Skeleton Knight in another world volume 8 Read online

  While I said that, Ariane was a highly-skilled warrior in her own right, and I was well aware that declaring 「I’ll protect her.」based solely on my physical abilities was extremely presumptuous.

  However, it would probably a bit silly to discuss those things here.

  It was her elder sister’s job to protect Ariane…… since it had been demonstrated that I had enough power to take on important roles, she was in entrusting that duty to me.

  It was a situation where I had to put spirit behind making that promise.

  In response to my answer, Ivana raised an eyebrow as she made a complex expression and let out a small sight.

  “Don’t forget that promise.”

  Ivana gave that last piece of advance before she stopped poking me and chased after Ariane.

  ……I need to raise my fighting spirit further for the upcoming war.

  With my determination renewed, I followed after the two sisters.

  The shop that Ariane recommended was off the main streets, located in the entryway of a quiet alleyway.

  The signboard didn’t stand out all that much, and you couldn’t tell it was a shop at first glance.

  Ariane opened the creaky door in a practiced manner and entered with Ivana, Ponta and myself following her.

  It was slightly dim inside, the room was filled with shelves lined with various items. Even though it was a bit tight, this place wasn’t dirty in the slightest.

  The shelves reached the ceiling and the way the items were arranged on them made the place seem like a museum for mysterious tools.

  I recognized several of the items as magic tools, so all of them were probably magic tools.

  A number of tools displayed on a waist-high counter in the center of the room caught my interest.

  A bit of admiration leaked out as I looked around the store, in the back I noticed a slightly elevated workshop.

  After a while, an old man came out of the workshop…… a man who was the exact opposite of slender and tall.

  He was no taller than a hundred and forty centimeters, but his muscular limbs were a thick as logs and his upper body was hidden behind a full, grey beard.

  Deep wrinkles where set above his eyebrows, yet a craftsman spirit continued to shine in his eyes.

  “Dwarf.”

  The old dwarf raised his head when that word slipped from my lips.

  Though they used to live all across the Northern Continent, their metallurgy knowledge made them the targets of humanity, the persecution they faced forced them to flee into Canada with the elves.

  Humans believed that they went extinct long ago, but they lived together with the elves in Maple.

  I often saw them in the city, and there was even a dwarven representative among the great elders.

  “Well, it’s been a long time, Jō-chan. So, who’s the fella in the flashy armor?”

  The old man, who seemed to be the shopkeeper and craftsmen of this place, raised a thick white eyebrow and gave me a stern look.

  “My name is Arc Raratoia. I recently became the newest member of our village.”

  “Kyun! Kyun!”

  When I took a step forward and introduced myself, Ponta cried out from atop my head and vigorously shook her tail.

  “Well, a fluffy fox is riding atop a pretentious bugger’s head…… He an elf?”

  “For the time being……”

  When the dwarf asked about the strange man with an animal on his head, Ariane lowered her head and replied with a vague answer.

  Well, it was true that I was considered an elf of some kind when I wasn’t a skeleton, so she was correct in that regard. However, since I wasn’t exactly a dark elf as well, the dwarf was left confused by her non-answer.

  However, he quickly pushed the matter aside and asked what business had brought us to his shop.

  “So what brings you here today?”

  Ivana glanced back at me and Ariane turned towards me at his question.

  “What are you planning to buy here anyway?”

  Under Ariane gaze, I picked up one of the nearby magic tools and brought it up to eye level.

  “Once this affair is settled I’m planning to fix up the compound…… there seem to be many useful items in this city. I thought I’d examine a few things before I buy them later.”

  Ariane nodded several times in understanding and began to scan through commodities that lined the store.

  “Certainly, there isn’t anything but a hot spring over there……”

  “Let’s start with some the magic cooking tools that Glenys-dono uses in the kitchen.”

  I conveyed my wishes to Ariane as I picked up and examined several interesting magic tools.

  The compound had traces of a ceramic grill. There were many difficulties involved with cooking with firewood, and people would naturally gravitate towards a more convenient tool.

  “Since there aren’t any lights there, you should think about buying large crystal lights as well, right? It’ll be pitch black at night otherwise……”

  Ariane placed her finger on her chin and began glancing over light-emitting crystals of various shapes and sizes after making her proposal.

  I agreed with here.

  There were no streetlights in an uninhabited area, there was only moonlight to rely on at night, but with the huge Dragon King’s tree and it also would block most of the sun.

  The dwarven shopkeeper could only scratch his head as he watched the exchange between Ariane and me.

  “……Choosing new household items for a new home. I guess Jō-chan is at that age as well……”

  Ariane ears pricked up and turned a bright shade of red when she heard that.

  “W-Wait, it’s not like that!! I’m just accompanying the buyer, Ivana-oneesan was the one that recommended this place!!”

  “Aw, Ari-chan properly called me onee-san〜”

  Although Ariane refuted the shop owner’s assessment with a shriek, Ivana fixated on the way she had been called…… Ariane tried to push her off with an annoyed expression.

  The play-fighting of the two sisters was rather heartwarming to watch.

  I suddenly locked eyes with the shopkeeper and while we didn’t say anything, the fact that we were of the same mind was transmitted.

  I silently shrugged my shoulders and left the two sisters alone as I asked the shopkeeper about an unknown magic tool.

  I didn’t have much time to spare after all……

  “Shopkeeper, what does this thing do?”

  You wouldn’t have expected it from him, but he answered in an official, customer-service-like manner as he stroked his impressive beard.

  It was gonna be quite fun to redecorate the compound in the future…… I started planning ahead while listening to the lively discussion in the background.

  CHAPTER 3

  「The Soldiers Arrive At The Kingdom」

  Early the next day.

  In contrast to Maple’s quiet mist covered streets, numerous people were gathering in the stadium.

  The arena was swamped with the figures of the warriors who had been summoned from all of Canada Forest.

  Most people wore leather armor, with metal armor being a rarity among them.

  There was a variety of weapons on display and the way the warriors from different villages spoke with one another made it seem like a gathering of human mercenaries more than anything else.

  Some of the warriors had distinctive lilac skin, which meant they were dark elves like Ariane.

  Speaking of which, if one were to talk about soldiers, one would normally assume them to be male. However, about one third of the elven warriors gathered in this place were female, which was a huge difference compared to human soldiers.

  Ariane and her mother Glenys, perhaps even her sister Ivana as well, were easily capable of besting any man in combat. Only a fool would hang on to the outdated prejudice against female soldiers in the face of overwhelming evidence.

  Rather, the large proportion of female warriors showed that the women’s abilities among elves was high.

  “I guess, Ariane-dono and Glenys-dono aren’t an exception……”

  “Kyun……”

  When that unintentional mutter left my lips as I took in what was occurring in the arena, Ponta leaned forward on my head and cried out in agreement.

  However, Ariane, who’d been discussing today’s schedule with Dylan nearby, had wrinkles form on her face when she heard me.

  “What? Did you say something rude about me?”

  When I saw Ariane sharp gaze, I vigorously shook my head.

  “It’s a misunderstanding, Ariane-dono. I was only saying that there were a lot of excellent women among the elves.”

  “Ky-Kyun.”

  Ariane glared at me for awhile before she let out a sigh when after she saw Ponta climbing back up to her original spot after my head shaking knocked her off.

  “Since every elven warrior hones their favored weapon and their magic, the qualities of a warrior aren’t limited to brute strength like humans. In that regard, your aptitude in both magic and weaponry means that you’re an exemplary elf, Arc.”

  My gaze dropped to my hands as I repeatedly opened and closed them.

  Although it’d been a while, I still felt different from the elves of this world. Still, when she said it like that, the heavenly knight class was similar to the magic swordsmen style of the elven warrior, given that the physical-based knight class acted as a base and utilized the magic system of the priest class.

  Ariane’s words brought about a strange sense of elation within me.

  After all, the only common denominator we shared were the long ears, and the alienations were on the forefront of my consciousness. Dylan and Fargas appeared while I considered such thi
ngs.

  “Arc-kun, today I ask of you to transfer the warriors gathered here to Nozan Kingdom using your transfer magic.

  After having said his piece, Dylan smiled as Fargas took over the conversation.

  “You’re gonna be responsible for transporting the soldiers with your magic, but can you really move them all in one day? I don’t doubt Ariane, but there’s still some time left. It wouldn’t make sense to overextend yourself before the war, right?”

  Elder Fagas’ concern was a good one.

  Even though 【Transfer Gate】used less mana than most offensive magic, the mana consumption would increase for a mass transfer, and the mana consumption for repeat trips would limit the number of times I could do this.

  However, I was equipped with the 『Overcoat of the Night Sky』, which restored my mana over time when I stopped moving. Therefore. as long as I took things in moderation, it shouldn’t take more than a half day.

  Yesterday, after I went to Rhoden and told Princess Lillie that Canada decided to participate in the war, I informed King Carlen that Rhoden’s forces would be taken to Nozan within a day.

  The problem may lie with Rhoden organizing its forces in time.

  The armies of human nations acted as a collective, but there were various necessary personnel and supplies that were indispensable when dispatching them. Even with a standing army, it would be difficult to mobilize them in such a short period of time.

  In that regard, the way in which the elves mobilized their forces was unpredictable. From food to weapons, each individual platoon prepared all of it themselves, allowing for rapid deployment and individualized decision making.

  This was due to the routine duties elven warriors regularly performed.

  Small platoons would normally gather the food, weapons and tools they would need before diving into the massive forest to subjugate monsters or to push back encroaching humans.

  For these soldiers, there wasn’t any great difference apart from the fact that the destination was a human city.

  “There’s no need to worry, Fagas-dono. Besides that, I don’t see Ferufivisurotte-dono anywhere, where is she? Wouldn’t it be better for us to introduce her to the humans first?”

  As of yesterday, a substantial force had gathered in responses to Nozan Kingdom’s request. At the time, I’d informed King Asparuf that a dragon king had joined the war, but something like that was difficult to explain to her majesty with mere words.

  Though I thought so, both Fargus and Dylan smiled wryly at my question.

  Ariane and I were both confused by their reaction.

  “Ferufivisurotte-sama said that she would reach Nozan Kingdom with her own wings, and left earlier this morning. Apparently, she has to make a little stop along the way……”

  Dylan’s brow drooped as he shook his head after informing us of what happened.

  She was traveling to Nozan with her own wings, but would she arrive at the capital in her dragon form, or her human form?

  I was amazed by her grasp of the geography outside of Canada

  There was another problem…… everyone was gathered here so we didn’t have to worry about her running from the fight, but she might cause an uproar if she appeared in the sky above the capital in her dragon form.

  “Even though I doubt Ferufivisurotte-dono will be able to beat my transfer magic, it’s probably for the best that we get an elven representative to the capital as soon as possible.”

  The figure of dragon king Williahsfim, in his dragon form, deciding upon a city crossed my mind and I groaned as Fargas nodded along with my statement.

  “Well, in order to avoid unnecessary confusion, we’ll have you take Dylan to Nozan so he can act as our representative, Arc-dono. Can the advance party be sent at the same time?”

  “Of course, once the vanguard is put together I can take both of you at the same time if you wish, Fargas-dono.”

  Dylan nodded in agreement before calling out to a couple of nearby people and telling them to get ready.

  In that way, more than a hundred soldiers were crammed together around Fargus, Dylan and me in the center of the arena.

  In an effort to efficiently use my transfer magic and conserve my mana, the selected warriors were holding the luggage they would be using.

  The purpose was the increase the amount of the occupied spaced within the magic formation, and I was placed in the center as it was the most optimal position for the magic caster.

  “Mm, I will use a hundred and eighty percent then……”

  “Kyun!”

  Ponta let out an encouraging call from atop my head.

  She was in quite the enviable safe zone.

  I couldn’t feel anything because of my full-body armor, but there was something nostalgic about being so tightly packed in.

  Ariane and Chiome were standing outside the range of my transfer magic, saying “bye-bye.” as they waved me off.

  They’d made the wise decision to wait until I was finished with everyone else before coming over.

  “There’s no helping it, let’s get this done before I’m crushed. Let’s go, Ponta. 【Transfer Gate】!”

  “Kyun! Kyun!”

  As always when I invoked my transfer magic, a huge magic formation appeared at my feet.

  I ignored the shouts of surprise and admiration of the surrounding warriors as I brought up our destination in my mind.

  King Asparuf had cleared a plot of land around Nozan’s royal palace for the elves to arrive.

  The world went dark and in the next moment the surrounding people let out a shocked gasp when they realized we were in a new location.

  They had been standing in Maple’s arena, far from any human nation, until just a second ago…… and now stood in Nozan’s royal garden.

  I looked up and saw the sparsely decorated, yet firmly built royal palace.

  The packed crowd of elves gradually dispersed as admiration slipped from their lips and the warriors’ feet dragged them toward the new surrounding.

  Looking around, I could see the guardsmen that had been waiting for our arrival. Even though they’d been informed of our arrived beforehand, they could not hide their shock of suddenly seeing elves appear.

  Under such circumstances, it was elder Fargas who managed to reign the warriors in.

  “I understand that the human realm is interesting, but we have no time to relax! Everyone leave the area with your gear. Let’s go!”

  At his command, everyone gathered their things and followed after elder Fargas.

  I still needed to bring the second, third and following groups of warriors here, so this area needed to be cleared out.

  Great elder Fargas was representative of the elven forces, and on the Kingdom’s side…… I saw the face of King Asparuf, along with the guards he’d brought with him.

  However, the massive maul that was stripped to his waist, the leather armor that emphasized the bulk of his body, his scarred face and the atmosphere of an experienced warrior he exuded made it clear that Fagas didn’t need them.

  Many of the dark elves had good physiques, and if seen by themselves people would doubt that they were part of the elven forces.

  The only one to step forward in the presence of this battle-hardened veteran was King Asparuf Nozan Soulia, wearing a suit of armor similar to his guards’.

  The two of them shared a look as their respective guards stood at the ready.

  “I would like to thank you on behalf of my countrymen for reaching across the racial divide and offering a helping hand in our time of need. Unfortunately, the previous undead attack has left the capital in shambles and we can only provide you with cramped accommodations.”

  King Asparuf nodded as he quietly extended his hand to Fargas, who accepted it with a large smile on his face.

  “A chance to bring down the Hiruku Theocracy is reason enough for us to take part in this affair. While this will be bad for the believers of their doctrine, as long as the agreed-upon terms are upheld, we shall stand by your side.”

  Fargas was referring to the conditions Canada had set in order to send Nozan relief.

  In this case, Canada intended to assault the heart of the Hiruku church under the guise of the kingdom accepting their aid, and Fargas had just declared our intentions for all to hear.

  Although the influence of the Hiruku would be diminished once the heart of its operations was gone, the church was deeply rooted in nearly every human nation and wouldn’t disappear overnight.