81 Mind Set
When I entered the room where we had dinner yesterday, all six elves bowed at me altogether.
"Good morning milord. How fare you today."
Getting babied by these beauties would have made any vainglorious person go to cloud nine I'm sure.
But not me. I am not meant to be in this world, an irregular. An alien. These past two days taught me well on that.
It'd be too presumptuous for someone like me to act arrogantly in this world.
But I'm here. Therefore I must still interact with them. Can't ignore them as a person.
"Good morning. You know, can't you do something about the way you speak to me? You can drop the self-deprecating tone okay."
"That is a line we are unable to withdraw from. We beg your pardon."
I have turned down these girls' offer. Which they should have heard loud and clear. Yet they've chosen to follow me of their own free will. That sounds like a contradiction but I can only accept it.
Nobody can easily change someone's mind once they're set on it. I took a seat after sighing once.
(Ah... Guess I just gotta go for it now...)
Our meals were brought in as I gave up. Many kinds of dishes.
"Well, let's eat. Afterward, I'd like to hear your opinions about a future plan."
Same as yesterday, the elves won't sit down despite their share of food being there.
"You haven't had breakfast yet right? Just like yesterday. Let's eat together."
They finally moved to their seats. Looks like I'm stuck with yet another pain.
I matched my hands and whispered 'Thanks for the food'. Our waiters left with that.
There is no 'Thanks for the food' in this world. You eat and be done with it.
I was still little when I found out about this fact. My parents looked puzzled when I did it so I told them 'Nevermind' awkwardly. After which I would whisper the phrase while matching hands before eating.
My rule only for me in this world. Or so it was.
"Milord, you are well educated in the elven etiquette."
"Wha? What's that? First I heard of it though?"
"You matched your hands, closed your eyes and prayed silently last night as well."
"Hm? That's kinda like my gratitude to the food I guess? Like to life itself."
"...Milord, you are human, are you not?"
"Hm? Why is that a question? I am human, yup, for sure... surely."
"Humans do not express gratitude to the blessings of nature. They see it as god given right. They do not even pray to that god."
I don't either though, not now or ever.
"Ah, I guess you tend to forget about all the lives that have supported you when you eat everyday like it's only natural. That's a bad habit."
"And milord appears to possess that missing quality."
There was this one time I got so much into a game. Making use of consecutive holidays, I played it for three days three nights straight without properly eating.
Then as I nonchalantly got up to go to toilet, I just fell down limp.
I couldn't stand up even after a while, I was sure I'd die then and there.
In the end, I got back on my feet and regained myself after getting something to eat since it was only temporary but I was truly in pit of despair then.
(That was a close one. I wasn't hydrating properly either. I was so afraid I'd miss new game releases if I croaked back then.)
Humans need many things to sustain their life. That experience really taught me how precious good health is.
I ended up getting thrown into a game-less world thanks to god though.
<TLN: Catch the latest updates and edits at Sousetsuka .com >
"So how's it like with elves?"
"A life is nothing more than one single small speck in the great interconnecting web of lives. We pray to our food in order to feel our connection with this world."
"My belief isn't anything that grand though."
"One matches hands to show their joy for living modestly without forgetting self control and never drown oneself in greed."
"Hm? That kinda sounds like Zen? Enlightenment? I'm nothing that big of a deal. I'm filled with greed."
Even at this very moment, I want nothing more than going back to my world and playing all the games.
That wish is more akin to dreams than greed now though.
Some people will say it's shameful for a grown up to be fixated on games, but I can't help it. It's fun. I like them.
Doesn't matter what other say, they don't have the right to criticize someone else hobby.
So long as it's not a 'Bad thing'. So long as it doesn't cause trouble to anybody else or the society.
Anyone will get annoyed when their favorite things are dissed.
You sometimes hear someone says 'I'm doing it for your sake' but in the majority of cases, it's followed by selfish desires.
Oftentimes, these people don't care about the other party's opinion. Otherwise, they'd have never said, 'For your sake'.
Will there ever be someone who would understand the 'real me' in this world?
I could see flashes of games I liked if I just close my eyes. As if it was yesterday.
'Thank you for the food' I whispered as I matched hands. I gulped a cup of water and touched the subject.
"We're leaving this city. Our destination is the empire. What do you think? I'm sending you off to your home. Any objection?"
Posts
