12 The identity of Yio

"What 'make a lot of sense'? I don't understand!"

Sometimes, Riana would behave like this.

As if she knew something others doesn't.

Rert always left with no clue and confused everytime she like that.

He already had enough for barely sleep nights.

So, he let out his confusement right at the moment.

I hate to be confused!

Riana and Yio looked at him.

The former smiled with no reason, while the latter groggily glanced at him.

"Gave me an explanation, please!" Rert gulped all of his soup, shouted in pleading tone.

"Hmm..." Riana pondered for a while, before nodded, "Well, it's normal for you don't know, I guess. They naturally doesn't want their weakness be known to public, after all."

Riana took a slurp of Ale, before continued.

"Since Rert liked stories so much, I'll tell you one, then."

Riana grinned.

While the other two looked at her curiously, Riana then tell them a story from 100 years ago.

A story occurred while the Great war still dominated the world.

"Once upon a time, a young, talented elf named Roallio lose in a battle between Elves and Dwarves."

A story titled in name; The Taboo of Elves!

"After lose in battle, he and his comrades did not killed by the Dwarves. The Dwarves captured them, laughed in a mysterious tone. Hehehe, we'll makes you wet with our holy water, Nature worshipper... Gulp... The Dwarves said."

Riana continue to drink her Ale while telling the two the story.

"The Dwarves laughed and laughed while looking down to the captured Elves with a strange glint on their eyes."

"It is not a lewd story... Right?" Rert muttered, not to anyone particularly.

Hearing his mutter, Yio secretly blushed down.

Riana don't care about their reaction and continued.

"Gulp... Gulp... Roallio shuddered. He felt a strong sensed of danger from the destination where these Dwarves brought him and his comrades down. Just kill me already, stone lovers! We are the proud and magnificent Elves, however you try to torture us, we would never betray our Queen! Gulp... Roallio glared and shouted.

Riana's grin widened.

She looked at the two's faces with mischiveous eyes.

"But after spend a day on the Under Prison of the Dwarves, Roallio realized, that he was so weak! So weak that he would become drunk after only a glass of the Dwarves' legendary beer! Just... What happened to him there? Gulp gulp gulp."

Rert and Yio gulped, they expectantly waited Riana to finish her cup of Ale and continue.

"Ahh... Ale is good~!" Riana finished her last cup, before continued, putting a solemn expression to her red face.

"Ehem... At the Under Prison of the Dwarves, the Elves was indeed being tortured."

Riana looking around, makes sure that no one listening her, except the two youths.

"The Elves not being tortured in the conventional way at all. The Dwarves gave them their beer, laughing and forcing them to drink, drink, drink, drink, drink and DRINK! All night!"

Riana said that in solemn and serious face, as if telling about something scary and brutal.

Only Yio understood the horror behind the story, as her face began to turned pale.

She still remember how painful she is after she secretly take a sip of beer while the Village was on festive sesson after finished the harvest and catch a heavy cold for 2 days.

"Since then, the terror of alcohol passed through the Elves' blood. If they smelled alcohol, they would become panicked. If they drink alcohol, they would lost conciousness, barely alive after a week of koma!"

"What a unlucky race they were, they couldn't enjoy the pleasure of alcohol anymore." Riana wiped her tears.

She touched by her own tellings... Weird, as expected. Rert thought.

"I see... So that was the truth..." Yio nodded seriously at Riana.

While Rert was spacing out, felt like he existed in completely different world from the two, Riana opened her lips once more.

"In short, Yio was an Half-Elf. Or maybe she had a very small amount of Elf bloodline on her. Her father, maybe her mother, was Half-Elf... Right?" Riana looked at Yio, asked.

"Y-Yes. Riana... So amazing. You can know everything..."

Looking at Yio's revered expression towards Riana, Rert thought. Ah... This girl was helpless.

But, wait...?

"Elf!?" Rert exclaimed, really shocked.

He looked at Yio with widened eyes.

She was an Elf!? Half-Elf?

Met the real Elf was one of the goals he set for him on the future to fullfil.

He never imagined that he would met one so easily right after become an Adventurer.

As expected from Adventurer!

Rert took a deep breath, cover his mouth and looked around, makes sure that no one pay attention to his reflexive shout.

There's some guys with red faces looked at him, seemed to be drunk, that glanced at him.

But because they're drunk... It's probably fine, right?

Riana herself has said to him that the Elves was rare to be seen in human towns.

Not only they prefer the forest enviroment than places with strong smell of civilization, they also often become the target the slavery marchants that attracted by their beautiful appearance.

So, human towns was like a dangerous place for them.

Except for mischiveous and stubborn youths or strong Elves, the Elves prefer to stay still at their forest for their life.

After hearing that, Rert thought that he would need to come to the Elven Forest to find the beautiful elf, but... He turned out to be already found an Elf this early?

Burning desire ignited inside Rert.

He looked at Yio's face.

He would certainly brought her to his village someday!

His childhood friend and Gavan should be excited to met an Elf, even if the elf in question was Yio, a Half-Elf!

But then, as if he fell to the Icy lake after getting burned, Rert's burning desire calmed down when Yio said the sad truth.

"But... Unfortunately, Papa and Mama was already died when the Village destroyed by the monster attack. Only I am survived."