Chapter 31: Heavenly Saint, Vasily Valvaroi 2

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Johan, who had suddenly appeared before Vasily, spoke of many things while wrestling with his thoughts. For example, he told her that this world was vast, and that there were continents unlike this one. The continent they were on was likely different from where Johan had lived. There were people, humans, who had no pointed ears like elves, no excessive beards like dwarves, no scales like dragonfolk, and no particular strengths at all.

Johan was human. Neither elf nor dwarf, but human. His magical power was so faint that Vasily couldn’t even sense it, so much so that there was no risk of him being detected by the Dark Elves of the village. From Vasily’s perspective, Johan was an interesting man.

She learned about humans. Unlike the village adults, their lifespans were short—at most eighty years. Johan had already lived thirty of those years and was entering his physical prime. The stark contrast between humans and elves, who could train for long periods and easily reach near their natural limits, was more than enough to shock her.

“W-wait… Then what happens if you reach fifty or something?”

“Most people die. The civilization level is low, food is scarce, so people have lots of kids and only the ones who survive make it to adulthood. And even then, adults die in droves from food shortages, climate, monsters—you name it. It’s a world below the Middle Ages.”

“Civilization? Middle Ages? No, more importantly… ‘have lots of kids’? That’s like animals…”

“I was born in a farming family. I’m the sixth son. Five older brothers, three sisters. Nine kids total.”

“…Wha—”

She was left speechless. Nine children born from a single mother. It was nothing like the Dark Elves, where even one birth caused the entire village to panic. Unlike the long-lived elves, whose numbers grew slowly, humans lived in an environment where they would go extinct unless they multiplied relentlessly.

“The eldest inherited the house and fields. The second and fourth died in war. The third died of illness. The fifth left home, and I don’t know what happened to him. My sisters married off, but who knows how they’re doing now…”

“…You don’t even know what happened to your own family?”

“It’s not rare. I dove into a dungeon chasing a get-rich-quick dream, and now I’m here. In an isekai fantasy, dungeons are your one shot or so I thought.”

While Vasily stood stunned by the story, Johan busily gathered dry branches.

“At that level, it’s a miracle we even share a language. Normally, you shouldn’t be able to talk to other races at all.”

He dug a shallow pit, skewered fish caught from the lake with damp branches, and lit a fire.

“If only the civilization level were at least medieval… I never thought it’d be pre-BC level…”

“Middle Ages… And what is ‘civilization’?”

“Well… Say there’s a village. The food, weapons, living environment of a group of people living together. All of that bundled together is what civilization means. The Middle Ages are somewhere in the middle of that scale.”

“I see…”

He didn’t say it out loud, but Johan could tell she didn’t really understand.

“If you don’t want to answer something, don’t. I don’t want you to think I’m planning an attack. But tell me, what do Dark Elves eat as their staple?”

“Mostly nuts. We eat meat too, but since it’s not always available, fish is more common.”

“I see… No farming, no livestock. That’s classic otherworld elf stuff.”

He planted the skewered fish around the campfire and slowly roasted them. Though Vasily was a princess, she didn’t know anything about cooking. She was taught as part of her bridal training, since she’d someday run a household herself, so she understood what he was doing. Keeping some distance from the fire for even heating was common knowledge in this era.

“Do you have salt?”

“Salt…? I’m sorry, I don’t know what you mean.”

“…I see. So you’re not near the sea. Then you’re probably making do with blood from meat and fish. Or maybe elves live on different nutrients than humans…”

As Johan muttered while adjusting the fire, Vasily became increasingly unsure what she should say. If she asked, he answered. He asked her questions too, so he wasn’t disinterested but sometimes she simply couldn’t understand what he was saying.

What was civilization? What were the Middle Ages? What did ‘level’ mean? What was ‘Before the Common Era’? What was salt? What were nutrients? There were so many things she wanted to ask. She had no idea where to begin.

It feels like I’m talking to a completely different kind of being… Almost like a god.

Words unknown even to the wisest in the village poured out one after another, overwhelming her mind and instilling a sense of awe toward Johan.

“…Hey, Vasily.”

“W-what is it?”

Staring into the fire, Johan called her name. She flinched, unable to fully hide her agitation as she answered.

“You want to know about the outside world, right?”

“…Yes. I do.”

“Do you really want to know? I’ll say this clearly. You’d be better off living quietly in the village. Absolutely. Without question.”

His eyes were cold as he said it.

“…Why can you say that so confidently? Is the outside world really that ugly? If so, don’t worry. I’m prepared for that much.”

Vasily had no intention of being disappointed even if the world was dirty and ugly. Even within the village, there were people she couldn’t understand. Seen on a world scale, there would surely be many more. She was prepared. The world was not made of beauty alone.

“…You’re dazzling.”

“…Dazzling?”

“Yeah. Dazzling. Hearing that from someone with such hope in their eyes, barely holding it in…”

Johan narrowed his eyes at Vasily. She didn’t know the world yet. The vastness of the seas, the size of continents, the height of mountains, the threat of monsters, the ferocity of storms, none of it.

“…I may not look it, but I know quite a lot. Probably more than anyone else in this world.”

“…I won’t call that a lie. In fact, I’d be troubled if it weren’t true.”

If all humans used unfamiliar words like Johan did, then the elves would need to urgently investigate what had happened while they remained shut away in the forest.

“Do you think gods exist?”

“…They do. At the very least, our elven origins trace back to a goddess.”

“Yeah… that’s right. This isn’t Earth. And it’s not Japan.”

The fish heated over the fire crackled as they cooked.

“Vasily. Before I seriously teach you about the outside world, there’s a condition.”

“…Is food not enough?”

“That’s not it. If I said I knew the future, would you believe me?”

“The future…”

For a moment, Vasily thought he was joking. But his expression didn’t change. His eyes were the same as before, dark and clouded.

“That’s right. The future. I know how you die.”

“…What? Me?”

“Believe it or don’t. Which is it?”

“…Wait. You can’t just say something like that out of nowhere.”

“What will you do, Vasily Vul Barbaroi?”

The question brooked no refusal. Vasily hesitated, but Johan did not waver.

This is absurd. There’s no way I should believe it… and yet…

Something about everything he had said kept nagging at her. That word—civilization—bundling life, food, and living conditions together. It was unfamiliar, likely a term humans invented themselves. But she couldn’t dismiss it as a lie.

My end. The way I die… Did I ever leave the village? What kind of life did I live? How did it all end?

Her curiosity stirred. Her desire to know the unknown was strong. But if she learned everything now, would life become dull?

Foolish. Why would knowing make life dull? If I know the future, I can walk a different path.

This was Vasily’s rare quality. Her curiosity, her drive to act, and above all, her strong desire to do things with her own hands made her unwilling to simply follow a path laid out for her. Even if she knew the future… Even if she knew her end, it wouldn’t be reason enough for her to stop.

“I’ll believe you. Whether it’s truth or lies, I’ll know eventually. Johan. I choose to believe you.”

“…Ha. As expected. You really are different, just like they said officially.”

“Officially?”

“It’s nothing. All right. Vasily Vul Barbarossa. Princess of the Dark Elves.”

Johan turned his gaze to her. Meeting his clouded eyes head-on, Vasily endured in silence.

“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 really think you can keep living?”

“Of course. Don’t think I’ll despair just because I know the future. If anything, I’ll overturn it.”

“Heh… Yeah, I get it. I acknowledge your resolve. I’ll tell you everything… Everything that awaits you, who will be brutally violated in the distant main storyline. Whether fate will change or not, I’ll 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 is meaning in why I was born into this world.”

Johan muttered that last part quietly, with a lonely look on his face.

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