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After the young elf had left for a moment... an older, middle-aged elf, brought along by the youth who had called out to Coai earlier, came rushing over.

"L-Lady Coai!? Welcome!"
At a short distance from the carriage, the two of them stopped and knelt as if they had slid into place.

"I'm afraid our village is rather plain and rustic, with nothing to offer, but..."
"There is no need for such stiff formalities."
As always, Coai had no fondness for formal, stilted words.

"I am Hatai, the village chief, and this is my son, Aju. My apologies, had we known you were coming, we would have prepared a feast..."
"Could it be that one of the villagers failed to pass on the message?"
"No... I am merely stopping by on my journey. Do not concern yourself with it."
The men's reverent attitude felt a little troublesome.
In that regard, Coai's sensibilities towards others hadn't changed much, it seemed.

"I require no grand reception. A place to sleep and a spot to tie up my horse will suffice."
"Y-yes... Are you certain that is all you require?"
The young man couldn't seem to hide his bewilderment.

"Understood. We will make the preparations, so please, come to my home for now. While you wait, I would like to at least offer you some tea."
In response, the village chief calmly suggested they move.

While waiting for the lodging to be prepared, Coai decided to wait at the village chief's house.

"By the way, Lady Coai, where are you headed, all alone without an escort?"
"I intend to tour Emile in the north."
Considering the village chief had complied with her sudden request without question, Coai answered his question truthfully.

"I see, so you are also inspecting your domain."
The village chief nodded in satisfaction before sipping his tea.

Coai, thinking she hadn't really considered it that far, was about to reply when she heard a voice from outside the house.