บท 250: She Leaves the Elves Party
Robin helped to support Christian over to a bench in the seating area. Christian, half sprawled over the bench, apologized.
"This doesn't happen very often. I'm usually very good at holding my liquor." He admitted.
Robin nodded. "Sure you are." But behind her reassuring expression she thought. 'As if! The last time you were drunk, you chased me halfway round the Capitol. I'm keeping an eye on you to make sure you don't get yourself or me into any more trouble!' She sat down next to him.
"Is your head all right?" Robin asked.
"My head is fine. It's the room that's spinning!" Christian protested with a joke.
"Dizziness huh....well, I suppose it's better than the last time you were drunk." Robin smirked, mischievously.
"Er...can you please forget about that?" Christian blustered, starting to feel incredibly awkward.
"I can." Robin grinned. It took several moments before Christian understood what she had said.
"... You're engaging in wordplay...with an unfair advantage against a poor drunk prince." Christian accused, jokingly.
"Then don't ask me whether I 'CAN' do something. Unless you're hoping that maybe I can't?" Robin shrugged. "In any case, it's a fairly poor choice of words."
"You're right. How stupid of me." Christian leaned forward and rested his head upon his hands. "So, let's say you accomplish what you set out to do, and collect all the seals, meet with the Demon King, and find your way back home...will you remember us?"
Robin chuckled. "Quite frankly, you're all fairly hard to forget... but....I don't know."
"Huh? Why not?" Christian asked, sitting back up.
"Everything comes with a price, Christian. I can't guarantee that the price for my return would not be my memory." Robin sighed. "I mean, I'm no expert in such things, but surely, there must be conditions."
"Ah. Of course. But, if you could keep your memory, then would you remember us?" Christian asked.
"Of course!" Robin snorted. "I'm not Dory, after all."
"Dory? Who's Dory?" Christian chuckled in bewilderment.
"A fictional fish with a very poor memory." Robin smiled mysteriously.
"That sounds like quite the story."
"It isn't. Just a children's tale to catch the imagination, grow their expectations, and then..."Robin sighed.
"Then what?" Christian asked.
Robin scowled. "...then, sell the children merchandise themed around the story."
"Sounds like a rather interesting businessman." Christian chuckled. He glanced sidelong at Robin, then gestured out towards the dancefloor. "Are you not going to dance?"
Robin shrugged. "Quite frankly, it's hard finding a lady here who isn't taller than me. The elves are a long legged, beautiful race that towers over one of my stature. Jasmine is busy talking magic over there, and Chelsea...." Robin snickered.
"They are fairly obvious, aren't they?" Christian nodded. "Indeed. Chelsea has become a treasure that cannot be approached easily. After all, there's now a dragon general guarding her with a very fierce glare."
"And, lastly, dancing isn't mandatory, so I'd rather not. The sort of dancing I enjoy isn't meant for a dance hall." Robin waved her hand at the surrounding environment.
"Even so, I'd sure like to see it." Christian's smiling eyes sparkled warmly, catching Robin off guard. She suddenly itched to take a picture of him the way he looked right now. But, if she took the camera out now, the moment would be gone. Thus, she could only resign this moment to memory.
"Hmmm...." Robin pretended her momentary daze was just time spent in consideration. "Well, perhaps. Ask me about it later when we're outdoors."
They sat there in silence after that, quietly listening to the elven music.
"There y'are, I found you, Robin!" A voice called out from behind them.
"Huh, Dirk?" Robin was suddenly surprised by a tap on the shoulder.
"Come and play with us! Come and play!" Dirk, followed by a crowd of elf children enthusiastically brought Robin out to show her all the fun things. Robin glanced back at Christian, as she was being dragged away, but that only resulted in Christian also being dragged along, laughing.
...
The party went on into the night, but around the fourth hour in, Robin's party agreed that it was time to retire for the night. Elise and Skye were already asleep on Robin's shoulder and head.
"Are you sure you don't want to stay here for the night?" Bauchs asked. "Though they aren't often used, we do still have guest rooms that you can occupy."
"Thank you, but I'll have to enjoy such hospitality at a later time." Robin politely refused. "I have a rather timely quest that requires my presence elsewhere at the moment. It's best we return to our inn."
"But... you'll come back, right, Hero Robin?" An elf child asked using puppy eyes. "Right?" A whole group of elf children using puppy eyes around them was a destructive force of the heart.
Robin whipped out her camera and quickly took a picture. Then, while the children were startled, she just as quickly stowed it away again. If not, she would be barraged by elf children asking her curiously 'What is that?' and then they'd never leave.
The flash had caused the children to start blinking, which dispelled the puppy eye barrage. Robin laughed.
"Of course I'll be back! Just you wait! Next time, I'll be staying until you all get sick of me!" Robin announced. The elf children cheered.
"Allow me to lead you out of the forest, this time." Dewtre requested.
"Actually, we won't be needing that." Robin laughed mischievously. "But, would you like to experience near instant travel? Our destination is the glade where we saved your kin."
"...I hope you aren't thinking of using space magic this close to the mana tree." Dewtre warned.
"Of course not! It's more like...finding a loophole in reality, I suppose. Regardless, it definitely wouldn't have any effect upon the mana tree." Robin assured.
"Then, I shall take you up on your offer." Dewtre agreed, curious.
"Quinn, please do your thing!" Robin laughed. Quinn nodded and snapped his fingers. Luminescent purple slime rose up about them into a dome, before bursting apart, leaving the ground they had stood upon empty.
"What!? Where are they!?" Dirk exclaimed in surprise.
"It's called 'Instant Travel' for a reason." Quinn replied, bemused. "At this point, they're already at the edge of the forest."
"Wha-!That fast!?" Dirk jerked slightly away from Quinn in shock. "With no large mana fluctuations!?"
"An easy enough feat for one such as myself. Well then, looks like she's returning. Farewell, lad." Quinn waved about his feather hat in a bow before the luminescent purple slime dome once again rose up out of the ground, and covered him, then broke apart and dissipated. Standing in his place was a shocked Dewtre.
----
"Ahh, that was rich!" Robin sighed after a bout of laughter. "But, still, Quinn, didn't you send those two criminals to them before in the same manner? Why were they so surprised?" Robin asked.
"Oh, I had a clone slime with me that spit them out, so they probably just thought that I only stored them in there like a normal slime. Quinn explained.
"All right. We'll see if Freddy is finished with the calculations in the morning, then." Robin yawned as she headed to her room. "For now, goodnight, everyone."
Robin paused in from of her room for a moment, before entering.
"Finished already, Freddy?" She asked without even looking at the small figure hiding behind the door.
"Ah phooey! How'd you find out!?" Freddy asked, as she peeked out from behind the door.
"I have my ways." Robin sat down on the bed and yawned. "Can it wait until tomorrow?"
"What!? No way! This is the discovery of the century! Anything less than at once isn't even a question! In the pursuit of knowledge, art, and enchanting, there can only be full effort!" Freddy denied.
"Alright then. Will my idea work?" Robin got straight to the point.
"It will!" Freddy laughed. "Indeed it will! And more than that! Do you know what this means!?"
"Not a clue. So when will the magic cube be completed?" Robin asked bluntly.
"It will take no more than a day once the materials are assembled. But, look here. I made a facsimile out of magic cardstock which can display some minor rune tricks."
"Oh?" Robin looked at the nearly familiar shape. "You left a key out, just as I requested."
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