To You, Who Will Die Alone in Paradise Chapter 6

“Yes…?”

This was not the reaction he had expected. While Dandeleon was at a loss for words, flustered, Kellewen continued speaking.

“I have heard that humans define marriage as the act of bringing a new member into a family. However, an elf’s marriage is extremely personal. It is merely a vow to place each other first in their lives. The need for descendants here is….”

“I, I see, I understand completely. Wow, humans and elves are really different!”

Dandeleon hurriedly ended the conversation in an exaggeratedly loud voice. If left unchecked, Kellewen seemed poised to explain elven culture for three days and four nights without sleep.

‘Why is he talking at such length about something I didn’t even ask?’

But upon careful consideration, it was Dandeleon who had started this conversation in the first place. No, even so, he had not wanted to listen to this kind of cultural studies lecture. How did the conversation get to this point anyway?

“In any case, this earring is something my mother gave to me….”

Right, the earring. And the magical power. That was why the conversation had gotten so long.

Dandeleon clutched his throbbing head and carefully retraced the flow of the conversation. Then he properly answered the question Kellewen had asked once more.

“She probably received it from His Majesty.”

His mother had never said such a thing, but Dandeleon was almost certain of it. His mother had been little more than a vagrant on the streets. If she had worn a jeweled earring until the day she died, would it not obviously have been a gift from her lover?

Of course, Dandeleon did not bother to lay out this long and useless explanation for Kellewen. Kellewen, too, seemed to find that sufficient as he nodded his head.

“Then that is a relief. I was concerned that you might not know if it had some evil magic cast on it, but if it is a gift filled with love, there should be no such worry.”

“There’s magic cast on this?”

Dandeleon asked, fiddling with the earring. It was an object he had possessed for a long time, but it had never once displayed any kind of magical power. If someone else had said this, he would have treated them like a con artist, but when Kellewen said it, it carried a different weight.

Just as the saying goes, ‘Gems to the dwarves, magic to the elves,’ magical power is the elves’ area of expertise. It was unlikely for an elf to be wrong about this matter, and there was no reason for Kellewen to lie to Dandeleon.

“Is there no way to know what kind of magic it is?”

“My apologies, my skills are not so great that I can detect anything more than the fact that it is imbued with magical power.”

“Even though you are a High Elf?”

Kellewen smiled at Dandeleon’s question.

“High Elf is merely a term used to refer to one born with immense magical power. Detecting magic is a very complex and difficult task, where skills honed over a long period of time are more important than anything else, more so than the amount of innate magical power in one’s body, and knowledge and experience are also….”

“I see! I understand completely!”

At yet another tedious, rambling explanation, Dandeleon was appalled. He was just like an old man, the way he got long-winded the moment he opened his mouth.

Dandeleon was freshly reminded that the elf before him was a being approaching his 100th birthday. A being who had lived longer than most living humans, and who would enjoy an immeasurable amount of time in the future….

‘No, is that not right?’

Dandeleon corrected himself internally. Although High Elves are said to live for over a thousand years, he would not be granted that much time.

Because he had to offer his life to the Guardian Tree.

“…Let us go. The greenhouse is just a little further.”

Dandeleon turned his body away from Kellewen. He felt strangely awful. The emotions stirring within Dandeleon were too varied and complex to be summarized so simply. He considered it all to be simply Kellewen’s fault.

‘He has a way of strangely getting on one’s nerves.’

Dandeleon thought so as he headed for the greenhouse, glancing at Kellewen. Whether he knew what was on his mind or not, Kellewen simply cast a calm gaze forward with his back held straight. Though he was unfailingly polite, there was nothing more than that, a reserved attitude for now.

“This is the greenhouse. It is beautiful in the winter when the flowers are in full bloom, but now that it is spring, it is better to see the other gardens.”

“This garden is often used as a banquet hall. When the weather gets a little warmer, parties are sometimes held here all night.”

“The building you see in front of you is the library. Yes, this entire building. Of course, there are spaces inside to rest and also a dining hall and reception rooms, but most of the space is filled with bookshelves.”

The tour that followed was quick and concise. Dandeleon provided only the necessary explanations before moving on to the next location, and Kellewen followed him obediently. He did not ask any particular questions, and after the talk of magic, there was no particularly private conversation.

Dandeleon’s wariness slowly began to ease. Having grown up scorned in the royal family for ten years, Dandeleon was sensitive to reading others’ emotions. Even to his senses, Kellewen seemed to have no particular interest in him, let alone desire.

So much so that the fragment of the future he had glimpsed felt like a lie.

‘It seems it was not something he did out of love at first sight, at least.’

It was just as Dandeleon was thinking this.

“My goodness, the High Elf…!”

Suddenly, a voice filled with emotion was heard. Three or four servants were standing in front of the door that led to the memorial hall of Beatrix I, which Dandeleon had originally intended to go to. They had spotted Kellewen as soon as they came out of the door and cried out in surprise, though they hastily bowed their heads upon realizing their mistake.

Kellewen also heard their voices. With a full smile on his face, he walked toward the servants. Dandeleon followed behind, sneering silently.

It was amusing that these people crying out for the High Elf had not even offered a greeting to him, the prince of Benoit, and he wondered if Kellewen had noticed that fact.

“Please raise your heads.”

But then an unexpected situation unfolded. Kellewen, who he had thought would just offer a light greeting and pass by, spoke directly to the servants.

He even gently patted the shoulder of the person who had cried out to him, as if in encouragement. The old man, who looked to be about sixty, was the very person who had raised his voice in awe upon seeing Kellewen.

“Oh my, High Elf. We are just servants.”

A young servant standing next to the old man tried to stop Kellewen, flustered. However, Kellewen shook his head.

“I am an elf, so I am not well versed in the statuses of the human kingdom. All I know is that you have all treated me with the utmost hospitality, so it is only natural for me to express my gratitude as a guest.”

“Oh my, but, oh my….”

“High Elf.”

The old man, as if emboldened by Kellewen’s response, suddenly lifted his head. He abruptly took Kellewen’s hand and looked up at him as if in prayer, and said.

“I recently saw my first grandchild….”

“Is that so? You must be so happy. Congratulations.”

“I do not know how many more years I have left to be with that child. But I know this one thing for certain.”

Dandeleon listlessly watched the farce before him. He could not count how many people he had seen fawning in awe before Kellewen yesterday and today. That was why he had deliberately taken only deserted paths, but now even the servants were making such a fuss.

And so Dandeleon watched the scene, both physically and psychologically one step removed.

“That the continent will be safe because of the High Elf’s sacrifice.”

Even he froze for a moment in surprise; the old man’s words were so absurdly outrageous.

“Mr. Viette! What are you…!”

“Thank you, High Elf. Thank you….”

The young man, who had tried to stop the old man in shock, hesitated. The old man named Viette was crying, holding Kellewen’s hand. Tears slowly streamed down his wrinkled face.

“Yggdrasil will continue to be green until my grandchild sees their grandchild, and that grandchild sees their grandchild too, will it not?”

The old man whispered.

Dandeleon, judging that he should intervene at this point, tried to step between the two. But Kellewen was faster. He raised his hand, wiped away the tears flowing down the old man’s cheek, and nodded.

“Of course.”

“Ah, it is all thanks to you, High Elf….”

“I am only doing what is natural.”

His stomach churned again. It felt different from before. This time, he was so truly disgusted he felt like he would vomit.

He could no longer stand either of them: the old man thanking him for dying, and the elf who did not get angry and willingly replied that he would die.

“Is your name Viette?”

Dandeleon asked, taking a step forward. The old man was startled, as if Dandeleon had suddenly appeared out of thin air.

“Yes? Y-yes. It is Fernand Viette, your highness….”

“So you know I’m a prince? That’s a relief. I thought you had mistaken me for a servant, since you offered no greeting.”

As Dandeleon sneered overtly, the atmosphere instantly froze. Viette let go of Kellewen’s hand and bowed his head toward him. The other servants did the same.

“That’s enough, get back. How much longer do you intend to make a scene in front of a distinguished guest of the royal family?”

“I apologize. I was just….”

“The same goes for the rest of you. How is it that no one stopped this senile old man from spouting nonsense at the High Elf? Do you not value your lives?”

“Please forgive us, your highness!”

All the servants, including Viette, hastily knelt and bowed their heads to the ground. Dandeleon stared at them with cold eyes, then spoke to Kellewen.

“Let us go.”

Dandeleon had been thinking that if he spouted some nonsense about forgiving the servants, he would forget the tour and everything and go straight back to the palace. Fortunately or unfortunately, Kellewen said nothing.

After bowing his head to the servants, he followed Dandeleon toward the memorial hall. When Dandeleon stood before the door, Kellewen opened it for him.

As soon as Dandeleon stepped inside the memorial hall, he turned around upon hearing the sound of the door closing behind him.

“Is it a natural thing to do?”

Kellewen, standing by the door, paused.

“I heard that the High Elves who offer their lifespan to Yggdrasil die immediately. Is offering one’s own life for a complete stranger really a natural thing to do?”