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1 
2Skeleton Knight Volume 4 - A Spring and A Curse
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4
5
6Written by Hakari Enki
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8Translated by uselessno4/Silver
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13The work translated here is the legal property of its original copyright holder. It is
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15published here without monetary incentive solely for the purposes of promoting domestic interest in the work. Should the work be licensed for English translation or upon request by the original copyright holders, please stop distribution of this document at once as its made by loyal fans for each other to enjoy these stories. Sadly not every story gets a western release but if you liked the story we provided you can upheld this decision with buying the official release.
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17V4 Prologue
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22The Northern Continent, Holy Leburan Empire.
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24In the center of the Empire’s immense territory, situated on a large plain, was the capital city Habahren which boasted a total population of 80,000 people. The city was built in a circular configuration where all the main roads led to the palace of the Emperor.
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26In the center of the city stood the royal palace, Siguenza.
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28Due to it having been built as a fortress during the era of the original Leburan Empire, the palace was more of an austere structure instead of an elegant one.
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30There was a certain room in the palace that acted as the emperor’s study.
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32The chandelier hanging from the ceiling was a gorgeous centerpiece that illuminated the study in a way that befitted an emperor’s abode.
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34A large, polished work desk sat in the back of the room, in front of a throne reserved for the ruler of the country. Though the throne wasn’t as exquisite as the room’s other furnishings, a careful inspection of its rigid construction would reveal its true value.
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36The young man leaning back on the throne had a head of red, slightly curly hair that had been tied back into a braid and his lean body was adorned in a plain military uniform.
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38His name was Domitianus Leburan Valetiafelbe. He was the emperor of the Holy Leburan Empir that was vying for supremacy against the Great Leburan Empire.
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40The gray eyes of the young emperor were scrutinizing the man currently reading a recent report aloud.
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42“According to the report, the 『Ring of Submission』 that was attached to the monster held in Leibnitz fort suddenly deactivated and it went on a rampage. A considerable amount of damage had been done to the old city district. Before it’s rampage, the hydra that Funoba-sama caught broke out of the fort, through the city gate and attacked the lord’s mansion, which resulted in the lord’s death. Funoba-sama has not been seen since then and there are rumors he has rebelled.”
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44Contrary to the serious subject matter written on the report, the speaker of the report had a large smile on his face as he watched the emperor grimace behind his desk.
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46The man who gave the report was slightly overweight, had a poor excuse of a mustache on his face and was dressed in flashy clothes befitting a wealthy merchant.
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48This man was Verumoas Du Laizehl, the chancellor of the Holy Leburan Empire.
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50Emperor Domitianus looked at the shady looking Verumoas and thought over the contents of the report before he opened his mouth.
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52“I do not believe that Funoba has rebelled…… Men of the frontier are only concerned with women
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55and liquor, right? There would be no benefit for him in opposing me.”
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57Without changing his expression in the slightest, Verumoas tilted his head and motioned as if to say ‘Even if you ask me…’.
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59Without acting the slightest bit concerned about the vein on the emperor’s forehead that threatened to burst due to his behavior, Verumoas looked down at the report in his hands and continued.
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61“The hydra was apparently slain in the middle of its rampage by a mysterious monster that appeared out of nowhere. According to the witnesses, the mysterious monster appeared to be a humanoid demon cloaked in flames that has been mentioned in the local folklore. According to legends, the beast only appears to drag sinners into the inferno. Naturally, unrest is running rampant throughout the populace.”
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63“This devil managed to kill the hydra!? Fuck, the 『Ring of Submission』used on that thing had to be custom made…… If it hadn’t been for Funoba it would have been difficult to capture……”
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65Emperor Domitianus hit his armrest in irritation and glared at chancellor Verumoas, who continued his report.
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67“Even if you look at me like that, there’s nothing I can do about it. Anyway, the Hiruku church was destroyed by the hydra’s and the mysterious devil’s battle. Representatives of the church have stepped forward and demanded the funds necessary to rebuild it. ……The citizens are anxious at the fact that the devil was the one who burnt the church down.”
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69Verumoas raised his head to watch the emperor’s reaction to that last bit of information.
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71However, the vein that had been threatening to burst had vanished and the emperor was floating a twisted smile on his face.
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73“Humph, the church has been a mere parasite for quite some time…… What became of the monsters
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75that entered the city?”
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77“After the hydra was slain, a commander that had remained on site gathered the scattered soldiers and proceeded to slay them. The situation has calmed down, but it’s only a matter of time before dissatisfaction sprouts among the citizens.”
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79Feeling doubtful about the emperor’s behavior, Verumoas looked up again to find him floating an even more cold-blooded smile.
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81“……In this situation, there is no way of maintaining the Hiruku faith in this territory. The fact the
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83church was burnt down by the judge of sinners will undoubtedly stir up the people. Direct the people’s pent-up frustration towards the church, that way only the church loses sway in the region.”
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85“Are you sure? Won’t that cause a major backlash from the church?”
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87“We are taking advantage of this situation to peel away the mold that has grown on my empire. In order for my empire to prosper, those who have been sitting at the table for free, with their mouths opened for donations, need to be removed. The church in Leibnitz seems to believe that they can profit from the latest incident without me noticing, but they are gravely mistaken.”
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89“Understand. I shall handle the Leibnitz territory as you ask.”
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91After making a memo on his report, the chancellor respectfully bowed his head and prepared to leave.
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93“Also, continue the search for Funoba. Even if he is dead, the Magic Institution has already completed the standard version of the 『Ring of Submission』. Worst case, we won’t be able to capture larger monsters without him, but soldiers should be able to handle those on the level of Ogres.”
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95The Emperor sat back in his throne with a smile on his face as he thought about the future while staring out a window that faced the direction of the Leibnitz territory.
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97◆◇◆◇◆
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99The Northern Continent, Great Leburan Empire.
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101The capital city of Vittelvare was surrounded by a giant wall made of polished stone, as if to reflect the elegance of the city itself. When a person left or entered the city, they would see impeccably maintained streets and parks, as well as a multitude of pleasant looking people chatting about.
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103At the center of the capital was the emperor’s palace, which was the size of a small town, dubbed Dionborg.
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105The leaders of the Great Leburan Empire were gathered in the palace’s assembly hall.
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107The current emperor, Garba Leburan Sergiophebus, sat on a luxurious throne at the apex of the national assembly.
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109His long white hair and beard were carefully combed back. Though the wrinkles on his forehead were thick, his eyes still carried the sharp glint of a bird of prey. Atop his head sat a gold and jewel encrusted crown that acted as the symbol of imperial authority and his body was adorned in extravagant clothes and a luxurious mantle. Though the gorgeous scepter in his hand completed his ensemble, the emperor seemed to be in a foul mood.
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111The cause of his mood was the report his young and handsome official aide, Saruwis de Osto, was in the middle of presenting to the national assembly.
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113“──The forces in Tishen were taken completely by surprise, resulting in the area falling into the East’s hands. The enemy forces consist of a unit of monsters and soldiers with the strength of a company. The members of the southern army remaining in the area lack the numbers to repel them… that is all.”
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115When Saruwis finished reading the report, the senators that sat opposite to the emperor unanimously stood and up and shouted their opinions on the matter as a wave of unrest swept over them.
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117“What is this! Tishen was left insufficiently defended because the units from the southern army were sent to Wetorias……! We must recall general Keling and his troops immediately!!”
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119“No, no, don’t we need to learn how the soldiers were able to work alongside monsters!? Have you ever heard of such an absurd thing as a human and monster unit!? It just goes to show that all those eastern dogs have been tainted!!”
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121“That isn’t the problem!! They managed to take Tishen, which is located deep within the forest at the base of the Shiana mountains!! The Febiento marsh south of the forest prevents large-scale forces from advancing because of how narrow the roads are, so how did they reach Tishen undetected!?”
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123“Tishen should have had quite lax defenses. It wouldn’t have taken a large army to capture it in the first place. Besides, the enemy had monsters among their ranks, which allowed them to perform a lightning fast offensive strike……”
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125Emperor Garba snorted uninterestedly as he listened to the senators argue amongst themselves.
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127The emperor turned toward Saruwis with a troubled look on his face.
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129“The East managed to land quite a blow against us. The Southern army has to maintain vigilance along Derufurento’s border and can’t afford to spare many soldiers, not to mention Tishen is surrounded on three sides by forest. Recapture is nigh impossible as we lack the units to attack from the northwest.”
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131Emperor Garba rested his chin in his hand and frowned after he finished speaking.
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133“The monster attacks in Wetorias were a decoy to turn our attention towards Burugo Bay…… Bu
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135where did they come from? It’s an unrealistic expectation that they traversed the Febiento marsh. Our saboteur division has sprinkled 『Abundant Harvest Stones』 on the East’s border with Rhoden to draw out monsters on that end……. though I suppose they could have incorporated those monsters into this operation.”
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137“That is certainly possible. It’s unconfirmed, but the eastern soldiers seem to have attacked from the forest near the Shiana mountain. If that’s the case, then they must have devised a method to safely pass through the forest. The forest spreads across the border and connects to the Urato mountains as well, so it necessary to keep an eye on Harutobarak.”
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139The emperor wrinkled his brow and groaned at Saruwis’ suggestion. He then turned his eyes back to the still arguing senators on the assembly floor.
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141“The East has no interest in taking control of Burugo Bay.”
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143After his soliloquy, the emperor took his scepter in hand and banged it against the ground twice.
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145The sound of the scepter hitting the ground echoed through the hall and silenced the arguing senators as they now waited to hear what the emperor had to say.
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147The emperor slowly rose from his throne as he stared out at the assembly.
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149“We shall not allow them to do as they please. The mission of recapturing Tishen shall be allotted to general Keling, who is to be recalled to Harutobarak immediately. Have Harutobarak’s soldiers prepare for the general’s arrival. The task of subjugating the monsters around Wetorias shall be given to general Minzeia of the northern army. The Suwin Kingdom mercenary corps will be moved to Feburuento to maintain the defense of the northern border. The forces of the western army stationed around Asupanis shall increase their patrols as a precautionary measure! That is all!”
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151The emperor	glared down at the national assembly as he beat his scepter against the ground again.
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153The senators simultaneously lowered their heads as they processed the emperor’s commands.
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155The emperor then looked back to the senators and looked to the five chancellors that normally sat behind him.
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157“Be sure that general Keling gathers information on the monster unit’s structure. We must determine if the methods they use to construct these units are applicable to our forces.”
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159Saruwis raised his eyebrow at that last order and voiced his concerns.
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161“Are you sure? Won’t using the monsters be frowned upon by the Hiruku religion? There are bound to be complaints if we follow through with that decision……”
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163Saruwis wore a wry smile and shrugged as he mentioned his complaints in a hushed tone unbefitting of someone in his position.
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165Emperor Garba simply snorted at Saruwis’ concerns as he returned to his seat.
166
167“Hmmph. If I am to protect this country, I can not afford to keep my hands clean! If any bishops star to get fussy about this bribe them with whatever you see fit.”
168
169“As you command.”
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171Saruwis’ wry smile remained as he respectfully bowed to the emperor.
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173
174Chapter 1 Sparring
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179Deep within the Great Canada Forest stood one of the many elf villages that dotted the forest Raratoia.
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181This forest was home to a great number of monsters due to the abundant amount of mana in the area, so a unique wall had been erected around the village.
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183The majority of the wall’s surface was covered by a myriad of thorns, that even wrapped around its support pillars. Only the lack of gaps in the structure revealed that it was artificially made.
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185The wall itself was over thirty meters tall and separated the quiet village from the dangerous forest it was built in.
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187Directly inside the wall was a field of crops and a wide, open pasture for the cattle to graze on.
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189Wooden houses dotted the area beyond those places.
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191However, these houses were strangely shaped mushrooms. Each house had a slightly exposed wooden deck, eaves that stretched to the top and a unique pattern was carved into the supporting pillars of the houses, allowing a glimpse of elven culture.
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193The sidewalks were made of beautifully laid cobblestone and street lights were placed at regular intervals
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195In the center of this idyllic village stood a towering tree that was somehow merged with a large mansion. It served as the home of the elder.
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197Beneath the tree’s branches, the huge trunk started to become a mixture between the natural and the artificial.
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199The clear glass windows cut into the trunk that allowed daylight to enter the building, the singing birds that nested in the tree and the natural sunlight that filtered through the branches contributed to the area’s fantastic atmosphere.
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201In the front yard of the elder’s mansion, two people were facing off against each other with wooden swords in hand. Two other people were breathlessly watching them from the side.
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203The young woman in front of me, holding a wooden sword, took a fighting stance.
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205The woman was a bewitching beauty, what with her voluptuous body, lilac skin and snow white braided hair. Her inhuman golden eyes were focused directly on me and she calmly stood still as if she were full of openings.
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207However, the slight twitches of her long, pointed ears showed me that she was completely focused on every move I made.
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209The name of the women dressed in traditional elven attire, which was embroidered with an elaborate pattern, was Glenys Aruna Raratoia.
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211She was the village elder’s wife and one of the rare dark elves on this continent.
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213I, on the other hand, had the appearance of an over two meters tall, fully armored knight.
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215This was the body of a game avatar that I used to play as under the name of Arc and I looked liked this ever since I had been thrown into this world.
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217Underneath my black mantle was a set of full body armor fitting for a mythical knight; fine details had been etched into every piece, along with white and blue undertones.
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219A jet black mantle, that was inlaid with a pattern seemingly cut from the starry night sky, hung off my shoulders.
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221The sword and shield I normally carried on my person were replaced with the wooden sword I was currently holding.
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223There was a distance of three meters between Glenys and l, and we were currently sizing each other up.
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225Honestly, even with the abilities of this max-level body, I doubted that I could win a contest of pure swordsmanship against an elf who has had centuries of training.
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227Since we couldn’t keep staring at each other forever, I lifted my wooden sword and charged at Glenys. Thanks to my abnormally high physical ability I was moving rather quickly, yet she had somehow read my movements.
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229My swing missed by a wide margin as she easily evaded my attack. Just as I tried to strike at the seemingly slow-moving Glenys again, I was struck on the back of my sword hand.
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231I didn’t actually feel anything because I was protected by the mythical grade 『Holy Armor o Belenus』, but I unintentionally let out an “Ouch.” when I heard the metallic clink from the hit.
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233“Your movements are so monotonous, Arc-kun. When you advance, you don’t attack, and when you attack, you don’t move.”
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235“Understood, Glenys-dono.”
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237When I raised my sword against Glenys again, she simply nodded in reply as I tried to visualize he sword swings in my mind.
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239However, someone with no prior training couldn’t learn swordplay overnight, so Glenys managed to dodge every one of my attacks no matter how fired up I became, before she effortlessly swatted my sword hand again.
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241Glenys raised an eyebrow and sighed before she offered a suggestion.
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243“Would you like to dodge my attacks this time?”
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245“Alright, Glenys-dono!”
246
247The moment after I replied, Glenys calmly blindsided me with an array of overwhelming attacks. This
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249body’s kinetic vision and reflexes allowed me to dodge, but Glenys’ sword had become a flurry of strikes and if I stopped moving for even a second, she would finish me off.
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251I continued to back-pedal as I dodged but before long I ran up against the tree and was swiftly hit on my gauntlet and head.
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253I was stunned for a moment as the sound of multiple cymbals entered my ears and Glenys’ smiling face entered my line of sight.
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255“It’s my win?”
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257Glenys started to laugh after she declared her victory.
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259I thought I would’ve been better at defending myself, but the results couldn’t be denied. Despite these deplorable results I held up my index finger and proposed a rematch.
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261“Nuu…… Glenys-dono, one more round.”
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263“Are you sure?”
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265Glenys held her wooden sword over her shoulder when she asked if I wanted to continue. After that, the scene of me being struck in the head was repeated over and over again.
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267 
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269At one point I broke down and growled in frustration at my lack of improvement while waving my wooden sword back and forth.
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271The reason we were doing mock battles like this was because my next destination laid in a very dangerous area and I wanted to test my abilities against someone who had actual combat experience.
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273“Arc-kun, because you react to movement instinctively, it’s rather easy for your opponents to read your movements. Because you don’t read the flow of the battle, you leave yourself open to surprise attacks. You appear to be a knight, so shouldn’t you take pride in your swordsmanship?”
274
275Glenys didn’t even seem tired when she gave her review of my skills.
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277According to her, true swordsmanship was a complex dance of reading your opponent’s movements as you attacked, and my reliance on my physical ability alone was basically suicidal.
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279Unless I want my sword to be nothing more that a useless treasure, I needed to improve myself from now on.
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281While I was busy contemplating my decision, someone else decided to speak up.
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283“Mother, Arc’s movements may be straightforward but do you think there are a lot of other people capable of reading them?”
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285The person who raised that question as she approached our location was a female dark elf with features similar to Glenys’.
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287Her womanly charms were only accentuated by the long-sleeved dress with a hem of modest length and the leather corset she wore.
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289Her long, snow white hair was tied in a loose ponytail that allowed it to be blown about by the wind and her golden eyes were focused on me.
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291She was Glenys’ daughter Ariane Glenys Maple.
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293The majority of the elves lived in the Great Canada Forest and on top of her being Glenys’ daughter she was also a warrior of the Forest capital Maple.
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295We met under unusual circumstances and our friendship had the opportunity to deepen during our mission to rescue kidnapped elves. Thanks to my participation in that mission I was allowed to stay in this village despite being human.
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297“Well…… I suppose only a few people can keep up with Arc’s movements and your enemies are
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299gonna be monsters, right?”
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301Glenys tapped her chin with her finger and maintained her smile as she took Ariane’s comment into consideration.
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303“Arc, lend me your sword.”
304
305Holding out her right hand after she said so, Ariane wanted me to give her my wooden sword so I handed it to her without any complaints.
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307
308“It’s been a while since we sparred, mother.”
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310“Yes, it’s been a while, hasn’t it.”
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312Both mother and daughter laughed a little as they took some distance from each other.
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314Though I called them mother and daughter, the two looked close enough in age to be considered sisters. It was hard to judge the age of people with four hundred year long lifespans by appearances alone.
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316“Sha!”
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318Ariane shouted a battle cry as she charged with her wooden sword raised. Glenys dodged the attack by taking a small step back, placing her out of the range of Ariane’s sword swing. The moment after she dodged Ariane’s attack, Glenys raised her own sword and launched a fierce counterattack.
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320After evading Glenys’ attacks with movements similar to her mother’s, Ariane kicked the ground to leap back in order to widen the distance.
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322“Well, it appears you’ve been influenced by your sister’s bad footwork.”
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324Glenys chuckled a bit when she saw the way Ariane leaped back.
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326Their movements were totally different from my own, they appeared to be engaged in a lethal blade dance that was a spectacle to watch.
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328It was something I couldn’t hope to replicate in this full body armor, and I began to wonder if it was a smart move to study swordplay under Glenys.
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330I’d be more suited towards a style that took advantage of my overwhelming strength. While I was fine dealing with criminals and monsters, I was incapable of holding back against regular people.
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332When I had the chance, it would be a good idea to ask Ariane for some basic sword lessons, but at the moment Ariane and Glenys’ bout had come to an end
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334Ariane’s wooden sword was sent flying into the air and landed right in front of me.
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336Ariane was drenched in sweat as she slouched over her knees gasping for air, while Glenys was standing tall with the same smile on her face. Even my untrained eye could tell that Ariane was an extremely capable swordswoman, yet Glenys’ superior abilities were truly impressive. No, astonishing would be a better description.
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338“Hmm, though your skills have improved, you still have room to grow.”
339
340“Hey! I would like to try as well……”
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342The scene of a mother smiling down at her daughter and said daughter vexingly looking up to her mother was interrupted by the other person that had watched the bout calling out to them.
343
344Glenys turned toward the source of the exclamation.
345
346“Oh? Chiome-chan, would you like to spar with me too?”
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348
349“By all means, please instruct me.”
350
351The girl Glenys called Chiome gave a slightly formal response as she stood up and asked for instruction.
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353She had short-cut, raven black hair and her blue eyes were staring straight at Glenys. Her small frame was adorned in black clothes that were easy to move in, arm and leg guards and a dagger that was strapped to her waist.
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355On top of her head was a pair of black, triangular cat ears and a long black tail was coiled around her waist.
356
357She was a person of the Mountains and Plains, another race that lived in seclusion to escape persecution from humans. She was a part of the “Blade Heart Clan”, an armed group of People of th Mountains and Plains that fought the slavery and forced labor their kind endured.
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359About six hundred years ago, their clan had been formed by someone in a situation similar to mine. That person had gathered the persecuted people and taught them the ways of ninjutsu. Among this clan, Chiome stood as one of the six strongest ninjas.
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361“Okay.”
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363When Glenys agreed, Chiome switched places with Ariane. The only weapon Chiome had were th gauntlets on her arms.
364
365Several seconds passed as the two silently stared at each other.
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367Glenys behavior was completely different from before. Chiome bent down on all fours and performed a charge that was even faster than Ariane’s had been. When Glenys dodged the attack, Chiome quickly regained her balance and released a flurry of attacks.
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369Those nimble movements were to be expected for someone with cat-like attributes. However, Glenys managed to repel the cascade of hands and feet and showed her usual smile as she began her counterattack.
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371The two switched between offense and defense for a while, but after Glenys landed a solid blow on the back of Chiome’s ankle, she began to push Chiome back, leaving her without much room to breathe, and soon the tip of Glenys’ sword was held against the ninja’s neck.
372
373“I concede……”
374
375When Chiome admitted defeat, Glenys removed her wooden sword from her throat.
376
377“That was very good, Chiome-chan. I’d say your martial arts skills are superior to my oldes daughter’s. I’m afraid your attacks are too light because of your small body, but you’re still in the middle of your growth period, so that is bound to improve.”
378
379“Th-thank you very much.”
380
381At Glenys’ brief comment, the usually expressionless Chiome looked as if she were about to smile before she lowered her head.
382 
383Glenys’ smile widened as she looked at that scene before she clapped her hands and turned toward me.
384
385“Well, let’s end practice here, grab some breakfast and prepare you for your trip!”
386
387“Yes” “Um, understood.”
388
389“Kyun!”
390
391When I and Ariane stood up after answering Glenys, Ponta, who’d been idly playing near the mansio until now, ran towards us when she heard the word “Breakfast”.
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393She was a creature commonly referred to as a fluffy fox. Her dandelion-like tail made up half of her sixty-centimeter long body. Despite her fox-like head, there were patches between her forelegs and hind legs that were similar to the legs of a flying squirrel.
394
395The fur on her back and head was light green, while her underbelly was covered in white colored fur that also appeared in the center of her tail.
396
397She was a rare kind of animal that was capable of using magic, the type which the elves have dubbed spirit beasts.
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399According to Ariane and Chiome, spirit beasts were supposed to be wary creatures, yet there was no sign of that wariness in Ponta once she heard about breakfast.
400
401Ponta focused her wind magic under her feet and began running on air. It looked like she was trying to reach her favorite spot on top of my helmet, but Ariane stepped forward and caught her.
402
403“You wanna to eat too, Ponta?”
404
405When Ariane petted her head and asked her that question in a soft voice, Ponta looked between me and her before letting out an excited cry and burying herself in Ariane’s voluptuous chest.
406
407I was left sitting there, having been defeated by the temptation of breakfast……
408 
409
410Chapter 2 「The Next Journey」
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412
413
414
415On the second floor of the elder’s mansion, there was a large dining room connected to a kitchen area, and we were all siting at the wooden table in the center of that room.
416
417Ariane and Chiome were sitting on both sides of me while Ponta was on the table, happily wagging her tail as she was buried in the meal in front of her. Ariane was petting Ponta’s head as the little fox stuffed her face.
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419I’d taken off my armor a while ago and was currently wearing traditional elven clothing as I ate my breakfast with relish.
420
421I noticed that Chiome was giving me a strange look, so I took a bite from a piece of bread and turned toward her.
422
423“Is something wrong, Chiome-dono?”
424
425When I asked her about it, Chiome’s expression became confused.
426
427“No, it’s just that I’ve never seen an undead eating regular food as if it’s natural, it’s just a strange sight to see……”
428
429Chiome stared back at me, a skeleton with a piece of bread stuffed in its mouth.
430
431What she said was actually reasonable, considering the faint blue lights floating in my eye sockets and my lack of everything, from my skin and muscle to internal organs. However, despite all that I could still taste and swallow everything I ate.
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433When I came to this world in my game avatar’s body, it wasn’t in a human form. Instead, it was that of the special 『Skeleton』 skin I had been using at the time.
434
435“Arc lacks the corruption of the undead…… Can’t you tell, Chiome-chan?”
436
437Ariane stopped petting Ponta’s head for a moment and voiced a rather emotional defense of my situation to Chiome.
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439“The People of the Mountains and Plains have the ability to sense the 『Corruption of Death』 but I ca not detect the foul scent of the undead from him……”
440
441Chiome’s small nose twitched a little as she tilted her head to the side.
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443“If he were an undead, why would he have needed to take a bath after today’s training session? Do you think that mere bones could produce sweat?”
444
445Ariane grumbled something before she gave Chiome a look that demanded her agreement.
446
447Chiome nodded and looked up at me after mumbling something herself.
448
449When our eyes met, I immediately looked down at my own form.
450 
451There was no way this body produced sweat, it’s just my personal habit to bathe after exercising.
452
453Before I could start preaching the health benefits and rejuvenating effects of regular bathing had on the body and soul to Ariane, Glenys walked into the dining room with an old parchment in hand.
454
455When she reached the table she held the parchment out to Ariane.
456
457The parchment was made of a type of paper that wasn’t seen in human cities or villages. A map with a peculiar route plotted out was drawn on the rather thick parchment.
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459“This map has the route to the Dragon King’s tree drawn on it. Though you know the way through the cavern, take this just in case.”
460
461Ariane nodded at that explanation as she took the map and we began to look over the mapped-out route.
462
463Chiome maintained her emotionless expression as usual, but her twitching cat ears betrayed how anxious she was as she studied the map.
464
465The Dragon King’s tree Glenys had mentioned was a rare type of tree that grew in the presence of a Dragon King. After centuries of absorbing the dragon’s essence, the tree’s spirit had been altered.
466
467According to the village elder Dylan, even the land around the Dragon King’s tree had acquired special properties and a certain spring had gotten the ability to remove all forms of curses.
468
469My reward for rescuing the kidnapped elves from the humans was receiving the directions to the spring, which were drawn on the map Ariane held.
470
471After making our preparations, we’ll be setting off on our Journey tomorrow.
472
473Whether or not the effects of the spring were genuine, I questioned if it really was a curse that resulted in my skeletal body. Though it was still too early to rule anything out, it’s highly possible that I’d be stuck with this body for the rest of my life. I suppose any possible solution was worth a try.
474
475“It’d take a while to get through this cavern. I never realized just how far into the mountain range it actually spread……”
476
477Ariane made that observation as she diligently looked over the map.
478
479Seems that she’s been through the cavern before.
480
481“Oh, Ariane-dono have you been to the area before?”
482
483“Yes, my elder sister took me there several times when I was still an apprentice warrior. We were able to gather a lot of magic stones to power magic tools there……”
484
485As Ariane reminisced about her past, her eyes narrowed as if she realized something. She turned towards me and began speaking in a sing-song manner.
486
487“If you intend to bathe here regularly, then you should be the one that collects the magic stones from now on～”
488 
489
490Ariane’s merciless gaze focused on me as if I were a manservant.
491
492I was being indirectly charged for the bath’s fuel expenses. Baths were a luxury in this world and they required firewood or magic stone furnaces to boil the water. If I want to enjoy baths I would have to accept her proposal.
493
494If things went well and the curse was removed, feeling hot water on my skin again would no longer be a dream.
495
496“Yes! I’ll be sure to collect enough magic stones to cover my bathing expenses.”
497
498When I clenched both my fist in excitement Ariane narrowed her eyes again and let out an exasperated sign.
499
500“Really, why do you like baths so much……”
501
502The last bit of what Ariane was saying became inaudible as her voice trailed off.
503
504“Well, we have some tools in the basement that will be useful for tomorrow’s journey, you’re welcome to take them.”
505
506Ariane, Chiome and I rose from our seats when Glenys said that.
507
508Ponta had finished her breakfast a while ago and had been cleaning her fur until now. She immediately jumped to her feet and followed us down the stairs.
509
510The mansion’s basement entrance was hidden behind one of the support pillars on the first floor and opened up to a long spiral staircase.
511
512Magic lamps were placed along the stairway at equal intervals, so it lacked the gloomy atmosphere of a certain feudal lord’s basement into which I had snuck previously.
513
514When the heavy wooden door at the bottom of the stairway was opened, we were greeted with shelves crammed full of various items.
515
516“By the way, what preparations should we make for the trip?”
517
518While looking over the various artifacts, I asked Ariane that question, making her look away from the item she had picked up and stare at me.
519
520“For the first part of the trip, we’re going to need this lamp.”
521
522As she made that comment, she handed me a lamp with a handle attached to it, a lantern I think. However, there were several transparent crystals in the lantern’s glass case and there was a small switch on its bottom.
523
524When I flipped the switch, the crystals in the glass case began to emit a powerful beam of light. It was a magic tool befitting a fantasy world.
525
526“Oh, this is impressive.”
527
528“That’s a 『Light Emitting Crystal Lamp』. The lamp is an elf-made magic tool, a high-quality item to
529 
530say the least. Only a few wealthy humans have access to it.”
531
532Chiome stepped forward to provide an explanation for the magic tool just when I started to make shadow puppets with it.
533
534Given how rare it had been to see street lamps in human cities, a lamp easily comparable to a flashlight would be considered quite the luxury good. When all of this is said and done, it might be a good idea to save up some gold coins and purchase a few elf-made magic tools. However, an exclamation from behind me returned me to the present.
535
536“Hey, are you two just going to fool around or are you going to help me?”
537
538When I looked back I saw that Ariane was looking rather annoyed as she held two more lanterns and tossed a leather pouch to me.
539
540“Ah, my bad.”
541
542After apologizing and taking one of the lanterns from her, I opened the drawstrings of the pouch to find that it was filled with some kind of purple dust.
543
544“What’s this used for?”
545
546“『Magic Stone Fuel』, a necessity to power magic tools. Finely crushed magic stones are the mos used type of fuel for elven magic tools.”
547
548When I asked about the strange purple dust I was holding, Chiome once again stepped forward and answered.
549
550“The elven variety of the fuel can produce an abundant amount of energy, but the technique required to stabilize it requires a lot of magic power to perform. If you use human-made fuel, it’ll damage the magic tool and extended use may even lead to the magic tool exploding.”
551
552This stuff was like jet fuel then, and after Chiome finished her explanation Ariane proudly puffed out out her large chest for some reason.
553
554Hearing praise for superior elven technology seems to have pleased her.
555
556“What’s the matter, Ariane-dono?”
557
558When I questioned Ariane about her strange behavior, she immediately returned to normal and simply said ‘It’s nothing’, before heading to a shelf in the back of the room.
559
560While watching Ariane pick and choose items necessary for our journey, I was about to ask Chiome questions about the things Ariane was picking up when I recognized something sitting in front of a nearby shelf.
561
562It was a sack of golden coins. I noticed it because coins were dimly reflecting the room’s lights.
563
564When I picked one up to examine the engraved crest, I realized that this was gold from Rhode Kingdom.
565 
566“Ah, those. That’s a fraction of the gold coins we stole from that feudal lord’s castle. Father had us set some of it aside in case you ever needed it, Arc.”
567
568Ariane stopped selecting items for our trip and explained everything when she turned around to find me holding some of the coins.
569
570“Well, shouldn’t this cover the fuel charges for the bath?”
571
572When I thought I had come up with a perfect compromise, Ariane looked surprised for a momen before sighing.
573
574“Why are you so zealous about bathing…… Arc, can’t you just hunt monsters and collect magic
575
576stones to cover the cost? Isn’t there something else you can use the money on?”
577
578I placed my hand on my chin and thought about what she had said for a moment.
579
580She wasn’t wrong in saying I could simply hunt monsters in the cavern we’d be passing through to cover my bathing expenses.
581
582There was no need to spend the money on magic stones. In that case, it would be more reasonable to buy elven-made magic tools for convenience.
583
584Fortunately, second-hand tools seem to be readily available so I should be able to live comfortably with the money…… No, even then having a proper bath in my home will be my top priority.
585
586I made up my mind, but Ariane just let out an exasperated sigh when I told her my plans. I was quite serious about my decision, though……
587
588We had several more exchanges like that as our preparations steadily advanced.
589 
590Chapter 3 「Is This What They Call Damage?」
591
592
593
594
595The next morning, Ariane lead Chiome and me into the fog-blanketed forest with baggage over our shoulders and Ponta sitting on my helmet.
596
597The morning light was filtering through the tree branches and continued to illuminate the foliage-laden forest path.
598
599A thin layer of haze covered the landscape, making it difficult to grasp our location from visual markers alone.
600
601However, Ariane traversed this natural maze without hesitation as if it were a familiar mountain trail.
602
603Once the magic-obstructing fog cleared, we would able to use transfer magic and reach the fork between the Rydell and Riburute rivers before noon.
604
605Then we just had to cross the river with 【Dimensional Step】.
606
607When we reached that location, I made sure to completely memorize the scenery where the rivers split off as we took our break.
608
609I had to lower my head back in Raratoia when I told Ariane that we couldn’t use my long distance transfer magic, 【Transfer Gate】, to return here because I failed to memorize it when we were here before.
610
611Without minding my personal grief, our group reached the Rydell riverbank.
612
613The forest on the opposite bank had a radically different atmosphere than Great Canada Forest.
614
615Despite how dense and lush it was.
616
617We would kill the occasional monsters that popped up while we used transfer magic to cover an impressive amount of distance. As the ground began to rise, the path we were traveling along took on a slight incline and the trees’ shadows started to cover the area as the sky took on the colors of dusk.
618
619“We made spectacular progress thanks to Arc’s transfer magic. Let’s stay here tonight.”
620
621Ariane began cutting off low hanging branches that was blocking our way with her sword while I took in the scenery.
622
623The clearing she lead us to had a three huge trees that had a large, nest-like object nestled between their branches ten meters above the ground.
624
625It was a rather unnatural thing to see in this place.
626
627There were support beams on each of the trees below the observation deck.
628
629“Huh, what…… is that?”
630 
631“Kyun!”
632
633When I asked Ariane about the baffling structures, Ponta happily used her wind magic to fly to one o the observation decks.
634
635I couldn’t see Ponta anymore once she landed on the top of the deck.
636
637“This is a rest area that we elves have made. There are multiple sites like this scattered throughout the forest for warriors to stay while hunting monsters.”
638
639I suppose people could rest here without having to worry about the monsters that roam the forest floor. However, while I could simply use transfer magic to reach the structure, normal people would have to climb to the top. A difficult task to accomplish while carrying baggage.
640
641If I were going to spend an extended amount of time outdoors, I’d be sure to bring a backpack full o necessary equipment.
642
643“Elves are quite impressive. To establish such a place in the middle of this forest……”
644
645Chiome voiced her admiration as she looked up at the observation decks.
646
647For a brief moment, Ariane smiled and puffed out her chest, but then her expression became clouded.
648
649“There used to be a few small villages along the river around here, so the local warriors often used this place, but when the humans’ elf hunts increased, the villages this side of the river had to be relocated.”
650
651After Ariane had finished speaking, Chiome looked up at her face that was obscured by the growing shadows.
652
653Ariane shook her head to remove her bleak expression and tried to laugh it off as she approached one of the trees and grabbed hold of some ivy vines that were wrapped around its trunk.
654
655“The sun will be setting soon, we need to climb to the top and set up camp before then.”
656
657After rearranging her the baggage, Ariane used the ivy vines and the hollow to literally run up the tree trunk.
658
659“Alright.”
660
661Chiome followed after Ariane by kicking off the tree trunks to climb up.
662
663I doubted I’d be able to copy their climbing methods.
664
665So I stepped back from the trees until I reached a point where I could transfer to the top of the observation deck with 【Dimensional Step】.
666
667The two of them were already rummaging through their bags for their camping gear.
668
669Ponta was peeking over the deck’s edge at the forest floor below. She seemed to be comfortable in her natural habitat.
670 
671The deck was covered with short grass and it didn’t move an inch even with all of us moving about. The base of the terraces was intertwined with the branches and I couldn’t find any uneven sections either.
672
673At the center platform there was a stone pedestal set up for a fire pit to be lit.
674
675While Ariane and Chiome began gathering twigs to build up a fire, I sat my baggage down and called out to the two of them.
676
677“Ariane-dono, since this is a rather unique and memorable location I, we could return to the village and come back tomorrow……”
678
679I found that difficult to say when they had gone through the trouble of preparing the camp, but Ariane didn’t seem practically upset when she looked back at me.
680
681“That is an option, but what if you visit other rest areas that look just like this one? No offense, Arc, but I doubt you could distinguish this location from the others.”
682
683“Ye〜ah……”
684
685“Camp set up is almost complete anyway. Since we’re gonna be camping for several days, it’s best that you get used to it. How you ever been camping before Arc?”
686
687“……Yes.”
688
689I did have experience camping, but there weren’t any heat-retention sleeping bags, sturdy tents, or kerosene stoves on this trip.
690
691In a sense, this might be my first true camping experience.
692
693Besides, I thought that familiarizing myself with camping on this trip would be beneficial in the future.
694
695Just as Ariane had said, if I used similar rest areas in the future, I wouldn’t be able to distinguish them from each other and I’d be more likely to transfer here since I’d seen this one first.
696
697I’ve been told the reason my sense of direction was so terrible was because I had difficulties leaving strong impressions of my surroundings in my brain. If I relied on long-distance transfer magic, I ‘d never be able to tell these rest areas apart.
698
699When I thought about it, 【Transfer Gate】 was a spell quite fitting for myself.
700
701Relenting to Ariane’s suggestion, I asked the two of them if there was anything I could help with, but they turned me away saying they hadn’t done much of anything today.
702
703With nothing else to do, I walked over to where Ponta had been laying on the grassy ground and sat near the edge to watch the two work.
704
705Ariane reached into her knapsack and pulled out a large, folded cloth. After tightly tying a rope between two of the trees she threw the cloth over the rope and pinned its four corners to the desk with pegs.
706 
707She had set up a triangular roof tent.
708
709The top half of the fabric was dyed green with a type of luster that was meant to keep out the rain.
710
711Chiome, on the other hand, had started pulling out cooking utensils and dry ingredients from a bag Ariane had given her, the variety of which caused her to cry out.
712
713“I’m amazed that we brought this much…… Usually, we don’t make such extensive preparations for
714
715camping because heavier loads slow down our pace.”
716
717“Since elven warriors often have to pull long patrols, or cull large amounts of monsters, it’s normal to pack excess supplies. Since we have Arc’s transfer magic, we actually packed less than normal because we’ll probably reach the ‘Dragon Valley‘ by tomorrow.”
718
719Ariane placed several pelts inside the tent while she replied before moving towards the pile of twigs and setting it alight with spirit magic.
720
721After receiving a pot from Chiome, Ariane placed it on the fire pit, filled it with water from a canteen and started to cook once the pot started boiling.
722
723“What’s the ‘Dragon Valley’?”
724
725I had been skillfully running my fingers though Ponta’s fur while the two of them worked, so I asked Ariane about the unfamiliar term she used.
726
727“The Dragon Valley is the huge canyon between the Wind, Ice and Fire Mountain Ranges. Th entrance into the valley is just beyond the cavern we’re heading to.”
728
729“Hoo, so we’re going to enter the Dragon Valley by tomorrow then?”
730
731Ariane shook her head when I hazarded a guess about our schedule.
732
733“At our current pace, we should reach the valley in the afternoon at the earliest. Since the cavern is home to a variety of monsters, it’ll take a while to pass through it. That’s why I think we’ll need to camp out again before entering the cavern.”
734
735I understood, if we entered the cavern early in the morning we’d be able to clear it in one fell swoop.
736
737It seemed consecutive camp outs were unavoidable. Towns and villages weren’t built in regulars interval in this forest.
738
739Ariane had been stirring the soup she’d been cooking with a wooden spoon while going over tomorrow’s plans, and after a taste test she added a dash of seasoning.
740
741The sound of the firewood crackling and the flames rising in the night stood out the most in this quiet forest scenery.
742
743A sweet fragrance drifted from the pot as the soup began to simmer, a fragrance that caused Ponta to start twitching on my knee.
744
745“Kyun!”
746 
747“It’ll be ready soon.”
748
749Ariane took out some metal mugs she had also brought along and begun dividing the soup amongst them. Chiome reached into her knapsack and took out some fried bread sticks before passing them around.
750
751Since I hadn’t thought that a warm full course meal would be prepared, I accepted the bread and soup in defeat.
752
753Ponta was also staring at my soup with such an intensity that I was starting to get worried.
754
755Once Ariane poured some soup into a plate specially brought for Ponta, the little fox happily wagged her tail and leaped at it.
756
757“We’ll take shifts during the night watch: Chiome first, Arc second and me last. Are you guys alright with that?”
758
759Ariane smiled as she watched Ponta cooling her soup with her magic and suggested the guard order.
760
761Chiome and I shared a look before nodding in agreement.
762
763“I don’t mind.”
764
765“I’m alright with it as well.”
766
767“Arc, will you be fine using this to sleep?”
768
769When she accepted Chiome’s and my agreement, she picked up one of the pelts she’d placed in the tent for me to check out.
770
771Apparently, the pelt was supposed to be wrapped around one’s body as they slept, a type of primitive sleeping bag if you will. The problem was that the pelt wouldn’t have any effect on me thanks to my armor and I was reluctant to remove it in this place…… so I decided against using it.
772
773After dinner, we began our sleep rotation and even though I was a little nervous about having two ladies close to me…… I eventually managed to doze off as the night passed by.
774
775“Gah!?”
776
777The next morning, I felt a shock run through my body and the slight pain caused me to bolt up.
778
779When I looked around in a daze, I saw that the forest was covered by a thick fog and that the three large trees were behind me.
780
781“Hey, Arc!? Are you alright!?”
782
783“Kyun!”
784
785When I suddenly heard a woman’s voice above me, I looked up to find Ariane, Chiome and Ponta looking down on me with worried looks on their faces.
786
787Apparently I fell down from the observation deck.
788 
789I only remember sitting down in the corner after changing shifts with Chiome.
790
791“Don’t worry, I’m okay.”
792
793“Are you sure about that? Didn’t you just fall from a great height?”
794
795Ariane slowly climbed down the tree trunk and approached me with a concerned look in her eyes.
796
797Rather than reply, I stood up and brushed it off as if it were nothing.
798
799“What the hell is up with your body? You’re not indestructible are you?”
800
801Though she looked rather surprised, there was a tinge of relief in her voice.
802
803I wasn’t quite indestructible, I could still feel pain from nasty hits after all.
804
805However, I wondered if a ten-meter fall was supposed to cause only a little soreness in someone’s body. Wait a minute, it was rather pitiful that the first amount of damage I received in this world came from falling out of a tree!
806
807For the time being, I used recovery magic on myself as a precaution and then answered her.
808
809“I’ll try to sleep closer to the center next time……”
810
811“I see. I thought it was something like that.”
812
813After receiving a scolding from Ariane, we returned to the observation deck, had our breakfast and set off
814
815The monsters we came across were no problem to deal with, but since I kept stopping to harvest their magic stones we reached our destination around noon
816
817The trees of the densely packed forest had given way to the spectacle in front of us.
818
819An overwhelming landscape opened up before my eyes.
820
821The earth had opened below this cliff to reveal a lush and sprawling valley covered in thick mist. The opposite end of the valley laid at a far-off distance and two towering mountain ranges in the east and west acted as the boundary. The Wind Dragon Mountain Range sat in the east and the Fire Drago Mountain Range in the west.
822
823A forest rested at the bottom of the valley and the thousand or so meter drop from here to the ground floor seemed impossible to survive. It was as if a chunk of the world had been taken out.
824
825Once a normal breeze made its way up the cliff, it had grown into a large gale. The updraft nearly blew the tiny Ponta away.
826
827“This is the ‘Dragon Valley’, huh…… Quite the spectacular scenery.”
828
829“…… It certainly is impressive, but it’s also impossible for me to safely get down there from here.”
830
831I regret to say that even someone like me would struggle to descend such a height. No, I’d certainly
832 
833die. It was a hundred times higher than the light fall I had this morning.
834
835While Chiome and I had been timidly staring over the edge, expressing our opinions, Ariane urged us now from behind.
836
837“The cavern is just east of here, along the cliff face. We’ll have to keep a lookout for the occasional Wyvern that flies by.”
838
839Ariane began moving again and the two of us hurried to keep up. After about an hour of traversing the forest with 【Dimensional Step】, we came across a similar rest area to the one from this morning close by the valley.
840
841The observation deck in the center of the trees was slightly lower, maybe only seven or eight meters off the ground. Apart from how close this one was to Dragon Valley, there wasn’t much difference between the sites.
842
843Since it was close to the cavern entrance, we’d spend the night here and then rush through the cavern early tomorrow morning.
844
845On the second night of camping, I slept closer to the center to prevent myself from falling off again.
846 
847Chapter 4 「I Have A Bad Feeling」
848
849
850
851
852The next morning, the shadow of the Wind Dragon Mountains blocked the sunlight from reaching us as we quickly finished our breakfast and headed towards the Dragon Valley.
853
854We were now scaling down the cliff from yesterday on a path that was barely wide enough for one person to pass at a time.
855
856The mist that had blanketed the forest floor was pouring into the valley like a river, and the forest that had been visible yesterday was now lost in a sea of mist. The literal mist-sea was constantly pulsing and shifting with its own unique currents and tides.
857
858Every once in a while, a strong breeze would blow a wave of mist up the cliff face like a spray of water.
859
860It wasn’t possible for me to walk straight along the path while wearing my armor, so I had to cling to the wall as I walked. Since it’d be bad if Ponta got caught in the wind currents, she was safely settled in Ariane’s cleavage, though I couldn’t see her because I was bringing up the rear.
861
862The 『Overcoat of the Night Sky』 fluttered in the wind as I carefully traversed the path until we cam upon the cavern’s entrance.
863
864The cavern entrance was about fifty meters beneath the cliff and appeared to be a gaping hole that led into a dark abyss.
865
866Since the pathway had widened in front of the cavern, we took a short break that gave me enough time to examine it.
867
868The entrance itself was considerably large, about five meters in height, and was even wider than that.
869
870The ledge in front of the cavern was covered in moss leading into the abyss.
871
872“Since a variety of monsters inhabit the cavern we need to proceed with caution.”
873
874Ariane took out the crystal lamp from her knapsack after she said that and turning it on and shined light into the dark cavern.
875
876Chiome and I followed suit and took out our own crystal lamps. The stronger light sources managed to illuminate some of the cavern.
877
878However, darkness still remained in the depths of the cavern and seemed impenetrable from here.
879
880It’d be impossible to cover any meaningful distance with 【Dimensional Step】 in this place.
881
882With a crystal lamp in hand, Ariane led the way into the cavern, while I brought up the rear.
883
884A chilly wind would blow up from deeper in the cavern and the only sounds that could be heard were the eerie sounds of our echoing footsteps.
885 
886The descending route into the cavern was rather extensive, several branching paths opened up along the way, yet Ariane remained steadfast in her advance and paid them no mind.
887
888When I looked back I saw that the entrance was no longer visible.
889
890“You said that this place was inhabited by monsters, but we haven’t seen any yet……”
891
892I moved my lamp to peer into the darkness after I said that.
893
894All of a sudden Ponta, who was sitting on Ariane’s shoulder, let out a cry just as Ariane drew her sword.
895
896“Kyun!”
897
898“Giant Bats!”
899
900At Ariane’s shout, I looked ahead of her to find a one-meter tall, large bat hanging from the ceiling with its full two-meter long wingspan on display. The bat’s ears looked like fish gills and when it bared its fangs and let out a strange cry, dozens more of them attacked from the ceiling.
901
902The bats flew in strange patterns and screeched above Ariane’s and Chiome’s heads with their fangs bared
903
904The bats were completely focused on those two and paid me no mind.
905
906“They’re really annoying in large numbers!”
907
908“Kyuhyun!”
909
910Ariane expertly killed one of the bats as it tried to attack her from the side. Ponta was unusually motivated about this fight, even participating by creating a small whirlwind around Ariane that threw off the bats’ flight patterns.
911
912The instant a bat faltered, Ariane would cut into it with her sword. Thanks to Ponta’s intervention, the threat of individual bats wasn’t all that high.
913
914『Water ninjutsu: Water shuriken!!』
915
916Behind Ariane, Chiome began shooting down the bats that had been hanging back with the water shuriken she was able to create.
917
918I was completely left alone by the bats, so I was using my large sword to cut down any bat that tried to attack the two of them from behind.
919
920Since they were flying around in irregular patterns I doubted I could hit them with a magic attack Taking advantage of my incredible kinetic vision, I reduced the bats to corpses.
921
922However, despite my sword’s size, it couldn’t reach the bats higher up in the air.
923
924While glaring at the bats in the air, I remembered a technique I had used to kill a bandit before.
925
926“【Flying Dragon Slash】!”
927 
928
929Some of the bats flying in the air were bisected and fell to the ground when they were struck by an invisible slash created by the technique.
930
931While it was an excellent midrange technique, it was quite difficult to use since my allies couldn’t see the slash either. In other words, it was basically useless for supporting my friends.
932
933After I continued to fire off 【Flying Dragon Slash】 towards the ceiling for a bit, the bats scattere once their numbers had dwindled enough.
934
935“Hmm〜, were those monsters? For some reason, they didn’t seem to notice me……”
936
937I sheathed my sword and took a look around before picking my knapsack back up. The bat corpses were littering the area in small mounds.
938
939“They weren’t monsters, just common animals. Since they suck the blood of their prey, someone like you wouldn’t be considered food, Arc.”
940
941After wiping the blood from her sword, Ariane turned to me and gave me the explanation about the giant bats’ behavior.
942
943My whole body was completely covered in metal body armor and there wasn’t any moisture in my bones, so it was understandable that they wouldn’t consider me prey.
944
945I guess they could have determined that much with their echolocation.
946
947When I looked back at Chiome, I saw that she had picked up one of the fallen giant bats and was examining its wing.
948
949“Chiome-dono, is everything alright?”
950
951“Everything is fine. By the way, are these things edible? I have eaten a smaller version of these before, so I’m curious……”
952
953I was left in a daze when Chiome asked me that question while holding up a headless giant bat.
954
955If I wasn’t mistaken, there were a couple of places on earth where eating bats was a common occurrence, and she had eaten them before.
956
957Since the People of the Plains and Mountains were a persecuted race, it wouldn’t be all tha surprising if large-scale agriculture or cattle raising were impossible and eating anything edible was an acceptable practice.
958
959However, the giant bat’s pig-and-mouse chimera face, gill-like ears and large fangs made it look anything but appetizing.
960
961When I turned to Ariane, she nodded her head in sympathy before answering.
962
963“We don’t usually eat them. Given their appearance and all……”
964
965Ariane agreed with my opinion.
966
967“Anyway, if we don’t hurry we won’t be able to leave this place tonight.”
968 
969After her brief statement, Ariane held up her lamp and resumed her trek into the cavern.
970
971“You’re right, sorry.”
972
973Chiome nodded as she quietly tossed the giant bat she’d been holding aside before following Ariane with a slightly depressed expression.
974
975As we continued or trek into the dark cavern, we came across one-meter long ghost millipedes crawling along the walls, a gathering of the game’s small fries monster slimes and avoided monsters hidden deeper in the shadows that caused chills to run up our spines.
976
977I also began to hear strange voices that originated from somewhere from just beyond the light’s range. This skeleton body might’ve been be the only reason I was able to maintain my cool
978
979Then an unknown monster drifted into my line of sight.
980
981“Ariane-dono, what is that creature?”
982
983It drifted in the air like a balloon, it’s spherical and seemingly soft body was covered in eyes, and several tentacles hung from its body.
984
985The monster looked like a flying jellyfish, honestly.
986
987More and more of them became visible as we advanced. Ariane managed to catch my hand before I drew my sword and attacked one that came too close to me.
988
989“That is a ‘Spoil’, it will just float by if you don’t bother it. When you attack them, they will release poison instead of fighting back.”
990
991She said that they just floated around and when I took a close look at the tentacles of the Spoils I saw that they would occasionally catch a flying beetle to eat.
992
993Several of the creatures’ eyes surveyed the environment at all times, but the scene of the creature preying on insects was rather chilling to watch.
994
995While doing our best to avoid the Spoils as we moved beyond them, Chiome called out a warning.
996
997“Ariane-dono, there’s an unpleasant smell up ahead. It’s most likely an undead.”
998
999At her warning, Ariane stopped walking and held out her crystal lamp deeper into the depths.
1000
1001Unfortunately, the light wasn’t able to reach that far back, but a gust of wind carried along the sound of something limping. A humanoid shape soon crawled out of the darkness.
1002
1003“A zombie……?”
1004
1005The body that crawled towards us on its hand and feet had discolored, dark brown skin and vacant eyes. Also, there were strange worms squirming around in its limbs and body.
1006
1007When It managed to stand up, I could see that a large worm was resting in a cavity that had been opened in its chest. It moved like a sea anemone that had just found it’s prey.
1008 
1009“That!? It’s not a Zombie, it’s a Ghoul Worm!!”
1010
1011Ariane’s panicked voice echoed throughout the cavern as more ghoul worms appeared from the shadows and launched themselves at us.
1012
1013“They jump!?”
1014
1015The creatures leaped outside of the light that the crystal lamp gave off and carried enough momentum to reach me.
1016
1017I took a step back in order to dodge and proceeded to put down my lamp before drawing my sword.
1018
1019In this dark area, the range in which I could fight was limited to the area illuminated by the light. Ariane and Chiome both possessed nightvision, so they were fine fighting in the dark, but my light-dependent self was left as an easy target.
1020
1021I dodged several of the ghoul worms that leaped at me from the shadows and was about to cut them down when a nearby Spoil caused me to halt my swing.
1022
1023While wielding a greatsword was advantageous when fighting multiple enemies, it was a hindrance in narrow spaces. If you added something that you weren’t supposed to touch into the mix, then the weapon was rendered nearly useless.
1024
1025Even though Ariane wielded a longsword, I doubted I could replicate her ability to avoid the Spoils and safely cut into the ghoul worms.
1026
1027“【Sword of Judgment】!”
1028
1029Shortly after the Ghoul Worms had landed, I invoked the Paladin skill I had once used to kill a Gian Basilisk.
1030
1031My sword shined a radiant light as I swung it down in front of me. Instantly, a magic circle formed under a Ghoul Worm’s feet before a sword of light fell from the ceiling. However, the Ghoul Worm managed to jump out of the way before the sword could hit.
1032
1033It was quite difficult to aim at a human body with the ability to leap about like a giant grasshopper. My target wasn’t the size of a Giant Basilisk and it was agile enough to easily dodge 【Sword o Judgment】.
1034
1035I immediately gave up on using my sword in this fight and sheathed it before picking up my lamp and pointing it at Ariane.
1036
1037“I’m going to gather these pests together! 【Whirlwind】!!”
1038
1039“Huh, Arc!?”
1040
1041Ariane shouting my name in surprise as I invoked a wind attribute magic spell of the magician class.
1042
1043With me at it’s center, a fierce gale began blowing throughout the cavern and traveled in the direction of my outstretched hand.
1044 
1045The Spoils that had been floating in the air were blown deeper into the cavern. The Ghoul Worms, on the other hand, were blown off balance by the strong gale.
1046
1047Without giving them time to recover, I invoked another spell.
1048
1049“【Stone Fangs】!!”
1050
1051Rock spikes formed from hard bedrock burst from the ground and skewered the cluster of Ghoul Worms before they had any chance to leap out of the way.
1052
1053The skewered Ghoul Worms’ movement had clearly been dulled, but they still struggled to get free.
1054
1055It seemed like this wasn’t enough to kill them, when I turned to Ariane and Chiome to tell them that Ariane raised her voice again.
1056
1057“Wait a second, Arc! You’re not supposed to use earth magic in caves because it affect──!!”
1058
1059I heard a bit of anxiety in Ariane’s voice, but she was soon cut off by a sudden loud thud.
1060
1061The ground beneath my feet suddenly collapsed into a large fissure that swallowed me whole.
1062
1063“Nuuooooo!?”
1064
1065My view radically changed as I continued to fall. When I noticed a small hole on my left as I fel down this endless roller coaster I somehow managed to roll into it.
1066
1067Now I knew how Indiana Jones felt when he fell into traps.
1068
1069“Because earth magic affects the ground, it’s a bad idea to recklessly use it in caves!”
1070
1071When I looked back up at where I fell from, I saw Ariane and Chiome climbing down the wal towards me.
1072
1073The two of them seemed to have been caught in the collapse as well. Ponta was even clinging to Ariane’s chest for safety.
1074
1075It was my fault for not accounting for the effect earth magic would have on the topography, so I sincerely apologized.
1076
1077“Sorry! Let’s find a place to stand and then use transfer magic to get out of here!”
1078
1079I had managed to maintain my grasp on my crystal lamp and it still emitted light, so I began searching around for it.
1080
1081There were a couple of rocks sticking out here and there but there weren’t enough to hinder us as we slid down the tunnel.
1082
1083After a while, the dark, narrow hole gave way to an open area.
1084
1085The slope we’d been sliding down evened out, allowing us to slow down and take a look around the room.
1086 
1087Despite this place being located deep underground in a cavern, a dim, bluish light illuminated the area and revealed a location befitting of a fantasy world.
1088
1089“There’s a subterranean lake here. And that’s……!?”
1090
1091When I heard Chiome speak up, I focused a bit more on our surrounding and found that most of the ground was covered by clear water. The things that illuminated this underground lake and created this mysterious scenery were pale lights that could be seen all around us.
1092
1093But most shocking of all was the huge ship that was anchored near the lakefront despite this being an underground lake.
1094 
1095Chapter 5 「The Trip Underground」Part 1
1096
1097
1098
1099
1100I slowly stood up in order to get a better look at the strange sight we found ourselves in. The ceiling was about one hundred meters above our heads.
1101
1102There were light emitting crystals scattered about the cave that illuminated the whole area.
1103
1104The lake that rested in the cave was so vast that I couldn’t even see its opposite shore. Halfway along the nearby wall, there was a considerably large opening from which water was pouring into the lake.
1105
1106The water that filled the lake was crystal clear and reflected the one man-made structure located in this fantastic underground scenery.
1107
1108There was a simple wooden pier next to the lake with a huge ship anchored to it.
1109
1110The ship was the only thing there and resembled a three-masted galleon, I could see multiple oars resting slightly above the waterline.
1111
1112If such a ship could be found in this underground lake, it could only mean that this place was connected to the surface.
1113
1114“For there to be naturally occurring light emitting crystal here……”
1115
1116“Kyun!”
1117
1118After Ariane stood up, she approached a wall studded with crystal and voiced her admiration. Ponta also peeked out of Ariane’s bosom and began to look around on her own.
1119
1120“Judging from the pier and ship, it’s clear that humans have been here.”
1121
1122Chiome had done her own investigation before she focused on the ship.
1123
1124“But how did they manage to reach such a place?”
1125
1126As Chiome looked in confusion at the man-made pier that just didn’t belong here, Ariane picked up a nearby stone and showed it to us.
1127
1128“This might have something to do with it……”
1129
1130When she turned the stone over it emitted a slightly pale, purple light from its crystalline form.
1131
1132“Magic stones.”
1133
1134Chiome’s eyes widened when she saw the purple light emitting stone.
1135
1136“High-purity magic stones are scattered all around this place. That’s how the naturally formed light crystals maintain their power.”
1137
1138The light emitting crystals around us worked the same way as the ones in my lamp.
1139 
1140I held up my lamp to get a better look at the crystals inside it.
1141
1142“Are you sure these crystals are the same thing?”
1143
1144“The crystals in the lamps were created artificially. The expensive natural crystals would never be used in camping gear.”
1145
1146The lamp in my hand, the one Chiome had called a rather expensive commodity for humans, was a cheap item according to her.
1147
1148If that was true then the crystals in this place would be a literal gold mine.
1149
1150The magic stone could also be used by the elves to make fuel for magic tools. The innumerable uses for the stones casually lying at my feet came to mind.
1151
1152“With the magic stones alone, I could bath for a year straight without worry!”
1153
1154Ariane had a bitter smile when she heard my comment, but then she stroked her chin and took another look around as she started speaking.
1155
1156“With the number of resources here, I’ll need to inform father about it. We may need to have a team of warriors investigate later……”
1157
1158“It appears to me that we should look into those who reside here before we proceed……”
1159
1160Chiome returned her suspicious gaze to the nearby ship and voiced her opinion to Ariane.
1161
1162Ariane and I both turned to the ship when she said that.
1163
1164Given its present condition, it was obvious that someone was maintaining it. The ship didn’t appear to have been abandoned, and if anything it seemed like it could set sail at any moment.
1165
1166However, I couldn’t see anyone around the ship. I couldn’t hear the sound of anyone moving about, only the sound of the far-off waterfall.
1167
1168It might be necessary to board the ship in order to investigate its owner.
1169
1170“For now, how about we just check out the ship?”
1171
1172When I turned away from the probably haunted ship to look at Ariane and Chiome as the two of them nodded at my suggestion.
1173
1174The three of us, and our little fox, walked up to the side of the ship.
1175
1176The full length of the ship, from bowsprit to stern, was about sixty meters and from the main mast to waterline it was thirty meters tall. There was also a platform leading up to the ship’s deck.
1177
1178Ariane seemed rather anxious as she looked up at the ship.
1179
1180“There’s no sign of anyone here……”
1181
1182When we made our way up to the deck, I saw that the large double doors leading to the main hold
1183 
1184were left open. In addition, there were four cannons on each side of the deck, the stern of the ship was higher than the main deck and equipped with ship lanterns.
1185
1186While I wondered if the ships in this world already came equipped with cannons, Ariane stepped forward and shouted once she saw them.
1187
1188“Are those mana cannons!? What are these doing here!?”
1189
1190A confused Chiome asked Ariane just what she was talking about.
1191
1192“Ariane-dono, what are mana cannons?”
1193
1194“It’s a type of magic tool that can shoot metal balls over incredible distances by consuming mana. Only the elves of Great Canada forest or the Fabuna’ha kingdom of the southern continent should have access to them…… I haven’t heard anything about human kingdoms acquiring them.”
1195
1196Ariane glanced at the cannons fixed to the side of the deck as she spoke.
1197
1198I didn’t remember seeing any ships equipped with cannons in the Rhoden Kingdom’s harbor city Lanbaltic when I went on a bit of a rampage there.
1199
1200“Then, if this ship isn’t from the same group of elves Ariane-dono is from, could it belong to the Fabuna’ha kingdom?”
1201
1202Though it was a logical conclusion, Ariane crossed her arms and shook her head at my question.
1203
1204“This ship isn’t designed like elven vessels, and there is no proof that it’s a Fabuna’ha ship…… it
1205
1206seems different from the ones I’ve seen before.”
1207
1208Ariane had started brushing the barrel of one of the cannons as she spoke.
1209
1210“Where in the world did this ship──”
1211
1212“Kyun! Kyun!”
1213
1214“There’s something coming from below deck……!”
1215
1216Before Ariane could finish her question, Ponta suddenly let out a cry as she buried herself into Ariane’s chest and Chiome’s ears perked up as she called our attention to what was happening.
1217
1218The next moment, the doors leading to the ship’s deck were forcefully thrown open and a large number of sword-wielding skeletons attacked us.
1219
1220“Huh!? Is this entire place infested with these things!?”
1221
1222Only the sounds from rattling bones and clanging swords could be heard as skeletons similar to myself silently sprung from below deck and swarmed us.
1223
1224“These are just ordinary undead skeletons! If they were as strong as Arc, countries would fall if such a large number of them existed!!”
1225
1226Ariane  made  a  rather  rude  comment as  she  set her  sword  ablaze  and  struck the  knees  of the
1227 
1228approaching skeletons. Splendidly dodging their attacks, Chiome proceeded to shatter the skeleton’s bones with roundhouse kicks.
1229
1230Myself, I drew the 『Sword of Holy Thunder』and began smashing the skeletons with the flat side o the blade.
1231
1232Since the blade of the 『Sword of Holy Thunder』 was so wide, it shattered the skulls of the skeletons with a dry sound as more and more skeletons moved above deck.
1233
1234“This ship already belongs to the undead! The simplest method to get rid of them would be to set the whole thing ablaze!”
1235
1236Chiome proposed destroying the ship as she continued to knock skeletons away. Ariane then shouted her agreement to the idea.
1237
1238“Yeah! There’re too many of them, once I set it on fire we need to jump over──!!?”
1239
1240While Ariane tried to answer as she knocked away another bunch of skeletons, her voice trailed off when she noticed something.
1241
1242All of a sudden, the skeletons that had been crawling up from below deck were blown away as a single large body emerged.
1243
1244『Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!』
1245
1246Unlike the skeletons before it, this humanoid monster was covered in patches of discolored skin.
1247
1248It was taller than even me, standing around three meters tall. It wore a chest plate on its muscular upper body, a body that seems to be composed of two torsos fused together. Both sets of arms held a sword and a lump of metal that seemed to be a shield. And the creature’s lower body was that of a giant spider.
1249
1250The creature had two human heads beside each other on its neck, each head had a mouth full of fangs capable of ripping flesh from bone and topping everything off were the four and five eyes the heads had respectively.
1251
1252The chimera spider released a bone-chilling roar before it agilely moved it’s spider legs through the crowd of skeletons to go where we were fighting.
1253
1254When they saw the monster approaching Ariane’s and Chiome’s eyes bulged in shock and horror.
1255
1256“What…… is that thing!? It’s clad in death’s taint, so it’s an undead as well!?”
1257
1258Judging from Ariane’s tone, she didn’t know what the undead creature was. When I turned towards Chiome it was clear that she didn’t know either.
1259
1260Of course, this was a monster that I’d never seen before, not even in the game.
1261
1262When it was near enough, the creatures glared at us before opening it mouths and spit out some coherent sentences.
1263 
1264『Kill…… all intruders!! Moku kill them all!! Kill everyone!!!』
1265
1266When it’s scratchy voice boomed through the area, the creature’s spider legs quickly extended as it flung itself into the sky with its weapons raised high.
1267 
1268
1269Chapter 6 「The Trip Underground」Part 2
1270
1271
1272
1273
1274“An undead spoke words!?”
1275
1276“It appears to be different from low-level undead like skeletons!”
1277
1278Ariane and Chiome dodged the chimera’s attack by leaping back and tried to make sense of the speaking undead monster.
1279
1280I, on the other hand, had grabbed the shield from my back and blocked one of the chimera’s strikes.
1281
1282The considerable shock that ran through my arm showed my opponent’s impressive physical strength.
1283
1284When I used the 『Sword of Holy Thunder』 in my other hand to launch a counterattack, the Spide Chimera moved its humanoid body to block my attack with one of the chunks of metal it used as shield. The collision of the two items created a large sonic boom.
1285
1286“It was repelled!?”
1287
1288Until now, everything that I attacked with this sword was killed in a single blow, but I only felt a slight impact as the Spider Chimera was knocked back.
1289
1290『ーMolten stone, pierce through my enemiesー』
1291
1292When the chimera was staggered after my attack, Ariane used her spirit magic to launch an attack of her own against it. However, the chimera managed to raise its shields to defend itself and when the flames hit the shield they immediately vanished.
1293
1294“A mithril shield!?”
1295
1296Ariane glared at the Spider Chimera in disbelief.
1297
1298In this fantasy world, mithril ore was a precious raw material. For a monster of seemingly low intelligence to possess it, along with the set of knight armor it currently wore, could only me one thing…… someone has given the chimera these items.
1299
1300Given what the monster had said before, someone was obviously pulling its strings.
1301
1302The Spider Chimera used our moment of surprise as an opportunity to attack. The monster charged a Ariane with the intention of taking full advantage of its large size and impressive strength.
1303
1304Despite its large frame, the monster’s spider legs made it quite agile.
1305
1306While Ariane managed to dodge the blow, the chimera’s attack crushed a couple of nearby skeletons before hitting the deck.
1307
1308“【Flame】!!”
1309
1310Just as the chimera was about to pursue Ariane, I hit it with an beginner-level magic that was easier to control.
1311 
1312The pillar of flame that shot from my hand as if it were a flame thrower managed to incinerate some skeletons, the chimera raised its shield to disperse some of the flames and leaped backward to avoid the rest.
1313
1314Even though the flames didn’t do any damage to the chimera, they were enough to set the ship on fire.
1315
1316As embers started to flare up, the tranquil cave was soon filled with the sound of burning wood, smoke and orange lights.
1317
1318“It’ll be too dangerous to fight on board! Return to the lakefront, quickly!”
1319
1320Chiome, who’d been fighting off the skeletons until now, called out to Ariane and me before heading back down to the pier.
1321
1322As if instinctively, Ariane and I shared a passing glance and she nodded back at me when I yelled my intentions.
1323
1324“I’ll guard the rear! Chiome-dono and Ariane-dono leave first!!”
1325
1326The chimera in front of us had erupted in a rage-filled roar when it saw the ship being consumed by the flames.
1327
1328「Hindrances, I kill yoooouuuu!!!」
1329
1330As its two human heads bellowed, the chimera raised its weapons to attack.
1331
1332Ariane and Chiome had weaved their way through the crowd of skeletons back to the pier and were probably preparing to fight the chimera on the ground.
1333
1334However, I intended to kill this thing here and now.
1335
1336That’s why I had Ariane and Chiome leave the narrow confines of the ship. Since the majority of my skills and spells had large areas of effect and firepower, I was hesitant to use them unless I was fighting alone.
1337
1338While the skill I was gonna use was fine in the game, it was something quite difficult to use in group fights in real life.
1339
1340“【Sacred Lightning Sword】!!”*
1341
1342In the  game,  only mythical  grade  weapons  had  weapon skills……  though it’s  unknown if the
1343
1344temporary status debuff carried over into reality, it should still be a considerably powerful ability.
1345
1346My sword’s blade shined in a deep blue color as it more than doubled its length and an electric aura wrapped around it.
1347
1348The skill’s effects in the game were an increase of 10% in offensive power, inflicting low-level paralysis on targets and increasing the sword’s range.
1349
1350There weren’t any visual cues for the sword’s extended range in the game, but in this world, there was a brutally obvious one.
1351 
1352When I lightly swung the 『Sword of Holy Thunder』 the skeletons in the vicinity were vaporized b the sword’s aura and the nearby mast was cut off.
1353
1354A common nickname for this skill was ‘lightsaber mode’.
1355
1356The broken mast fell into the water with a huge splash.
1357
1358「AGahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!」
1359
1360The Spider Chimera roared again as it started flailing its weapons.
1361
1362“I’ll show you the power of the force!!”
1363
1364I held the bluish white sword up as I stared down the chimera.
1365
1366The creature leapt into the air and brought its swords down with a full force swing. There was certainly power behind the move, but it was child’s play compared to Glenys’ attacks.
1367
1368Even if it had four arms, only two of them were holding swords. I used my lighting clad sword to cut off the lower sword arm and then stabbed my blade into its chest.
1369
1370「Gyhaaaaaaaaa!!?」
1371
1372The monster let out an agonized cry as half of its torso vanished. I followed up on the thrust by cutting the remains of the human upper body from the spider lower body.
1373
1374The chimera’s main body managed to raise its two shields to defend against my next attack. While the sword temporarily reverted to its original form on contact, it quickly returned to its powered form and the recoil was large enough to cut a section out of the ship.
1375
1376「OOOOOOOOO……!」
1377
1378The Spider Chimera squeezed out a rueful cry as it’s flesh began to bubble and melt away.
1379
1380I didn’t care all that much as the creature dissolved in front of me…… but as I started to walk away,
1381
1382a huge explosion blew out one of the ship’s sides. The shock could be felt from beneath my feet and the first explosion seems to have triggered smaller ones.
1383
1384Something stored in this ship had caught fire and this vessel wouldn’t last much longer.
1385
1386I used 【Dimensional Step】 to move to the pier and slowly walked away as multiple explosions wen off on the ship.
1387
1388Just as I was imagining how I might look recreating that one action movie scene, the pier I was walking on began to creak.
1389
1390When I looked back, I saw that the multiple explosions had sunk the ship and that the pier was following close behind.
1391
1392“Oh no, nonononono.”
1393
1394As I ran towards the solid ground I noticed that the 『Sword of Holy Thunder』 was cutting into th
1395 
1396pier. In order to prevent my elongated sword from tearing into the pier even further, I had to awkwardly hold it up as I ran.
1397 
1398 
1399
1400I somehow reached land just before the last section of the pier sank into the water. Wondering if my mistake had been seen by the others, I quickly looked around for them.
1401
1402If I had been more level headed, I could have simply used transfer magic to get off the pier, but for some reason I had wanted to show off after my victory.
1403
1404As I scratched my head and felt a sudden tightness in my chest, sounds of a battle came from behind a large bolder, making me rush towards it once my sword returned to normal.
1405
1406When I reached the area, I found Ariane and Chiome fending off a group of skeletons and anothe Spider Chimera.
1407
1408I unintentionally looked back where the ship had sunk before returning my gaze to the chimera.
1409
1410The creature’s appearance and armor wasn’t all that different from the other one, but it carried four large pickaxes in its humanoid hands instead of swords and shields.
1411
1412This one had probably been hidden away somewhere before now, but Ariane and Chiome seemed to be holding their own against it. Unlike the other chimera, this one lacked mithril shields, allowing Ariane to drop back and shoot fireballs at it with her spirit magic.
1413
1414Chiome managed to sneak into the chimera’s blind spot and cut off one of the spider legs with a water dagger before retreating back.
1415
1416The Chimera released a pained shriek as it turned around to attacked whatever injured it. This proved to be fatal, as Ariane ran up to the distracted chimera and ran her flame clad sword through its back. Having lost its strength, the chimera’s body fell to the ground and began to dissolve like the other one.
1417
1418Simultaneously with the chimera’s death, the remaining skeletons became disordered.The coordinated unit they had been previously was reduced to an incoherent mob. Apparently, the chimeras had been controlling the skeletons all along.
1419
1420I called out to the two of them just as they finished cutting down the nearby mindless skeletons.
1421
1422“So there were two of those monsters.”
1423
1424“It and a horde of skeletons appeared from the waterfall not long after we got off the ship.”
1425
1426Ariane spoke up after wiping the dirt from her sword and sheathing it.
1427
1428“The lower half of its body was rather tough. I would’ve been quite difficult to injure the creature with a regular dagger.”
1429
1430While keeping an eye on the melting Spider Chimera, Chiome ran her finger over her regular dagge to check for nicks in the blade.
1431
1432“I have no idea what they were, but we seem to have dealt with them just fine.”
1433
1434I dropped my eye towards some nearby skeletal remains. The skeletons here didn’t carry any weapons like the ones that had been on the ship, they had had collection baskets on their backs instead.
1435 
1436
1437The battle had scattered the contents of the baskets all over the ground. A quick look revealed the items to be magic stones like the one Ariane had picked up before.
1438
1439“That ship of undead had been gathering these……”
1440
1441“What in the world could they be using these for?”
1442
1443Chiome looked at the scattered magic stones before she asked her questions.
1444
1445“There are various uses for this for elves, but humans still lack the technology to properly process them. The best they could do would be the 『Explosive Magic Crystal』 that was used in Hoban……”
1446
1447A wrinkle formed on Ariane’s forehead as she stroked her chin and answered Chiome.
1448
1449“The ship has sunk to the bottom of the lake, but the masterminds haven’t revealed themselves. We’ll only be wasting our time pondering this mystery here. Shouldn’t we focus on what to do from here on out?”
1450
1451The two of them broke out of their thoughts about this whole situation and nodded at my proposal to move on.
1452
1453“You’re right. It’s better to let the elders conduct a detailed investigation.”
1454
1455“How about we take a break? Currently, there aren’t any signs of a threat in the nearby area, Ponta is barely managing to stay on Ariane’s neck.”
1456
1457Chiome’s ears rose into the air before she suggested that we take a rest. Ponta was indeed raggedly hanging off Ariane’s neck.
1458
1459“Ky〜un……”
1460
1461Having to cling to Ariane as she fought and the mental fatigue from sensing the Spider Chimera and the undead must have tired the little fox out.
1462
1463Ariane quickly took Ponta from around her neck and began nursing the fox against her chest.
1464
1465Our little group moved to the lakeside and began discussing our future plans.
1466
1467“Do you want to return to the cavern’s entrance with 【Transfer Gate】 and start over? Since I ingrained the entrance into my mind, escaping wouldn’t be a problem.”
1468
1469Ariane stopped feeding dried beans to Ponta when I made my proposal and shook her head no in response.
1470
1471“No, since a reconnaissance team needs to be sent to this place we should find a proper way out of here. Once we find our way out, we’ll return here and set up camp for the night. Apart from the undead, I believe this cave is relatively safe from monsters……”
1472
1473Ariane voiced her suggestion while alternating her gaze between Chiome and me as if asking for our cooperation with her eyes.
1474
1475“Well… A large amount of time has passed since we entered, and it may be dark outside by the time
1476 
1477we leave. I think this place would be the most suitable campsite in this cavern, given the surplus of light and water.”
1478
1479I nodded in agreement when Chiome spoke her opinion. “Understood. Then let’s look for a way back up after our break.”
1480
1481I nodded as if I had no objections and took off my helmet while sighing.
1482 
1483Chapter 7 「Dragon King」Part 1
1484
1485
1486
1487
1488The next day, the forest within my view was illuminated by the afternoon sun.
1489
1490The Wind Dragon Mountain Range extended to the east, connecting to the Ice Dragon Mountain Rang in the northeast and the Fire Dragon Mountain Range spreading out before us.
1491
1492This valley was somehow formed between these mountain ranges.
1493
1494Yesterday, we were successfully able to find our way back to the main cavern from the underground lake and today we managed to complete our trek into the valley.
1495
1496Back in the underground lake area, using earth spirit magic and transfer magic to climb up next to the waterfall, we found a branching passage that eventually led into the main cavern at the waterfall’s mouth.
1497
1498There had been plenty of light-emitting stones in the lake area that made the use of transfer magic possible.
1499
1500We were now standing outside the cavern’s exit, halfway down the Wind Dragon Mountain Range, with Ariane and Chiome taking in the scenery below us.
1501
1502“We managed to make it out before dark.”
1503
1504Ariane sighed in relief after saying that and pulled out the map she received in the village.
1505
1506“I’ve finally passed through the Wind Dragon Mountain Range. This will be good news for th village……”
1507
1508“Ky〜un.”
1509
1510Chiome seemed deeply emotional about something as she stared out at the scenery, which allowed Ponta to happily play with her cat ears.
1511
1512Chiome blushed a little at Ponta’s playful antics before she returned to her usual expressionless face.
1513
1514“Ariane-dono, where is the spring located?”
1515
1516When I called out to Ariane she started to alternate her gaze between the map and scouting the area.
1517
1518“It seems to be near the top of that mountain over there.”
1519
1520She pointed to a separate mountain that was located just beyond the forest below us as she spoke.
1521
1522The mountain was next to the Wind Dragon Mountain Range and wasn’t all that impressive i comparison. Sitting atop it was a huge tree whose roots covered the entire thing, and was giving off a strange vibe I could even feel here.
1523
1524“I take it that that’s the Dragon King’s tree. Though I can’t see any sign of a huge dragon from here.”
1525 
1526
1527I strained my eyes as I looked around the mountain.
1528
1529“I still can’t make out anything from here. When we do encounter the Dragon King, don’t do anythin reckless and leave the talking to me, alright?”
1530
1531Ariane lightly thrust her finger against my armor as she spoke.
1532
1533It wasn’t like I wanted to pick a fight with the strongest of the dragon species, so I returned a silen nod.
1534
1535Since there was no direct path from here to the Wind Dragon Mountain Range, we descended a gentle slope into the forest.
1536
1537After our descent we continued walking along the eastern mountain and soon came across a hilly area from which the huge tree could be seen at a better vantage point.
1538
1539Getting a closer look at the tree, I could see that the mountain the tree sat on was more spectacular I thought it’d be.
1540
1541There was a small patch of grass between the blueish ground in front of the mountain and the rest of forest, with four large boulders set off to the side.
1542
1543I could hardly believe my eyes when I caught sight of the structure that had been built at the base of the mountain.
1544
1545Though I couldn’t tell their exact height from here, based on the height of the surrounding trees they were maybe ten meters tall.
1546
1547There were two pillars standing parallel to each other with a connecting bar near the top of them……
1548
1549Seeing such an unusual structure in this uninhabited region caused me to unintentionally shout.
1550
1551“That’s impossible……!?”
1552
1553“Arc, what’s the mat──!?”
1554
1555A near silent mutter escaped my lips, as I unconsciously used 【Dimensional Step】 and materialized right in front of the gray stone structure.
1556
1557I’m sure I heard Ariane try to say something before I transferred, but the activation of the spell cut her off. However, that was a trivial matter right now.
1558
1559Right before my eyes stood a torii.
1560
1561The bases of the pillars were covered in moss, there was no decoration and it was constructed of simple stone, but it was unquestionably a torii*.
1562
1563After coming to this world, I haven’t seen anything like this anywhere I’ve been.
1564
1565I then remembered the reason Chiome had been accompanying us. She said she was in search of a hideout that the first head of the Blade Heart Clan had set up.
1566
1567If the first head had been a japanese person like I thought he’d been, then this torii could be a marker
1568 
1569for his secret hideout.
1570
1571Just beyond the torii, I could see man-made steps carved into the foothill that would make climbing it easier.
1572
1573The hideout that Chiome had been sent to find was probably located somewhere on this foothill. Jus as I was about to go back and tell the good news, the ground beneath my feet suddenly started shaking.
1574
1575“!?”
1576
1577《To stand on this one’s back, thou art quite reckless, young one!!》
1578
1579I heard a strange voice in my head and frantically looked around to find its source, only to have the ground move beneath my feet and toss me into the air.
1580
1581I was thrown a considerable distance into the air before the weight of my armor and body dragged me back down.
1582
1583However, as I fell I caught sight of the bluish boulders uncoiling into two sets of large wings.
1584
1585A large horned head attached to a long neck rose up and opened its large, fang-filled mouth before releasing a mighty roar that shook the whole area.
1586
1587The shock wave that accompanied the roar caused the birds resting in the nearby tree to fly away.
1588
1589I somehow managed to curl up into a ball in midair and safely disperse the momentum by rolling across the ground.
1590
1591I was greeted by a giant dragon the moment I stood up.
1592
1593The dragon’s body was covered in bluish scales and the four wings on its back were completely uncoiled. The two horns on its head were pitch black and there was a striped pattern on its neck. From its head to the tip of its tail, the dragon was twenty, no, thirty meters tall.
1594
1595Despite its large size, the dragon’s movements were rather nimble. The dragon was also considerably powerful, given that a casual jerk of its body was enough to cut down a few nearby trees.
1596
1597……I take it that this was the Dragon King Ariane talked about!!
1598
1599When the Dragon’s reptilian eyes focused in on me it opened its mouth and roared again.
1600
1601My body was pushed back a little by the shockwave and I needed to shake my head to stop the ringing in my ears.
1602
1603《Oh? For a young one to receive an attack of mine… It appears a challenger has come forth for this one!!》
1604
1605A man’s voice entered my head again as the Dragon smiled at me, baring its fangs in the process.
1606
1607Then it started laughing.
1608
1609The Dragon appeared to be the one producing the voice. It was using some kind of telepathy to
1610 
1611
1612communicate with me.
1613
1614Normally, interactions between intellectual beings started with a proper greeting, but after a single glance the Dragon King had labeled me a hero here to challenge him.
1615
1616I’d been so preoccupied with examining the torii that I hadn’t even given any thought to the Dragon King.
1617
1618When I looked up to the Dragon King, I knew I’d be crushed by this pinnacle of power if I didn’ explain myself.
1619
1620“Wait! I’m not here to──!”
1621
1622I quickly tried to explain everything to the Dragon King, but he rudely cut me off before I could sa anything.
1623
1624《Cease your pleading! Prepare to pay the price of thy foolishness!!》
1625
1626The Dragon King’s shout rang through my head as his bulky body began to move. With a twist of his body, the Dragon King whipped his tail at me.
1627
1628──I thought about the trivial matter of this being the first time an opponent didn’t want to speak with me instead of the imminent threat that approached.
1629
1630As the Dragon King’s powerful tail closed in on me, it flattened everything in its way.
1631
1632In half a breath, I used my left hand to grab the 『Heavenly Shield of Titus』 off my back and blocked the Dragon King’s tail strike with it.
1633
1634A massive shock traveled up my left arm and my hand became numb, but right now I didn’t have time to worry about that.
1635
1636As soon as his tail was repelled, the Dragon King had already pulled his neck back. While I couldn’ accurately grasp his movements, I saw a pale green light forming around his mouth that sent a shudder down my spine.
1637
1638Having fought dragons in the game, I knew what was coming next.
1639
1640The next moment, the Dragon King opened his mouth and unleashed a torrent of light and heat in my direction.
1641
1642“Whaaaaaaaaaaaaattttttttt!!?”
1643
1644The ray of light the Dragon King had released in a straight line had instantaneously blown away huge swathes of the forest and ground.
1645
1646I had managed to dodge to the side just before the beam of light hit me, and proceeded to roll to disperses most of the damage the pressure wave had generated.
1647
1648The surroundings shifted in my view as my body bounced against the ground like a skipping stone.
1649
1650When I finally hit something strong enough to stop my momentum, I rose to my knees and tried to scan
1651 
1652the area.
1653
1654However, everything in front of me was pitch black.
1655
1656“Huh!? Did the Dragon breath have a blinding effect as well!?”
1657
1658I tried touching my face with my empty hand in a state of panic.
1659
1660“Oh, my helmet was just turned around……”
1661
1662It most likely spun around when I’d been thrown around by the shockwave. I fixed my helmet and checked my condition at once.
1663
1664After confirming that I was alright, I slowly rose to my feet while looking around.
1665
1666All that remained of the land after the Dragon King’s breath attack was a smoking crater that had once been a grassy plain.
1667
1668Somehow the mountain behind the torii had remained undamaged.
1669
1670The nearby forest area had evaporated completely, leaving behind nothing but a deep linear gorge in the ground.
1671
1672Even my current body might’ve been unable to survive a direct hit from that. I’d even suffered a bit of damage just evading the attack.
1673
1674The name Dragon King wasn’t just for show.
1675
1676“This isn’t the type of enemy one should fight alone…… 【Large Heal】”
1677
1678Though I wasn’t sure if this boney body could be bruised, I cast recovery magic on myself to alleviate any damage.
1679
1680As the warm lights that appeared when I cast the spell were absorbed into my body, the pain I felt lessened and my body became lighter.
1681
1682《Ohh… Thou art still alive even after being grazed by this one’s attack. It appears this will be a worthwhile battle after all.》
1683
1684As the smoke cleared, the bulking body of the Dragon King came into view and despite the distance I’d been thrown away I could hear his voice loud and clear in my head.
1685
1686Even from here I could tell that the Dragon King’s fighting spirit had risen. The Dragon King raise his tail again as he flapped his wings and became airborne.
1687
1688Even if I tried to shout my explanation now, the enemy was dead set on fighting and there didn’t seem to be a way to stop him.
1689
1690I could run away with 【Transfer Gate】, but I’d be leaving Ariane and Chiome behind. There was limit to how fast I could move with 【Dimensional Step】in this place, not to mention that Dragon Kin would easily keep up with me in an open field.
1691 
1692While I might’ve been able to dodge using short transfers, it would be difficult to shake off a flying dragon.
1693
1694We were now beyond the point of using words.
1695
1696──	I resigned myself to my fate and drew my sword. “【Sacred Lightning Sword】!!”
1697
1698My sword’s blade shined a deep blue color as it more than doubled in length and an electric aura wrapped around it.
1699
1700No hard feelings.
1701 
1702Chapter 8 「Dragon King」Part 2
1703
1704
1705
1706
1707The Dragon King floated in the sky in a grandiose manner with its four wings. The flapping of said wings was so strong, it blew up a dust storm.
1708
1709In the game, its behavior would match that of a Wind Dragon.
1710
1711They were a subset of dragons with large wings, slim bodies and long tails. However, this dragon was about thirty meters tall and its thick limbs seemed strong enough to easily cut anyone that carelessly approached in half.
1712
1713The dragon seemed like it could use the large sword in my hand as a toothpick. Quite impressive considering my sword had temporarily doubled in length thanks to a skill I’d activated.
1714
1715In the game, earth attribute attacks would have an advantage over wind attribute foes. Unfortunately, it was hard to hit a flying enemy with earth based attacks.
1716
1717I could try using 【Rock Bullet】, but I remembered that airborne wyverns were able to easily dodge the attack.
1718
1719There was a meteor fall magic spell that a certain high-level occupation could learn, but Heavenly Knights lacked that ability.
1720
1721A being capable of flight was truly a menacing opponent.
1722
1723It was also doubtful that the attribute balancing had an effect in this world in the first place.
1724
1725《Here I come, Youngling!!》
1726
1727At his shout, the Dragon King’s body began to emit a radiant light. With a flick of its massive wings, an invisible force cut down the trees between us as it approached me.
1728
1729It was similar to the wind attribute attack, Kamaitachi…… I remained calm with my 『Holy Thunde
1730
1731Sword』 and invoked a spell to dodge the invisible force.
1732
1733“【Dimensional Step】!”
1734
1735Just before the invisible attack reached me, I vanished.
1736
1737《Huh!?》
1738
1739I materialized right beneath the Dragon King’s feet. Since the Dragon King had lost sight of me, h was frantically scanning the area for me.
1740
1741The wind generated by the Dragon King’s wing flaps was quite furious and almost sent me flying as I honed in on the long tail that was hanging off the end of the Dragon King’s body.
1742
1743It would be ineffective to attack the main body with my sword.
1744 
1745Because it was difficult to pinpoint something moving in midair, I had transferred to this location and slowly made my way to the tail, so as to not be blown away.
1746
1747Let’s see if my attacks can connect.
1748
1749I looked up at the Dragon King as I pulled back my sword.
1750
1751《!!? Reveal thyself!!》
1752
1753His long tail drooped as he spoke, which gave me the opening I needed to launch a firm attack. An intense shock ran through my blade when it made contact with the tail.
1754
1755A metallic clang you’d never expect to hear from a living creature’s skin rang out as fresh blood coated my armor and everything in the vicinity.
1756
1757As expected of the pinnacle of Dragons, his scales were strong enough to match mythical grade weapons.
1758
1759《Huuuuuhhhhh!!》
1760
1761The Dragon King let out a cry between a wail and a shout as he flapped his wings harder and turned around.
1762
1763As the increased wind shattered my stance, I saw the low hanging tail heading straight for me.
1764
1765Before it reached me, I invoked my transfer magic again.
1766
1767“【Dimensional Step】!”
1768
1769My view instantaneously changed to the Dragon King’s blind spot beneath his tail. However, the Dragon King raised his tail faster than he should have been able to and whipped it at me.
1770
1771“Huh!?”
1772
1773Recognizing the danger, I invoked 【Dimensional Step】 three times in order to put some distance between us.
1774
1775《You, you’re using the same technique as Hanzo! It appears this one can’t be careless either!!》
1776
1777The Dragon King soared into the sky above the forest after he said that and began circling it.
1778
1779After picking up some speed and momentum, the Dragon King dove at me with the claws on his hind legs fully extended.
1780
1781I wasn’t daring enough to take on such a huge enemy moving at such speed with a sword.
1782
1783At the same time I used transfer magic to dodge the attack, I invoked an earth attribute spell in the place I had been standing.
1784
1785“【Stone Fangs】!!”
1786
1787The stone spikes that rose from the ground hit the nose-diving Dragon King head on, but they shattered
1788 
1789upon collision, causing a cloud of dust and debris to fly into the air as a sound reminiscent of a meteor strike rocked the area.
1790
1791From inside the dust cloud, the Dragon King opened his wings and rose into the sky like a missile.
1792
1793The shock wave from the forceful takeoff hit me like a brick and was enough to clear the area of debris.
1794
1795I’d be obliterated if I took something like that head on.
1796
1797《How long dost thou plan to scurry about!? This time you won’t escape!!》
1798
1799When he finished speaking, the Dragon King soared higher above the forest before falling in a magnificent arc.
1800
1801In order to neutralize the Dragon King, it might be necessary to use the strongest offensive skills available to Heavenly Knights.
1802
1803However, it’d take a considerable amount of time to complete the necessary preparations.
1804
1805Turning my attention to the Dragon King, I ran out into the open and held out my hand to invoke a new spell.
1806
1807“Come forth, he who rules the skies! Storm King 【Seteka】!!”
1808
1809An enormous magic circle appeared in front of me. I could feel my mana pouring into it as the circle’s complex symbols started shifting and wind began to gather at its center.
1810 
1811 
1812
1813A large tornado burst from the magic circle and wrecked havoc on the forest as it rose into the heavens.
1814
1815The summoned beasts that I could use were too powerful to be used against human opponents, but there wasn’t a problem if I used them against a Dragon King.
1816
1817The Dragon King smiled a little when he saw the tornado, but his speed didn’t decrease and his body began to emit light again.
1818
1819It seems that he intended to level this entire area with the Dragon Breath attack he used before.
1820
1821Something like a carpet bombing strategy.
1822
1823The green light covered the Dragon King’s mouth and the next moment a beam of light was sent flying towards my direction.
1824
1825When the Dragon Breath attack collided with the tornado in front of me, the beam of light dispersed as if it had hit an invisible wall.
1826
1827I somehow made it in time.
1828
1829The humanoid summoned beast was over five meters tall.
1830
1831However, unlike a normal human, this summoned beast had a pair of rectangular ears that were standing on the top of its head and the skin of its long, narrow face was ash-grey. Its rather anteater-like appearance was made even more monstrous by its four massive arms.
1832
1833On its body it wore some sort of cloth that was decorated with a strange painted-on armor pattern, and flashy ornaments were attached all over its muscular body. Each set of its arms was holding a kindjal and a shield, and its two feet were clad in a tornado, allowing it to quietly stand in mid-air.
1834
1835This was a summoned beast of the intermediate level that could create wind blades and area of effect storms.
1836
1837It was a summoned beast that used the same wind attribute as the Dragon King and could fly.
1838
1839『Seteka』 opened and closed its eyelids before using it’s golden eyes to glare at the approaching dragon, starting to emit light and wind from its body.
1840
1841《What is that mass of spiritual power!? Could it be one of the Spirit Kings!?》
1842
1843I heard the Dragon King’s surprised shout in my head just as he collided with the 『Seteka』, which had surrounded itself in a raging storm.
1844
1845The force created by the collision sent a destructive storm through the area.
1846
1847The over thirty meter tall dragon and the five meter tall summoned beast rose above the forest while intensely fighting.
1848
1849Sparks flew as the 『Seteka』 held its kindjal against the claws on the Dragon King’s forepaws.
1850
1851A similar standoff occurred when the Dragon King went in for a bite. Every time the two engaged
1852 
1853each other, a shock wave jolted me to my very core.
1854
1855When the two disengaged from each other, the constant bombardment of long ranged magic attacks from both sides prevented either from closing the gap.
1856
1857Countless wounds had appeared on the two of them as the long and short-range battles continued.
1858
1859『Seteka』 was by no means inferior to the Dragon King in terms of power.
1860
1861Despite that, there was a limit to how long a summoned beast could last.
1862
1863So it wasn’t the deciding factor in this battle.
1864
1865However, it was a temporary distraction that had bought me enough time.
1866
1867The four most powerful skills of the Heavenly Knight: 【The Executor】, 【The Judge】, 【Th Guardian】, and 【The Prophet】.
1868
1869Each skill is equivalent to a weapon of mass destruction. There was no wiggle room when using them and each carried a twelve-hour cooldown time. Even with my large mana pool I could only use three of them at a time.
1870
1871Since the enemy was a Dragon King, 【The Judge】 may be the best one to use.
1872
1873It would allow me to soar in the sky like the Dragon King after all.
1874
1875I returned my gaze to the battle raging in the sky.
1876
1877The skill was rather annoying to use in the game, so I wondered what would actually happen when I used it…… That was the question running through my mind as the Dragon King’s and summoned beast’s fierce battle unfolded before my eyes.
1878
1879I was certain that taking this guy down would create an immeasurable amount of collateral damage.
1880
1881But…… there was no helping it.
1882
1883As I raised my sword to the sky, a surge of power filled my body as I prepared to activate the skill… However, a group of water wolf summons suddenly hit the Dragon King and the summoned beast.
1884
1885I recognized those wolves as something created with Chiome’s ninjutsu.
1886
1887“Please halt this duel, Dragon King-sama!!”
1888
1889Chiome leaped out of the remains of the forest, did an impressive aerial twist and soundlessly landed in front of me, pleading with the Dragon King in the sky.
1890
1891She managed to run all the way over here without any transfer magic. The tremendous speed of a ninja is quite terrifying.
1892
1893When the Dragon King saw Chiome, he stopped moving and narrowed his reptilian eyes at her.
1894
1895《Ho…… That appearance, art thou a member of Hanzo’s clan?》
1896 
1897The Dragon King had brought up that name a while ago, when I used 【Dimensional Step】, so mayb he had some connection to Chiome’s Clan.
1898
1899Although she was a little startled by the Dragon King’s question, Chiome managed to answer him.
1900
1901“My name is Chiome. I possess one of the six titles that have been passed down since Hanzo the firs led the clan.”
1902
1903The Dragon King smiled a little at her reply.
1904
1905《One so young, already bearing a spirit crystal…… Is that a testament to your skill or of your clan’s
1906
1907decline?》
1908
1909Chiome looked up at the sky when she heard the Dragon King’s calm voice.
1910
1911Then I heard the familiar voice of the last person late to this party.
1912
1913“Dragon King, that person is our companion. My name is Ariane Glenys Maple, of the Great Canad Forest. Would you please excuse his rude behavior and listen to our story?”
1914
1915“Kyun!”
1916
1917Ariane’s long, white hair was jostled by the wind that the Dragon King’s flapping wings created.
1918
1919The fluffy-tailed Ponta barked at the enormous dragon as she sat on Ariane’s shoulder.
1920
1921There was no sign of Ponta’s timid nature as she stared down the Dragon King. She was eve wagging her tail in an attempt to get its attention.
1922
1923Ariane, also acting out of character, had knelt before the Dragon King and spoke to him in a polite tone.
1924
1925When Ariane appeared, the 『Seteka』 that had been fighting the Dragon King disappeared into thin air.
1926
1927It seems the time limit had run out.
1928
1929The Dragon King’s fighting spirit faded as well and he landed on the ground in front of us before folding his large wings.
1930
1931I returned my sword to my sheath and broke my combat stance.
1932
1933《Forest dweller from beyond the mountains…… This one is known as Williahsfim. I will accept your
1934
1935apology and hear you out.》
1936
1937The Dragon King identified himself with a snort strong enough to blow up a dust cloud.
1938 
1939Chapter 9 「Dragon King」Part 3
1940
1941
1942
1943
1944《I see…… The man in the armor seeks the power of the spring and you’re accompanying him as a
1945
1946guide?》
1947
1948“Yes.”
1949
1950Hearing Ariane’s reply to his question, the Dragon King turned to me and narrowed his eyes.
1951
1952Ponta was in her usual spot atop my helmet and was cheerfully wagging her tail for some reason.
1953
1954While I thought she’d been acting braver in this strange place, my worries disappeared when I heard her purr as I stroked her neck and muzzle.
1955
1956Williahsfim smiled a little when he saw our little scene play out right in front of him.
1957
1958《Hmm. I would like to apologize, I had decided to take a nap in the plains away from my tree and jumped to conclusions.》
1959
1960Williahsfim cleared his throat before closing his eyes and offering me an apology.
1961
1962So the Dragon King had been in the middle of his nap when I arrived. Anyone would be angry i someone stepped on them while they were asleep…… so I lowered my head to him as well.
1963
1964“I had been too preoccupied with analyzing that structure over there to pay any attention to my surroundings. I’m sorry as well.”
1965
1966I reflected on my careless actions that led to this whole mess as I bowed my head.
1967
1968“Well, Williahsfim-sama. Will you grant us access to the spring near the Dragon King’s Tree?” Ariane looked up at Williahsfim as she asked permission to access the goal of our quest.
1969
1970《As long as you do not meddle with the tree I nest in, you don’t need to ask my permission to do anything.》
1971
1972Ariane had a rather joyful expression when she heard Williahsfim’s answer.
1973
1974“Thank you very much, then──”
1975
1976《N-No, wait a minute!》
1977
1978Just as Ariane was in the middle or standing up and offering her gratitude, Williahsfim shouted for her to stop.
1979
1980《No, you see…… even though this one is partially to blame for this situation, some of the guilt still
1981
1982rests on your heads…… so a bit of reparation is owed.》
1983
1984A moment ago, he had been full of dignity befitting of a Dragon King, but now he was mumbling and
1985 
1986couldn’t look at Ariane directly.
1987
1988His tail that had been drooping down until now, was wagging back and forth like a happy, small animal’s tail.
1989
1990Confusion floated across Ariane’s face at Williahsfim’s strange behavior, but she still kneeled once more and asked him what was on his mind.
1991
1992“Williahsfim-sama, what is it that you would like to have us do as penance?”
1993
1994《Well, um… That is… Thy people art living in the forest that is the home of Ferufivisurotte… So would you arrange an audience for this one, please? If it is possible?》
1995
1996When the Dragon King began making a waiting gesture with his large black claws, I whispered a question into Ariane’s ear.
1997
1998“Ariane-dono, who is this Ferufivisurotte that he’s talking about?”
1999
2000Ariane turned her confused gaze onto Williahsfim for a moment before she told me the identity of the person in a low voice.
2001
2002“Ferufivisurotte-sama is the Dragon King that inhabits the Colombia Mountain that sits in the center of Canada forest. Ferufivisurotte-sama, who was on friendly terms with first chieftain Evangeline, was also the first Dragon King to offer the forest their protection.”
2003
2004After hearing her explanation, I looked up at the tense Dragon King in front of me.
2005
2006Since he had to call on others to arrange a meeting with this person, Ferufivisurotte must carry a considerable amount of power amongst the Dragon Kings.
2007
2008More importantly, the image of a coffee bean came to mind when I heard the name Colombia Mountain. “Canada” “Maple” and now “Colombia”… all names originating from one location.
2009
2010At this point, it wouldn’t surprise me if there was a Rocky Mountain somewhere.
2011
2012In any case, I’d heard Ariane speak about the Dragon Kings’ protection before.
2013
2014If there were multiple beings as strong as Williahsfim offering protection to the forest, then a human invasion was nigh impossible.
2015
2016Even if elves were known as a minority that hid away in their forest, I could see how they would be able to fight off the human forces despite the numerical disadvantage.
2017
2018I took another look at the disaster area and the uprooted trees that the previous fight had created.
2019
2020Even with the use of magic, it would be suicide to challenge creatures that wielded such power.
2021
2022Something akin to shooting down a bomber plane with a handgun.
2023
2024There was no chance of victory whatsoever.
2025
2026“Can you actually grant Williahsfim-dono’s request?”
2027 
2028“Kyun?”
2029
2030Although Ariane was the daughter of a village elder, I doubted a mere warrior like her could make a request of such an important figure in Great Canada Forest.
2031
2032Ponta also seemed confused for some reason as she looked between me and Ariane.
2033
2034Ariane tapped her finger against her chin as she thought it over before she turned to the waiting Williahsfim.
2035
2036“I can’t make any promises here, but my elder sister Ivana is a personal acquaintance of Ferufivisurotte-sama and I can pass the request on to her. Will that be sufficient?”
2037
2038Despite his reptilian appearance, Williahsfim wagged his tail and had a happy expression on his face when he heard her answer.
2039
2040《Hoo, you mean it! I appreciate it!! Settling down in this forest has brought me a stroke of good luck, I now have a chance to indirectly set up a meeting with Ferufivisurotte-dono. It wouldn’t look good if I came off as too strong, would it?》
2041
2042In spite of how large he was, the Dragon King was acting like a happy puppy rather than a being capable of reducing large swaths of land to ash.
2043
2044“Then can we proceed to the spring now?”
2045
2046Ariane was shocked at Williahsfim ‘s strange behavior as she stood up and looked towards the mountain.
2047
2048《Sure, I’m usually in the area, so you’re welcome to come by anytime.》
2049
2050Williahsfim unfolded his wings as he prepared to fly away, but Chiome, who had been quietly watching the proceedings until now, stepped forward and stopped him.
2051
2052“Please wait, Dragon King-sama! I have a request as well!”
2053
2054Williahsfim closed his wings and turned his large head towards Chiome when she called out to him.
2055
2056《What is it thou desires, member of Hanzo’s Clan? This one doesn’t mind hearing you out.》
2057
2058“I was told that Dragon King-sama and Lord Hanzo were acquaintances, so would you happen t know the location of his former residence?”
2059
2060《Oh, that… It’s close to the spring, near the top of this hill. When this one first visited this area to build his nest, that person had already been living here.》
2061
2062Chiome looked up at the foothill beyond the torri after Williahsfim answered her question.
2063
2064It seemed like our destination was the same after all. Well, it saved us the trouble of searching for it.
2065
2066“Thank you very much.”
2067
2068After nodding at Chiome’s bowed head and thanks, Williahsfim extended his wings and flew off
2069 
2070
2071toward the huge Dragon King’s tree that could be seen in the distance.
2072
2073“We appear to be heading to the same place Chiome-dono.”
2074
2075“That seems to be the case. I didn’t expect things to proceed so smoothly.”
2076
2077Chiome looked in the direction Williahsfim had flown off to before looking at me with a small smile on her face.
2078
2079“We have the Dragon King’s permission, so let’s head to the summit.” “Kyun!”
2080
2081Ponta wagged her tail and made an energetic cry when I took a step towards the torri at the base of the foothill.
2082
2083However, Ariane silently approached me and spoke to me in a bright tone that contradicted the cold smile she had.
2084
2085“Arc…… do you plan to act on your own again?”
2086
2087Overwhelmed by her smile and the veins that pulsed on her forehead, I rapidly shook my head and moved three steps backwards.
2088
2089The aura she was emitting created the hallucination of a hulking beast that pressured me as she approached.
2090
2091“S-Sorry, Ariane-dono. I acted rashly when I saw that artifact over there.” There was no room for excuses this time.
2092
2093I had been so distracted by the torri that I recklessly charged into an unknown area without paying attention to my surroundings…… if I were in a movie, I have been the person that died first.
2094
2095My bit of person retrospection surprised Ariane for a moment but she managed to shrug it off. “Arc your actions were rather childish, but you seem to have calmed down……” She sighed a little after she said that.
2096
2097It seemed like this incident would be overlooked. Now I was certain that she was Glenys daughter…… both of them were scary when they got serious……
2098
2099“Still, I’m impressed Arc-dono. I can’t believe you fought on equal terms with a Dragon King.”
2100
2101Chiome’s cheeks were flushed with an unusual amount of excitement when she voiced her opinion next to Ariane.
2102
2103She was looking up at me with pure admiration. “Umm. Well, I couldn’t afford to make a mistake……”
2104
2105I was a little embarrassed by Chiome’s gaze so I gave a vague reply.
2106 
2107Be as it may, I really couldn’t afford to screw up against the Dragon King.
2108
2109I once thought that this body and the skills it possessed were potentially on the same level as military ammunition.
2110
2111However, having to fight a being with strength equaling own my made me realize the insanity of living in this world.
2112
2113If I became too blinded by my own power, my life might be snuffed out one day.
2114
2115Besides……
2116
2117“Ariane-dono, is the Dragon King you promised to set up a meeting with even more powerful than Williahsfim-dono?”
2118
2119The fact that there existed a being that even Williahsfim paid tribute to was something that heavily weighed on my mind.
2120
2121However, Ariane simply raised her eyebrow and groaned.
2122
2123“From what I’ve heard, Dragon King Ferufivisurotte-sama carries a considerable amount of influenc over the other Dragon Kings, but I can’t help but feel that there was a hidden agenda behind Williahsfim-sama’s request……”
2124
2125“A hidden agenda! What do you think he could be plotting?”
2126
2127Judging from Williahsfim’s joyful celebration I immediately questioned Ariane’s opinion. It didn’t seem like he intended to harm anybody.
2128
2129Ariane must have been aware of this and she cleared away what she had been thinking with a shake of her head.
2130
2131However, her next statement gave me the information I needed to figure out Williahsfim’s intentions.
2132
2133“Ferufivisurotte-sama is female so maybe……”
2134
2135I snapped my gaze to Ariane when she continued speaking.
2136
2137It’s easy to understand a strong being holding someone even stronger in high regard and having a desire to personally meet that person.
2138
2139But, things were a little different when it involved a man and a woman.
2140
2141“Ariane-dono, you said that your older sister could set up a meeting with Ferufivisurotte-dono, but are you sure she can do that?”
2142
2143It is a common practice for some men to approach a third party to set up a date, but oftentimes the woman would just find the whole affair tedious.
2144
2145Ariane looked worried for a second but she still nodded her head in response.
2146
2147“It should be alright since I didn’t make a direct promise. I just have to get my sister to use her
2148 
2149influence to bring the matter up next time she speaks with Ferufivisurotte-sama.”
2150
2151She shrugged and sighed after saying that.
2152
2153I had seen dignity befitting a Dragon King in Williahsfim before, but after that happy outburst I could only see him as a man stuck in an unrequited love.
2154
2155“Alright, shall we set out for the spring now?”
2156
2157Chiome and I nodded at Ariane’s proposal and I set my gaze upon the mountain that towered over us.
2158
2159…… Soon afterwards, we reached our destination.
2160 
2161Chapter 10 「The Power of the Spring, the Power of the Curse」
2162
2163
2164
2165
2166We ascended the moss covered steps with sunlight shining through the trees.
2167
2168Although they were carved into a gentle slope, the steps were already breaking away due to prolonged neglect.
2169
2170Since there weren’t any signs of people living in the area, the forest animals used this path. I could see animal tracks embedded into the soil that had accumulated on top of the steps.
2171
2172The chirping of birds, carried along the wind, helped complete the calm atmosphere.
2173
2174Without the large monsters that inhabited Great Canada Forest and the nearby mountains, I felt as if were on a weekend hike.
2175
2176The only thing out of place was the large tree that the Dragon King used as his resting place.
2177
2178There were few monsters that would try to settle down near such an overwhelming predator, while the weaker creatures sought shelter here.
2179
2180A pair of squirrels sitting on a tree branch looked at us as strange intruders as we passed them by.
2181
2182When it reached the point where Ponta had to sit on my helmet and we had to start cutting our way through the undergrowth to clear the path, birds and other animals would occasionally jump out at us.
2183
2184The scenery only opened up once we managed to pass through the torii near the top of the hill.
2185
2186There were still a few trees located here, but there wasn’t much undergrowth or a lot of boulders in the area.
2187
2188Instead, we got a clear view of the wall-like trunk of the Dragon King’s tree and the innumerable amount of branches that covered the area in the tree’s shadow.
2189
2190My gaze unintentionally traveled up the tree as far as I could and then went down the mountain range behind it.
2191
2192“This is an unbelievably large tree.”
2193
2194The trees in Great Canada Forest were certainly large, but this was on an entirely different level.Thi tree reminded me of a certain tree that held up a heavenly castle.
2195
2196My comment caused both Ariane and Chiome to simultaneously look up at the huge tree.
2197
2198“The Dragon King’s Tree seems like a mountain on top of another mountain.”
2199
2200Chiome was in slight awe of the view before us.
2201 
2202“I’ve seen it in picture books when I was little, but this is the first time I’ve seen it in person.”
2203
2204Ariane gulped down some water from the canteen she had brought, wiping the sweat off of her brow after she stopped talking.
2205
2206“Come on, we’re almost there.”
2207
2208She resumed her trek after urging us to continue.
2209
2210Eventually, the stone steps came to an end and a smaller version of the torii that stood at the base of the hill came into view.
2211
2212The landscape between us and the torii was completely desolate with sunlight shining down on it, but beyond the torii, the density of the trees increased.
2213
2214“We appear to have reached our destination.”
2215
2216When we finally passed through the torii, I took a look around.
2217
2218This place seemed to have originally been a small basin. Because the place had been neglected for such a long time, the path was uneven and covered in grass, but I could make out steps descending into the basin.
2219
2220At the end of the stairway stood a single decaying building.
2221
2222The wooden roof had already collapsed in on itself, but the stone walls covered in moss had remained mostly intact.
2223
2224The shape of the building was also familiar to me.
2225
2226“It looks like a shrine……”
2227
2228Ariane spoke her opinion of the building right beside me.
2229
2230And she wasn’t wrong either.
2231
2232The building’s structure and torii gates were reminiscent of a Shinto shrine.
2233
2234The main shrine stood in front of the building and window frames were evenly spaced on both wings of the building.
2235
2236However, unlike a regular shine, there was no offering box or bell anywhere in sight and there was only one entrance to the left.
2237
2238“This is the residence that Lord Hanzo once occupied. It is similar to the chief’s house in the village.”
2239
2240When Chiome saw the decaying shrine-like building she was convinced that it was the first clan head’s hideout.
2241
2242It was as if simply seeing this building left no room for doubt in her mind.
2243
2244The thin layer of mist and the sacred Dragon King’s Tree in the background certainly gave the tranquil
2245 
2246
2247scenery a tinge of mystery.
2248
2249Chiome had begun scouting the area but all of a sudden her cat ears stood up and her nose twitched as she calmly opened her mouth.
2250
2251“The scent of the water has changed……”
2252
2253“Kyun!”
2254
2255Ponta cried out in agreement with her statement from atop my helmet.
2256
2257While I lacked the enhanced sense of smell the two of them had, when I strained my ears I could pic up the sound of running water nearby.
2258
2259“It must be the rumored spring……”
2260
2261“The sound…… is originating from behind the shrine.”
2262
2263The others nodded at my comment before Chiome took the lead and began to walk towards the shrine.
2264
2265She stepped off the stone path and took a detour around the back of the shine, with Ariane and I silently following.
2266
2267There was something completely unexpected behind the shrine.
2268
2269A steam of hot water was endlessly flowing into the area from a slightly elevated rock formation. The water was flowing into a hollowed out groove, and to prevent the water from overflowing there was a cliff at the groove that allowed excess water to be drained off.
2270
2271By all accounts, this was an artificially created hot spring……
2272
2273“Is that hot water flowing out!?”
2274
2275Ariane uttered a shout as her pointed ears began to move up and down.
2276
2277Seems like this was the first time she saw a hot spring.
2278
2279Chiome was also surprised, but apparently she already knew about hot springs and was smiling as if she has found something really good.
2280
2281“It’s a hot spring…… a quite large one at that.”
2282
2283Chiome was right, seeing how this hot spring’s two main pools were about twenty-five meters wide.
2284
2285This outdoor hot spring was like one of those you’d find at a large hotel, yet the moss covered rocks made it seem like an undiscovered natural spring.
2286
2287“Certainly, this is an impressive hot spring, but is it the one we seek?”
2288
2289“Looks like it.”
2290
2291Seeing my doubts, Ariane bent down in front of the hot spring and soaked her hand into it before standing back up.
2292 
2293“Kyun! Kyun!”
2294
2295Ponta showed some interest in the spring as well, since she jumped from my helmet and proceeded to dip her forepaw, nose and tongue into it.
2296
2297I never thought that the spring we sought would be a hot spring, but it was a nice surprise, to say the least.
2298
2299I took off one of my gauntlets and dipped my hand into the water.
2300
2301The water’s heat was gradually transmitted to my hand. After a few seconds of this, I pulled my hand out of the water to find a hand with a similar shade of brown as my forearm was when I used 【Anti-Curse】on it.
2302
2303However, I didn’t feel any discomfort like when I used 【Anti-Curse】.
2304
2305“Ahh!? The effects appear to be genuine.”
2306
2307Both Ariane and Chiome were utterly shocked when I showed them the flesh and blood hand that had been skeletal just a moment ago.
2308
2309“There really was a body after all……”
2310
2311Ariane muttered something in a disbelieving tone.
2312
2313That reminds me, I never showed anyone that I could momentarily remove the curse with the 【Anti Curse】 spell.
2314
2315After all, the end result had been quite hard to look at.
2316
2317After a few minutes, my hand returned to its skeletal form. The temporary effect of the cure was still the same.
2318
2319Not even this hot spring could permanently cure me…… maybe the effect will last if I completely
2320
2321submerge myself.
2322
2323There’s no point worrying about it anymore.
2324
2325“I’m going to see what soaking in the hot spring does.”
2326
2327I set down my baggage on a nearby rock before taking my helmet off and placing it next to it.
2328
2329However, that was only a secondary concern. Mostly, I just wanted to take a breather in the hot spring while enjoying the fantasy-like scenery.
2330
2331I’m only bones, though……
2332
2333It was a little chilly when I removed the upper section of my armor and shivered on reflex.
2334
2335The joke would be me saying “I didn’t feel cold, though.”
2336
2337“Wait! Don’t just start undressing in front of us.”
2338 
2339Ariane suddenly uttered a protest from behind me. When I looked back I saw that Ariane’s ears had turned red.
2340
2341“Huh? Ariane-dono, did you get excited seeing my bo──”
2342
2343Before I could finish speaking Ariane had silently punched my rib cage.
2344
2345…… That stung a bit.
2346
2347“We’ll check out the shrine while Arc soaks in the in the spring. Let’s go, Chiome-chan.”
2348
2349Ariane told Chiome to follow her as she took large strides back towards the shrine.
2350
2351“We will investigate the residence then, Arc-dono. See you in a bit.”
2352
2353Chiome bowed before chasing after Ariane.
2354
2355As I rubbed my rib and faced the hot spring again, I saw Ponta happily wagging her tail.
2356
2357“Oh, you want to get in together, Ponta?”
2358
2359“Kyun!”
2360
2361Ponta wagged her tail faster as I bent down to pat her head.
2362
2363I removed the last piece of my armor and stood in front of the hot spring.
2364
2365It was custom to clean one’s body before entering a spring, but there was no means of doing that here……… but I suppose no one else would be using this spring anytime soon.
2366
2367All alone in an open-air bath, there was only one thing to do……
2368
2369“Yahoo!”
2370
2371“Kyu-n!”
2372
2373With a spirited shout, I took a large leap into the hot spring. After poking my head above the water I shook my head to clear away the water on my face.
2374
2375Ponta, who had jumped in with me, was doing the doggy paddle.
2376
2377“Pwah! I never imaged I’d bathe in a mountain hot spring.”
2378
2379I looked down at my arm as I spoke.
2380
2381I saw a muscular, brown skinned arm instead of a skeletal one. Seeing the highly developed abs on my stomach when I looked down confused me, since my original body shouldn’t have been that muscular.
2382
2383It hadn’t been that long since I came to this world…… Besides, there wasn’t any reason for me to
2384
2385develop muscles while I was a skeleton.
2386
2387“Hmm?”
2388 
2389I decided to take a look at my face reflected in the water.
2390
2391As the rippling water calmed down I could finally see my face reflected on the surface.
2392
2393However, the face I saw wasn’t the one I had in my old world.
2394
2395The person I saw appeared to be in his mid-thirties, had raven-black curly hair, Arabian brown skin, stubble and a masculine face. The man’s dark red eyes and long ears were features that differed greatly from those of humans.
2396
2397“This……?”
2398
2399I was stunned at the unfamiliar face, but then I remembered where I’ve seen it before……
2400
2401At the same time I realized the origin of this face and my mind and heart were overcome with dark emotions.
2402
2403“GHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
2404
2405A severe pain raged through my head like a storm, and its source seemed to be the depths of my very being.
2406
2407The rage I felt at the men that attempted to rape the first women I’d met, the disgust I felt towards how the slaves were treated, the fear I felt while fighting monsters, the regret of taking someone’s life…… the longing I felt to return home.
2408
2409All I’ve experienced in this world flashed through my mind like a revolving lantern, with everything I’ve done being dyed black in negative connotations.
2410
2411I continued to roar and shout as if I were trying to deny it all, but it wasn’t working.
2412
2413Despite standing in a hot spring my body was chilled to the core as the fury and pain rampaged through my heart. In a desperate attempt to alleviate the pain, I smashed my head against a rock at the edge of the hot spring, but the rock crumbled upon impact.
2414
2415Still extremely unbalanced by the pain and anger I fell down and swallowed some of the water as I crawled out of the spring.
2416
2417“Ky-un! Ky-un!”
2418
2419Ponta was surprised at my sudden, violent outburst and leaped out of the water, running after me.
2420
2421I saw Ponta’s small frame coming towards me before my gaze traveled down my own body.
2422
2423As my vision began to fade, the trite thought of the thing between my legs being 1.5 times larger that my original one flashed through my head.
2424
2425I heard footsteps of someone approaching and a familiar voice.
2426
2427“What happened!? Who are you!!?”
2428
2429“Kyun! Kyun!”
2430 
2431 
2432Ariane call out to me in the distance.
2433
2434The feeling of something desperately licking my cheek was the only thing my numbed body could feel. And then the darkness consumed what remained of my consciousness……
2435 
2436
2437Chapter 11 「The Return of the Princess」Part 1
2438
2439
2440
2441
2442The Hoban territory of Rhoden Kingdom.
2443
2444Hoban sat between the Annette mountains in the west and the Parnassus mountains in the south. The territory was relatively wealthy thanks to its location between Rhoden’s capital and the Riburuto Archdukedom.
2445
2446However, the territory’s people had recently launched a revolt against the heavy taxation and tyrannical rule of earl Ferris De Hoban and slew him.
2447
2448The territory became rather chaotic after that, but a suppression corps led by the first prince was dispatched from the capital and managed to quell the riots and anarchy.
2449
2450Afterward, the first prince took up an administrative role in Hoban’s reconstruction and was currently processing paperwork in the former feudal lord’s castle.
2451
2452Since the main building of the castle had been vandalized and robbed at some point during the revolt, the first prince had made his base in a small, nearby annex.
2453
2454The room he worked from was smaller than a palace living room and shabbily decorated.
2455
2456A tall young man brushed a brown lock of hair from his eye as he was looking over the reports in front of him with a slight wrinkle on his forehead.
2457
2458This young man in a luxurious military uniform was Rhoden Kingdom’s first prince, Sect Rondaro Carunon Rhoden.
2459
2460Prince Sect had been rather busy after subjugating the rebellion in Hoban and the constant worries on his mind had drained away some of his usual energy.
2461
2462A sudden knock on the door informed him of a visitor.
2463
2464“Enter.”
2465
2466Prince Sect momentarily looked away from the documents in his hands and gave the person at the door permission to enter.
2467
2468“Excuse me.”
2469
2470After a little while, the door opened and a single, middle-aged man entered.
2471
2472The man had brown hair and a mustache, his large body was dressed in a proper military uniform and that, along with his silent disposition, gave the man a strict aura.
2473
2474His name was Setorion De Olsterio.
2475
2476He was the general who led the troops dispatched to Hoban and the main supporter of prince Sect’s bid for the throne.
2477 
2478“We just received word from lord Tiosera. Shortly after your highness declared princess Juliana dead, her party was seen crossing through his territory.”
2479
2480General Setorion gave his report in a monotone voice, but it made the prince throw the document he had been reading down and leap from his seat.
2481
2482“……So you survived after all, Julianna.”
2483
2484More wrinkles appeared on prince Sect’s forehead as he spoke.
2485
2486The content of that report had been the main issue on the prince’s mind these days.
2487
2488Second princess Juliana was the daughter of the Rhoden’s first queen and held rights to the throne.
2489
2490Sect had set her up to be assassinated and pushed the blame on the deceased second prince.
2491
2492However, an unanticipated monster attack had forced the assassins to retreat and the team that had been sent to recover Juliana’s body found that the carriage, a majority of the guards, and the princess had all disappeared.
2493
2494A member of one of the seven duke families carried out the assassination. Cox Carlo De Brutus had provided the princess’ heirloom along with his report of the attack, but Setorion had just proven that Cox’s report had been wrong.
2495
2496“Even though it was the least likely outcome, the worst has happened……”
2497
2498Prince Sect laughed in self-mockery before sighing.
2499
2500The prince had even received the necklace his younger sister had never taken off because it was a keepsake from her deceased mother.
2501
2502Juliana must’ve been rendered unconscious in order for the necklace to have been stolen from her.
2503
2504In addition, a pack of ferocious Haunting Wolves had attacked the area a short time after the assassination, making it near impossible for a critically injured person to survive.
2505
2506Even if the monsters ignored them, the party would have needed time to recover before they could make any public appearances.
2507
2508However, from the report he just received, Juliana was in good health and had been seen crossing the Tiosera territory at the edge of Rhoden kingdom.
2509
2510“How would you like to act, your highness?”
2511
2512General Setorion called out to the pondering Sect.
2513
2514Prince Sect returned from his head space and sat back down in his chair with a loud sigh.
2515
2516When Cox was asked about his actions as the assassination corps commander, he had stated that he led the attack from a distance and hadn’t been the one to struck Juliana down.
2517
2518The possibility of him being connected to the attack was minuscule at best.
2519 
2520Assuming the worst, it might be too dangerous to attempt a second assassination. Sect began running through possible solutions to his problem while staring at Setorion.
2521
2522“Although the discovery of our involvement is unlikely, we can’t afford to be careless on the off-chance that Juliana found out we were the ones behind the assassination attempt…… Is there any way Tiosera can handle this on his own?”
2523
2524Prince Sect lowered his voice when he asked that question, but Setorion just shook his head.
2525
2526“Unfortunately, thirty guards remained from princess Juliana’s original party, along with two hundred guards bearing the flag of the Rinburuto Archdukedom.”
2527
2528Prince Sect chewed his lip and lifted an eyebrow at that answer.
2529
2530“Damn, Juliana is receiving help from our sister……”
2531
2532Juliana’s older sister had married into the Tishiento family and was now the grand duchess of Rinburuto, and the two had had a good relationship when she was still in the kingdom.
2533
2534If Juliana managed to reach her older sister in Rinburuto after the assassination attempt, then it was reasonable that her older sister would send soldiers to protect her.
2535
2536“Also, it seems that princess Juliana’s party also included a group of thirty elven warriors, so it’s nigh impossible to break through their defenses.”
2537
2538“What!? Did you say elven warriors!?”
2539
2540Prince Sect had an astonished expression on his face as he shouted for Setorion to elaborate.
2541
2542The elves were a race that occupied Canada Forest to the east of Rhoden, and their warriors were masters of magic that had cultivated their swordsmanship over their long lifespans.
2543
2544If thirty of those warriors served as Juliana’s guards, then it would require a large number of regular soldiers just to overwhelm them, but that would attract too much attention.
2545
2546Orchestrating an assassination would be unreasonable at this point.
2547
2548However…… prince Sect just crossed his arms after his outburst.
2549
2550“Why are elves among Juliana’s escorts?”
2551
2552Questioning this situation was the natural thing to do.
2553
2554Rhoden Kingdom had once started a war with the elves, so saying their relationship wasn’t that great was an understatement.
2555
2556The elves had retreated into Great Canada Forest to escape persecution from humans, and their sole trading partner was the Rinburuto Archdukedom. It was rare to see them in any other country.
2557
2558Why would the elves set foot in a human country to protect princess Juliana…… the unknown reason
2559
2560behind their actions made Sect anxious.
2561 
2562However, the corners of general Setorion’s mouth rose as Sect looked directly at him before the general started speaking.
2563
2564“There should be no need to worry, even if they reach us.”
2565
2566“What?”
2567
2568“Your younger sister survived a heinous attack from prince Douglass, shouldn’t you greet her with open arms?”
2569 
2570
2571Chapter 12 「The Return of the Princess」Part 2
2572
2573
2574
2575
2576Two days later, Princess Juliana’s party entered the Hoban territory and the princess was sent to meet with prince Sect in the feudal lord’s castle.
2577
2578A young woman with long, dark blonde hair that fell down in loose waves, lovely brown eyes and white, regular features now stood in front of prince Sect.
2579
2580The young woman lifted the hem of her dress and offered the prince a greeting in a manner befitting of royalty.
2581
2582From her elegant demeanor, it was obvious the princess wasn’t suffering from any wounds, which caused prince Sect’s eyebrow to twitch.
2583
2584“It’s been a while, onii-sama.”
2585
2586This young woman was no other than the second princess Juliana Meroru Melissa Rhoden Olav.
2587
2588One of the two people who stood behind her was a young man with short, brown hair and a square jaw, Lendl Do Frivetran.
2589
2590A member of the seven duke households, son of one of Rhoden’s three generals and the leader of Juliana’s escort.
2591
2592He should have been fatally injured during the assassination attempt, yet his perfectly fine appearance made one question if the surprise attack had actually happened.
2593
2594Next to him stood a nearly two-meter tall man in the prime of his life.
2595
2596He had trimmed white hair and lilac skin, a large scar on his face and his body was robust and rugged. All of this only made him stand out even more than a dark elf in a human country normally would.
2597
2598As a security measure, the man was unarmed, but the intimidating aura he gave off made it perfectly clear that he could overwhelm the nearby human guards with his bare hands.
2599
2600Prince Sect tried to ignore the cold sweat running down his back as he smiled at his sister.
2601
2602“Yes, it has been, Juliana. I’m happy to see you’re alive and well. I couldn’t bear watching after I informed father of your passing.”
2603
2604Juliana returned Sect’s faint smile with a full smile of her own.
2605
2606“When I was attacked on my way to Rinburuto, I was sure I would meet my end. However, thanks t the gods, I stand here before you.”
2607
2608“Still, I never expected Douglass to take such violent measures against us.”
2609
2610Sect signed loudly after she made that comment.
2611 
2612“Were you attacked by brother as well?”
2613
2614“Yes, my arm…… Though I was normally no match for Douglass in combat, I managed to fight him
2615
2616off…… Perhaps the gods are watching over me as well?”
2617
2618Sect jokingly replied to Juliana’s question.
2619
2620Though her eyes narrowed slightly, the princess continued to smile at her older brother.
2621
2622“From what I’ve heard, when Douglass’ attack against you was announced in the capital, my death was also announced. Why is that?”
2623
2624Juliana remained silent as she earnestly examined Sect’s face in an attempt to find even the slightest change in his expression.
2625
2626However, Sect simply narrowed his eyes and let out a disgusted sigh before loudly snorting.
2627
2628“Douglass was in possession of the necklace you always held onto in memory of your mother…… I
2629
2630had assumed he had slain you to obtain it.”
2631
2632“However, it wasn’t like my body had been found, was it?”
2633
2634“Certainly. When I learned where you had been attacked, our search party could only find the corpses of bandits in the area. Apparently, monsters had been through the area before they had arrived.”
2635
2636“I see, but the carriage was missing as well, wasn’t it?”
2637
2638Prince Sect held up his index finger and had a disappointed look on his face as he shook his head at Juliana’s question.
2639
2640“You make a good point. I thought there was a slight chance of you being alive. However, because your whereabouts were unknown, I didn’t want to endanger you by making that possibility known. Additionally, with the revolt that happened here in Hoban, the nobles are just biting for a chance to ridicule the royal family…… To show that the royal family’s authority is still strong, someone needed to take the lead and restore order.”
2641
2642Juliana’s smile thinned and she raised an eyebrow as Sect continued to speak.
2643
2644“If you were found to be alive, then those who are disapproving of you ascending to the throne could have stationed troops here to kill you. Not to mention that Hoban is an important way station that can’t remain in discord for long. The neighboring nobles won’t remain silent with the feudal lord’s seat now empty. You understand, right?”
2645
2646Juliana paused for a bit before she answered her brother.
2647
2648“Yes…… I can see things from your perspective, onii-sama……”
2649
2650Upon hearing her answer, Sect clapped his hands together and nodded.
2651
2652“I’m glad you understand. Now I have a question of my own. I understand that you have escorts from Rinburuto, but how did you befriend that dark elf behind you?”
2653 
2654
2655Juliana lightly cleared her throat before answering Sect’s question.
2656
2657“Serena arranged for the Rinburuto Archdukedom’s soldiers to defend me until we reach the capital. And this dark elf gentleman here is a great elder of Great Canada Forest, Fangas Furan Maple.”
2658
2659Sect’s eyes bulged a bit when he heard this before she turned to the ridiculously muscled, smiling dark elf he had assumed to be a mere soldier.
2660
2661The great elders were the leaders and decision makers of Great Canada Forest, and the man before him was one of them.
2662
2663While one had occasionally been seen in Rinburuto, this was the first time one has visited Rhoden.
2664
2665Understanding dawned on prince Sect as he realized why someone like that would be accompanying Juliana to the capital.
2666
2667“…… Could it be, trade negotiations?”
2668
2669Juliana nodded in affirmation at Sect’s utterance.
2670
2671“Yes. The elves of Great Canada Forest intend to form a trade relationship with Rhoden Kingdom and elder Fangas has taken the trouble to personally arrange the details of the deal.”
2672
2673Until now, the only country the elves had been willing to trade with was Rinburuto…… thanks to that,
2674
2675the small country was able to amass an impressive amount of wealth from selling elven magic tools to the other human countries.
2676
2677If Rhoden Kingdom became trading partners with the elves, then Rinburuto would lose its monopol on the tools. However, considering that Juliana’s escorts were partially composed of Rinburuto, then the country must have already accepted it.
2678
2679“What goods are to be traded?”
2680
2681“The main item to be traded are 『Abundant Harvest Stones』.”
2682
2683Sect had to swallow his saliva and speak in a cheerful tone to hide how anxious Juliana’s comment had made him.
2684
2685“That’s wonderful! Our country will certainly benefit from this deal.”
2686
2687When 『Abundant Harvest Stones』 were crushed into a fine powder and spread over fields the increased the vitality of the land and the yield of crops.
2688
2689In a world filled with monsters, there were few fertile areas for humans to occupy…… and that item
2690
2691was capable of directly raising the prosperity of the land.
2692
2693If she managed to obtain these items without having to go through the Rinburuto Archdukedom, then the nobles would be in the palm of Juliana’s hand.
2694
2695The likelihood of her taking the throne would rise exponentially.
2696
2697Thinking about such things caused Sect to lower his shoulders and look up at the ceiling.
2698 
2699
2700Juliana honed in on his suspicious behavior.
2701
2702“So? Do you intend to stay here long? Or will you head towards the capital immediately?”
2703
2704With these words Sect turned back to Juliana and resumed speaking in a cheerful tone.
2705
2706“We’ll rest here tonight, and set out for the capital tomorrow morning.”
2707
2708“Well, you’re welcome to use one of the unused wings as your own. I hope you have a good rest.”
2709
2710Juliana was a little bewildered by her brother Sect’s offer, but accepted it with proper etiquette and left the room with her associates.
2711
2712When Juliana had finally left the room, general Setorion stepped from behind Sect and started speaking.
2713
2714“Is this alright?”
2715
2716His simple question actually concerned the princess’s large strides towards obtaining the throne.
2717
2718However, Sect sat back in his chair and threw his hands in the air while manically laughing.
2719
2720“If the trade negotiations are legit, then her backing for the throne will raise by 80%.”
2721
2722“And?”
2723
2724Sect shook his head at Setorion’s short questions.
2725
2726“This is a baffling situation. Word of Juliana’s accomplishment is bound to spread. Due to the recent events, the royal family’s standing in the kingdom is already unstable enough, so this deal needs to go through no matter what…… It’s also a little ironic that humans are dependent of the elven minority to secure a stable food source.”
2727
2728Sect chuckled a bit before he resumed speaking.
2729
2730“I’ll need to ensure my control over Hoban is unshakable, I will not allow my little sister to control such an important stopover between Rinburuto and the capital. For the time being, we should inform lord Tiosera about the dangers that accompany switching allegiances.”
2731
2732Setorion silently nodded in agreement to Sect’s decisions.
2733
2734“Given Juliana’s disposition, she’ll prioritize giving 『Abundant Harvest Stones』to the more barre territories. That will likely invoke the ire of the lords with favorable land holdings. If she’s aware of the risk, she’ll need to keep the 『Abundant Harvest Stones』 in limited circulation. It won’t be too difficult to draw the dissatisfied feudal lords to our side. The power balance has temporarily shifted in her favor, but it should swing back into balance once I gather those opposed to Juliana’s monopoly under my banner.”
2735
2736A dauntless smile appeared on the prince’s face.
2737
2738“There’s no need to rush when you aim for the throne…… lest you end up like that fool Douglass. I
2739
2740plan to leave the throne to my first son, so I should probably start working on finding a suitable
2741 
2742bride.”
2743
2744Having made his declaration, Sect closed his eyes and continued to smile.
2745 
2746
2747Chapter 13 「Nightmare」
2748
2749
2750
2751
2752When I regained consciousness I didn’t know why I was here.
2753
2754There was a forest on one side and a grassy plain on the other.
2755
2756The sun was high in the sky, so it was most likely around noon…… The sound of wind stroking the
2757
2758tree branches managed to reach the rock I was sitting on.
2759
2760The smell of the moist earth reached my nose. The wind had also blown a few leaves off their branches.
2761
2762I unintentionally stood up and examined the unfamiliar landscape.
2763
2764…… Why had I been sitting here?
2765
2766As I tried to remember what happened to me, I finally noticed my own appearance.
2767
2768There was a jet black robe covering my entire body and there was a weird staff in my hands.
2769
2770The staff itself was of an abnormal design and rather long.
2771
2772It looked as if I were a stereotypical magician.
2773
2774Although I was confused by my appearance, my body began to move as if on its own.
2775
2776A black flame was sparked on the end of my staff and without a second of hesitation, the flame was thrown at a tree, instantaneously reducing it to ash.
2777
2778As the black flames died out, the ashes of the incinerated tree was blown into the forest by another gust of wind.
2779
2780My body raised the staff again and released the full might of the black flame onto the forest.
2781
2782An entire section of the forest had became a sacrifice to the test of the magic’s full potential, and after the flames died off a good portion of the forest had been destroyed.
2783
2784The branches and undergrowth that had previously blocked my line of sight were now cleared away…… my body silently walked over the remains of the forest until it eventually came across a simple road.
2785
2786Without the forest blocking the way, I could easily see down the road.
2787
2788When my body raised the staff again, a black orb appeared and quickly engulfed my entire body.
2789
2790The next moment, the black orb had disappeared and my view of the surroundings had changed a bit.
2791
2792When I looked around I understood what had happened.
2793
2794The forest I had walked out of was about ten meters behind me. I even saw the trampled down area
2795 
2796had walked through previously.
2797
2798The spell my body had used was a transfer magic spell.
2799
2800Seemingly satisfied with the results, my body began to nimbly traverse the forest using transfer magic.
2801
2802Before long I reached the end of the forest.
2803
2804The road that snaked through the forest continued on into the hilly area that opened up before me.
2805
2806When I looked up I saw that the sun still hung near the center of the sky.
2807
2808I used transfer magic to leave the forest behind and began making my way through the hilly area.
2809
2810Soon, I came across a luxurious cargo carriage parked beside the road.
2811
2812However, just from looking at the scene at this distance I understand that this wasn’t a mere rest stop.
2813
2814There were multiple arrows sticking out of the carriage and there was no one sitting in the coachman’s seat. There were four horses tethered to the front of the carriage, but one of them had been hit by an arrow.
2815
2816Next to the carriage, a group of men were fighting one another with shields and swords.
2817
2818One group of men were wearing similar sets of light body armor and carried the same small shield and short swords. A few of them were also riding their own horse.
2819
2820The other group that was apparently attacking the carriage’s guards had mismatched weapons and armor and were most likely some kind of bandits or highwaymen, given their dirty appearance.
2821
2822The thieves outnumbered the guards two-to-one and were taking full advantage of it.
2823
2824The situation had reached the point where the guards were falling one after another to the bandits’ attacks.
2825
2826From my point of view, it was clear that the carriage was mere moments away from falling into the bandits’ hands.
2827
2828My body raised the staff once more and was completely covered by the black sphere again.
2829
2830In an instant the distance between me and the carriage shortened to about one hundred meters without any of the guards or bandits noticing.
2831
2832The black flames once again ignited and I began to shoot fireballs at the bandits.
2833
2834My aim was true as the fireballs struck some of the bandits and flared up into a massive fire pillar, before reducing them to ashes.
2835
2836“Gyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!!!”
2837
2838The bandits became disorganized as their companions were suddenly burnt alive before their very eyes.
2839 
2840
2841The guards were also confused for a moment as they watched the bandits being consumed by the flames.
2842
2843One of the bandits finally caught sight of me and pointed me out to everyone else.
2844
2845“Hooo!!! There’s a magician over there!!!”
2846
2847The bandits focused on me before they charged at me with their weapons raised.
2848
2849However, almost all of them were shot down by my black fireballs before they could even reach me.
2850
2851I burnt any bandit who opposed me to death as I slowly made my way towards the carriage.
2852
2853Despite the gruesome sight of watching people burn to death in front of me, I felt no pity for the bandits whatsoever.
2854
2855“Boss! This guy is ridiculously strong!! We’ve gotta run!!”
2856
2857One of the bandits called out to a nearby large bandit before turning his back on me and running away at full speed.
2858
2859I pointed my staff at the fleeing man and shot a fireball at him.
2860
2861The man was reduced to bones after being engulfed in black flames.
2862
2863“Fuck!! Who are you, bastard!?”
2864
2865The tall man referred to as boss shouted in irritation and indignation as he threw his weapon at me.
2866
2867The weapon headed straight for me and managed to catch the hood of my dark cloak.
2868
2869My face became visible to everyone in the area after my hood fell on my shoulders.
2870
2871For some reason this caused everyone to freeze for a moment.
2872
2873Then everyone began moving at once as if their collective switches had been flipped. The bandits scattered in every direction, screaming their heads off, while the guards drew their bows and fired arrows at me.
2874
2875There wasn’t much distance between me and the guards and the arrows were shot straight at me, but the moment the arrows made contact with my cloak they simply fell the ground.
2876
2877“Why?”
2878
2879“!?”
2880
2881Even though I came to help these people it’s come to this. The guards stepped back in shock before one of them started to shout orders to the others.
2882
2883“You lot go ahead with the carriage!! Two people stay with me to hold this thing back!!”
2884
2885The supposed guard leader and two nearby guards drew their swords again. The remaining guards untied the wounded horse and set off on the cargo carriage.
2886 
2887
2888When I took a step forward the leader raised his sword and shouted again.
2889
2890“Don’t take another step forward!! You guys flank the thing’s right and left!!”
2891
2892The leader dug his feet into the horse’s sides as he said that, making the horse charge at me.
2893
2894The other two responded by leading their own horses around to my sides.
2895
2896While my attention had been focused on them, the leader’s sword closed in on me in a flash. I was about to dodge the attack using transfer magic, but the two that had flanked me were attacking from behind.
2897
2898Managing to dodge one of the attacks and block the other one with my staff, I turned around just in time to see the leader leaping from his horse to perform an overhead slash.
2899
2900A dull, metallic sound rang out and sparks flew as my staff and the leader’s sword collided.
2901
2902“This monster can use some sort of strange magic!!
2903
2904Blue veins bulged on the leader’s forehead as he desperately attempted to sink his sword into my body.
2905
2906As the leader glared at me while trying to push me back I was able to catch a glimpse of myself reflected in his eyes.
2907
2908There wasn’t a nose or flesh of any kind on the skull that was my head, and pale red lights sat within my empty eye sockets.
2909
2910The surprise of seeing my face caused me to touch it with the hand I wasn’t using to hold off the leader.
2911
2912My fingers trembled a little when I felt the lifeless, cold bone that my face had become.
2913
2914“Return to the earth, undead!!”
2915
2916The leader took my momentary shock to disengage from our struggle and brandish his sword again.
2917
2918“……annoying.”
2919
2920Feeling that this affair had become rather troublesome, I raised my staff and launched a fireball at the man. The column of black flame that sprung up instantly reduced the man to a pile of ashes.
2921
2922“You monster!! Haaaa!!!”
2923
2924“You’re the captain’s enemy!!!”
2925
2926The remaining two guards were enraged at their captain’s death and gave me a death glare as the tried to cut me down. However, I managed to dodge within a hair’s breath and shoot them down with fireballs.
2927
2928Once the two guards had been silenced, the only thing that could be heard in the area was the sound of the embers burning on the ground.
2929 
2930I didn’t feel much of anything as I looked around and realized that the carriage was already gone.
2931
2932When I turned towards the direction the carriage had been facing, I could see its backside in the distance.
2933
2934However, it was only for a brief moment before the carriage crested a hill and disappeared.
2935
2936I absentmindedly watched the carriage disappear before I looked down at my staff and sighed.
2937
2938After standing there for a while, I decided to head back towards the forest I had came from.
2939
2940As day gave way to night, I took a seat on a nearby boulder and looked up at the crimson evening sky.
2941
2942Having realized my form in this world, I started to think about my future…… as I considered my
2943
2944options, I saw multiple lights appearing over the horizon and after some time passed, I noticed the lights were heading for my current location.
2945
2946When a group of one hundred horse-riding, spear-wielding soldiers caught sight of me, their eyes reflected an anger hotter than the setting sun.
2947
2948The armor the soldiers were wearing and the weapons they had seemed to be one step above the guards’ equipment and they were all wearing mantles on their backs.
2949
2950Originally, the mantles had been probably white, but under the setting sun they assumed a red hue similar to the capes of roman centurions.
2951
2952Leading the soldiers was a man equipped with a luxurious set of armor, who was vigorously raising his weapon in the sky.
2953
2954When the luxurious knight gave the signal, the ground began to rumble as all the soldiers rushed me simultaneously.
2955
2956I began hurling black fireballs at my attackers, but it was like throwing pebbles against a massive wave, for when one rider fell several more replaced him.
2957
2958The cavalry had blocked my ability to escape with transfer magic and spears were quickly approaching me.
2959
2960Though I tried my best to dodge them, I was repeatedly stabbed by spears which carried enough force to crack some of my bones.
2961
2962The soldiers at the rear of the wave made sure to lodge their spears into my body when they caught sight of me trying to dodge.
2963
2964If this had been my original body I’d be dead, but with this body I only felt a slight amount of pain. casually pulled out the spears, throwing one of them at the group of riders that were charging me once again, nailing one of them to the ground.
2965
2966Despite that, the soldiers didn’t even flinch and prepared their spears to attack me.
2967
2968“Depressing……!”
2969 
2970A low toned voice left my mouth as I hit the end of my staff against the ground.
2971
2972A black sphere appeared at my feet and leaped into the corpses of the dead soldiers.
2973
2974As the shadows were suck into the corpses, the bones of the deceased began to rise in a ragdoll-like manner. The reanimated corpses picked up their spears and began running towards their former comrades.
2975
2976The soldiers didn’t stop their charge when they saw this, despite the fear and unease that was clearly visible on their faces.
2977
2978…… Then hell was unleashed upon the soldiers.
2979
2980The reanimated soldiers suddenly raised their spears to the heavens. Dark tendrils were released from the undead’s weapons and jumped at their former comrades.
2981
2982Holes opened up in the chests of the soldiers’ forms with blood and organs flowing out…… soon this
2983
2984quiet hill was reduced to a hellscape as screams and the sound of mortal combat filled the area.
2985
2986Before long, there were no humans left standing, only the silent group of one hundred soldiers was left standing in the place that had been their grave.
2987
2988At the center of this group of undead soldiers was a skeleton dressed in a dark robe, who proceeded to hit his staff against the ground before raising it into the sky.
2989
2990The undead soldiers began to silently and slowly walk down the road that led to the hill.
2991
2992The day had completely given way to night, and the footsteps of the funeral procession were swallowed by the darkness as they marched along.
2993
2994It was at that moment my consciousness faded away.
2995 
2996
2997Chapter 14 「The Hot Spring’s Effect」
2998
2999
3000
3001
3002When I opened my eyes, I saw a few tree branches through a collapsed ceiling as sunlight shined down on my body.
3003
3004I remembered having a nightmare, but the details of the dream were vague at best.
3005
3006I took a deep breath and exhaled the discomfort that had settled within my chest. When I was fully awake, I remember passing out shortly after entering the hot spring.
3007
3008Raising my stiff neck, I took a look at my surroundings.
3009
3010I was resting on some sort of stone pedestal. The nearby remains of a cooking stove was leading me to believe that this place had originally been a kitchen.
3011
3012In that case, this pedestal must have been a counter.
3013
3014My body was wrapped in one of those fur sleeping bags I’ve seen at our campsites.
3015
3016It seemed like I was inside the residence near the mountain top.
3017
3018Most of the interior had decayed and the weeds growing through cracks in the stone floor blurred the boundary between the outside and the inside, but I could see the walls were still in good shape.
3019
3020The counter I was resting on had been cleaned up a bit so that it could be used as a substitute for a bed.
3021
3022Next to me was a curled up, lightly snoring furball that would occasionally wag its fluffy tail.
3023
3024My movements made the furball stir and it focused its sleepy eyes on me before it started to bark happily..
3025
3026“Kyun! Kyu〜n♪”
3027
3028Ponta jumped on my face and began licking me with her small tongue.
3029
3030“Hey! Stop it, that tickles.”
3031
3032When I managed to tear the overly happy Ponta from my face, I caught sight of my current appearance.
3033
3034“Uhg, I’ve turned back……”
3035
3036The body I had regained entering the hot spring had now reverted back to that of a skeleton.
3037
3038I was also stark naked, like I had been when I entered the spring.
3039
3040I wouldn’t feel all that embarrassed if my skeletal body was seen by someone else, but I was worried about my armor, so I started looking for it.
3041
3042That’s when Ariane threw open the room’s entrance. She went wide-eyed when she saw me sitting
3043 
3044up.
3045
3046“Arc!? You’re awake!!?”
3047
3048Ariane dropped the basket of wild plants in her hands and ran towards me as she called out my name.
3049
3050When I saw a small tear in the corner of her eyes, I scratched my head because of how uncomfortable it made me feel.
3051
3052…… I seem to have made her worry.
3053
3054“Ye-Yeah. I just woke up a little while ago…… How long was I unconscious?”
3055
3056Though I’d been thrown off by her behavior, when I asked her how long I’d been out cold, she started looking as if she was remembering something before nodding once.
3057
3058“It’s been seven days since you fainted, Arc. Chiome-chan and I were thinking about asking Williahsfim-sama fly us back to the village so you could receive proper treatment.”
3059
3060“I’ve been unconscious for seven days!?”
3061
3062I wasn’t able to hide my surprise at her response.
3063
3064It didn’t seem like more than an hour had passed since I had fainted, so I couldn’t believe that days had passed.
3065
3066……I think now I know how Urashima Taro must have felt.
3067
3068While I was lost in thought another person entered the room and called my name.
3069
3070“Arc-dono! You’re awake.”
3071
3072Chiome had appeared in her usual ninja garb, holding a basket of wild plants and nuts like the one Ariane had been carrying, and her cat ears were also restlessly twitching on her head.
3073 
3074 
3075“Ah, Chiome-dono. Sorry for making you guys worry.”
3076
3077Ariane crossed her arms ad looked a bit irritated when I finished speaking.
3078
3079“Really. Arc, we couldn’t even check if you had a heartbeat or not, and you looked like nothing but remains as you slept.”
3080
3081In other words, it had been uncertain whether I would return or not. It wouldn’t have been strange for them to assume I had died and bury me.
3082
3083“Sorry, Ariane-dono. I never intended to make you wait for seven days…… Speaking of which, why
3084
3085did you wait seven days to see if I was alive or not?”
3086
3087If it had been me, I wouldn’t have had the patience to watch a mysterious set of bones for seven days.
3088
3089I’d have given up after the second day.
3090
3091When I asked Ariane about it, her golden eyes bulged for a moment before she turned away,
3092
3093“I-It wasn’t that big of a deal……”
3094
3095While I was confused by Ariane’s reaction, I began to wonder how someone could possibly judge if I was alive, dead or unconscious. Ariane then said ” Oh, yeah……” and quickly changed the topic.
3096
3097“Arc, you did say that you were human, right? But when the spring removed your curse, why did you appear to be an elf!?”
3098
3099I was reminded of my appearance before I passed out when Ariane asked that question.
3100
3101Of course, that body hadn’t been my original one. However, that elven form was familiar to me……
3102
3103It was my avatar’s appearance before I equipped the skeleton skin.
3104
3105I had made it look like a dark elf in the game, but its long ears, brown skin, black hair and red eyes were completely different from dark elves in this world.
3106
3107Ariane’s golden eyes were staring directly at me and were demanding an explanation.
3108
3109I averted my eyes and stroked my chin as I tried to come up with something to say.
3110
3111“……Well, I thought I was human……”
3112
3113All I could manage was a vague response.
3114
3115“It seems like my memory isn’t all that reliable.”
3116
3117Although I know the true reason behind everything, I doubted that they could understand it even if told them.
3118
3119So I wouldn’t say anything else on the matter.
3120
3121Ariane and Chiome shared a look and simultaneously sighed in defeat showing no interest in pressing my any further.
3122 
3123
3124While I was thankful for this, I sighed and looked down at my own body.
3125
3126“Though I was sure that he was an elf, given his ears, everything else about him was just too different to be certain. And the person himself doesn’t even know……”
3127
3128As Ariane voiced her complaints Chiome simply turned her eyes on me.
3129
3130I was a skeleton in a knight’s armor, a dark elf when the curse was lifted, and I had the mind of a human. It was like this body was a nested doll…… I shook my head to clear away my worries.
3131
3132Beside that……
3133
3134“Why did I pass out after I entered the hot spring?”
3135
3136Before I passed out I remembered a torrent of negative emotions I haven’t felt since I came to thi world assaulting my mind like a storm.
3137
3138I voiced my worries about why that had happened to me.
3139
3140“Probably because of that curse of yours reacting to the spring’s effects.”
3141
3142I suddenly heard a familiar voice from above my head.
3143
3144Both Ariane and Chiome looked up when they heard the voice, so I followed their example.
3145
3146What I saw was a creature I’ve never seen before floating and looking down on us.
3147
3148“Kyun!”
3149
3150Ponta wasn’t all that cautious towards that being, instead she wagged her tail and called out to him as if she knew him.
3151
3152The floating being shook the ground as it descended to my eye level like a Demon King.
3153
3154I couldn’t understand the nature of this person, but Ponta didn’t seem too worried about him. As I struggled to figure out how I should react to this person, Ariane spoke up and revealed his identity.
3155
3156“This is Williahsfim-sama. Once Dragon Kings reach a certain age, they gain the ability to take on a human form.”
3157
3158“What?!”
3159
3160A let out a shocked shout and snapped my head towards him.
3161
3162The creature seemed humanoid with its arms and legs.
3163
3164This form wasn’t nearly as large as his bulky thirty-meter long body for sure.
3165
3166However, could that really be called a human form?
3167
3168His body was covered in the same majestic blue scales as his dragon form, his head resembled a dragon’s more than human’s, as he smiled I could see that his mouth was full of fangs instead of teeth and he had two horns growing from the side of his head.
3169 
3170
3171His body was covered in a set of armor the same color as his scales, a small set of wings were folded against his back and there was a long tail connected to his waist that reached the floor.
3172
3173In this humanoid form, Williahsfim stood well over four meters tall, a giant compared to regular humans.
3174
3175Instead of a human, it would be better to call him a giant lizardman. I stared directly at Williahsfim as I processed all of this.
3176
3177While I still had questions about his appearance, my current situation came first.
3178
3179“Williahsfim-dono, what do you mean by that?”
3180
3181Williahsfim nodded his head at my question and narrowed his reptilian eyes at me,
3182
3183“From what I’m seeing, this boy here is originally from another world. When the spring temporarily returned his body to its original state, he received a backlash because of that. Though even I don’t understand how he can function in such an incomplete state……”
3184
3185“Another world……”
3186
3187Williahsfim wound up speaking a troublesome phrase in his explanation.
3188
3189“Hmm. It’s a little difficult to explain to others, but there are other worlds that overlap with this one and the rest of this boy’s being has been left behind in one of them.”
3190
3191Worlds overlapping one another…… or alternate realities, I turned to Ariane and Chiome to see how
3192
3193they felt after learning my origins.
3194
3195However, the two of them were looking between Williahsfim and me in confusion.
3196
3197When Williahsfim saw the state they were in, he tried to find a better way to explain it.
3198
3199“How  should I put it…… Well, there exists a world composed entirely of energy without any
3200
3201physical form, that world is where spirits in this world originate. There are also other worlds that are tangentially connected to this one.”
3202
3203The two of them scratched their chins and nodded several times as if they understood what Williahsfim said to some extent.
3204
3205“I see. So when the hot spring restored my body the shock was too much for me to take and the mental fatigue knocked me unconscious…… or something like that?”
3206
3207The shift from a skeletal body to a dark elf body being too much for me to take was something I could understand.
3208
3209What I was more concerned about to the explosive storm of emotions that had hit me.
3210
3211When I asked Williahsfim he slowly ran his eyes over my body before he began speaking again.
3212
3213“I suppose it should be called a curse after all…… Boy, when you’re a skeleton, are you capable of
3214
3215feeling deep emotions?”
3216 
3217I thought back to all that I had done since I came to this world when he asked me that.
3218
3219I was continuously bombarded with various surprises nearly every day since I’ve been here, yet I never was too upset or even sad about what I’ve experienced.
3220
3221When I learned about the circumstances of the elves and the People of the Mountains and Plains, didn’t hesitate to offer my strength, but it wasn’t out of a sense of justice.
3222
3223I acted so indifferently to what I experienced in this world because I still considered all of it a game or a dream. I thought my standing in life here would improve if I helped the people living here so I did.
3224
3225“When you regained your body, all of the pent up emotions from your time as a skeleton poured into you. The burden of that experience caused you to faint.”
3226
3227Ariane and Chiome stared at me in amazement when Williahsfim finished speaking and I mysel looked down at my boney body.
3228
3229I guess that explained why I passed out.
3230
3231“Williahsfim-dono, how do you know so much about this matter?”
3232
3233As much as I could accept that a long-lived Dragon King would have amassed more wisdom than me but I had to question how he could spout knowledge about the universe so easily.
3234
3235Williahsfim smiled at my question before he answered.
3236
3237“Dragon Kings are entirely different beings from the dragons that live in the mountains. That is to say, we are powerful spirits that created our current bodies.”
3238
3239My gaze unintentionally traveled to Ponta as she let out a large yawn.
3240
3241“Kyun?”
3242
3243Williahsfim realized what I was thinking and quickly corrected me.
3244
3245“We’re different from spirit beasts. Spirit beasts are just animals that assimilated elemental spirits into themselves, I crafted my own body before I entered this world. The power to take human form is an extension of that ability. I simply shrunk my dragon form into what you see before you.”
3246
3247Williahsfim stood a bit taller as he said that.
3248
3249Despite the oppressive aura of their normal bodies, Dragon Kings were rather spiritual beings.
3250
3251“I see…… Still, if I’m going to have that reaction every time I enter the hot spring, then it just isn’
3252
3253worth it for a temporary solution……”
3254
3255When I lowered my head after saying that, I caught Ariane looking at me as if she had something to say about the matter.
3256
3257However, this was a rather personal issue for me……
3258 
3259At that moment, Williahsfim spoke up once again to explain the situation with the spring.
3260
3261“You’re wrong, boy. Even if you can’t maintain your original body in the future, it should be fine to enter the spring as long as you keep your emotional distress to a minimum. It could be considered a miracle that you survived the experience this time.”
3262
3263I looked up at him the second I realized the meaning behind his words.
3264
3265It’s barely been a month since I entered this world as a skeleton. All this time, my negative and strong emotions had been accumulating.
3266
3267If it had been a year or even two months before they were allowed to flood my mind, then I doubt I would have been out of commission for just seven days.
3268
3269My life might’ve been at risk.
3270
3271If I was to live in this incredibly harsh world, then the emotional limiter that came along with my skeletal body would certainly be a useful tool, but the price for using it is truly worthy of being called a ‘curse’.
3272
3273I could never have imagined that a simple choice in a game would have so much of an effect on my life, but now was not the time or place to grieve over it.
3274
3275Right now I needed to determine how long I could stay in my elven body and the time limit I could endure being a skeleton.
3276
3277“I think I need to experiment with the hot spring for a bit……”
3278 
3279Chapter 15 「New Home」
3280
3281
3282
3283
3284I was standing in front of the hot spring responsible for my seven-day coma.
3285
3286The huge open-air bath spread out behind the decaying residence, so Hanzo, the previous resident, must’ve built and maintained this place.
3287
3288A stream of hot water was endlessly flowing into the area from a slightly elevated rock formation. The water was flowing into a hollowed out groove and to prevent the water from overflowing, there was a cliff at the groove that allowed excess water to be drained off.
3289
3290In this huge open-air bath, a four-meter-tall blue-scaled giant was relaxing in the water with his back against a nearby rock.
3291
3292Apparently, ever since Hanzo’s time, Dragon King Williahsfim has regularly donned his humanoid form to visit the spring.
3293
3294Honestly, as he sank deeper into the water and sighed, he reminded me of the Japanese macaques at the jigokudani hot springs.
3295
3296Williahsfim turned his head in my direction and called out to me.
3297
3298“Boy, how long are you going to sit there?”
3299
3300I had been sitting at the edge of the hot spring repeatedly dipping my toes into the water and taking them out once they regained their flesh when he had called out to me.
3301
3302The shock I experienced before made me hesitant about entering the spring.
3303
3304While I couldn’t feel strong emotions as a skeleton, decision making was another matter.
3305
3306I knew that I couldn’t sit here forever, looking at the water, and resolved myself to getting in.
3307
3308However, the emotional backlash I felt the first time…… was something I didn’t want to experience
3309
3310again……
3311
3312“Namusan!!”
3313
3314With a final mantra to raise my spirits, I soaked my entire skeletal body into the water.
3315
3316I closed my eyes and braced myself for the backlash when I resurfaced. However, I felt nothing like i rising up, so opened my eyes and took a look around.
3317
3318Apart from a slight skin-crawling sensation, there was no sign of the overwhelming torrent swelling up.
3319
3320Since my last trip into the hot spring took me out of commission for several days, I didn’t seem to have accumulated much emotional distress.
3321 
3322
3323Meaning that the backlash from the entering the spring again was minuscule.
3324
3325I breathed a relieved sigh and let the hot water embrace my body.
3326
3327“Ahh〜〜”
3328
3329From now on I was going to have to soak in this spring on a regular basis.
3330
3331It was a mandatory precaution if I wanted to keep my emotional distress to a minimum.
3332
3333Just like I bathed every day in my former life, I just had to come here every day. Maybe once in the morning and once at night.
3334
3335I’d like to avoid being consumed by that torrent after all.
3336
3337I splashed my face and sighed as I reflected on my life in this world.
3338
3339As my body reverted back to flesh and blood, I recalled my past actions. While I certainly felt bad about all the people I killed, the hot spring’s warmth seeping into my core allowed me to cope somehow.
3340
3341While I let the water drain away my regrets and worries, I began to look towards my future.
3342
3343Though it was not the body I sought, I have achieved my main goal of restoring it.
3344
3345I watched as the dark elf’s face reflected in the water changed expressions when I tugged at one of my long ears.
3346
3347How about we start with measuring the duration of this hot spring’s effect.
3348
3349I moved to the edge of the spring and left only my feet submerged.
3350
3351This dark elf body was my previous avatar before I bought the skeletal skin, and its dark skinned muscles were splendidly toned.
3352
3353I had a weird desire to flex my abs just for the heck of it.
3354
3355However, there’d be no point in flaunting my muscles now.
3356
3357Right now I need to observe the effect the spring had on my body.
3358
3359After a few minutes of being out of the water, my upper body became slightly transparent before reverting back to bones.
3360
3361Only my feet maintained their form. A skeleton looking like it was wearing flesh socks was a rather strange and unsettling sight to behold.
3362
3363I raised one of my feet from the water and stared at the boundary between flesh and bone.
3364
3365Apparently, I revert back to my skeletal form after ten minutes.
3366
3367After a quick dunk back into the water, I made my way over to where the hot spring began, scooped some water in my hands and drank it.
3368 
3369
3370While it didn’t have any particular taste, the water slid down my throat and warmed up my stomach.
3371
3372Just like before, I made my way to the edge of the spring and stared down at my body. The flesh remained even after the ten-minute mark passed, with no sign of disappearing. “Williahsfim-dono, would you happen to know of a way to cure me completely?”
3373
3374When I turned back to the Dragon King and asked him a question, I saw that his tail was floating o the water’s surface before he looked at me and answered,
3375
3376“Boy, I don’t know the details of your particular curse and from what I’ve seen, it is dependent on your very being. How was that curse placed on you in the first place?”
3377
3378Williahsfim snorted at me after he answered me and I gave up asking questions about it.
3379
3380I received this skeletal body when I came to this world, therefore this curse was something beyond this reality.
3381
3382The reason behind this was something only the gods knew.
3383
3384It was my philosophy not to worry about such things.
3385
3386Shaking my head, I asked Williahsfim about another important matter.
3387
3388“Williahsfim-dono, would you mind if I set up a home in this area?”
3389
3390“…… Do as you like. Originally, this place belonged to the first leader of that cat’s clan, as long as
3391
3392you don’t bother my tree, I don’t mind you staying here.”
3393
3394Williahsfim sunk his mouth under the water and began blowing bubbles with his eyes closed when he was done talking.
3395
3396“Thank you……”
3397
3398I left the hot spring after I bowed my head in gratitude.
3399
3400There was a dressing room in the back of the residence that I was using to put my armor back on when I realized something.
3401
3402“Hmm, there’s no need to wear the entire set in this place……”
3403
3404After thinking aloud, I only put on the lower body section of my armor.
3405
3406Besides, if I wore the whole suit of armor I wouldn’t be able to tell when the effect wore off.
3407
3408With my upper body still exposed, I performed a side chest pose. The veins in my arms stood out as I fixed my muscles.
3409
3410“I wish I had a full-body mirror here.”
3411
3412Adding a body-length mirror to the list of things I needed to buy for my new home, I headed towards the room Ariane was in.
3413 
3414The dressing room I left was connected to a large hall that looked like a small meadow, thanks to the grass that had been growing between the cracks in the floor.
3415
3416When I found Ariane and Chiome, the two of them seemed to be in the middle of a long discussion. “Sorry to keep you waiting, Ariane-dono.”
3417
3418When I called out to her, Ariane looked up at me with a shocked expression on her face. “Arc, that appearance…… has the curse been broken? Is your body alright?”
3419
3420“Again, I’m sorry for worrying the both of you, there’s nothing wrong with my body. According to Williahsfim-dono, the only way for me to maintain this form is to constantly drink the hot spring’s water, so now I’m testing the duration of its effects.”
3421
3422When I answered her question I tried to emphasize my trapezius muscles.
3423
3424Ariane made a strange face as she looked at me.
3425
3426“I understand, but why are you walking around like that?”
3427
3428“Ho, I just wanted to enjoy having a body again, is that weird?” I flexed my abs as I answered her question.
3429
3430“No, it’s just that you look like my grandfather. I thought you were doing that because it’s stuffy in here.”
3431
3432My shoulders drooped at Ariane’s biting words just as Ponta ran into the room and used wind magic to fly at me.
3433
3434“Ky-uh!”
3435
3436Lifted by a sudden breeze, Ponta landed on my head and began wagging her fluffy tail over my face.
3437
3438Ariane fell silent when she saw that before she had a revelation.
3439
3440“It makes sense for a spirit beast to bond with Arc, since he’s an elf…… Say Arc, can you see
3441
3442these?”
3443
3444She blew her breath into her hand and showed it to me.
3445
3446In her hand were the strange lights that I had seen her use during the escapade in Lanbaltic. “…? I can’t see them all that well, but I do see some lights there……”
3447
3448When I answer Ariane’s question she nodded and closed her hand with the lights in it. “I thought so. Arc, you’re capable of seeing spirits.”
3449
3450“But Ariane-dono, why couldn’t I detect the taint of the undead or see any spirits in Great Canada Forest?”
3451 
3452
3453Ariane had an answer for my question, though.
3454
3455“Though it’s an elven trait, there are differences between individuals. Judging from your build, I would assume you’re closely related to dark elves, Arc.”
3456
3457I was reminded of the characteristic of the elves in this world as she said that.
3458
3459While all elves had a high aptitude for magic, dark elves had the additional advantage of higher physical strength.
3460
3461My body did closely resemble dark elves. However I only made my avatar look like a dark elf, so i was still up in the air if I was a true elf or not.
3462
3463Well, I suppose demonstrating the racial ability to see the spirits could be taken as proof of that.
3464
3465From what I’ve heard, the first leader of Great Canada Forest, someone who had probably been in th same position as me, also had the ability to see spirits. However, based on what Ariane said about them, their ability with this skill was stronger than mine.
3466
3467“It’d be for the best to inform the elders about Arc once we return to the village……”
3468
3469When Ariane began making plans for the future, she suddenly stopped and turned to Chiome as if remembering something important
3470
3471“Chiome-chan wasn’t there something you wanted to discuss with Arc?”
3472
3473When she said that, Chiome, who had remained silent till now, lowered her head to me as her cat ears lightly twitched.
3474
3475“Hmm?”
3476
3477“Arc-dono, do you remember the rescue mission you and Ariane-dono took part in during our time in the capital? Well, we wound up saving more people than that the village was capable of supporting. Because an abundant amount of monsters live in the mountains, there is little room for crop cultivation and the village had already been reaching the limits of its sustainability before that……”
3478
3479As she spoke about her village’s current situation, Chiome’s tail hung low and her shoulders drooped.
3480
3481I nodded at her explanation and urged her to continue.
3482
3483“That is why I was ordered by the twenty-second generation clan head to find lord Hanzo’s former residence as a possible site for a new village.”
3484
3485So her clan wasn’t simply looking for the previous residence of their founder, they were trying to find a new home for their brethren.
3486
3487While showing understanding of her circumstances, I brought up some of the concerns I had.
3488
3489“I require the spring in order to maintain my body and I received permission from Williahsfim-dono to set up a new home here…… That won’t be a problem, will it?”
3490
3491Ariane and Chiome shared a surprised looked when they heard this, before Chiome’s clear blue eyes
3492 
3493looked back at me and responded.
3494
3495“That’s fine. Williahsfim-dono gave me permission as well…… but we’re not planning to set up the
3496
3497village close the Dragon King’s home. There is a plain adjacent to a large lake just east of here that the Dragon King showed us.”
3498
3499The area must have been an easier place for people to live.
3500
3501The hot spring was located at the top of a mountain and the only building was this rundown house.
3502
3503While it was fine for a small group of people, it would be problematic for a larger group to live here.
3504
3505When I looked over these lands after exiting the cavern, I saw that it was a basin completely surrounded by mountains, making it an easily defendable home.
3506
3507There was also plenty of room for the People of the Mountain and Plains to live.
3508
3509However, if the land was available, why didn’t the first head move his people here?
3510
3511When I asked Chiome about it, she shook her head and answered.
3512
3513“I don’t know myself. The reason was from many generations ago, so the twenty-second head might be aware of the details.”
3514
3515I could think of a few reasons for that.
3516
3517While the land would be difficult for humans to invade, it also made it difficult for allies to visit as well.
3518
3519The journey to this place required one to traverse a monster-filled forest and finding their way through a dank, dark cavern since the mountains were inhabited by furious dragons.
3520
3521Even if the People of the Mountains and Plains had superior physical prowess, the danger involved moving a large number of people is clearly apparent.
3522
3523In other words……
3524
3525“The current conditions in Chiome-dono’s village have reached the point where your leader wants to negotiate the use of my transfer magic in the upcoming migration?”
3526
3527When I made my guess, Chiome’s ears went stiff as her eye looked at me in anticipation.
3528
3529“……Yes! Once again, please offer us your assistance Arc-dono.”
3530
3531My answer was already decided.
3532
3533” I plan to make this place my home, so I might as well meet with the descendants of this place’s former owner. I’m not that good at talking, but there’s no need for any more negotiations as long as I receive this place as a reward. Because of my curse, I can’t afford to give it up.”
3534
3535Chiome smiled when I said that and her cheeks became flushed as her tail wagged despite her attempts to maintain her composure.
3536 
3537“Thank you very much, Arc-dono.”
3538
3539“By the way, what do you want to do, Ariane-dono? Do you want to return to Raratoia first? I’ve already made you watch over me for seven days.”
3540
3541When I asked Ariane, who had quietly listened to the story up till now, she stroked her chin and held her other arm against her voluptuous chest as she thought it over.
3542
3543“Since the trip here and back to the village would normally take more than seven days there’s no need to worry about it. While you slept, I promised Chiome-chan that I’d also visit her village.”
3544
3545The two of them shared as smile when she said that.
3546
3547I could only awkwardly scratch my head at the feeling of comradely that the two of them seemed to have forged while I had been asleep.
3548
3549Ponta patted my head with her tail as a means to confront me.
3550
3551“Ponta, I’ll give you a delicious treat later.”
3552
3553“Kyun♪”
3554
3555Hearing Ponta’s cheer and patting her head helped relieve some of my anxiety, but the arm I was petting her with suddenly became transparent and skeletal again.
3556
3557“Hmm?”
3558
3559I had neglected to keep track of the time, so it was rather unexpected when my body disappeared as if it had been an illusion.
3560
3561It had probably been close to an hour since I drank the hot spring’s water.
3562
3563“You turned back…… the effect time seems rather short.”
3564
3565While Ariane was shocked at the sudden change, she still managed a biting comment about the hot spring.
3566
3567While the effect was short, it was still better than when I had simply soaked in the hot spring.
3568
3569Now I should increase the quantity of water to verify an exact time limit.
3570
3571I’ll have to change my plans to account for this in the future.
3572 
3573Chapter 16 「That Which is Inherited」
3574
3575
3576
3577
3578As the day weaned and the sky turned a dark crimson, the mountaintop took on a calming stillness.
3579
3580The breeze coming in from the collapsed roof gently brushed against my skin and caused the grass that grew from the cracks in the floor to sway.
3581
3582I silently opened my eyes and looked down at the thick patch of grass in front of me before I crouched down and waved my hand in a slashing motion through a modified magic circle.
3583
3584“【Wind Blade】”
3585
3586【Wind Blade】was a basic spell from the wind magic system, and an invisible blade cut down the patch of grass when I invoked it.
3587
3588The grass blades scattered on the stone floor without a sound.
3589
3590While it was a basic spell, it’s power had been greatly suppressed so I could limit its the range and strength.
3591
3592“Kyun! Kyun!”
3593
3594Ponta, who’d been watching me till now, uttered a cry all of a sudden.
3595
3596“Oh, you wanna try Ponta?”
3597
3598“Kyun!”
3599
3600When I said that, Ponta began wagging her fluffy tail and took a step forward.
3601
3602“KyuKyu-n……”
3603
3604With a spirited cry, Ponta took a fighting stance and started to focus on the sapling that was growing in front of her.
3605
3606Ponta’s light green fur started to glow after a while as a whirlwind began to blow up the fallen leaves around her.
3607
3608“Kyun!”
3609
3610With a spirited shout, a gust of wind was fired from Ponta’s whirlwind. The sapling’s leaves scattered about as it was cut down at the base.
3611
3612“Good job! How about some roasted beans as a reward?”
3613
3614“Kyun☆”
3615
3616I was impressed with Ponta’s magic so I reached into the leather sack tied to my waist for her reward when Ariane spoke up from behind me.
3617 
3618“Wait a minute Arc, what dangerous things are you teaching Ponta?”
3619
3620When I looked back I saw that she was staring at me with a raised eyebrow and her arms crossed.
3621
3622“Since this is going to be my future home, I decided to do a bit of weeding. Ponta just started to replicate the magic I used to cut down weeds and trees. Don’t fluffy foxes normally use offensive measures against enemies?”
3623
3624While I tried to defend myself, Ponta tilted her head and had a look in her eyes as if she were asking ‘what about the roasted beans?’.
3625
3626Ariane looked conflicted for a second as she looked down at Ponta before answering me.
3627
3628“There’s not much known about the habits of fluffy foxes…… but I’ve never heard of one using magic
3629
3630offensively.”
3631
3632“I see. Perhaps they learn it when they grow up, but it wouldn’t hurt for Ponta learn how to defend herself.”
3633
3634“I guess you have a point but…… Ah, Arc, your body is starting to turn back.”
3635
3636Ariane still seemed a little doubtful about the matter, but she changed topics when she noticed me starting to change.
3637
3638“Yeah, the duration of the spring’s effect changes depending on the amount of spring water I drink.”
3639
3640This time I drank about a liter of water and the effects lasted for about three hours.
3641
3642The brown skin of my upper body disappeared, leaving only the bones behind. I stroked my ribcage to confirm my current state.
3643
3644When I told Ariane the effective time she simply sighed and shrugged.
3645
3646“That’s a rather constricted limit.”
3647
3648Ariane wasn’t wrong about the limited ability to maintain an actual body. Still, it was way better than the three minutes certain giant heroes from the M78 nebulae received.
3649
3650Although I felt that the effective time slightly decreased whenever I exerted myself.
3651
3652The power of the hot spring seemed to be consumed by my movements, though I couldn’t get a straight answer from Williasfrim when I asked him why.
3653
3654While I was getting lost in thought about the hot spring, Ariane remembered the reason she had come here.
3655
3656“Oh yeah, dinner is ready. Chiome-chan made it today.”
3657
3658“Kyun!”
3659
3660What a spirited cry, Ponta stopped looking up at me for roasted beans and left to seek out Chiome.
3661 
3662
3663“Okay. Tomorrow I should be ready to go to Rhoden Kingdom’s capital. How about we prepare to set off for the hidden village from there?”
3664
3665Ariane was still looking at Ponta’s back when I made my suggestion for tomorrow, and she answered me without turning away from Ponta.
3666
3667“That’s fine. Chiome-chan did invite me and I would like to see one of her people’s villages as soon as possible. We should get going as well.”
3668
3669Ariane urges us towards the kitchen area where Chiome was waiting.
3670
3671When I entered the kitchen I saw that a fire had been lit in the hearth and was faintly illuminating the room. The sound of firewood crackling could be heard from the hearth while steam rose from a simmering pot.
3672
3673As the pot cooked, Chiome’s triangular ears would twitch along with the crackling firewood. After checking the taste, Chiome used a large spoon to stir the pot while Ponta waited nearby for supper.
3674
3675“Tonight’s dinner are wild vegetables and chicken soup, a dish made when someone is sick. It’s one of my villages staple dishes, given its nutritional value.”
3676
3677Chiome picked out a piece of the wild chicken from the pot and gave the portion to Ponta while telling us the contents of tonight’s meal.
3678
3679When the hot piece of chicken was placed in front of her, Ponta used her magic to cool it.
3680
3681Apparently the first meal since I lost consciousness would be a Blade Heart Clan health dish.
3682
3683……Even though I wasn’t exactly sick……
3684
3685I guess I should be grateful that this skeletal body allowed me to survive without food and water. I doubted there were infusion pumps in this world and I would have passed away from dehydration otherwise.
3686
3687“Thank you for the meal.”
3688
3689I offered Chiome my thanks as she handed me my wooden bowl of soup.
3690
3691The boiled chicken was rather bland and soft, thanks to the fat being dispersed throughout the pot of soup. The vegetables and medicinal herbs in the soup also had a slightly bitter taste to them.
3692
3693It would be selfish of me to say the soup wasn’t to my liking, though.
3694
3695The thought of having a soy base or turning it into a consommé to improve the taste crossed my mind as I sipped the soup.
3696
3697“…… is the taste unsatisfactory, Arc-dono?”
3698
3699Chiome appeared to be a little anxious as she watched me slowly sipping the soup.
3700
3701“No, sorry. I was just thinking of something else. On top of being good for you, it’s also close to how I like my soup.”
3702 
3703As I chuckled after saying that, Ariane pointed at me with her spoon.
3704
3705“Arc, your body is back.”
3706
3707“Huh? Oh.”
3708
3709Just as she had said, my skeletal body had turned into that of a dark elf when I looked down at myself.
3710
3711“Sorry, Arc-dono. This is because I used the hot spring water in the soup. Since certain seasonings aren’t as available here as they are in my village, I used the water as a substitute.”
3712
3713When Chiome apologetically lowered her head to me, I quickly shook my hand and tried to change the topic.
3714
3715“No, it’s alright. So…… your village has difficulties to obtain salt. How is the supply maintained?
3716
3717Can it be produced once the people are moved here?”
3718
3719Salt was an indispensable commodity for people. While it was possible to purify it from the sea, this basin was surrounded by an extensive mountain range.
3720
3721It would be good if there was a rocksalt bed, but it was unlikely that one of those could be found overnight.
3722
3723When I pointed that out, Chiome turned to Ariane.
3724
3725“There are a few places near the village where we mine salt, though it’ll be necessary to find a salt bed when the construction of the village is underway. Ariane-dono promised to arrange negotiations with Raratoia’s elder to have the elves accommodate us until then.”
3726
3727Ariane nodded in acknowledgment after Chiome finished speaking.
3728
3729They seem to have discussed quite a few things while I was out of commission.
3730
3731“Looks like you two had a lot to talk about while I was indisposed. Have you already finished your business here then?”
3732
3733Chiome gave me a small nod before replying.
3734
3735“Yes. The two of us managed to find a 『Spirit Contract Crystal』 that lord Hanzo had left behind in this residence.”
3736
3737“『Spirit Contract Crystal』?”
3738
3739When she spoke of an unknown item, I remembered Williasfrim said something about her ‘receiving a spirit crystal’ when we first met.
3740
3741In response to my question, Chiome set aside her bowl and pulled down the ninja garb around her chest.
3742
3743When her white skin was laid bare in the firelit kitchen, a large, glittering, rhombic jewel was revealed to be set in the center of her chest.
3744 
3745The jewel almost seemed alive as it pulsated and repeatedly released faint bursts of light.
3746
3747“I’ve already told Ariane-dono, but I’m able to use advanced-level ninjutsu because I’m fused with this spirit crystal. This is a magic tool that has been passed down since the generation of Lord Hanzo the First, one that allows its users to form contracts with compatible elemental spirits.”
3748
3749Her cheeks became vermilion as she spoke and she frantically hid her chest when I leaned in to examine the jewel.
3750
3751Judging by the strange pressure I felt directed at me, it’d be better if I pretended to not have seen anything. After faking a cough, I raised my bowl of soup to my lips and took a sip.
3752
3753“There certainly are a variety of magical tools in this world.”
3754
3755Chiome’s cat ears lowered a bit and she sighed when she heard my frank comment about the magic tools I’ve never seen before.
3756
3757“So Arc-dono doesn’t know their origin either…… Since you came from the same country as Hanzo
3758
3759the First, I’d hoped that you would have known……”
3760
3761At Chiome’s remark, Ariane’s pointed ears perked up a bit and she turned to me with a doubtful expression on her face.
3762
3763“Huh? Arc, you’re from the same country as the founder of Chiome-chan’s village? If I remember correctly Hanzo was a human, wasn’t he?
3764
3765Ariane’s question reminded me that I’ve told Chiome something about coming from the same country as her clan’s founder when I explained how I knew the word ‘ninja’.
3766
3767At the time, I had believed myself to be human in this world, like the founder had been, having forgotten about the elf specifications I currently had.
3768
3769“…… I thought of myself to have been human. There seem to be various inconsistencies in my
3770
3771memory.”
3772
3773Since I couldn’t think of anything better I feigned ignorance.
3774
3775Ariane groaned and raised an eyebrow at my ambiguous answer.
3776
3777In order to avoid more scrutiny, I asked Chiome another question.
3778
3779“I take it that there aren’t many of those crystals left, given that their origin is unknown?”
3780
3781Chiome stroked the spirit crystal beneath her ninja grab before she answered my question.
3782
3783“……Yes. According to legend, Hanzo the First entrusted ten 『Spirit Contract Crystals』 to the clan
3784
3785and there haven’t been any rumors about similar magic tools anywhere else. The village has a hold of eight of them, and the one we found here makes nine. I’ve heard that the final one was lost a long time ago. The fighting potential of the village would certainly increase if there were more of them……”
3786
3787Did the clan founder bring those magic tools into the world with him, or were they something he
3788 
3789crafted after arriving here? At the very least, I’ve never heard of an item like that.
3790
3791“Is it possible to remove the crystal after you’ve fused with it?”
3792
3793“It can be removed upon my death. When the current user dies, the crystal is passed on to the most qualified candidate among the current generation’s six great shinobi.”
3794
3795Her words and expression didn’t belong to a young girl, they carried the presence of a soldier willing to fight and die for their village and people.
3796
3797There was nothing I could say in the presence of Chiome’s conviction, so I simply moved to our plans for tomorrow.
3798
3799“We should be all set to head for the hidden village by tomorrow. I’ll be sure to treat you along the way, Chiome-dono.”
3800
3801Chiome silently bowed her head in gratitude at my words.
3802 
3803Chapter 17 「The Hidden Village」Part 1
3804
3805
3806
3807
3808Early the next morning, before the sun appeared in the sky……
3809
3810The base of the mountain the Dragon King’s Tree sat on was covered in mist that created a truly breathtaking view.
3811
3812Once we said our farewells to the Dragon King, who was still bathing in the hot spring, I invoked 【Transfer Gate】 to take us to Rhoden’s capital, the closest location I knew to the Blade Heart Clan’s village.
3813
3814The breathtaking scenery of the Dragon King’s Tree piercing the sky was instantly replaced by an open prairie that was half converted to farmland.
3815
3816The capital’s southern wall was barely visible from where we stood and the morning fog could be seen blanketing the cityscape.
3817
3818The still drowsy Ponta let out a big yawn on top of my helmet before she slid down a little bit.
3819
3820When I looked back, I could see the nearby forest that surrounded the Calcutta Mountain Range.
3821
3822Since the Blade Heart Clan’s hidden village was located at the base of one of those mountains and there was no direct route there, Chiome led the way.
3823
3824While only a few monsters would appear in the shallow sections of the forest, groups of bandits would occasionally set up their bases here.
3825
3826“The bandits set up base, but they should all be cleared out soon……”
3827
3828Chiome began her explanation about the area as she brazenly made her way into the forest’s depths.
3829
3830This place was a suitable thieves den thanks to the closeness of the capital and the distance from the major highways.
3831
3832If they were going to be cleared out soon, then……
3833
3834“Chiome-dono, does your clan police this area as part their territory?”
3835
3836When I said that, Chiome stopped walking and looked back at me.
3837
3838“What do you think a ninja’s usual work is?”
3839
3840While I was confused by her sudden question, I thought about their behavior so far and answered her.
3841
3842“Isn’t it to gather intelligence and free your captured brethren?”
3843
3844Chiome smiled a little at my answer.
3845
3846“While that is certainly part of it, bandit hunting is my main job since knives and metal ores are rare
3847 
3848commodities in my village and bandit dens are easy prey for the clan. The agents we have placed throughout the city collect information on the bandits and relay it to the village, and then the ninja corps is dispatched to attack their base.”
3849
3850Ariane seemed rather impressed as she nodded at Chiome’s explanation.
3851
3852Given the dangers of stealing in the capital under the watchful eyes of those in power, it was the wiser choice to attack bandits outside the city.
3853
3854Based on what I saw of her during the raid of the Etsuato company, it wasn’t hard to imagine Chiome cutting down average people without much difficulty.
3855
3856“Chiome-dono, how do you avoid suspicions about the People of the Mountains and Plains involvement when you take the bandits’ supplies after killing them?”
3857
3858“It’s thanks to our agents. When news of bandits spreads through the city, they stage a fake attack and claim that they killed the bandits when they escaped. Everything is fine as long as the rumor of the claim spreads among the humans. When people are sent to investigate the bandits’ base it appears as if they had moved. Thanks to us, the damage caused by bandits around the Calcutta mountains is rather minimal.”
3859
3860Chiome’s tail rose proudly as she said that and resumed making her way through the forest.
3861
3862The People of the Plains and Mountains lived a more robust life then I imagined.
3863
3864We cautiously made our way towards the mountains, moving through the undergrowth and trees until the scenery eventually opened up.
3865
3866Somehow we were already halfway up a small mountain.
3867
3868The ground became more rocky and ragged as we passed over the top and descended into the deep ravine beyond it. When I looked into the depths below, I could see a thin layer of fog between the nearby mountains.
3869
3870Chiome pointed to a mountain on the opposite side of the ravine then looked back at us.
3871
3872“Beyond that mountain is the true Calcutta Mountain Range. Because strong monsters dwell in tha area, humans rarely set foot there.”
3873
3874Nodding at her explanation, I glanced at the mountain upon understanding her intentions.
3875
3876The trees were sparsely placed in on the mountain, so it should be easy to transfer there.
3877
3878“I think I can reach the opposite mountain from here.”
3879
3880Ariane and Chiome nodded before they placed their hands on my shoulder as if they were used to it.
3881
3882Once they were ready, I invoked my transfer magic.
3883
3884“【Dimensional Step】”
3885
3886My view changed instantly, we were now facing the open area behind the opposing mountain, I could
3887 
3888even see where we had been standing when I looked back.
3889
3890“The village is just beyond these mountains, let’s go.”
3891
3892I nodded when Chiome urged me on and continued to trek deeper into the mountain range.
3893
3894The Calcutta Mountain Range was literally several mountains connected to each other. However, in-between the peaks and valleys were areas of densely packed forest.
3895
3896Just as Chiome had said, the figures of fierce monsters would appear every now and again, raising the danger of the trek even higher.
3897
3898The three of us weren’t having too much difficulty advancing, but if humans encountered even one of the monsters we came across, they would label this land uninhabitable due to them being constantly preyed upon.
3899
3900While those that lived here wouldn’t have to worry about human encroachment, they did so at the risk of their own lives.
3901
3902I was a little scared to think of the fate that might have befell the multiple women and children we rescued from the capital.
3903
3904Currently, I was carrying on my back the dead body of the large ferocious monster that had attacked us a while ago as we walked.
3905
3906Chiome and Ariane had called the monster an Umbra Tiger, a powerful monster that inhabited mountainous regions and said that an entire squad would normally be dispatched to deal with one of them.
3907
3908It was about four meters tall and five meters long from head to tail. The tiger-like monster had fangs on its upper jaw that reminded me of a sabretooth tiger, its eyes were blood red, two purple horns grew from his head, and its whole body was covered in black fur.
3909
3910The monster was normally nocturnal, but I happened to come across it when I was pushing some foliage aside.
3911
3912Normally the creature would blend into the night as it preyed upon its victims, but a large, black tiger in broad daylight was hard to miss.
3913
3914Faster than the instant noodles from my former world could cook, the three of us had slain the Umbra Tiger.
3915
3916“Sorry, Arc-dono. It’s not too heavy is it?”
3917
3918Chiome suddenly looked back at me with a worried expression.
3919
3920It was her request that we take the Umbra Tiger with us.
3921
3922When the purple horns on its head were filed down, they could be shaped into knives stronger and sharper than steel.
3923 
3924In fact, the dagger Chiome carried was made from one such horn.
3925
3926In addition, its fur could be tailored into a coat useful for mountain winters, and the large fangs could be ground into medicine. The fur and fangs were also a luxurious item for humans and could be sold to raise funds for food and weapons.
3927
3928“It doesn’t weigh as much as the Giant Basilisk I killed before.”
3929
3930I lightly bounced the Umbra Tiger on my shoulder and chuckled when I said that.
3931
3932Ariane, who was carrying Ponta beneath her breast, made an amazed comment when she heard that.
3933
3934“Arc you’re beyond normal in a different way from mother……”
3935
3936“It’s a little embarrassing to receive praise from you.”
3937
3938Ariane had an unreadable expression on her face when I made my joking remark.
3939
3940Maybe she hadn’t been complementing me.
3941
3942Chiome had continued to lead us through a patch of densely packed forest as we talked. When we cleared the area she pointed out a mountain on the other side of a steep cliff.
3943
3944“My village is in front of that mountain. We should arrive before nightfall. That is, if we continue at our current pace without stopping.”
3945
3946Chiome’s gaze traveled up the mountain as she said so.
3947
3948“Then let’s cover the rest of the distance. Chiome, we can take a rest once we reach the village, right?”
3949
3950“Yes.”
3951
3952When Ariane nodded, we crossed the valley with transfer magic.
3953
3954The day had almost passed, and dusk was gradually fading away by the time we finally set eyes upon Chiome’s hidden village.
3955
3956An outer wall composed of wooden logs and an inner stone wall surrounding the village and the sharpened point atop the wall made it seem like a fortress rather than a village.
3957
3958The main entrance was a drawbridge that was currently sealed tight to keep out intruders.
3959
3960The village’s houses were built along the slope and windmills were built at the top of the mountain.
3961
3962The was also a small field in-between the wooden and stone walls.
3963
3964The landscape was reminiscent of Machu Picchu.
3965 
3966 
3967From here I could see the shadows of people maintaining the fields. Since monsters thrived in the mountainous regions, I ignored the emotions the picturesque view invoked.
3968
3969It was impossible to say that this was an easy place to live in.
3970
3971“The village is set on such a terrible slope……”
3972
3973Ariane’s honest impression leaked out as glanced up at the village.
3974
3975The majority of the Calcutta Mountain Range consisted of mountains and valleys, so it was next to impossible to find suitable land to build on.
3976
3977This mountain face was probably the only somewhat flat area around.
3978
3979“It’s praiseworthy that a village could be built in this place, but how many people live there now? I can’t imagine that there are all that many……”
3980
3981It was an impressive achievement to build a safe haven in such a mountainous region, but the village was considerably smaller than Ariane’s childhood home, Raratoia.
3982
3983Chiome’s blue eyes listlessly stared at her village as she answered my question.
3984
3985“After the raid in the capital, the population surpassed one thousand people.”
3986
3987“I see…… that’s quite the number of people.”
3988
3989When I voiced my surprise, Ariane nodded while staring at the village as she agreed with the statement.
3990
3991Only Ponta let out a large yawn while gently wagging her tail in Ariane’s arms.
3992
3993She had decent insight when it came to food, but not for anything else. However, a spirit beast like Ponta fretting over things like population density would be a problem in it of itself.
3994
3995When she saw Ponta’s innocent behavior, Chiome cleared away her melancholy expression.
3996
3997“Well, let’s introduce you to the current head of the Blade Heart Clan.”
3998 
3999Chapter 18 「The Hidden Village」Part 2
4000
4001
4002
4003
4004While shouldering the Umbra Tiger, Ariane and I agreed with Chiome’s suggestion and moved towards the village.
4005
4006When we eventually reached the main entrance, a guard stationed in a nearby watchtower noticed us and started using a mallet to bang on a hanging wooden chime.
4007
4008The sound rang through the entire village and the restless atmosphere it stirred in the village could be felt here.
4009
4010A few minutes later, the drawbridge began to lower before it hit the ground with a heavy thump.
4011
4012The drawbridge must have weighed a considerable amount, given the two logs bolted to it and its size.
4013
4014While I was focusing on the gate, Chiome took a step forward.
4015
4016“Nightfall is almost upon us, quickly enter the village. We don’t know when another monster will appear.”
4017
4018“Understood.” “Okay.”
4019
4020Ariane and I simultaneously answered and briskly walked into the village.
4021
4022The bridge began to rise after we crossed it and the gate of the stone wall began to open.
4023
4024As the gate closed behind us, we followed Chiome towards the center of the village with all eyes focused on us.
4025
4026There were many children mixed within the crowd of people who had surrounded us as we passed by.
4027
4028The crowd was most likely made up of multiple tribes, given the amount of different types of fluttering ears I saw, and when they realized I was carrying an Umbra Tiger they all started to cheer.
4029
4030Chiome walked straight ahead without looking at the people and eventually stopped at the building in the center of the village.
4031
4032“This is where Hanzo the 22nd, leader of the Blade Heart Clan, lives.”
4033
4034The building Chiome point out resembled the residence near the hot spring.
4035
4036Though this one was smaller, it had a cozier atmosphere and from the filigree that covered the building I could tell that a skilled carpenter had built this two-story building.
4037
4038The neighboring wooden buildings were also built firmly, so the living standard of the People of the Mountain and Plains wasn’t that low.
4039 
4040After we entered the residence, Chiome led us to a wide room where a sole, elderly, cat-eared man stood.
4041
4042He was around a hundred and eighty centimeters tall, had straight white hair that reached his lower back, and had a long beard and eyebrows reminiscent of a hermit.
4043
4044With his hands behind his back, the man ran his eyes over each of us before he called out to Chiome, who stood in front of me.
4045
4046“You’ve faced many hardships, haven’t you Chiome? Is the one behind you from the same country as the First?”
4047
4048“Yes. The armored figure is Arc-dono, and the elf beside him is Ariane-dono.”
4049
4050“Kyun!”
4051
4052When Ariane and I bowed our heads at our introduction, Ponta raised a cry from Ariane’s arms as a self-introduction.
4053
4054This made the old man smile before he corrected his posture.
4055
4056“It’s a pleasure to meet you. I’m Hanzo the 22nd, leader of the Blade Heart Clan. Arc-dono, Ariane dono, on behalf of my brethren I would like to offer our gratitude for your help during the previous raid and I welcome you to our humble village. Can I assume the reason you’re here is that you’ve chosen to offer your assistance to us once again?”
4057
4058Hanzo followed up his introduction with a question directed at me, so I placed the monster I’d been carrying on the ground and returned a proper greeting.
4059
4060“A pleasure to meet you as well. I am Arc, a humble traveler. I’ve been in Chiome-dono’s care recently. When I learned of your plight, I decided to fulfill her request. Though I am lacking in skill, offer my strength to your cause.”
4061
4062Since Hanzo gave me such a formal introduction I replied in a formal manner as well, but it felt like was enacting an old historical drama.
4063
4064“I am Ariane Glenys Maple. A warrior of Maple. Chiome-chan is a friend and I’m here as Arc’s chaperone so that he doesn’t cause you any trouble.”
4065
4066Ariane’s own self-introduction caused Hanzo to start laughing and Chiome to lower her head in an attempt to hide her embarrassment.
4067
4068Ariane’s half-closed eyes lingered on me at the word ‘chaperone’.
4069
4070While I tried to figure out what that look meant, Hanzo looked at the dead Umbra Tiger and addressed me.
4071
4072“Arc-dono, about that monster beside you……”
4073
4074I pulled myself together and looked at the monster beside me.
4075 
4076
4077“We were attacked by this beast on our way here and Chiome-dono said that this village had various uses for it. So I thought I’d offer it to the village as a gift.”
4078
4079The wrinkles on Hanzo’s face deepened when he heard my answer.
4080
4081“Oh, we appreciate it. Thank you for your kindness.”
4082
4083Hanzo raised his right hand as he said that, and several ninjas in similar garb as Chiome soundlessly appeared on both sides of the room, quickly carrying the Umbra Tiger away.
4084
4085Appearing from the shadows, as you’d expect of trained ninjas.
4086
4087Their sudden appearance even caught Ariane by surprise, since I saw her body twitch from the corner of my eye.
4088
4089Hanzo looked quite gratified at our reactions and urged us deeper into the residence.
4090
4091“You must be tired from your journey. I’ll make preparations for the two of you to stay the night. We can discuss the details of the request during tonight’s supper.”
4092
4093When I nodded at Hanzo’s offer, two cat-eared women appeared from the depths of the building.
4094
4095“These two will guide you to your room, I’ll call for you when supper is ready.”
4096
4097Hanzo turned his back to us in an attempt to leave when Chiome chased after him.
4098
4099“Hanzo-sama, what about Sasuke’s whereabouts?”
4100
4101Even though Chiome spoke under her breath, I was still able to hear her.
4102
4103It was the first time I’ve heard the name, but I had the feeling it was an honored name like Chiome’s.
4104
4105With an earnest expression on his face, Hanzo simply shook his head in response to her question.
4106
4107As I watched the exchange between these two, one of the two women that had appeared previously called out to me, so I fixed my gaze on her.
4108
4109“Arc-dono, please allow me to lead you to your room.”
4110
4111“Yes, if you would.”
4112
4113As we followed the two women, they led us to the second floor, to the two back rooms for Ariane and me.
4114
4115The rooms were simple in design, with one shuttered window next to an elevated platform covered in a fur rug.
4116
4117A bed, perhaps.
4118
4119There was one impressively made wooden desk on the side and an oblong box to place one’s luggage in.
4120
4121There was an old lamp hanging in the doorway that dimly lit the room, causing shadows to play
4122 
4123
4124across the room’s interior.
4125
4126“This room seems haunted……”
4127
4128When I muttered my thoughts, someone replied to me.
4129
4130“I’d say you’re more like a ghost yourself, Arc……”
4131
4132“Huh!?”
4133
4134When I heard someone reply to my unwitting comment, I turned around only to have a green furball leaping into my face, blinding me for a moment.
4135
4136“Kyun!”
4137
4138“Ponta, I can’t see anything.”
4139
4140When I pulled her off my face by the scruff of her neck, Ponta happily wagged her tail as she stared a me.
4141
4142She must have been excited when she heard about dinner.
4143
4144“Chiome-chan’s village is more formal than I thought it’d be…… These people, do they really plan to
4145
4146leave this place behind?”
4147
4148Ariane asked me about the village as she watched my exchange with Ponta.
4149
4150Indeed, it was possible to build proper houses here, deep in the mountains and surrounded by high defensive walls to keep monsters out.
4151
4152The maintained crop field was proof that they had been living here for years.
4153
4154“Let’s just see what they have to say during dinner. I’m willing to help them move with my transfer magic, it’s not my place to oppose the will of the village.”
4155
4156“I see…… That reminds me, how are you going to get through dinner, Arc?”
4157
4158Ariane shrugged a little and seemed to accept my answer before pointing at me and changing the topic.
4159
4160From our arrival in the village to the meeting with Hanzo, I had kept my armor on.
4161
4162While I had accidentally revealed my skeletal form to Chiome in Raratoia, I had yet to reveal it t anyone else. So I understood where she was coming from.
4163
4164However, I was prepared this time……
4165
4166“It’s okay, I brought this with me.”
4167
4168When I pulled a leather canteen from my knapsack and showed it to her, she immediately realized its contents.
4169
4170“Ah, that’s it.”
4171 
4172It was none other than the hot spring water I’d prepared before we left this morning. After drinking this, I should be able to sit down for a meal without frightening anyone.
4173
4174The effects last for two hours, so nothing should go wrong.
4175 
4176Chapter 19 「The Hidden Village」Part 3
4177
4178
4179
4180
4181After a few minutes, the two women returned to inform us that dinner was ready.
4182
4183When we arrived at the rear hall on the first floor, we were greeted by an elevated platform with some kind of hearth set in its center.
4184
4185A huge steaming pot hung from the ceiling right above the hearth and the sound of simmering food could be heard coming from it.
4186
4187“Please sit anywhere you like, Arc-dono. When Chiome told me you were from the same country as the first head, I never would have imagined that Arc-dono was a member of the elf tribe.”
4188
4189Hanzo called out to me as he sat down in a cross-legged manner on the opposing side of the hearth and stroked his gray beard.
4190
4191His comment was expected since I had taken off my helmet and was now revealing the dark-skinned, elven face that drinking the spring water gave me.
4192
4193“There is a slight problem with my memory. Something that I’ve just recently learned. It’s uncertain if the lord Hanzo you speak of and me actually share a place of origin.”
4194
4195I sat down in a similar crossed-legged manner on the opposite to Hanzo and gave him an ambiguous reply while picking up Ponta by the scruff of her neck.
4196
4197Unfamiliar with the sitting posture, Ariane had to practice it a few times before she was able to take a seat beside me.
4198
4199Hanzo watched Ariane’s stumbling with a heartwarming smile on his face before he suddenly turned to me and began to speak.
4200
4201“Regarding the present matter, I’ve heard that Arc-dono is a mercenary. As long as it is a reasonable price, what is it that you would like to request as your reward, Arc-dono?”
4202
4203Being reminded that we were here because I agreed to accept Chiome’s request, I thought about a suitable reward.
4204
4205Since I had only been thinking about helping Chiome at the time, I hadn’t really put much thought into a reward and I couldn’t think of anything at the moment.
4206
4207“We can hardly call our village a rich one. Even though Arc-dono is a handsome one, would you like to have your pick of the beauties the village has to offer? Muhoho.”
4208
4209Hanzo raised one of his long eyebrows and started laughing like a dirty old man.
4210
4211While it was a tempting offer, the hard stare I felt pointed in my direction prevented me from accepting it even as a joke.
4212 
4213So I decided to go with what I originally had wanted to ask for.
4214
4215“Hanzo-dono, that won’t be necessary. In fact, I believe you already learned that we found the former residence of your clan’s founder. Due to certain circumstances, I would like to acquire it. How about making it the reward of for this task?”
4216
4217I already had the Dragon King’s permission to live in the area anyway.
4218
4219Hanzo was taken aback when he heard my proposal and crossed his arms, nodding before he replied.
4220
4221“After the founder passed away, Hanzo the 3rd decided to abandon the area completely, so even members of the clan have forgotten about it. Since Chiome has already retrieved the treasure that had been resting there, it’s not necessary for Arc-dono to get our permission to live there. The area we intend to move to is quite a distance away from the residence…… Is there nothing else that you want Arc-dono?”
4222
4223I crossed my arm and thought about what Hanzo had asked of me.
4224
4225Ponta looked up at me with eyes questioning me for the promised dinner, and seem to be thinking as hard as I was.
4226
4227Something I needed apart from the residence near the hot spring……
4228
4229“I’m grateful for you handing over the residence to me, but considering how deteriorated it has become from lack of use, how about your clan repairing it for me? Since this village seems to house skillful carpenters, it shouldn’t take much difficulty to gather some, right?”
4230
4231The residence’s roof had already collapsed and the floor had cracks in it, it would take various repairs before I could live there.
4232
4233Even if I bought the necessary materials with the money I had, I didn’t have much confidence in m ability to repair the place.
4234
4235The best option would be to utilize this village’s carpenters.
4236
4237When I conveyed this to Hanzo he quietly stroked his beard and nodded.
4238
4239“If it’s something that simple, we’re more than willing to help you, but is that really all you desire? There are busty girls as well, muhoho.”
4240
4241For a moment, Hanzo’s eyes shifted to Ariane next to me as he spoke and once again laughed like a lecherous old man.
4242
4243Perhaps he had been staring at Ariane’s chest when she had been struggling before.
4244
4245Was this grandpa really the head of the Blade Heart Clan……? I wouldn’t be surprised if this guy
4246
4247was a substitute.
4248
4249Even though the conversation had been derailed a bit, I was able to get the help I needed.
4250
4251At the same time, that strange feeling of coercion I felt coming from my side increased. Wasn’t I
4252 
4253supposed to be immune to negative emotions with this body, or was it the other one?
4254
4255While I thought it over, Ponta, with no regard to the situation, began jumping up and down on my knee demanding dinner.
4256
4257……You’re just a peaceful one, aren’t you.
4258
4259Stroking Ponta’s head helped calm me down and allowed me to move the conversation along.
4260
4261“No, the repairs should be fine.”
4262
4263“I see. I will dispatch a few skillful carpenters then. Chiome.”
4264
4265Hanzo nodded once to signify his agreement to my request, before calling out to Chiome.
4266
4267The cat-eared ninja girl silently bowed her head at the hall’s entrance before she entered.
4268
4269As I looked over my shoulder to watch her, I noticed other silhouettes were accompanying hers.
4270
4271One of the massive men that was accompanying Chiome was about two meters and thirty centimeters tall.
4272
4273The man with hair like a mackerel tabby was named Goemon, one of the six strongest ninjas.
4274
4275Though he had been shirtless back then, he was currently wearing tight fitting ninja clothes like Chiome, and he too nodded silently before entering.
4276
4277Then someone even taller than Goemon entered the room.
4278
4279The man was two meters and seventy centimeters tall…… he had to bend down to avoid hitting the
4280
4281ceiling as he walked into the hall.
4282
4283The man’s biceps were thicker than an average person’s thighs and his rounded ears were in stark contrast to his deeply wrinkled face.
4284
4285A small middle-aged man followed behind the giant.
4286
4287Unlike the two before him, the man was only about a hundred and sixty centimeters tall. However, a single glance at him was enough to clue people in that he was not to be messed with.
4288
4289Many scars lined the bits of his forearms that peaked out from his rolled-up sleeves and while he had long rabbit ears, one of them had been torn in half.
4290
4291When he caught sight of me, a brutal smile appeared on the man’s face.
4292
4293The four of them took a seat on both of Hanzo’s sides and offered a slight bow to Ariane and me.
4294
4295Hanzo chose that moment to clear his throat and introduced our new guests.
4296
4297“Let’s move on to the migration. You’re already acquainted with Chiome and Goemon, so no need to reintroduce them. As for the remaining two, the larger man is the acting head of the village and member of the bear tribe, Goro.”
4298 
4299At Hanzo’s prompting, the large bear slammed his fists into the ground as he lowered his head to the floorboards.
4300
4301“I’m Goro of the bear tribe and elected chief of the village. No words can express my gratitude for you accepting this request. I am forever indebted to you”
4302
4303Goro introduced himself in with a slightly monotonous voice before he thanked me for my help.
4304
4305“Huh? I thought that Hanzo-dono was the leader of the village, was I wrong?”
4306
4307When I heard that Goro was the chief of the village, I turned towards Hanzo with a questioning gaze.
4308
4309“While the Blade Heart Clan certainly helped building this village, there are several like it scattered throughout the continent. We’re based here for now, but that is simply a temporary setup.”
4310
4311After Hanzo explained his clan’s situation, I turned my eyes on the small man that sat beside Goro.
4312
4313The rather brutish rabbit-eared man lowered his head to me when our eyes met.
4314
4315“I am Pitta of the rabbit tribe. I’m the village’s head of security. I’m here on behalf of the advance team for the upcoming migration. I’ll be in your care, Arc-dono.”
4316
4317The man who introduced himself as Pitta spoke in a rather gruff tone and gave me a vicious smile…… Ponta shrunk back when she saw that.
4318
4319She was fine with me and my skeletal body, but the yakuza-like Pitta was too much for her. I guess spirit beasts didn’t care for beast men unconditionally.
4320
4321When he saw Ponta’s reaction, Pitta’s eyebrows fell and he allowed his head to droop before he retreated from the hearth.
4322
4323It must have really affected him……
4324
4325Maybe tough looking rabbit uncles weren’t in high demand.
4326
4327While I had that thought, I tried to move the conversation to the main subject.
4328
4329“Pitta-dono mentioned something about an advance party?”
4330
4331“Yes, according to Chiome’s report the Dragon King has given us his blessing to occupy a particular section of land, but it’s still necessary to survey the area. We can take advantage of a nearby lake…… after the land is surveyed we’ll rely on Arc-dono’s power to send the first settlers to conduct the minimal land cultivation, then the remaining people.”
4332
4333Hanzo stroked his beard as he explained the relocation plans.
4334
4335Judging from the what I saw when we climbed up the mountain with the hot spring, the lake they mentioned must have been a good distance away.
4336
4337If I memorized the location around the lake, I should be able to transfer the settlers there next time.
4338
4339Since the area would lack a defensive wall like the one this village had, the advance group might
4340 
4341
4342need to stay overnight to establish a defensive perimeter.
4343
4344“I assume that the advance party will need a few days to prepare for the settlers. How will the relocation of the rest of the village be handled?”
4345
4346There wasn’t much I actually needed to do to fulfill this request, but it was still necessary for me to have an idea of the schedule.
4347
4348Hanzo raised an eyebrow as if he noticed something and looked directly at me.
4349
4350“It’ll be a month or two at minimum before the main relocation. It would be for the best if half of the villagers are relocated then.”
4351
4352So the village wasn’t being abandoned, they were just relocating their excess numbers.
4353
4354“I was under the notion that this village was being abandoned.”
4355
4356At my mutter, Hanzo nodded in confirmation.
4357
4358“This village was set up as a refuge for my people. My brethren flee to mountainous regions should they manage to escape human nations because of the difficulty for humans to follow. I heard that the only reason the residence you intend to live in was abandoned was because the third head was incapable of mastering spatial-temporal ninjutsu.”
4359
4360The area wasn’t easily accessible, to say the least. Without the use of spatial-temporal ninjutsu or transfer magic, one would need to traverse a monster-filled forest on foot.
4361
4362The robust men in front of me would be okay making the journey, but there was a large number of women and children to consider. If there was no other option but relocation, they would need to be prepared for a large number of sacrifices.
4363
4364However, why was such a destination chosen in the first place……
4365
4366“Why are you returning to a land that’s already been abandoned?”
4367
4368Hanzo’s eyes reflected understanding as he slowly shook his head.
4369
4370“During the founder’s time, there were still many of my people’s villages scattered about. Those that were caught by humans were forced to bring them to those villages. As the human population increased my people were driven into the mountains. Now there is no place where human influence doesn’t reach, and my people are on the decline. It’s rare for anyone to even travel between the hidden villages now.”
4371
4372Only the sound of the hearth’s crackling firewood and the simmering pot could be heard as everyone became silent.
4373
4374If there was little flow between the villages, then a situation where everyone was related to everyone else would eventually come up.
4375
4376The basin was located between mountains that humans had no access to, and the plains could be expanded if certain sections of the forest were cleared out.
4377 
4378If a new village could be built, then more people from other hidden villages can be moved there, thus solving the population problem…… probably.
4379
4380Ariane had said that the People of the Mountain and Plains had built an impressive country on the Southern continent. However, humans held the power on the Northern continent, which made it difficult for the people here.
4381
4382“I understand. Would the advance party be ready to set out tomorrow?”
4383
4384“We’ll be in your care. Huh!?”
4385
4386Hanzo bowed his head to me again but his expression became stiff when he looked up.
4387
4388The talk had proceeded smoothly till now, but at the sudden change of atmosphere I took a look around.
4389
4390Hanzo wasn’t the only one with a strained expression as both Chiome and Goemon stared at me in shock.
4391
4392I could only see a slight change in Goemon’s expression but a remark from Ariane clued me in as to what had happened.
4393
4394“Arc!? Your face turned back!?”
4395
4396When I touched my own face I realized why everyone was looking at me strangely.
4397
4398The effect time for the hot spring water was shorter than it should have been. Maybe the effect of the spring water started to diminish after a parting from its source.
4399
4400If the freshness of the water had to be considered, then my use of it was more inflexible than I thought.
4401
4402“Undead!?”
4403
4404The people that had been sitting around the hearth shouted in utter confusion as they started to rise.
4405
4406This conversation is becoming familiar…… was the thought crossing my mind as I began explaining
4407
4408my situation to everyone.
4409 
4410Chapter 20 「Setting Off For Their New Home」Part 1
4411
4412
4413
4414
4415Early in the morning, the night’s indigo sky had yet to give way.
4416
4417The village seemed like an island surrounded by a sea of mist as the valley was blanketed by the mist descending from the Calcutta mountain range.
4418
4419In the yard in front of the Blade Heart Clan’s headquarters, a group of robust looking people carrying heavy equipment had gathered. The were other people as well, looking at the gathering from a distance.
4420
4421I stood at the center of the group in my full set of armor with Ponta tiredly yawning on top of my helmet.
4422
4423A cool morning breeze blew through the area and caused Ariane’s beautiful long white hair to briefly dance in the wind as she checked her leather armor, as Chiome calmly stood beside her dressed in her usual grabs.
4424
4425Goro, the village chief and Pitta, the head of security from yesterday’s meeting, were also here.
4426
4427After spending a long amount of time explaining my circumstances to Goro and Hanzo, Ponta finall ran out of patience and didn’t stop howling until dinner began.
4428
4429The meal consisted of dumplings made from wheat flour, monster meat and wild plants that grew in the area. It was quite delicious, despite the peculiar taste.
4430
4431Since the meat and vegetables were only seasoned with a little salt, the meal could have had a bit more variation in taste.
4432
4433When I talked to Chiome later, she informed me that wheat was a rare commodity in the village and that the broth used in the dumplings had been set aside for special occasions.
4434
4435As an outsider, the village seemed perfectly fine, but beneath the surface there was a pressing issue of food rationing.
4436
4437Hopefully the land we’re heading to would relieve that issue……
4438
4439That thought crossed my mind as I looked at the advance group.
4440
4441There was a woman of nearly equal height to Goro, speaking with him as she effortlessly held a large battle axe over her shoulder.
4442
4443She was a little under two meters and fifty centimeters tall. She had short, chestnut colored hair, small round ears and wore a set of red leather armor.
4444
4445Based on her build, she must belong to the bear clan.
4446 
4447When he noticed me looking at them, Goro lowered his head towards me as he and the women came over.
4448
4449“Arc-dono, my people will be in your care today. Allow me to introduce Rose, my daughter and Pitta’s second in command.”
4450
4451Expressing his gratitude, Goro stepped aside and introduced his daughter to me.
4452
4453The large woman called Rose give me a short nod and held out her hand.
4454
4455“My name is Rose. Just as my father said, I will be second in command for this mission. The peopl of this village are forever indebted to you, Arc-san.”
4456
4457“Rose-dono. Well, I hope your trust isn’t misplaced.”
4458
4459She seemed to be in a cheerful mood because when I shook her large hand, which didn’t seem to belong to a woman, she offered me a toothy grin.
4460
4461I thought that I had a pretty large physique, but apparently there were people with even larger builds in this world.
4462
4463The members of the bear clan are people that humans would fear for their physique alone.
4464
4465The gap between races was larger than I had imaged, at least that’s the thought that crossed my mind when I looked at her.
4466
4467Before I could dwell on it any further, Hanzo suddenly came up behind me.
4468
4469“Arc-dono, the preparations are complete. Everything is ready for you.”
4470
4471When I turned towards Hanzo, I saw that the group that had gathered in the yard were now standin behind the smiling old man.
4472
4473The rabbit man Pitta stood beside Hanzo, wearing black leather armor with two short swords hanging from his waist and a gruff smile on his face.
4474
4475“……Kyu〜h.”
4476
4477Her perception must have been incredibly sharp since I felt Ponta slipping back on my helmet. I eve had to stroke her chin to pacify her.
4478
4479For some reason, she just didn’t seem to like Pitta.
4480
4481The advance party consisted of ten people: Ariane and me, Pitta and Rose as the respective leader and second-in-command, two of the great ninjas Chiome and Goemon and four warriors from the village.
4482
4483It was a rather small scouting group, but the purpose of this expedition was to see if the land was viable enough for a large group of people to live on.
4484
4485Therefore this small group was just the right size.
4486 
4487“Understood. I’ll transfer us to the base of the mountain the residence sits on. Everyone gather together.”
4488
4489Hanzo nodded along when I called out to the advance party. They collected their large amount of baggage and surrounded me.
4490
4491After easing the worries of the villagers who had come to see everyone off, Hanzo looked upon us one more time.
4492
4493“I’ll await the good news.”
4494
4495In response to Hanzo’s sendoff, I invoked my long distance transfer magic.
4496
4497“Here we go. 【Transfer Gate】!”
4498
4499A large, pale magic formation appeared beneath the feet of the advance party and the next moment the view in front of us had changed.
4500
4501The party members around me were in various states of admiration and astonishment when they realized they were no longer in their familiar village.
4502
4503We had transferred to the front of the torii at the base of the mountain that housed the Dragon King’s Tree, which was visible even from here.
4504
4505“Huh, the scent is different from the forest in the Calcutta mountains……”
4506
4507Pitta’s long ears stood straight up and his nose twitched several times as he tried to get an impression of the surroundings.
4508
4509“Though I’d heard about it, it feels a little strange to instantly move to a different location.”
4510
4511Rose muttered as her eyes roamed over the scenery all around her, while a man with pierced, triangular ears was frantically looking around as if he was trying to cope with the sudden shift.
4512
4513“What!? Nee-san, what is this!?”
4514
4515“What’s the matter, Gin? A warrior chosen for the advance party shouldn’t make an anxious expression like that. Even the fluffy fox is more composed than you.”
4516
4517“Kyun?”
4518
4519Rose laughed at the young warrior called Gin as she looked at Ponta, who was scratching her ears with her hind leg.
4520
4521The 190cm tall Gin was anything but dainty, but since he only reached Rose’s shoulders, coupled with her large build, the scene looked like an older sister teasing her younger brother.
4522
4523Given the shape of his tail and ears, Gin belonged to either the wolf or dog clan.
4524
4525His tail and ears sunk at Rose’ barb, like a dog that had just been reprimanded by its master.
4526
4527“We’re still in an unknown area so don’t get too relaxed. Check your luggage while you can.”
4528 
4529After calling out out to everyone who had been paying attention to the two of them, Pitta cast a glance at a nearby tree that towered above us.
4530
4531Taking that as a signal, Chiome silently ran up the tree and surveyed the area before leaping off the branch she stood on, landing on the ground.
4532
4533“Chiome-sama, where are we headed?”
4534
4535“I’ve confirmed it. The plain is approximately three days east of here.”
4536
4537Chiome offered Pitta a brief reply while pointing in a direction that lead into the forest.
4538
4539Seems like she verified our destination with a brief glance from atop the tree.
4540
4541Pitta nodded before turning to the rest of the group that had finished their preparations.
4542
4543“Brace yourselves, the future of every village rests on our shoulders!”
4544
4545“Ooh!!”
4546
4547At Pitta’s rallying shout, Rose and the other warriors brandished their weapons and gave a boisterous battle cry.
4548
4549With Pitta at the head we began our trek into the section of forest that Chiome had pointed out.
4550
4551Ariane, Chiome, Goemon and I brought up the rear in case something managed to attack us from behind.
4552
4553From here on out this would be a survival march.
4554
4555Since the members of this group consisted of races that were used to travelling through mountains and forests, we were able to advance at a speed normal humans wouldn’t be able to match.
4556
4557Furthermore, when the surroundings became favorable I would use transfer magic to quicken our pace even more.
4558
4559Since the others were capable of detecting monsters before they came in sight, today’s travels were completed without incident.
4560
4561As dusk fell upon the land, our party began setting up camp for the night.
4562
4563The baggage we all had brought along contained ingredients for meals and tent parts, so everyone began preparing.
4564
4565However, Ariane and I were treated as guests and excluded from the work.
4566
4567Because Pitta prevented me from helping with any of the work, I passed the time cutting down weeds around the campsite with the 『Sword of Holy Thunder』 until someone called out to me.
4568
4569“Hey, Arc, dinner will be ready in a little bit. What are you……”
4570
4571Turning around I saw Ariane with a hand on her waist and a confused look on her face.
4572 
4573“Oh, I thought of leveling the campsite…… I just got a little absorbed in it.”
4574
4575I had a mysterious sense of satisfaction as I glanced at the beautifully weeded area while I was speaking.
4576
4577“Since we’re only staying one night, is there any point in landscaping?”
4578
4579I was fully aware of that, but it’s hard for me to stop once I’m engrossed in a project.
4580
4581“I didn’t really do it for any particular reason…… Nothing wrong with a little comfort, right?”
4582
4583“I guess so, but that isn’t the way a sword should be used, Arc.”
4584
4585I received a brief lecture from Ariane as we made our way over to where everyone had gathered for dinner.
4586
4587Tonight’s dinner was a mix of easily prepared provisions, and those on guard duty were already stuffing their faces.
4588
4589When I sat down and removed my helmet all eyes immediately snapped to me.
4590
4591Despite the members of the advance party having been told in advance, my appearance was hard to believe unless you saw it with your own eyes. It was an unusual sight to see someone with a skeletal face after all.
4592
4593My embarrassment of being stared at seemed to have been visible on my expressionless skull.
4594
4595“Cut it out. Finish eating and return to your post, fools.”
4596
4597When Pitta scolded them, the warriors that had stopped eating resumed their meal with a bit of common courtesy.
4598
4599The elves and beastmen had higher sensory capabilities than humans so they were able to see past my skeletal figure. Even though I knew that, I couldn’t help but feel a bit moved by the sentiment.
4600
4601I thanked Pitta for handing me my meal and brought it to my mouth.
4602
4603As I took a bite of a tender piece of dried meat, I started thinking about what I was going to do afte this request was finished.
4604
4605My skeletal body could be removed temporarily, but it was turned into the body of an elf…… it
4606
4607would be best to live in an elven village rather than a human city.
4608
4609If I tried to live among humans with my elven appearance, I would be like a bat trying to join a flock of birds.
4610
4611The current relationship between elves and humans was too lukewarm at the moment, and it wouldn’t be strange if I ended up like the bat in Aesop’s Tales.
4612
4613It was a wise choice to secure a place to live in this area.
4614
4615As I slurped the last bit of my soup, I had come to the conclusion that I had things to discuss wit
4616 
4617Ariane’s parents, Dylan and Glenys, when we returned to Raratoia.
4618
4619“……Just like the bat, I shall hide away in the cave during the day and come alive at night.”
4620
4621Ariane’s sharp ears managed to hear me when I said that, so she stopped petting Ponta and turned towards me in confusion.
4622
4623I simply shook my head without answering her and stared up at the starry night sky that spread out beyond the trees.
4624
4625The view of the sea of stars above me was unhindered by a stagnant atmosphere.
4626
4627I didn’t know much about constellations, but just glancing up at the sky like this caused a strange feeling to well up inside of me.
4628
4629However, thanks to the effects of this skeletal body I couldn’t dwell on my past for too long and could only focus on the future. At the same time, I realized that because of it I could be happy in this strange world as long as I had a warm meal and people to share it with.
4630
4631As I stared up at the sky I caught a glimpse of a twinkle before it disappeared while leaving a ligh trail behind.
4632
4633I wish upon that star that tomorrow would be another good day.
4634 
4635Chapter 21 「Setting Off For Their New Home」Part 2
4636
4637
4638
4639
4640The third morning of our expedition.
4641
4642The advance party was gradually making its way through the morning mist that blanketed the entire area before the crack of dawn.
4643
4644“Ky〜un.”
4645
4646Ponta was sitting on my head and scratching her neck with her hind leg as she yawned.
4647
4648Eventually, we found ourselves on top of a hill that overlooked a grassy field that sat beside a large, crystal clear lake.
4649
4650However, simply calling it a lake just didn’t seem to do the enormous body of water justice. The edges of the lake stretched in the direction of the Wind Dragon Mountain range and even without the fog I doubted that the whole thing could be captured by a panoramic camera.
4651
4652Everybody stopped unconsciously and took in the magnificent scenery that we had stumbled upon.
4653
4654“Beautiful……”
4655
4656Chiome seemed to have been overwhelmed by the scenery, since her cat ears twitched as she smiled.
4657
4658Goemon, the mountain of muscle beside her, nodded in agreement.
4659
4660“The area that looks like it’s jutting into the lake seems like a good place to set up the village.”
4661
4662Pitta, who must have been checking out the area, pointed out the location he had found.
4663
4664Just as he had said, there was a patch of land protruding into the lake, forming what looked like a peninsula.
4665
4666The oval-looking peninsula was connected to the plains by a small patch of land.
4667
4668If one’s base of operations was set up there, one could take advantage of the topography and build a defensive wall on the connecting patch of land to keep out invaders.
4669
4670“The topography would certainly make it difficult to be attacked if the village was built there.”
4671
4672A brutal smile appeared on Pitta’s face when I voiced my thoughts.
4673
4674“Correct, it’s ideal that we build the first base with as few resources as possible.”
4675
4676The other party members agreed with Pittta’s statement before we set out for the peninsula.
4677
4678It became apparent that the entire plain was covered with rocks and boulders of varying sizes as Pitta
4679 
4680led us towards the lake.
4681
4682But as we advanced towards the peninsula in an arrowhead formation a sudden tremor rocked the area.
4683
4684The sound of smashing rocks growing louder only raised our tension. When everything went silent, a giant red tentacle shot out of the ground, and as if it had a will of its own, attacked Rose with lighting speed.
4685
4686However, the more than two meters tall Rose was quick to react, taking her axe from over her shoulder and using it as a shield to protect herself against the oncoming tentacle.
4687
4688“Gu!”
4689
4690The collision sounded like a large scale car crash, and the shock wave knocked the wind out of her.
4691
4692An agonized cry escaped Rose’s throat.
4693
4694Her huge figure carved a groove into the ground as she was forced back, and when the tentacle tried to retreat underground it started to drag her huge battle axe with it.
4695
4696The tip of the tentacle was stuck to Rose’s battle axe and the two of them started having a tug of war as the axe was gradually drawn underground.
4697
4698“Rose-dono!”
4699
4700While keeping an eye on the tentacle of unknown origin, I called out to Rose to see how she was doing.
4701
4702Rose turned towards me in acknowledgment of my shout before digging in her feet in an attempt to hold onto her axe.
4703
4704In the next moment, I transferred a short distance in front of her, drew the 『Sword of Holy Thunder』 and sliced into the tentacle.
4705
4706The tentacle was covered in an extremely viscous slime that would have been difficult for normal weapons to cut into, but blood and mucus splattered everywhere as the mythical grade weapon cut it off.
4707
4708“Gyurorororoooorororooonn!!!”
4709
4710All of a sudden a mysterious roar echoed through the area.
4711
4712An explosion of sound that accompanied the roar sent a large cloud of dust into the air, as if a bomb had gone off. As the dust settled the shadow of a hulking figure became visible.
4713
4714“It’s a Ground Dragon!!”
4715
4716Ariane’s shout reached my ears as she ran up to me.
4717
4718I took a look at the creature while keeping my sword at the ready.
4719 
4720
4721The creature was fifteen meters long and five meters tall, with a bedrock-like crust covering its entire body.
4722
4723It had a short, spiked tail, its eyes protruded from the top of its head and its thick hindlegs suggested it possessed some impressive leaping abilities, but it’s short front legs seemed unreliable.
4724
4725“So that’s a Ground Dragon……”
4726
4727The murmur of one of the warriors reached my ear.
4728
4729Ariane had said that her leather armor had been crafted from the hide of a Ground Dragon, so doubted she would mistake it with any other monster.
4730
4731However, the Ground Dragon from the game and the big-eyed creature in front of me that she had called a Ground Dragon were far too different in appearance.
4732
4733After the Ground Dragon’s throat inflated it released that strange roar that had echoed through the area before.
4734
4735“Gyurorororoooorororooonn!!!”
4736
4737Shocked by the loud roar, Ponta hurriedly rolled off the top of my helmet and wrapped herself around my neck.
4738
4739The way the creature let out that roar was similar to certain kind of animal.
4740
4741“…… It’s a giant rock frog.”
4742
4743Just as the thought left my mouth, the alleged Ground Dragon turned towards my direction. The large fangs that lined the creature’s mouth showed that it wasn’t a normal giant monster.
4744
4745Contrary to its atrocious mouth, the dragon’s large eyes seemed cute, in a strange sort of way, as I saw myself reflected in them.
4746
4747All of a sudden, the Ground Dragon’s large body disappeared from my sight with a leap.
4748
4749The Dragon’s powerful hindlegs managed to lift it’s fifteen-meter long body high into the sky and the overwhelming mass was quickly approaching our location.
4750
4751Just a simple physical attack, really.
4752
4753However, alarm bells were going off in my head as I saw the threat drawing closer. Even if I had a strong body and protective gear, I’d rather avoid being flattened.
4754
4755No, I probably wouldn’t be getting up after that.
4756
4757“Ariane-dono hang on! 【Dimensional Step】!”
4758
4759I forcefully grabbed Ariane’s arm and invoked my transfer magic.
4760
4761I moved us to the spot the Ground Dragon had been before it had leaped into the air. I looked back just in time to see the Dragon crash down where we had been moments before, sending a quake
4762 
4763
4764throughout the area.
4765
4766A circular cloud of dust was thrown into the air and blocked my line of sight.
4767
4768If this went on, 【Dimensional Step】 would be rendered unusable.
4769
4770Because I had transferred behind the Ground Dragon, it became irritated when it saw that we hadn’ been crushed beneath its feet.
4771
4772I could use magic to clear away the dust cloud or perhaps launch a surprise attack on it with my sword…… those thoughts crossed my mind as I checked to see how the others had fared.
4773
4774Three silhouettes emerged from the dust cloud with mace-like weapons that they proceeded to attack the Ground Dragon with.
4775
4776The first challengers were the warriors from the hidden village. Among them was the young man called Gin.
4777
4778Unfortunately, the Ground Dragon’s bedrock-covered hide was as strong as it looked, and all their attacks achieved was making cracks on the surface.
4779
4780Growing irritated by their attacks, the Ground Dragon seemed to click its tongue as it put power into its legs and prepared to crush them.
4781
4782It was at that moment that Rose lept at the Ground Dragon from its side and brought down her battle axe on one of the dragon’s legs.
4783
4784“Eat this, you bastard!!”
4785
4786With a courageous shout, Rose threw her whole body into the axe swing that managed to draw a large spray of blood from the dragon.
4787
4788Instead of trying to break through the thick hide, she had attacked the less armored joint.
4789
4790“Gyurorororoooorororooonn!!!”
4791
4792The dragon’s pain filled roar echoed throughout the area as Rose quickly retreated after confirming her handiwork.
4793
4794As its large body fell to the side, Pitta was rushing towards the Ground Dragon with his weapons raised.
4795
4796Pitta lept over the Ground Dragon’s rocky back, with his two short swords reflecting the sunlight of the oncoming day.
4797
4798With a wicked smile that was unbefitting for any type of rabbit, Pitta pierced one of the fallen Dragon’s eyes with his swords.
4799
4800“Gyurorororoooorororooonn!!!”
4801
4802An earsplitting roar left the throat of the sideways lying, fifteen-meter long creature as Pitta pulled his swords out and fell back.
4803 
4804The wounded eye caused the Ground Dragon to flail about on the ground in pure agony.
4805
4806It was then that two more silhouettes approached the flailing monster.
4807
4808Goemon, the large member of the six great shinobi, was moving at a speed you wouldn’t expect of someone his size, as he and Chiome circled around the Ground Dragon.
4809
4810While Goemon wasn’t holding any weapons, light began to flow from his body into the metal arm guards on his hands.
4811
4812『Earth Style: Explosive Tekken!!』
4813
4814At his gravelly shout, Goemon’s arms took on a metallic luster from the shoulder down. Small explosions began going off as Goemon mercilessly hammered his fists into the Ground Dragon’s abdomen.
4815
4816As the dull impacts rang out with every hit, the Ground Dragon’s moments began to slow. Not one to waste the opportunity, Chiome leaped above the dragon’s head with a jump that was in no way inferior to Pitta’s.
4817
4818『Water Style: Water Spear!!』
4819
4820A snake-like gush of water suddenly appeared from Chiome’s right hand before it took the form of a long spear.
4821
4822While still in mid-air, Chiome managed to position herself so that her spear was aimed at the Dragon’s undamaged eye.
4823 
4824 
4825Chiome’s water spear left her hand with the momentum of a bolt that had been fired out of a giant crossbow.
4826
4827A dull sound of flesh being cut accompanied a final muscle spasm of the Ground Dragon.
4828
4829Like a puppet with its strings cut the large rocky dragon fell to the ground without any sign of getting up.
4830
4831Chiome’s water spear seemed to have penetrated the brain. A dark red discharge began to leak from the dragon’s eyes and its breathing quickly came to an end.
4832
4833“Doing nothing seems to have been the right choice…… Not like there was any room to get involved
4834
4835anyway.”
4836
4837I sighed as returned my sword to its sheath and looked back to Ariane as she did the same.
4838
4839“A Ground Dragon’s offensive capability is heavily dependent on its tongue after all……”
4840
4841Ariane’s praise was directed at Rose, who was once again carrying her battle axe over her shoulder while looking down at the slain dragon.
4842
4843Rose seems to have overheard our conversation as she started flexing her well-developed biceps in our direction.
4844
4845While Ariane’s physical strength was greater than a normal woman’s, she couldn’t hold a candle to a bear tribe member like Rose.
4846
4847I even thought Rose would make a good arm wrestling opponent for me.
4848
4849“Nevertheless, we should be wary of ambush predators from now on. I don’t think that all the rock formations are like this guy, but will this area be safe to traverse in the future?”
4850
4851I voiced my thoughts as I glanced at the other rock formation in the distance, but Ariane’s sharp ears twitched and she scanned the area before answering me.
4852
4853“Since Ground Dragons are solitary monsters with large territories, the possibility of others being in the area is rather low. They sometimes group up with each other but I imagine that this recent commotion will keep most monsters away from here.”
4854
4855Just as I was about to express my agreement, Pitta came forward and continued the conversation.
4856
4857“If that fellow was the boss of this area, then we should be fine for a while. While it was a special type of quarry, let’s focus on establishing our base for now. Arc-dono, since you drew first blood, is there anything you want to take?”
4858
4859Pitta looked back at the Ground Dragon as he asked me that question.
4860
4861I couldn’t say I wasn’t tempted by the offer as my gaze traveled between Ariane’s armor and the dead Ground Dragon.
4862
4863Since I had the mythical grade 『Holy Armor of Belenus』, I had no need for Ground Dragon leathe
4864 
4865
4866armor. I suppose I could just sell it if I got a hold of it.
4867
4868When Ariane saw me looking at her, she covered her chest with her hands and glared at me.
4869
4870“No, I don’t need anything in particular. Is the meat edible?”
4871
4872When I turned back to Pitta and answered him he rolled his eyes and gave me a fearless smile.
4873
4874It was probably just a regular smile but with his features it seemed like he was plotting something.
4875
4876“I suppose Arc-dono wouldn’t have any need for the armor. As for the meat…… it’s edible but not
4877
4878very delicious. You see that mass of rocks on its back?”
4879
4880I was a little puzzled by Pitta’s question.
4881
4882There were indeed rocks that seemed to be growing from the dragon’s back. They seem to serve some kind of purpose, maybe as stones in a rock garden.
4883
4884……	Could I make a Japanese garden next to the hot spring? “Ariane-dono, do they have any use?”
4885
4886It was best to learn the proper function these stones serve, so I asked Ariane about them. “Elves use them as building materials……”
4887
4888There was a bit of bite in her short reply. While I thought they would have a more fantasy-like use, they were only a step above making a rock garden.
4889
4890Though I suppose the reconstruction of my new home came first.
4891
4892While I didn’t feel it was necessary for me to take them, Chiome, having overheard our conversation came forward and voiced her opinion.
4893
4894“The stones will also sell for a good price in human cities. Apparently, it is considered one of the highest grades of materials, and nobles have sculptures crafted from them to display in their mansions. You can raise funds for a number of projects if you sell them.”
4895
4896“Oh〜, I didn’t know that.”
4897
4898Ariane was a bit surprised when she heard that piece of information.
4899
4900It must have been shocking for her to hear that something elves used as building materials was actually a luxury item for humans.
4901
4902Maybe the stones on the Ground Dragon’s back were like ivory to humans.
4903
4904“I guess I could sell it in town and buy the resources necessary to repair my home…… I assume
4905
4906you’re going to set aside my share of the stones?”
4907
4908When I said so, Pitta gave me a full-faced smile and extended his right hand.
4909
4910“It’s a deal. For now, we’ll leave Dekabutsu here while we go set up a base of operations.Without
4911 
4912Arc-dono, we won’t be able to move that fellow.”
4913
4914“I see. Well let’s grab our baggage and get a move on.” I took Pitta’s hand and shook it.
4915 
4916Chapter 22 「We Meet Again」
4917
4918
4919
4920
4921A short time after the incident, the People of the Plains and Mountains made their way over to the narrow patch of land that lead to the peninsula.
4922
4923There were more than fifty people here.
4924
4925These were the workers sent over from the hidden village.
4926
4927Once we arrived at the peninsula, I returned to the hidden village and brought the supplies and the first wave of people over with 【Transfer Gate】. Afterwards, the construction of the new village was underway.
4928
4929Since a bridgehead needed to be established as a base of operation, I was currently surrounded by a group of animal-eared people sweating something fierce as they worked to cut down trees.
4930
4931Right now, one group of shirtless brawny men with large axes was cutting down a section of trees while another group was digging out the tree stumps and setting up tents for the night.
4932
4933“I’ll help cut down the trees as well.”
4934
4935Drawing the 『Sword of Holy Thunder』 as I said so I joined the other workers and began cutting int trees.
4936
4937Thanks to the sharpness of the mythical grade weapon, cutting the trees felt like cutting twigs and I started to show off a bit by cutting down trees one after another.
4938
4939“Hahaha, see! These trees are garbage!”
4940
4941The lush forest fell as easily as if I were cutting grass and a pleasant feeling of claiming the land consumed me. It was only when a fist sized rock hit the back of my helmet that I returned to my senses.
4942
4943When I looked back I saw Ariane standing a few feet away, holding Ponta to her chest.
4944
4945When I looked down I saw a shattered rock, and there was evidence of her making it with spiri magic.
4946
4947When I looked around I was greeted with the terrible sight of numerous trees that had been haphazardly cut down.
4948
4949“Stop it, Arc! Are you trying to cut down the entire forest!? You’ve already cut down more than enough lumber! Didn’t you hear Chiome-chan shouting at you!?”
4950
4951She waved her right hand around as she chastised me.
4952
4953By the time I sheathed my sword, the frenzy I had felt while cultivating the land had passed. As walked towards Ariane, Pitta and Chiome soon joined us.
4954 
4955“I never imagined that the land would be cleared so quickly.”
4956
4957Pitta had a ridiculing smile on his face when he said that. Ignoring him, I turned towards Chiome and asked her what she had wanted.
4958
4959“There was something you wanted to say to me?”
4960
4961Chiome and Pitta shared a brief look before she slowly told me why she had called out to me.
4962
4963“Since Arc-dono has single-highhandedly finished clearing the required amount of land, it’ll only take another month for a basic village to be built.”
4964
4965Chiome paused for a moment as if she were trying to gauge my reaction.
4966
4967Even if the village only contained the bare necessities, one month was rather quick considering that all the construction would be done by hand.
4968
4969When I urged her to continue Chiome nodded before making her suggestion.
4970
4971“While we did bring some food from the village, there was only so much the village could afford to give away, so the workers will eventually have to rely on the land. However, extensive dependence on the natural resources will lead to shortages and extend the construction time since the workers would have to devote more time for food procurement.”
4972
4973I nodded as I began to see the point she was trying to make.
4974
4975Since this place lacked a protective wall, monsters thrived in this area and coupled with the hard physical labor dealing with them will build up a lot of fatigue.
4976
4977Substantial meals would be key to restoring their stamina and securing food for all the workers here would have to be done on a large scale.
4978
4979Dedicating the manpower to sustain such an operation would prolong the construction work.
4980
4981Since I was under contract to transfer the rest of the people here using 【Transfer Gate】 once the village was complete, it wouldn’t take much for me to help with this issue.
4982
4983It wasn’t like I was in a hurry to go anywhere and I didn’t mind helping to get the village up and running as soon as possible.
4984
4985“So what do you want to do? Place me in charge of food procurement?”
4986
4987Pitta was the one that shook his head, answering me instead of Chiome.
4988
4989“Remember the Ground Dragon from this morning? Arc-dono, would you be willing to accompany Chiome-sama to a human city to sell the materials?”
4990
4991Ground Dragon materials sold very well in human cities…… so I knew where the one-eared rabbi
4992
4993man was going with this.
4994
4995“I see. You want me to purchase food in the city after we sell the materials?”
4996 
4997When he heard my answer he gave me one of his usual smiles and nodded his head.
4998
4999“Having someone so young carrying around Ground Dragon materials would attract unwanted attention, wouldn’t you agree, Arc-dono?”
5000
5001“I understand. We can leave once the materials have been processed.”
5002
5003Pitta extended his hand for another handshake when I gave my answer.
5004
5005Since Ground Dragon materials were luxurious items, it would be better to try selling it in a large city with multiple recipients.
5006
5007The biggest city I could remember would be the capital of Rhoden Kingdom, but since we went on a bit of a rampage there just a few days ago it would probably be better to avoid that city until things calmed down.
5008
5009Definitely had to avoid Leibnitz in the Eastern Empire, given the number my actions did on the churc and feudal lord’s mansion.
5010
5011By process of elimination, the only other large city I knew of would be the harbor city Lanbaltic.
5012
5013While we did have some trouble with slave traders from Nozan Kingdom, that one had been in service of the feudal lord Petros, helping him out of a bind.
5014
5015If we couldn’t find a buyer ourselves we could just see if Petros could move the materials through his channels.
5016
5017I was a little grateful for knowing a man in power.
5018
5019“Any problem with selling the materials in Rhoden Kingdom’s Lanbaltic?”
5020
5021“I can agree to that.”
5022
5023When I spoke the name of the possible destination, Chiome stepped forwards and immediately agreed.
5024
5025It would be convenient if she came along and made sure I bought suitable supplies for the People o the Plains and Mountains.
5026
5027After I nodded in agreement, Ariane, who’d calmly watched our conversation, spoke up.
5028
5029“I’m also coming. We don’t want Arc to start acting strange and run wild again, do we? It’s safer if someone watches over him.”
5030
5031Ariane covered her chest and gave me a look as she spoke.
5032
5033I’d thought that we’d gained a certain degree of trust during our travels, but that seems to have been a delusion on my part.
5034
5035“Arc, after this task is finished we need to return to Raratoia and explain everything.”
5036
5037She continued to talk while staring into the depths of my helmet.
5038 
5039We had to report the things we discovered during this adventure to Ariane’s parents, so I didn’t have any objections to the plan.
5040
5041“I guess we should explain what we learned to Glenys-dono.”
5042
5043As I began mapping out my future plans, several men came closer, pulling a simple sleigh with materials from the Ground Dragon packed on it.
5044
5045The sleigh was piled high with stones of various sizes, a few fangs and a couple of claws that had a strange luster to them.
5046
5047“Isn’t this a bit too much? It seems like you’re going to need a couple more people to bring all of that into town.”
5048
5049Pitta offered his frank advice as he examined the sleigh packed with Ground Dragon materials, even kicking it a few times.
5050
5051“Let me see that for a bit.”
5052
5053After taking the ropes from the men that had been pulling the sleigh, I walked a little while pulling the sleigh to get a feel for the weight.
5054
5055While the weight itself wasn’t much of an issue, I could feel the ropes tearing from the strain of pulling the sleigh.
5056
5057It would be unwise to try and carry it, but pulling the sleigh should be fine.
5058
5059“There’s no problem here. I will be fine with just Chiome-dono and Ariane-dono.”
5060
5061The men that that had been pulling the sleigh let out a cry of admiration as I replied to Pitta.
5062
5063“Well, if Arc-dono says he’s fine with it, I guess we should be grateful for that……”
5064
5065“I don’t mind. Besides, walking through a city in a large group would only attract more attention.”
5066
5067Pitta gave me a silent nod before stepping back.
5068
5069“We’ll be going then.”
5070
5071After a brief farewell, I invoked 【Transfer Gate】. A pale magic formation appeared at my feet, expanding to include Ariane and Chiome.
5072
5073Since Pitta and other workers were nearby, I tried to keep the formation as small as possible so they wouldn’t be brought along.
5074
5075The formation suddenly flashed an intense light and in the next moment we found ourselves in a new location.
5076
5077We were greeted with a hilltop view of the sprawling ocean on one side and the chestnut brown rooftops of Lanbaltic’s cityscape on the other.
5078
5079The city’s large harbor could also be seen in the distance.
5080 
5081
5082It was the same scenery I saw when we first visited Lanbaltic.
5083
5084“Quite the endearing scenery.”
5085
5086After I said that, I began pulling the sleigh down the gentle slope of the hill and we began making or way towards the city.
5087
5088As we approached the city’s northern gate, our group began gathering the attention of the surrounding people.
5089
5090“We seem to be gathering more attention than usual……”
5091
5092“Kyun……”
5093
5094Ariane had covered her face with her gray cloak before we came here and she began looking around as more people focused on us. Ponta had even crawled inside her cloak to escape the constant stares that our group was receiving.
5095
5096“The thing attracting the most attention is Arc-dono single-handedly pulling the sleigh.”
5097
5098Chiome spoke up beside me, with her cat ears hidden by her large hat, after scanning the area.
5099
5100Now that I thought about it, a single armored man pulling a sleigh that looked heavy enough to require a pack horse was bound to turn a few heads.
5101
5102Maybe we would have been less conspicuous if I had taken Pitta up on his offer and took along some helpers to pull the sleigh for us, that was the thought that crossed my mind as I walked past the line of horse-drawn carts outside the gate.
5103
5104Now it was too late to transfer back.
5105
5106All eyes were focused on us as I pulled the sleigh of goods to the gate and presented the copper pass I received from Petros to the guards.
5107
5108After a brief moment of shock, the guards checked the pass and the sleigh of goods I was pulling before they quickly let us through.
5109
5110As I glanced at the long line, I felt lucky possessing the pass with the family crest on it.
5111
5112The city seemed more lively than it had been before, since more people turned towards me and the sleigh behind me.
5113
5114I was pulling a sleigh full of valuable monster materials after all.
5115
5116Unfortunately, we couldn’t find a buyer on the open market. We had no choice but to look for a merchant association place like the one I sold the Orc meat to in Rubierute.
5117
5118However, Lanbaltic was a rather large city and we wound up aimlessly wandering around with the sleigh of goods in tow.
5119
5120I wanted to stop and ask for directions, but when I looked around I saw that other people were going out of their way to avoid us.
5121 
5122Looking back, I saw that Chiome was completely focused on the sleigh of goods, while Ariane was taking great pains to keep her face covered and prevent her sword from lifting up her cloak.
5123
5124In addition to being conspicuous, we were also suspicious.
5125
5126Combined with my full body and black cloak it wasn’t hard to see why the general population wouldn’t want anything to do with us.
5127
5128As I searched for a someone credible that wasn’t trying to completely avoid us, a young man approached us with a surprised look on his face.
5129
5130“Knight-sama!? I never expected to meet you in such a place.”
5131
5132I couldn’t put my finger on it but the well dressed, brown-haired young man in his twenties seemed a familiar to me as he wryly smiled at me.
5133
5134“I’m sorry for such a late introduction. I’m the peddler Raki. Knight-sama, remember when I bough those weapons from you back in Diento? I am truly grateful for that.”
5135
5136The young man bowed his head as he spoke and that was when I finally remembered where I’d seen him before.
5137
5138“Oh, you’re that peddler from back then? No need for etiquette, since you were the one who helped me out. Like I said before, I’m merely a traveling adventurer. Formalities aren’t necessary.”
5139
5140Raki only bowed deeper in appreciation at my behavior.
5141
5142Since he was a merchant, his polite attitude towards customers probably couldn’t be shut off.
5143
5144“Ohh, I’ve yet to introduce myself. My name is Arc, the wandering adventurer. These are my companions Chiome and Ariane.”
5145
5146After my self-introduction, Raki and I shared a handshake.
5147
5148After Raki gave the two of them a slight bow his eyes glanced over the sleigh before turning back to me.
5149
5150“Raki-dono, are you peddling in this town?”
5151
5152“No, I’m originally from the Lanbaltic territory. I’m actually looking for a place to set up my own shop……”
5153
5154Raki scratched the back of his head and chuckled timidly as he answered my question.
5155
5156“Oh, that’s rather impressive, opening a store at your age.”
5157
5158At my praise, he shook his head for some reason..
5159
5160“No, you can’t open a shop without a business permit and obtaining one still seems like a distant dream……”
5161
5162There seem to be a few barriers to opening a store, considering Raki’s bemoaning.
5163 
5164First, you needed to obtain a permit from the feudal lord in order to purchase a predetermined plot of land, and without said permit it was impossible to open a store.
5165
5166In other words, a business permit acted as a type of land deed.
5167
5168It was common sense that there would be a limited amount of living space in this monster populated world. Naturally, there would be restrictions on the size of a city’s commercial district and the number of shops.
5169
5170The illegal slave trader I crushed the last time I had been here probably came across an old second-hand permit to claim association with a foreign lord and avoid public scrutiny.
5171
5172My mind seemed to have wandered off as I heard the story.
5173
5174At the end of the day, I was still lugging valuable monster materials around and even if we found the association building, I doubted the sale would be as simple as the one for the burba meat had been. Given that expensive items usually garnered their price tag due to their rarity, I imagine that the representative would try to hound me for the origin of the materials.
5175
5176If we found ourselves in that situation, then Ariane’s identity as an elf, Chiome beast person heritage and my skeletal form would be in danger of being exposed.
5177
5178So directly walking up to the service desk wouldn’t be the smartest way to deal with the transaction.
5179
5180Of course, if we had a trustworthy person to act as a middleman…… My gaze instantly traveled to the
5181
5182earnest young peddler in front of me.
5183
5184If he showed his worth here, then in the future he could become a good representative to sell items through. It would certainly be convenient to have a human acting as our go-between for supplies from now own.
5185
5186“This should be just fine. Raki, I have a proposition for you……”
5187
5188Raki’s bewildered expression focused on me as if he couldn’t believe what he was hearing.
5189
5190His reaction was so amusing that I chuckled a bit as I pointed towards the sleigh.
5191 
5192Chapter 23 「Something to Aim For」
5193
5194
5195
5196
5197Two days later we returned from the construction site to the hill that overlooked Lanbaltic.
5198
5199However, this time we didn’t enter the city, we were waiting outside the southern gate instead.
5200
5201On the nearby road that led out of Lanbaltic, we calmly watched people pass by as we waited for a particular person to arrive.
5202
5203When I saw the person in question lead a four-wagon-chain out of the gate I immediately waved him over.
5204
5205Sitting in the coachman’s seat was Raki from the other day.
5206
5207A medium-sized woman with chestnut colored hair sat beside him. The leather breastplate and shin guards she wore hinted at her being an adventurer.
5208
5209Walking alongside the wagons was a short-haired, blonde man constantly surveying the area while keeping a tight grip on his sword.
5210
5211Perhaps he was trying to watch over the wares, but since we weren’t that far from the city it seemed unnecessary, though there was a sense of sincerity coming off of him.
5212
5213“Sorry to keep you waiting, Arc-sama.”
5214
5215When Raki saw me, he pulled the carts over to the side and climbed off before giving me a bow that seemed rehearsed for a valued customer.
5216
5217“As you requested, after selling the Ground Dragon materials the money was used to fill these wagons with preservable food. You’re welcome to verify it yourself.”
5218
5219At his prompting, I climbed up the coachman’s seat and took a peek inside.
5220
5221In case a heavy rainstorm came down, the inventory was covered with a waterproof tarp.
5222
5223Lifting up the tarp, I found sacks of wheat and dried beans, along with a mountain of smoked meat.
5224
5225Ponta started to wag her tail when she caught a whiff of the appetizing food.
5226
5227Ariane and Chiome confirmed the contents of the other wagons.
5228
5229“Hmm, everything seems to be in order. Now, about your compensation……”
5230
5231Raki began vigorously shaking his head back and forth when I brought up the matter of his payment.
5232
5233“No, no, your deposit was more than enough! The materials I was allowed to keep for myself will definitely sell for a large amount. That alone is more than enough of a reward. Thank you very much.”
5234
5235Raki had a full smile as he lowered his head to me again.
5236 
5237“Hmm, it would be beneficial to us if you could act as our mediator in the future, Raki-dono. So consider this an advance payment for future transactions.”
5238
5239I took out a rolled-up parchment wrapped in a beautiful ribbon from my holding pouch and held it out in front of Raki.
5240
5241Raki rushed to take it and constantly looked between me and the parchment until I urged him to open it.
5242
5243When Raki untied the ribbon and looked at the contents of the parchments, he let out a wild cry that surprised the two adventurers behind him.
5244
5245“Ehhhhhh!? Isn’t this a Lanbaltic business permit!? How did you get this!? There haven’t been an listings in the market yet!?”
5246 
5247 
5248Raki’s eyes blew wide open and he couldn’t control his trembling as he looked up at me.
5249
5250“Since we’re going to be conducting business with you in the future, wouldn’t it be more convenient if you had a shop we could visit? However, you’re going to have to cover the construction on your own. The lord was already pushing it when he wrote up that permit.”
5251
5252Raki’s eyes bulged, even more, when he heard my answer.
5253
5254“The feudal lord!? You’re on speaking terms with Marquis Lanbaltic!?”
5255
5256I shared a look with Ariane, who had been failing to hide her laughter at Raki’s overreactions, as she struggled to get herself under control.
5257
5258Ariane proceeded to remove her hood, revealing her lilac skin and snow white hair that was vastly differed from human features.
5259
5260“Raki-dono, the current feudal lord’s wife is an elf and that gives us a bit of influence over him through that connection. I hope we can continue to have dealings in the future.”
5261
5262I took Ponta off my head and removed my helmet as I spoke.
5263
5264Raki was left speechless at the sight of the dark elf and the strange dark-skinned, red-eyed elf in front of him.
5265
5266The two adventures were also in a state of utter shock.
5267
5268“……Elves, the two of them were elves……?”
5269
5270When he regained his ability to speak I put my helmet back on and answered him.
5271
5272“Well… We’re hesitant to publicly reveal ourselves in human cities. We’d be grateful if you could keep our identities a secret. It’ll help our dealings carry on smoothly in the future.”
5273
5274Raki readily nodded at my words, promising not to tell anyone what he had seen and got the other two to agree as well.
5275
5276Based on the conversation, the two adventures had some sort of history with Raki. They must be more reliable than other adventures.
5277
5278Even if our identities as elves were revealed, we could handle three people without any problems.
5279
5280After Raki bade us farewell, Chiome took the reins after sitting down on the coachman’s seat.
5281
5282When we were far enough away from the city, we drove the chain of wagons off the highway and out of sight.
5283
5284Even if you called it a large wagon, the coachman’s seat wasn’t that wide, and it was rather crowded with all of us sitting on it.
5285
5286“Hmm, never imagined that I would visit a feudal lord to obtain a business permit.”
5287
5288Ariane sighed after she muttered that and turned her half-closed eyes towards me.
5289 
5290
5291As she had said, Ariane had been the one to visit the feudal lord’s castle and asked his elven wife for the permit.
5292
5293Since I only acted as her bodyguard during our initial meeting with the couple, having Ariane make the request just made things easier.
5294
5295She was reluctant at first because she felt like she would be indebted to a human.
5296
5297Though I believe that there’s nothing to worry about since Petros felt that he hadn’t given us a substantial enough reward for his previous request. I could see him being excited about the permit request.
5298
5299“Sorry, Ariane-dono. But now that we’ve introduced Chiome-dono to Raki-dono, she can trade in this city without worry, right?”
5300
5301Ariane gave me a reluctant nodded when I said so.
5302
5303“Hey, Arc, why do you keep messing around with your helmet?”
5304
5305“Huh? Oh, ever since I took off my helmet, I’ve had a bit of trouble settling my ears correctly. I’m trying to find the right position……”
5306
5307Ariane had an amazed expression on her face for some reason when she heard my answer before she turned away from me and placed a hand on her chin.
5308
5309My skull fit inside the helmet just fine, but when I drank the spring water to restore my elven form it became a rather tight fit. Quite a serious problem.
5310
5311“How about this place?”
5312
5313While I was thinking it over, Chiome looked away from driving the wagon and offered a suggestion.
5314
5315I stopped fiddling with my helmet and took a look around.
5316
5317I didn’t see anyone else on the highway now.
5318
5319“If it’s here then there shouldn’t be any problems. After we deliver the food I just have to give my report to Lord Hanzo and the village chief. Then you can take Ariane back to Raratoia and report the various event to Glenys-dono.”
5320
5321While she was laying out a schedule, I invoked 【Transfer Gate】. I put a bit more power behind it so that the entire chain of wagons would be brought along and the next moment we were at the lakeside construction site.
5322
5323When the workers noticed that we were there, they stopped what they had been doing and gathered around us in celebration.
5324
5325It wasn’t long before Pitta came up and shooed everyone away.
5326
5327◆◇◆◇◆
5328
5329We left Chiome back at the hidden village so that she could make her report to the clan head and
5330 
5331
5332village chief. As such, only Ariane, Ponta and I returned to Raratoia to explain everything that had happened since we left.
5333
5334Glenys was now sitting on the opposite side of the dining room table as she patiently listened to our story.
5335
5336“…… We found the spring Dylan-dono had spoken about, but for some reason I can only maintain my
5337
5338body for a limited amount of time. Also, there seems to be a problem with my memory since I believed myself to be human, but I’m actually an elf of some kind.”
5339
5340I paused for a bit and emphasize my dark brown skin and long ears to Glenys, but her only reaction was to smile at me.
5341
5342“Arc, that’s perfectly fine, but since you are an elf would you be interested in taking on the village surname? How about it?”
5343
5344The seemingly twenty-year-old mother of Ariane simply asked me that question.
5345
5346While I struggled to grasp the meaning behind her words Ariane immediately reacted.
5347
5348“Are you trying to make Arc a member of this village!?”
5349
5350So that’s what Glenys meant when she brought up taking on the village surname.
5351
5352The surnames of Elves matched the names of their village. By receiving the surname it would officially mark me as a part of this village.
5353
5354“Oh? Are you opposed to Arc joining the village?”
5355
5356Ariane choked on her words at the question, then she turned to me.
5357
5358“I have no problem with him taking the surname since he’s an elf, what I have a problem with is letting a walking disaster into this village. Wouldn’t it be safer to make him a warrior of Maple!?”
5359
5360I felt she was being rather cruel with her depiction of me, but considering the recent events I was unable to object.
5361
5362I had to bury my face in Ponta’s fur to heal my wounded heart.
5363
5364Ponta stopped leisurely laughing the way she had been and began to roll around on the table, crying “Kyun ☆ Kyun ☆” as if she was being tickled.
5365
5366If I thought about, the body I gained wasn’t inferior to an elf’s and Ariane had proven that I could see spirits, so joining an elven village won’t be out of place.
5367
5368It wasn’t like I could continue as a wandering skeleton forever and they were offering stable room and board.
5369
5370“Oh? So Ariane-chan would like to take him home to Maple with her?”
5371
5372“T-That’s not what I meant!! Aren’t you only acting leader in father’s absence, mother? Isn’t it out of bounds to accept a new member into the village without informing father first?”
5373 
5374Ariane quickly voiced her object to Glenys’ comment.
5375
5376“Hmm, I never thought two beautiful women would fight over me……”
5377
5378The two of them had completely taken over the conversation, so I tried to re-enter it with a light joke but Ariane just pushed my face back into Ponta’s fur when I did that.
5379
5380What was that for?
5381
5382“I see your point. But until your father returns I retain the right to temporarily allow others the join the village. Plus, wouldn’t it be unwise to have him stay in the capital if he keeps shifting between his skeletal and elven form?”
5383
5384Arc Raratoia (temporary), that didn’t sound so bad.
5385
5386Maple was the capital of Great Canada Forest and it didn’t seem like a welcoming place fo outsiders, considering the way it was being talked about.
5387
5388And with my body being how it is, I couldn’t be separated from the hot spring for too long.
5389
5390Even taking transfer magic into consideration, I imagine that there would limitations to using it in the capital, while I can use it to my heart’s content here.
5391
5392Sorta like the feeling someone from Kanagawa, Saitama or Chiba would get if they moved to Tokyo they might be able to adjust to life there but things wouldn’t be the same.¹
5393
5394In other words, rather than trying to live in Osaka city, it would be better to settle down in a place like Sakai, Moriguchi or Suita.²
5395
5396……	No, Raratoia village was close to human countries and I didn’t know how far away Maple was from here, so the difference could be like that of Nose town and Misaki town.³
5397
5398Somehow, the conversation had neared its end while I had been thinking things over.
5399
5400“You would still need to have your grandfather sign off on it, and Arc-kun would need a place to stay until then. Either way, it’s up to Arc-kun to decide.”
5401
5402I felt the pressure from Ariane’s hand lighten at Glenys’ last comment.
5403
5404I was finally able to lift my head and look at the two of them again.
5405
5406“You don’t have to decide right away. Take your time to think it over as you stay here. Just tell us when you make your decision.”
5407
5408Indeed, this wasn’t a decision I could make carelessly.
5409
5410When I nodded at her words, Ariane sat down again with a magnificent sigh.
5411
5412“Let’s stop here. Since it’s already this late, how about having some dinner? Since we received a good shipment of tomatoes from Landria, I’ve made your favorite soup.”
5413
5414I unconsciously stood up when I heard Glenys say that. Ariane and Ponta seemed surprised as m
5415 
5416sudden action while Glenys became wide-eyed.
5417
5418“Glenys-dono you are talking about red tomatoes, aren’t you!?”
5419
5420Bewilderment was in her eyes as she nodded at my high-spirited question.
5421
5422Glenys retrieved a pot of red soup from the kitchen and offered me a spoon full of it, convincing me of its authentic taste.
5423
5424“Even though you can’t remember anything about yourself, you remember tomatoes. They shouldn’t have reached human cities yet, and there has been no mention of brown-skinned elves in the forest. Just where do you come from?”
5425
5426I didn’t recall seeing them in any human cities.
5427
5428However, most of the food I’d seen in this world was of the western variety, so I didn’t expect to find things like seaweed or bonito. Tomatoes were on that list as well.
5429
5430Tomatoes must be a universal food.
5431
5432If these were available, then my meal variety would expand greatly.
5433
5434“Glenys-dono, you said that a shipment of these came in from Landria, would I be able to purchase some if I went there?”
5435
5436“Huh? The tomatoes? Umm, tomatoes originate from the Fabuna’ha kingdom on the Souther Continent, with whom we conduct trade with. A few villages cultivate them in the south, but they mainly deal in sun-dried tomatoes.”
5437
5438It had been mentioned that Chiome’s people had built a large country on the Southern Continent Maybe the Tomatoes were imported from there.
5439
5440While I didn’t know 【Transfer Gate】’s maximum range, if I could reach the Southern Continent after a trip to the hot springs, I could buy ingredients at any time.
5441
5442I had asked for the carpenters from the hidden village to repair the residence I had recently acquired, but until the new lakeside village was completed, it was hard to say when they could get to it.
5443
5444So it was going to be a while until the residence is restored.
5445
5446In the meantime, it wouldn’t be bad if I prepared myself for when I could settle down.
5447
5448“Glenys-dono, I’d like to travel to the Southern Continent, is there a way I could board a ship sailin from Landria?”
5449
5450Including food, I also needed other clothes apart from the 『Holy Armor of Belenus』. My housing had already been secured and I could take care of my body with the hot spring.
5451
5452Now, I needed to diversify my food options.
5453
5454Glenys turned away from me and groaned at my question.
5455 
5456“Hm~m, because the trade ship belongs to traders, I can’t let someone who doesn’t belong to the village……”
5457
5458I immediately stood up and declared my intentions at her provoking statement.
5459
5460“For as long as it’s allowed, my name shall be Arc Raratoia!”
5461
5462Ariane was astonished by this while Glenys continued to look away and smile.
5463
5464“Then it’s decided. As the acting leader, I welcome another brethren into our village.” There was no hesitation!
5465
5466Next stop, the land of Tomatoes.
5467 
5468 
5469V4 Epilogue
5470
5471
5472
5473
5474The Northern Continent, just southeast of the Great Leburan Empire.
5475
5476Through a narrow channel, the water from the Beak Sea flowed into the continent from the southwest.
5477
5478Across that channel, on the shore opposite of the Great Leburan Empire, sat the Hiruku Theocracy, th holy land of humankind’s predominant religion.
5479
5480Beyond the bay sat the Rooteos Mountain Range, which bordered the three adjacent countries. It wa this mountain range that had protected the country from invasion before the religion had been established and obtained its influence over the continent’s other nations.
5481
5482In the middle of the Rooteos Mountain Range was a particular mountain called Mt. Arthus, tha housed a massive mithril deposit.
5483
5484For centuries, the capital of the Hiruku Theocracy has taught its believers that the country’s capital was an utopia that never suffered from war or monster attacks.
5485
5486While the patriarchal system of government from the time before the religion’s founding still existed, the king of this holy land was a king in name only.
5487
5488The person that held the real power in the Hiruku Theocracy was the Pope, who resided in the temple halfway up Mt. Arthus. A temple that could only be reached by climbing the “Stairway of Faith”.
5489
5490Those who make the trek up Mt. Arthus come across a massive cathedral that had been built atop the overlooking cliff.
5491
5492The dignified majesty emitted by the cathedral was at a level where even foreigners could grasp the Pope’s might.
5493
5494Despite its size, only a few people were allowed to set foot inside the cathedral.
5495
5496Currently, one woman’s footsteps could be heard as she walked along the gleaming white stone floor of the main hall.
5497
5498The woman had graceful feature and long blond hair, her revealing white clothes emphasized her large breasts. At first glance, her sultry walk and revealing clothing made the woman seem like a dancer or harlot.
5499
5500However, the luxurious bracelets and other accessories that adorned the woman’s body were things that those classes of women could never hope to possess.
5501 
5502 
5503
5504As the woman continued to walk towards the exit, someone else’s shadow approached her.
5505
5506The seemingly mild-mannered man who walked up had neatly styled black hair, was dressed in flashy canonical robes and had a slight smile on his face when he recognized the woman he was walking towards.
5507
5508Both of them stopped in the center of the hall and stared each other down.
5509
5510The smiling man was the first one to speak, but his eyes remained locked with the woman’s eyes.
5511
5512“Oh, Cardinal Castitas. It’s a rare sight to see you here. I was certain you were spending your time fishing for men in the Western Empire……”
5513
5514The atmosphere around the woman named Castitas immediately changed at the smiling man’s insult, yet she still managed to maintain a captivating smile while showing off her large chest by crossing her arms.
5515
5516In the Hiruku Theocracy, those who took on one of the several cardinal’s names were second to only the Pope in terms of power. The full name of the scantily clad woman was Erin Luxuria.
5517
5518Erin lustfully licked her lips as she stared at the man who held the same position she did.
5519
5520“Ara, I was doing the work the Pope had assigned to me. Because there has been movement in the west I used a transfer stone to come back and make my report. Isn’t it unusual for you to be here as well, Cardinal Liberalitas? Normally you carry out your duties without fretting over the insignificance of the outside world, yet here you are having an audience with his holiness…… did something unexpected occur?”
5521
5522At Erin’s prodding the smiling face of the man called Cardinal Liberalitas, whose true name was Palermo Avaritia, became discolored.
5523
5524“Hmm! I will not be exiled to the Southern Continent like that fool Carlos. The two Ghost Knights sent to collect monster stones suddenly vanished, so I’m here to appeal to the Pope for replacements.
5525
5526After a brief moment of shock at what Palermo had just told her, Erin took a step towards him with a meaningful smile on her face.
5527
5528“Hm〜m, two Ghost Knights vanished. Where did you dispatch them? Or did you simply take th knight as a mean to strengthen your personal forces?”
5529
5530The practiced smile that had been on Palermo ‘s face disappeared as a blue vein began pulsing on his forehead.
5531
5532“You……! Are you implying I would give the pope a false report!?”
5533
5534It was a sudden injection of a calm voice that managed to break the tension between them.
5535
5536“That’s enough you two.”
5537
5538The two of them ceased glaring at each other and quickly took a knee in the direction the voice originated from.
5539 
5540The two cardinals respectively lowered their heads as the Pope of the Hiruku Theocracy approached.
5541
5542“Thank you for your presence, Thanatos-sama.”
5543
5544The Pope’s approach was almost undetectable as he walked along the polished floor without making a sound.
5545
5546The Pope held a decorative staff that was representative of the power he wielded and wore an even more luxurious robe than the cardinals.
5547
5548On the Pope’s head sat a mitre with multiple holy symbols sewn into it that only he was allowed to wear. The mitre also had a veil attached to it that completely concealed the Pope’s face.
5549
5550He was none other than the man the entirety of the Hiruku Theocracy united behind, Thanatos Shirubiwes Hiruku.
5551
5552Without removing his veil the Pope began speaking to the two cardinals.
5553
5554“Palermo, I’ll believe what you say about the missing Ghost Knights, there are a few spares in the basement. Erin, don’t ridicule your colleagues so much.”
5555
5556The two cardinals lowered their heads even further at Pope Thanatos’ comments.
5557
5558“According to Erin’s report, the Western Empire’s army has been mobilized in response to an attack by the Eastern Empire. The West’s defenses will be spread thin for a while. I ask that the two of you continue your patronage in the coming days.”
5559
5560“We understand.”
5561
5562The Pope gave the two a satisfied nod at their reply before turning away from the two.
5563
5564While his footsteps made very little sound, the Pope’s humming could be heard as he walked away.
5565
5566When he passed by a window a sudden gust of wind blew in and lifted the veil from the Pope’s face.
5567
5568However, not a single person has ever seen his face.
5569
5570
5571
5572Namo’s Explanation Blurb:
5573
5574I don’t have any Idea if the author is just getting heavy-handed with his name-calling, or if this was supposed to be subtle… In any case, the names of the peoples in this chapter are mostly Latin and carry quite some… let’s say “religious” connotations. Coupled with the way these Cardinals have a public and a private name, I believe that most will agree with me that something is afoot.
5575
5576Based on the last names of the characters introduced, I believe the author is playing with christian concepts here, the Seven Deadly Sins and the Seven Virtues (notice the capitalization^^).
5577
5578Luxuria Castitas
5579
5580Avaritia Liberalitas
5581 
5582“Luxuria” originally means ‘extravagance’ or ‘excess’. At first, when you hear about the Seven Deadly Sins, you would connect this with Greed, but “Luxuria” as a sin originally referred to “feelin an intense desire in the body”. Think of “feeling hungry/thirsty”, “wanting to have sex with a certain someone” or “wanting to have a better house/field”.
5583
5584Over the centuries, the sexual connotation became the dominant one, and “Luxuria” went from “wanting to have things (in excess)” to “wanting to have (unbridled) sex”. Which became the Deadly Sin of “Lust”.
5585
5586Since Lust is a Sin, it’s opposite would be the Virtue “Castitas” aka “Chastity”. I don’t think chastit needs any lengthy explanations… a person encompassing Lust is sleeping around with everyone, desires power and/or expensive objects, while a person of “Chastity” is pure, or clean in a physical and moral sense. Or (if you get away from the sex), someone with integrity, morals and faithfulness. Virginity is optional…
5587
5588“Avaritia” is more straightforward to explain: It is latin for “Greed” and stands for the “inordinate desire to have/acquire more than one needs”. In essence, it means that one has already covered their needs but still wants more in order to fulfill an unfulfillable wish of satisfaction.
5589
5590“Liberalitas” is the Virtue opposed to Greed, and might be better known as “Caritas”, “Charity” o “Generosity”.
5591
5592It means to give freely onto others and it should be obvious why it stands opposed to Greed, since you give from yourself so others might feel better. At its root, it stands for the love one feels towards humanity (and god of course).
5593
5594With that in mind, one can see some foreshadowing here, considering that the seven second-most powerful people of the Hiruku religion has a family name that stands for one of the Seven Deadly Sins, while publicly they are called by the name of their opposing Virtue. If one knows the Seven Deadly Sins, one can make an educated guess what the other 5 Cardinals will be called!
5595
5596PS: Thanatos is greek and the name of the personification of Death. The greek predated the romans, so keeping this in mind, one can read the following into the situation in the Hiruku Kingdom:
5597
5598Thanatos(aka Death) stands above the seven Sins/Virtues (since he is their boss) AND he predate them. Being “Death” also implies that he will outlast them by a long time!
5599
5600
5601
5602Silver’s thoughts:
5603
5604If I had to sum up this volume in one word it would be Transition. For now the slave rescuing has been shelved, Arc has his body now, his relationship with the elves and Chiome’s clan is being strengthened, the centuries long cold war between empires is starting to heat up, the battle for the throne is about to start, and overall the world and it’s machinations were explained in greater details. I would have been satisfied with that much and waited for Arc’s story to heat up again. However, when I saw the Pope’s name and reread chapter 13, it was like everything clicked into place and I could see a way this novel could end. With everything that we learned in the background story, it’s clear that this world is heading for a World War and Arc’s actions have set things into motion.
5605 
5606Had he not resurrected princess Julianna, killed the Hydra, and damaged the slave trade the war might not have been as bad as it seems like its gonna be. I believe that the next couple of volumes are gonna see Arc becoming more experienced with his powers and him gathering more allies as the situation just becomes larger and more out of control. Up till now the only thing that was missing was a credible enemy for Arc to face, but that changed with the introduction of Thanatos. Now the only thing that needs to happen is the death of Rhoden’s current king, who hasn’t even been shown once, and the civil war that initiates the whole cluster fuck will begin. And at the end of it all the fate of the world will be decided by the final battle between the Necromancer that shepherds humanity with a cruel religious doctrine and the free-spirited Heavenly Knight that champions the demi-humans and the helpless. I really hope I’m right.
5607 
5608Illustrations by KeG
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5621Credits
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5632Author	—	Hakari Enki
5633Publication platfom	—		Syosetu
5634
5635						
5636Publisher	—	Overlap/Syosetu
5637Translator	—			Silver
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5639					
5640Editor	—			Silver
5641				Namorax