I Became a Foreign Worker Loved by Transcendents

Existence Imprinting.

This ability I acquired when I crossed over to this world had the effect of making anyone who perceived me even once never forget my name or appearance.

Of course, even if it was imprinted, it only occupied a very small part of that person’s overall knowledge or memory.

Unless it was accompanied by infamy or fame, an imprinted existence was not that significant, and if there was something else to focus on, such memories were relatively likely to fade.

In other words, unless their mind was as empty as an undead’s, it was rare for someone I encountered to solely focus on my name.

“Woo Hyo… Woo Hyo…”

But as soon as this girl recognized me, she ended up in a state where, like the undead, she stared blankly at me while repeatedly saying my name.

No, to be precise, it wasn’t exactly my name but something like a byproduct of it.

“Woo Hyo?”

Whatever it was, I couldn’t just tolerate it.

I matched eye level with the girl who was staring blankly at me, clearly positioning my mouth as I continued to speak.

“Alright, repeat after me. 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 name wrong?

Why do I have to hear this chant from a kid I just met?

“Nya-oo.”

While I was briefly suppressing my frustration, the girl who grabbed the hem of my cloak started saying something to me.

“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 me to follow you?”

But even if I couldn’t understand her, the fact that her actions accompanied the words must have some meaning.

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 met, I decided to follow her without saying anything.

Based on the situation, I guessed that this girl might be the helper Airi mentioned or someone related to them.

“Here is…”

The place we arrived at, after making that judgment, was a giant tree deep within the forest.

Underneath it was a cave formed 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 me here, so I immediately followed her into the tree cave.

What greeted me 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 same species as the girl.

They had the same white hair and pale skin, with dark eyes that contrasted sharply with them, and their bodies were barely covered by what seemed to be a haphazard arrangement 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 me and spat out a single word.

“Woo Hyo.”

It was my name.

No, not exactly my name… 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 me again.

“Woo Hyo?”

“Awoo, Woo Hyo.”

After that, the children who were watching the girl nod turned their gaze towards me and began to speak one by one.

“Woo-woo…”

“Woo Hyo.”

“Woo Hyo. Woo Hyo.”

The children who initially babbled were now calling my name.

Even though they should be wary of a stranger, they gradually gathered around me until they completely surrounded me.

“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 name correctly…”

“Woo Hyo?”

It didn’t work at all.

Anyway.

There were some minor troubles, but if this was fate, then it was still a fortunate encounter.

Considering the possibility that they might be the helpers Airi mentioned, I decided to take the children who were following me to the base.

“Hero, those children…?”

“I picked them up while scouting.”

“What do you mean, picked them up? That’s not something you can just say so simply…”

-Murmur, murmur.

The sailors began to focus their attention, starting with Sanson’s bewilderment.

In their eyes, the children I brought seemed 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 time in their lives?

In any case, judging by their behavior, it didn’t seem like there was an immediate 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 moment?”

“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 mental 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 name like this.

Like the undead, who had nothing in their heads, newborn children were still unable to learn.

In that state, a name forcibly imprinted in their minds must feel extremely intense, leading them to focus excessively on me.n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

This means that even newborn babies will always recall the name Woo Hyo when they see me…

…No, isn’t that a bit serious? An ability that makes them remember 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 members 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 homes 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 mere newborns just because the situation worsened?

“…Nyaoo?”

Feeling pity, I looked down, but the Elf girl I first met 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 become sharp.

“…Is that not possible?”

“Personally, I wouldn’t recommend it.”

Come 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 something 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 someday.

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 time, 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 mental 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 me without any wariness suggested they were highly unlikely to oppose me.

More importantly, if these children were the helpers Airi mentioned, they might not just be someone 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 movement.

The reason I was convinced was simple: every time 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 mechanics behind it, though…”

Flang also seemed to have some guesses, but she wasn’t fully knowledgeable about spirits.

That meant 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 meant by ‘helpers.’