The Unfortunate Girl Wants an Easy Mode in Her Second Life – Chapter 172

Chapter 172: Arne’s Hometown
ㅤ”Are you alright!?”
ㅤ
ㅤArne-san ran towards the girl.
ㅤ
ㅤFollowing Arne-san, who had completely forgotten about being cautious of the surroundings, I glanced around.
ㅤThere was nothing within sight. No presence, and nothing on the minimap either.
ㅤ
ㅤArne-san removed her spacesuit helmet and crouched down in front of the girl.
ㅤ
ㅤ”M-My Okaa-san…”
ㅤ
ㅤThe elf girl said, looking up at Arne-san.
ㅤ
ㅤThe woman petrified in front of the girl looked too young to be a mother.
ㅤBut, you can’t tell an elf’s age by their appearance.
ㅤ
ㅤ”Calm down. What happened?”
ㅤ
ㅤArne-san placed her hand on the girl’s shoulder.
ㅤThe girl looked to be around ten years old. She was a beautiful girl with slightly darker blonde hair than most elves and green eyes.
ㅤSince Arne-san also looked to be at most twelve or thirteen years old, the two of them looked like sisters.
ㅤ
ㅤ”I-I don’t know…”
ㅤ
ㅤThe girl shook her head.
ㅤ
ㅤ”Suddenly, the ash spread, and everyone turned to stone… I ran away in a panic, but because of me, Okaa-san was left behind… sob”
ㅤ
ㅤ”Because of you…?”
ㅤ
ㅤ”I’m… not blessed by Ether. I couldn’t open the barrier, and I was left behind, and Okaa-san came to help me and this happened…”
ㅤ
ㅤ”I see…”
ㅤ
ㅤArne-san seemed to understand, but I didn’t quite get it.
ㅤ
ㅤ”Arne-san, what does that mean?”
ㅤ
ㅤI asked Arne-san while removing my helmet.
ㅤThe helmet was designed to be flipped up and secured at the back.
ㅤ
ㅤ”There are different types of elves. Those who have good compatibility with Ether are 『blessed by Ether』. Conversely, there are also those with poor compatibility. Generally, the lighter the hair color, the better the compatibility with Ether.”
ㅤ
ㅤArne-san’s hair was light blonde with a pinkish tinge, and the girl’s hair was dark blonde.
ㅤ
ㅤ”So, this girl is…”
ㅤ
ㅤ”It seems that because of that, she couldn’t pass through Elvansrow’s authentication system.”
ㅤ
ㅤ”But then, how is she safe here?”
ㅤ
ㅤ”Now that you mention it…”
ㅤ
ㅤArne-san looked at the girl.
ㅤ
ㅤ”Th-That’s because of this ring.”
ㅤ
ㅤThe girl showed the ring on her left finger.
ㅤIt was a plain-looking stone ring, but it was something we were familiar with.
ㅤ
ㅤ”A Stone Immunity Ring? Good thing you had it.”
ㅤ
ㅤ”My great-grandfather gave it to me for my birthday. He got upset when I said it was uncool. If I knew this would happen, I would have been more grateful…”
ㅤ
ㅤThe girl said, hanging her head.
ㅤ
ㅤArne-san asked the girl.
ㅤ
ㅤ”Hey, what about the others in the village? They’re evacuated somewhere, right?”
ㅤ
ㅤ”Y-Yes. I think they’re that way. But, I can’t open the barrier.”
ㅤ
ㅤ”Didn’t they open it from the inside?”
ㅤ
ㅤ”They lowered the barrier and went further inside.”
ㅤ
ㅤ”I see. Then, let’s go with us.”
ㅤ
ㅤArne-san took the girl’s hand and stood up.
ㅤ
ㅤ”B-But, my Okaa-san…”
ㅤ
ㅤI crouched down next to the petrified girl’s mother and tried touching her with the Cockatrice beak I took out of the Infinite Stomach.
ㅤAlthough I felt a slight suction, the petrification didn’t dissolve even after waiting for a while.
ㅤ
ㅤ”I’m sorry, it seems like it’s not possible right now.”
ㅤ
ㅤI said to the girl and lifted her mother.
ㅤLooking around, I found a structurally sound spot and tied the petrified elf woman there. I made the knot in a place where she could untie it herself.
ㅤThis way, even if the surroundings collapsed, she wouldn’t be thrown out into space.
ㅤ
ㅤArne-san and I continued deeper into the colony, comforting the girl.
ㅤ
ㅤ”Arne-san. Do you know that girl?”
ㅤ
ㅤ”Huh? No. I met her for the first time today.”
ㅤ
ㅤ”How long has it been since Arne-san left the village?”
ㅤ
ㅤ”That’s a harsh question. Let’s see, it’s been about five years. So, this girl should be around five years old.”
ㅤ
ㅤ”She looks older than that.”
ㅤ
ㅤ”Elves grow faster than humans in their childhood. When their appearance stops aging depends on the individual.”
ㅤ
ㅤ”So Arne-san stopped aging early.”
ㅤ
ㅤ”What are you saying, that I look young?”
ㅤ
ㅤ”N-No, that’s not what I meant.”
ㅤ
ㅤ”Fufu. Well, it’s fine. I hear it often. The age at which growth stops is also related to compatibility with Ether. Generally, the younger one looks, the better their compatibility with Ether.”
ㅤ
ㅤArne-san said as she opened a barrier.
ㅤ
ㅤ”But, that also means they are physically inferior, so they are not suited to be warriors or thieves. In short, everyone is different.”
ㅤ
ㅤAfter opening several barriers,
ㅤ
ㅤ”There’s no petrification around here.”
ㅤ
ㅤThe world, which had been a monotonous gray, started to show some color.
ㅤSpace colonies often have a metallic image, but the interior of Elvansrow was decorated with whitewood panels, and plants were planted here and there. The passageways meandered appropriately, and there wasn’t much of the oppressive feeling typical of artificial structures.
ㅤ
ㅤ”Well, it should be around here…”
ㅤ
ㅤAs Arne-san tried to open a barrier, a voice came from the other side.
ㅤ
ㅤ”Halt! Who are you!?”
ㅤ
ㅤThe muffled voice was filled with intense vigilance.
ㅤ
ㅤ”Marianne Sy Alviss, daughter of the High Priestess of Elvansrow.”
ㅤ
ㅤArne-san declared.
ㅤ
ㅤ（So, she was a pretty important person after all?）
ㅤ
ㅤI still haven’t been able to ask her about any of that.
ㅤ
ㅤ”Don’t lie! Marianne-sama left the village years ago!”
ㅤ
ㅤ”That Marianne has returned!”
ㅤ
ㅤ”Nonsense! How could you return to this place when the village gate is unusable!”
ㅤ
ㅤ”Ah. Explaining that would take a long time.
ㅤHey, it’s an emergency, so can you bring someone who knows me? You can tell by my Ether wavelength, right?”
ㅤ
ㅤ”Hmm…”
ㅤ
ㅤThe voice on the other side fell silent.
ㅤ
ㅤAfter waiting for quite a while, a different voice came through.
ㅤ
ㅤ”Is it truly Marianne-sama?”
ㅤ
ㅤ”That’s the High Priest, right? I’ll send my Ether through the wall.”
ㅤ
ㅤ”A youthful, vibrant Ether like a young foal… It is indeed Marianne-sama’s. Open the barrier.”
ㅤ
ㅤAlong with the voice, the barrier rose.
ㅤ
ㅤStanding there was a male elf with a grumpy look on his face.
ㅤHe was wearing priest-like clothes. Earlier, Arne-san called him the “High Priest.”
ㅤ
ㅤThe High Priest glared at me.
ㅤ
ㅤ”Why is there a human here?”
ㅤ
ㅤ”She’s with me. I wouldn’t have been able to return here without them.”
ㅤ
ㅤArne-san said firmly.
ㅤ
ㅤ”…Hmph. Not only were you absent during this crucial time, but you also brought humans to this village. What are you thinking, Marianne-sama?”
ㅤ
ㅤI couldn’t help but be impressed by the High Priest’s words.
ㅤ
ㅤ（There it is, the “mere human” line!）
ㅤ
ㅤThis is what I expect from an elf.
ㅤ
ㅤ”I’ll explain the details later. Where’s Okaa-sama?”
ㅤ
ㅤWhen Arne-san asked, the High Priest furrowed his already frowning brows.
ㅤ
ㅤ”She is sleeping within the Spirit Tree.”
ㅤ
ㅤ”What?!”
ㅤ
ㅤ”It was the only way to protect her from this ash.”
ㅤ
ㅤ”Wait a minute! So, the elves know what this ash is?!”
ㅤ
ㅤ”We can’t say we know for sure. We have determined that it is a type of phase attack, but…”
ㅤ
ㅤArne-san and the High Priest were continuing their conversation, leaving us behind.
ㅤ
ㅤI forcefully interrupted.
ㅤ
ㅤ”For now, why don’t we go to where everyone else is and organize the information?”
ㅤ
ㅤ”Y-Yes. We need to call Escavelm-san and the others too.”
ㅤ
ㅤ”Are you saying there are even more people? Marianne-sama, do you not have any awareness as an elf?”
ㅤ
ㅤ”Too bad. Escavelm-san is a dragon.”
ㅤ
ㅤ”What?”
ㅤ
ㅤ”…Well, how about we calm down for now?”
ㅤ
ㅤWhile trying to appease the two who were on the verge of a fight, I was guided to where the elves were taking refuge.