Chapter 88
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 88
Chapter Title: Star Child Mael
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On the vast plains near the Nebania Kingdom's border, the one they encountered was a troll.
Even excluding Jamad, the only troll Snowman had ever gotten acquainted with.
"I am Mael. It means Child of the Stars."
Mael, the exile of the Rock Fang Tribe.
He had appeared at a timing Snowman never could have anticipated.
"Sheathe your sword, Karen."
"What is it, Master? You know another troll besides Jamad?"
"By chance."
Mael slowly approached Snowman's group.
Now that they knew who he was, they finally took in his appearance.
Thick glasses that made his eyes look tiny—probably high prescription—and a bag stuffed to the brim with who-knows-what, despite him not being some wandering peddler. Nothing about him looked scrawny.
"What's all that?"
"Ancient tomes, herbs, and assorted knickknacks. Haha!"
"Mael, how have you been?"
"I've roamed Nebania far and wide. The human world is truly remarkable. I'm glad I came down from the mountains."
Snowman felt a profound joy at reuniting with this long-lost ally.
And since the circumstances of their meeting were so utterly unexpected, that joy doubled.
"Come sit here. The wind's biting—warm yourself by the fire."
"Very well, I shall. My lips are practically frozen solid from the chill anyway."
Mael sauntered over to the campfire with casual ease.
He was smaller than Jamad, but still a proper troll in size—one big hunk of a guy.
His arrival made the once-spacious firepit feel packed tight.
"Nice to meet you. I'm Karen. But do trolls really wear glasses?"
Mael responded to Karen's question with a faint smile.
"Less for vision correction, more for assorted other purposes."
"Ah... No offense, but you seem awfully intellectual for a troll? Different from the ones I've seen."
"Hey, you talkin' about me, fairy?"
Jamad scowled and shot at Karen.
She merely shrugged at his question, offering no reply.
"The notion that trolls act simple-minded is a misconception. Their ways might seem foolish from another race's perspective, but they've established their own faith and culture. Of course, simple trolls do exist."
"Ho... So how'd you meet Snowman anyway?"
"Snowman saved me from despair. This lowly one owes him a debt I must repay someday."
"Hmm. Master gets called a savior everywhere he goes. Doesn't seem all that trustworthy to me."
"Look at an object too closely, and you might not even grasp what it is. If that's true for objects, how much more for living beings?"
"What?"
Karen peeked at Snowman's face, then snickered before turning to Mael.
"You're right. Maybe he is. I can actually talk with this troll."
Sorry, but this hardly qualifies as a conversation—feels a bit one-sided.
Fairy side, if anything?
Oh god, a fairy outdone in wits by a troll...
True intellect of the era (X) Intellectual Troll (O) Mael!
As Mael chatted with Karen, his eyes met Jamad's. Taking in the massive build and intimidating presence, Mael said:
"Jamad, tyrant of the Rock Fang Tribe. So it's you."
"You know my name? Who are you?"
"Exile of the previous generation, son of Mayora."
Mayora—her name made Jamad's eyes widen.
"A woman banished by the elders. And she bore a child?"
"I was in her womb when she was exiled."
"Hmph. Quite the tale."
Karen, listening to Mael's backstory, took issue with Jamad's muted reaction.
"That's all the sympathy you can muster for such a tragic story?"
"What then? Should I shed tears?"
"Mael, this troll's like that. I'm no species supremacist, but living with him, you can't help but form prejudices about trolls."
"Yet I am a troll as well."
"Ah, sorry."
Oops! Forgot he's a troll!
Oopsie daisy, crazy lol
No offense, but you're already discriminating between the two lol
Jamad replied to Karen indifferently.
"I lost both parents young too."
"What?"
"Father conscripted to war, died flat out. Mother didn't last long. The funny part? Our tribe's elder offered her corpse to a dragon as a snack."
"......"
"How about it, fairy? Gonna pity me now?"
"Um... sorry."
Snowman had no idea Jamad carried such a backstory.
He was an Irregular to begin with—the first monster to appear in his adventure—so there were no related settings in Snowman's mind.
"Hmph. Come to think of it now, you..."
"Me?"
"Yes, Mael. You helped Snowman?"
Mael smiled.
"Indeed."
"No wonder. Couldn't have done it alone. Sorcery power?"
"Used a potion infused with sorcery."
"Hmmm... Not bad. A potion I don't know. Curious about your sorcery prowess."
"Can't hold a candle to you, sir. Just some useless knowledge I haven't fully absorbed yet."
Weird! Trolls doing social life.
Trolls do social life too?
With introductions and small talk wrapped up, Snowman asked what was on his mind.
"What brings you to the north?"
"Divination."
"Pardon?"
"Divination is one of my talents. The omen foretold great calamity. I came here to avert it. Of course, I knew I'd cross paths with Snowman as well."
"That was in the divination too?"
"Astronomy, more like."
"Kahaha! Mael! You're the real deal!"
In Nebania's vast territory, pinpointing Snowman through divination and astronomy alone proved Mael's exceptional nature.
Snowman was startled by the sudden reunion but recalled the message that had popped up earlier.
Ally 'Star Child Mael' joins this adventure as your comrade.
"Mael, then you came here to help me?"
"Help... Before I confirm, you haven't explained the dire situation you're in yet."
Oops!
Second oops appears lol
Snowman started to explain the situation to Mael.
"It's..."
"The Sulfur Skeletons, right?"
"...You knew? How?"
"How long do you think I've been waiting here?"
Mael knowing they'd meet here implied he'd arrived early and waited for Snowman to pass through.
"No way—you've been waiting here the whole time?"
"Divination and astronomy lack precision on timing. I've been here a fortnight."
"Such... How did you know about the Sulfur Skeleton problem?"
"They passed by."
"Pardon?"
Mael pushed up his small glasses and said:
"They passed through here."
"When? When did those bastards pass?"
"Calm down, Karen."
Karen jumped in to scold before Snowman could, but he calmed her.
"Hmm... After tonight passes, it'll be exactly four days."
"Four days? They've only been gone four days?"
Karen could hardly believe they'd closed the gap to four days, but Snowman nodded at Mael's words.
'Carrying people, so much slower than normal marching speed.'
The distance between them and the Sulfur Skeleton horde had narrowed considerably—and was still closing.
"But by now, they've likely crossed the border."
"Already? Even reaching Gulia from here takes four days."
"You mean that ironclad fortress."
"A hole-punched fortress now. How the hell did they breach the wall?"
"Snowman, one question."
"Ask away, Mael."
Mael stared at Snowman.
His calm eyes felt chilling instead.
"What do you plan after chasing the Sulfur Skeletons?"
"Rescue the captured people."
"They're no ordinary bunch. A Sulfur Skeleton tribe skilled in combat. The most ferocious among nearby trolls. You think three can reclaim the hostages?"
"...Impossible?"
Snowman countered with serious eyes.
Mael gravely nodded.
"Three can't do it."
"Hey, troll! You picking a fight?"
As Karen bristled, Mael smiled brightly.
"But four might manage."
"You'll help?"
"If it were anyone else, it'd be a death march—I'd leave them be. But since it's Snowman's path, it must have purpose. Let Mael be your guide."
"Guide?"
You receive aid from ally 'Star Child Mael'.
A proficient sorcerer assists the party in various ways.
Mael can handle combat duties, terrain alteration, crowd control, ally support, and more.
Essentially, a versatile ally who could help with just about anything.
Swish...
Mael turned his palm skyward and extended his hand forward.
Whooooong...
Glowing particles gathered in Mael's hand.
They gradually took shape, ultimately forming troll figures.
"Sulfur Skeletons?"
"This shows what those who passed here are doing now. They're camped and sleeping."
"No way... How?"
Mael grinned.
"Didn't I say they passed here? When they did, I dusted them with spirit powder."
"Mael!"
Geeeenius! I believed in you!
Mael, true to hero-grade ally form.
Sorry for underrating you ㅠㅠ
"They didn't break out with sorcery or magic. Just carved a passage through a laxly guarded spot. Once we know the location, using the same path is trivial."
A few days later, Snowman's group arrived at the tunnel the Yumira gang had collapsed, guided by Mael.
"This... Not a natural collapse."
"Sulfur Skeletons did it?"
"Unlikely. No reason to."
"Then..."
"I'll take a look."
Inhale...
Whooo...
Mael placed some powder on his palm and blew. The particles scattered, forming a shape.
"This is what the earth's energy here remembers. Humans... it seems."
"I know who."
"You do?"
The woman leading the group at the forefront.
The young woman who'd trailed after Kibo, eagerly absorbing wisdom.
"Yumira. That's her."
Jamad and Karen reacted to Snowman's words.
"Hmph. Chasing Kibo."
"Yumira? Who's that?"
"You saw Kibo last time... She's about his right-hand woman."
"Strong?"
"Well..."
Snowman asked Mael:
"So, what now? Can't use the tunnel, so Gulia it is?"
"Hold on..."
Mael pulled something from his bag—a fruit-like object from some tree.
He mumbled an incantation, then tossed it at the collapsed passage.
Then.
Rumble rumble rumble...
Crunch-!
A long worm the size of an adult's torso burst from the ground, snatched it in its mouth, and vanished.
No eyes, just a massive maw packed with teeth.
"Ho, a rock worm?"
Jamad showed interest.
"Seems some rock worms around here. They love kokurin fruit. I implanted a suggestion in it, so it'll soon chew through the earthen barrier ahead."
"...Full of tricks, eh? You'd have been a huge asset to my tribe."
"Nothing more futile than dwelling on the past. To me, Rock Fang was a source of resentment, not sanctuary."
"Kuhuhu... Yeah, life's like that."
As they spoke, the rock worm devoured the entire barrier.
Snowman took the lead.
"Let's go."
Thus, Snowman's group broke through the tunnel far more easily than expected and emerged outside.
"That's Yog-natun."
"The massive volcano. Also the mountain housing a primal fire god. We've nearly caught up. Onward."
Night still far off even after the tunnel, they pressed on.
"From here, it's their territory. Stay sharp."
"Got it."
Jamad warned Snowman.
"If they show, I'll lop off every head. No worries. Scared? Hide behind me."
"Hmph, don't underestimate trolls. The tribal federation teems with experts beyond imagination."
"Hmm... Few trolls made names in my era. Sulfur Skeletons have one?"
"Yes. One terrifying monster."
"O? Who?"
"That's..."
Tension mounted as they neared the volcano.
High ground nearly in reach, they advanced warily, scanning surroundings.
That was when it happened.
"Ugh..."
"Human?"
"Yumira's pursuit squad, probably."
Behind jagged rocks in the rugged terrain, someone lay collapsed, gasping for breath.
"I'll handle it. Picked up some healing arts just in case."
Mael stepped forward after saying that to the group.
Come forth, gadget all-purpose trivia dictionary!
Learned the devil's knowledge just in case.
Learned the spinning whirlwind shot just in case.
Real all-rounder lol
Munchkin lol absolute massive hexagon scary
Mael wiped the injured man's face with a damp cloth and chanted a spell.
Whoooong...
Mystical light gathered into his canteen.
Rustle...
"Santuri leaves. Chew them and swallow with this water."
Crunch... crunch...
The injured man followed Mael's instructions to the letter.
"Haa... haa..."
"Breathing easier now?"
"...Run."
As his breath steadied, the man tried to relay a message.
"Pardon?"
Mael brought his ear to the man's lips.
Soon, before his final breath, the man's last words escaped.
"Mon...ster... flee..."