"I should be heading back tomorrow, Arthur."
On the night after enjoying an Elven dinner, Bilbo looked at Arthur, who was helping Estel correct his sword-swinging posture, and spoke up.
Arthur nodded slightly at the words: "I figured you'd be wanting to go home soon. It just so happens I also need to make a trip to Rivendell, so I can accompany you back to Hobbiton on your way home."
Bilbo's eyes lit up: "That would be wonderful! I was worried it might be too dangerous to go back alone. With you accompanying me, I won't have that concern."
After teaching Estel two basic one-handed sword moves, Arthur approached Bilbo and asked curiously, "Speaking of which, why isn't that Elven prince with you?"
Bilbo paused, then realized: "Oh, you mean Legolas? He went to find Bernal. He said Bernal took great care of him during the battle with the Ringwraiths in Lake-town, so he went to express his gratitude."
Arthur replied: "I see. However, Bernal should be very busy lately. I just don't know if Legolas will have a chance to see him."
Bilbo nodded, then secretly glanced at Melina, tugged Arthur's arm, and whispered, "Are you doing alright?"
Arthur was startled, not understanding: "What kind of question is that?"
Bilbo quickly shushed him, then continued in a low voice: "Don't let anyone hear you. I mean, are you doing alright with your, uh, female friends? First there was Miss Millison, and now Miss Melina. And I also remember you told me you married a princess named Ranni."
Arthur realized what Bilbo was worried about, bent down, and said with a wry smile in a low voice: "When did you become so gossipy, Bilbo?"
Bilbo said with a profound air: "Because I've read many books, and they all say, 'Since ancient times, heroes have found it difficult to resist the allure of beauties.' I'm quite worried about your many female confidantes; if you don't manage your relationships well, you could be in danger."
He then generously patted his chest and assured Arthur: "But don't worry, I won't tell anyone else about these things. And if you really can't handle it, uh, you can come to my house and hide for a while, seek refuge. Of course, you don't need this reason to come to my house anytime; I'll always have delicious food ready to welcome you."
Arthur was amused by Bilbo's tone and nodded: "Alright, then I'll rely on you to take in this homeless person."
"What are you two talking about, Teacher Arthur, and Uncle Bilbo?" Estel's curious voice rang out, startling both of them.
Arthur lightly coughed: "Bilbo and I are talking about Hobbiton. That's Uncle Bilbo's hometown, very peaceful and tranquil. In a sense, it's Middle-earth's paradise. You must go and see it sometime, Estel."
A child's attention is always easily drawn to other things. Sure enough, after hearing Arthur's words, Estel immediately said happily: "Hobbiton? Okay, I've noted that place down. I'll bring gifts to visit Uncle Bilbo then."
Bilbo also smiled and said to Estel: "There's no need for overly expensive gifts. Oh, but if possible, I hope you can bring me some of the dining utensils that Elves usually use. Just ordinary ones are fine; I want them for my collection."
Estel tilted his head in confusion towards Bilbo: "Collecting Elven dining utensils? Although I don't understand why Uncle Bilbo you like collecting these things, I've noted it down."
Arthur explained for Bilbo: "Perhaps hobbits also place great importance on cooking and eating, so he wants to collect things related to those."
Bilbo nodded and smiled at Estel: "That's right. I'll also let you taste hobbit delicacies then."
After Estel chatted with Bilbo for a few more moments, Arthur once again called him to the open grassy area to supervise his sword practice.
Perhaps due to the excellent education he received in Rivendell, Estel's foundation in swordsmanship was very good.
Arthur was initially worried that he might be teaching too fast, but he found his worries were unnecessary; Estel quickly learned the basic sword moves Arthur taught him.
Arthur also noticed that Estel's stamina had increased significantly compared to when he last saw him in Rivendell.
As for the reason, Arthur was not clear.
Was it because he had been eating good things from the Elves since he was young, or was it due to coming into contact with the Grace in the Golden Tree Territory?
Later, Arthur learned from Elrond that it was Estel's inherent Dunedain bloodline that caused him to develop faster than ordinary humans.
Arthur looked at Estel, who was gazing at him with expectant eyes, clapped his hands, and praised him very seriously: "The degree of your progress in swordsmanship surprises even me. Estel, you truly have great talent, and you haven't wasted that talent, which is very rare."
Estel was still a child after all; upon receiving Arthur's praise, he couldn't help but cheer with joy.
Arthur said: "When I return next time, I will teach you more advanced martial arts. However, in my homeland, The Lands Between, people there generally refer to them as 'Battle Skills'."
Bilbo carefully noticed Estel's slightly bewildered expression and suggested to Arthur: "I think Estel definitely doesn't know what you mean by 'Battle Skill'. Why don't you demonstrate one for him? I only understood what a Battle Skill was after personally witnessing your battle with Bernal."
Arthur thought about it after hearing Bilbo's words, and indeed, it made sense. So he had Bilbo take Estel to a safe place, and he himself came to where Estel had been standing before.
Then Arthur performed the Battle Skill, Vacuum Slash, that Bernal had displayed in a previous battle. Invisible but sharp sword energy left slender, clear sword marks on the golden grass, making Estel watch with shining eyes.
He excitedly asked: "Teacher Arthur, is this the Battle Skill you'll teach me when you come back next time?"
Arthur shook his head slightly and said: "Not this one; it's some more basic Battle Skills. Although your foundation in swordsmanship is already strong, you are still a beginner in terms of Battle Skills, and you must also start by learning basic Battle Skills."
Estel quickly nodded: "Okay, Teacher Arthur."
Arthur saw that Estel was actually just hiding his disappointment, so after thinking for a moment, he comforted him: "Don't worry, I promise you'll learn Battle Skills that look even more spectacular than the one I just performed."
Estel puffed out his tiny chest and said, "I know Teacher Arthur is comforting me, worried that I'll be disappointed! But I'm fine! While you're away, I'll listen to you and diligently practice the basics, and wait for you to come back to teach me Battle Skills."
He was truly too well-behaved.
Arthur sighed in his heart, and at the same time, reached into his spatial backpack. Immediately, a well-crafted one-handed Straight Sword, complete with its scabbard, appeared in his hand.
Estel's gaze was immediately drawn to the sword in Arthur's hand, and recalling the nickname Elrond had mentioned about Arthur, he couldn't help but breathe more heavily.
Is Teacher going to give me this sword?
Estel couldn't help but think to himself.
Sure enough, just as Estel had thought, Arthur came up to Estel, knelt down to be at eye level with him, and said, "Last time in Rivendell, I left in a hurry and didn't give you a Meeting Gift. When Fili and Kili became my disciples, I also prepared gifts for them. So, I couldn't possibly leave out your gift. This sword now belongs to you."
As Arthur spoke, he placed the King's Army Straight Sword in his hand into Estel's outstretched hands.
Then, Arthur also had an [Erdtree's Favor Talisman] in his hand, which he hung around Estel's neck, explaining, "This talisman can slowly mend the injuries you sustain, and those subtle internal injuries can also be gradually healed. Your body is still developing, but your usual training volume is high, so you're bound to incur internal injuries. This talisman can also slowly help your body recover."
Estel nodded vigorously, remembering Arthur's words.
Arthur patted Estel's head and said, "Although this sword is a standard Straight Sword, its quality is absolutely guaranteed. When you grow a bit older, I will prepare a more special and powerful one-handed sword for you."
Estel nodded again: "I will work hard to become a student worthy of that sword, Teacher Arthur."
Teacher Arthur smiled and shook his head: "No, Estel, your safety is the most important thing. Weapons are, after all, external possessions, and if I promise to give it to you, I will definitely give it to you. Whether it's you, or Fili and Kili, I hope you all can live well."
Although Estel didn't understand why his teacher said this, he also kept these words in his heart.
Arthur stood up and said with a smile, "Alright, you should be happy to receive a gift. And don't you want to know more about what Battle Skills are like? Melina and I will demonstrate some for you, how about that?"
Upon hearing this, Melina sighed, "Are you saying you want to spar with me?"
This time, it was Arthur's turn to quickly shake his head: "How could that be? Blades have no eyes, and Battle Skills even more so. It's fine if I accidentally injure myself, but I don't want to accidentally injure you."
A smile quickly flashed across Melina's lips and then disappeared. Her tone lifted slightly as she said, "But it's best to have a target to reference the power of Battle Skills. I don't want to swing my weapon at the ground like you do."
Arthur turned to look around, but found himself in a bit of a dilemma: "But there doesn't seem to be a target here. Should we take Estel to the barracks in Stormveil? But would it be too late to go now, affecting his rest?"
Estel raised his hand at this moment and said, "If it's wooden targets, Brother Elradan made a few wooden dummies in the backyard of the house for me to practice archery."
Arthur nodded: "Then we'll use them. If they get damaged, I'll send someone to deliver the unused wooden targets from the barracks later."
Afterward, in the time before Estel went to sleep, Arthur and Melina demonstrated several Erdtree-related Battle Skills, leaving Estel with the golden glow emitted by those Battle Skills in his mind until he fell asleep.
Of course, the other hobbit present also saw the light of Battle Skills when he went to sleep that night.
And Arthur, who rarely needed sleep to rest, traveled with Melina to Ensis Castle that night. Rellana and her Caria army, who had had enough time to rest, followed Arthur out of the city and headed to Stormveil. They arrived in Lake-town through a teleportation gate without alarming any residents.
Because of Arthur's reminder, Rellana and her Caria army were not affected by the sudden drop in temperature. The soldiers had already put on warm winter clothes under their armor before entering the teleportation gate.
"Lord Arthur! Uh, how should I address this lord?"
The Storm Knight responsible for guarding the teleportation gate immediately came to Arthur's side to salute, then looked at Rellana.
"This army is from Caria; they are here to exchange garrison duties with the Red Lion Legion."
Arthur did not explain too much about the origins of Rellana and her army, and the Storm Knight could not inquire in detail, so he merely saluted the other party and returned to his post.
Rellana looked at the teleportation gate behind her and asked, "It seems our only means of long-distance travel is this one teleportation gate?"
Arthur nodded: "Currently, only this teleportation gate can reach here."
Rellana looked at her army, and then a small squad, mixed with soldiers and mages, tacitly stepped forward and knelt before her.
"You are responsible for assisting the Storm King's forces in defending this place."
After she finished speaking, she looked at Arthur and added, "Once the garrison matters are settled, I will send an engineering unit to build a small fortress here. What do you think, Arthur?"
Arthur smiled and said, "If a fortress can be built here, that would be truly excellent. I've always had this idea, but unfortunately, neither the Storm Legion nor the Red Lion Legion have extra manpower to do this."
Rellana replied, "In the Shadowland, we were accustomed to building fortresses with our own hands to resist the attacks of the remaining Horned People, and protecting this teleportation point within a fortress also serves as a safeguard."
Arthur nodded: "Indeed. Let's continue, I'll take you to Lake-town. However, there probably aren't many people living in Lake-town currently; most of the residents who migrated earlier chose to settle in Dale."
Rellana looked at the town not far away, with its flickering lights on the lake, and asked, "Is Radahn also in Lake-town now? I haven't seen him in a long time, and I have many questions I want to ask him."
Arthur replied, "Radahn should still be in Dale. Lake-town is currently garrisoned by his Royal Knight Freya, leading a small number of Red Lion Legion soldiers."
He saw Rellana frown upon hearing Freya's name and explained, "Don't worry, this Freya has already been freed from Miquella's charm control and is no longer a follower of that demigod."
Only then did Rellana relax: "That's good."