Chapter 59: Forgetting Something
"Look, Norne, don't I look like a legendary hero?" Eirik said, holding a staff in one hand and a longsword in the other. He wore light armor, but had, for some reason, added a cape. The overall effect was quite… abstract.
"A hero? I don't know about that. A clown, maybe," Rhodes interjected, trying to suppress a smile.
"Eh, what's that?" Neither Eirik nor Norne had any idea what a "clown" was.
"A special profession," Rhodes explained, "one who wears a comical mask and intentionally makes a fool of himself to bring laughter to others."
"Eh, I don't want to be like that." There were many ways to bring a smile to someone's face. Eirik had long since decided that he wanted to be a great hero who could protect everyone and make them all smile with happiness. The thought of making others laugh at his own expense made him uncomfortable.
"To sacrifice oneself to bring joy to others? That's worthy of respect," Norne said, nodding to himself.
The person watching the clown didn't care about the expression hidden behind the comical mask; they only cared about how funny the clown would be. In a way, perhaps the clown was more of a hero.
Their different answers were a reflection of their different personalities.
They had left the dwarven city and were once again on the road.
Before they had left, the old dwarf, Dural, had upgraded their equipment. Somme now wore a new suit of Mithril armor, which offered good resistance to both magical and physical attacks. His battle-axe had also been strengthened. Eirik and Norne had both chosen well-made longswords from Dural's workshop, a significant upgrade from the ordinary swords they had brought from their village. Eirik's old sword had been completely destroyed in the fight with the dragon, and Norne's was also in a bad state. And, because of Eirik's unique path, Rhodes had also designed a special magic staff for him.
As for Rhodes and Serie, they had chosen a few magical items, mostly things that could speed up their mana recovery.
Meanwhile, using the ice magic Rhodes had created, they had successfully made the dragon-hide paper. The ink was also ready, and Norne had begun to write the first grimoire in human history.
They passed through the canyon outside the dwarven city, and the silhouette of the first major city they had encountered on their adventure slowly disappeared from view. Rhodes recalled Dural's final request before they had left.
"You can take any of the equipment and weapons in my workshop, but on one condition: I want you to tell the world that this holy sword is the work of Dural!"
For a dwarf, honor was everything. A great warrior like Somme wanted to make a name for himself through his strength. But for a master smith like Dural, the best way to achieve renown was to have his work known throughout the continent. Then, everyone would know that it had been forged by the great Dural. Rhodes had agreed and had promised him that he would make the name of the holy sword, 'The Light of Ersten', known throughout the land.
The sun set and rose again. Another month passed. They now found themselves in a strange forest.
Towering ancient trees blocked out the sun, and the air was filled with the damp smell of moss. But they had not seen any signs of magical beasts on their journey, only a few scattered wild animals. Eirik had taken care of them, which meant they would have extra food for dinner.
"It's too quiet," Somme said, tightening his grip on his battle-axe. His dwarven instincts made him tense. "I can't even hear a single bird!"
A detection spell lit up at Serie's fingertip. "There are life signs... but they're weak."
Rhodes also cast his own detection spell. After a careful look, he shook his head. "Not magical beasts. Probably just the natives of this forest."
On their journey, they had not seen a single demon, and had barely seen any magical beasts at all. This had led Rhodes to a certain suspicion. Could it be that all the demons and magical beasts on the continent are gathering near the Great Elven Forest? According to Kraft, the allied armies of the three races were also converging there. A war was imminent. Half a year had passed now. He wondered how things were going.
But it should be fine, right? It's an alliance of the three strongest races on the continent, including the Sky-Winged, who are under the direct command of the Goddess. He couldn't imagine how they could possibly lose. Right? How could you lose with the Goddess on your side?
But for some reason, he had a bad feeling, as if he had forgotten something important.
In any case, the war was not something he could interfere with right now. He had to become stronger first.
Suddenly, a rustling sound from the mist broke his train of thought. A dozen or so figures emerged from behind the trees. They had a human-like form, but their bodies were very small and their limbs were extremely disproportionate. Their skin was a greenish-blue, and they blended in almost perfectly with the surrounding environment.
"Halt, outsiders," the leader said. His voice was like the rustling of leaves, and he spoke in a stilted manner, clearly unfamiliar with the common language.
Faced with this unknown race, Rhodes looked at Serie, but she just shook her head. She didn't know who they were either.
"Hello. And you are?" Rhodes asked.
But the leader just shook his head slowly. His people usually communicated telepathically and didn't need to speak. Their limited vocabulary in the common tongue was not enough to deal with these outsiders, so he just remained silent.
Of course, Rhodes's party didn't know this and was a little frustrated by their silence. "In that case," Rhodes said, pointing to himself, "have you seen any other creatures like me?" Since they couldn't communicate, he might as well ask them for clues about a human settlement.
"Elf... looking?"
"Not an elf. Me!" Rhodes said, pulling on Eirik's ear. "Elves don't have such short ears!"
Eirik: "..." Don't you have your own ears? Why are you pulling on mine?
"Have. Here," the green creature said, his movements incredibly slow. So slow that Rhodes wanted to hit the fast-forward button. He raised a hand and pointed in a certain direction. "One day."
"He means there's a human settlement about a day's journey in that direction?" Norne said uncertainly. The creature's movements were slow, and he spoke in such short, clipped sentences that they had to guess his meaning.
"It seems so. And it's on our way, anyway."
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