Existence Imprinting.
This ability I acquired when I crossed over to this world had the effect of making anyone who perceived even once never forget my na or appearance.
Of course, even if it was imprinted, it only occupied a very small part of that person’s overall knowledge or mory.
Unless it was accompanied by infamy or fa, an imprinted existence was not that significant, and if there was sothing else to focus on, such mories were relatively likely to fade.
In other words, unless their mind was as empty as an undead’s, it was rare for soone I encountered to solely focus on my na.
“Woo Hyo… Woo Hyo…”
But as soon as this girl recognized , she ended up in a state where, like the undead, she stared blankly at while repeatedly saying my na.
No, to be precise, it wasn’t exactly my na but sothing like a byproduct of it.
“Woo Hyo?”
“It’s not Woo Hyo, it’s Woo Hyo-sung.”
Whatever it was, I couldn’t just tolerate it.
I matched eye level with the girl who was staring blankly at , clearly positioning my mouth as I continued to speak.
“Alright, repeat after . Woo.”
“Woo.”
“Hyo.”
“Hyo.”
“Sung.”
“……”
“…Why are you suddenly quiet again?”
“Woo Hyo?”
“Argh!!!”
Why? This is supposed to be an imprinting ability, so why do people keep calling my na wrong?
Why do I have to hear this chant from a kid I just t?
“Nya-oo.”
While I was briefly suppressing my frustration, the girl who grabbed the hem of my cloak started saying sothing to .
“Nyaa-ooo. Naaa. Awoo-aaa.”
No, it was more like a baby’s babbling than actual language.
It wasn’t that she couldn’t speak… well, given that she was of a different species, she might be speaking her species’ native language.
“…Are you telling to follow you?”
But even if I couldn’t understand her, the fact that her actions accompanied the words must have so aning.
At my hesitant question, the girl nodded and started tugging on my clothes.
“Awoo.”
Then, she started walking.
Though I felt wary of following a different species I just t, I decided to follow her without saying anything.
Based on the situation, I guessed that this girl might be the helper Airi ntioned or soone related to them.
“Here is…”
The place we arrived at, after making that judgnt, was a giant tree deep within the forest.
Underneath it was a cave ford by exposed roots, and as soon as she recognized it, the girl let go of my hand and started hopping toward the tree cave.
“Naoo-a. Ah!”
After entering it, the girl raised her voice and started shouting.
I was sure that what she was calling out to was the reason she brought here, so I imdiately followed her into the tree cave.
What greeted inside was a cave full of boys and girls who looked similar to the girl.
“Awoo-a. Ah.”
“Woo?”
Yes, the children there were of the sa species as the girl.
They had the sa white hair and pale skin, with dark eyes that contrasted sharply with them, and their bodies were barely covered by what seed to be a haphazard arrangent of fallen leaves.
“Awoo-a. Ah-a?”
“Nyaoo-a, eu-oo.”
And the words coming out of their mouths were also like babbling.
Just as I began to think that this might be their native language, the girl pointed at and spat out a single word.
“Woo Hyo.”
It was my na.
No, not exactly my na… anyway.
“Awoo-a?”
“Awoo-a. Nau. Woo Hyo.”
A boy tilted his head as if in confusion.
Then, the girl shook her head in front of the boy and pointed at again.
“Woo Hyo?”
“Awoo, Woo Hyo.”
After that, the children who were watching the girl nod turned their gaze towards and began to speak one by one.
“Woo-woo…”
“Woo Hyo.”
“Woo Hyo. Woo Hyo.”
The children who initially babbled were now calling my na.
Even though they should be wary of a stranger, they gradually gathered around until they completely surrounded .
“Woo Hyo?”
And then, one by one, they started chanting a single thing.
“Woo Hyo. Woo Hyo.”
“Woo-oo, Woo Hyo-oo.”
“Woo Hyo! Woo Hyo! Woo Hyo!”
Their murmuring soon turned into cheers, and then into a repetitive chorus as if they were hitting the repeat button.
In the end, what filled the cave was Woo Hyo, Woo Hyo, and then Woo Hyo, Woo Hyo, Woo Hyo…
“…It’s not Woo Hyo, it’s Woo Hyo-sung.”
The only thing I knew was that my ability worked on these children, but whatever it was, this situation was making my eyes well up with tears.
In the end, feeling my heart being utterly crushed, I bit my lips and voiced my frustration towards them.
“Please, just once, call my na correctly…”
“Woo Hyo?”
It didn’t work at all.
Anyway.
There were so minor troubles, but if this was fate, then it was still a fortunate encounter.
Considering the possibility that they might be the helpers Airi ntioned, I decided to take the children who were following to the base.
“Hero, those children…?”
“I picked them up while scouting.”
“What do you an, picked them up? That’s not sothing you can just say so simply…”
-Murmur, murmur.
The sailors began to focus their attention, starting with Sanson’s bewildernt.
In their eyes, the children I brought seed to evoke caution, but despite their wariness, the children just looked around, tilting their heads.
“Huweeee.”
“Nyaoo-a, Woo.”
Were they curious about the scene they were seeing for the first ti in their lives?
In any case, judging by their behavior, it didn’t seem like there was an imdiate problem.
I gestured to Ga-ram, who was observing the situation, and discreetly gave instructions to those around us.
“Ga-ram, can you quiet the area for a mont?”
“Yes, I know you’re the one in charge, but… are you really okay with this?”
“I’m planning to find that out now.”
In a world like this, it was natural to be wary of other species.
Since I was also feeling uneasy, I decided to take them to Flang for advice.
There was probably no one more knowledgeable about other species than her in this world.
“These are… newborn Elves.”
“Newborns? Not even children?”
“Yes, according to the Elves’ standards, they consider those who are less than 50 years old to be newborns. They are a long-lived species, but their growth is slow, so their intellectual abilities remain at the level of an infant until they are at least 50 years old.”
So their bodies grow to the level of a child, but their ntal age remains that of an infant.
I thought they just lived long lives, but to be stuck as an infant for more than half a century… being a long-lived species doesn’t seem all that great.
“Woo Hyo?”
“Woo… Woo Hyo.”
But hearing that their intellectual abilities were at the level of an infant, I began to understand why these children kept repeating my na like this.
Like the undead, who had nothing in their heads, newborn children were still unable to learn.
In that state, a na forcibly imprinted in their minds must feel extrely intense, leading them to focus excessively on .
This ans that even newborn babies will always recall the na Woo Hyo when they see …
…No, isn’t that a bit serious? An ability that makes them rember Woo Hyo before their own parents?
“I suspect these children were abandoned by their tribe.”
As I was having such absurd thoughts, Flang continued her speculation, propping her chin with her hand.
Feeling a sense of doubt, I asked for a detailed explanation, and her eyes narrowed as she looked down at the Elves.
“Elves are a species that take great pride in their longevity. So when a crisis arises, they prioritize protecting the elders who lead the tribe and, if necessary, even force sacrifices on the tribe mbers with shorter lifespans.”
“So the youngest Elves are the ones sacrificed when danger arises?”
“Their belief is that while an elder Elf can’t be replaced, children can always be born again.”
In a world like this, it was possible that their hos were burned down or they were separated from their parents.
But no matter what, could it really be possible for a tribe to deliberately abandon children who, by their standards, were re newborns just because the situation worsened?
“…Nyaoo?”
Feeling pity, I looked down, but the Elf girl I first t just tilted her head, sucking on her finger.
Seeing that she didn’t even seem to realize she had been abandoned, I felt even more sorrowful.
They were born into this world but couldn’t receive protection from anyone, so they gathered in the forest to survive together with other children.
“Are you perhaps thinking that if we raise them well from now on, they might follow humans?”
Just as I felt my heart stir, Flang’s cold voice followed.
Feeling a chill, I turned my gaze towards her and saw that her eyes, as she looked down at the Elves, had beco sharp.
“…Is that not possible?”
“Personally, I wouldn’t recomnd it.”
Co to think of it, she had fought wars against the Elves.
I thought it might be okay since they were newborns, but even that was sothing she couldn’t accept, as her voice was sharp.
“Master, no matter how young they are, the inherent traits of a species cannot be easily erased. The Elves I know take pride in their eternal lives and belittle species with limited lifespans, calling them ‘short-lived species.’”
Even if we raised them according to human standards from now on, they would surely oppose humans soday.
That warning carried even more weight, accompanied by her experience fighting them.
As did her next words.
“So even though they’re young now, in about 300 years, they might awaken to their racial superiority and look down on humans.”
“No, I won’t live that long.”
Even the empire, which boasted a thousand-year history, could fall to rebellion at any ti, so it wouldn’t be surprising.
How can a human, who only lives for about 80 years, worry about a future 300 years from now?
“…So, at least for now, they won’t cause any trouble or hostility, right?”
“Yes, due to their inherently slow growth, Elves are quite stubborn in their behavior and way of thinking, so the attitude you see now will likely continue for several years.”
Moreover, if their ntal age was that of a newborn, they wouldn’t even be able to distinguish between friend and foe.
If anything, the fact that they followed without any wariness suggested they were highly unlikely to oppose .
More importantly, if these children were the helpers Airi ntioned, they might not just be soone to protect but could also help us in the future.
“Awoo-a.”
As I was pondering how to figure that out, the babbling caught my attention, and I noticed the children huddled around one of the potted plants in the room.
“Nyaoo-a. Woo.”
“Nyaaa~”
What are they doing?
Curious, I moved closer and noticed the plant in the pot swaying from side to side.
“Awoo-a, Na.”
“Woo, Woo!”
And it was the children’s cries that were causing the movent.
The reason I was convinced was simple: every ti the children made a sound, I felt a strangely familiar energy.
Is this… a spirit?
Could it be that the spirits were resonating with these children?
“Now that I think about it, Elves have an innate ability to care for plants. I could never fully understand the chanics behind it, though…”
Flang also seed to have so guesses, but she wasn’t fully knowledgeable about spirits.
That ant I might be the only one on this ark capable of recognizing the potential these children possessed.
Now that I think about it, weren’t Elves the ones who used to care for the World Tree on the ark?
I was starting to understand.
What Airi ant by ‘helpers.’
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