Chapter 122
Chapter 122
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 122
Chapter Title: Clank Clank
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Day two in Alfheim.
I woke up this morning feeling incredibly uncomfortable. Why were they all huddled around me, making things cramped, when there was a perfectly good bed right next to us?
Even a harem has its inconveniences in reality. I sat up, stretched, and basked in the dazzling light streaming through the window. As expected of a forest, my body felt refreshed. Or maybe it was because I'd had a satisfying release last night.
-Crash!
Just as I was stretching, a loud noise suddenly erupted from the room across the hall. What the hell was all the commotion about so early in the morning?
"What was that sound?!"
"...Is it an attack?"
"Eek...!"
The commotion startled the three who had been sleeping soundly just moments before. But still groggy, their minds didn't seem to be working properly.
"Who attacks in the morning?"
My logic made them all go, "Ah..." and groan. Then, Luna and Liche, who were thinking hard, seemed to recall something.
"The room across the hall is definitely..."
I briefly revisited yesterday's memory. The red-haired man throwing a fit. The man who went into the room across from ours.
That's right. The room across from ours was Arthur's. Liche muttered as if she were fed up, wondering if it was him again.
"Let's go out and see what's happening."
Without waiting for the three to hastily get dressed, I opened the door first. I didn't even need to step into the hallway to check. Since it was the room across from us, I could see everything just by opening the door.
Through the open door, my eyes fell upon a group of elves with their bows drawn taut, aiming at Arthur, who was surrounded in the middle.
I peeked my head out to see if anything was happening in the hallway and saw Tia and Stella, who, like us, had been woken by the noise. They stood there with dumbfounded expressions, unsure of what to do.
Of course, Luna, Yui, and Liche, who were getting ready behind me, could also see the scene. The three awkwardly walked up to watch from behind me. We could figure out what was going on by eavesdropping on the conversation between the elves and Arthur.
"You have committed an unforgivable crime! Normally, you would be executed on the spot, but by the mercy of Lady Yggdrasil, you will be restrained until just before the subjugation of the Volcanic Horned Dragon!"
Just from the conversation, it was clear something exciting was happening. Realizing he was about to be imprisoned, Arthur pleaded his innocence, claiming he had no idea what was going on.
"What in the world are you talking about?!"
"Playing dumb won't help you!"
"I'm telling you, I didn't do it! What kind of psycho would do something like that to a, a tree?!"
"You bastard! Not only did you commit assault, but now you insult our god!"
The elves' bowstrings grew even tighter. Their killing intent was so potent I could feel it from where I stood. It looked like a fight could break out at any moment. Sensing his impending death, Arthur quickly racked his brain.
"Th-that's right! You can just ask the World Tree! With her foresight, she would have seen who the culprit was before it even happened!"
"Lady Yggdrasil said she saw your face in her vision!"
"...Huh?"
All sorts of questions must have been racing through Arthur's mind. Was the World Tree messing with him? He knew he hadn't done it, yet she was claiming he had.
"Theft, terrorism... and now he's even stooped to assault."
Maybe he was the one who needed to be careful, not me. He's great at seeing other people's futures, but it seems he couldn't see his own.
'But that's that.'
Well done, our protagonist! This is how Arthur should be! Thanks to him, I could confirm that a novel is just a novel. When I turned my head, I saw Luna and Liche looking at me with narrowed eyes.
"What are you looking at?"
"Do you realize you're smiling right now?"
Am I? I touched the corners of my mouth and found that I was, in fact, smiling. But what could I do? It was just too amusing.
"Could it be that when you said you were stepping out for a bit last night..."
"Hey now, what are you talking about? I really just went out to take care of some business yesterday."
There's no bathroom here, right? I just went out to take a piss. It just took a little longer than usual. That's what I told them, but the looks Luna and Liche gave me weren't exactly ones of belief.
Right after that, Arthur was dragged away by the elves, his hands bound with rope. To be framed and taken away without even drawing his sword once... This is why I can't stand protagonists.
"So peaceful, isn't it?"
""...""
***
Arthur getting dragged away this morning was no longer my concern. Tia and Stella had followed him here, and now that he was locked up, they were restless. But that was none of our business. The thought of not having to see him for the next few days put me in a good mood.
I sat on a bench in front of our lodging, blankly chewing on a piece of bread. Normally, it would be time for breakfast, but I hadn't bothered to go, figuring it would just be another table full of greens.
It wasn't just me; Luna, Yui, and Liche hadn't gone either. Even if you're not a picky eater, a person can't live on greens alone. So, we all made sandwiches with meat and bread.
"Everyone looks busy."
Luna commented, nibbling on her bread beside me.
"They have to be."
It seemed their talk of hunting the Volcanic Horned Dragon wasn't just empty words. Starting from the second day, every single elf was moving with perfect coordination. They were working so hard that we felt awkward just relaxing.
Still, the World Tree told us to rest, so I was going to rest without feeling guilty.
"I wonder how much we'd make selling off those potions."
I licked my lips, watching a box filled to the brim with clattering potions. As I'd explained before, potions weren't cheap. To have prepared so many meant they must have planned to hunt the Volcanic Horned Dragon a long time ago.
Besides that, the elves were carrying many other unusual items.
Among them was a massive bow being carried by two elves. It was so large it reminded me of my greatsword. It seemed to be a weapon used by the elves, who lacked cannons.
"How do you suppose they shoot a bow that big?"
"I don't know. I doubt they just hold it and shoot."
Honestly, it looked too difficult to hold and shoot by hand. The bow itself was larger and thicker than the elves carrying it. They probably mount the bow's body on the ground and just pull the string.
The string used for the bow was also incredibly thick and looked like it would require immense strength just to draw. I imagined that if someone like the great warrior I saw yesterday were to imbue it with mana, it could unleash power greater than a cannon.
"If you're curious, we'll find out in a few days."
"Right... I suppose so."
The raid isn't far off, so we can see then. Or maybe something interesting will happen, and we'll get to see it sooner.
"More importantly... I still can't believe we're here to hunt an S-rank monster."
"I feel the same way."
"Me too..."
At Liche's quiet remark, both Luna and Yui nodded in agreement. After all, they had met elves and been dragged to Alfheim all in one night.
Furthermore, the target wasn't just a strong A-rank monster, but an S-rank monster, known as a calamity. Even with the World Tree, who was on the same level, it was impossible not to be nervous. This was especially true for Luna and Yui, who had seen the desert back in the former marquis's territory.
"Don't you have any information this time?"
"Am I an encyclopedia?"
"You're someone with more information than an encyclopedia."
"Does that mean I'm smarter than an encyclopedia?"
"In a way?"
Luna or Yui would have stayed silent, but Liche's character personality meant she would probably agree with most things I said from now on. Even if I claimed I could turn shit into gold. Or maybe not?
"But do you think knowing anything will change the outcome?"
Of course, I'd seen the World Tree episode, so it wasn't like I had no information on the Volcanic Horned Dragon. But unless it was the late-game Arthur or me, it was pointless for them to know anything with their current abilities.
"Still, it's better than knowing nothing."
"It'll be the same whether you know or not."
"Is it that bad...?"
"Isn't that obvious?"
It's a monster that leaves a massive crater, like a meteor strike, with every step. What could you possibly do with that knowledge? When I went to see the seal yesterday, the Volcanic Horned Dragon was the size of a mountain hundreds of meters tall.
Could you block the volcanic bombs it spews from its crater just by knowing about them?
To be precise, it would be possible with preparation. But it's impossible with human technology. It might be possible with dwarven technology, but where would we get the time to prepare something like that? We came here by teleporting right after making Luna's weapon.
"Rather than that, you should be more worried about how we're going to pass the time."
In the original story, things worked out even with a weaker Arthur. Things will proceed on their own if we just leave them be. Is there any need for us to fret and worry?
The more pressing matter now is figuring out what to do with our time. There are still six days until the raid begins. If I just sit around like this, I'll die of boredom in two days.
While everyone else was worrying seriously, I was the only one crossing my arms and pondering with equal gravity.
"Hm? Is that you, Luke?"
"Huh?"
It was the Weapon Master, Gideon. He was passing by when he spotted me and stopped.
"What are you doing here?"
"I was bored, trying to figure out what to do."
"Haha! You too? To be honest, since coming here, I've had nothing to do but train every day."
It seems you have to be at least S-rank to understand my philosophy. Boredom is a serious matter, you know? You see it all the time in novels. People who desire death because of the tedium of eternal life. You have to manage your boredom levels carefully to avoid becoming one of them.
"How about it? I was just on my way to check the seal and do some training. If you're bored, would you care to join me?"
"Training sounds a bit..."
"Even if you don't train, hunting some monsters would be more fun than just sitting around in this dull place."
He had a point... it was persuasive. Come to think of it, there was a monster I absolutely had to hunt down. The one that threw a rock at me yesterday. I don't remember its name, but I was determined to find and kill that monkey-like bastard.
In my past life, even throwing a coat hanger could be a motive for murder. Throwing a rock is practically attempted murder, isn't it? It was time to show those damn monkeys that justice is alive and well.
Hoping to pawn Luna off on the Weapon Master for some automatic leveling, we followed Gideon to the sealing site we'd seen yesterday. When we arrived, Gideon, who was casually scanning the stone monuments, suddenly furrowed his brow.
"Hm?"
His expression turned more serious than I'd ever seen it. Curious as to why he was staring so intently at the monument, I went to check it out.
"Oh."
There were three faint lines carved into the stone. Judging by the marks, it looked like someone had tried to slash it with a sharp weapon. But instead of attacking the same spot three times, they had made three separate lines, suggesting they used a weapon like a claw.
Fortunately, it didn't seem to be a major issue, but the important thing was that someone had tried to destroy the monument. I didn't know what would happen if one of the many monuments were broken, but it would probably cause a problem with the seal. The culprit must have been aiming for that.
'Is the culprit a rogue?'
This is why rogues are a problem, I thought. Just then, Yui tugged at my sleeve.
"L-Luke, over there..."
Yui pointed behind the monument. When I moved to the side to see what she was pointing at, the body of an elf, previously hidden by the stone, came into view.
"Whoa! A corpse!"