01x06 - Learning About the Darkness of This World at the Elf Village

[bunniefuu]

Hi there. It's me, Arc.

I'm finally here!

The elf settlement of Lalatoya!

Open the gate!

I am Ariane Glenys Maple,

and I have returned from my mission

of saving our kind from human captivity.

I seek an audience with the elder!

This is a heaping helping of fantasy!

A fantasy buffet!

A sacred temple erected

in the name of the fantasy genre!

An elf village! And now now!

The elves live over there!

I'm going to get permission from the elder.

Wait here, Arc.

I gotta say, this place

is as huge as it is old.

Well, elves are supposed to

have centuries-long lifespans

This settlement has probably

been here since ages long past.

I'm gonna get ya!

One, two, three, four

Sorry about the delay. I got permission.

Come on.

All right, let's get going.

What's that massive tree?

The elder lives there.

We bid you welcome.

I am Dillan Tahg Lalatoya,

the elder of this village.

I hear you've been

a great help to my daughter.

I am Glenys, his wife, and Aria's mother.

It's a pleasure to make your

acquaintance, Sir Elder, milady.

My name is Arc and I am

a traveling mercenary who

You two are Lady Ariane's

mother and father?!

I turned 170 this year.

And that number isn't changing.

It isn't?!

She's actually 245.

Mother, I swear, you're always like this

Then elves really are long-lived!

Wait, you were the elder's

daughter all along, Lady Ariane?!

Did I not mention that?

My daughter has informed me

of the general picture.

It seems you've helped some of our kin.

I would like to thank you

on behalf of all elves.

You have our gratitude.

That being said,

it was unexpected to hear that she

would attack a feudal lord's palace

They were the ones who broke the treaty!

This was meant to be a message to strike

at the kidnapper's operations.

Why attack a lord's home?

Well

Sir Elder

Allow me to elaborate.

I see.

You were rescuing girls who had been

captured by Diento's lord

I understand how it came to pass.

But I'll need to explain what has happened

at the general meeting of the elders.

I'll accompany you.

Good.

I plan on traveling to Maple in the morning.

This trafficking contract needs

to be brought to their attention, as well.

Right.

Is that all for the political talk?

Then why don't we have dinner?

We give thanks for this meal.

Arc, you can relax.

I've heard about your condition.

You needn't worry about Glenys and me.

Thank you for the food.

There's lots more, so don't hesitate to ask.

That would be wonderful!

Oh, good morning, Arcky.

Arcky?

Did you get a good night's rest?

You're certainly up early, Lady Glenys.

Are Sir Dillan and Lady Ariane already gone?

Yes, they just left.

Wait one moment.

Breakfast is ready to be served.

I'm most grateful.

We've just been waiting

for you, Lord Dillan.

The transport circle to Maple is ready.

Off we go, Ariane.

Right.

Step right up.

Forest Capital of Maple

Looking for medicinal herbs?

We've got medicinal herbs,

the best you could ask for!

You want to see which tastes better?

Elder Dillan of Lalatoya

I believe you are here to report on the

investigation into the kidnappings, yes?

Chief Elder

Briahn Boyd Evangelin Maple

Yes, sir.

I'm honored that you would show me around.

Well, after how you helped look

after Ariane, it's the least I can do.

Is this settlement

a comparatively larger one?

There seems to be many elves, as well

Well, for security,

we absorbed a few of the smaller settlements

that used to be in this area,

and now we number around 4,000.

I guess these kidnappings

are a common thing

What's a human doing here?

Are we going to be safe?

I've never seen armor like that before

What's a human doing here?

Oh! Mr. Armor!

Oh, it's you girls!

You came to visit, Mister!

Indeed.

Lady Ariane was nice enough to host me.

Look at this!

Since you healed me,

I'm perfectly fine again!

See?!

Oh, I see! That's good to know.

You two take care, all right?

Thanks!

Bye-bye, Mister!

See you around!

My apologies for the delay, Lady Glenys.

It's quite all right, Arcky.

They were happy to see you.

Changing the subject, how would you like

to spar for a bit with me?

Spar?

Episode 6

Learning About the Darkness of This World at the Elf Village

The matter of the lord's palace

it can only be described as careless.

Going out of their way

to break a 400 year old treaty

That's as much justification

for w*r as there has ever been.

Have the humans already forgotten how

our lands were split in two

during the w*r, 600 years ago?

What happened only a generation ago

for us is a matter of history for humans.

There are none alive who still remember.

Perhaps we could send a notice

explaining the situation to the Rhoden Kingdom?

Great Elder

Fangas Flan Maple

We're under no obligation to

justify ourselves to them!

And if we reveal

the details of this operation,

those who are executing it would be

at risk of being summoned

by the nation in question.

We should not show weakness here.

True enough, it was the humans

who broke the treaty first.

But still, attacking a lord's home

was excessive.

If it becomes public knowledge,

it could spark another w*r.

The operation to liberate

our kindred will continue,

while carefully watching

for the kingdom of Rhoden's reaction.

I see no other way.

Just to make sure,

this will be a match between you

and me, Lady Glenys?

Yes. It's all right.

You saw Ariane fight, haven't you?

I was the one who taught

her how to use a sword.

I should be up to the task.

Besides, dark elves are blessed

with physical gifts.

So when we get the measure of someone,

we have a tendency

to test their strength, too.

Not to mention, if you're going to be

traveling with my precious little girl

As her mother, I want to

know she can rely on you.

I see. Understood.

Okay, then!

Here I come!

Fast—

You saw me coming, but you reacted

to the surprise like an amateur.

If you notice an attack, you need to dodge it

with the bare minimum of movement.

Come on, take your stance!

We're nowhere near done!

This is better than I hoped!

If I want to live in this world,

I'm going to need to know how to use a sword!

And now I'm getting a lesson from an expert!

Come on, get ready!

I am ready!

Okay!

Father

I'm so sorry.

You did it to save our kin.

There was no other way.

You'll be continuing your search.

And we'll hire Arc to help you,

in an official capacity.

That took longer than I expected.

It would've been nice to see Eevin,

since we're in Maple

Did you have business with Sister?

That's right, you hadn't been told yet.

Eevin's going to

be married, next year.

My sister?

The combat addict who said

she would never get married

is getting married?!

Oh, Arin!

I can't believe you were going to

go home without saying hello!

Sister Eevin!

I'm so glad I managed to catch you!

I-I'm sorry.

It's good to see you again, Sister Eevin

I skipped out on my duty because

I heard you were coming, you know!

You never change, Eevin.

Oh, you're here too, Father?

But more importantly, it's not "sister"!

It's "big sis"!

Oh, you've gotten so big

since I last saw you!

Come on

I'm going on ahead.

Father, wait!

Honestly, Big Sis

I mean it, though. I am proud of you.

I heard about how many

of our kind you've saved.

You've become strong!

Hardly.

I still have a long way to go,

compared to you.

B-By the way, I heard you

were getting married.

Is that true?

It is!

Are you jealous at the idea of someone

stealing your loving big sis away, Arin?

What's he like?

Well, he's serious, and sincere,

and honestly quite an oddball.

You're curious, right?

Not really

And is there no one you're

interested in yourself, Arin?

Th-There isn't

Oh, that reaction!

Well, that's no good!

If someone wants to marry you,

they need to be stronger than me!

You don't ever plan

on letting me get married, then?

Exactly!

Big Sis, cut it out!

Dimension Move!

Dimension Move

I have you now!

I'm vanquished

Oh, the sun is already setting.

I should get dinner ready

before the others are back.

Why don't we run on home, Arcky?

R-Right you are, Lady Glenys.

I guess there's a kind of strength where

high stats will only get you so far

This is a wide world, Ponta.

That was quite a sweat!

I can't wait to jump in the bath.

Bath?!

You really want to get in the bath? You?

I am fully prepared to pay, as well.

There's no need for that.

But why don't you wash Ponta

while you're in there?

I think I'll do just that!

Come on, Ponta, quit squirming.

We've gotta get you nice and clean.

Hey, bubble hurricane!

This is my first time in the bath

since coming to the world

There's nothing like soaking through to the

bones after working up a good sweat, Ponta.

Although I guess I didn't

actually sweat. Oh, well!

I bet I look like a washed

up corpse, don't I, Ponta?

Skeleton!

Lady Ariane, hold! It's me! It is I, Arc!

You could have told me

you were in the bath.

F-Forgive me.

Oh, what's wrong, Ariane?

You're bright red.

It's nothing! Don't worry about it!

I see you're both here.

Now, before dinner, let's

discuss your agenda going forward.

At the general meeting of the elders,

it was decided you would

investigate the names involved

in the contract and continue freeing our kin.

To that end, I would like to hire you

to continue to assist Ariane, Arc.

However, to be frank, we can't

offer much in the way of payment

You seem to have more money

than we do, after all.

Which is why I can offer

a bit of information instead.

Information?

It could lead to breaking

the curse upon your body.

There is said to be a spring near

the Lord Crown that can break any curse.

This could be just what I have searched for!

Tell me, what is this Lord Crown?

Out of the several kinds

of dragonkin in the world,

the greatest of them all

are the Dragon Lords.

And the Lord Crown is a rare type of great tree

that grows where a Dragon Lord makes its home.

There are spirits

who dwell in the Lord Crown,

which has a variety of effects

on its wood and leaves.

But because a Dragon Lord

lives in its vicinity,

any who disturb the spirits

will suffer for it dearly.

I see.

Is it possible to enter the domain

of this Dragon Lord and survive?

It'd be dangerous for a human,

but if an elf were to arrange for it,

we should get permission to enter.

So, what do you say?

Is knowledge of this

spring a suitable reward?

Of course!

This curse-breaking stuff

was something I made up

as part of my character's

background, for RP purposes

but I guess it's a whole thing now.

You don't need to worry.

When you head to the spring,

I'll be joining you, Arc.

Really?

What do you say, Arc?

Would you be willing to lend

the elves your strength once again?

Of course!

And you have my thanks for the information.

I would be glad to lend you my sword!

I truly appreciate it.

You'll be a great help.

Does that settle all the business talk?

Why don't we have dinner, then?

Looks like I'm going to be looking for elves

with Lady Ariane again tomorrow.

I have to wonder, do I really

look like this because of a curse?

It was just an avatar before,

but if it really is

because of a curse now

The mid-tier Bishop class has Uncurse

U

n

c

u

r

s

e

I may be able to use it

on myself to lift it.

There's also the high-tier

Priest class's Holy Purify, but

That one causes major damage to undead,

on top of breaking curses.

Let's try just the tip.

U

n

c

u

r

s

e

Uncurse

Uncurse!

Next Time

A Miracle for the High-Minded Princess

This is heaven! My moment of bliss!

#HotSprings #HangingWithPonta