Mental Rebirth: The World's Savior Was Not Me, but My Childhood Friend and Stalker - Chapter 3: The Fog-Enshrouded Forest

The village was located a little into the forest. It had a complex, three-dimensional layout utilizing large trees, with something like elevators floating around for vertical movement. How they worked was a mystery – perhaps some sort of fantasy magic. I wondered how they dealt with insects and felt a bit anxious, considering I might end up living in this village.

The villagers shut themselves in their homes upon seeing us. I knew they were said to be difficult, but this was extreme. But what caught my attention more was their appearance.

“Are those… Elves?”

“Yes, you are aware. They are a different race from us humans, with high self-esteem, exclusivity, and conservative nature.”

I was getting excited. Elves are known for their beauty, and the villagers I caught a glimpse of were indeed attractive. I urged Mei to take us to the guide quickly, barely containing my excitement. I felt a murderous intent and turned to see Touko smiling at me.

“You don’t have to be so scared, Yusha. I’ll never harm you. Not you…”

Tohko didn’t count when he nearly crushed her shoulders the other day. Almost destroying my shoulder earlier doesn’t count for Touko. But still, being too obvious about my ulterior motives isn’t good. I met the guide in a more gentlemanly manner.

“A guide? No, thank you.”

The answer was immediate. Mei argued that helping the Savior would also be an honor and beneficial for them in defeating the Demon Lord, but the guide wouldn’t agree.

“I don’t understand… you guide merchants who pass through, don’t you? Why refuse us?”

“The reason is clear. That Savior… has been glancing at people’s chests since earlier, and it’s creepy.”

The elf guide was, as expected, very attractive. In particular, her chest was more ample than other elves, drawing my male instinct to glance. I wondered if bras existed in this world, considering how much concern it caused me.

“Creepy…? You said that about Yuusha, you… slutty pig… Should I just kill you…?”

Touko was seething with anger, but the elf guide remained composed, probably unaware of Touko’s power.

“Hold on, Touko, you can’t kill someone like that.”

“Yuusha…? Breasts are just clumps of fat. So she’s just a pig who unnecessarily stores fat. Yuusha prefers human girls who properly maintain their body fat, right…?”

What was she even talking about? Regardless, we couldn’t proceed with a guide with such a bad impression of us.

“Alright… if you don’t want to go, I won’t force you to accompany us.”

“Yuusha… you understand me.”

“By the way, changing the subject, are there any vacant houses around? I’d like to live here.”

“Yuusha!?”

We were driven out. I wondered what went wrong.

“It was a bit unrealistic to want to live here. As I mentioned earlier, elves are an exclusive race. It’s inconceivable for them to accept human settlers, especially ones they find creepy.”

“I see… I was hoping for a development where I could become a bridge between humans and elves.”

“As the Savior, I believe that day will come. However, now that we’ve lost the cooperation of the guide, crossing this great forest will be challenging. Please be prepared.”

“Well, can’t be helped… Huh?”

After being driven out, I noticed a small house on the outskirts of the village.

“Mei, do you know what that house is?”

“I’m not sure, as I’m unfamiliar with the village’s internal affairs, but it’s definitely outside its boundaries.”

The isolated house caught our attention, so we decided to stop by. There was a polite bell at the door, which we rang to greet the inhabitants. But there was yet to be a response.

“Is it empty? Abandoned?”

“It’s likely abandoned. It’s outside the village, and elves usually dismantle unused houses to reuse the materials. It could serve as a base before we enter the great forest.”

Deciding this, we entered. Despite being abandoned, the house was well-furnished, making it suitable for living. It even had cooking utensils, and the wooden structure was fresh. In the back room, there was a fluffy bed, which I impulsively jumped into.

“Hyaa!”

It felt comfortable and soft. At the same time, I heard a high-pitched scream. Perhaps Mei or Touko found an insect. It wouldn’t be odd to find a bug or two in such a forested wooden structure.

“Um… could you… get off me, please…?”

The bed spoke. Confused, I rummaged around. The soft sensation remained. But tracing it, I realized… it was a human shape… I pulled back the blanket, and there was an elf girl…

I sensed a menacing aura. Turning towards the feeling, I saw Touko standing there like a ghost. She was staring at me with wide eyes and a serious expression.

“Yuusha, it’s okay, I understand everything. That female pig seduced you, right? Could you move away? Being this close makes it hard for me to control myself, and I might get involved. Hurry up, please. You’re kind because you got caught by that female pig and can’t move freely, right? Remember in the second year of junior high when you were teased by a girl in your class and almost forced into a kiss? If I hadn’t intervened, you would have been forced to kiss a girl you hated, even though you didn’t want to. You can’t do that, Yuusha. You need to express your true feelings clearly. Otherwise, people will selfishly interpret things their way, just like that time, and move forward, ignoring your feelings. But I’m different, right? I understand and respect your feelings. Remember? In the third grade of elementary school, you went to buy your favorite limited-edition snacks with the pocket money your mom gave you. But you didn’t have enough money, so I said I’d give up my share for you to use it instead. Then, you looked at me with an overflowing smile and said you loved me. I love you, too. It’s obvious, but expressing these things in words is very important. Hey, why are you frozen? Move away quickly. Otherwise, I might have to do something to you…”

“Woah, woah, I’m off! I’m off, Touko-san! But wait, please stop whatever you’re trying to do!! This was just an accident with this girl!!”

Caught in a compromising position on the bed, seemingly pinning down the elf girl, I hurriedly tried to appease Touko’s growing anger.

Mei, having heard the commotion, also arrived. She looked at the elf girl, who had been silently observing us from the bed, and muttered,

“A stray elf… I see.”

What’s a stray elf? Elves typically live in forests and are known for being conservative, proud, and exclusive, but that’s towards other races. Among themselves, even unrelated elves are treated like family, emphasizing coexistence.

However, there are outcasts, even among elves, who are not allowed to enter the village, are ignored by everyone, and end up living in solitude.

“What a cruel story… Such discrimination against their kind… Don’t they have any compassion?”

I was outraged. The elves’ arrogance and callous treatment of this young elf girl, who should have been their kin, was unforgivable.

“It’s quite rare for someone to be exiled from their group… Usually, it’s for reasons like killing a fellow elf or having relations with a human… breaking the rules.”

“Is that so? Um… why are you here? I’m willing to listen if you want to talk.”

“My name is Rubure. I’m sorry… I thought a monster had entered, so I hid under the bed, but it seemed there was a misunderstanding… Ah! I’ll make some tea; please make yourself comfortable.”

There’s a barrier around the elf village. The great forest is filled with monsters unleashed by the Demon Lord’s army, and ordinary beings are easily attacked. The elves live safely thanks to their barrier. However, Rubure’s house is outside the barrier. Hence, it’s common for monsters to invade her place. When that happens, she hides under the bed until the monsters are gone.

“Knowing more about it, being a stray elf seems tough… To exile such a young girl, what are they thinking?”

“You enjoy that tea, Yuusha. Next time, I’ll make some for you to compare. Mine will taste better.”

“Elves are strict, so there must be some reason for her situation.”

Rubure’s tea was a blend of herbs from the forest, brewed in a pot. Not only was it delicious, but it also seemed to have health benefits, and I drank it eagerly.