---

“I’m sorry about just now. It’s because of the alcohol, please bear with me.”

Keineu finally regained his senses after a nosebleed.

It was quite an impressive sight to see him casting healing magic on his own nose to stop the bleeding.

“Hah, it’s the damn alcohol that’s the problem. It’s well-made and tastes good, too…”

But despite complaining about the alcohol, Keineu was raising his teacup again, bringing it to his lips. Zion downed a shot, praising its taste, so it must have been pretty good.

“By the way, Your Majesty, you like Hanamana, right?”

“Kuhk!”

However, when asked if he liked Hanamana, Keineu ended up spewing the drink all over the table.

“Cough… Uh, how?!”

“Do you really think I wouldn’t know after you said that much?”

“Tch, humans are sharp, huh?”

“Do elves not have this much perception?”

“……”

Keineu frowned as if he had nothing to say.

The table had become a mess, covered in Keineu’s blood and the spilled alcohol.

Staring seriously at the mess, Keineu quietly put down his teacup, placed his hands on the table, and said:

“Local spatial teleportation enacted.”

He chanted the spell, sending the teapot and teacup, along with the tablecloth, flying somewhere.

“?!”

What was that just now? Spatial teleportation? Did this elf really just use space magic?

Moreover, Hanamana was still slumped on the table, unconscious, yet he deftly crafted a spatial spell that cleared just the tablecloth without disturbing her or the table.

How precise do you have to be to pull off something like that?

“That just now…”

“Ah, don’t be too surprised. I just cleared the table because it got messy. Let’s move to a different spot and continue our discussion. I’ll bring the alcohol again.”

“No, I meant that spatial teleportation.”

“This? Could it be you’re interested in space magic?”

With his palm facing up and extending his right hand towards me, Keineu opened a space in his palm, and out dropped the teapot that had just been sent away.

Then, Keineu took the teapot, poured a little of its contents into his mouth, and casually tossed it away, but instead of crashing to the ground, it disappeared somewhere. Did he just put it back into spatial storage?

After gulping down the drink, Keineu opened his mouth again.

“Listen, this isn’t something just anyone can learn. A talent for space magic only comes around once every hundred years. Do you know what that means? It means there’s only one person among the living humans in this generation who has that aptitude.”

“That would be me.”

“What?”

I too showed my palm to Keineu and said, “Severance.”

I chanted and split open space.

Glancing closely at the thinly distorted and torn space I had created, Keineu remarked,

“Definitely an aptitude holder. Connection.”

He said, and reattached the space I had severed.

Wait, did Hanamana mean that Keineu was the aptitude holder for space magic?

“Your Majesty, the truth is we…”

“I think I have a rough idea. Let’s discuss everything, including that, later. For now, let’s move.”

With that, Keineu stood up from his chair.

From his words, it seemed he had some degree of insight into the situation.

He approached where Hanamana had collapsed and stretched out his hand to lift her.

“I’ll take care of moving her, so just go ahead.”

“I’ll do it! How dare you lay hands on Hanamana!”

However, his attempt was thwarted by Zion.

Well, considering what that guy had shown, he probably didn’t want to leave Hanamana in Keineu’s hands.

“Hah, I really dislike humans.”

“You dislike humans? But Hanamana said you’re quite interested in them, Your Majesty!”

“That’s because Hanamana shows interest. I don’t really like humans.”

What’s wrong with this guy? Is he really trying to open up to humans just because of such a flimsy reason?

He’s a bit strange, but could it be that he’s actually a huge romantic at heart?

Anyway, Zion ended up carrying Hanamana, and following Keineu’s lead, we arrived at his house.

Though he said he didn’t have a palace, Keineu’s house was where the chief of the elves resided.

We passed through a yard filled with enormous trees that made it look like a small forest and entered the large, elegantly built two-story wooden house. Keineu first guided Zion to his bedroom.

“Put Hanamana on that bed and come out to the living room.”

“Ugh, are you planning to think things like ‘Hanamana is in my bed right now!’?”

“What? Is that how it works?”

Keineu’s eyes bulged in shock.

It seemed Zion had mentioned something unnecessary.

“Ah, I can’t believe I made such a mistake. Sorry, Hanamana…”

Ultimately, Hanamana was laid down on Keineu’s bed.

There was no choice but to make that decision since leaving her on the floor or the sofa was not an option.

“Should I get water or tea?”

“I’ll just have water.”

“Me too.”

“What a boring bunch.”

He complained a bit but obediently went to get water from the kitchen.

Now that the three of us had gathered back at the table, it was time to get serious.

“Your Majesty, the reason we came here is…”

“Wait. Before we discuss that, please clarify what your relationship with Hanamana is. I understand that there was a misunderstanding earlier.”

“Oh, yes, I suppose you would want to know…”

Originally, it was to be Hanamana who would request help to learn space magic, but since she had lost consciousness from just one sip of alcohol, I had no choice but to explain on her behalf.

Basically, I was only acquainted with Hanamana through Zion, with no special relationship, and I came to learn how to handle space from her introduction.

Upon hearing this, Keineu nodded and immediately replied.

“Alright. You’re not just some random person, but the lover of the hero and the pioneer of rehabilitation medicine. It wouldn’t be good to owe such a person a debt. So I’ll ask for two things in return.”

“Um, you just said you were going to owe me a debt, and now you’re demanding something in return?”

“I’m asking for the price for the debt I will owe later.”

A price, huh? I hoped it wouldn’t be too difficult.

“Go on.”

“Okay. First, when I have contact with humans in the future, you’ll act cooperatively with me.”

The first request didn’t seem too hard.

In fact, if I could mediate when elves wanted to interact with humans, it could even be beneficial.

“Sure. But only for me, not Zion. I can’t obtain his cooperation.”

“That’s only natural. It’s you who’s learning space from me, and you’re the only one who can help me. Why should the hero butt in?”

“Understood. What’s the other request?”

Again leaning forward on the table, Keineu rested his chin on his hand, setting the mood.

I suddenly felt a sense of déjà vu and an ominous premonition.

He wasn’t going to say something weird again, was he?

“Um, I mean…”

Keineu looked like he was about to say something, but then he discreetly glanced toward the bedroom and again leaned in toward me, speaking softly as if sharing a secret.

“Can you find out what kind of man Hanamana likes?”

“What?”

What kind of request was that…

I was trying hard not to show my surprise, but Keineu seemed completely unfazed, staring at me with intense seriousness.

“I’m not setting a deadline, so whenever you find the chance, just ask Hanamana about her ideal type or the kind of man she likes. If you find that out, I’ll permit you to re-enter this country. How about that? Doable, right?”

It wasn’t a particularly difficult request, but…

Considering his actions, this elf was acting just like an elementary school kid with a crush, wasn’t he?

He was on guard against men who approached Hanamana, teasing her or annoying her, and now he wanted to know her ideal type?

Well, whatever. Since I already knew the information, I might as well share it and receive my reward.

“I can do that right now…”

“Wait! Just a second, Teacher!”

Zion suddenly interrupted my answer. Why?

“Can we talk for a moment?”

“Right now?”

“Yes. Right now, please. Is that fine, Your Majesty Keineu?”

“Um, okay. Go ahead.”

It seemed Keineu was a bit surprised by Zion’s sudden interruption but allowed her to take me away.

“Uh-oh?”

Once given permission, Zion quickly grabbed my hand and dragged me out to the yard.

“Hop Teacher! Were you really going to say that?!”

“You mean about what kind of man Hanamana likes, right?”

“Then what else would it be?”

“Of course, I was going to say it.”

“Why would you say that?!”

The reason Zion had suddenly pulled me out was apparently to stop me from revealing Hanamana’s ideal type to Keineu.

“I was asked about it as a condition for learning space magic.”

“Oh, how frustrating. Have you forgotten what Hanamana’s preferences are?”

“I know what they are, so I was planning to answer.”

“And yet you were going to tell him?”

“Yeah. Is there a problem?”

“Ugh! I can’t take it anymore!”

Zion thumped her chest as if exasperated.

“Do you really have to point out that it’s an unrequited love?”

Ah, so that was the reason.

It was true that Hanamana’s type was middle-aged men. She had said there would absolutely be no one fitting her ideal among elfs.

“I thought it would be better to know rather than keeping a crush without knowing. Hanamana’s opinion also matters.”

But that didn’t mean it was a reason to not tell Keineu about Hanamana’s ideal type.

“Ugh. That’s so logically sound I can’t even argue against it…”

Zion accepted that reasoning and backed down.

But since she couldn’t allow Keineu to suffer a heartbreak, she shrugged her shoulders and desperately came up with another idea.

“Then just tell me later. Since he clearly said ‘there’s no deadline’, we can postpone it for now. That should be fine, right?”

Hmm… As for me, I had no interest in the relationship between the two elves as long as I could learn space magic, and since it was Zion’s request, I had no reason to refuse.

“Then I’ll do just that.”

“Thank you, Hop Teacher.”

Zion jumped up and gave me a light peck on the cheek.

Seeming pleased, she happily led me back toward the living room where Keineu was waiting.

“You’ve been waiting a while~ Huh?”

And upon entering the living room, Zion froze in place as she faced Keineu, who was sitting at the table.

“Zion, why are you frozen? What’s going on… Huh?”

And following her, I too froze, and it was understandable…

“What does that mean… an unrequited love…”

Because Keineu was looking at us with tearful eyes.

“Did you… hear?”

“I’m an elf, and I can hear sounds like that in my yard. More than that, explain to me. Is it really impossible between me and Hanamana?”

“Th-that’s…”

Given the situation, there was no point in postponing anything.

I looked back at Zion, and she nodded, as if resigned.

Eventually, I returned to the table and sat down again.

“Well, the truth is… Hanamana does have her preferences.”

I had no choice but to reveal the truth to Keineu.

What might happen after saying this was uncertain, but…

 

---