"Why'd you suddenly say my name out of nowhere?"
"No… didn't you say I could, back in the kingdom, it's only been a day you know?"
That realization seemed to make her stop. "Well, next time warn me okay?" She said, and then walked off.
I looked down at the hoglin that I just summoned. What was that about? The thing just oinked.
The tent, which was set up on the outside of the festival, was mostly quiet after the princess left. Yeah, I'll stick with just 'princess.' Well, besides the occasional elf lady coming to pick up the Hoglins. Looking at them, held tightly in the arms of these buff elves. Their doughy eyes, unbridled trust and affection. Tch, I'm sorry little guy… be reborn as anything but a yummy pig in your next life.
I summoned enough hoglins that I started to drool. A unique symptom of mana deficiency. Of which I didn't have much, or… I couldn't tell if I did, I didn't have stats after all. But, it wasn't normal.
WIping drool off with my elbow. I stood up, the last elf that came said that I was done summoning. And that everybody had gone home besides a few, and they were starting to clean up. I stepped out of the tent, a large table that stretched across the center of the housing area was being carried by just two elves.
The chief directed them and they slowly carried it away.
"Calvin." The princess startled me, she was standing right outside the tent. I looked at her and her eyebrows furrowed. "Why do you look like that?"
That's rude…
"Mana deficiency, I was summoned for hours, with no company." I enunciated, 'company.'
She cleared her throat. "I was there, you made me leave… with you suddenly calling me by name."
"What does that have to do with it?" I said, genuinely confused, does she not like her name?
"I don't know, I just-"
Interrupting her, a loud bang reverberated from the top of the dome, shaking even the bottom. Me and Valerie looked at each other. Either a giant was jumping on the grass above, or, the masked man was here. Judging by the Chiefs appearance, it was the latter.
She turned towards us before running off. "Calvin, Valerie… prepare for battle, we'll travel to the top!" Summoning a bow, which assembled in her hand out of multicolored sparks. She headed for the stairs.
Her shouts woke up all the citizens, and in a few minutes we were running with an army of wellfed, angry at being woken up by elven soldiers. Ascending the twisty stairs. The heat from the forge dissipated and the coldness of the night enveloped us.
The chief was at the front, and me and the princess were right next to her. As much as I wanted to stay in the back, I couldn't. Because I had a plan. We approached the hatch, and I held my hand up. I was out of breath from running, but through bated breaths I said, [Basic Summoning!]
A torrent of a salamonds, ran madly out of the hatch. Crushing anything in its way. I knew my plan worked when I heard a human yelping.
We went all the way up, the Salamancas scurried off into the night. Whatever the masked man did, it clearly only worked in the actual forest, because it seemed like they were running from something instead of just running to run.
Anyway, bingo!
There he was… the masked man. I hesitantly crept towards the unconscious body. Several dirt claw prints were on his robes. But there was nothing else. If anything, they fainted from shock. Looking at the mask, it wasn't the one who shot the dragon.
The chief approached. Hupping the mask-wearing guy on her shoulder. "CITIZENS, WE HAVE CAPTURED THE THREAT, WE SHALL THROW HIM… INTO THE FORGE!"
I tapped her on the shoulder. "Before you do that… Could we question him first? We actually met someone wearing similar clothes on our way to Roscharz Duchy."
"Roscharz? What is that… but, since you have given us meat, you are at the level of blood relations, of course you may… here!" She placed the man in my hands and my knees buckled. "Thanks."
After an underwhelming battle, the rest of the elves who woke up for nothing couldn't get back to sleep. So, the chief decided to have the questioning be public. Just so they'd have something to do, I had no reason to disagree and neither did the princess so we went with it.
Honestly, these masks… people. They've definitely affected the elves more than me and the princess. They need more info than anybody.
So we were back in the center of the housing area, the masked man was tied to a chair with a rope infused with mithril. Often used to detain dragons. A few restless elves tapped their feet, their husbands and children clinging to them.
Everybody was serious about this, these people affected their homes, made people sick, and most importantly, got rid of their meat.
I slapped him on the face softly, twice.
Groaning, the man tried to get control of his drooping head. "W-what happened, suddenly a horde of Salamancas, I didn't know he was a summoner…"
"What are you muttering to yourself about?"
He yelped, his entire body shooting up. "Y-you, you're just a knight, how did you summon monsters… why, why was the info wrong, it's never wrong."
His voice was grating, it looked like the mask had a filter on his voice. I couldn't take it off either, it was like it had merged with his skin.
I snapped my fingers, and he looked at me. "Stop panicking, everything will be alright… you're alive aren't you, these people are full of mercy and kindness. All they want is an apology and an explanation, I think even you want to make amends."
"I won't talk."
A blood vessel popped. Oops, go back in there. "Right." I grabbed the back of his chair, and he looked back, confused. The elves and princess followed me without a word. "Wha-wha, where are you taking me?"
"I won't tell."
We reached the forge, a large metal behemoth, a metal floor led to a stairway inside. What I recently learnt was that, with a lever that the chief was currently standing next to. The floor will collapse, revealing a river of lava. "Chief, please…"
-Click
The cave illuminated, and the man heard popping sounds behind him. I walked around his chair, silently grabbing the two front legs. "Hey! Stop!"
Up we go.
His chair tilted, his hands were nearly touching the lava. "Wait, wait! I'll talk, let me go!"
"Oh, really… guess you aren't a man of your word, how will I trust your info then. What a shame… bye!"
I let go for a moment, enough for him to start speaking. I caught it right before he touched the lava. But he might've signed his hands. "I'm a part of The Black Dawn. Just… bring me up, I'll tell you everything." Tears started to fall, hitting the lava with a hissing sound.
Hah… that felt dangerously good.
I brought him back up, looking around I could clearly see people reevaluating their impression of me. Hey! He's a bad guy, you don't need to be nice to bad guys!
Why do I feel like a villain?
Even Valerie seemed shocked.
After he stopped crying we were able to get some good info from him. The Black Dawn turned out to be a clan that supported the Demon Lord, a collection of scum that believed clinging to the leg of someone like that would earn them some brownie points.
They're currently supporting the second prince, and planned to drive the elves out and force them to rely on him by providing them with summoners. Which was why he was so surprised there was one. If he succeeded he would've obtained an invaluable ally and elite information gatherers.
He was a fresh recruit, they didn't send someone competent as they believed the elves were starving and that we were dead.
Still confirming is a given.
That explained why we were attacked, for some reason I was putting stakes into myself but it makes a lot more sense we were attacked because of the princess.
She seemed to reach that same conclusion. We were lent a room in the housing area, they didn't have any inns as all the people had their own homes and it was a relatively small population. But the owners requested we take their house for the day.
We were sleeping in separate rooms, but right now, we were having a meeting of sorts.
The princess was sitting on the bed while I sat at the desk.
She didn't start talking so I assumed she wanted me to start. "Do you know anything about the Black Dawn, I mean? My village's library was rather limited on stuff like this, so I'm clueless."
She cleared her throat. "No. But, I have seen that mask design. During a gala, an official wore the top half of one as his mask. I didn't catch a glimpse of his face underneath, but I noticed him talking to my brothers. I assumed he was just buttering them up…"
"He wore a mask for a criminal organization at a ball? That seems… idiotic."
"Well, it may have been a coincidence. But, seeing as we know they were hired by my brothers, there's a higher chance it isn't."
I looked down, I was just thinking of our next moves but the princess took it a different way.
She lowered her voice, "Calvin… if you don't want to get involved anymore, I'd understand. You're a commoner, with a class that only grows with lies. You should just be an adventurer or something. If you do, I appreciate what you've done already."
What is she talking about? I may be a coward, and a liar, a person who wouldn't hesitate to take advantage of others… but, if someone in front of me is saying such things, which is such a sad face. "No… I want to help you… besides, the Black Dawn knows who I am, they'll chase me down anyway. And sticking around a princess with the strength of an Orc seems safer than being alone."
She didn't like the Orc comment, but she smirked. "Thanks, Calvin… we'll continue our talk tomorrow, for now. Get some rest."
She leaped off the bed, and I waved her off.
I let out a sigh, looking down at my trembling hands, I tightened my grip on my forearm.
And went to sleep.