Chapter 30: Heavenly Saint, Vasily Valvaroi 1

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Your end is already decided. There are nothing but things you don’t need to know. Even so, do you still want to know? After being told of a fixed destiny, do you think you could still go on living?

Fine.

Vasily Vul Barbarossa. Princess of the Dark Elves. I would tell you everything, everything that awaits you, who would be brutally violated in the distant main storyline. Whether fate would change or not, I would probably never know but go on, try it. If you manage to change fate and survive the war against the Demon Lord’s Army…… Then maybe there would be meaning in why I was born into this world.

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Vasily Vul Barbarossa. Born in an era when humanity had not yet advanced onto the continent, and demi-humans ruled the land, the Dark Elf princess found her everyday life unbearably dull. The Dark Elves were those who could be called an offshoot of the original elven race that existed in far more ancient times, branching off after extensive contact with demonic forces.

In terms of classification, they were closer to monsters, but they were not enemies incapable of communication, maintaining a level of interaction with races such as elves and dwarves. Vasily, born into the Barbarossa village—a relatively large warrior clan—was, from early childhood, the embodiment of curiosity and initiative. She was a problem child who would slip into the forest on her own, constantly troubling her attendants. That day was no exception. She had slipped away between lessons and stepped into the woods.

A secret base built high in the trees, using fallen branches and leaves. If anyone from the village were to see Vasily hiding in such a place, they would surely scream but for her, who had always been given everything and had never been able to obtain something through her own efforts, it was the first thing she had ever created herself. Arriving at her secret base in high spirits, Vasily suddenly widened her eyes.

What spread out before her was the collapsed remains of her secret base. Floorboards carved from fallen trees. Pillars she had designed through trial and error to serve as supports, a ladder painted in camouflage colors to make it hard to spot. A chair and desk she had crafted herself to make it comfortable, walls to shield against rain and wind. Everything, everything had fallen to the ground.

“N-n-n—!”

Her body trembling violently, she looked around her. Had a strong wind blown through? The work of elves? But there had been no reports of elves approaching the area. An animal? No, the beasts of the forest did not come near here. Dark Elves were the rulers of the forest. Creatures would never approach a place so saturated with their scent. Then what in the world was it?

Vasily swore to punish the culprit without fail as she approached the wreckage, trembling with anger. The furniture she had lovingly crafted, down to the choice of materials, had been smashed to pieces. Something with considerable power must have struck it. Looking up, she saw that a few parts had barely survived. But it was nowhere near livable. With only a single log remaining from the flooring, it was nothing more than a drop in the bucket.

“Y-you bastard…!”

Vasily was fifteen years old. Though her body was approaching adulthood, she was still very much a child. Due to the long lifespans of the elven races, their reproduction rate was slow, and even though their total population was increasing, it was only by a negligible amount. Within the village, there was only one male Dark Elf around Vasily’s age, and since he was not of suitable standing for marriage, it was said she would eventually be wed to someone nearly a hundred years her senior.

She was undergoing bridal training, but to Vasily, it was unbearably dull. If she had to do something, she would rather do what she wanted—like this. For her, who was entering an extended rebellious phase, this incident was absolutely unforgivable. Unable to suppress her irritation, she reached out to gather the debris and then noticed something.

There were traces. More precisely, something like footprints. They were not quite feet. Though about the same size as a humanoid creature, they had no toes. Seeing the footprints, rounded at the front and neatly shaped, Vasily proceeded in that direction without hesitation. They were clearly not the tracks of a beast. No matter how young she was, living in this village meant she knew what kinds of creatures existed. As a Dark Elf princess with exceptional magical power, Vasily would not fall behind against ordinary beasts.

I don’t know who you are, but I’ll strike down such insolence. How dare you destroy my secret base…!

Irritated, yet careful not to make a sound, she advanced slowly. Though it was called a forest, there was no tall grass, and if one walked carefully, it was possible to move silently. There were exposed patches of soil with clear footprints, making it unlikely that this was a scout from another race. After walking for roughly thirty minutes, the footprints continued to a place where, even if it was not deep in the forest, someone unfamiliar could easily lose their way.

…What’s your objective?

At this point, this area had nothing directly related to the Dark Elves. The distance from the village was great, and only hunters would normally venture this far. Beyond this point, the forest simply continued. There was nothing there. Knowing that, Vasily felt uneasy. Before long, the spacing between the footprints grew shorter and shorter.

The stride was shrinking, prolly from fatigue. Neither a beast nor someone accustomed to walking through forests. What, exactly, was waiting ahead? Normally, for someone in the position of a princess—raised sheltered and protected—such actions would be unthinkable. If she had been even a little calmer, she would not have gone any farther.

But Vasily, despite being a princess, found her life dull and preferred trial and error over simply being given things. And that was why she advanced. That was why she was able to advance.

What’s there?

Something that did not align with her knowledge. Neither elf/dwarf nor beast, yet something capable of destroying her secret base. Unable to suppress the excitement stirred by the unknown, Vasily stepped forward. And then, she arrived at a lakeside.

In a place even Vasily barely knew, nothing more than a watering hole for animals, it was there. Clothes she had never seen. Shoes she had never seen. Hair of a color she had never seen. A face she had never seen. A man whose appearance matched none of Vasily’s knowledge stared at her in blank astonishment.

“…………Huh. E-elf…?”

“…You. Who are you?”

“I-I’m Johan. I stepped on a teleport trap in a dungeon, and… When I realized it, I was in a place like this.”

…A dungeon. I’ve heard of those. They’re located in the western lands, right?

This man was probably the one who had destroyed Vasily’s base. A mysterious man who was neither elf nor dwarf. Normally, he would have been dragged back to the village, but Vasily chose otherwise.

“So elves exist in this world too, huh.”

“Hmm? What do you mean by that?”

“Ah—uh, well, where I’m from, I’ve never seen an elf before.”

“…I see. And yet you knew about elves?”

“Ah, um, well, I heard elves are good-looking… And the ears! I heard their ears are pointy!”

…When you’re this blatantly suspicious, it almost feels stupid to doubt you.

She could tell he was hiding something. But faced with a man who was flusteredly trying to explain himself with an attitude that practically screamed “I’m lying,” she didn’t feel like pressing him.

A man clearly not from this village. His appearance differed from her kin—ugly, yet distinctive. More than anything, what caught her interest was the word “dungeon.” None of the village adults had ever gone outside. Only the occasional traveling merchant left. Being born in the village, raised in the village, living in the village, and decaying in the village was absolute, immutable.

Vasily found that unbearably dull. It felt like being trapped in a cage. Despite the vast world beyond, no one tried to leave. On top of that, she was a princess, destined to bear children with someone from the village someday. Once that happened, leaving would be even harder.

She hated that future. But she didn’t know what to do. She was interested in the outside world, but not foolish enough to rush out without knowing anything. She didn’t want to leave the village. She wanted to know the world that included both the outside and the village. That was Vasily Vul Barbarossa’s wish.

“…Hey. Johan, was it?”

“O-oh. Yeah? What is it…?”

“Do you want to make it back alive?”

“Of course I do! Why’d you suddenly get scary?!”

“Then stay with me for a while. I won’t report you to the village. I want to know about the outside world.”

Of course, there was the possibility that this man was dangerous. Just because she was sheltered didn’t mean she knew nothing. She remained cautious.

“You’ll live here by the lakeside for a while. I’ll provide you with food. We’ll talk, and when I decide you can return, you may leave.”

“…Well, I don’t even know where I am, so… I guess I don’t have a choice.”

The man—Johan—muttered with a sigh.

“Then it’s settled. I’ll overlook you destroying my base, so let’s get along from here on.”

“Yeah. …So, kid, what’s your name?”

“I am Vasily. Vasily Vul Barbarossa.”

“Oh. Vasily…………”

After hearing her name, Johan mulled it over carefully, then asked again.

“Sorry. Vasily…?”

“Vasily Vul Barbarossa. I am, for the record, the elder’s daughter.”

“…………Dark Elf… Vasily………………”

After muttering several times, Johan took a deep breath, then exhaled.

“…Hey. There’s something I want to ask.”

“Hm. Very well.”

“The god the elves worship… Is it Esperanza?”

“…You don’t actually have elf acquaintances, do you?”

“Nope. Damn it… Seriously? Out of all things, it has to be the world of a ryona eroge doujin..! No wonder female adventurers kept ending up in erotic situations…!!!”

“?????”

Thus, Vasily’s first contact with Johan, the reincarnator who would later bestow 〈Knowledge〉 to her. Their encounter began in a remarkably peaceful manner.

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