Chapter 53: Intermission – Warriors outside the forest
Polka was shaking violently against the sudden kidnapping affair of the baron and Apple.
“It is the first time that elves have come to such a deep concern”
“Baron, will he be alright?”
“Oh well, the baron will be okay, despite his appearance he is a former swordsman”
“Eh, really?”
“The problem is Apple-chan. ……Somehow it seems like a politically troubling position, so if we don’t do anything, they will be executed, Mrs. Baron”
“Damn elves! Apple-chan is our idol……no, she just started to live in peace!”
“It’s totally……I mean, it’s a diplomatic issue when you put your hand on the baron. When necessities arrive we could call the army from the capital, but………”
“……I wish they could come, the military……because it’s Polka here”
“……Don’t say that”
“Maybe winter is finished by the time we call them”
“Da, Damn it. Why is not there an hour’s walk to the capital!”
From Polka, you have to go through the difficulty of the snake mountains to the capital and it is difficult to contact in the first place. The messenger doesn’t arrive at the speed which cuts off one week even if it uses as much means as possible, and even if it comes to full scale, it is necessary to establish a logistics plan of considerable scale in order to advance around Polka which is a depopulated area. First, if you set things up with the northern elves, if you go north to the west of the snake mountain range and travel through the Laika sanctuary there are many neighboring cities, which is convenient and quick. The more important it is, the more likely it is that the issue of life for one of the urgent frontiers and their guests will be abandoned.
“I wonder what we can do from now on”
“Nothing……there is no baron, even if we say we were in the army, we are too few”
“I guess that with everyone in the town we will be a bit more than a hundred people……”
“When you do not include the old people will it only be the half?”
“……If the elves become serious, they will all die in three seconds”
“I wish they had only taken the baron……”
Guard duo, Keel and Johnny slowly dropped their shoulders at the main gate in the south of the city. In fact, it is not the case that the intruder from the home country is watched in such a place. The enemy is in the north. But if they actually get attacked they will have to flee. These two combat experience was only once, as they have been greeted at the end of the Celesta war, only to experience diversionary citadel warfare and never fought against the enemy straight. Halberds, who they have, is usually unnecessary and intimidating, and even the people in question are a little frightened, but now it was too much to rely on.
—————————————
In the Baron’s mansion, there was a completely different atmosphere.
“Think carefully”
Laila twists her head to Dianne’s words.
“Be cautious at all. We should go get them back soon”
“I made a mistake, sorry”
Dianne walks around the office where the baron was attacked and carefully examines footprints and crushing marks of the windows.
“There is a high possibility that the elves have done it, but the way is too violent. It can also be thought of as the work of bandits who heard rumors of the relationship between the elves and Polka”
“……Bandits?”
Dianne keeps on explaining to Laila who makes a dubious face.
“I haven’t found any traces of an elf at one glance. No one has seen how Apple and the Baron were kidnapped and there is no arrow shot”
“……But, even if you say so……there is no location where bandits can walk around”
“Sir Bonaparte came directly from beyond the snake mountain range, and although it is dangerous to be watched by the elves, the possibility that bandits will come isn’t zero”
The area around Polka is a frontier. It is a location that the bandit’s industry can’t be made past the frontier. Despite lurking in somewhere, the climate is too strict and there can not be a back society that can move the money earned by the bandits. It is a land that you normally not think is good or bad for bandits to stay long. But the possibility that they will go on an expedition and commit a crime isn’t zero. It was unlikely that there was a scenario where the baron who is likely to have money and the pursuit of a weak woman in the vicinity will be a threatening case for them. The scenario was not to be impossible. It was unnatural that there was no ransom demand, but spent three days or so on a base construction in the unfamiliar land……
“And then Andy also…….no, it is said that he is kidnapped while being accompanied by Anzeros and Maia”
“If the bandits had secured Andy for some sort of time……they are the only people who are not wicked. They might have had to raise their hands for the moment”
“I see, I see……”
“……It’s a story. If you yell at the elves by mistake, it will give you the cause of war”
“Even if it is not a misunderstanding, they won’t have a war, at least they will do it quietly”
“I also think so, but politics is determined by justice. No matter how much a part of the country suffers, if the person who did it is evil, the majority of the others will try to finish the thing with the lizard’s tail cut. If there is no cause, the person doesn’t move. If there is proof that the culprit is an elf, but there is no baron, it won’t become a war. But if it is not so, it will be the worst result that the Baron will not be able to regained and cause an unnecessary war”
“……The world is a hard life”
Dianne had been swayed by that one point that the attack that the elves did was undoubtedly pushy. She got less evidence because it was quick and snowy. Although Selenium is pursuing the footprints that continue into the forest, the place was also dangerous.
“Dianne-chan, here I am”
“How was it, older sister?”
“Not good. Where Andy-kun and the others disappeared……I think that it is probably the way into the forest, but the range is too wide, although it does not bother to run the snow all the way even if you run, you can’t rely on footprints”
“Uumu”
The deaths of Andy and the others were also difficult to handle just because Dianne doesn’t know the point. Perhaps everything happened at the same time, so they’d like to deal with them quickly, but there is a possibility that they went somewhere as Maia was present. If, for example, they were invited to Misty Palace, they had spent time without excessive, the careless connection to the elves still had the danger of becoming fatal for the human side, even eventually for Trot and Celesta.
“……It was a failure for Andy to put all the clumsy guys together”
“Well……at least a clue would be left behind if it is Selenium or Dianne”
At least, it was Dianne and the others who had no relation to the helpless feeling like the citizens of the city……n, no, they felt a dead end due to the powerful and thoughtful position.
“I’m back……”
Selenium comes back now. She was exhausted.
“Selenium, how was it”
“……I was found by a monster and got into trouble”
“Mo, Monster?”
“The monster was a bear……thanks to it, the footprints were lost”
“Bear……a lumberjack grizzly bear or so”
It is a monster bear boasted with power that can knock off a big tree with one blow. Due to too much power and speed, it is a powerful demon that is hard to fight with and to escape from if it is a decent person, but still Selenium was able to escape which was tiresome.
“That demon is still nearby”
“I sprinkled it apart from the city for a while but I can teach you the place if you will bring it down”
“Umm”
“……Laila?”
“I will deal with it. It’s a little bit of a bug”
Laila quickly left the mansion. Haa, Dianne sighs She also wanted to get rid of stress in the mountains, but she still couldn’t afford it.
“Please cooperate with me, older sister”
“What?”
“I will examine the route that Andy and the others used again because there aren’t many routes they could take for march training without being witnessed by the townspeople”
“Uh……well, if you think so”
————————–
Laila in her dragon form who has Selenium on her back flies over the forest and goes to the spot where the monster bear was seen. But there is already a guest.
“Ho. Arthur Bonaparte”
“Uooo…Laila-sama. Don’t be rude”
Arthur was surprised by Laila´s huge appearance. It is a hard man to understand whether to see from the side seriously and to be surprised though it is certain to be a fierce person who does not pull one step off against a dragon for the time being.
“I heard that Selenium saw a monster around here, didn’t you see it”
“Ah, that bear……I am also aiming for it”
“Aiming?”
“I want to do some special training about fighting against someone who is awkward because monster bears use their arms differently from wolves and others, so they are more realistic”
“……Why on earth are you going to fight them?”
“Well”
Behind Arthur who is saying that the monster bear jumps out from the darkness.
“Arthur!”
“Uoo”
Arthur dodges that rush. The cloak is torn. Whether it noticed Laila’s big body just after that rush, the bear flips over and returns to the darkness of the forest.
“Chii……”
Laila quickly transforms into her human body when Selenium is lowered and walks next to Arthur.
“In any case, it is difficult to kill it without burning the forest, Arthur will hunt it against me in a little competition”
“U, Umm”
“?”
“Th, that’s right, do you want to run around this snow naked, Laila-sama?”
“Ho?”
“That……it will interfere my footwork”
—————————–
Diane and Hilda were walking carefully looking around the path around the forest.
“I have seen it many times……”
“It’s a hundred times on, older sister”
“Dianne-chan also has experience of military police……?”
“No, I’ve been to a special intelligence brigade but there is no military police”
“Dianne-chan, you’ve really changed your job a lot”
“I have been a soldier for decades, I don’t know until after a few years, well……hmm?”
It is not unusual for her to stop in the eyes of Dianne. No, it can be said that there is an accident. Rumors of the recent raid of the elves have flowed and the forest where plenty of things are getting closer is also reduced. There are roads in the vicinity, so no one is walking. However, there is a child who is doing rope jumping on such a road approaching evening at dusk.
“……?”
Dianne approaches while making a suspicious face.
“Hey, you should return home because it is already dark……”
“!!”
The child makes herself stiff. That child had a familiar look.
“……N, you are……?”
“Ah, you are the child of the blacksmith?”
Did the little girl feel a little easier on the appearance of Hilda squatting down? The child timidly looked up at the two.
“You……guys are……?”
“I am Dianne”
“I´m Hilda-sensei, a magic doctor”
“……Uh”
“Your name is?”
“Sa, Sara”
“Yes. Sara-chan, if you play, why wouldn’t you rather play in the city while it is brighter?”
To Hilda who admonishes in a loud voice, Sara answered in a small voice.
“……Be, because……if everyone can see me practicing, I’ll be ridiculed”
“?”
“When I jump, I jump too high……”
“…………”
Dianne makes a bitter smile. It is indeed close to the forest where people can’t catch up. It is perfect for practicing something while hiding from everyone.
“But in such a dark place, human will fall down”
“……Alright. I can see it”
“No, nevertheless there is a limit”
“I and daddy, it’s okay for us to see in the dark, even without any light”
“……Ah”
Little horns are on her head. It seems to be round and not so hard, and if you don’t look closely it seems like a pattern of a hair band or something, but it still appeared firmly on her head.
“So, it’s okay”
“Yeah, but the monsters are getting active at night, so you should stop it”
“Uuu”
The girl did not appear to be convinced.
“……But, I have to work hard”
“It is not something that can be done with too many roots, there is something appropriate for practice”
“Oh yeah, it’s not enough to do a lot. If you overdo it, it will reverberate the next day. So better do as much as you can every day”
Hilda gently admonishes her fingers. It is fun with the feeling that it is a school teacher and a child, but is it because of Hilda’s voice that it sounds somewhat evil? Dianne is secretly worried whether she is frustrated or not.
“……You know my sister and I can also see in the dark”
“Eh? Then you are dark elves”
“There are lots of people who can see in the dark in Celesta and everyone can live comfortably, do not they?”
“……Uh, well”
The girl looked a little miserable.
“My dad is suffering these days”
“?”
“Would it be better to move to Celesta now?”
“……E, Eh, you can do it”
Although the Kingdom of Trot is tolerant for the Ogre race, there is still a discontinuity where the overwhelming majority and minorities are invisible. In the midst of that discontinuity, the mixture will inevitably position. Celesta has a smaller difference between the number of majority and minority than Trot, is rich in variety, and is much more mixed than Trot. It was never said to be an ideal country without discrimination, but it was certain to get confused.
“Although it is a workshop that was given to us, in fact, it is right to give it back to the original owner and for Sara, as it may be good to start over in Celesta, father always murmured that in bed”
“……Yeah. Surely if you come, Celesta is a fun place”
The blacksmith is also worrying a lot. It is a serious choice, but surely there is a meaning. The condition that this matter of Andy and the baron is settled is attached, but this also limits. Dianne wanted to support them as much as possible as a person of Celesta if they were to immigrate. Sara looks angry.
“But I’m good here”
“……?”
“Father tells me that I´m pitiful here. But am I pitiful? Everyone is mean sometimes, but I don’t dislike it very much. I thought we’d all live here. I wonder if I’m happy In Celesta. Aren’t I going to grow up with everyone?
“…………”
Adults’ happiness isn’t always happy for children. The small happiness that may give up to possibly grab the great happiness may be irreplaceable for the person in question. It is a common story.
“I want to be able to do a double jump, I want to be able to do it, I want to be with everyone, so I don’t want to waste it. ……It’s much better than going to Celesta. Without everything, it is a wonderful place, I think, it’s better than Celesta”
“……That’s right, it does not make sense to elder sister”
As a person who became the founder of her father’s annoyance, Dianne decided to answer firmly as one of the lines.
“Parents desire children’s happiness, children have the right to be happy, I can not say that my father is making a mistake trying to do as much as possible, but Sara, now if you are happy you may want to say that you are happy”
“Eh……?”
“Parents are too greedy for children, so if you are satisfied, you are satisfied, you have to say that you are grateful for what you have become yourself, there are things that you don’t understand. Parents make an effort. Unlike the double jump, it is not understood whether it was able to make the child happy only by seeing parents”
“……Yup”
Dianne who smiles bitterly is too infirm. When she thinks about it, her father would have misunderstood that there was no single man that could satisfy her, looking at herself who continually strives to save allies. And, it might have been a struggle to put the human who balances the achievement and life more than humans anyway. She thinks that she will say that she has already been happy enough while doing by rub even on the shoulder occasionally. She’ll grab it herself.
“I understand. ……I will say thank you to my father. Surely I can look back on everyone if I can double jump and do not worry”
“Yes”
Children are also qualified enough to fight for their own happiness. Dianne wants her to take care of that pride while fighting. Thinking that Dianne caresses Sara’s hair. And at that moment. Suddenly the monster bear pops out of the darkness behind Sara who smiled. Then, it struck at Sara and Dianne in front of it with a blow and jumped out into the snowy field.
“!!!”
*Bakyatsu* Sara’s body is seen to be crushed. Her arm broke, her body crashed and the spine bent so horribly that it hit Dianne´s body.
“Sara……!!!”
Dianne was buried in the snow while holding Sara. Sara opens her eyes and spits out blood.
“Saraーーーー!!”
“Dianne-chan, let me!”
Hilda jumps to the two with the eyes of a doctor instantaneously. The arm was scratched by the claws and they fall into snow altogether. The side was also deep.
“Older sister!! Sara……Sara!”
“I understand! Absolutely help……leave it to me!”
Hilda moves her hands at high speed, starts hemostasis and magic treatment one after another. Leaving the place to Hilda, Dianne rises from the snow. That bear is a monster. In front of Dianne which is not very big, it looks like a small mountain. However, it has nothing to do with Dianne. It is an enemy that is in front of her. And she won’t forgive the enemy one way. The strongest dark elf warrior from the Oasis bleached her hidden fangs.
“Dead”
Laila and Arthur finally caught up and saw fan-shaped blood marks scattered by the shock, which stretched snowy fields at dusk by more than ten meters. And a bear corpse was lying there as it was cut by one kick.
“……Dianne”
“Did you guys fail to attack……?!”
Dianne, who is angry at Laila and Arthur, grabs two trees and cools down after a moment.
“……I’m sorry, for venting my anger”
“No, no……I am sorry”
“……I’m sorry”
In the immediate vicinity of the blood pool, they can see the figure of Hilda who is desperately treating a dying girl, so Arthur and Laila chew their lips. But.
“……Already. What’s with the face like that wake”
Without turning around, Hilda said brightly.
“Older sister”
“I told you to leave it to me”
————————–
A few days later.
“Yes, yes, don’t open your eyes……I will shed♪”
When Selenium poured water, a small head splashed the water away. Two small horns are on its head.
“……It is out of the ordinary, this miraculous spring”
Laila makes a bitter smile.
“Even though I dropped my arms, it was only 3 days to get rid of any scars……”
“I’m connected, I say, but it’s a miracle”
The dark elf sisters make a wry smile in line. ……This little girl, Hilda’s prowess is also likely to be there……complete recovery was unceremoniously from dying.
“Older sister is still amazing”
“Huh-uh. Respect? Honour?”
“Ah……I will not go”
“Then, if I find Andy-kun, I will monopolize him overnight♪”
“No, that’s my choice”
“Ho, I think I did a whole night of work”
As usual, Andy’s clues were not found. However, they are sure that it is surprising that somehow it is done. Andy is surely a man who can hold it until it is found. They believed so.
“Hey, Hilda-sensei”
“What, Sara-chan”
“Thank you for helping me, I’ll give you this”
While taking a walk on the hot spring, Sarah at first approached the snow mass on the side of the road and was digging out and taking out the ice mass from inside.
“Some time ago, I found it when I was practicing rope jumping”
An ice ball pierced by an arrow.
“……Ho. Dianne, that ball……it’s Maia?”
“The arrow is……the same arrow as the man named Phaser used before to shoot”
Laila and Dianne looked at each other.
『Sara, great!』
“E, eh?”
Sara was hugged by Dianne and Laila while blinking with her eyes.
——————–
In the forest, before the ancient boundaries. Laila, Hilda, Selenium, and Dianne used force to pierce the barrier.
“Hm ……. Ancient Barrier, what can we do?”
Arthur raises his goggles and looks at the barrier. The right eye who sees the space can see the appearance of the barrier which is forced to be broken open so that the peel of the pie can be broken by multiple spells.
“Pass through quickly”
With the command of Dianne, everyone is going into the barrier one after another.
“Come on……let’s get them back, northern elves”
While going through the closing barrier, Dianne again looked with the warrior’s eyes.