"Classmate?"

The elf in front of me repeated the word as if she'd heard something bizarre. She mulled it over, "Classmate... classmate..." then seemed to reach a conclusion as she lowered herself to look me in the face.

"Are you... perhaps a slave?"

"Yes...."

I trailed off, embarrassed to answer.

Who in their right mind would proudly declare, "Yes, I am my master's faithful slave"?

Even responding with a simple "Yes!" to "Are you a slave?" is this difficult.

"Oh, you poor little thing...."

The elf clicked her tongue disapprovingly.

"Come this way. If you try going in that entrance, you'll get trampled to death."

"Death...?"

"It's just a figure of speech."

She led me to an alley beside the shop. It was narrow and dark with no light filtering in. The evening glow had turned everything an ominous crimson red.

After walking a short distance, we came to a side entrance to the establishment.

Two armed men guarded the door—one was a tiger Beastfolk and the other belonged to a race I couldn't identify.

An orc? Or maybe an ogre? Either way, his muscular build was impressive.

Since I mostly wandered around the commercial and residential districts, I rarely encountered such bulky races and had trouble telling them apart.

Adventurers typically hung around the guild district or entertainment areas except when sleeping, so they weren't the crowd I usually saw.

Besides, even if I did see such people, they wouldn't suddenly shout, "I'm an ogre!" or "I'm an orc!" on the street. I never had the chance to learn how to distinguish them.

They weren't magically-inclined races either, so Meredith never bothered to explain them to me.

So while I didn't know his race, I felt something good from that bulky figure. No, was it nostalgia? It was strange either way.

His tusks protruded from his mouth, giving him a completely unfriendly appearance... What was this feeling?

Both guards immediately bowed deeply to the elf, treating her with utmost respect.

"Everything quiet?"

"Yes, Madam. Nothing unusual."

The tiger answered. Why were female Beastfolk kemomimi* while males were upright walking beasts?

*People with animal features like ears or tails

The squirrel soul inside me was screaming to run away from this predator. There was a reason Beastfolk couldn't cast spells. They weren't people, just beasts.

"Hey, you're scaring the child."

"I apologize. I'll correct myself."

He then covered his face with the shield strapped to his arm. What was happening? Was I supposed to laugh?

"New meat?" the bulky one asked in a deep, resonant voice.

"She's a guest. Work hard."

"Yes," they answered in unison.

"Come, child," the elf said with a faint smile.

This place is scary. I want to leave.

◆

Contrary to what I expected, the inside of the establishment was ordinary. I wasn't expecting the door to lead to another world or anything like that.

But honestly, when you see such muscular guards, you can't help but imagine something more dramatic.

It was exactly what you'd call a backstage area.

Dancers gathered in small groups chatting, some sprawled in chairs with their heads tilted back, and others had pushed chairs together to take naps.

However, when they saw the elf passing by, everyone rushed over as if on cue to greet her respectfully. Once caught in this crowd, our forward progress slowed considerably.

People without any emblems followed us closely and spoke familiarly with the elf.

The main question was, "Is this girl a new recruit?"

I see, those without emblems must belong to this establishment rather than another. Then there's no need to distinguish them.

Thinking about it, I realized all the people without emblems had pointed ears. I couldn't tell how much human blood they had mixed in, but everyone who spoke familiarly with the Madam was an elf.

As we gradually made our way through the crowd, I finally saw a face I'd been hoping to see. It was Flora.

She rushed through the crowd, calling out, "Madam!"

Then she threw herself into the elf's arms. The elf patted Flora's back a few times with practiced ease, then gestured toward me.

"Flora, your guest is here."

Flora's face turned bright red in an instant. The surrounding elves made no attempt to hide their amusement at her reaction. Her face grew redder by the second.

True to her name, even her embarrassment was radiant.

We entered the center of the establishment and climbed to the third floor, where there were small rooms. These were prepared for people with talents other than dancing and singing, she explained.

Besides that purpose, they also served as general reception rooms or places where guests could chat privately.

Indeed, the commotion from the first floor seemed distant here. It wasn't completely quiet, but this level of background noise was actually perfect for conversation.

Important talks are best had in noisy places, after all.

The three of us—myself, Flora, and the Madam—sat around a circular table.

Why?

I didn't mind her listening since this wasn't a secret conversation, but Flora seemed extremely embarrassed.

The atmosphere felt like parents fondly watching their child play with a friend. Let it be. We weren't doing anything wrong.

Perhaps embarrassed about running into the Madam's arms, Flora stammered explanations, but essentially she was caught between generations. Or between races?

As a half-elf, her lifespan was long compared to humans, but short compared to elves. So to the mixed-blood elves living here, Flora was just like a large child.

Conversely, having grown up among humans, she felt ashamed if she couldn't act her age in front of short-lived races.

At first, she strongly rejected this treatment because her self-image was that of an older person, but now she seemed to have completely surrendered to being babied.

So she had instinctively run into the arms of a returning elder like a child would, only to realize there was an actual child present!

I'd be embarrassed too if I were her.

"So, Hazel, you wanted to see me?"

"I wanted to see you, and I also had something to ask."

"What is it?"

I explained everything in detail.

I had a magic teacher who would be leaving soon. Before she left, was there anything memorable we could do together? That was the gist of it.

"Hmm... she's leaving before autumn?"

"Yes."

"So she'll miss the harvest festival too...."

While Flora was deep in thought, the Madam interjected.

"How about visiting Cresvil?"

"Ah, Madam, I was going to suggest that first."

Flora whined lightly. She was acting completely like a child. She really had surrendered to it.

"Cresvil?"

"When the first crescent moon rises near the end of summer, they hold a festival to bid farewell to summer and welcome autumn. It's only a few days away now.

The moon has traditionally been sacred to magicians, so it might have special meaning for her as well."

After saying this, the Madam took a sip of her tea.

"I see. That's helpful."

"You're quite mature. Do you like the tea?"

"Yes, it has a nice aroma."

Actually, I didn't care for it.

I was fine with fermented teas that had a rich or bitter taste, but I wasn't fond of aromatic ones. It felt like holding hot soapy water in my mouth.

"You're not very good at lying."

The Madam chuckled and handed me a small bowl she had set aside. When I opened it, I found it filled with small seeds. Dark with light stripes—sunflower seeds.

"These were harvested this year."

Come to think of it, I'd never eaten seeds or nuts separately before.

I'd only heard promises to buy some. Did she forget her promise to buy me hazelnuts?

The moment I reached for the sunflower seeds, I knew.

Ah, these are definitely going to be delicious.

I held a seed between my front teeth and twisted it with my fingers. With a small crack, the shell split open. The nutty aroma was already spreading.

I bit into the kernel slightly, and a rich, oily flavor filled my mouth.

My eyes widened.

What should I do? Am I allowed to eat something this good?

I looked anxiously between the Madam and Flora. The Madam gestured with her palm, encouraging me to continue eating.

The well-chewed sunflower seed paste slid down my throat. Crumbs and lingering flavor remained in my mouth. The aroma changed slightly as I chewed, different from the initial bite.

Coming to my senses, I thanked the Madam.

"Thank you. They're delicious."

"You can have them all."

I finished the entire bowl right there.

"You're a sweet child. If I had visited that slave merchant myself, I would have brought you along too. Does your master treat you well?"

"Yes."

"Good...."

The Madam seemed lost in thought, gazing into the distance.

Flora whispered beside me, "Actually, Madam used to be a slave too."

"Is it okay to tell me that?"

"Everyone who should know already knows. Lady's Smile is an establishment Madam created herself."

Flora said this with a slight smile. After a moment, the Madam spoke again.

"A relationship may begin with slavery, but in the end, we're all human, and sincerity always finds its way through."

As she spoke, the Madam caressed the ring on her left ring finger. Though she appeared eternally young to short-lived races, there was a sense of ancient wisdom about her.

◆

Despite having eaten so much, I received another bag of seeds on my way out. She told me to come back for more when I finished these.

How can the world be so beautiful?

Though I got distracted, I definitely achieved my goal. A festival in Cresvil.

I should suggest it to them. It would surely make a wonderful memory. My tail swished gently in the cool breeze.