I Picked Up the Abandoned Hero

74. There was an elf in the past

“Well, unfortunately…”

My grandfather passed away this winter.

The cause is unknown.

Last night, he suddenly collapsed clutching his chest and passed away.

The highest elder of the elves and the last remaining disciple of the ancestors had passed away.

It was too vain to be the end of the elf’s greatest leader and spiritual leader.

“We elves are not immortal and live forever, so it is inevitable that the moment of separation will come.”

The elders visited the girl and offered words of comfort.

In some ways, as I said, this is a natural thing.

Nothing is permanent in this world.

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Even those who are called gods will be forgotten and their names will disappear when people with faith disappear.

It’s just that they live longer than ordinary people.

It was natural for my old grandfather, who had already lived for more than a dozen centuries, to pass away.

“First of all, we must hurry and reassure our compatriots. Everyone is in great confusion after the news that the Supreme Elder passed away was delivered.”

“By the way, he was going to be leaving soon anyway, so I don’t know why they’re making such a fuss.”

“Elder of the branch, didn’t you actually cry for a whole day?”

“W-what are you talking about?! Who said you cried? Even if an old man like that dies at any time… Ah, damn it. “I finally calmed down…”

“We’ll just leave. You can come out slowly. But don’t be too late for the inauguration.”

“…Thank you for your concern. Elder of the stem.”

The elders prioritized the stabilization of elven society.

It is a natural measure.

Currently, all tribes in the elf society were immersed in sadness after hearing the news that the highest elder had passed away.

The feelings engraved in the hearts of elves last a long time.

Regardless of whether it was resentment or sadness, it was necessary to quickly divert attention before the elves’ hearts were affected.

If not, long-lived species such as elves will be ruined.

Although high elves who have lived for a long time are okay, inexperienced elves are not accustomed to self-restraint and control.

If you did something wrong, you could have spent hundreds or thousands of years in sorrow.

“…Grandpa.”

Of course, not everyone is like that.

In some cases, there were elves who grew up precociously even when they were still immature.

When all the elders left, the girl who was left alone looked at the coffin containing her grandfather’s body.

“What are you going to do if you leave everything to me?”

The sadness was short-lived as the girl lamented the fact that she would soon be taking on the tasks her grandfather had taken on.

“There is no way I can stop the elders by myself.”

Now it is clear what the future will be like.

Now that the only being who can stop the elders has left, the elders will soon begin to intervene externally in earnest.

These are people who already have no good feelings towards humans and demons.

They will probably either place all humans or demons under their control or leave only a very small number to manage them.

Or kill them all.

Because they were enough people to survive.

Of course, Sion was not particularly interested in humans or demons.

My grandfather simply thought that the words of his ancestors were important and was worried about elves getting involved in the outside world.

“Furthermore, the problem of low birth rate is the most serious, so you can at least solve this problem…”

In fact, the biggest problem with elves is that they are small in number.

To be honest, elves have no future.

Because each individual lived for so long, they did not know the importance of producing offspring.

Elves were already so materially wealthy that they did not need labor, and as a result, they were reluctant to engage in unnecessary and inconvenient activities such as pregnancy.

If anything, there were more elves leaving their hometown or dying than the number of babies being born.

“There aren’t many compatriots to bring in from outside anymore…”

They didn’t even hand over the handover.

Suddenly, the girl’s heart became filled with worries about the future rather than feelings of sadness.

“Ha, it’s really going to spin.”

More than anything, the reason why my grandfather died was unknown.

You may be old, but there is no way that someone who was alive and well until a few days ago would suddenly pass away.

There was no trace of magic, but there are countless other ways to take a life.

Especially, there were many people around who would threaten his life.

Squeak!

A new servant came to the room where only the girl was left.

Although he is much older than the girl, he bows his head and shows courtesy.

“Zion, the other elders have already left.”

“I understand. “I will follow you soon, so please wait.”

But you will find out gradually.

Soon you will be with them.

“And the clothes are too big, do you have any other clothes?”

“I’m sorry. “I prepared it with the smallest one, but since Zion is unusually young among the elders…”

“Well, since the seat is suddenly empty, I’ll just fold this up a little and wear it.”

After hearing Shion’s words, the servant bowed her head and went out.

It must have been very difficult for her to do something like that to a girl hundreds of years younger than her.

Shion becomes the new elder of the elves today.

Elven elders are not simply selected based on age, but rather the most promising and capable elves in a tribe are selected.

In the Root Tribe, Zion was the most suitable after the death of the highest elder.

The reason he was designated as the successor to the highest elder was because his abilities were already outstanding enough to rival those of other elders.

If the tradition and ability are good, it is already over.

He is not yet 200 years old, but his natural talent is comparable to elders who are well over 1,000 years old.

Still, the experience of time cannot be ignored, and the reason why Zion did not rise to the highest elder position right away was because he was too young.

“Just watch from heaven. “I will try my best.”

Before leaving for his inauguration ceremony, Zion left these words with his grandfather.

It was at least a consolation that my grandfather was enshrined in the place where the great ancestors of the elves rested.

†††

“Her grandmother often told me stories about her old days. “I’m not particularly curious about the circumstances of the ears.”

Alfred walked to his ancestor’s grave and told him the story that Zion had told him.

One day, the highest elder suddenly passed away.

About the 12 elders who guide the elves.

And the main story was about the various social problems that the elves faced at the time.

“…They thought that way?”

“Well? I don’t care what the 12 ears say. Of course, I didn’t check the authenticity of the story, and all I heard was what I heard from my grandmother.”

“Oh my god…”

Of course, the one who was most shocked was Stella.

It’s been a long time since we gave up on the ever-decreasing population, so even if that’s the case, it’s no different.

The 12 elders who led the elves during their most glorious days.

How can we not be surprised to learn that the people who were said to be the greatest elders and excellent leaders of the elves, actually tried to exterminate humans and demons because they were annoying?

“However, looking back on past history, the elves have never been directly involved in humans and demons, and the only time they have become involved recently is by siding with humans in the war.”

“Have you ever heard of demons being involved in crimes or something like that?”

“Perhaps the elves they are talking about only refer to the elves who live in the land of the elves. Minority tribes outside of their hometown will not be affected.”

“After all, they are all the same big-eared ears, so it’s surprising that there is a need to distinguish them.”

In the end, Arcel calmed Stella down, saying that it never happened.

From Arcel’s point of view, it is inevitable that it was even possible to actually do it in the first place.

Of course, the ancient elf magic that Stella showed is powerful, but is that enough to deal with both demons and humans?

In particular, the Demon King and the Hero did not have much success because they were hostile to each other, but if they were compared to others, they are powerful people who would never bow down to either side, right?

Of course, no one knows the truth unless it actually happens, but it was natural that credibility was low.

“As an aside, it is said that demons did not use bows in the old days, but they have been enjoying archery as a hobby for thousands of years, so the entire race naturally became good at archery? “What a strange species.”

Alfred shook his head and looked at Stella.

It was quite strange.

Originally, he would have been angry by now, baring his teeth and telling people not to insult the elf, but for some reason he was quiet now.

It seems that the story about the 12 elders was very shocking.

This was partly because Alfred told the story he heard from Shion in detail, acting out all the lines in his voice.

“…How can it be this quiet? “When we came back, we still saw a few elves.”

Let’s stop talking for a moment and look at the present.

Arsel was suspicious that the surroundings were too quiet.

When I returned with Stella, a small number of elves were wandering around.

But what now?

Not even a single ant baby can be seen, let alone an elf.

“That’s right, even if they disguise themselves with magic so they can’t see us, we can probably spot the demon.”

Alfred’s magic was used to hide his appearance, but that doesn’t make sense for there to be no elves.

Thanks to this, I was able to pass with an incomparable ease compared to the last time, but the excessive silence made me feel anxious, like the eve of a storm.

“Ugh…”

At that time, Stella suddenly touched her forehead and moaned.

“Stella?! “Are you okay?”

“Yes, she’s fine, but her head suddenly hurts a little.”

“If I’m here too long, it’ll end up like the last time-“

“That’s not it. “I’ve been seeing it since a while ago, and I’m not being affected by that disease again.”

At first, she wondered if the disease that brought the elven land to destruction was tormenting Stella again, but Alfred shook her head and said there was another reason.

“I felt like I was hearing a strange noise in my head earlier, so maybe it will get better after a while.”

Stella smiled and tried to calm Arcel down.

But she doesn’t seem to be getting any better.

On the contrary, there is a feeling that it is getting worse.

“Wait a moment.”

But suddenly Alfred stopped Stella.

“What are you waiting for… Huh?!”

Then she took out a small, ominous black bead from her pocket, and stuffed it straight into Stella’s mouth.

“Ugh, keek! What on earth are you doing all of a sudden, demon?! “I swallowed it by mistake!”

Stella kept gulping and tried to spit out the beads in her mouth, but they had already gone down her throat.

Arsel, who was next to him, watched in confusion, not knowing how to react to this.

“Even if you help them, they are rude. This is why they live long lives and are ignorant of grace.”

“What did attaching something strange to someone else’s head help?”

At first, I thought Alfred was just talking nonsense as usual, but looking at it again, it seems that wasn’t the case.

“…Huh? “Does your head no longer hurt?”

After Alfred forced her to swallow the marble, the headache that had been bothering Stella disappeared.

Stella was surprised and touched her forehead.

What on earth did she feed herself?

“That is a test eating magic stone that I am developing. The effect is temporary, but it will surround the person who eats it with a barrier that blocks magic that interferes with the mind.”

“If it’s for testing purposes… Is it safe?”

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“At least you won’t die after eating it, so don’t worry.”

This is not reassuring at all, but thanks to you, things have gotten a little better.

It was painful since a while ago because I felt like someone was calling me, but that wasn’t the case anymore.

“That’s a relief, thank you Alfred. “Thanks to you, Stella seems to be feeling a little better.”

“There is nothing to be thankful for. Anyway, neither you nor I are in a state where we can fight properly, right? “If anything happens, I have to deal with it all on my own, but I have to provide this level of service.”

“But you can still use magic, demon.”

“Oh my, as expected, demons are a vile and cowardly race. Are you planning on hiding behind a small and delicate child like me and shooting arrows like you always do?”

Alfred said, covering his mouth in shock.

Stella tried hard to resist the urge to hit Alfred’s head.

If Alfred hadn’t been right next to Arcel, he probably would have grabbed her right away.

Alfred was already very obnoxious and irritable, but seeing him turn into such a young person made me even angrier.

In particular, didn’t they all pretend to be surprised while looking down at the other person with their eyes mocking them?

“I think it would be better for both of you to stop. Look over there.”

“I wondered where all my compatriots had gone…”

But that kind of pun was short-lived.

Stella and Alfred turned their gaze to Arcel’s words.

I wondered why all the elves had disappeared, but all the nearby elves were gathered around the tomb of their ancestor.

It seems difficult to even enter the tomb like that.

“Oh, I want to burn everything.”

Alfred was very disgusted, saying it looked like it was swarming with bugs.