I Was Transported to Another World with a Male-to-Female Ratio of 1:3000 and Made into a Breeding Pet for the Demon Lord’s Army - 68

Chapter 68: Tale of the New Tree

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“The welcome party felt like a small festival, but this one is much bigger in scale.”

“Festival… Fun.”

Ken-chan sat daintily on the chair prepared for him, happily munching on a candied fruit he got from a food stall.

“Fufu, Ken-chan looks like he’s having fun…”

If he had been kidnapped before, it wouldn’t have been strange for him to shrink back in fear at the sight of unfamiliar elves. Yet, Ken-chan smiled brightly at the elves running the stalls and exchanged natural handshakes with those passing by.

As expected of Ken-chan.

“Ken-chaa~n, would you like some salted boiled potato sticks?”

“Yeah…”

Chomp!

“D-d-dahhh…! Y-your saliva… It’s on my fingers!! Ohohohoho!”

Ken-chan’s tiny mouth enveloped my fingertips, and a warm, slick fluid clung to them… 

A-Ahh…!

“I-I must sever this finger and preserve it! A finger can be regenerated easily with healing magic… Alright, I’ll use wind magic for a clean cut–!”

“Fiilia-sama, please calm down. You’ll frighten Ken-chan-sama. Here, Ken-chan-sama, another candied fruit. I’ve removed the skewer for safety… Please, feel free to lick my finger.”

Chomp!

“Fuu… ♡ Fuu… ♡ Such a thick and substantial tongue, unlike mine… I wonder if it’s okay to tug on it just a little?”

“Funya?”

“L-Lammy-san! Y-yes Ken-chan, no touching! N-no matter how irresistible Ken-chan is, forcibly touching him is absolutely not okay…!”

“I understand… Today, I shall be content with my pruned finger.”

Lammy-san stared intently at the finger Ken-chan had licked.

Grrr. I’m so envious she has more of Ken-chan’s “marks” than me…!

“Sorry… Dirty.”

Squeak squeak…

“AAAAAAHHHHH!”

Ken-chan gently wiped our ‘sacred fingers’ with a nearby cloth.

I’m sad… But having Ken-chan personally clean us is exciting in its own way.

“A-Ah, by the way, Lammy-san. Actually, there’s a play scheduled here later… And I was hoping Ken-chan might appear in it… Would that be okay…?”

“That depends on Ken-chan-sama’s will… What kind of role is it? If there’s any danger to that role, I can’t allow it.”

“Um… Ken-chan just has to sit here and drink a potion. That’s all.”

“A potion… I see. But even if it’s harmless to us, it might be dangerous to a human male.”

“I-I see…”

“I didn’t notice anything suspicious among the elves we interacted with, but the possibility of someone adding an aphrodisiac or similar agent… Considering that, I’m afraid I can’t approve of Ken-chan’s participation in the play.”

“Y-you’re right! Then I’ll talk to the village chief–“

“Lammy-sama, please rest assured. Elves and humans have very similar body structures. Moreover, human males who have taken this potion in the past lived very long lives.”

“V-village chief…”

At some point, the village chief had appeared behind us. She wore a timeworn ceremonial mask and traditional clothing, unlike her usual attire.

“The potion Ken-chan will drink in the play is a health-enhancing elixir. I understand your concern, but I highly recommend it for Ken-chan’s sake.”

Wait a minute, I remember the bitter medicine made by grinding herbs, but did we ever have such a secret elixir in the village? And wasn’t it supposed to be just an ordinary potion? The contradiction in their stories bothered me, but I didn’t want to get punched for talking back to the chief, so I kept quiet.

“…I do want to trust the chief, but given what happened earlier and with Luna-sama absence, I still can’t give my consent.”

“…Understood. I apologize for making such a request.”

The village chief solemnly looked to the sky and quietly held up three fingers.

“Then please enjoy the food and the play… ‘The Tale of the New Tree.'”

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<Everyone! Protect this child chosen by the Sacred Tree! We must not lose the hope of the elf race!>

Before us, the village’s traditional play ‘The Tale of the New Tree’—dating back about 500 years—was being performed. I’d read a similar book in a human village once, but it was heavily adapted for human audiences. The characters and story were completely different, and I remember being shocked the elves were portrayed as villains.

It’s strange how we’re still on friendly terms with humans despite that.

Chomp chomp… Gulp gulp…

“Ugh… Spicy… but good.”

“K-Ken-chan? What’s with the chomping mouth?”

During the play, Ken-chan, having started eating a dish brought out a bit late, opened and closed his mouth repeatedly.

“Filia… This… Spicy.”

“Eh, really? Mine’s just the right level of spice though…”

Curious, I took a bite from Ken-chan’s plate and—

“FFFFGGGGHHH!!!???”

My tongue felt like it was on fire and I almost dropped my chopsticks.

Spicy! It’s way too spicy! Why is Ken-chan eating this so calmly!?

“W-water! I need water… Ah, there!”

Gulp… gulp… gulp!

I grabbed the nearby cup and chugged the water. Though it helped slightly, the burning sensation stubbornly lingered.

“Phew… Ah, that was Ken-chan’s water… Aha, s-sorry, Ken-chan.”

But why was Ken-chan’s food so spicy? It couldn’t have been intentional… Maybe just a mistake by the cook.

“I’ll just use water magic… Oh right, I’m out of magic power.”

As I tried to fill the cup, a sharp headache struck.

“No water…”

Uh-oh… Ken-chan looked clearly displeased. If I don’t fix this, he might start to hate me for drinking his water.

“I think I can still use telepathy… 【Telepathy】”

(“Ken-chan. I-I’ll bring you water right away, so please wait just a little longer.”)

Ken-chan nodded in response.

Still… What should I do? I can’t just talk to anyone, and if I ask Lammy-san, she might find out I drank it and get mad at me instead… Ugh, terrifying. But… I can’t ignore Ken-chan when he’s in trouble.

“L-Lammy-sa–“

“Ken-chan, I’ll pour you some water.”

“Wah! You startled me!”

Suddenly, an elf wearing a mask that only covered their eyes appeared silently, holding a wooden bottle.

“Please hand me the cup… Thank you.”

She carefully opened the sealed bottle and poured water slowly into the cup. The water wasn’t clear—it was faintly cloudy, and a wave of unease washed over me.

“Um… Why are you still standing here?”

Even after finishing the job, the server didn’t move, staring at the cup they just filled.

“I’m just watching in case Ken-chan finishes it all, so I can pour more right away. Don’t mind me.”

“I-is that so… Um, could you pour mine too? I’m really thirsty…”

“…Tch.”

For some reason, only when it was my turn, they clicked their tongue and cast water magic into the cup.

I don’t know who this is, but does she hate me that much? I’m so sad.

“Gulp gulp… Ugh, bad. But spicy… gulp gulp.”

Ken-chan drank the water in one go, despite making a sour face.

“…Still bad.”

Clink.

He placed the empty cup gently on the table.

“Let me confirm… Fufu. He drank it all. Good boy.”

The elf stared lovingly at the cup, then, seeing not a drop remained, smiled faintly.

“Ah, at last… Our long-cherished wish… I must tell everyone.”

She hugged the cup to her chest, trembled with emotion, and raised three fingers straight up.

What is she doing…?

<Here and now! A boy inheriting elf power has received true blessing! The elf race is safe!>

Meanwhile, in the play, the climactic moment where the substitute drinks the sacred potion—originally meant for Ken-chan—unfolded to wild cheers.

<Wa-wahaha… ubebababobo!>

Moved to tears, audience members wept, actors sobbed, and a bit of chaos took over the venue…

Even the cast is crying? Just what’s going on here…?

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