Chapter 26

Jack of all Trades – 26Post navigation

Weapons of the Forest, Daniela’s Past

The light that poured from the room elongated the shadows of the crumbled walls. We stepped over the shadows as we made our way into the room.

“What is…”

“Ancient elves…”

Daniela whispered as she looked at them.

“But, won’t that make these over a thousand years old? How could they have been preserved in this state for so long?”

“There is a reason that it was considered to be an age of advanced magic. Preservation magic, environment magic, all of it was at a different level then it is today. And so these do not deteriorate or break. There is a magic that allows these weapons to maintain their appearance for one thousand years.”

Yes, what lay before us now were weapons. A double-edged straight sword. A single-edged short sword. A spear with a large head. An almost transparent, green short bow. In fact, all of the blades on the weapons were the same beautiful green color as the bow. The bow didn’t have a blade, so the entire thing was green. It was likely a type of metal.

A metal that could bend but was still strong. It was clearly no ordinary metal.

“Weapons of the ancient elves, huh. They’re very pretty. Almost like works of art.”

“You are not wrong, Asagi. And they should be the finest weapons to use as well. If they do not deteriorate then they should not become nicked either. They would likely not require as much care. And such artifacts from that age would carry a great price as well. Most nobles have an obsession with collecting such things. But only to look at.”

I see… So these would be incredibly expensive, eh? Not that I was thinking of selling them. Actually, were we even…

“Is this something that we can just take back with us?”

“I do not see why we shouldn’t. Perhaps whoever lords over these lands might take issue, but this was found from a ruin that was lost. It is something that adventurers found while exploring. If they want it, they will have to buy it.”

“I suppose so. Might as well help ourselves to it then. But, I’m still trying to focus on using the sword, so can you take them?”

I said as I slapped the sword that hung on my belt. I already had a weapon being made by Chief, and he had already warned me about this. Good weapons won’t encourage you to grow. It was too early for me to use these.

“But, I…”

Daniela looked down at her own weapons. Perhaps they had sentimental value to her. She did not seem particularly eager to swap them out.

“In any case, I cannot carry all of them. You can at least do that can you not?”

“If I have to. It will be a bother if we have to fight again, but I do intend to use a variety of weapons one day. So I might as well get used to moving with a lot them equipped.”

“That will not happen.”

Beowulf had been extremely quiet until this interjection.

“I’ve ensured that all the forest wolves move away from here. I had no intention of involving them in our battle. The air is not quite as good there, but I had them go towards the southern part of the forest.”

Isn’t that where the goblins are? Would this be the beginning of a war?

“This part of the forest was once populated by goblins as well. It seems that the air has changed after I arrived. Well, eventually the southern forest will become ours as well.”

Apparently, the forest wolves preferred this side of the forest because of the mana that Beowulf emitted. So now the goblins forest would become the forest wolves’ forest. Then the northern forest’s mana would change. In other words, the goblins would migrate to this forest. They were switching places.

I rewrite the details of the maps in my head as I pick up one of the ancient weapons. There is a sound that resembles the chime of a bell. I adjust the placements as I equip them. It was decided that I would carry the straight sword, spear, and bow. Daniela carried the short sword.

“Sorry, Asagi. I forgot about the quiver.”

Daniela was supposed that have carried the bow, but could not because her quiver was in the way. The ancient elven bow did not come with an option for quivers.

“Well, I can carry it then. Since we have no plans to fight on the way. We can think about this once we get back to town.”

I take the ancient weapons with me as we leave the ruins. A lot had happened, but this was the end of our training camp.

Or so I thought for a very brief moment.

“Oh, I just recalled something. Asagi, there is something I must give you.”

Beowulf’s wounds were now almost completely healed for some reason. He called after me as we tried to return to our camp.

“We’re very tired and want to get back. It’s all your fault, you know.”

“Ah, do not act like that. One becomes very wise when they reach my level. I do not understand the mechanics of it, but I am able to bestow a gift to you.”

“A gift?”

“Yes. The gift of Beowulf. Be grateful for it. Use it. And when we meet again, we will fight without reserve.”

Without waiting for a reply, Beowulf took in a deep breath and howled long and loud. Then the cry that came from his mouth turned into particles that showered down on me. The forest-green specks were absorbed into my body, and I suddenly understand. Like him, I don’t know how, but I know that I have gained a new skill.

“‘Legs of the Forest Wolf,’ use it well.”

Beowulf says and then smiles, before dashing away like the wind.

“Hahh…what a riot that guy is.”

“It is a miracle that we are alive…”

We both let out a sigh. Actually, there was something that had been bothering me.

“Daniela, you seemed a little shaken back there. Are you alright?”

“Aye, uhh… Well… Yes, too shaken I think. I need to train myself more.”

“I don’t think it has anything to do with that… Did something happen?”

Of course, I meant in her ‘past.’

“Perhaps I should tell you while I can… First, let us return to our camp.”

“Right…”

We once again moved our tired bodies to the camp, which took quite a while.

□ □ □ □

There were no attacks by forest wolves on the way back. Not even a hint of their presence was felt. I suppose what Beowulf had said was right. I started a fire and began to make a meal of what remained of the food when Daniela began to talk.

“It happened nearly seventy years ago.”

“Wait a second.”

That far back? How old was she?

“Asagi, that was very rude. Though, as a hint, I will say that I am nearly two hundred years of age.”

“It’s a good hint…”

Miss Daniela was nearing her two hundredth year, apparently.

“My tribe, they were killed by monsters.”

A stampede. She says that was the reason. She says that this was not particularly unusual.

But…

“A dragon stampede is something rare. After all, they are not a species known for breeding in large numbers. They are troublesome creatures and often the targets of hunters from a young age. It could take an army to kill a single adult dragon. But such were the monsters in this stampede. My tribe did not stand a chance.”

Daniela had witnessed this with her own eyes. She said that she had tried to escape with her family, and the moment that they were out of the house, the mad beasts had crushed her parents under their feet. In a frenzy and covered in the blood and guts of her mother and father, Daniela had fled back into the house and hidden in the cellar. She believed that the thick smell of gore on her was what helped her escape from the dragons.

“I was so scared that I dared not leave for quite some time. Fortunately, it was a pantry so I did not lack for food. It was exactly enough for two weeks. Somehow, I suppressed the madness that threatened to creep into me. I ate as little of the food as I could until an entire month had passed.”

When she finally did appear on the surface again, a hellish scene awaited her. Not even time had erased the smell of blood and corruption. Half-eaten bodies were strewn everywhere. She had vomited what little gastric juices remained in her stomach when seeing this.

But even so, Daniela had survived. She pulled out the armor that her father had bought for her from beneath the rubble and put it on. Then she picked up the weapons that her mother had used and left the light elf settlement behind her.

When she finished this story, she looked at her equipment that leaned against a tree. Now I knew…what they meant to her. I thought back on her expression when I told her to take the ancient elven weapons.

I pour the now ready soup into a bowl and hand it to her. She smiles warmly and accepts it.

“That scene still exists in the back of my brain. Even if I can live as if I have forgotten it, it always returns in my dreams. I will always have tears in my eyes in the morning after such nights. This thing that happened in the past, I will surely remember it until I die. It’s a memory that cannot be erased even when I think I’ve forgotten it.”

I think back on the moment when Daniela had clung to me desperately. It had been Beowulf’s foot that was pressing me down. Seeing me about to be crushed at that moment must have brought the memories back to her. I steal a glance at her as I brood over this. She was holding the bowl with both hands and drinking slowly. Something about it made me think of a young girl, exhausted from so much crying.

I too drink the soup. It was hot and sent warmth throughout my whole body, but I never did know what it tasted like.