by Ennki Hakari
I plucked up the damp furball and rose from the water.
“I should probably get out before I overheat.”
Considering I didn’t actually have any blood running through my bones, this seemed a remote possibility. However, I didn’t want to leave Ponta in the water for too long.
I stepped out of the bath and used the towel I’d brought with me to dry my body. It was a lot harder to wipe water from the gritty bones than my usual smooth skin.
Once that was done, I dried Ponta off and made my way back to get dressed.
A sudden chill washed over me as I stepped out of the warm, moist bath and into the dry air of the changing room.
I took a quick look around. Unfortunately, there was no milk waiting for me. That would have made the whole experience perfect. But I figured I could just ask Glenys for something to drink once I got back to the main house.
I sat on the bench in the changing room and let out a sigh. Overall, today had been a great day.
After rearranging its fur in the corner of the room, Ponta summoned up a light gust of wind to dry itself the rest of the way.
I was just thinking that I didn’t need a hair dryer when I suddenly heard steps on the walkway. A moment later, the door opened, and someone stepped inside.
We locked eyes.
The well-proportioned, amethyst-skinned woman in front of me had let her long, white hair loose. She held a large towel in her hand. Her golden eyes went wide, her eyebrows raised in surprise.
“A skeleton…”
She dropped the towel and immediately reached for a sword that wasn’t there, out of habit.
I jumped up to my feet, surprised by Ariane’s sudden reaction. I had no idea she’d even returned.
“Wait, Miss Ariane! It’s me, Arc!”
I’d never taken my armor off in front of her before, so she must not have put together that the skeleton in her bathhouse was me. Even though I was able to clear up this misunderstanding, Ariane quickly kicked me out, her cheeks flushed with embarrassment over her mistake.
The ending might have been less than ideal, but overall, I was satisfied with my time in the bath.
I made my way back to the dining room in search of Glenys, to see if I could get something to drink.
Chapter 3:
The Houvan Uprising
Houvan, in the Rhoden Kingdom.
Count Fulish du Houvan’s domain was located among the mountains that ran from north to south across the Rhoden Kingdom. It had been established along the route that connected the capital of Rhoden with the Grand Duchy of Limbult—the only human civilization that still maintained a trade relationship with the elves.
The many magical items produced by the elves were superior in both their performance and usefulness to anything the humans made, making them incredibly popular among human nobility. Houvan to the north and Tiocera to the south served as convenient lodgings for the many caravans that traveled along the trade route, bringing items to the kingdom’s northern border.
The count’s castle sat in the middle of the town of Houvan. Deep inside, its owner was speaking passionately in one of his palatial rooms. Magical crystal lamps illuminated the magnificent decorations and art that adorned it.
A middle-aged man paced back and forth across the room, alternating between agitation and abject fear as he surveyed his surroundings. He was clearly uneasy about something. His lustrous blond hair, as fine as silk, was neatly tied back at the base of his scalp. His silk shirt was adorned with intricate designs and accompanied by an equally exquisite pair of pants embroidered with gold thread. This man was none other than Count Fulish du Houvan, the ruler of this domain.
However, in spite of the opulence of the room he found himself in, the count looked incredibly dissatisfied with his surroundings, like a fish out of water. His elderly retainer raised his voice.
“Count Fulish, the merchants are filing complaint after complaint. Forcing them to undergo such stringent inspections forces them to waste time entering town. If we keep this up, shipments will slow to a crawl.”
A vein bulged on Fulish’s forehead. “Shut up! I must prevent the elves from getting into Houvan at all costs! Or…maybe you’re colluding with them to get rid of me?”
A look of fear washed over the count’s face.
Just the other day, he’d learned that the elves might be responsible for Marquis du Diento’s assassination. He wasn’t about to lower his guard.
Part of the problem was that he’d also purchased an elf through a slave trader. Assuming the stories about Diento’s untimely demise were true, then it seemed clear that his murder had been part of a larger plot. The elves had rescued their friends and taken revenge on the man responsible for keeping the slave trade a secret.
Fortunately, the town of Houvan was located on a strategic route that ran north to south across the Rhoden Kingdom. The towering walls and well-stocked fortress would repel any intruders, so long as thorough inspections on those entering continued.
This all assumed, of course, that there weren’t already sympathizers on the inside. The count’s glare intensified.
“Don’t be absurd! I’m simply saying that if the transport of goods to the capital is delayed any further, then it may look like we bear some sort of malice toward the royal family.”
A look of understanding finally crossed Fulish’s face, though it was quickly replaced by one of fear. “N-no! I absolutely will not lessen the security. If the inspections are taking too long, then we’ll add more guards to perform them!”
“But that will further burden the treasury!”
No sooner had the words left the man’s mouth than Fulish raised his voice in anger. “In that case, either raise taxes or levy new ones! That will take care of your little money problem!”
“W-wait! If we raise taxes any more, the people won’t like it.”
Fulish ran his fingers through his blond hair, then ripped the toupee from his head and threw it to the ground. “Why do I need to care what the people think? Since when did they become my equals?! If they don’t want to fall in line, then we’ll teach them some manners. That’s your job, is it not? Now get out of my sight!”
The bald man stood there, flushed with anger, his voice now ragged. He waved his hand in annoyance toward the old man, dismissing him.
The retainer bowed his head and made for the door. As he closed it behind him, he heard the sound of a chair being thrown across the room.
“Dammit! What are we going to do about that elf?!”
Fulish chewed at his thumbnail as he mumbled to himself, lost in thought.
The elf woman he spoke of was currently locked in the dungeon.
He thought about disposing of her, but if a group of rescuers did come looking for their comrade, he’d have nothing to bargain with.
On the other hand, it was against royal decree to engage in the buying and selling of elves. He couldn’t just give her away, or even let her go, without fear of retribution.
For now, he decided to treat the elven woman a little better. Maybe improve her impression of him by moving her from the dungeon to one of the well-furnished rooms upstairs.
Just to be on the safe side, though, he decided to keep the mana-eater collar on her, along with the chained weights on her ankles.
He spared no expense when it came to his own protection. Unfortunately, that meant he didn’t notice the fire and smoke rising from the castle around him until it was far too late.
***
Early the next morning, I used Transport Gate to teleport us back to the large rock—our save point—that I’d found the previous day.
We made easy progress through the forest and arrived at Houvan around noon. It actually wasn’t far from where I’d discovered the princess.
The town of Houvan was located at the mouth of a valley at the base of the Anetto Mountains. To its south, the Telnassos mountain range provided a beautiful backdrop. Due to expansive forests in the foothills of both mountai
n ranges, cultivated lands surrounding the town spread far off to the east and west.
Houvan looked different from any other town I’d seen thus far. Rather than having a typical circular wall surrounding it, the walls were squared off, giving it the appearance of a fortress.
Yesterday’s rain was long forgotten and the sun was high in the sky, almost blinding me as it reflected off the stone walls.
I put Ponta atop my head and walked with Ariane through the fields on the raised dirt path toward Houvan. The closer we got, the more apparent the sheer scale of the town became.
The fifteen-meter-high walls were surrounded by a water-filled moat. Towers stood on either side of the main gate, manned by guards who carefully watched the movements of anyone coming or going.
A stone bridge extended across the moat to the gate, where people and wagons waiting to enter the town had to undergo thorough inspections. A large line had already formed.
The town’s northern gate was only barely wide enough to fit two horse-drawn carts side-by-side. I figured that was because the gates along the east to west trade route were more widely used, and probably much larger.
However, it soon became apparent that the east and west gates were even more crowded. From time to time, we’d see a cart making its way up to the north gate from either side of the city.
At the gate itself, the guards upturned entire carts, throwing open the cloaks of any passengers to inspect their faces. No exceptions were made for mercenaries, who were all required to remove their helmets before entering.
It looked to me like they were searching for someone rather than something.
I turned to Ariane. There was no way we’d be able to sneak in like this.
The Rhoden Kingdom had entered into a treaty that forbade the hunting of elves. However, whether anyone enforced that treaty was another story entirely. If anyone learned that my companion was a dark elf—one of the more highly prized elves—our mission would be over before we could blink.
We’d found the name of a man who lived here, a certain Fulish du Houvan, written on the elf purchase contracts. Judging by his name, I assumed that he was a noble. If this law-violating, elf-trading noble somehow noticed that Ariane was in town, things would probably turn ugly.
As for me, I was nothing but a skeleton under my armor. There was no way I could take my helmet off during an inspection, even if the guards demanded it.
“Looks like we won’t be entering through the front door.”
“You’re probably right.”
Ariane’s golden eyes peered out at the town from within her dark gray cloak.
But this didn’t mean that our mission was over. We just needed to find a way to sneak into Houvan.
Ariane, Ponta, and I made our way along the town wall from the busy north entrance off toward the east, looking for a spot with no guards or other people. We eventually came to a gate many times larger than the north gate, though still relatively small. Due to its size, the foot and wagon traffic backed up past the bridge and down the road. We decided to avoid the heavy crowding at the east gate and continue south along the wall.
The south gate was relatively small, and was apparently only used for farmers going to and from the fields. There were almost no people, save for a few field workers.
The peasants of Houvan, much like those in other towns, looked exhausted. However, their tired expressions quickly turned fearful when they caught sight of us. They seemed to be more afraid of me than Ariane. I wondered if my helmet was the problem. Even though I’d been able to hide my impressive armor under my black cloak, the gleaming silver of my helmet still peeked out. There was just no way to cover it.
But as long as the peasants were willing to simply avert their eyes and not cause us any trouble, that was good enough for me.
“Miss Ariane, we will teleport into the town from here. Hold on to me.”
I scanned our surroundings to make sure no one was watching.
“All right.” Ariane grabbed ahold of my shoulder.
“Dimensional Step!”
Our surroundings changed in a flash as I summoned the transportation spell. An instant later, we found ourselves huddled atop the wall that ran around the town.
Obviously, we’d be spotted if stayed there, so I cast about for a place within the town limits we could teleport down to. All of the houses near the south gate seemed rather decrepit, nothing like the rich dwellings located elsewhere. I spied a particularly dilapidated house and summoned Dimensional Step again. We appeared in an alley behind the house.
“And we’re finally in Houvan.”
Ariane did a quick check of our surroundings before turning back to the task at hand.
“Now we just need to find the buyer, a man named Fulish du Houvan.”
“Judging by his name, I’m guessing he’s the ruler of this town. The castle is probably the best place to start our search.”
It wouldn’t do us much good to go around town asking for information about the illegal kidnapping of elves. The best and fastest way to get information would probably be to go to his residence directly.
Of course, first we needed to find out where this man lived. Heading toward the castle at the center of the town named after him seemed like a safe bet.
We moved out from behind the dilapidated building and looked around. The street was lined with similarly neglected wooden houses.
Several people nearby noticed us. Their faces tensed and they quickly moved away, disappearing between the buildings.
It again seemed to me like they were responding to seeing a helmeted knight in their midst, but I couldn’t say for sure. Maybe knights in Houvan were exceptionally brutal?
After walking a short ways, we came upon a busy street lined with shops, the air filled with the cries of merchants hawking wares. The town had suddenly come to life, with people and carts jostling about.
A tense atmosphere seemed to hang over everyone, from the occasional cluster of rabble-rousers to large groups of guards. Between the inspections at the gate and the mood of the town, I couldn’t help but wonder what had happened here.
Ariane and I spoke in whispers as we looked around.
“It feels pretty strange here…”
“With all the guards hanging around town, it’s going to be hard to get anywhere.”
As we reached the center of town, the castle walls came into view.
This certainly looked like the estate of whoever was in charge. The walls were as high as those surrounding the town, blocking off any view of the other side. A large moat ran around the wall, preventing anyone from getting too close.
The drawbridge was currently down, and a large number of guards crowded near the gate. The townspeople were all giving the area a wide berth. If we were to wander over, it seemed all too likely that we’d find ourselves being questioned at swordpoint.
We walked along the moat, trying to find a way in.
Unfortunately, guards were posted at regular intervals, and there were even more patrolling the wall itself. There were just too many people around to make teleporting in even remotely feasible.
The only other option would be to wait for nightfall and cross the wall under cover of darkness. However, if there wasn’t enough moonlight to see by, it would be hard to focus on a specific point to teleport to.
All I could do was hope it didn’t rain like it had the day before. Right now it was sunny out, with only a few clouds in the sky, so maybe my concerns would come to nothing.
The sound of an argument broke out from somewhere off in the distance. I turned in the direction of the voices and spotted several guards punching a young boy. A large group of people stood by, watching the events unfold from a distance, though no one seemed particularly alarmed.
“Watch where yer walkin’, kid!”
“We don’t need yer kind around here, ya little eyesore!”
“Admit it, you were here to steal some food, weren’t ya?! Out with it!”
Th
e guards spit epithets at the boy, who was now curled up on the ground as they barraged him with kicks.
The boy—maybe thirteen or fourteen years old—had long, scraggly black hair and was dressed in dirty, tattered clothes. Blood poured from his mouth, probably from a well-placed kick, and he looked to be in a lot of pain, though he fixed his assailants with a defiant glare. This, however, only seemed to anger the guards further.
“Whaddya lookin’ at, ya little peasant brat?!”
The whole scene was hard to watch.
Right as one of the guards was about to lay into the boy with another round of kicks, I spoke up.
“Don’t you think that’s enough? He’s just a kid.”
“Who the hell are you?! Mind your own business, you…”
The guard trailed off as soon as he caught sight of me.
A black-cloaked knight clad in silvery armor, hand at the ready on the hilt of the Holy Thunder Sword of Caladbolg, must have struck quite the imposing figure. The guard’s face went white.
Ponta was snuggled deep in Ariane’s chest at the moment, unhappy at having been passed off. I didn’t have much of a choice. It was hard to look intimidating with a furball on my head.
“Don’t you think that’s enough?” I repeated myself, lowering my voice ever so slightly. The men all stood frozen for a moment before offering a salute, followed by deep bows.
“C-certainly! I’m sorry for the trouble. We’ll return to our post now.”
The men made a swift exit, leaving the boy where he lay.
I hadn’t expected such a reaction to my appearance. But I supposed this kind of high-class armor wasn’t something just any knight would wear. They must have thought I was someone important.
I seemed to have the same effect on the crowd that had gathered around the altercation. Within a matter of moments, everyone had cleared out, retreating into the nearby buildings.
“Are you all right, boy? I can heal your injuries, if you have any.”
Concern washed over the boy’s face as he caught sight of me. When I knelt down next to him, he glared at me.
“I don’t need nuthin’ from you.”