The Elven Knight's Emblem

After seeing Jacob off, I returned to the table and hoisted the soundly sleeping Yeriel onto my back. “Lumia, I can tell you’re dead tired but forcing yourself to stay awake. I’ll carry Yeriel to her room, so don’t worry and head up first.”

“⋯Okay. See you tomorrow.” Lumia staggered slightly as she climbed the stairs. I wonder if she’ll trip. Her sense of balance is excellent, so she should be fine. She must have accumulated a lot of fatigue from this labyrinth expedition; she looked more relaxed than I’d ever seen her.

“I should finish moving her and tidy up the table.” Carrying Yeriel, I climbed the stairs lightly and opened the door to her room. Thud. Even though I laid her down carefully, the sound was loud. She didn’t wake up, did she? I waved my palm over her face, but thankfully there was no sign of her stirring. Time to head back down.

“⋯Big sister.” Grab. Just as I turned to leave, thinking she was asleep, Yeriel’s hand suddenly clutched my wrist.

“!” I flinched, but quickly realized she was sleep-talking, calling out for her sister. Her timid personality has improved a lot and she’s become bolder and brighter, but she still has that childlike side. After all, she’d only just become an adult, and Ivelin was her only remaining family.

“I… I’m… getting better⋯” She kept mumbling at me, mistaking me for her sister, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠sometimes smiling, sometimes frowning. I had no choice but to stand there quietly, held in place.

Thud. After standing motionless and holding my breath for about ten minutes, her grip finally loosened. Watching her fall into a deep sleep, I gently brushed the stray strands of hair from her forehead before quietly leaving the room.

Click. After closing the door, I went down to the first floor to clean up the messy table before going to bed, only to find that Rotten had already tidied most of it up neatly. He looked at me coming down alone and chuckled heartily.

“Ahem. Cleaning up is the innkeeper’s job. You should head back up and rest. You’ve worked hard.”

“Y-yes. Have a good night, Mr. Rotten.”

After bowing and greeting him, I made my way to my room. I took off my gear and sat on the edge of the bed for a moment.

“Ugh, no matter how tired I am, I can’t sleep like this. I feel gross, so I should wash up quickly and go to bed.”

Whoosh— As the water from the magical device above poured over me, I fell into thought. Tomorrow, as soon as I wake up, I’ll head to the 3rd District with Yeriel. After that, whether I repair my armor or get a new set, I should stop by the armory to sell off the miscellaneous equipment piled up in my bag. Honestly, getting discounts through connections is fine once or twice, but at this level of damage, it’s probably better to just get a new one.

Sigh⋯ As much as I wanted to laze around in my room for a couple of days or wander around unexplored districts to rest, if there were problems that needed solving, it was better to deal with them all at once. If I put everything off and tried to rest without a care, I’d obviously feel too uneasy to enjoy it anyway.

Would I really wake up in a dream again? As soon as I lay down on the bed and closed my eyes, I fell asleep instantly without even having time to reply.

***

This time, Chaos didn’t have the energy to pull something like that. I was able to wake up feeling refreshed and start the day without any incidents.

“I’ll be back. Let’s go out together with Lumia soon.”

“Okay. I… remember what you said before we entered the labyrinth. That we should go out without worrying about what others think.” Lumia nodded calmly.

What did I say before entering the labyrinth? Ah. You’ve worked really hard. Once we return safely this time, let’s go out together without caring what anyone says and explore various places. Is there anywhere you want to go? Though I wasn’t sure of the exact wording, I remembered saying something along those lines.

Right. To keep my promise, I should finish what I need to do within the next few days, then take some ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠time to go out and relax together. It might be nice to go a bit farther, like looking for attractions between the 5th and 7th Districts.

Thud, thud. When I arrived at the carriage station, I spoke up. “Yeriel, are you sure you’re okay going alone? Mr. Hutton also said last time that he wanted to see your face and make sure you’re safe.”

“No, no. To go through the trait removal process, I have to draw a number and wait for quite a while, and I’m also planning to stop by the knights’ order today, so I think I’ll feel more at ease going alone.”

Ah⋯ Right. With such an enormous number of adventurers, even if they split up the processing, the wait time would be considerable. Especially since most of the people who returned yesterday were there. As for Hutton, I can just drop by with her later to show my face.

“Oh, right! I’m going to stay at home with my sister tonight, so you don’t have to wait or worry if I don’t come back to the inn. Got it?”

“Okay. See you tomorrow, then.” Yeriel waved her hand and went to catch the carriage heading to the 3rd District. I watched her retreating figure for a moment before boarding a carriage heading toward Hutton’s armory.

***

Jingle. I opened the door to the armory and stepped inside. After walking a few steps, I didn’t see the scatterbrained employee from last time. Instead, Hutton was personally talking with a blond adventurer.

Bad timing—I came when there’s a customer. At least that employee wasn’t here, which was a relief since he’d been awkward to deal with. “Hmm. Understood. Since this is your first visit through an introduction, I’ll put extra care into making it.”

“How long do you expect it to take until everything is complete?”

“At least two weeks. Anyway, the next portal won’t open for nearly a month, right? Prepare other things first and come back leisurely.”

“Well then, I’ll come back in a generous three weeks. I paid a hefty sum, so the results should match. Understood?”

What’s this? His attitude was like he was talking down to a subordinate. Who was he to be so arrogant? Was he a high-ranking adventurer? Curious, I focused on the man and opened his information window.

He was strong. Those two words were the only ones that came to mind the moment I saw the status window. At this level, wasn’t he at least a high-floor adventurer? He was an adventurer I couldn’t possibly hope to match with my current strength. Come to think of it, he said he was an elf. After reading the status window, I looked at the man more closely and saw pointed ears peeking out from between his long golden hair. Hutton spoke with veins bulging on his forehead.

“Understood. You only needed to say that you understood, but you sure have a lot of unnecessary words. Are you insulting my craftsmanship right now?”

Clang. Hutton threw the hammer he was holding behind him and crossed his arms.

“You said you were introduced by Guldain, but this is… I see that someone who should know better did something unnecessary. I’ll have to have a serious talk with him.”

“Whoa, whoa. Please calm down. I was merely stating the facts. For a transaction in platinum coins, isn’t that only natural? If I’ve offended you, I offer my sincere apologies.”

At Rasion’s leisurely apology, Hutton pressed his forehead and lowered his voice.

“Phew⋯ Even though this is our first meeting, you really need to watch your manner of speaking. Anyway, I understand, so please leave for today.”

“Understood. Then I’ll visit again in three weeks.”

The blond elf elegantly turned and approached the entrance where I was standing. “Huh?” Not wanting to get involved, I had already pressed myself against the wall, but he suddenly turned his head toward me. More precisely, it wasn’t just turning his head—he fixed his turquoise eyes on my face and stared intently.

“You there. Look at me for a moment.”

I nearly let out a sigh at his high-handed and flippant tone, which didn’t match his appearance. I only came here to get equipment fitted, so why does everything keep dragging me into incidents like this? I spoke politely for now. “Me? Do you have some business with me?”

“Then who else would be here besides you and the blacksmith? I have something urgent to check, so just stay still for a moment.”

This son of a bitch is talking to me like I’m some street thug right off the bat?

A moment later, Rasion spoke in a voice that seemed to be suppressing laughter, as if he’d seen something amusing. “My apologies. The spirit connected to my consciousness suddenly showed an unusual reaction. I have a personality that can’t stand not knowing what I’m curious about.”

If it’s a spirit, could it be because of the Chaos Dragon Core’s blood again? Or is it related to Sirene? He pointed at my forehead with his index finger.

“I was surprised to see the mark engraved on your forehead. And not just any mark, but the trace left by a top-tier spirit that one might see only once in a lifetime. No wonder Epsilon, a high-ranking spirit, was startled.”

Right. The reason this elf I’d never met before suddenly shoved his face in mine was entirely because of the latter—the Whisper of the Gentle Breeze trait. He shrugged his shoulders once and continued.

“I don’t know if it was created because of a trait you obtained by chance or because of power gained through a special path.”

Swish. He took something out from his bosom.

“Here, take it. As an elf called a friend of spirits, I can’t just let such a rare sight pass by.”

⋯Suddenly? I couldn’t ignore it when he was offering it, so I accepted the object engraved with elaborate green and gold patterns and examined it.

“I’ll generally let things slide to avoid damaging my reputation, so if ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠any elf tries to make things difficult for you or becomes hostile, show them this.”

“⋯”

“There’s one more hidden way to use it besides just showing it, but you’ll have to figure that out on your own. Anyway, I hope you keep it safe and put it to good use when the time comes.”

“You’re suddenly giving me something so precious. Is it really just because you saw something amazing?”

Is there some hidden motive? I asked, careful not to offend him, because it seemed too suspicious. “I gave it without burden because I have several left anyway. What, are you doubting my sincerity because there’s no compensation? Then throw it away. It’s already left my hands, so do whatever you want with it.”

Rasion spoke nonchalantly, brushing off his hands. No matter how I thought about it, he wasn’t someone I wanted to get close to. It seemed best to end the conversation here. “⋯Yes. I’ll keep it safe. Thank you.”

“Yeah, yeah. On top of what I said earlier, the mana flowing through your entire body that you haven’t fully controlled yet, and those eyes that look like they’re hiding something.” Rasion continued with an intrigued expression. “You don’t look like someone who’d stay at the middle floors at best. Later, when you grow up, make sure to praise this Rasion Elsinore’s discerning eye that recognized your potential from the start.”

After saying that, he laughed loudly, saying he was leaving and asking how a spirit’s mark could possibly be a kiss mark, then fluttered his cloak and disappeared in the blink of an eye. Tsk. “I really don’t understand how such a frivolous guy ended up in the supposedly noble Elven Knights. Why did that Guldain guy recommend this place to someone like him?”

Hutton, who had approached at some point and grumbled with irritation, soon calmed down and turned to me. “So, Aren, come here. Ah, you properly said your name this time, right?”

Come to think of it, last time he couldn’t remember properly and called me “Aran.” “Haha, that’s right. By the way, the Elven Knights?”

“The emblem engraved on the armor of the guy who just left symbolizes that. When I looked closely at his equipment, I could see the touch of elven blacksmiths from the Great Forest.”

When a strong guy suddenly approached, I hadn’t had the leisure to notice even that. If it was an emblem, it was probably the same design as the one he gave me. “Talking more about it will take too long, so let’s wrap that up and get to the main point. This time, armor repair⋯ is impossible, I suppose.”

After seeing the state of my armor, Hutton shook his head. “I thought so.”

“Torn, dented, cracked. At this point, the repair cost will be higher than the manufacturing cost. Wouldn’t it be better to just get a new set of armor this time?”

I’d earned a lot of money this time, so I should invest in equipment. I’d newly realized during the fight with Grillops how big the difference was between having good armor and not, so there was no hesitation in my answer. “Yes. I was thinking the same thing. Thanks to the armor this time, I benefited quite a lot.”

“Good! Then I’ll bring a few blueprints, so wait a moment.”

⋯ Bang! After waiting briefly like that, Hutton returned with an armful of scrolls in his embrace.