"What a cramped house. I thought it was a beast's den."
"Master. May I hit her?" Shion asked.
"No, if Mei hits her, she'll most likely die," Ren replied.
The walk home was relatively peaceful. The Dark Elf Princess, Meteora, simply looked around the city and muttered complaints, never suddenly casting a spell or anything. The city residents showed expressions of "novelty" but didn't react more than necessary.
The younger adventurer they met near the house, one of the few dungeon-conquering girls, said:
"Hello, Ren-san. Who is this person?"
"Hmph. Lower your gaze, human. I am the noble Dark Elf—"
"This is Meteora, a Dark Elf. She's going to be living with us, so please be nice to her."
"Understood. I'll let everyone else know."
It was just like that.
"...Hey. I know I'm the one saying this, but aren't you people a bit too unvigilant?" Meteora asked.
"Even if you say that, we're used to seeing people who look different."
The few non-human races in the city are known by face and name to almost everyone. In that sense, Meteora might stand out, but in a city where Succubi walking around is normal, she wouldn't be persecuted just for being a "Dark Elf" (excluding the existing hostility with Elves).
This was even more true when she was escorted by Ren. In fact, Ren might be the one who created the environment where even seemingly hostile races were readily accepted.
And then:
"Don't Dark Elves live in the forest?" Iris, the blonde, blue-eyed Half-Elf, asked.
Meteora, the white-haired, red-eyed Dark Elf, puffed out her chest and replied as if to say, "You don't even know that?"
"We Dark Elves build nations and settlements in the forest, but unlike Elves, we don't worry about 'trying not to cut down trees.' If you cut a tree, you simply plant another to replace it."
Elves: "Let's make effective use of limited space." Dark Elves: "If there isn't enough space, just expand it."
As humans who cut trees without a plan, they couldn't say which view was right, but Meteora's opinion was definitely more dark.
"The Dark Elf way of thinking is too reckless!" Iris exclaimed.
"Hmm. But that's pretty much how Japanese forestry works, too," Ren commented.
"Actually, because of global warming, people are saying we should 'try not to cut down too many trees,'" Fūri added.
"Hah. To carelessly destroy the forest—typical humans," Meteora scoffed.
Despite the different approaches, they both loved the forest. Iris nodded vigorously at Meteora's comment, seeming to agree on this point.
Seeing this, Shion chuckled:
"It looks like Iris-sama and Meteora-sama might get along well."
"Hah? Who would get along with a Half-Elf brat like her?" Meteora retorted.
"I-I don't want to either!" Iris immediately protested.
As they were making a commotion, Aisha, who was in the living room, came to the entryway.
"Maria, who is this child?"
"Ah, well... it's a long story, but she's a dungeon boss that Ren-san captured and brought home," Mariabelle explained.
"Wha...?" Aisha stammered.
Since things were getting out of hand, they decided to settle down in the living room. Meteora observed the house and murmured, "What a strange style."
"It seems different from the human culture I heard about in stories. ...You really are people from another world, aren't you?"
"Though Iris-chan and Mei-chan were born here," Ren clarified.
The mission was scheduled to end relatively quickly today, so Aisha had prepared lunch. There were also takeout options from the Western restaurant they had reserved, intending to have a celebration party. Although the mission had failed, making the celebration awkward, they decided to turn it into a welcome party for Meteora instead.
"Alright, cheers!" Ren said, raising his glass of wine.
The chilled red wine, deliberately served with ice, was soothing to their tired bodies. It was good, but Ren decided he would drink the second glass without ice so the alcohol wouldn't be diluted.
Ignoring the toast, Meteora picked up her glass curiously and cautiously took a sip of the wine.
"...This tastes quite good," she admitted.
"Does it? That's good then. We've never had authentic wine, you know," Ren said.
"We only started drinking alcohol after coming here," Fūri added.
The takeout food consisted mainly of party staples like fried chicken and french fries. It was high-volume, high-calorie food chosen with the intention of drinking during the day.
The food seemed to suit the Princess's palate as well. After tasting a little bit of everything, she silently moved her fork, apparently finding the fried chicken with tartar sauce particularly appealing.
"So Dark Elves are meat-eaters?" Mariabelle asked.
"Well, yes. It would be a waste not to eat when there is such an abundance of prey, wouldn't it, Half-Elf?"
"Elves eat meat, too. But we should eat it balanced with vegetables!" Iris argued.
"That's why you're no good," Meteora scoffed.
Meteora smiled and lightly crossed her arms, showing off her ample bust. Was this the difference in dietary culture? Ren glanced down at her own chest, which must be an F-cup, and forced a wry smile. If the size of one's chest changed based on what one ate, perhaps the best nourishment was "the life energy of intelligent beings."
"Um, what about Meteora-sama's room?" Shion asked.
"Ah, I was thinking it might be safest to have her stay in my room for now, but…" Ren said.
"Rejected. I understand you don't have hostile intentions, but that's dangerous in another sense, isn't it?" Meteora said.
As the one who kissed her during combat, Ren couldn't exactly deny that.
"Hmm, you're right. It would be hard for us to visit Ren's room if Meteora-chan is with you. ...Right, Iris-chan, Shion-chan?" Fūri asked.
"Y-yes," Iris replied.
"Y-yes," Shion agreed.
"...Hmm? I see. So you're promiscuous and quick to act, Ren?" Meteora observed.
"A-haha. Well, yeah. Maybe."
Since she figured it out so easily, all Ren could do was laugh.
Then, Mei gave him a look full of reproach.
"Master. If you need a partner for the night, please include me. With the soft body I acquired by leveling up, I can keep you company for hours."
"Your body was certainly soft when I touched it before, but isn't that inconvenient during combat?" Ren asked.
"I take care to achieve both flexibility and hardness as much as possible. Additionally, my limbs prioritize hardness and muscle strength over the rest of my body."
"I see. That's amazing."
While her thinking was more like a robot than a human body, it likely resulted in performance that surpassed living creatures. It made sense that Mei's father had a bad back. Speaking of which, Mei's family had their third sister born recently. They had jointly sent a generous gift of stone, earth, and iron a few days ago.
"Why don't we simply have her use one of the new rooms? There are still empty rooms, aren't there?" Mariabelle suggested.
"But wouldn't it be too unsettling to leave her alone?" Fūri replied.
Ren had a fleeting thought that in terms of unpredictability, Meteora was probably on par with Mei... then he pondered, "Hmm."
"What should we do?" Ren asked.
"Hmph. This collar doesn't seem to be coming off, and I have no intention of causing a fuss now. ...Though, it's only natural to be cautious of a captive," Meteora conceded.
"Okay, then how about having her stay with Iris-chan?" Ren suggested.
"Absolutely not," Meteora said.
"I don't want to either!" Iris immediately replied.
Ren thought they would get along best since they were of similar races.
"Then, how about my room? The bed is wide enough for two due to my size, and I can sleep comfortably even without a bed because of my body type," Shion offered.
"What? You mean you, a beast, have been given a room?" Meteora asked.
"Shion is a type of Divine or Mythical Beast. She can also take human form," Ren explained.
"Yes, just like this," Shion confirmed.
When Shion transformed to demonstrate, Meteora nodded in understanding. "...So, she has authority on the level of a Forest Guardian Beast," she accepted, nodding deeply.
"In that case, I'll put up with sharing a room with her. But I want you to take this collar off and treat me as your wife soon."
"I'll try, but are you okay with getting married?" Ren asked.
"It can't be helped, can it? I saw your strength in battle, after all. ...Though, it looks like there are several people who might object," Meteora said.
She glanced toward Fūri and Iris.
"You're right. It's fine if Ren gets married, but I'd like to have it clear who the legal wife is," Fūri said.
"Principal wife and concubines... Even for a person of power, it's normal to determine the most important wife," Mariabelle mused.
"Just a minute! It's not for me to become her wife; the logic dictates that she becomes my wife!" Meteora insisted.
"But Meteora-chan is a captive right now," Fūri pointed out.
"...Hmph."
The Princess sulked, looking resentful. The fact that she was still thoroughly enjoying the food and wine suggested she was either brazen or opportunistic. As long as she was eating, they had nothing to worry about for the time being.
"Shion, I'm sorry, but could you look after her?" Ren asked.
"Leave it to me," Shion replied.
That day passed slowly, without any particular incident.
-----------------
"I demand better treatment," Meteora boldly declared at the breakfast table the next morning.
Considering that she had behaved well overnight, all restraints except the collar had been removed. She was provisionally wearing Ren's clothes. The chest size was fine—even a little too big—but she seemed reluctant, complaining that the length was a bit short and the hole in the back made her cold.
After grumbling about the simpler breakfast, which was a stark contrast to the previous day's feast, she made her earlier declaration in a loud voice.
"And specifically, what does that entail?" Ren asked.
"My clothes and my meals. The bedding was alright, and I'll even praise Shion's cuddliness. But I cannot be satisfied with this commoner's food, and I am too cold with this shirt's open back."
"Ah. Well, Ren has certain things attached to her back, after all," Fūri commented.
"I think our family meals are quite luxurious as is..." Mariabelle murmured.
It wasn't something they could easily agree to, given their budget. Especially the clothes; if they had to meet Meteora's standard of quality, they would likely be quite expensive.
However:
"I'm not asking you to comply for free. I will offer knowledge in exchange. That's what you want from me, isn't it?" Meteora said.
"Oof, she went there," Ren muttered.
"Of course. If you were listening, you would figure that much out," Meteora retorted.
"I was planning to go to the old man's place today anyway..." Ren said.
It seemed she wouldn't cooperate willingly unless they agreed to better treatment.
In fact, the Princess shivered and said:
"That man is somehow creepy, so I'd rather not see him if possible. That's a separate issue from me telling you what you want to know."
"Meteora-sama. I would prefer you say that directly to him," Mei suggested.
"Mei-sama, why are you trying to complicate things?" Mariabelle scolded.
Well, it was understandable for a girl her age to be wary of the Sage. He wasn't a danger in the physical sense, but he fundamentally lacked tact and delicacy. If left alone, he might start talking about things like "what exactly happens when an Elf and a Dark Elf interbreed."
Ren nodded for now.
"Okay, then let's handle the questioning ourselves and bring the information to the old man later."
"Are you sure? Even though I'm the one saying it, I feel like I'm being quite selfish," Meteora said.
"I don't mind at all. He doesn't have the right to force anything on you anyway."
"...I see."
Meteora narrowed her eyes, replying vaguely as if deep in thought. Ren watched her, wondering if he had said something upsetting.
"I thought someone called a Sage would hold a certain status, but you call him 'old man.' ...Or perhaps you are the one of noble birth?" Meteora asked.
"Not at all. I'm just an ordinary person. Our world is—well, there are a lot of amazing people, but the truly privileged class is very small. Everyone else, even if respected, is just an ordinary person. That old man is the same."
"What a strange world. It's normal for a country to be ruled by a King and for the common people to obey," Meteora said.
"It's called democracy, but explaining it would take too long, I'm afraid…" Mariabelle sighed.
Moreover, the transfer of knowledge would then be on Ren's side. He felt like saying, Tell us about your world in exchange for us teaching you about Japan.
"I'll do something about the clothes and the food. Yesterday's lunch was definitely a feast, but I think we can raise the quality of our regular meals by one level."
"Ren, are you sure?" Fūri asked.
"Yeah. We've been quite comfortable recently, financially."
Even exploring the first floor of the dungeon twice a week was enough to earn money for four to six people to live comfortably for a month, with plenty left over. Farming Alarms around the 25th floor makes living expenses a breeze, frankly. There was also the less scrupulous calculation of how much Meteora's information would fetch if sold to the Sage.
"Just know that our resources here are limited, so there's a limit to what money can buy. I want you to understand that beforehand."
"I suppose I'll have to tolerate it. ...Though, you people's technology doesn't seem low to me," Meteora observed.
Indeed, the architecture, cooking, and tailoring here were all built upon a foundation accumulated by many people over long years. While there were tasks they couldn't perform due to tool limitations, the fact that they could readily obtain products of a quality that modern Japanese people would find acceptable was already quite luxurious.
"Then, would you be satisfied with clothes of the quality we wear?" Ren asked.
"As long as the design suits my taste, I don't mind," Meteora replied.
While the price could vary significantly depending on the design, Ren was honestly grateful for the concession.
============
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