#398 Another Elven Court of Law

Aaaand, it’s me again.

I found a group of elf bandits tied up when I came to the expo this morning.

A shocking sight.

I traverse between the farm and the expo site by magic, so I get to go home at night and sleep.

Then, in the morning, I go to the venue to prepare for another busy day.

This is my routine during the expo, but today’s happening is a first.

Many stranger elves are lying on the ground.

Something’s standing guard so they don’t escape... What are those?

Ghosts?

They look the kind that you’d see in children’s picture books. White balloons with eyes and noses scribbled with a Sharpie. 

Are they really ghosts?

“Oh, the djinns boot up.”

“Djinn? What’s that?”

“They’re a defensive system I put up for security. If anyone trespasses at night, those spiritual creatures will either catch or drive the intruders away.”

We had such a thing, Platy?!

“All our displays attract attention, so people are bound to think of something wicked. It’s only natural to be cautious.”

She has a point...

“Sensei and Belena made the djinns, so they’re a lot more powerful than normal. Some of them were made by students as hands-on practice, though...”

So, who are these elves the djinns have captured?

“Eto? Is that you?” asks Aileron, who came with us.

Do they know each other? Well, they’re both elves, so I guess it’s likely.

“We’re in the same business... Or should I say was?”

Why did she rephrase her statement?

“Because I’ve already said my goodbyes to bandit life! I’ve decided to follow the path of pursuing beauty in bowls!”

She has completely awakened to the path of a potter...

“From the look of things, I’m guessing these elves are bandits.”

“Most likely after our expo’s exhibits.”

A dozen of them are tied up, all of whom seem to have been done in by ghosts and were unconscious.

Were the ghosts the ones who roped them? They’re surprisingly versatile...

“Hey! Wake up, Eto! It’s punishment time!”

“Oogh!”

Aileron kicks one of the sleeping (or fainted?) elves awake.

“Ahh! A face comes out of the dark, and... Huh? Where am I?”

“Nothing’s more unflattering than a bandit in ropes, Eto. Shame on yourself.”

Aileron goes all out to assert dominance over the captured bandit.

As if she hadn’t been in the same situation herself before.

“Wait... Aileron?! What are you doing here?!”

“I’m afraid we meet again because of your stupidity. What kind of a daredevil would try to break into the saint’s territory?”

But weren’t you also caught stealing from us?

I haven’t forgotten my first meeting with you guys.

“Aileron, introduce her to us.”

“They’re bandits, just different from us. I think their group name is the Whirlwind Sleevecutters.”

Weird naming sense, as usual.

“Their boss is Eto here. We’ve bumped heads with each other even before we became bandits.”

“Seriously, Aileron. Why are you here? I thought the Thunderstorm Stonecutters disbanded!”

“Yeah. We have found a new path and dedicated our hearts and souls to it. I am no longer Aileron, head of the elven bandits. I am Aileron, the Potter of Souls!”

Wow, she really has the gall to call herself that.

“What?! You don’t mean to tell me the ceramics on display here are...”

“Hah, my work is finally being targeted by fellow bandits. This is quite embarrassing!”

Aileron looks happy whilst feigning distress.

“Well, this is troublesome, saint! Is this what they call the price of fame? I guess you’d have to be very well known for you to reach the bandits’ ears, huh?”

“Yeah, yeah, I get you.”

“Huh? So the bowls that cost several hundred gold coins were made by you? Why? Only idiots would pay such a ridiculous amount!”

“They’re not idiots! It’s the result of their understanding of the world of beauty present in my bowls!”

I’m already starting to comprehend them less and less, though.

Anyway...

“I thought better of you, Aileron!” shouts the captured bandit. “I looked up to you as a fellow leader! You have lost your pride as an elf!”

“What are you talking about? I blast bowls with pride every day!”

That’s not the point.

“Elves are forest people! We don’t live under a roof, and we don’t mingle with other races that sleep under one! An elf who has lost her pride is no different from a typical woman!”

“Oh, that’s what you meant!”

Don’t react like the realization just hit you, please.

“You may think so, Eto, but haven’t you ever thought being a bandit isn’t something you should take pride in, either?”

“Ngh-”

The new elf, Eto, is lost for words.

“No... Even we bandits only steal from the bad guys so we can be proud of ourselves.”

“Chivalrous bandits are still bandits at the end of the day!”

“I don’t want to hear that from you!”

“Besides, isn’t it about time your thieving business is facing difficulties?”

“Ugh...”

Eto is at a loss for words again.

“I used to be in the same trade, so I know that these days, there aren’t many rich crooks to steal from. With the reformation going on in the Demon Kingdom, it’s not too hard to imagine how it affects you guys.”

What? Really?

“Even the Human Kingdom’s Order, the main source of corruption, has been eliminated. The place for chivalrous bandits to play an active role is becoming fewer and fewer. If they cannot steal, their livelihoods will be impoverished. That’s why they’re stealing in such dicey conditions.”

“Damn it...”

Seeing that she isn’t arguing back, it seems Aileron hit bulls-eye.

A righteous bandit can only steal from places infested with social ills.

It’s kind of sad.

“If you’re not going to change your ways, you might as well give up on your pride. It would be unbearable for me to see you become night burglars. Heck, I even think turning you in to the army now is kind of merciful in itself...!”

“No way! We don’t want that! Let us go!”

It was a refreshingly frank plea for life.

“Well, what should we do, then?”

In the spirit of common sense and legal compliance, I should turn the ladies over to the army. If this were my farm, I’d have extraterritorial jurisdiction and make decisions at my discretion as owner, but we’re within the Demon Kingdom.

Crimes here should be judged by the Demon Kingdom.

“Listen, saint.”

Aileron makes a proposal.

“I have an idea about how to deal with these guys. Can you talk to the demon authorities about this?”

“We can’t break the law, okay?”

“I know. This would benefit the nation as well. If they can sense the good in it, they will at least offer amnesty.”

What in the world is Aileron thinking?

I want to abide by the laws like a good otherworldly citizen, but I also don’t want a sad story, so I decided to accept her suggestion for the time being.

“So what are you going to do?”

“I’ll teach them how to be craftsmen.”

Huh?

“But we’ve already got enough craft makers with us.”

“We’re not making them live with us, but to be taken in by the various artisan guilds in the capital. Don’t they want our skills?”

Oh.

“That was the intention for hosting this expo, anyway. I don’t know how many hundreds of years it will take them to catch up with our technology just by watching us. If we help them by providing elf assistants, we can improve their tech as well as give these guys a good rep.” 

“Wait a minute! You can do that?”

Aileron’s too-good-to-be-true proposal is objected to by the captive elves.

“We still have our pride! We elves would rather sleep out in the open than live under a roof! We will never bow down to another race!”

“Then would you rather be captured by the army and be hanged?”

“Wait. Let me think about it.”

I’ve been thinking about this for a while...

But the elven pride is rather shallow.