Chapter 202: Encounter with an Elf
“Hmm, maybe it’s about time I change to a new weapon?”
While doing maintenance on my equipment at our house in the Royal Capital, I thought about this as I looked at the degree of degradation on my sword.
Fighting a special individual with deadly poison like the Venom Beat, followed immediately by a monster living in a special environment like the Volcanic Turtle in a sea of magma, had caused the parts to degrade severely.
The consumable replacement parts in particular were in terrible shape.
“Oh, getting a replacement, Bro?”
Hearing that I was changing my equipment, Jairo-kun raised a happy voice.
Yeah, getting new equipment is exciting, isn’t it.
“Don’t be stupid. In Rex‘s case, he can make something better himself rather than buying it.”
“Ah, I guess that’s true.”
“That is certainly true. If it’s Rex-san, even a wooden stick would cut better than any average sword.”
At Mina-san’s words, Jairo-kun and the others voiced their agreement.
No, no, you guys are overestimating me way too much.
“That’s not true. The weapons and armor made by dwarven craftsmen are of far higher quality than anything I can make.”
Yes, the techniques of the dwarves I met in my previous life and the one before that were incredible. Even using poor-quality iron, they could forge weapons and armor that surpassed those made by blacksmiths of other races using high-quality iron.
“Dwarves? Oh, you mean Gordov-san. But isn’t that old guy your apprentice, Bro?”
Hearing ‘dwarven blacksmith’, Jairo-kun recalled Gordov-san, who works in the town of Togai.
“I don’t really understand why Gordov-san became my apprentice, but the mastered techniques of the dwarves are truly amazing.”
In that regard, Gordov-san is actually probably on the younger side among dwarven craftsmen, isn’t he?
Perhaps a strict master intentionally threw him into human society half-baked for the sake of his training.
In human society, throwing out an apprentice while they’re still half-baked is unthinkable, but when dealing with other races, you can’t say for sure.
Even in my previous lives, other races acted on common sense different from humans, so I was surprised by the differences in racial common sense more than once or twice.
“Dwarves, huh. Come to think of it, we rarely see other races, so I don’t really know how skilled other dwarves are.”
“Eh? You don’t see other races? What do you mean by that?”
Being told that by Liliera-san, who has the longest career as an adventurer among us, I was surprised.
Liliera-san has almost exclusively operated in the town of Hexi—or rather, the Demonic Beast Forest—and hasn’t been to other towns much, but even so, if she was active in a large town, she would hear information about other towns, and she should have encountered people of other races stopping by the town.
“I don’t really understand it either, but other races shut themselves in their own countries and rarely come outside.”
“Heh, so that’s how it is.”
That’s unexpected. In my previous lives, it was normal to see them around.
I wonder if their way of thinking changed in the current era?
“But now that you mention it, I really have almost no memories of seeing other races. The other race I see the most is… Majins, I guess?”
” ” ” ” “No, no, they are exactly the ones we shouldn’t be seeing the most.” ” ” ” “
When I mentioned the other race we’ve encountered the most in this life, everyone listening denied it in unison.
“Or rather, up until just a few months ago, I didn’t even think Majins actually existed.”
“Right. How many times have we encountered Majins since leaving the village?”
“I feel like I’ve met enough Majins for one lifetime already.”
“Honestly, same.”
Well, the Majins of the current era seem to be plotting various things behind the scenes and no longer appear in public, so I can somewhat understand their feelings.
That being said, as someone with memories of my previous lives, an era where you don’t see Majins feels more out of place to me.
Hmm, but talking about this makes me curious as to why the other races started shutting themselves in their own countries.
Someone familiar with the circumstances of other races… but someone familiar with such specific circumstances…
“Ah!”
That’s right, we have someone like that!
“Let’s go ask Gordov-san!”
“Eh!?”
That’s right. Gordov-san is also from another race, so isn’t he the perfect person to ask about these circumstances!
“But why him?”
“Yeah, I mentioned it earlier, but it’s about time I want equipment made by a proper craftsman. I was thinking of asking Gordov-san where the dwarven village is. And while we’re at it, I thought it would be a good idea to ask why the other races stopped coming out to other countries.”
“Heh, a dwarven village, huh.”
Hearing we were going to a dwarven village, everyone showed interest.
“Items forged by dwarves have high value even beyond weapons and armor. If it’s a town where such dwarves live, there are bound to be amazing treasures… In other words, I’m incredibly interested.”
“Meguri is speaking in long sentences. She’s serious.”
Ah, so that’s how you judge whether Meguri-san is motivated or not. As expected of someone who’s known her for a long time.
“Alright! Then tomorrow, we’re going to the town of Togai!”
” ” ” ” “Yeah!!” ” ” ” “
And so, to obtain new equipment and to ask about the other races while we were at it, we decided to head to Gordov-san’s shop.
$diamond$
“Hello~”
Having arrived in the town of Togai via flight magic, we immediately visited Gordov-san’s shop… however.
“Huh? Is Gordov-san not here?”
Inside the shop, there was not only no sign of customers, but Gordov-san’s figure was nowhere to be found either.
Leaving the door unlocked, how careless.
“Wait, I hear voices coming from the back.”
Straining my ears at Liliera-san’s words, I could indeed hear people’s voices coming from the workshop in the back.
“Excuse me~!”
When I called out towards the workshop, the voices stopped and Gordov-san came out.
“Ah, my bad. I’m a bit tied up right now… wait, Master!?”
Seeing my face, Gordov-san raised a voice of strange surprise.
Did I startle him by coming so suddenly?
“It’s been a while, Gordov-sa—”
“Perfect timing! We were actually just talking about you, Master!”
Before I could bring up my business, I thought I’d start with a reunion greeting, but Gordov-san suddenly grabbed both of my hands and said that happily.
“Eh? Talking about me?”
What exactly were they talking about concerning me!?
“Hey, Sharaza! Come out here!”
When Gordov-san called out to the workshop, the person who seemed to be his conversation partner emerged from the back.
” ” ” ” ” “Ah.” ” ” ” ” “
And seeing the figure of the person who came out, we were surprised.
“What is the matter, Gordov?”
That person was an incredibly beautiful individual with long, flowing silver hair.
But more characteristic than that were their ears.
Unlike the round ears of the human race, this person’s ears had a sharply pointed shape.
” ” ” ” ” “An Elf!?” ” ” ” ” “
Yes, this person was an Elf.
The race of the forest, Elves. They are a race that lives together with spirits and the forest, prospering through techniques different from those of the human race.
In my previous life, they were just one of the common other races you could find anywhere, but according to Liliera-san, the Elves also shut themselves in their own territories and rarely come out anymore.
“To meet an Elf with this timing…”
Even though we were just talking about other races, I’m truly surprised!
“Rejoice, Sharaza! This person is my Master that we were just talking about!”
“What?”
Saying that, Gordov-san pushed my back and brought me in front of the Elf he called Sharaza.
However, Sharaza-san was looking at me with a bewildered face.
“Master. This is an old Elf acquaintance of mine named Sharaza. They’re having a bit of trouble in our hometown, and so they came to consult me about borrowing your power, Master.”
“Circumstances in Gordov-san’s hometown?”
Huh? Does ‘our’ mean Elves and Dwarves live together?
“Yes, actually right now…”
“Wait, Gordov, what is the meaning of this!? Was your Master not a Dwarf!?”
Just as I was about to ask Gordov-san about the situation, Sharaza-san suddenly shouted and pressed him.
“Nah, as you can see, Master is human. Didn’t I tell you?”
When Gordov-san answered like that, Sharaza-san’s face turned bright red with anger.
“I did not hear that! All I heard was that your Master is an S-rank adventurer! Yet you say this human child is your Master!? Are you making a fool of me!?”
Ah, yeah, well, if a Dwarf acquaintance became the apprentice of a young human, it would be surprising.
Especially since I’ve only recently come of age in this life, it can’t be helped that I’m mistaken for a child.
“Hey, you! I don’t care if you’re an Elf or whatever, but for someone who doesn’t know a damn thing about Bro, you’ve got quite the mouth on you!”
However, unable to accept that, Jairo-kun snapped at Sharaza-san.
“Hmph, I do know. I know that for you humans, your outward youth is proportional to your age. And S-rank adventurers can only be veteran adventurers, correct? Then it is impossible for a young, inexperienced human child to become the highest peak of adventurers!!”
Well, no, I’m actually the one who’s least convinced about that part, though.
“Ah—well, I guess that’s true, but…”
“I understand how you feel, but…”
“Thinking normally, she’s right.”
“We would have thought the same if we didn’t know anything, too.”
“Nn.”
” ” ” ” “But it’s Bro / Rex / Rex-san, so.” ” ” ” “
H-Huh? Everyone, isn’t that conclusion weird!?
Why does it make sense just because it’s me!?
“Sharaza, Master Rex might indeed look young, but…”
“!?”
The moment Gordov-san stepped forward to soothe the infuriated Sharaza-san, Sharaza-san moved.
“What!?”
“Bro!?”
Liliera-san and Jairo-kun reacted, but Sharaza-san’s sword was already pressed against my throat.
Sharaza-san pulled the sword back and glared at Gordov-san with cold eyes.
“Look at this brat’s clueless face. He couldn’t react at all to my pulled strike. The girl and the brat over there show more promise.”
Saying only that, Sharaza-san sheathed the sword and turned their back to us.
“It was a mistake to consult you, who are no longer of the village. I will search for an S-rank adventurer by myself.”
“W-Wait, Sharaza! Master truly is…”
But Sharaza-san lent no ear to Gordov-san’s words, and placed a hand on the door to leave the shop… it was then.
BOOOOOOOOOOOM!!
Suddenly, a massive sound echoed from outside the shop.
“Wh-What!?”
Surprised and wondering what on earth happened, we rushed outside, and saw it.
“What the hell is that!?”
“I-It’s huge!?”
“A-A giant monster!?”
“W-What size…”
It was no wonder everyone was surprised.
That monster was truly massive.
This town… or rather, most towns have tall defensive walls surrounding them, which prevent monsters and bandits from intruding into the town.
Therefore, you normally cannot see the figures of monsters attacking the town from inside the town.
Despite that, we could clearly see the figure of that monster.
“…Impossible.”
It was no wonder Sharaza-san was surprised too.
After all, that monster’s size was so massive it protruded above the defensive walls protecting the town.
If you included the parts we couldn’t see, it might have been even larger than a Dragon.
“GYURAAAAAAAHH!!”
” ” “U-Uwaaaaaaah!!” ” “
Hearing the monster’s roar and snapping back to their senses, the townspeople panicked and hurriedly began fleeing from the monster.
“Oh no! Everyone’s panicking! First, we have to help evacuate the townspeople!”
“We will do that. With our attack power, hitting that massive body would be like throwing water on a hot stone.”
“Nn. Will lend a hand to the Adventurer’s Guild and the guards.”
The ones who said that were Norb-san and Meguri-san.
“I’m going! I gotta stall that thing.”
“Well, I suppose it comes to that. I don’t know if that thing will even notice us, though.”
“Hold on a second! First, I’m going to draw its attention flashily with magic, so if you’re going to jump in, do it after that!”
Then, the vanguard duo of Jairo-kun and Liliera-san, along with the mage Mina-san, began discussing how to pull the monster away from the town.
In that case, my role is probably to help Mina-san pull the monster away from the town using magic.
“Since that’s the plan, Gordov-san and the others should…”
Just as I was about to tell them to evacuate, Sharaza-san suddenly dashed out as if being repelled.
And straight towards the monster, no less.
“Sharaza-san!?”
“Do not interfere! Its target is me!”
Saying that without stopping, Sharaza-san vanished into the crowd.
“This is bad! Let’s chase after them!”
We hurriedly chased after Sharaza-san, who had rushed out.
I don’t know the reason, but that person’s state the moment they saw that monster was not normal.
Perhaps that monster is the reason Sharaza-san was looking for me—no, an S-rank adventurer.
“Please wait, Sharaza-san!!”
Fortunately, we were able to catch up to Sharaza-san quickly.
“Hey! Do you know that monster!?”
“This has nothing to do with you! I will lure that guy away. While I do, evacuate the townspeople from the gate on the opposite side!”
Noticing that we had followed, Sharaza-san showed a face with a mix of slight surprise and irritation.
“You lot!? Why did you follow me! You’ll only be a hindrance, hurry up and run!”
“We can’t do that! This town is the first place we made our base! We’re fighting too!”
Jairo-kun argued back against Sharaza-san, who was urging us to evacuate.
“Exactly. Honestly, we don’t have any obligation to get involved, but we really can’t just ignore this situation.”
Mina-san also agreed with Jairo-kun’s opinion in a slightly teasing tone.
“I told you its target is me! If you don’t want to get dragged into this, get away immediately!”
Saying that, Sharaza-san rejected us.
Hmm, this person’s tone is harsh, but it doesn’t seem like they’re a bad person.
Rather, it feels like they’re using harsh words to keep us away…
And having reached this position, we could see people fighting the monster.
It seemed to be the guards firing bows and magic from atop the defensive wall.
Perhaps Org-san is among them too.
But their attacks didn’t seem to be working on the monster at all; even when arrows hit, they were repelled without piercing it.
“Its shell is hard. Piercing it with half-hearted attacks is impossible!”
I see, it seems the opponent is a monster quite confident in its hardness.
But that monster, I don’t recognize it at all. To think there’s a monster I don’t remember seeing in either my previous life or the one before that.
While I was thinking that, the monster spat something out.
Then, a section of the defensive wall it hit began melting right before our eyes.
“Ah!? The defensive wall melted!?”
“It is acid. If it uses that, a mere stone wall won’t stand a chance. If you don’t want to die, run away right now!”
As I thought, Sharaza-san seems to be trying not to involve us.
“I will draw its attention and pull it away from the town. Take the humans who were slow to flee and escape from the opposite gate!”
“Hey! Why are you going so far as to make yourself a decoy!?”
“So that they won’t target the humans of this town as well!”
Answering Liliera-san’s words without a moment’s delay, Sharaza-san’s gaze was completely serious.
This person is genuinely taking care not to involve us, whom they just met, or the townspeople.
Ah, I get it! The obvious pulled strike from earlier was an act so as not to involve us.
The reason there was absolutely no bloodlust was because they didn’t want to put young people like us in danger!
“Understood! Then we will use our magic to pull that guy away from the defensive wall!”
“I told you to run…!! Ah, geez! If you’re going to do it, use Earth or Wind-based impact magic! Its carapace is too thick, so even magic won’t easily deal damage! Don’t think about dealing damage! Just distracting it is fine!”
“Understood!”
I see, by taking thickness to the extreme, it acquired a pseudo-resistance to magic.
What an annoyingly troublesome type of monster.
While I was thinking that, Sharaza-san called out to me with a sigh.
“To not lose your will to fight even after seeing that monster; you may be inexperienced, but it seems you possess the heart of a true warrior. Very well, I suppose I can retract my rudeness from earlier.”
Saying only that, Sharaza-san took a large, conspicuous leap.
Hmm, as I thought, that person is a good person.
“Alright, then we’ll back Sharaza-san up too! Here we go! TRI-BURST IMPACT!”
I fired magic towards the monster that was just about to enter the town through the gap in the melted defensive wall.
This is the anti-large-carapace-monster magic, Tri-Burst Impact!
It is an impact-type magic that instantaneously fires three consecutive hammer-like impacts over a wide area!
With this, I should be able to peel that massive body off the defensive wall and…
BAM, CRUSH!
“H-Huh?”
Even though I just wanted to peel it off the defensive wall first, for some reason, the monster burst after taking only the first impact.
“…U-Umm.”
It was blown away much easier than I expected… or rather, I’m bewildered that I managed to defeat it.
Looking over, Sharaza-san, who had been trying to move ahead, was standing completely still on the roof of a nearby house in sheer bewilderment.
Then, turning towards me, their gaze asked, ‘Did you do something?’
“Umm… It seems its shell was surprisingly thin?”
“N-No, no, no! The hardness of its carapace is such that ordinary weapons and magic cannot even leave a scratch on it! There is no way it would end up like that from mere magic!”
Sharaza-san raised their voice saying it was impossible, but I’m also surprised because it was different from the prior information…
“Ah, could it be that it had just molted like a crab?”
If that’s the case, then that softness makes sense…
“LIKE HELL THAT’S IT!!”
