The Ultimate Sage Who Faked Incompetence and Was Disinherited Just Wants to Enjoy His New Life! - Episode 52: The Elf Kingdom

Episode 52: The Elf Kingdom 

“This is amazing, a Hinoki bath.” 

“Yeah, it’s the best. Those who don’t know about this are really missing out.” 

“You sure changed your mind quickly.” 

As Ardan and Jill sipped on coffee milk in the inn’s waiting area, Elise looked at them with a somewhat exasperated expression. 

“Well, well, don’t say that. Anyone can make mistakes.” 

“At this rate, we might as well make sure our future camps have baths, too.” 

“You can even make a bath? That’s awesome.” 

“This is getting ridiculous…” 

Elise was now completely dumbfounded. Somehow, I was starting to feel like anything was possible, too. Lilia was also drinking coffee milk. She then asked, 

“How long does it take to get to the Elf Kingdom?” 

“It takes four days by carriage from the royal capital.” 

“That’s pretty far. Are we going to run there like last time?” 

“No, let’s not. We don’t know what might happen on the way. So it’s better to conserve our magic and stamina. Besides, even if we arrive quickly, we might not have gathered enough information about the elven territory.” 

Ardan had a good point. The more information we had, the better. Rushing isn’t always the answer—sometimes, waiting is part of the job. Still, I couldn’t help but feel excited about the Elf Kingdom. What kind of place would it be? 

“Ardan, have you been to the Elf Kingdom before?” 

“Yeah, of course. There’s a forest there filled with powerful monsters. It’s the only place where you can find certain alchemy materials. So I’ve been there a few times to gather them.” 

“Oh, that job. It pays well, but finding the materials takes days. I never want to do it again… But wait, wouldn’t it be easier now? We could just use Analyze.” 

Elise looked at me for confirmation. Lilia and I both nodded. Yeah, probably. In fact, we were already using Analyze for material gathering. It made things a lot easier. 

“Hey, isn’t that kind of unfair for the rest of us?” 

“Not at all. This is only possible because we put in the effort to train our magic over time.” 

Elise still looked a little skeptical. But I decided to change the subject. It was understandable that people who couldn’t use Analyze might see it as unfair. After all, even rookie adventurers could make easy money with it. 

“By the way, I heard that the Elf Kingdom is a place rich in nature and that it has the World Tree. What kind of tree is it?” 

“Oh, that? It’s just a rumor. No one has actually seen it.” 

Ardan answered indifferently. No one has seen it? Doesn’t that mean it doesn’t exist? Lilia’s expression darkened slightly at his words. 

“So, it really did wither away… I noticed it had been getting weaker for a while. Oh well, it can’t be helped.” 

“You know about the World Tree, Lilia?” 

“Yeah. The area around it was filled with pure magic. We used to go there and play all the time.” 

“We”—so there were more Fairies back then? Maybe in the past, there were many of them. As of now, Lilia is the only one I’ve met. Maybe we’ll see other Fairies when we get to the Elf Kingdom. 

“Do you think the World Tree’s withering is connected to something?” 

“When did it wither?” 

“…Who knows?” 

Ardan and Elise tilted their heads in confusion. At the very least, it didn’t seem to be a recent event. Apparently, Lilia is a lot older than she looks. 

— 

As we departed from the royal capital, we rode in a shared carriage heading for the Elf Kingdom. There were other adventurers onboard as well. They were likely taking on the same request. This meant there was no real need for additional guards. 

“Will this turn into a battle for information?” 

Lilia furrowed her soft, bouncy eyebrows in concern. I patted her head as I answered. Her silky hair felt nice to the touch. 

“Does it really matter who gathers the most useful information? More importantly, we need to find out why the forest is dying. If the same thing happens in other magic-infused forests, monsters will start overflowing. And nearby towns and villages could be attacked.” 

“Fel is right. More than competing for information, what’s important is what we learn from it.”

Ardan’s expression was completely serious. Maybe he had a bad feeling about something. Truthfully, I had also been feeling an unusual sense of unease for a while. It was as if someone was calling out to me. I really hoped it was just my imagination. 

“I feel like… something strong is calling me.” 

“Oh boy, here we go again. Jill’s usual delusions are acting up.” 

“No! This time, I’m serious!” 

…Yeah, it was probably just his imagination. 

Our journey proceeded smoothly. To reach the Elf Kingdom, we had to pass through multiple forests and mountain ranges. But whenever wild animals or monsters appeared, the adventurers riding with us quickly took them down. 

Magic stones dropped by monsters could be sold for money, after all. It seemed to be a nice little side income for them. 

As for us, since we were Platinum Rank adventurers and had no shortage of funds, we didn’t bother getting involved. If anything, stepping in might have just annoyed them. 

I expected Jill to complain. But he simply said, “I have no interest in weaklings.” 

“We should be able to see the Elf Kingdom soon…..… Oh! Speak of the devil, there it is!” 

Following Elise’s gaze, I saw an enormous tree standing tall in the distance. It was so large that it could be seen clearly even from here. It might as well have been the symbol of the Elf Kingdom, towering proudly toward the sky. 

“That big tree… is that the World Tree?” 

“No, that’s just a really big tree. It’s probably growing near a leyline.” 

“Lilia’s right, it’s just an ordinary big tree. But it looks like the elves here worship it as a sacred object.” 

“I see… so it’s a substitute for the World Tree.” 

As we continued talking, we drew closer and closer to the massive tree. The more I looked at it, the more immense it seemed. What exactly was the difference between it and the World Tree? I was a little curious. 

Our carriage passed through the gate of the Elf Kingdom without any checkpoint inspections. 

We got off at a plaza just past the entrance. This was my first time stepping into the Elf Kingdom. Looking around, I saw plenty of elves walking about. But there were also dwarves and beastkin mixed in. 

The roads were made by compacting dirt—unlike the royal capital, there were no stone-paved streets. In fact, not only were the roads unpaved, but all the buildings were made entirely of wood. A fire here would be a disaster. 

Then again, elves were said to be proficient in magic. So they could probably extinguish fires quickly with water magic. 

“So, what do you think of the Elf Kingdom?” 

“When we first came here, we couldn’t stop looking around either. I get how you feel.” 

Apparently, I had been gawking like a lost tourist. That was a bit embarrassing. Lilia, on the other hand, didn’t seem particularly affected. Since she had been here before, I thought she might feel nostalgic. But she didn’t show any sign of it. 

“Should we start by looking for an inn?” 

“Yeah. We have enough money. So if we aim for a slightly expensive place, we should be able to find a room.” 

It seemed the Elf Kingdom didn’t have a castle. The only large structure was that giant tree. And most of the houses were two-story buildings. Occasionally, there were some three-story ones. 

I asked about how the country was governed, and it turned out they had a system where tribal leaders gathered to decide national policies. 

After securing an inn, we headed to the Hunting Guild, which was affiliated with the Fortune Kingdom’s Adventurers’ Guild. Apparently, this was the place that managed hunting activities in the forest. 

“I’m Ardan, a Platinum Rank adventurer from the Fortune Kingdom’s Adventurers’ Guild. I’d like to get more details on the investigation request for the Elven Forest.” 

“Ardan, right? Wait just a moment.” 

The receptionist was a man. It seemed that in the Elf Kingdom, this was the norm—all the staff at the counters were male. 

“You were expecting a beautiful receptionist, weren’t you, Fel? Tough luck,” 

Jill said with a grin. 

Oh, I see what this was. He was teasing me about my relationship with Lilia. If I didn’t respond properly, she might get the wrong idea. I had to shut this down firmly. 

“Nah, that’s not what I was—” 

“Feeeel~?” 

“I swear, Lilia, I wasn’t thinking that!” 

Lilia bit me. It hurt a little.