The Girl Who Hacked The Magic System

We complied immediately, of course.

We aren't here to antagonize them in any way, so we have no motives not to do so.

Huh? What's that lang… ohhhh Shalia is speaking in the Elvish language. It feels so familiar, though.

The guys who appeared in front of us look as surprised as me. I guess they didn't recognize her as an elf at first?

At least the one who looks like he is the commander of this group is answering her, and the hostility in his voice has subsided a bit.

I don't understand a single word, and yet, I can't help feeling this sense that I already know that language from somewhere.

After some back and forth, Shalia turns to us.

"They agreed to take us to their village. But we will have to yield our weapons to them for the entire time we're within the forest limits."

"Sounds good to me."

I was half expecting them to want to have us blindfolded until we reach the village, so just giving our weapons is good enough.

Lovelace and Yawarete also quickly agree, and we hastily hand the elves our weapons.

Of course, the sword Yawarete is carrying around is a normal sword and not the one she received from my mother. That one is safe in a storage space.

We didn't bring anything flashy with us, as it would only garner suspicion in the towns we passed through. Or at least greedy eyes. We didn't want any of those.

The commander's eyes were filled with more curiosity than hostility as he looked at us giving our weapons to his soldiers without complaint. I bet that the sight must be very unusual for him.

He spoke in Speransy, then, the Human language.

"The village is this way. Follow me."

He is a stern man who looks like he's in his mid-thirties. Which probably means that he's at least a couple centuries old.

:::

After an entire day marching through the forest, we finally arrived.

To be honest, the village is fairly different from what I expected.

When one thinks about elven villages deep in the forest, the image that comes to mind is wooden houses built up on the trees.

Yet, the reality, at least in this world, is far from that image.

The village is right by the Tesho River, with over a hundred stone houses and solid stone walls. And not just any stone; those are beautiful and polished quartz blocks.

The way those blocks of stone are put together is very reminiscent of the grandiose walls of the Incas in places like Sacsayhuaman. Masterfully crafted, polished, and placed together without mortar.

An amazing feat of architecture. And the whole town is built like that. From the houses of the people to the communal buildings.

We're guided straight to the center of the town, where a tall structure picks my attention. It's like a giant fountain, surrounded by pillars of obsidian topped by a dome of white marble.

Only when we approach the plaza in which the fountain lies do I notice the figures in front of it. Five elves, clad in elegant white clothes - long tunics that hang down, almost touching the ground.

When we reach a certain distance from them, the commander gestures for us to stop. Then he takes a step forward and gets down on one knee.

It seems that the formalities of authority don't change much from race to race or world to world. So we quickly followed the example.

They exchange some phrases in their language until the woman who is in the center of their group finally addresses us. Or, better said, she addresses Shalia, the only one who understands their language.

Could it be that the elves of this forest in general don't speak the human tongue? Well, it wouldn't be too surprising, given the long story of conflict.

I don't like to have to rely on a translator, but I think that I can handle it. We shouldn't expect the human language to be the universal language, or 'common tongue,' spoken by everyone like in fantasy novels.

Novels and games tell stories, and having a multitude of languages gets in the way of that. This is the real world; there are no conveniences like universal languages.

It's already a big feat to have Esperansy keep united as one single language throughout all those centuries. On Earth, thirteen hundred years would be enough to make the language split along country borders.

After some time, the woman speaks in Esperansy. Okay, so she knew our language all along and just decided to not speak it before?

"Travelers from afar, you must be weary from your long journey. I am Tarindor, the Village Seer.

I welcome you in the name of the village of Ayllune. We'll have a guest house prepared for your stay. Rest through the night, and tomorrow I will hear you."

"I am Aurea Annes, princess of Wesgoth. In the name of my country and my companions, I thank you for your welcome.

These at my side are the court wizard of Wesgoth, Lovelace; the head elder of the cat tribe of the beastkin and also director of research of the Wesgothian Magic Research Institute, Yawarete; and the head of the secret service of Wesgoth, the elf Shalia."

Yessss. First step succeeded: we weren't turned down right off the bat.

I guess Shalia had already introduced us, but I thought that presenting the proper titles of all present would be a good move. Because she would see that our country does more than just pretty talk.

We actually have non-humans in positions of power within the kingdom. This is a trump card of ours in the negotiations of the next few days.

As I expected, the elves' eyes all widened when I mentioned the titles of my entourage. Well, now I also know that they all speak the human language.

"I see. This is quite the high-ranking travel group. Did you come all the way here without escorts? How?"

Hehehe. 'Ah, I see, sir, that I have your attention.' Second step succeeded: we piqued their curiosity.

"I don't want to brag, but the four of us are strong enough, even without the protection of the goddess."

The Seer took a moment to answer to that as she sized us all up, one by one. After that, she nodded approvingly.

"Your words are not empty. It really doesn't seem that you are bragging. I have just one more question before you go. Lovelace… you are more than you look, don't you?"

Lovelace smiled and nodded gravely.

"The Holy Seer of the West is as wise and perceptive as the tales say. Though it's been a long time since I last heard those songs."

Huh? Songs? Holy Seer of the West?

I look at Lovelace, tilting my head. What did she mean by that?

Tarindor, on the other hand, just laughed. It was a warm, amused laugh of someone who just witnessed something very interesting and unexpected.

"It seems that you've broken free from those shackles, then. And on top of that, you got proper allies this time. That is a good sign for the whole world. I look forward to meeting all of you tomorrow.

Calmacil here will lead you to the guest house. You are free to walk around in the village, but I don't recommend going outside during the night."

So the name of the commander from earlier is Calmacil. Those two names are very elvish-sounding.

Wait… could it be…?

Tarindor has already turned around and gone her way. I took too long, so I guess I'll just ask Shalia later.

:::

The house is so pretty inside… It's really cozy, like a country ranch. But at the same time, all the whiteness of the quartz and marble gives it some sort of elegance.

And several colored stones make some patterns on the walls. Lapis lazuli, Jasper, Onyx… really dazzling.

I didn't expect to see elves so fond of stones. Stones are usually the realm associated with dwarves. Well, guess that shows how much light novels actually know.

The furniture is all made from wood, though. Every single piece is of very high quality. This looks more like a luxury inn than a guest house in a small village isolated in the middle of the forest.

Also, there's a lot of food on the table, more than enough for the four of us. And it includes meat. There goes another staple of isekai fantasy. These elves are not vegetarian.

Calmacil accompanied us to the house and then left us, giving us privacy.

Though we can sense that there are guards outside, watching us, it's not overt. Just cordial surveillance of guests from a nation that has been an enemy for centuries.

"This is a better reception than I expected, given the more than a thousand years of persecution, slavery, and conflict."

I was the one to say out loud what everyone was thinking. Everyone nodded and muttered in agreement, but it was Shalia who answered first.

"I think that they have heard something from the spirits. Tarindor said something about a big change in the East, and she wasn't sure what it was about. So it seems that she was already half expecting someone to appear."

Oh, I see. That makes sense.