第三十三話
「そんなに難しいことを聞きたいわけじゃない、あんたのあの国に対する現在の印象と、千年前の戦い以降に何か大きなことが起きてないか。それを聞きたい」
「千年前? さすがに私もそこまで長生きじゃないから、昔の話は聞きかじった話になるよ」
千年という言葉にカレナは怪訝な顔をする。
「それで構わない、話す順番も話しやすい順で頼む」
「そうだねえ、じゃあまずは今のあの国の印象ってのから話そうか。元来エルフっていうのは閉鎖的なんだけどそれでも他国との交流は普通にしていたんだ。それが大きく崩れたのがこの間も話したいやしの木の件だ」
「あぁ、それは覚えてる。あの木が絶滅寸前になって、流通を制限したんだったな」
カレナは頷く。
「そう、ただ制限されたのが流通だけじゃなく、人の行き来も大きく制限されることになったんだ」
カレナは舌を湿らすために紅茶を一口飲む。それを見た蒼太はあの味を思い出し苦い顔をする。
「今では一部の商人と、各国の王の推薦状を持った者や、実績のある冒険者なんかじゃないと、すんなりとは通れずに時間のかかる審査が必要なはずさ」
「それは......だいぶ面倒になったもんだな」
以前行った時はすんなりと入れたため、どうしたものかと頭を悩ませる。
「続けるよ......そんなわけで閉鎖的な一族が、更に閉鎖的になって交流が減るに連れて、他種族を見下すようになっていったんだ。エルフ族至上主義とでも言うんだろうかね。そして人族に攫われて奴隷にされるエルフも結構いたし、千年前のこともあって、人族に対しては特に敵対心が強いんだ」
やれやれとカレナは首を振る。
「私は他種族、もちろん人族にも知り合いや友達がいたからね、その考えに嫌気がさして国を飛び出したのが150年前くらいだったかね。それからいくつかの街を転々として、この街に居つくことになったのさ」
「じゃあ、あんたは......」
「そうだね、私は今のエルフ王国を嫌ってるよ。もちろん奴隷うんぬんに関しては言い分も解るし私だって腹立たしく思うさ、でも種族より人を見ないと互いに理解なんて出来ないだろ?」
カレナは話ながらも飲みきったカップへティーポットから紅茶を注ぐ。
まだ残っている蒼太のカップにも注ごうとしたが、蒼太はそれを手で止めた。
「俺はい・ら・な・い!」
「そうかね、美味しいのに......」
彼女は味音痴というより、『美味しい』の幅が広いエルフだった。
「何をしにいくかは知らないけれど、あんたがあの国に行ってもおそらくいい思いをしないと思うよ」
「それはいいさ、別段いい思いをしたくて行きたいわけじゃないからな。それよりも、あっちはどうなんだ千年前の戦い以降に変わったことや、起きたことは何かあるか?」
カレナは目線を上にやり、考えながら話す。
「そうだねえ......さっき話したように、千年前の戦いでエルフの勇者が異世界の勇者に殺されてからは、それを召喚した人族に対して良い感情を持たなくなって、関係も悪化していったんだ。それから......何かあったような......」
カレナは眉間を人差し指でぐりぐりと押し、浮かび上がってきそうな過去の記憶を掘り出していく。
「確か、私のばあさんが言ってたんだ......そうだ、確か当時の第四だか、第五だかの王女が人族との関係改善を訴えたとかって、それが他の王族や貴族によく思われなかった。反国家的思想だとまで言われて処刑されそうになったとか」
「処刑......だと? あのディーナリウスが殺されたと言うのか!!」
「そうそう、確かそんな名前だったはずだよ......あんたよく知ってたね。私だって忘れてたっていうのに」
大きな声をあげた蒼太を咎めることもなく、カレナは名前を知っていたことにだけ驚く。
「あぁ、ちょっとな......。それより本当にその王女は殺されたのか?」
「いや、処刑されそうにはなったけど王様が情けをかけてそれは中止になったんだ。でも、貴族どもは納得しなかった。それで自ら望んで魔水晶への封印を選んだそうだよ」
「貴族が鬱陶しいのはどこの種族でも同じなんだな......」
「彼女がメイドに産ませた子だったってのが根本にある理由なんだろうけどね、一応王位継承権はあったけどつまはじきにされてたみたいだからね。それなのに人族との融和を訴えたから余計に鼻についたんだろうさ」
蒼太は返事を返さずに、テーブルの上を睨み付ける。
「怖い顔だね......。何かその王女に思いいれでもあったのかい? まあ会いたければエルフ王国に行くのはありかもしれないね」
顔を勢いよくあげると、カレナは笑みを浮かべて蒼太を見ている。
「あんたがそんなに驚いた顔するとは、私はそれに驚くよ。封印されたと言ったけど、その魔水晶は今でも健在なのさ」
「今でも彼女は封印されたままなのか......それは解放されることはないのか?」
「うーん、確か彼女の罪は二百年から三百年間の封印で許されることになったらしいよ。まあ、人族からしたら長いだろうけどエルフだったらなくはないってくらいの期間だろうね」
蒼太は怪訝な顔をして質問を続ける。
「許されたのなら、なぜ今でも魔水晶に閉じ込められているんだ? またどっかの貴族がごねたのか?」
「それは......何でだったか思い出せないねえ。貴族がごねたとかじゃなかったはずだけど......うーん、確か解放の儀式をやったんだけど失敗したんだったような」
今度は両手で頭をぐりぐりとしながら考え込む。
「......うーむ、思い出せない。私が聞いたのも数百年も前だからねえ、むしろここまでよく覚えてたもんだよ。そこを褒めてほしい」
カレナは立ち上がり、どうだと胸を張る。
「はぁ......確かにそうだけどさ、大事なところも覚えててくれればなお良かったよ。それで、その水晶のところは俺でもいけるのか?」
「入国さえ出来ればいけるはずだよ。大聖堂に飾ってあるんだけど、一般の人や旅人なんかにも開放されてるはずだからね」
「問題は入国できるかどうかってことか」
カレナは大きく頷く、先ほどのふざけた態度とはうって変わって真剣な表情になる。
その表情からはそれだけ人族が入国するのが難しいということを物語っていた。
「それでも行くんだろ? 仕方ないね、効くかどうかはわからないけど私が紹介状を書くよ。一応は多少は名が通ってた錬金術士だから、もしかすれば入国許可が下りるかもしれない」
「ほんとか!? 頼む、少しでも可能性をあげていきたいからな」
蒼太は額がテーブルにつくくらいに頭を下げる。
「あんたもそういう殊勝な態度がとれるんだね。わかったよ......そもそも私が言い出したことさ、頭なんて下げなくても書くさ」
「それでも下げさせてもらうよ、あんたには色々世話にもなってるからな」
「ははっ、そう言われるとなんかむずがゆいね。まあ、そこまで言われたからには早速書こうか。紹介状には私の師匠の名前も載せておくからそれで少しは可能性もあがるはずだよ、今夜中には書いておくから明日取りに来るといいさ」
そういうとカレナは眼鏡をかけ、万年筆、用紙、封筒、蝋を用意し、手紙を書く準備を始める。
蒼太は会釈をするとそれ以上は声をかけずに、静かに部屋を出て行く。
Will the Re-Summoned Hero Live as an ordinary Person Chapter 33
[I don't want to know anything too difficult. I want to hear if something big has happened since the battle a thousand years ago, and I want to know your current impression of the country.] 
[A thousand years ago? As expected, even I don't live that long, so it's only what I know from old story.] 
Carena shows a dubious face when hearing a thousand years ago.
[I don't mind, I'll leave the order of the talk you to make it easier to you, so can you please? ] 
[Fine then. Ummm, let's first talk about the impression of the country right now. Originally, even with their unsociable nature, they still interacted normally with other countries. That changed after the incident with Iyas.h.i.+ Tree I told you of before.] 
[Ah, I remember that. The tree was endangered, so the distribution is restricted.] 
Carena nods.
[Yes, but it was not only distribution that was restricted, but also people coming and going.] 
Carena sips the tea to wet her tongue. Seeing that, Souta remembers the taste and grimaces.
[If you're not a qualified merchant, have letter of recommendation from many countries, or are a strong adventurer with fame, it will take a long time just for inspection.] 
[That ... ... have become troublesome.] 
When Souta went there before, he had gone in smoothly without worry of anything troublesome happening.
[I will continue ...... That's why the unsociable race became more closed, as the amount of interaction declined, they came to look down on other races. This is called Elven Supremacy. And there were many elves captured by humans to be slaves, that's why a thousand years ago, there was particularly strong hostility toward humans.] 
Carena shakes her head.
[I was acquainted with people of other races, and of course, this includes humans. It was 150 years ago that I was disgusted with Elven Supremacy and left the country. Then, after moving to several places, I felt attached to this city and decided to stay.] 
[Then, you are ...] 
[That's right, I hate the current elven kingdom. Of course I know about slavery and feel irritated from it as well, but you won't understand each other without looking at other people, right? ] 
Carena pours the tea from the teapot, and she keeps drinking even while talking.
Carena tries to pour the tea into Souta's cup although it's still not empty, but Souta stops her with his hand.
[I. Don't. Want. It!] 
[Is that so? Even though it's delicious...] 
Rather than her taste buds, the scope of the word {Delicious}  is vast for elves.
[I don't know what you want to do, but I think it's better to not have a high expectation if you go there.] 
[That's fine, it's not like I particularly want to go there. Besides that, is there anything else that happened after the battle a thousand years ago? ] 
Carena raises her gaze upward, and start talking while thinking.
[Ummm... since the elven hero was killed by the hero from a different world in a fight a thousand years ago, we have no goodwill for the people who summoned it. The relations.h.i.+p also worsened and then ... something happened ... .... ] 
Carena presses her eyebrows with her index finger to try to digs out the memories she almost remembers.
[Surely my grandmother was saying .... Yes, certainly the princess, the fourth or the fifth, at that time, complained about improving relations.h.i.+ps with people, but the other n.o.ble and royalty didn't like the idea. It was said that it was anti-state philosophy and she was to be executed. ] 
[Executed...? Do you say that Dinarius was killed!!] 
[Yeah yeah that, that is her name ... It surprises me that you know. Even I forgot her name.] 
Carena's surprised because he knows the princess' name, and she says nothing about him shouting.
[Yeah, rather... ... was the princess really killed? ] 
[No, it seemed the king pardoned her out of mercy and it was canceled. But the n.o.bles were not satisfied. So she choose to get sealed in the Demon Crystal by herself.] 
[No matter the race, the n.o.bles are irritating...] 
[The reason seems to be that she is a child of a maid, and although she had a right to become successor, she was not from the primary line. And despite all that, she overstepped her authority by appealing to make peace with humans.] 
Souta stares at the table without responding.
[You look scary .... Do you have some kind of attachment to the princess somehow? If you want to see her, you might as well go to the elven kingdom.] 
Souta raises his head suddenly and sees Carena looking at him with a smile.
[I'm amazed by your surprised face. I said she was sealed, so she is still alive inside that crystal even now.] 
[Even now ... Is she not released? ] 
[Yes yes, It seems that her sins would be forgiven after sealed for two hundred to three hundred years. It might be long from human perspective, but it's not that long for elves.] 
Souta continues to ask questions with a dubious face.
[If she was already forgiven, why was she still trapped in Demon Crystal? Does it have something to do with n.o.bles? ] 
[That is... ... I cannot remember what it was. The n.o.bles seem not doing anything about it... ... Oh yes, they certainly did a liberation ceremony, but it seems it was a failure.] 
This time she thinks while grinding her head with both hands.
[...... Umu~, I can't remember. I heard it hundreds of years ago, it's great that I can remember that much. I want you to praise me.] 
Carena stands up and proudly puffs out her chest.
[Sigh ... ... it is certainly so, but it's still better if you remembered the important things. So, can I even see that crystal? ] 
[You should be able to see it if you can enter the country. It is decorated in the cathedral, but it is open to the public and travelers as well.] 
[So the problem is whether or not I can enter the country.] 
Carena nods vigorously, as opposed to her playful att.i.tude from before, her face turns serious.
From that expression, Souta knows it will be difficult for a human to enter the country.
[You will go, won't you? It can't be helped. I don't know if it will work or not, but I will write a letter of introduction for you. Since I'm an alchemist whose name is quite well-known, perhaps an entry permit will come down.] 
[Really!? Please, I'd like to increase the chance of it even by a bit.] 
Souta lowers his head so much that his forehead gets on the table.
[You can stop acting like that. I understand .... In the first place, I would still write it even if you don't lower your head.] 
[Even then I would still lower my head, after all, you have been taking care of me a lot.] 
[Hahaha, saying something like that, you're giving me gooseb.u.mps. Since you are going that far, let's write it at once. I will also put the name of my master in the letter of introduction so that your chances will rise a bit. I will write it tonight, so you'd better come get it tomorrow.] 
Like that, Carena wears gla.s.ses, gets a fountain pen, paper, envelope, and wax and starts preparing to write the letter.
Souta bows for the last time and leaves the room quietly.
Will the Re-Summoned Hero Live as an Ordinary Person
再召喚された勇者は一般人として生きていく？
https://www.novelupdates.com/series/will-the-re-summoned-hero-live-as-an-ordinary-person/
Action Adventure Comedy Fantasy Harem Romance Shounen Slice of Life
Adapted to Manga Adventurers Amnesia Arrogant Characters Beast Companions Beastkin Carefree Protagonist Cheats Demon Lord Demons Dragons Dungeons Dwarfs Elves Fantasy World Former Hero Game Elements Genius Protagonist Gods Heroes Hiding True Abilities Kingdoms Level System Male Protagonist Monsters Multiple Transported Individuals Overpowered Protagonist Past Plays a Big Role Protagonist Strong from the Start Royalty Skill Assimilation Sword And Magic Time Skip Transported to Another World Unreliable Narrator
https://ncode.syosetu.com/n6022cs/
かたなかじ