I wondered—I wondered if one day I would be able to bring such a sight back to this area and this city. Would I be able to smash apart the demons’ schemes, avoid being roasted by the dragon’s flames, safeguard the peaceful activity of the city and help it to grow? I wanted to.
As I thought about this, I picked out a few items from the many weapons and pieces of armor here.
“A big shield?”
“Yes.” I nodded back to Reystov. “As a measure against dragon breath.”
It was an impressively large and obviously heavy-duty shield, big enough for a person to hide their entire body behind, and it had the Word of Protection engraved upon it countless times. The circular shield I’d been using so far was useful, and I intended to keep on using it, but that shield’s primary emphasis was portability.
“Considering our opponent, the bigger the shield, the better.”
There were disadvantages as well: the larger shield would make it more difficult for me to attack with my own weapon, and its increased weight would be more of a pain to handle. However, I now had enough strength and skill that I didn’t have to give even the slightest thought to those differences.
“And some additional armor...”
I added on several pieces of metal armor. When I left this temple years ago, I had no idea how far I was going to have to travel, so I couldn’t possibly have worn these. But now that I knew the rough distance to the field of battle, that wasn’t a problem anymore.
“And this.”
It was a pretty thick—in other words, heavy—dagger with straight edges and a well-sharpened point.
“Hm? What’s up with that dagger?” Menel said. “Isn’t the handle the wrong way?”
“Ah, you’re right,” Al said, peering at it. “That’s unusual.”
“It’s meant to be worn on your right.”
Most bladed weapons are worn on the left of the body. That’s to enable the familiar movement of holding the sheath in place with the left hand while the right hand grips the handle and pulls it out. However, this stiletto had been made to be worn on the right, to make it convenient to pull out in a grappling situation. It was made so that if you got into a close quarters fight where it might be quite difficult to draw your weapon, you could conclude everything with two actions: first, grabbing the handle with your dominant right hand and pulling it out with a backwards grip, and second, swinging it down forcefully.
“You take this, Al, and get yourself used to it. I’m sure that halberd will come in useful, but you aren’t going to be very nimble with it.”
“Oh! Okay! Umm... Who owned this dagger?”
“My dad.”
Al’s eyes went wide in shock. “I couldn’t—”
“It’s okay. Take it.”
Blood had once told me with a proud grin that this right-wield was a great trick. He said that he had claimed victory over countless monsters and formidable opponents in situations where he couldn’t use his more familiar two-handed sword. He had even brought it to that final battle, so there was no doubt it was one of his favorites.
“I just felt like it would be better for you to hold onto it for some reason.” It was just a gut feeling. But Blood was one to trust his gut. So I decided to do the same.
“So it’s a momento.”
“Yes. But I’m giving it to you. You should have it.”
It looked like he didn’t know what to say.
“It’s okay.” I handed over the dagger. “I’ve already received a lot of precious things from them.”
Right, Blood and Mary?
I whispered those words inside my heart.
◆
And so we finished our preparations and decided to stay the night in the city of the dead. Also, there was of course no food or anything of the sort here. I could receive bread from God, just as Mary had been doing, but that was essentially the minimum amount needed to physically survive. Menel looked at me incredulously and said, “I have no idea how you survived in a place like this for over ten years,” as he went out into the woods to find us some food (and test his bow). He’d probably be back with something before it got dark.
Menel had always been pretty skilled at a variety of things, but he had taken an even greater leap forward in the past two years. He could pull tricks like sneaking up behind a wolf stalking its prey, and surprising it by petting it on the back. It really was incredible. Even I couldn’t do that.
Reystov and Ghelreis had also gone to look for food, except they had gone fishing at the lake. It hadn’t been so long since those two had met, but it seemed that as two hardened warriors, they’d already connected on some level. They were probably having some kind of conversation, or maybe just sitting there saying nothing with their fishing lines dangling into the water.
Starting tomorrow, we would probably find ourselves in situations without adequate access to food regularly. We were heading into completely untrodden land. It would be a treacherous and difficult journey. All of us understood that this place, guarded by Gus—who was currently cooped up in his room to engrave Signs on all of our equipment—could be our final safe haven.
“Finally finished,” I said with a sigh. I had been cleaning up the kitchen area with Al as I waited for the others to return.
For the past two years, the only one here had been Gus. In addition to being unable to feel heat or cold, Gus never got hungry or tired, so the kitchen was completely covered in dust. After wrapping a cloth around my mouth, I’d dashed around doing the routine I was used to. Cleaning was something I’d done a lot of while helping Mary. The temple was big, so there were quite a lot of places that needed it.
“You could have left it to me.” Al’s expression was a little complicated. He seemed kind of surprised that his master the Paladin would do housework.
“It was faster to do it together. Besides, what about you? You’re royalty.”
“Only in name,” Al said as he raised one hand and spun it in a small circle. It was a dwarven gesture of mild disagreement. “Everyone in the clan treated me very well, but we were still poor. I learned to repair, to craft, and much more. Many times I thought, ‘Why was I not born as a simple workshop lad?’”
“If you’d been born as a workshop lad, you would have imagined this instead.” I placed my hand dramatically against my forehead and said in an exaggerated, serious voice, “Could it be that I am actually the last prince of a fallen land, with a mission to resurrect my kingdom?”
Al laughed out loud. “I’d like to tell that version of myself that it’s not actually as good as it sounds!”
“Yeah. You’re not kidding.” Dragon slaying was not my idea of fun in real life. “But you’re still going to go ahead with it.”
“Yes, I am.” Al’s eyes were clear. As usual, he looked quiet and gentle on the outside. But the self-deprecating impression he had once given off was now completely dormant.
◆
“In truth, they all miss their old home,” Al said. “They want to go back, and they want to take it back. But they’ve been through so much that even wishing for that is now more than they’re capable of. I probably understand that better than anyone.”
I remembered the expressions of the many dwarves I’d met so far, as well as the joy I’d felt upon returning to my own home.
“That’s why I want to go,” he continued. “I want to show them all that they can take back their old home, that it’s okay to try. If by risking my life I can light a fire in everyone’s hearts, I think that would be a very wonderful thing.”
I nodded quietly. It took kindness and courage to say something like that so earnestly. It occurred to me that perhaps a person like this was the most suited to being a king.
“But it seems that I’ve gotten you involved in it, and—”
“No, you haven’t.” I denied it immediately. That was definitely wrong. “I knew I’d have to fight. If I abandoned everything here and rushed to protect myself, I wouldn’t be able to face my parents or
Gus.”
After all, the three of them had taken on the High King with all his formidable strength, betting on the slim chance of victory.
“And I wouldn’t know what to say to my god.”
God gave me one more chance out of pity for the regret carried by my soul. If, in full knowledge of the fate that would eventually befall me, I once again shrunk away from risk and feared stepping forward, slowly coming to the same end as before where I was afraid to venture anywhere, how could I possibly face my god then?
“I have something I want to do someday,” I said.
“Something you want to do?”
“Yeah.”
I didn’t want glory. I didn’t want wealth. I was even prepared to throw away happiness. There was only one thing I wanted.
“I want to hold my head up high. One day, when I return to the god of the flame, I want to hold my head up high, acting just a little bit cool, you know...”
To stand facing that expressionless god with confidence, not feeling the least bit hesitant—
“And say, I was able to live a proper life, and it’s all thanks to you.”
And thank her as directly as possible.
Al listened quietly as I spoke.
“So I won’t run from the dragon. I’ll fight. And it’s because of you, Al, that I was able to make that decision.” What would have happened to me if I hadn’t heard Al’s shout of resolve back then? Who knows—I might even have chosen the wrong path. “So thank you.”
Al smiled. “Thank you, sir. It was you who made me your squire and taught me confidence and courage. I swear on this dagger you have given me that no matter how this may end, I will never regret that decision.”
Feeling very slightly embarrassed, I nodded.
In the battles ahead of us, circumstances weren’t always going to allow us to fight while protecting or being considerate of each other. I was glad to hear that he was mentally prepared.
“Yeah. I’m counting on you, Al.”
“Yes, sir!”
We shook hands once again. Then, I heard someone calling out from somewhere a good distance away outside my window. Apparently Menel had come back.
Al ran to the window, peered out, and let out a cry of surprise. “He’s got a deer! A deer!”
“A deer?!” How had he hunted that so fast?! “Quick, let’s get everything ready to butcher it!”
“Yes, sir!”
Things suddenly got hectic.
◆
Fat dripped from the roasted deer’s thigh onto the fire and hissed. A gorgeous aroma filled the air. The wild vegetables to go with it had been washed, cut, and were already sauteing slowly in the pot.
“Wow...” Al was visibly excited. Menel looked a little bit triumphant, and Reystov and Ghelreis were unusually quiet.
“Hahah. No hard feelings, ya?” Menel slapped them on the shoulders annoyingly as a joke. The two of them knocked away Menel’s hands simultaneously with grumpy looks on their faces, causing Gus to burst out laughing.
They hadn’t caught a thing.
“It was bad luck.”
“Mm.”
They both looked in too much of a bad mood for that to be true.
Incidentally, I wasn’t sure about Ghelreis, but Reystov’s hobby was fishing. In his spare time, I often saw him with his line in the water, but he’d pretty much never split any catches with me, so I had a reasonable idea of his skill level.
“I mean,” I started, “it’s not like everyone’s expecting you to be great at fishing just because you’re a strong warrior—”
“It was bad luck.”
“Uh...”
“You hear me? Bad luck.”
“Y-Yeah, ahaha, terrible,” I said awkwardly, deciding not to push it.
I’d known him to put some seasonal flowers into the empty wicker basket that should have held the fish and give it to Anna or someone, saying it was a flower offering to the gods. Personally, I thought that was pretty nice and romantic, so I really didn’t see a problem with him never catching anything, but from his perspective he probably wanted to get better at it.
“Right, should be ready to start now,” Menel said.
The way to eat an animal that was roasted whole like this was to cut off parts with a knife as they finished cooking. We also had holy bread, so our evening meal was something like sandwiches, filled with sauteed vegetables and the roasted venison we’d carved off. We’d left the extra meat to smoke so we could keep it for tomorrow onwards.
“Okay, let’s eat.” I said grace to the good gods as usual and tucked in.
“Sir Meneldor, I must ask, where and how did you kill this deer?”
“I was walking along animal trails, keeping quiet and hidden, and just bumped right into it.”
Al seemed surprised. “Right into it?!”
“Ya. Didn’t have time to think about anything, so I just fired on reflex, and it was like the arrow was sucked right into the sweet spot.”
“That is most fortunate.” Gus ran his fingers through his ghostly beard as he nodded.
“The blessings of the fae god were with you.”
“Not with us, though.”
“Mm.”
“How about you just own up and admit you suck at fishing? You’ll feel a lot better.”
“J-Just bad luck.”
“Give it up!”
Not wanting to get involved, all I could do was sit back and laugh awkwardly.
I used a knife to scrape some rock salt into the bread stuffed full of venison and sauteed wild vegetables and took a large bite. The sandwich was absolutely delicious, oozing with hot meat juices. And the atmosphere was lively and cheerful.
For some reason, I remembered the time when Blood and Mary were still around. My chest tightened a little with a helpless feeling of nostalgia.
After our meal was over and everyone had returned to their rooms, I wandered outside on my own. Under the starry sky, I sat in front of Mary and Blood’s graves and spoke to them inside my heart about all kinds of things.
I’m back, I said. You not being here makes me uneasy, but I’m doing okay. I made both friends and allies.
I filled them in on all kinds of things: what I’d done since I’d been gone, the people I’d met, the things I’d gained.
I remember your last words. I promise I’ll continue to abide by them. I’ll see you again.
I looked behind me. Gus was there. He hesitated for a while, choosing his words as he floated in place in the air. “How I wish I could go with you and help you along,” he muttered in a pained voice. “It hurts me that I’m powerless when it’s most crucial.”
I shook my head and smiled at him. “Just those words are enough. Don’t worry, Gus. Just wait here, with Blood and Mary.”
“Mm. I’ll be waiting for you.”
“Yeah.”
“And when you next come back, make sure you bring your wife with you.”
“E-Enough already!”
And so my short homecoming came to an end, and my journey to slay the dragon began.
Autumn was in full swing. It was that time of year where every day was slightly colder than the last. With the wind in its sail and a sky of thin cloud above, our boat seemed to glide across the gently rolling surface of the lake. To the north, I could see the splendor of the mountain range surrounded by cloud. Those were the Rust Mountains.
“So we just have to go down this branch of the river to the west?”
“If the map is correct. If there are signs that the landscape’s changed, we’ll turn back for now.” I nodded to Menel, who was looking back at us from the foredeck. He started calling to the elementals again.
We were sailing our boat across the lake in order to circle around to the west side of the Rust Mountains.
Menel looked very natural calling to the fairies and summoning the wind to steer the boat. Elementalists and sorcerers who reached the point of being able to read and control the wind were always in demand by the coast, wh
ere ships came and went, and would never struggle for food or somewhere to sleep. Menel had probably lived off jobs like that at one point in the past.
“This rope, you do this.”
“Right!”
Toward the stern, Reystov was teaching Al about ropework and how to manage the sail. Not only did Reystov have many years of experience as an adventurer, he also had a good memory and more hobbies than most. On this kind of journey, he was as consistently useful as Menel. Al didn’t have that kind of experience, but through training with Menel and me and going on this journey, he was quickly developing the qualities of an adventurer, even if he wasn’t yet very polished.
“Alright, so, about where we’re going. Ghelreis, do you have any idea what we can expect?”
The scar-faced dwarf of few words shook his head. “I’m afraid I know of nothing after the Great Collapse.”
Gus and my parents had been bound to the city, so they also didn’t know about anything beyond its boundaries. From here on, we would be heading into a “dark region”—territory not marked on any map, where no one had set foot.
“Except,” Ghelreis said quietly, “before the Great Collapse, there was a forest of elves to the west of the Iron Country. It was called Lothdor.”
“Lothdor... the land of flowers?”
“You understand Elvish, then?”
“Gus schooled me in it, so yes, I know the basics.”
Gus didn’t know much about the very minor languages like the one the giants used, so I was a little patchy on those, but otherwise, I knew how to use quite a few languages. Elvish especially had little linguistic change because its speakers lived long lives. Because it hadn’t changed much from the Elvish Gus knew two hundred years ago, it was one of the languages I was particularly good at.
“Lothdor... I’ve heard of it before,” Menel said from the foredeck as he looked out over the luxuriant forest along the shore. Then, he started reciting softly in Elvish. “Slip past the Iron Country, where the dwarves live in caves / Cross the radiant Rainbow Bridge, and arrive yourself in Lothdor / On silver harps and golden flutes the Remmirath play and sing.”
The Lord of the Rust Mountains (Complete) Page 20