Chapter 21: Traveling with Kraft
The alliance of the three races to cleanse the world of magical beasts was a good thing. Humanity would benefit from it as well; their living conditions would improve greatly. After all, it was always better to deal with a race you could communicate with rather than one that only knew slaughter.
After a long internal debate, Serie finally shook her head in refusal.
"I have no interest in war."
Her words clearly shocked Kraft. Even Rhodes looked at her with disbelief. To hear such a phrase from Serie's lips was as surprising as hearing a certain famously greedy tycoon say, "I have no interest in money."
"Well, that's..." Kraft was at a loss for words. But since Serie had said it, he couldn't press the matter further. In a war between nations, one person's strength, even Serie's, was still too small to make a difference. If she had another thousand years or so, she might become a renowned mage among the elves, but the current Serie was not yet at that level.
"By the way, why were you crossing this swamp? The Sky-Winged woman must have told you how dangerous it is," Kraft asked.
Serie said nothing, instead looking at Rhodes, silently indicating that he should be the one to explain.
Rhodes stepped forward. "I heard there was a human tribe in Glimmerwood. I wanted to see it for myself, so I took the risk and entered the swamp. I just didn't expect..."
Rhodes had thought they had been careful enough. Not only had they avoided the magical beasts the entire way, but they had also been constantly using detection and alarm spells. And yet, they had still been discovered by the demons. He would have to be more careful in the future. He had grown used to being reckless on his own in this world, but now he had to consider Serie's feelings. If not for his request, she would never have left the Great Elven Forest. And if Somme hadn't shown up when he did, breaking out would have been much more difficult. The Scale-Fiend alone would have been more than the two of them could handle.
"I see. I have seen that settlement. It is a good one." Kraft nodded, seemingly accepting Rhodes's explanation. Kraft had a very good impression of that human settlement. Everyone had been very friendly, and he had even stayed there for a while. During his stay, two children had asked him to teach them martial arts. Kraft had agreed; his skills were self-taught, honed through his own experience, and not bound by the rules of the Great Elven Forest.
The two human children had a great deal of talent, but their human bodies ultimately limited their potential. Otherwise, they would surely have become powerful warriors. Ten years had passed since then. The two should be grown now. Kraft was suddenly curious to see how much their skills had progressed.
"Glimmerwood is still some distance from here," he proposed. "I'll go with you."
"What about your reconnaissance mission?" Serie glanced at him.
"Don't worry." Kraft whistled, and a small, emerald-green bird flew down to him. He used his mana to write a message on a piece of paper, which the bird then took in its beak and flew away with.
"It seems you've learned quite a few interesting spells over the years," Serie commented. She could tell at a glance that the magic he had just used was not recorded in any elven grimoire. It must have been something he had learned on his adventures.
"I had no choice. I can't learn high-level magic, so I have to find spells I can learn."
While the two elves were talking, Rhodes took the opportunity to speak with Somme. "By the way, how did you manage to follow us?"
From what the dwarf had briefly explained, it seemed he had set out not long after them and had been following them ever since. This made Rhodes a little uneasy; he hadn't noticed at all. If it had been a demon or someone from another, less friendly race instead of Somme, he might have been killed in his sleep without ever knowing it.
Somme laughed sheepishly. "I didn't dare to get too close. I was mostly just tracking you by the embers of your campfires."
"Are you sure you're a dwarf?" Rhodes looked at the beardless dwarf in disbelief. This was not the boisterous, straightforward, free-spirited dwarf he had imagined.
"Of course I'm a dwarven warrior!" Somme puffed out his chest, his tone deadly serious. "I'm going to become the strongest warrior-dwarf there is, and I'll make the whole village look at me with respect!"
"A fine goal." Since the dwarf had already followed them for so many days, Rhodes didn't have the heart to send him away. Besides, they really did need a front-line fighter. Somme had been a huge help during their escape from the swamp. If he hadn't been covering their retreat, Rhodes, with his limited combat abilities, might not have made it out unscathed. And in the end, it had been Somme's attack that had broken the Scale-Fiend's defense. As Kraft had said, he would surely become a powerful warrior one day. There was no harm in taking him along.
In truth, Rhodes also wanted Kraft to join their party. He was stronger and knew some magic. He would be a great asset, whether they were exploring the dwarven ruins or heading to the Godfall Land. But unfortunately, Kraft didn't seem to be interested.
A short distance away, Kraft was clearly hesitant after hearing about Serie's destinations.
"Serie, as a fellow elf, I must advise you: neither the Godfall Land nor the dwarven ruins are places you can explore at your current level."
Even at the council of the three kings, no one had dared to suggest exploring those two places. The Dwarven King, though he desperately wanted to reclaim his homeland, had been denied his request by the other two kings. The ruins had, in effect, become a kingdom of monsters. The alliance of the three races was for the purpose of clearing out the magical beasts that were plaguing the world, not for declaring war on a monster kingdom. Only if that kingdom were to expand beyond the ruins and begin to invade the surrounding lands would they consider going to war.
As for the Godfall Land, the name alone was enough to tell you that it was not a place for mortals. For thousands of years, countless creatures had entered, but none had ever returned. It was a place of no return. That was the terror of the Godfall Land.
Hearing Kraft's warning, Serie frowned. She didn't answer, instead looking at Rhodes. She couldn't tell Kraft about Rhodes's talent for [Creation]. The knowledge was too dangerous. Until Rhodes was strong enough, letting others know would only bring him harm.
And Serie had no intention of dragging Rhodes to explore those places now. In her plan, they would only attempt it after Rhodes had grown stronger, after he had at least seventy percent of her own current strength. Before that, she had to teach him more, and more powerful, magic. Only then could he create a spell capable of killing a god.