handed me a teacup. I took a sip, and the rich aroma and flavor of the tea leaves spread through my mouth, suddenly making me aware of my hunger. I wanted to go to Kalpana's camp, but Mizuki wasn't back yet. And it seemed like this conversation was going to continue.

"In my world, it was called the grandmother hypothesis. For many creatures, their lifespan ends when they lose their ability to reproduce, but humans are given a long time after that. The idea is that women who live long after menopause play a role in increasing the survival rate of the family and the group as a whole by participating in raising their children and grandchildren."

Myra nodded with interest, but then she tilted her head.

"That way of thinking seems wrong. It's not like they can maintain their youth like the elven race, and while there are of course exceptions, for many races other than humans, aging is not proportional to age. Of course, women of other races also participate in childcare after menopause."

"If we follow the myths, couldn't it be said that the characteristics of creatures before they interbred with humans are mixed in?"

"I see. So lifespan comes from the human race, and the rate of aging comes from the characteristics of the race they interbred with. But why does the theory you mentioned only apply to women, Mash? Human men live long lives too, right? Is men's reproductive ability different…"

"I'll teach you that. You're about to find out for yourself, through your own experience."

"H-huh? Mash, that's…"

Myra blushed and looked down.

"…Mash, I forgot to mention, but if you like any of the elven guards outside, you can make a move on them. Mother chose people she thought you would like to be on guard duty,"

Marmi said. In that case, I wish her mother would come herself. But still, why were they pushing everything onto me? If they were after my special skill, any other transferee should do. However, the faith of the people of this world seemed to be particularly focused on Laciel. There was the matter of the Great War of the Gods, but it seemed too biased. But it was convenient for me, so I kept quiet.

"That is absolutely not okay!"

Myra shouted, looking at me.

"Mash…"

Momoka, who had been silent until now, murmured. Her eyes were deep and sunken.

"What's wrong?"

"Clovis, I didn't know his first name, but there was an elf with that name in Yuki's group."

"…"

The room fell silent. I wasn't the only one who held my breath. Momoka and I made eye contact. We both gave a small nod.

"It was about half a year after I came to this world. Chihiro and I were havin' a tough time, but we worked hard and made some friends. We were finally able to live a normal life in this world. I guess we might have gotten a little carried away. That's when it happened. At first, Yuki was friendly. But then, he attacked us while we were exploring a dungeon in the city of Nieren. It was a complete ambush. Two of our friends were killed. They were a married couple of dungeon explorers. They took care of us, and they were a bit noisy, but they were kind, warm people, like teachers to us."

She smiled, her gaze drifting upwards as if she were trying to remember them. But then she gritted her teeth, her expression hardening.

"So, we fought back, but he got away."

It happened about a year and a half ago. If it was Yuki who attacked them, he would have been in this world for four and a half years at that point. Famu's village was attacked after that, so Sameim wasn't with them at the time.

"Was there a child-like person in their group?"

"There was. A girl. But she wasn't there during the battle."

"Yuki is about twenty years old, tall, looks like a warrior, and has a sturdy build…"

Momoka's eyes widened when she heard my words.

"You know him?"

Her eyes widened, and she grabbed my arm and shook me. I remembered Mizuki's beaming smile and her tear-stained face. I never wanted to see that smile directed at another man, nor did I want to see her cry because of me ever again.

"The person we know as Yuki is Mizuki's ex-boyfriend, and she's gone to see him,"

Myra said, answering for me when I couldn't.

"Mash, you said we were lovers, didn't you? How could you say that after keepin' a secret like this from me?"

"Please wait. We only found out that Mizuki's ex-boyfriend's name was Yuki and that he was in this world after we came to this city. We didn't think that Mizuki's ex-boyfriend was the same Yuki who fought you."

Myra answered for me again.

"Myra, Yuki isn't Mizuki's ex-boyfriend. He's just her senpai."

"Mash… I know you want to deny it, but there's no way a beautiful girl like Yamase-san didn't have a boyfriend in her original world…"

For a moment, Momoka looked at me with pity.

"Why not?! Mizuki denied it, she said he was just her senpai. Famu heard it too. You should have been able to tell that Mizuki wasn't lying. Right?"

Famu nodded, though she didn't seem enthusiastic about our conversation.

"At that time, all I knew was that you believed Mizuki's words, Master."

"…"

As I stood there, stunned, Momoka gently patted my back, as if to console me.

"Well, it's like you say, Mash. Yamase-san and Yuki were just friends. Let's just leave it at that."

Her words rekindled the suspicion I had felt towards Mizuki. It was pointless to dwell on her past. But why did this feeling of jealousy come back so easily?

"More importantly, it's about Yuki and Clovis. You're talkin' about negotiations and stuff, Mash, but we can't do that. We won't let them get away next time. We'll finish them."

Just then, the entrance door opened. Mizuki poked her head in. Maryanne was with her.

"Why is everyone standing around instead of sitting down? Wait, Hii-chan?"

Mizuki looked surprised to see Momoka.