5 – Name
[So, do you have anything in mind?]
“What?”
[Your name. If you don’t have anything that comes to mind, should I make one up for you?]
I turned my head at the words of the tree spirit from Earth.
The tree spirit sitting on the thorn bush, nodding its head.
Its small and cute appearance looked so reliable to my eyes.
Is this what they call affinity?
My trust level soared after finding out that we were from the same homeland.
“Yeah. You make one up for me.”
[Oh, really? Are you okay with me making one up?]
“I don’t know the naming rules of this world. It would be more natural if you make one up for me.”
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[Heehee. Okay. Then I’ll make up a cool name for you.]
The spirit stood in front of me and proudly puffed up its chest.
Then it announced the name it had thought of with a loud voice.
[Sodaface!]
“Sodaface?”
[Yeah! It means ‘the one who wears sawdust’!]
Sawface.
No matter how I heard it, it only reminded me of a chainsaw killer.
I had a rough idea where he got the inspiration from, so I just shook my head without saying anything.
[Huh? Don’t you like it? Then how about Jerrison Buhis!]
“Are you kidding me?”
[Th-then, Maricle Myers!]
“Cut it out.”
Somehow, all the names he came up with were similar to famous murderers.
It was a moment when I could tell what he thought of me in an instant.
I hardened my expression and glared at the spirit quietly.
Then, the spirit seemed embarrassed and said the fourth name in a crawling voice.
[How about Gaul Crud…?]
“Gaul Crud?”
[Yeah. It’s an elfish name, meaning ‘cruel roar’. This, this is not a joke! It’s a name I really thought hard about!]
The spirit explained the meaning of the name and pointed to the outside of the prison.
I followed his small finger and saw a chainsaw lying next to a pile of wood.
Cruel roar… A name inspired by the sound of the chainsaw engine?
It didn’t seem like a bad name at the moment.
At least better than the ones that sounded like killers.
“It’s easy to remember and nice.”
[Really? Then from now on, you are Gaul Cruud! I’ll call you Gaul from now on!]
As I accepted the name gladly, the spirit smiled brightly and jumped onto my lap.
I quietly repeated the new name I got.
The cruel roar, Gaul Cruud.
Do I have to live as ‘Gaul’ from now on?
It was a strange feeling that was bitter but also exciting.
‘Ah.’
Come to think of it, I didn’t hear this guy’s name.
The tree spirit must have a name too, right?
I tapped the leaves on his light green hair and asked.
“What’s your name?”
[Huh? My name? I don’t have a name.]
“You don’t have a name?”
[I’m a tree in both my past and present lives. Trees don’t have names, you know.]
“Hmm?”
What? All the trees I knew had names. Does he mean that the scientific names given by humans are not counted as names?
‘But still, having no name.’
It felt like I met a poor child and my heart ached.
If there is a name to come, there should be a name to go.
It would be inconvenient to call you without a name.
I cleared my throat and opened my mouth with my arms crossed.
“Then I’ll give you a name.”
[Huh? My name? Really?]
“Yes. As a return for giving me a name.”
[Hmmm? Okay, okay! I don’t have high expectations, but let me hear it!]
He acts like he doesn’t care, but he wiggles his butt with excitement.
I chuckled and told him the name that came to my mind.
“Then, how about ‘Beep’ as a name?”
[Beep? Why is my name Beep?]
“You’ve been laughing like beep-hee-hee since earlier. That’s why it’s Beep.”
[Hmm… It sounds like you just made it up on the spot….]
Surprisingly, it was a sincere name.
“No. I thought about it carefully and gave it to you.”
[You call that careful thinking? What happened to your naming sense? Don’t go around giving names to other people.]
“……”
Heh. Look who’s talking.
His cheeky attitude annoyed me, so I slapped his light green head.
– Slap!
[Ouch!!]
‘Pee’ rolled around on my leg and screamed.
It was a tree spirit, so its main body was somewhere else, but it seemed that this body was also hurting.
[Ouch! Wha, what! Why are you hitting me all of a sudden!?]
“Be quiet. Your name is Pee from now on. Got it?”
[I never said I didn’t like it! Why are you hitting me and making a fuss!]
“Ow!”
Pee, who was rubbing his head with his small hand, suddenly got up and threw an uppercut at me.
Is this what they say about small peppers being spicy? The fist that hit my chin was burning.
I lifted Pee up to block the follow-up attack and changed the direction of the conversation.
We had finished our mutual screaming, so it was time to make a plan.
“Stop hitting me. Let’s make a plan for the future.”
[What? What plan?]
“You said you would help me earlier. You said you would cooperate with me to escape from the elves, right?”
[Ah!]
Pee, who understood what I meant, wriggled out of my hand.
Then he climbed up to my shoulder and gave his opinion on the plan.
[But do you really understand the situation right now?]
“Somewhat?”
[Listen well. You are the most alien being in the Great Forest right now. You could be compared to a dog trainer who fell into a wolf cage. The wolves are instinctively afraid of you, but if you act wrong, you will be bitten and killed in no time.]
A dog trainer who fell into a wolf cage.
“`
He makes a fierce metaphor.
I spoke to Pii, who climbed up to my shoulder.
“Then I have to escape somehow.”
[That’s your choice, but it’s impossible to run away in your current state.]
“Why?”
[Once you’re recognized as an enemy by the elves, you won’t be able to get out of the forest no matter what you do.]
“……”
[So, Gaul. You have to get along with the elves somehow. Even if you can’t be accepted as an ally, you have to avoid being seen as an enemy.]
Get along with the elves?
That’s too hard of a task from the start.
How can I befriend the elves who see me as a serial killer of woodcutters?
As I pondered deeply, Pii tapped my cheek and said.
[Let’s start with a conversation.]
“Conversation?”
[Yeah. Communication is important.]
I lifted my head and looked at the village above the prison.
Luckily, I could make eye contact with the passing elves, but they all threw me a look as if they were seeing something dirty.
They wouldn’t make that expression even if they saw a dung-covered cockroach.
It would be easier to befriend a half-moon bear.
“How can I talk to those kids? I’ll be lucky if they don’t curse at me.”
“`
[Wouldn’t we get closer if I keep hearing insults? It’s affection born from hatred.]
“How are you going to call the elf who will curse you until you grow fond of him?”
[He’ll come if I ask for food.]
This guy, why is his plan so impromptu?
As I made such a thought and twisted my face, Pii stuck his head out through the gap of the thorny vines.
He seemed to be thinking of calling the elves right now.
Well, I’m bored anyway, so I don’t mind.
I didn’t bother to stop Pii’s action.
[Hey! Are you trying to starve this guy to death? Give him something to eat!]
Thanks to his peculiar voice, a few elves passing by looked down at us.
But they ignored us completely without even snorting.
They were elves who respected and protected the tree spirits, but they still hated being involved with a human like me.
Seeing such a blatant disregard, I tapped Pii’s shoulder and opened my mouth.
“You’re not very good at speaking, are you?”
Pii flinched and shivered at my words.
His bewildered expression looked like a child who had tasted the cruel society for the first time.
[No, that’s not it… They can’t ignore me….]
This guy, isn’t he really a rotten worm with no power?
[Help, help! The elves are ignoring me! Why are they doing this?!]
My trust in Pii plummeted and drew a downward curve.
* * *
“Do you want to eat?”
The meal arrived the next day at lunchtime.
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They had been shouting since yesterday, but they only gave it to them at lunch today.
Anyone could tell that Pii’s breath had no effect.
Pii, who had been sulking all night, finally exploded.
[Hey! Why didn’t you bring it yesterday!? How much did I scream!]
“Eek!”
The girl who brought the food shrank back from Pii’s scolding.
She was a very familiar girl to me, with green short hair and a skinny body.
She was the elf girl with hearing impairment that I met for the first time when I came to this world.
She must have come to this village too.
I restrained the raging Pii and nodded my head in greeting.
“Stay still, Pii. She can’t hear you, so there’s no point in yelling.”
[The voice of the spirits resonates through mana, you know!? If you awaken mana, you can hear it regardless of your hearing!]
“Oh, really?”
I didn’t know that.
No wonder the voice sounded strange.
I’ll have to ask more about mana later.
“Still, do you really want to yell at such a small kid?”
[I’m smaller than you!]
“You have a small mind too.”
[Ouch!!]
I ignored the rushing Pii and took the bowl that the girl brought.
The bowl contained large pieces of meat and fresh herbs that looked appetizing.
Elves had an image of eating only vegetables, but the elves in this world seemed to eat meat too.
I drooled at the fact that I didn’t have to be forced to be vegetarian.
[Hey, kid. What’s your name? Can you hear my voice?]
“Lisia… I can hear you… even though I’m small….”
[Really? I’m glad you awakened your mana. Nice to meet you, Lisia. My name is Pii, and this is Gaul.]
“Nice to… meet you.”
Who’s calling who a kid?
I chuckled at that thought.
“Let’s eat then.”
[Lisia! You eat too! You’re so skinny, you need to gain some weight.]
“Pii, you’re not eating?”
[I can do photosynthesis.]
“Wow.”
The meal time with Lisia passed quickly.
My plan to call the elf and make him jealous failed, but I had a fairly fun time sharing food with Lisia.
This must be how I get along with the elves.
A pleasant smile came to my face after a satisfying and fruitful time.
“Then, in the evening… I’ll come again.”
[Yes! Thank you, Rishia!]
Rishia, who spoke shyly, took the empty bowl and headed back to the village.
Seeing her bright and lightened back, I felt like looking forward to the dinner menu.
“It wouldn’t be so bad to live like this, if there was no threat to my life.”
I lay down on the grassy floor to digest.
That’s when it happened.
– Thud. Thud. Thud. Thud.
The sound of wooden boards pounding echoed throughout the village.
I got up, wondering what was going on, and heard the elves’ screams from all over the village.
“It’s a falling object!”
“There are monsters falling from the branches!”
“Prepare for the crash!”
Crash, branch, monster.
Those keywords reminded me of a conversation I had heard before.
– If there is any falling object, sound the alarm and evacuate the whole village.
– They say that monsters have made nests on the branches of the World Tree.
I looked up at the sky with a chill.
Then something caught my eye in the distance.
“A winged… dragon?”
A huge shadow was,
plummeting towards the village.