Dream Life Chapter 17: ” Liddy’s Thoughts”

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~Liddy’s Perspective~

　It was late July when I received a letter from my old friend, Govan Lockhart.

　To be honest, I don’t remember much of what was in it.

　I think it said, “I would like you to contact me once in order to mentor my grandchildren,” but I was happier to hear from Govie.

　I had been holed up for the last few years in Saltus, the Forest Kingdom north of my birthplace. Yes, I was a shut-in.

　I have always been bad at socializing.

　It was fine when I was in the village. I never felt so alienated because my father and mother were there. Of course, I didn’t have many friends my own age, which is normal in an elven village. Even so, all the adults around me were kind, and I had many happy memories.

　That all changed when, at the age of ten, I discovered that I was gifted with the use of all four attributes.

　My father, mother, and the elders of the village wanted me to enter the Academy of Magic. I wanted to stay in the village forever, but when I was thirteen, I was taken to the academy.

　Before I left, my mother told me.

“There are a lot of children in the academy. It’s going to be fun because you can make a lot of friends,” so I decided to go to the academy.

　However, the academy was not what her mother said.

　No one talked to me.

　No, some people did talk to me, but I don’t know how to say this, but I didn’t like the way they looked at me. Yes, because it reminded me of that feeling of disgust I had felt when I saw goblins near my village.

　I thought I could make friends of the same sex, but when I approached them, they wouldn’t let me join for some reason. I thought everyone hated me.

　In the end, I made only one friend during my five years at the academy.

　Because I entered the academyat the top of my class, I was exempted from paying the entrance fee, but I had to pay it back because I had received a scholarship.

　I could have served somewhere else, but I would have had that look in my eye wherever I went.

　Then I headed to the Adventurer City of Pericritor to become an adventurer and pay back the money.

　Again, no one would work with me. So I gave up on the idea of having a party and went solo taking on simple herb-picking quests.

　About three months later, in the late fall, I met Govie in the forest.

　When I first met him, he was being chased by many wild dogs. His sword was red and wet, so he must have killed some of them, but it was a bigger pack than he thought, and his body was covered in wounds.

　He was bleeding from everywhere, so much so that his leather armor was red.

　I was gathering medicinal mushrooms in a bush when he happened to jump in.

　He looked momentarily puzzled by my presence and said,

“I’m sorry! I didn’t realize there was someone here!” He apologized.

　And before I could say anything else.

“I’m going to stop them here! Run away immediately!” And with a ragged breath, he shouted this and stood against the wild dog covering me.

　I then screamed, “I’ll support you with my magic! Then I give you the signal, move that way!” (Liddy)

　I don’t really remember why I wanted to save him at that moment. But I wasn’t wrong in my choice then.

　I assisted him with my wind magic and he immediately fought back.

　The two of us took down five wild dogs, and just when I was awash with relief, he collapsed.

　I don’t remember much about that moment, but I think I cast a healing spell, gave him a shoulder to lean on, and we headed back to town.

　Then I started a partnership with him. Two months later we were joined by another fellow, Baldur, “Bal”.

　Bal was a big man, nearly two meters, and used a large halberd.

　He was twenty-five years old, seven years older than us. He told us that he had joined a famous mercenary company in Fortis, the country of mercenaries, but some trouble had forced him to go solo. He hit it off with Govie at the bar, and he joined our party.

　Govie is a speedy type, Bal is a power type, and I am a long-range attacker with my bow and magic. In the blink of an eye, the names of the three of us became known throughout Pericritor.

　Four years later, Govie married a girl named Belinda.

　His family has come from commoners, but he comes from a family of squires who has served the nobility for generations.

　He went to return to his hometown, saying, “I’m going to marry my fiancée, whom my parents have decided. I’ll just stay there for a month.”

　And unlike what he has promised, he came back after three months.

　And for some reason, my relationship with him began to deteriorate. Bal was mediating between us, so we were able to work things out, but it was only a matter of time before our group breaks apart.

　And Bal died.

　It was no one’s fault. He could not have been caught off guard.

　At the end of the battle, a stray arrow flew out of nowhere and just pierced his neck. That was all it took, and he was gone.

　I don’t remember much after that.

　I think I said something terrible to Govie, but I couldn’t remember what I said. He looked lonely and went back to his hometown.

　And I was all alone again.

　I never teamed up with anyone, nor did I ever think of teaming up with anyone. I worked on my requests alone and let time pass me by.

　I heard a rumor on the wind that Gorvy had achieved a knighthood.

　I also heard that he was going to move to his own territory.

　Five years after he moved to his estate, a plague was raging in the village of Rathmore, his territory.

　I was so worried about him that I made my way to the village of Rathmore without a care in the world.

　When I arrived at the village, I found that his wife, Belinda, had died.

　I was relieved. I had been wondering how I was going to face his wife.

　Yes, I was a terrible woman. Govie and I were not lovers or anything. He was my closest companion, but I was happy, if only for a moment, that his beloved had died.

　I stayed with him, saying it was to stop the plague and to work as a healer.

　For two years.

　I left the village when Matt got married because I couldn’t go on like that.

　I holed myself up in the village for a few years, but my heart was not healed. It was true that my father and mother were still healthy, and I knew people from long ago.

　Still, I didn’t feel like the village was the place for me. Yes, the five years that Govie, Bal, and I spent together were the only time I could find my place.

　Just when I was beginning to think it would be nice to live quietly in the village, I received a letter from him.

　At first, I was angry that I was finally getting my affairs in order. But more than that, I was excited to hear that there was someone who needed me.

　Without thinking, I immediately left the village.

　It is more than 1,000 kilometers from my village to the village of Rathmore. I ran there in less than a month. Yes, I literally ran. If it were true that I was a woman traveling alone, I would have joined a group of traders somewhere, but this time I changed horses three times and headed for this place.

　When I arrived here on August 20, I really missed it.

　The scenery of the village had not changed at all. Fields spread out on the hills, livestock grazing peacefully. Even the midsummer heat was nostalgic. It was a bit harsh for me coming from the cooler Saltus.

　And when I passed through the gate of this mansion, the first thing I thought of was Govie. I was only wondering how he would greet me.

　But when I arrived at the mansion, something very strange greeted me.

　At first, I thought I was in the presence of a messenger of God. Because I saw spirits flying around.

　When I got off my horse, there was a little boy.

　A human boy with beautiful hair that looked like melted gold, deep clear blue eyes like the blue autumn sky, and a very lovely face.

　Around him were spirits of the eight attributes dancing around him.

　I thought then. This is a child loved by the spirits, a child beloved by all the spirits.

　I wanted to get a good look, so without thinking I approached and knelt before him.

　And I couldn’t help but stare at such a beautiful human child.

　It wasn’t just about looks. If it is just about looks, there are children more beautiful than this one. But as I could see spirits, I could see something else.

　A beautiful scene with seven-colored lights and occasional shadows. Standing in the center of it was a beautiful creature that could only be described as a messenger of God.

　After staring at him for a while, I finally came back to myself. Then I noticed a boy standing in front of me.

　His eyes were wide as he stared at me, and he stood there, expressionless.

　At first, I thought he was wary of me. But I soon realized that he wasn’t.

　Maybe he saw something in me that made him feel something, too. No, maybe I just wanted to think so.

　Time passed quietly without a word between us.

　I managed to call out to him, and he ran into the house.

　I was beginning to be drawn to him, to the point where I wished for a moment that I could have stayed with him a little longer.

　I was a little relieved when Govie came out and hugged me like we used to do.

　He showed me that I belonged here, just as I had in the past.

　That night, when I heard Govie’s story, there was a part of me that thought it was ridiculous and a part of me that thought, “I knew it.”

　I was immediately convinced that the gods had given him the gift of being able to use all of the attributes. But I couldn’t believe that his little body could contain a soul as old as Govie’s.

　But as soon as I talked to him, I understood.

　He has a much more mature mind than mine. Yes, a more mature and adult mind than Govie’s.

　I didn’t ask about his past at the time, but he was a gentleman. And he has a sense of humor.

　If I don’t focus on his appearance and childish voice, he almost felt like an older man.

　So, I decided to teach him magic.

　His friends, the children, known in the mansion as the Zack Quartet, Zack’s group, were to take the class with him.

　I was enjoying myself, despite the cute hostile glances I got from the two girls.

　I’ve always been treated like a child in the village, and I’m aware that I’m childish because not only Govie but also Walt and his wife Molly take care of me.

　This was the first time I actually dealt with little kids.

　As I proceeded with the class, imitating the teachers from my academy days, Zack noticed and chuckled. But I didn’t care and proceeded to teach the four of them what I knew.

　That was as far as I got in acting as a teacher.

　Because I noticed that the smaller girl, Sharon, had a talent for magic.

　She’s not as loved by the spirits as Zack is, as I expected, but I thought she was quite talented.

　But if she doesn’t, she won’t have a future as a magician. Zack will be allowed to go to the academy, but it is difficult for Sharon to go to the academy.

　I, who came from a poor village like Zack, was able to go to the academy because it was the policy of the royal family of Saltus. I think it would have been difficult only with the financial resources of my village. Even so, I was plagued by debts and scholarships, which was not a small amount I had to pay.

　I wish I could live permanently in this village, but probably not.

　I am a long-lived elf. One who lives ten times longer than a human being.

　If I stay here, I will have to continue to care for Gorvie and everyone I know after him.

　I don’t think I could endure that.

　I think Govie will live another twenty years. But beyond that?

　I think it will be difficult for people and elves to live together.

　As for Sharon, I’ve postponed my conclusion, but if she makes it on her own while I’m here, it won’t be a problem.

　Maybe it’s Zack’s influence, but he said that both the boy Dan and the girl Mel are learning swordsmanship at a rate that would be unthinkable for normal people.

　If that is the case, then Sharon’s acquisition of magic may also be faster than others.

　In fact, Zack learned to use magic in just ten days.

　Even I, who am said to be a genius and can use the four attributes, took more than half a year from the time I started training to be able to use magic.

　It took him only ten days. Also, he succeeded the second time he learned the spell.

　If I told this story at the academy, I am sure the professors would laugh at me.

　Even if you understand the theory of magic, feel magic power, and can manipulate magic power, the skill to convey it to a spirit is not acquired overnight. This is common sense.

　If I had not seen him, I might have laughed as well. But he did it right in front of me and showed me. Then, Sharon might be able to break common sense in the same way.

　I wonder what Zack plans to do after “that person” enrolls in the academy.

　Maybe we can go to Doctus together, or maybe we can wait here for him to come back.

　We have about nine more years.

　We can come to a conclusion by then.

　There is no need to rush.

　And beyond that…

　But I’m really glad I came here.

　I never thought that meeting him would give me so much hope.

　I couldn’t help but hug him earlier. That little body.

　Yes, I couldn’t stop myself.

　So was the fact that I had a drink before he came.

　I was afraid to meet him face to face, no, I wanted to be honest with him with the help of alcohol.

　People would laugh at me if I told them this too.

　That an elf woman of a good age had started to love a human child.

　But I don’t care if they laugh at me. As long as we can be together, as long as there is a place for me.

　From tomorrow, we will start full-scale magic training.

　If that happens, you must guide him with a heart of a demon. But today, let me slowly dream of the future. Yes, a happy dream…

A/N: This is the first time I’ve written a whole chapter from the perspective of a woman.

It’s difficult. Especially because it’s an unknown, especially a woman’s feelings on romance (laughs).

T/N: Yes shota, no touch!

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