Chapter 30
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 30
Chapter Title: The Secret of the Artifact
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“Hey, hey! Watch where you're cutting, you bastard! Don't get blood everywhere!”
“This mutant looks like a cross between a crow and a bull. What kind of heads do these Mazoku bastards have…?”
The soldiers' voices pierced through my hazy consciousness, ringing in my head.
Then came the sound of blades slicing through flesh, followed by hammers shattering bone, jolting me awake.
At the gruesome sounds, I shot my eyes open and sat up. A splitting headache assaulted me a moment later.
I was lying in the middle of a military wagon prepared for the mages. As I was their general, after a fashion, my subordinates had even covered me with a blanket.
“…You should lie down a little longer.”
Slender fingers pressed gently against my forehead as I tried to sit up, bracing against the wagon floor.
Thanks to that, I had no choice but to sink back into the soft blanket.
The fingers belonged to Rireu.
“…”
I looked up at her, her hat pulled down lower than usual, and asked where we were.
“We've already arrived at the Akilliptus Forest Zone. The soldiers and the other mages are dealing with the unconscious mutants right now.”
*Swish—*
“…May Astella guide you.”
After Rireu's reply, the chilling sound of an axe cleaving the air reached my ears, along with the faint voice of Rex, who had replaced one of his arms with a prosthetic.
Glancing outside the wagon, I easily spotted Rex.
The massive orc stood out even more, surrounded by the short dwarves.
“How far along is the operation? Have we not even started building the outpost yet?”
“The archers and mages are still clearing traps. The company commander said we should be able to start road construction this evening.”
“…This is no time for me to be lying around, then.”
I lifted my throbbing head once more.
“Just stay down.”
“It's fine. I'll be more help just by standing here.”
With everyone working so hard, how could the man who was supposedly their general just lie around and rest?
I gently pushed Rireu's restraining hand away, climbed down from the wagon, and stood on trembling legs.
“Manifest.”
I muttered, focusing on the foreign energy in my chest.
Fine particles then seeped through the pores of my skin around my chest and began to coalesce above my shoulder.
The crystal that had once saved Rireu's life appeared.
Following my will, the red crystal emitted the sound of interlocking gears at regular intervals, busily shooting beams of dark red light at the stationary mutants. Each time, the unpleasant smell of something burning filled the air.
The best thing about this crystal was that using it didn't consume any stamina or mana.
Of course, it wasn't as simple as just uttering the word 'Manifest' and then paying it no mind as it floated above my shoulder.
How should I describe it? It was like a third arm had sprouted, and I was learning to move it. Or maybe like a tail had suddenly grown, and I was figuring out how to swing it around.
Whatever the case, it felt like a new, foreign organ I'd never used before had appeared on my body, and I was now wielding it.
The more I used it, the more accustomed I would become to this strange sensation, and perhaps one day I'd reach a point where I could keep it floating above my shoulder 24/7… but for now, my limit was only bringing it out when necessary.
“…What is that? It's the same magic that saved me before, isn't it? It doesn't seem like lightning magic… but my knowledge of magic outside of that field isn't very extensive…”
Rireu stared at me with wonder as I, even after using 'Blooming,' floated a mysterious crystal orb over my shoulder and turned the mutants to ash. Unable to contain her curiosity, she finally asked her question.
“Ah, it's not magic. It's an artifact.”
“…An artifact?”
Her large eyes widened as she repeated the word.
…Did I say something strange?
“Where on earth did you get an artifact?”
Rireu exclaimed, sounding like an adventurer who had just discovered a trove of gold and jewels in a dungeon.
I hadn't known her for very long, but that was without a doubt the loudest I had ever heard her speak.
“…Why?”
“Why?! It's an artifact! A mystery of this world whose origins and purpose are completely unknown! Where could you have possibly found such a precious item… No, wait. Have you studied it? Disassembled it? You haven't, have you? Is there mana inside it? Or does it use some other power source…?”
It seemed artifacts were far rarer in this world than I had thought.
“Did the Emperor acquire it for you? No, that can't be right. Even His Majesty can't just obtain an artifact whenever he pleases… How on earth did you…”
For the usually reserved Rireu to be making such a fuss was telling.
Judging by her reaction… if she ever saw a wiki map with the precise locations of every artifact, she would probably faint on the spot.
“…When I was young, I fell into a dungeon. I happened to find it there.”
I glanced at the sky for a moment, then squeezed my eyes shut and steeled myself before answering with a serious expression.
I couldn't even imagine the response I'd get if I confessed, 'Actually, it was in the young dragon's nest on the Enker Plateau, the one we all went to raid… I just secretly ate it because I really needed it.'
“Were there any languages inscribed in that dungeon? No, just tell me the location of the dungeon. This is a chance. A chance to find out how the ancients lived and how they managed to leave behind such artifacts for future generations…”
It seemed that to the scholars of this world, an 'artifact' was on par with the ruins of an ancient civilization.
…And I was the guy who had secretly gobbled up those ruins.
“I'm sorry, but I don't remember it clearly. It was when I was too young…”
I added another lie to my first one.
*I'm sorry, Rireu.*
*But I don't have the guts to tell you the truth…!*
How could I possibly tell her, 'Actually, it was in the young dragon's nest, and I just went ahead and ate it so no one else could take it. Sucks to be you,' when she was looking at me with those sparkling eyes?
“…”
After a short silence, Rireu instantly calmed her excitement, as if she'd had a realization.
*Is she disappointed?*
*Why did the mood suddenly die down…?*
“A dungeon that contained an artifact must have been incredibly difficult… What kind of childhood did you have…?”
Rireu lowered her head slightly and gently patted my shoulder.
“I'm sorry, that was insensitive of me… It must not be a pleasant memory. To have been so young that you can't even remember it properly…”
Uh.
This is a scenario I hadn't considered…
“Um, uh… I don't have many memories of my childhood. I just… gritted my teeth every day, trying not to die. So, yeah…”
I took advantage of the awkward atmosphere to try and end the conversation quickly.
As I sighed, gazing at the sky like a man whose heart ached somewhere deep inside, a complex mix of emotions filled Rireu's eyes.
…A part of me called my conscience began to ache terribly, but I steeled myself and didn't let it show on my face.
*I'm sorry, Rireu…*
*Next time I find an artifact to eat, I'll at least let you have a look at it first…*
I gave a bitter smile, like someone with a sorrowful past, and then subtly distanced myself from Rireu.
…My conscience pricked me too much to keep looking into those big eyes of hers.
“That finished up faster than I expected.”
Noticing the area had quieted down, I surveyed our surroundings and spoke.
The mutants, standing motionless and offering no resistance, were quickly dispatched by the skilled soldiers' axes and blades.
Having finished their work, the infantrymen took the time to inspect their armor for any splatters of the mutants' venomous blood and to clean their weapons.
“Yes, yes, Master. Ah… I understand.”
While the soldiers cleaned their weapons and armor, Rireu used a blue crystal orb she had brought to communicate with Alter via magic.
“She said the main force is also finishing up their work. We should be able to join them now.”
Rireu approached me after ending the communication and said as much.
I didn't rush, waiting until the soldiers had completely finished their maintenance. If a plague were to break out because they failed to properly clean off the monster blood, it would severely hinder the operation.
About another thirty minutes passed. The soldiers began to make small talk.
I silently looked toward Rex, whose massive frame was particularly conspicuous among the dwarves.
He accurately grasped the intent behind my gaze and gave a nod in reply, signaling they were ready.
“Let's start moving to join the main force. They said their trap removal is mostly finished.”
As long as I could safely transport the dexterous dwarven soldiers to the Akilliptus Forest Zone, my part in this mission was more or less complete.
Building roads and constructing the outpost was the dwarves' domain, after all.
“Rireu, once we're settled in the forest zone, let's go look around together.”
The next step, then, was to return to my role as a mage, not a soldier, and find the spirit of lightning hidden somewhere in the forest.
“…Is this for official business?”
“Huh? Ah, well. It's not a soldier's duty, but a mage's. Why do you ask?”
“No, no… It's nothing.”
Despite having asked the question herself, Rireu's ears suddenly turned beet red. She pulled down the brim of her hat, retreating into it like a turtle into its shell.
…I'll never understand this elf.