Skeleton Knight in Another World Vol. 2

by Ennki Hakari

  The boy glanced up at me, as if there was something he wanted to ask but couldn’t get the words out.

  Obviously, if someone snuck into the castle and caused trouble, this would lead to even stricter security and possibly having the entrance blocked off entirely. Any hope of a revolt would be shattered completely.

  Shil had probably been waiting for us to find out that we couldn’t get past the ceiling cover so he could offer up another form of repayment. However, when he saw how easily I opened the panel, it had sent him into a panic.

  If we hadn’t assassinated Marquis du Diento, the revolt would already have happened. The count would probably be dead, and the enslaved elf could very well have been set free.

  I looked over at Ariane, who was crouched on the floor holding Ponta.

  Sure, we were responsible for this on some level, but there had to be a way we could solve both of these problems, right? My mind raced.

  “Hm. What if we sneak into the count’s estate while the revolt is already underway?”

  If the plan was to take out the count using this secret entrance, then there shouldn’t be an issue with us looking for the elves at the same time. And if we blended in with the uprising while carrying out our mission, then we wouldn’t even have to worry about retribution.

  “I’d be okay with that…but how soon can you organize the people to rise up?”

  Ariane was back to business, arms crossed as she asked about the revolt.

  If it was a month or more away, that would definitely be a problem for us.

  Shil apologetically mumbled his response. “Only Rabaught would be able to answer that.”

  That wasn’t surprising. It’s not like they’d leave a kid in charge of a revolt. We’d have to get the information from the organizers themselves and then try to sell them on our idea. The odds didn’t look too good.

  I let out a sigh.

  Shil offered to take us to this Rabaught person, the man in charge of the revolt, so we agreed. What choice did we have?

  We returned the wall covering the secret entrance to its rightful place and made our way back down the sewer tunnel. By the time we reached the bridge, the sun had all but disappeared.

  Shil led us back through the dimly lit streets to the slums. He brought us to a respectably built cabin…at least, respectable compared to those surrounding it. This building, unlike its neighbors, was a sturdy wooden construction sitting atop a stone foundation. Shil knocked on the door in a very particular pattern and was met with some hushed whispers.

  The door opened a crack and a man eyed us suspiciously. When he saw Shil, he ushered the boy inside with his chin.

  “I’ll explain the situation and be right back.”

  Shil disappeared into the cabin.

  A few moments later, Ariane and I were also allowed to enter. The man at the door glared at us as we stepped inside.

  There were several more stern-looking men standing around the dimly lit room, each of them glowering in our direction. Farther inside, a large table squatted in the center of what appeared to be a dining room. A lone man sat behind it, watching us with narrowed eyes.

  He looked to be around thirty, sporting a mustache and short brown hair. His well-muscled arms were covered in scars, making it clear that the man in front of us was no farmer. A bowl of wheat gruel sat in front of him. Apparently, we’d interrupted his dinner.

  The man gave us a quick once-over, set his spoon down, and let out a sigh.

  “Dammit, Shil! I thought I told you to let me know first before you bring guests over.”

  “I’m really sorry, Rabaught, but this is urgent and I—”

  The man—Rabaught—cut Shil’s apology off with a wave of his hand. He turned his intense gaze toward us, shooting me an odd grin.

  “Arc, right? I hear you can lift heavy stones and mend broken bones. And now you’re asking to use the secret entrance to the castle when we launch our revolt. But the real question is, how do I trust a man whose face I’ve never seen?”

  Here I was, fully clad in armor, helmet firmly on my head and standing next to Ariane, whose face was also hidden, the hood of her cloak hanging low over her eyes. I had to admit, we certainly looked suspicious. Nothing I could say would change that fact. Then again, it didn’t actually matter.

  “We are not asking you to trust us. If you choose to ignore our request, we will simply enter the castle through the secret entrance on our own.”

  “What did you say?!”

  Several of the stern-looking men surrounded us, murder in their eyes. However, Rabaught put up a hand to keep them at bay.

  “You say that you have some sort of mission to carry out in the castle. You aren’t elves, are you?”

  I could feel Ariane tense slightly.

  The men in the room exchanged glances, unsure of what was unfolding in front of them.

  “What makes you say that?”

  “According to rumor, elves were the ones responsible for Marquis du Diento’s murder. Ever since then, the count has decreed that no elves are to enter Houvan.”

  The count was being even more cautious than I’d realized. Ariane stirred again next to me.

  Rabaught crossed his arms and furrowed his brow, letting out a sigh. “It’ll do me no good to try and guess who you are or why you’re here. We don’t have much time. Besides, you can’t make an omelet without breaking a few eggs, right?”

  “What do you mean, you don’t have much time?”

  Rabaught closed his eyes and rubbed his temples. “The first and second princes are coming up from the capital to Houvan. If we launch our revolt then, the Royal Army will have no choice but to get involved, and we’ll all be put down in short order. We need to carry out our plans before they get here.”

  “Won’t it still end the same way?”

  Rabaught stroked his mustache. “No. If we’re able to kill the count first, then other roads will open up to us. The royals have their own problems to deal with. Even if they hold an inquiry into the revolt, it will only end in my execution.”

  So, there was some other noble pulling the strings here. I had no idea what their plan was once they got rid of their rival—be it putting an ally in charge or taking over the town themselves—but they were clearly making a play for power.

  I could only pray that whoever replaced the fallen count would treat the little folk, like Shil and Shia, better.

  “In fact, we were supposed to receive backup from the capital. However, the group coming to meet us was decimated by monsters on their way here. If it weren’t for that secret entrance, the revolt would already be over.”

  Rabaught’s shoulders slumped, heavy with the burden of the situation he found himself in.

  “That’s quite a tragedy. When do you plan to set your plans into motion?”

  “Tomorrow morning.”

  “That’s sudden…though it works nicely for us.”

  “The preparations are already finished. All we need to do is give the order and our comrades in the castle will put the plan into motion. Shil will get you back to the entrance in time for the operation. You better not dawdle, boy.”

  Shil snapped to attention. “Aye aye!”

  It looked like Ariane, Ponta, and I would have a little bit of time to kill before the uprising.

  Darkness had just started to settle over the main thoroughfare running through town, though there were still a fair number of people milling about in search of food and drink—or even pleasurable company—entering the various shops lit up along the street.

  Houvan served as a midway point between the Rhoden Kingdom and the Grand Duchy of Limbult, the only place where humans could engage in economic trade with the elves. This meant that elven lamps and other goods were widely used here. As such, the night was much brighter and more active than in other towns.

  I walked through the busy streets for a time before stopping at one of the meat shops to buy a kebab on a bed of leaves in the shape of a boat. I also picked up a bag
of boiled and salted chickpeas, which they called chana beans. I took the food back with me to Shil’s hut.

  “Now, which one was Shil’s house…”

  I’d gotten lost wandering through the twisting paths that ran through the slums.

  “It’s this way, Arc.”

  Ariane, with Ponta still clutched tightly to her, took the lead.

  Given that elves were trained to keep their bearings in the forest, it was no surprise that she’d be able to do the same in a town. I was incredibly jealous of this ability. I couldn’t even make it through the Umeda train station without getting lost.

  “Looks like we got ourselves mixed up in something big.” Ariane spoke under her breath without looking back at me.

  “I know that you don’t think too highly of humans, Miss Ariane. But would it really be so bad to help out Shil and his comrades?”

  “Children are children, regardless of their species. Besides, this whole situation was at least partially brought about by my own actions, so I feel somewhat responsible.”

  Ariane looked back at me for a moment, her lips pouting slightly.

  Children are children, regardless of their species… I wondered if all elves thought this way, or if it was simply her own personal philosophy. In any case, her compassion seemed to extend beyond children. After all, she’d accepted me despite the fact that I was human. Or rather, a human skeleton.

  Speaking of which…

  “Miss Ariane, do you have any misgivings about the count?”

  As far as I could tell, there had been a lot of animosity between Fulish du Houvan and his subjects even before the assassination.

  “Not in the least!” She scowled at me, crossing her arms.

  “So, you have no stake in whether or not the count is killed in the uprising.”

  “That’s right. We need to save the elf imprisoned in the castle. That’s my only concern.”

  We arrived at Shil’s hut and stepped inside to find him and Shia sharing a meager meal of bread scraps and dried beans.

  “Shil, what happened to the money I gave you?”

  He frowned at my question. “It didn’t seem like a good idea to start throwing money around all of a sudden. Besides, we have enough for bread. This will be fine.”

  Shia nodded excitedly.

  Apparently, their food situation was much more dire than I’d thought. I handed the food I’d bought earlier to the two children and gestured to Ariane to eat as well.

  Shil was initially unhappy to accept such charity, but he quickly realized that his sister would need to eat something more substantial if she was to have any chance at healing. The two began stuffing their faces.

  Between the meat and beans, the meal was almost entirely protein, but I figured it was far better than bread, beans, and water.

  “Aren’t you gonna eat, too, Mista Armor?”

  The way the little girl tilted her head inquisitively made me smile. She probably hadn’t had much meat in her life. Sitting next to Ponta, busily munching on the food, she looked almost like a little animal.

  I ruffled Shia’s hair, deciding to tell a white lie. “I ate earlier. Don’t worry about me. Please, enjoy your meal.”

  “Gotcha!”

  “Kyiii!”

  Hey, Ponta, I wasn’t talking to you…

  Ariane shot me a glance from the corner where she sat munching on some of the chana beans. I could tell she wanted to say something, though she was staying quiet for now. Noticing the cold wind whipping through the cracks in the walls, she used her spirit magic to make a small mound of dirt with a fire on top. At least we’d be warm during the night.

  We woke early the next day, the sky still dark.

  The town of Houvan was quiet—the only sounds those of Shil’s, Ariane’s, and my footsteps as we made our way to the bridge—but I could sense a certain tension hanging in the air.

  At the sewer entrance, we met two men standing as lookouts. Shil nodded to them and slipped through the space between the iron bars. Ponta, Ariane, and I followed after him.

  Ariane probably could have found her way back to the storage room on her own. But I knew I needed to stick close to our guide, lest I get lost in this underground maze. I could always escape using Transport Gate if I needed to, so I wasn’t actually that afraid, but still.

  The hidden door was already open by the time we arrived, and there were a large number of burly, armor-clad men crowded around. The hallway was only wide enough for a single person to stand comfortably, so the men formed a line, waiting to storm the castle.

  After passing through the dark, damp corridor and climbing the long staircase, we reached the small room with the panel. In the flickering lamplight, I could make out more men in leather armor crammed into the tight space, their weapons held tight, apprehension etched on their faces.

  At the back of the room, we found Rabaught waiting for us at the base of the stairs leading up into the castle proper.

  “You’re finally here, eh? So you know, some of the soldiers who used to serve under me will be joining the uprising. Anyone wearing a white band on their arm is one of ours.”

  “You’re an ex-soldier?”

  Rabaught gave a wry smile as he stroked his mustache. “A commander, no less. And now I’m leading a revolt against the count.”

  Ariane’s golden eyes seemed to appear out of nowhere, her charcoal cloak allowing her to slip through the shadows with ease. “What’s the plan?”

  “Once we’re in, we’ll split into two groups. The treasury is located in the courtyard between the castle’s inner and outer gates. A gate team will take possession of the drawbridge and allow our allies gathering outside to enter. We’ve taken steps to deal with the guards outside the castle, so don’t you worry about that. A group armed with these little boys here will take care of the inner gate.”

  Rabaught pulled a fist-sized ball from his pocket. It looked like two unglazed clay bowls held together by a string. It was slightly larger than a tennis ball.

  Ariane looked surprised. “Burst Spheres, huh?”

  “The lady is well informed. Yes, we’ll be using these to blow the gate off its hinges. Those doors won’t stand a chance.”

  “Aren’t Burst Spheres incredibly expensive? They’re basically rune stones and explosive powder.”

  “They were a gift from our ally in the capital. But yes, they usually cost ten gold coins each.”

  As far as I could gather, Burst Spheres were some type of magical hand grenade. Their co-conspirator in the capital must have been quite wealthy to send such an expensive gift. Maybe a high-ranking noble?

  “Well, shall we get going?”

  The tension in the room thickened as all the men turned their attention toward me. I climbed the stairwell and put my hand on the ceiling cover, swallowing hard. I pushed until I heard a heavy scraping sound and the entrance to the castle opened up.

  The tension in the room turned to surprise at the sight of my strength. Rabaught let out a wry laugh and immediately began issuing orders to his men.

  “No time for gawking, boys. You have jobs to do! You two, fix the door locks into place. The four of you over there, take care of anyone guarding the treasury. Shil, go get the rest of the men waiting in the tunnel.”

  “Yes, sir!”

  Shil, now freed of his duty as a guide, turned on his heel and ran off.

  Rabaught’s men did as ordered and quietly made their way up the stairs into the castle.

  The ceiling cover was connected by a chain to a pulley dangling from a joist in the room above. Two men worked the crank to raise the cover before shoving a large rod into the gears to fix it in place. For a moment, my hand remained where it was, making it look like I was holding nothing but air as armed men ran up the stairs past me.

  We were in what appeared to be a hidden room within the stores. The wall in front of us opened out into the storeroom proper. Beyond I could see the entrance to the stores, where four men peered out into the castle thro
ugh a crack in the door. One of them signaled Rabaught, who nodded in response. The men spilled silently out of the storeroom, splitting into two groups.

  The group charged with taking the drawbridge moved along the base of the castle wall in a low crouch, while the archers began firing a volley at the guards patrolling atop the wall. The arrows pierced the guards’ throats and heads, felling them where they stood. A second volley reduced their numbers even further. Unfortunately, one of the victims fell from the wall, hitting the ground with a loud crash.

  A guard in one of the outer towers heard the noise and, with a bored yawn, slowly turned to see what it was. As soon as he spotted the group of men moving along the castle wall, we heard the high-pitched clang of an alarm bell.

  Within moments, the castle sprang to life, the air suddenly full of strangled shouts and ringing steel.

  The sound of men yelling and drawing weapons grew ever louder by the moment. The men making their way toward the inner gate found themselves engaged in combat with the soldiers who’d been standing guard outside. Their screams echoed across the courtyard just as the sun crested the horizon.

  I watched on as one of our men, about to be slain by a guard, was saved by a soldier wearing a white armband. The guard’s face displayed a mix of shock and betrayal as his comrade’s sword ran him through.

  Ariane and I walked through the courtyard in silence, searching for the captured elf.

  I didn’t exactly blend in as I walked calmly through the fray. The occasional guard would spot me and charge, but a quick smack to the head would send him tumbling to the ground unconscious.

  “Explode and destroy my foes.” The men charged with opening the inner gate uttered a chant as they threw their black balls toward the doors.

  The roar of the explosion tore through the castle as a shower of splinters rained down upon the courtyard. Soldiers standing nearby were blown back by the shock wave and debris.

  Somehow, though, the top hinges were unscathed. When the smoke cleared, the door stood firm, if leaning slightly.