Chapter 42
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 42
Chapter Title: Forgotten Sanctuary (1)
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A strange tension hung in the air inside the carriage heading toward the northern outskirts forest.
The bumpy ride inside the carriage made the space between me and the elf girl vibrate precariously, like a bowstring drawn taut.
"Hey, you're Hilde, right?"
I broke the silence first.
"That's right! I am a noble of Adlerheim! Lady Hildegard von Eisenberg of the Eisenberg family! You may call me Hilde for short!"
The little elf girl tilted her chin up, putting on an air of arrogance. It might have looked convincing if not for the dirt smudged on her fancy uniform.
For some reason, she just looked like a kid who'd dressed up and run away from home.
I scanned her from head to toe.
"But you're an elf, right? Those ears."
"You've got a good eye! Yes! I'm a high elf!"
"Yeah, high elf. But for an elf... you're kinda small? You're just about eye level with us."
My comment made Hilde's eyebrows twitch.
"What...? Small?"
In my memories from my past life or in this world, elves were tall and slender. Someone like Camilla from before was the typical elf.
But this one sitting in front of me was a pint-sized kid, barely 130cm, no different from me. If not for the pointed ears, I could've mistaken her for a human child.
"Yeah, you're small."
Hilde snapped indignantly.
"You rude rat!"
"What'd I do?"
"I'm still growing! I'll be taller than you lot soon enough. I have noble high elf blood!"
Mani, who was holding the reins, glanced back and tossed out a blunt question.
"High elf? Aren't you a half-elf? High elves aren't small."
"Wh-what?!"
"It's obvious, right? Half-elf? Half-elves are about dwarf height. Half size."
At the mention of half-elf, Hilde's pointed ears turned red.
"Sh-shut up! Who's half-size! Half-elf? I'm a pure-blooded high elf!"
"I never said half-size!"
"You did! This is why shorties are... ugh!"
Hilde flushed red and argued back fiercely, but something hit home, because her voice cracked high.
Just then, Rodentia's illusion whispered in my ear.
[Apostle! That one's a half-elf!]
'...A half-elf?'
[That one smells half human blood, half pointy-ear blood. That's why she's small like our earth folk! The law hasn't changed from past to present.]
Ah, I got it.
The elf genes in this world get suppressed for height when mixed with human blood, locking them into a long-lived child's form instead.
'So that's why she's a half-elf. Half-size elf.'
It made a weird kind of sense.
"Tch... rude bunch... if not for personal circumstances...!"
Hilde grumbled, but her eyes darted restlessly. Her blue eyes scanned the Rapid Bowgun on my lap and the ballista mount on the ceiling.
"Hmph, not bad for rat-made. Sturdy build. I thought it'd be crude, but the finish is decent."
"Thanks for the praise."
"Not praise! Just... passable!"
But her eyes sparkled with curiosity at our bowguns.
As soon as we reached the forest entrance, the air grew thicker.
"We walk from here."
The path narrowed, roots twisting like snakes, blocking further entry. We hid the carriage at the forest edge and grabbed our gear.
"Be careful! More monsters than usual."
Sena warned, shield forward. Sure enough, bushes rustled violently, revealing green-skinned intruders.
"Grrr!"
A goblin pack advanced from the underbrush.
Easily over ten, with a hulking hobgoblin wielding a club behind them.
"Everyone, attack prep! Focus fire on the hobgoblin's head first. And..."
"Such a hassle. Move aside."
As I reached for my bowgun, Hilde stepped in front.
"You lot! I'll show you the power of a great elf and Adlerheim tech! Just watch."
Hilde pulled a long item from her back. Cloth peeled away, revealing a sleek silver metal barrel gleaming coldly.
'A gun?'
Looked like a standard musket.
But a large round metal cylinder replaced the stock, and geometric magic circles glowed along the barrel.
"What's that?"
Mani's eyes widened.
Hilde aimed with practiced ease.
"Watch closely. The greatness of the Ventbüse Rifle!"
She pulled the trigger.
Whoosh!!
No gunpowder boom.
Just a sharp, short hiss like air rushing out, slicing the air.
Thwack!
In an instant, a dark red hole punched through the hobgoblin's forehead 30 meters away.
"...?!"
The leader down, goblins panicked.
"Keeek!"
Me and Sena were speechless.
"Whoa... quiet? What kind of gun is that?"
No powder smell, no smoke.
But the result was brutal.
Hilde blew on the smokeless barrel and shrugged.
"Hmph, typical backwater Winster adventurers! This is Adlerheim's latest weapon, the Ventbüse Rifle! No noisy, crude gunpowder!"
Suddenly, a scene from my past life flashed in my mind. I knew what that was.
"No way... an air rifle?"
"You're a smart rat!"
Hilde smirked and tapped the round part on the stock.
"Right! Compressed high-density air and mana in this tank fire lead shots!"
Oh ho. Now it clicked.
Why a bronze-rank like Hilde carried a gun openly.
'Winster Kingdom strictly regulates gunpowder weapons.'
But loopholes exist. The key is propelling projectiles with gunpowder.
Flip it: as long as it's not gunpowder, lead balls or rocks are fine.
"Same logic as our bowguns. No powder, not a gun."
"Hmph! Don't compare! This toy bow and this pinnacle of precision engineering?"
Hilde huffed in offense and aimed again.
"Besides, this isn't all! Watch closely, my noble high elf blood!"
She snapped her fingers in the air.
Fwoosh!
Light shimmered, forms materializing: a red lizard with flames and a sleek white bird. They orbited Hilde like satellites.
Sena muttered in surprise.
"Spirits?"
"Correct, white mouse! Adlerheim tech plus my magic does this!"
Hilde pulled the lever.
Click, thunk! A round chambered.
The red lizard swirled into the barrel.
Aimed at a goblin again.
Whoosh!
The shot hit a goblin's chest.
Next instant.
Boom!
A small explosion hurled the goblin back.
"See? My spirit magic fused with the air rifle!"
"Impressive."
Whoosh! Whoosh!
Hilde gleefully fired repeatedly.
"Adlerheim tech is the world's beeeeest!"
'...She's a real oddball.'
I shook my head, inwardly impressed.
'Cool weapon.'
Quiet, powerful.
Might lack raw power compared to our bowguns.
But the stealth and fire rate were tempting.
We pushed forward, clearing goblin packs several more times.
Hilde's marksmanship and firepower were surprisingly good, so the forest entrance was a breeze.
But deeper in, the mood shifted.
"Halt."
I clenched my fist in signal. The horned rats ahead signaled intense threat.
Thud! Thud!
"Wh-what? Earthquake?"
Crack!
Thick trees snapped like matchsticks as a massive beast burst from the bushes.
House-sized, gray armored shell like rock: an Armored Boar.
"Armored Boar! Careful, arrows bounce off the shell!"
Sena gripped her bowgun and yelled urgently.
It snorted roughly and charged like a living tank. Ground shook up through our soles.
"Such a barbaric beast!"
Hilde scoffed and fired her air rifle.
Ting!
The shot ricocheted harmlessly off the thick shell. Just a spark, no scratch.
"What?! My Ventbüse ineffective?!"
"Not enough power, huh."
I racked the Rapid Bowgun lever.
"Move. We don't lose in tech. Mani, Sena! Show 'em!"
"Got it!"
Click, thunk! Click, thunk!
Our bowguns unleashed volley.
Arrows targeted eyes, nostrils, soft unarmored joints.
"Squeeee!"
The boar thrashed in agony.
"Flank left and right!"
We dove aside.
Disoriented, it smashed into our spot, hitting a tree.
Crash!
Tree shook to roots. Hilde seized the moment, aiming.
"Can't lose! That's mine!"
Hilde summoned two spirits again.
"Sylph! Boost air tank compression! Salamander! Imbue the shot!"
Wind and fire spirits sucked into the barrel.
Barrel glowed red, air hissing from muzzle.
"Take this!"
Boom!
"Squeak!"
Magic shot direct to joint staggered it.
Leg buckling, then Mani's bellow from behind.
"Clear out! Real one-shot incoming!"
Mani's ballista assembly just finished.
"Dwarf wrath!"
Thwoom!
Heavy steel bolt nailed between eyes.
Crunch!
Bone-shattering thud.
"Squeeee!"
Boar crashed loudly.
Rumble.
Dust rose from the massive bulk.
We panted, staring at the fallen beast.
"See? My spirit shot was the finisher!"
Hilde snorted, slinging her rifle. Mani stuck out her tongue incredulously, tapping the ballista.
"Funny! I cut the last breath. Half-elf."
"What? You shorty! With that crude antique? Just stole the kill!"
Mani and Hilde bickered over who got it.
Already growling after just meeting. Dwarves and elves really are natural enemies.
"Calm down! Quest not done."
"...Fine. For Loti."
"That's my line!"
They turned away, backing off.
We harvested boar scales, teeth, goblin ears for loot bags.
"Grab all valuables. Why not? Bag 'em up."
Hilde gagged at bloody goblin ears.
"Ew, such savage work...?"
"Noble, huh? Rich? Don't want, don't take. Ours."
"No! I need money too...!"
Hilde grimaced, drew her dagger reluctantly.
We wandered the forest quite a while.
Hilde's quest: clear monsters, find what's abnormally drawing them here.
Searching nearby, we reached what looked like an old abandoned village site.
Paths to the village road overgrown with brush.
"Village...?"
My mutter brought Sena scanning around.
"Looks monster-abandoned. North outskirts have many dungeons and nests, so villages get deserted."
Crumbling walls, mossy roofs.
Ownerless houses turning green in forest hue.
Abandoned homes become green eyesores.
Then, vine-covered stone pile in corner caught my eye.
"Suspicious."
Looked like common ancient ruin rubble.
Half-collapsed pillars, thick moss— just rocks.
Hilde sensed something, summoned spirits, chanted unknown spell, scanned thoroughly.
"What? Just rubble? Mana trace is dust-level. Monsters nested here naturally. Wasted trip."
She smacked her lips disappointedly.
"Ugh, report as natural monster nest? Quest pass?"
Then.
[Squeak! Apostle, I sense it! So clear now!]
Rodentia's urgent voice struck like lightning.
"Lord? What's wrong?"
[Apostle Loti! Nose clogged? Pointy-ears aside! Can't you smell this immense scent?!]
Two horned rats burst out, sniffing madly around the stone pile.
Hilde yelped and fell on her butt at the sudden rat frenzy.
"Eek! What freaky rat! Horns? Not even a unicorn!"
"My spirits."
"No spirit that gross!"
I ignored panicking Hilde, focusing on Rodentia.
"Smell? Just musty mold."
[No! This is... aged... perfectly matured...!]
Rodentia's eyes gleamed ecstatic, whiskers quivering.
[Sacred ancient cheese scent! Down there! Beneath that stone pile, mine slumbers!]
"Cheese?"
[Yes! So nutty and rich, soul-stirring! Dig now! Entrance must be there!]