Skeleton Knight in Another World Vol. 3

by Ennki Hakari

  Carcy returned her intense gaze with a rueful laugh.

  “Those bestiaries you read? They were probably written by me, back when I lived in Landfrea.”

  “That’s all the more reason not to do it!”

  “Sooner or later, elf or human, someone’s going to get around to studying these monsters. And it’s important to me, as an elf, to be that someone.”

  The two locked eyes as Ariane struggled to come up with a response.

  I could understand where he was coming from. Every life he saved in this town, thanks to his research, would only improve the elves’ image. If humans began to see elves as their allies, they might start protecting them, rather than enslaving them.

  However, judging by the fact that Carcy had to live in the noble’s estate, hidden by walls, protected by guards, there was still a long way to go before most humans accepted elves as their equals.

  “As I mentioned earlier, this country is far better than the rest. The lord of this town has taken good care of me. But, of course, if it came to Canada and Rhoden either going to war or achieving peace, I’d much prefer the latter.”

  Carcy pushed his glasses back up his nose, and his expression softened.

  “Besides, humans aren’t all bad. The man behind you is one, isn’t he?”

  Ariane stiffened, her face a mix of emotions.

  He was technically right; I was a human. But with the curse on my body, I looked more like one of the undead.

  I felt like I was forgetting something incredibly important…but before I could try to figure out what it was, I sensed someone looking in my direction. Ariane’s beautiful golden eyes had turned to me, an unspoken question in her gaze.

  She seemed to be debating whether or not we should honor Carcy’s request.

  Whether this meeting was one of chance or fate, I let her make the decision. Personally, however, I wanted to take this opportunity to try and improve how humans viewed elves.

  “We could very well have been called here by the spirits. But I will leave the decision up to Ariane.”

  My horrible sense of direction had played a large part in us coming here in the first place, but it was Ariane who’d prayed to the spirits to direct our path.

  “Of course, I’d be happy to reward you for your assistance. I don’t have a lot in the way of money, but maybe I could offer you a monster bestiary? It’s a two-volume collection of all the monsters I’ve researched since leaving my village. It couldn’t hurt to learn more about the world around you.”

  Carcy pulled out two thick books and set them down in front of us. They were leather-bound, with the image of some dragon-like creature seared onto their covers. On the spines, the name “Carcy Held” appeared prominently.

  I paged quickly through one of the books, its interior filled with detailed illustrations of various monsters and all manner of information about their habits, habitats, and special characteristics. I’d loved looking at encyclopedias like this as a kid, and that same excitement came back to me now.

  Carcy reached up to one of the shelves and pulled out another volume.

  “This book contains information that I’ve thus far kept from the humans, information about all the spirit creatures I’ve encountered. Of course, the entries aren’t nearly as detailed as those on monsters. For some reason, I just can’t get close to spirit creatures, which makes it rather difficult to study them in depth.”

  He ran a hand through his hair, a wry smile on his face as he looked up toward Ponta. The fox scooted away again, as if trying to get out of his line of sight. Carcy’s shoulders slumped, dejected.

  I turned my attention to the spirit creature encyclopedia. It was only one volume, not nearly as thick as the monster bestiary, and the binding had been done in a haphazard manner. Evidently, Carcy wasn’t exactly eager to share his findings on spirit creatures with the humans, since the information might only encourage people like the ones who’d captured Ponta.

  Ariane returned her gaze to Carcy and spoke in a slow, deliberate tone. “We’ll help you, but we can’t devote a lot of time to it.”

  ***

  Carcy led us along the path through the center of the castle’s walled courtyard, bowing to various servants and guards as we passed. From time to time, someone would stop to gawk at Ariane, probably due to how rare dark elves were in human lands, though none seemed to display any sort of malice.

  In fact, I received far worse looks.

  Carcy brought us to a building in the middle of the courtyard, by far the largest in the whole estate. I guessed it was the home of the noble who lived here. After taking us up a few steps, Carcy greeted the two guards standing at the entrance. They silently opened the massive door to allow us inside. Carcy thanked the men and stepped casually into the entry hall. Just as we were about to follow him, one of the guards rushed forward.

  “I’m sorry, sir, but we have to ask that you leave your weapons here with us.”

  I figured they were referring to the dual-handed Holy Thunder Sword of Caladbolg strapped to my back and the Sword of the King of Lions hanging from Ariane’s waist. It made sense that they wouldn’t allow anyone to enter the lord’s residence armed. I worried a little about leaving my weapon behind, but I didn’t have much of a choice. I nodded at the guard’s request and handed my sword over, sheath and all.

  The moment I set the blade in his hand, however, the guard lost his balance, stumbling about.

  “Nng, this is heavy!”

  He locked his legs in a desperate attempt to keep from dropping it.

  “Is he going to be okay?”

  “I’m really sorry about that!”

  The blade didn’t feel all that heavy when I hefted it, but I realized it must have been rather unwieldly to a normal person. At the very least, this made me feel more comfortable about leaving the sword behind. No matter how powerful it was, if no one else could even lift it, then it wasn’t much of a threat.

  Ariane handed over her own sword.

  Now, with the guard’s permission, we passed through the door. In front of us, a female servant stood in the entry hall, calling out to Carcy.

  “Ah, Master Carcy. May I ask what brings you here today?”

  “I take it Skitts is in his usual room? I can find my own way there.”

  He quickly climbed the stairs to the second floor. Ariane and I hurried after him, before we could be left behind. The servant looked on in wide-eyed surprise.

  “B-but…Master Carcy, we need prior notice if you’re going to be bringing any guests with you!”

  The flustered woman chased Carcy up the stairs but lost her balance in her haste. Ariane was instantly at the woman’s side, gently catching her before she hit the floor.

  “Are you all right?”

  “Ah, um, yes, I am. Apologies for bothering you, ma’am.”

  The woman’s cheeks flushed a deep crimson as she gazed up into Ariane’s golden eyes. Then she quickly stood and bowed her head.

  “Master Carcy, please wait!”

  She yelled at the researcher again, possibly to hide her own embarrassment, before once again chasing after him.

  “There’s no need for such formalities, Brita.”

  “Well, I’m the one who’s going to get yelled at!”

  “Has Skitts ever gotten upset about something like this?”

  “The head chambermaid certainly will!”

  After reaching the top of the stairs, the servant, Brita, continued shouting at Carcy’s back as he walked away from her. The guards in the hallway couldn’t help but laugh under their breath as the two moved past. Evidently, this was a common routine. Ariane made a strange face at the whole affair.

  “Hey, Skitts, I’m here.”

  Carcy reached an intricately decorated door at the end of the hall, opened it without so much as a knock, and called to the person inside.

  Brita, hard on his heels, was now holding her head. She let out a meek apology for the intrusion before stepping inside.


  Carcy beckoned us into the room. Ariane and I exchanged a glance, then joined the two of them inside.

  “I heard that you were entertaining an elf. I was planning on visiting you as soon as I finished this task.”

  This new room contained a long table covered with decorative furnishings and was bordered by a small bookshelf on either end. Two large windows took up most of the wall at the far end of the room, illuminating the ornate ebony desk that sat between them.

  The older gentleman sitting at the desk looked up from his paperwork to address his unexpected visitors. There was a soft lilt in his voice as he stroked his unshaven chin. I guessed he was the man Carcy referred to as Skitts. He looked to be around forty and wore his dark brown hair cut close to his head. Even masked by his elaborate clothing, it was evident that the man was quite muscular, making him look more like some sort of military commander than a member of the noble class.

  Carcy casually cut to the chase. “I was thinking of collecting some sand worm specimens, like we discussed earlier.”

  The surprise was plain on Skitts’s face.

  “You’re still hanging on to that? I’ve already told you, I can’t devote any soldiers to collecting sand worms. I’m thankful for your help in expanding our farmable land, but we don’t have enough people to work and patrol the fields as it is, let alone if we were to expand beyond what we have now.”

  Skitts let out a sigh, a deep crease appearing between his brows.

  “I suppose I could offer up three, maybe four men…but that’s the best I can do.”

  Carcy smiled brightly and waved Ariane and me over.

  “Perfect! These two will be helping me. This is Ariane, a messenger from an elven village, and her companion in the armor is…umm…”

  Ariane interjected before Carcy could continue. “He’s my bodyguard, Arc.”

  I offered a curt nod in greeting.

  This was probably an effort on Ariane’s part to avoid anyone asking questions about why I was still wearing a helmet. If I was a bodyguard, then the humans would probably let it slide. I had no idea if the concept of diplomatic immunity existed in this world, but I decided it was best not to say anything at all.

  Besides, Skitts didn’t seem particularly interested in me.

  “And you plan on conscripting this messenger to do your dirty work?”

  Skitts leaned back in his chair and sighed dramatically, looking up at the ceiling, an expression of barely concealed incredulity on his face.

  Carcy smiled broadly.

  “I’m planning nothing of the sort. We negotiated for it.”

  Behind him, Brita bowed deeply in apology.

  “Now, if you would be so kind as to lend me the men you mentioned—and bait—Skitts, I’d be ever so grateful.”

  The noble gave Carcy a stern look. “I suppose we have those rotting goblins in storage… Fine, they’re yours. I’ve been receiving complaints for five days that they’re stinking up the place.”

  Skitts turned his attention back to Ariane. “Greetings, Miss Ariane. I am Viscount Skitts du Branbayna, the lord of this town. However, you may call me Skitts. It’s rare for us to entertain guests in this out-of-the-way town of ours, so please forgive our lack of manners.”

  “My name is Ariane Glenys Maple. Please, don’t worry on my account.”

  Skitts extended his right hand, and Ariane promptly gave it a firm shake.

  “Ah, well, in that case, I would like to invite you to a feast this evening.”

  Ariane quickly turned down Skitts’s offer. “That won’t be possible. We don’t have much time, so we’ll be leaving as soon as we’re done assisting Carcy with his work.”

  Time aside, I also wasn’t enthusiastic about the idea of taking my helmet off in front of people, so I kept my mouth shut.

  “Is that so? If you’re just being polite, there’s no need for it. But I suppose a messenger like yourself must be quite busy. All the same, please keep a close eye on Carcy.”

  Skitts’s cheerful expression changed to one of puzzlement as he looked in Carcy’s direction.

  “Hm? Where’d he go?”

  We all glanced around the room, but Carcy was nowhere to be found.

  Brita spoke up. “He left a moment ago. He looked rather cheerful.”

  Skitts sighed and turned his attention back to Ariane. “Same old Carcy…”

  Ariane stared at the man, is if taking everything in before voicing her next question.

  “If I may ask, why are you sheltering an elf?”

  Skitts looked confused for a moment, as if unsure whether there was another question behind her question, but then he grinned.

  “He’s truly a talented researcher. Around ten years ago, we were plagued by constant monster attacks. Our population dwindled rapidly as people fled to safer towns. When Carcy arrived, he provided my soldiers with information about the monsters’ behavior and how to repel them. He gave us the opportunity to completely rebuild the town, better than it was before. I… We are forever grateful to him.”

  Judging by the interaction we’d just witnessed, it seemed like Carcy was constantly giving Skitts headaches. But the trust between them was also readily apparent. Ariane nodded in understanding.

  As we left the room, Skitts saw us off with a smile, telling Ariane she was more than welcome to visit anytime.

  Though the town wasn’t all that large, Skitts had given me the impression of a charming mayor type rather than a local noble.

  While we retrieved our weapons back at the entrance, we asked the guards if they knew where Carcy had gone. They directed us to one of the storehouses.

  We arrived at a small, bland building, its walls unadorned save for the occasional, small window. As soon as I opened the doors, we were greeted with a horrendous stench.

  I leaned in for a better look, and the smell hit me even harder. Ariane wrinkled her nose and scowled. Ponta, however, didn’t seem to mind at all and simply wagged its tail.

  A cart sat in the middle of the nearly empty storehouse. There were around ten stocky, little green bodies piled up inside it, reeking of decay. Carcy peaked over the side of the cart when he noticed our arrival.

  “Wyverns chased these goblins to the outer limits of town. Now that they’ve fermented—quite nicely—I can use them as bait to lure out sand worms.”

  Since Ariane was pinching her nose and trying to hold back tears, I decided to ask the obvious question.

  “When do you plan to go hunting for sand worms, Carcy?”

  “They’re active at night, so I figured we could head out after lunch. Have you eaten yet? I know a delicious orc restaurant.”

  I glanced at Ariane, but she shook her head in response, her fingers still firmly pinched over her nose.

  Carcy looked slightly disappointed but turned to me inquiringly.

  “I think I’ll pass as well.” Not only did I not want to eat in front of anyone in the first place, but after seeing a bunch of decaying goblins, I had no appetite for trying out orc dishes.

  “Really? Well, that’s a shame. It’s quite good, you know.”

  Carcy pouted as he eyed the rotting goblins. However, this only lasted for a moment.

  “Well then, could you come back here a little later in the afternoon? You can wander around the estate or town if you’d like.”

  We left Carcy with the corpses and made our way back to town.

  ***

  No matter where we went in town, it seemed like all eyes were on us. Ariane had her hood down for now, allowing everyone to catch a glimpse of her face. There were plenty of reasons for people to look too. From her golden eyes to her amethyst skin to the curves of her body, she was a sight to behold.

  “It just seems so strange to me that an elf would live among humans of his own will.”

  She glowered at the townsfolk before finally pulling her hood back over her head, putting an end to all the attention she was getting.

  “Perhaps we should make arrangements for an inn t
onight.”

  Ariane looked back at me, puzzled. “Why? Aren’t we heading straight for Lamburt after we capture the sand worms?”

  “If we don’t start looking for them until the afternoon, the hunt could run well into the evening. At the very least, we’ll be spending tonight here, no?”

  “You’re right. Sorry, I was only thinking about myself.”

  “I am but a hired hand. I’ll go along with whatever you decide. Besides, half the joy of traveling is sleeping on a bed of grass under the stars.” I tried to make light of the situation. To be honest, I quite enjoyed being able to see so many different places in this mysterious world. “But I also want to make sure you aren’t neglecting your own health. Even elves need a proper bed once in a while.”

  “Thank you, Arc.”

  Ariane averted her gaze and picked up the pace as we made our way toward a street with several inns. I increased my stride in order to keep up.

  The largest inn was full of mercenaries and the like, so we ended up having to book two rooms in one of the smaller buildings. According to the innkeeper, there was little traffic along the road bordering this town, and they rarely had any visitors other than mercenaries looking to harvest supplies from monsters.

  After securing our lodgings, Ariane and I wandered around town until the sun started its downward journey across the sky—the signal that it was time for us to make our way back to the noble’s estate.

  This time, Ariane merely had to pull down her hood and the guards let us through the gate without any words exchanged.

  Carcy was waiting for us on the other side, waving eagerly in our direction.

  Behind him was a large cart drawn by four horses, along with a driver and three other men in light armor who appeared to be guards. Everyone—other than Carcy—had cloths covering their mouths, making them look like bandits in an old western.

  A layer of dried grass had been piled over the rotting goblins in the cart, which served to mask the awful sight and slightly disguise the stench of death. But the smell was still enough to make the guards, townsfolk, and anyone else who got too close scowl.

  Carcy, however, was cheerful as ever.