25 - The Elven Visitor

“You’re an otherworlder, are you not?” She repeated after I stood silent for a good ten seconds.

“H-How do you know? Why can you speak this language… and how do you know my training dummy?”

“Put two and two together, you’ll understand from process of elimination.”

“… You’re also from Earth?”

“Correct, little one.”

The first person I meet in this world, and she’s another otherworlder from Earth. I couldn’t believe what I was hearing; there are others just like me in this world too?

“What might you be doing up here, alone in the highlands?”

“I- I live here!” I stammered.

“Ho? Is that so. Winter’s passed but the weather’s still quite chilly. Such light attire, you must be… a snow elf?” She glanced at my ears. “No, it would appear not. A highlander, perhaps?”

“Um, I dunno?”

Excitement welled up inside me hearing about the people of this world.

“You don’t know?”

“You see-”

I briefly explained the circumstances of my arrival to this world. Was it a bad idea blurting out everything to someone I’d just met? Maybe, but I couldn’t help it. The elf lady listened with little interest at first, but her curiosity was aroused the more I told my story.

“A terrible scenario it’s been, hasn’t it? You did well to survive all alone out here… apologies, I didn’t catch your name.”

“It’s Riko- it’s Ricolette.”

“Ricolette, hmm?” The elf lady smiled, “a good name, it reminds me of someone I used to know.”

“You know someone else with the same name?”

“Not quite, but close enough. Allow me to introduce myself; my name is [][][][][][][][][]-”

“Uh…”

“Ahem. My name is… Granhilda, an elf of Evergrow.”

“Evergrow?”

“The city of elves. Evergrow city is a tree that has been growing for over ten thousand years, and most elves make it their home. If history is to be believed, that is.”

“Ooh.”

How classic.

“Why’d you leave your hometown then, miss Granhilda?”

If the Evergrow tree was indeed as massive as Granhilda said, it must be really far away for me to be unable to spot it from all the way up here.

“You can drop the miss. As for why, I was exiled.”

“Umm…”

Is Granhilda a troublemaker of an elf…?

Possibly sensing my apprehension, Granhilda chuckled. “Whatever you’re thinking, that’s not it. I simply refused to stop eating plants; a taboo amongst those who choose to make Evergrow city their home.”

“Ooh, so that’s it… hmm? I thought elves would be vegetarians.”

“Right? Turns out, not everything we made up on Earth translates well to another world,” Granhilda laughed. “The majority of elves in this world are carnivorous, forbidden to consume the very thing that provides them shelter and a place to call home. That and fungi; elves are big on mushrooms, fanatical even.”

“Wow…”

“Of course, this only applies to Evergrow. Elves outside of the city do eat plants, some of them at least. This must all be quite fascinating to you, eh? What with your loss of memory.”

“Actually, I’m more amazed I’m talking to an elf about Earth stuff.”

“Ah, you’ll get used to it. Forty-seven years I’ve been in this world; I’ve seen my fair share of otherworlders.”

“There are more of us out there? Wait, you’re forty-seven?!”

“Indeed. Elves grow with age as humans do, but our appearance does not age beyond adulthood.” Granhilda answered my question before I could even ask it.

“Checks out.”

“Right? Turns out, some things we made up on Earth translates well to another world.”

“Mmm, I see, I see…”

It hit me then that I was having a proper conversation with another human being- or rather, another person. How long has it been since I’ve been able to do something like this?

“Now then, I must be off; got places to be.” Granhilda mounted her giant smoking pipe like a witch riding a broomstick.

“You’re leaving?”

Disappointment welled up inside me.

“Indeed. I have an appointment two cities over, and-” Granhilda cut herself off, staring intently at my face. “Hmm. I suppose I can spare a bit; journey won’t take that long anyway.”

“You’re staying?”

“Not everyday you get visitors up here, do you?” Granhilda smiled. “Now, how about you relax, calm down, and quit projecting your ether?”

“My what now?”

Granhilda raised an eyebrow in surprise. With a flick of her wrist, a thin, wooden stick manifested in front of her—a wand.

“That’s magic!”

“Indeed. It would seem despite your unnaturally high aptitude, you have no idea what you’re dealing with.”

“What do you mean?”

“The energy inside you, that particular flow of energy you appear so adept at controlling.”

“That’s my mana, right?”

“Yes, but also no.”

Granhilda conjured a ball of ice out of thin air, its clear, sparkling form emanating cool puffs of frosty vapor as it rotated in mid-air.

“This, is mana. Or rather, manalogy; the study of natural elements.”

“You mean like… fireball and… lightning! Magic Missi-”

“Correct, just like those. What you’re performing right now, Ricolette, is not mana control. Rather it’s ether, the source of mana.”

“Ether? What’s the difference?”

“To put it simply, think of mana as blood inside your body. How is that blood circulated?”

“The heart pumps it.”

“Correct. The element that allows us to control mana is ether, just like a heart. Except it does much more than that. Ether is also the source of one’s mana; in other words, mana is produced by ether.”

“… So it’s mana control.”

“Mostly,” Granhilda smiled. “Forget all that ether stuff for now; no sense delving into specifics when you aren’t a researcher.

“Does it matter? I’ve just been using it to make my punches hit harder, since I can’t cast spells.”

“It matters if you wish to stand at the pinnacle of your craft. To be at the top, unmatched in-

“Ehh…?”

Granhilda paused upon seeing the look of disinterest on my face.

“I suppose you’re one of those reclusive types back on Earth, aren’t you?”

“I guess so? I spent most of my life in bed, haha…”

“…”

Granhilda drew her wand, beckoning me over closer. “Watch carefully, Ricolette.”

I was confused at what I’m supposed to be observing; Granhilda stood still with her eyes closed, completely unmoving.

“Oh?”

Then I saw it. Or rather, I ‘felt’ it. Mana flowing through her body, circulating like all the weeks I spent training my own.

A fireball formed at the tip of Granhilda’s wand, growing as big as an apple, then-

Pew!

It shot into the sky and exploded into confetti-like fireworks, raining colorful sparks down that dissipated before they could touch the ground.

“Fireworks!”

“That is how manalo- sorry, that is how magic is done. Now, you try.”

“Uh…”

I explained to Granhilda the numerous times I’ve attempted to cast magic.

“How troublesome. Show me.”

I demonstrated several times, trying with great effort to produce no results whatsoever, with Granhilda observing my every move.

“How do I say this…” Granhilda was clearly trying to break bad news in the best way she could. “You possess a sizable amount of mana to work with. You’re certainly gifted in mana control, no doubt about that. Anyone who can control their mana this well should also be proficient with magic. But in your case…”

Don’t say it.

“It would seem you have little to no affinity with magic whatsoever.”

“SAY IT AIN’T SOOOO!!”

*

“Ho? I see… this is certainly a new application for ether- sorry, mana. One born from the desperate need for survival, perhaps?”

Granhilda watched with fascination as I pummeled the training dummy with mana reinforcement applied to my body. She appeared to have lost interest in whatever she had planned for her appointment, shifting said interest to me.

“Well, my body was already pretty strong before I discovered it.”

“A subconscious application, perhaps? Or rather… might you be a mixed race? A cross between highlander and a battle-born race, perhaps?”

“Huh? I’ve never considered that…”

I would be lying if I said I’d never once questioned who my father was, but I never saw it as anything important for me to worry about-

Thunk!

“Oww-owowowiieee…!”

My lapse in concentration resulted in a pole to the face, causing my eyes to water.

“Uwehh…”

“Hmm, prone to distractions and quick to tear up… A link to mana control, perhaps?”

“No, it’s because I’m a kid!”

“Hold still, let me get that for you…”

“Where’d that handkerchief come from?”

“Don’t worry about it. Let’s get you cleaned up… there we go.”

Despite her seemingly uncaring words, Granhilda was already tending to me by the time I could retort.

“Ooh, this feels nice.”

A cold breeze from Granhilda’s wand numbed my face, easing the pain.

“Here’s a suggestion; focus your mana not just on the important limbs and chest, but your entire body. Sure, your opponent may be a training dummy, but see what trouble complacency got you?”

“Ugh… I’ll keep that in mind. Granhilda, are you married?”

“That’s a big shift in topic. I’m going to need some context for that question.”

“You seem like you have experience with children.”

“Well, I do have over a hundred years of life experience.”

“Over a hundred?!”

“Little old me was a grandmother before I came to this world. I’d say I have enough experience, wouldn’t you?”

“Oh… I wasn’t expecting that.”

“You’re too used to young ’uns for your reincarnation protagonists, my dear Ricolette. Grandmas can do it too, you know? Besides, I’m still very, very young for an elf. I’m quite certain I’ll even outlive you.”

“This world’s full of surprises.”

“Indeed it is. Vast, too. Too vast to fully explore. You don’t know this, but only about half the world’s been mapped out. We’re still exploring unknown continents till this day.”

“Wow… oh, what about where we are now?”

Granhilda produced a thick, rolled-up parchment out of thin air, opening it to reveal a complicated looking map.

“Let’s see here… Where we are right now, are the Rustal Highlands. A series of mountains between the country of Rustal and country of Forehaven. Which is… here.”

“Wow, it really is all mountains up here. Is that Forehaven? That tiny little house below these little triangles?”

“Correct. If you look down from the very hilltop over there, you’ll just barely be able to see it.”

“I’ve seen it! I even greeted them a happy new year! So that’s Forehaven…”

“Haha, they’ll never be able to see you from way over there. But…” Granhilda frowned. “I don’t suggest you be too infatuated with them, dear Ricolette.”

“Why’s that?”

“I’m not from around here so I don’t know the specific details, but Rustal and Forehaven aren’t exactly on good terms. Things weren’t looking very good for Forehaven either, from what I’ve seen.”

“Oh…”

“Forehaven’s a country without much access to natural resources. As a result, they rely mostly on trade, their only saving grace being their somewhat strategic location. Their development began during-”

“Where’d you get that book, Granhilda? I didn’t even notice you pulling that out…”

“Ahem. Regardless, be wary, Ricolette.” Granhilda quickly threw the thick book into some kind of gap in the air, where it vanished. “They say the Rustal Highlands are impenetrable due to it’s harsh conditions and long terrain, but it’s not impossible to traverse. Just difficult for an army, not so much a party.”

“Is that what they call a small group of people? Like-”

“Like a role-playing game, yes.”

“Still, harsh conditions? I wouldn’t say it’s been easy, but I’m doing just fine up here.”

“Indeed. From what you told me, you’ve had much help from the highland guardians and creatures. Highlanders have always had good affinity with wild nature.”

“Huh… come to think of it, you’re right.”

Woolie’s companionship always gave me great comfort, and I don’t know if I would have survived our various encounters if it weren’t for him carrying me on his back.

Though very crudely, Mister B taught me how to fish, saved the day from monsters with his overwhelming strength, and later became my master in training.

Kikko opened my eyes to the latent power of mana I possessed, giving me the tools I needed to fend for myself.

I couldn’t have done it without everyone’s help.

“Of course, that isn’t to discredit your determination or willpower to survive. Not many adults could have done it, let alone a child. A resourceful child, but still a child.”

“No, you’re right. But that just means I’ll have to train harder and study more, right Granhilda?”

“Ho? A commendable attitude.” Granhilda reached out with one hand, awkwardly hovering over my head before retracting it. “Be careful, Ricolette. The burning flame inside you that thirsts for improvement; don’t let it extinguish.”

Granhilda pulled out another book out of thin air, handing it over to me. “Here, a present.”

“What’s this?”

“It’s a compendium. The text is heavy so you won’t be able to read it, but the pictures should give you an idea of our world, until you learn Saintword.”

“Thanks, Granhilda! Is that what this world’s language is called?”

“Exactly. You catch on pretty quick, don’t you?”

“Are you gonna teach me?”

“… I’ll give you a list of basic words.”

My attempt at getting Granhilda to stay failed.

“Here, I’ll write down some phrases phonetically, it’ll be good to remember these… ‘I don’t speak Saintword’, ‘where’s the bathroom?’, ‘I come in peace’, ‘please don’t kill me’-”

“Sorry, what was that last one?”

That went from a one to a ten real quick.

“Just in case.”

“If I have to say that phrase in the first place, I doubt they’ll just let me go…”

“True. But from what I’ve seen, you shouldn’t have too much trouble with the average thief on the streets.”

“You really think hitting a training dummy will help me in a real life-and-death scenario?”

“Perhaps not, but your mana control will. You already know it; a layer around your body will act as a shield. Don’t overdo it though; ether can be damaged, and unlike mana it won’t regenerate on its own.”

“… Huh?”

“Don’t worry too much about it, it takes a lot to tear your ether.”

I feel like that’s something to really worry about?!

“Still, your resourcefulness is astounding. Woodworking, hunting, foraging, knitting, you must have lived a fulfilling life back on Earth.”

“No… not really. I just so happen to have been given a, uh… a pretty strong ability.”

“An ability?”

I hesitated. Should I really be telling her about this? There was no guarantee my secret will be safe, but something about Granhilda made me feel I could trust her.

“I have all of humanity’s knowledge in my mind, and I can meditate to access it at any time.”

Granhilda’s jaw dropped, and for the first time she was at a loss for words.

“Explain.”

“If I meditate, I can enter my own mind and access information by any means, whether it be books or Nuutube-”

“Nuutube? The internet?”

“Yes.”

I explained to Granhilda how I’d been living all this time, learning things inside my mind palace whenever I found the need to obtain a new skill. Though Granhilda listened silently like usual, she did so with furrowed brows and her lips curled into a frown.

“All of humanity’s knowledge at your fingertips, and you use it to learn how to cook steak…?”

“It was boar meat, actually.”

“… I’m glad someone like you was the one to inherit such a power.” Granhilda sighed in relief with a smile.

“Huh? What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Exactly.”

“…?”

“Listen, Ricolette. All this may sound amazing, but…” Granhilda paused, seemingly hesitant to tell me what she knew.

“Is something wrong? I-Is there some kinda drawback I’m not aware of?”

“Ricolette, otherworlders who reincarnate into this world don’t receive abilities.”

“… Huh?”