Skeleton Knight, in Another World Volume 6 Chapter 3

「Doranto Village」

The doctrine of the Hiruku religion discriminated against elves and beastmen.

The secret behinds Sasuke’s transformation into an undead and perhaps the origins of that undead horde we encountered seemed to lie in the Hiruku Theocracy.

I’d personally seen some of those undead acting with purpose.

We also encountered a horde of undead skeletons under the control of spider chimera in the cavern that opened up the Wind Dragon Mountain Range.

That group of undead certainly moved with purpose.

…… Something big was happening, but I didn’t know what it was.

Maybe I’m simply overthinking things?

While I was lost in thought, Ariane declared that she would be taking part in this latest expedition.

“Me too! I will go along as well! It’s a friend’s request and I would worry if Arc was left to handle it alone.”

While Ariane was sticking out her chest, I decided to ask her something that had been on my mind.

“…… That reminds me, Ariane you’re supposed to be a warrior of Maple right? Yet, you spent quite a lot of time in Raratoia.”

“!? That’s……”

Ariane choked on her words and avoided eye contact instead of replying.

A full on smile appeared on Glenys’ face and she looked me directly at me as she placed her arms around her daughter from behind.

“Ara, Ari-chan? You haven’t told him yet?”

Her expression and the way she talked down to Ariane was clue enough that whatever they were talking about was important.

Interested, I decided to see how this exchange played out.

“Ari-chan, didn’t you recently change your last name? It’s now Raratoia like Arc-kun’s, right?”

Ariane tried to pull away from her mother as she spoke.

I must have imagined the tips of Ariane’s ears turning a bright shade of red…… that was it.

“Oh, I guess Ariane-dono and I are neighbors then.”

She turned her eyes away from me after I said that.

“……The transfer is only for the purpose of monitoring you until you properly adjust to the village. Just leave it at that.”

Dylan finally reacted to the exchange between his family.

“What was that? Arc-kun has taken Raratoia as his last name? When was the invitation offered, Glenys?”

“Hmm, Glenys offered me the invitation a little while ago. However, officiating the approval was put on hold until your return……”

Dylan gave me a satisfied smile and nodded his head after I explained the circumstance of the situation.

“Well, that’s good. It would be fine if you joined the village Arc-kun, having your strength will certainly be a convenience. Considering the special circumstances it might be for the best to have a knowledgeable person you’re familiar with by your side.”

He looked his daughter in the eye and smiled when he said that.

Well, now I’ve officially joined Raratoia without too much of an issue.

“The conversation seems to have gotten off-topic, but since you accepted Chiome-kun’s request, why don’t you join me on a little excursion and enter the Hiruku Theocracy from Salma Kingdom on the southern coast?”

Glenys became puzzled about what Dylan had said.

“You too? You’re going on another trip?”

There was a hint of irritation in Gleny’s voice and Dylan quickly gave an explanation while trying to maintain a smile.

“No, you see, I returned to the capital just as a request for aid came from Doranto, the great elders tasked me to handle it since the village’s elder is an acquaintance. I can’t decline a direct request from the great elders. Sorry.”

Glenys breathed out an exasperated sigh and gave a Dylan’s a downcast look.

“It’s alright. I’ll save my complaints for my father.”

After saying that, Glenys pouted and turned away from Dylan, causing his shoulders to slump.

It was Ariane who managed to break up her parent’s discussion.

“Doranto sent out a request for aid? What happened? The village is usually self-sufficient, did you hear anything about the situation there?”

Since I’d just been accepted into the village and had no clue about the inner-workings of elven society I play close attention to the now grim-faced Dylan.

“Chiome informed me on our way here that Doranto had been attacked by undead for some reason and it seems that spider-like creatures like the ones you faced in the Wind Dragon Caverns led them……”

Ariane looked in my direct when she heard that.

“What happened to the village?”

“The three creatures that appeared brought along armored, undead soldiers. They suddenly appeared in Rouen forest and caused a good deal of damage. I’m expected to depart from Landfria tomorrow, along with warriors and healers to reinforce their defenses and treat the injured.”

All of us were surprised by what he’d said.

“Tomorrow, that’s rather sudden, isn’t it? I’m capable of some healing magic as well, would you like my assistance?”

Dylan shook his head at my offer before explaining the situation.

“I’m grateful for the for the offer, but…… Doranto isn’t too eager about accepting outsiders. Chiome is a person of the Fields and Mountains and Dark Elves aren’t welcomed there.”

Dylan’s shoulders shook a bit as he attempted a feeble laugh.

Even within the elven race, there existed various schools of thought.

It was a rather natural response if you thinks about it. Even though I’d been welcomed into Raratoia, that was only because Ariane’s father was the elder and he was an understanding man. It is only by his good graces that I’ve been allowed even a shallow amount of acceptance here.

In any case, something still worried me about this……

“You mentioned Rouen forest and said you had to sail from Landfria to reach it, is the village requesting aid not affiliated with the Great Canada Forest?”

“It’s as you say, Doranto lies in the Rouen forest just west of here. It’s an independent village that connects to the Southern Sea.”

“I was under the impression that all elves followed the first chieftain, but it seems that I was mistaken.”

When I voiced my thoughts in response to Dylan’s statement, Ariane shook her head beside me and spoke up.

“Those of Doranto didn’t reply to the chieftain’s summon. They hold firm to the old elven customs that existed when we were spread across the continent. Apparently, they were a warrior clan in the past.”

Her displeasure was visible in the way her shoulders slumped.

Ariane didn’t seem all that enthusiastic about Doranto.

“However, the enemy must have been quite powerful, and the damage they dealt quite severe, if that xenophobic warrior clan asked for help. Where the spider monsters we faced capable of such a thing?”

It certainly would be difficult for normal people to handle a spider chimera. Ariane was a warrior of Maple, the best Canada had to offer, and Chiome was one of the six great ninjas of the Blade Heart Clan, and they were capable of…… I shook my head a few times.

……They won because there’d been two of them.

Dylan only maintained the smile on his face and didn’t offer her a reply.

However, Glenys did speak up.

“They rely on the old ways. The low village population allows their warriors to receive higher quality training. Also, it’s against the law for women to be trained or act as warriors…… Dark Elves face harsh treatment as well.”

Glenys pouted in a similar fashion as Ariane once she was done speaking.

The two seemed to be in agreement as far as Doranto was concerned.

In any case, the population size is an important variable to account for in terms of quality. The exclusion of women would also narrow down the number of warriors.

At first glance, it seemed like the rule was set in place to protect women from the dangers of the occupation, but that argument loses steam when you consider those like Ariane and Glenys, who put most men to shame in terms of combat skill.

Whether or not it was a protective measure was a judgment that I couldn’t make since I don’t know the inner-workings of Doranto.

“From what I heard, the village falls behind in terms of magic tool quality.”

Chiome joined the conversation with a bit of information she picked up.

“Hmm……”

“That……”

“Huh?”

Dylan, Glenys, and Ariane exchanged glances with one another as they struggled to come up with an answer.

Apparently, there was a reason for the disparity. It could have simply been due to the larger population in Canada Forest…… but I’ve never seen that type of reaction.

── Kyukurin kyuuruuuuu ……

As I though it over the sound of someone’s stomach growling caused everyone to search for the source.

Ariane thought she was the cause at first, which caused her to hold her stomach and blush in embarrassment.

“Ky-un……”

Her efforts were in vain, however, as Ponta let out a weak cry and unsteadily walked towards me with a feeble shake of her tail.

It seems that Ponta was the source of the sound.

“Our talk went on for quite a while. Since the meat only needs to be the cooked, lunch will be ready in a little bit. We can continue talking afterward.”

I picked up the chicken and soy sauce and moved everything to the stove as I spoke.

Everyone nodded at my suggestion as I got to work finishing today’s lunch.

The peculiar smell of the homemade soy sauce began to spread through the mansion as the teriyaki broiled, raising the anticipation.

Every once in awhile Ponta would stop pacing around my legs, crane her neck up at the stove, and bite my foot before repeating the cycle again.

Though it was a substitute sauce, the heat brought out the appropriate smell.

The person within my mind couldn’t stop smiling at the prospect of eating the finished teriyaki.

My current body didn’t have a stomach, yet it seemed to cry out in hunger.