Chapter 59: What I Forgot
"Look, Norn, don't I look like the legendary saviour hero now?"
Eric held a staff in one hand and a longsword in the other, wearing light armour with a cape on his back. His entire outfit was as abstract as it could be. He struck what he clearly thought was a heroic pose, though his excited grin somewhat undermined the effect.
"Saviour hero? I don't think so. More like a clown," Kurtz interjected, barely suppressing a smile.
"Uh, what's that?"
Neither Eric nor Norn understood what Kurtz meant.
"A special profession that wears a funny mask, intentionally makes a fool of himself, and feeds on the laughter of those watching."
"Ugh, I don't want to be like that."
There are many ways to bring smiles to others. Eric had long decided that if he were to do something, he would be a great hero who could protect everyone and make everyone smile happily.
The very idea of noble sacrifice for the joy of others resonated deeply with his earnest nature. But relying on his own embarrassment to make others laugh at him made him uncomfortable all over.
"Sacrificing oneself to bring joy to others? Worthy of respect."
Norn secretly nodded, his dark eyes holding a contemplative glint as he considered the concept.
The spectators didn't care what expression lay beneath the clown's funny mask; they only cared about how funny the clown would be. Perhaps, from a particular perspective, the other party was more like a hero.
Their different answers reflected the differences in their personalities.
They had left the Dwarf city and embarked on their journey once again. The mountain air felt crisp and clean after the smoky atmosphere of the forges, though Kurtz found himself missing the constant warmth of the workshops.
Before departing, Old Dwarf Duller had upgraded everyone's equipment and made a simple request.
"You can choose any equipment and weapons in my workshop, but I have one condition: I hope you can tell the world that this Holy Sword is my work!"
Dwarves value honour above all else. Mighty warriors hope to leave their name in history through strength, like Somo. For a forging master like Duller, the best way to leave a name is to make his works famous throughout the continent.
Kurtz had agreed and promised that the name of Holy Sword Elsword would spread across the entire continent.
Somo now wears a brand-new set of Mithril armour with good resistance to both magical and physical attacks. Even his battle-axe was reinforced and upgraded. The dwarf kept running his fingers over the new engravings, clearly pleased with the craftsmanship.
Eric and Norn chose well-crafted longswords from Duller's workshop, much better than the ordinary ones from their village. Eric's sword had been destroyed in the Dragon battle, and Norn's was nearly scrap.
Due to Eric's unique nature, Kurtz had specifically designed a magic wand for him, making spellcasting easier.
Kurtz and Serie chose magical items that could accelerate the magic recovery.
With the help of ice magic, everyone had successfully produced Dragon parchment, and the ink was ready. Norn had already begun compiling the first magic book in human history. The weight of that responsibility wasn't lost on any of them.
Another month passed as they travelled on their journey.
The canyon outside Dwarf town gradually disappeared from view, and now they found themselves in an unfamiliar forest. Towering ancient trees blocked the sunlight, and the air was filled with the damp smell of moss.
However, they had found no traces of magical beasts along the way, only scattered wild beasts. The silence was almost oppressive, broken only by the occasional crack of a twig underfoot.
These wild beasts were all dealt with by Eric, providing extra meals for the night.
"This place is too quiet." Somo gripped his battle-axe, his Dwarf intuition making him tense. "I can't even hear a bird chirping!"
Serie's fingertips lit up with detection magic. "There are life signs... but very weak."
Kurtz also released detection magic and, after careful identification, shook his head. "Not magical beasts, they should just be indigenous people of this forest."
Along their journey, they had rarely seen any magical beasts, let alone demons.
Because of this, Kurtz had a troubling conjecture: could it be that all the demons and magical beasts on the continent were converging towards the Elf Forest? The thought sent an uncomfortable chill down his spine.
According to Kraft, the Three-Race Alliance was also gathering there. War was imminent.
Half a year had passed, and he didn't know what the situation was like. But it should be fine, right?
After all, that was an alliance formed by the three strongest races on the continent, including the Skywing Clan, who were directly subordinate to the Goddess.
Kurtz couldn't imagine any possibility of losing. How could they lose with the Goddess on their side?
But for some reason, he always had a bad feeling. Something nagged at the back of his mind, like a word on the tip of his tongue that refused to surface.
It was as if he had forgotten something important.
But no matter what, this war was not something he could intervene in now. He had to become stronger.
Suddenly, rustling sounds from within the mist interrupted his train of thought.
A dozen figures emerged from behind the trees. They had human-like forms but were extremely short, with disproportionately large limbs and greenish-blue skin that almost blended with the surrounding environment. Their movements were fluid and silent, suggesting perfect adaptation to forest life.
"Stop, outsiders." The leading creature spoke, its voice like rubbing leaves, each word distinct and clearly indicating unfamiliarity with the common language.
Facing these never-before-seen races, Kurtz looked at Serie, only to see her shake her head slightly. For once, even her vast knowledge had reached its limits.
"Hello, who are you?" Kurtz took the initiative to speak.
But the leading creature slowly shook its head. Their race usually communicated telepathically and didn't need to speak aloud at all.
The concept of verbal communication seemed foreign to them, like trying to explain colour to someone born blind.
Now, facing these outsiders, their limited vocabulary in the common language was simply insufficient, so they had no choice but to remain silent.
Naturally, Kurtz and his group were unaware of this reason and felt somewhat helpless in the face of their silence.
"In that case, have you seen creatures like me?" Kurtz asked, pointing to himself.
Since communication was impossible, he might as well use this opportunity to ask if this group had any clues about human settlements.
"Elf... searching?"
"Not an Elf, it's me!" Kurtz pulled Eric's ear. "Elves don't have such short ears!"
Eric rubbed his abused ear, shooting Kurtz a wounded look. Don't you have ears yourself? Why pull mine?
The leading green-skinned creature spoke again slowly. "Yes, here."
He raised his hand with incredibly slow motion, so slow that Kurtz wished he could press a fast-forward button, and pointed in a certain direction.
The deliberate pace seemed to be part of their natural rhythm rather than hesitation.
"One day."
"Does that mean there's a human settlement about a day's journey in that direction?" Norn asked uncertainly.
The main reason was that this creature not only moved slowly but also spoke little, so they could only infer from its limited words.
"It should be, and it's on our way anyway." Kurtz felt a spark of hope at the prospect of finally finding other humans.
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