Skeleton Knight in Another World Vol. 2

by Ennki Hakari

  It sounded like the first elder had been pretty passionate about food. I owed him a debt of gratitude in that regard. If not for him, I wouldn’t be able to eat so well here in Lalatoya.

  I bowed to an elven man harvesting a row of watermelons and then looked at my surroundings. The majority of elves I could see were tending to the farms, not unlike human villages. However, judging by the sheer number of elves I could see, it would probably be more accurate to call this a town than a village.

  “Is this one of the bigger villages? It seems like there are quite a few people living here.”

  “Due to the…incidents…smaller villages were shut down and absorbed by larger ones for safety purposes. There are about four thousand people living here, I think.”

  The idea that four thousand people lived this deep in the forest was impressive. While my mind ran through the numbers, a familiar young girl came running up to me. She was one of the girls we’d saved. Her gleaming, green-tinted hair continued to sway adorably even after she stopped moving.

  “Heya, Mister Armor, sir! Can I give this to Ponta?”

  She showed me a red, apple-like fruit in the palm of her hand.

  Ponta picked up the sweet scent and dove down into her hand to give the fruit a sniff.

  “I don’t mind at all.”

  The young girl cheerfully thanked me before handing the fruit to Ponta. Ponta spent a moment looking it over, trying to figure out where to start eating.

  A young couple who’d been watching from behind with great interest came over and bowed deeply toward me. The man, who appeared to be the girl’s father, looked straight at me as he spoke.

  “Thank you for saving our daughter. I truly appreciate what you’ve done for us.”

  The girl’s mother couldn’t properly get the words out through all her tears and simply bowed her head several times.

  “You need not thank me. I was simply hired by Miss Ariane. I did nothing special.”

  However, the couple simply shook their heads and once again offered their thanks. The surrounding farmers began to take notice of the peculiar sight. Later, as we toured the village, the parents of the other girls came out to find us and express their gratitude.

  I’d simply performed the job that Ariane had paid me for. Having people come thank me for it gave me goosebumps. Or, I guess a tingle up my spine would be a better way to put it.

  After having some treats and playing around a bit, Ponta fell contentedly asleep atop my head, which forced me to walk with perfect posture for the rest of the morning.

  We arrived back at the elder’s house shortly after noon. Ponta was now off of my head and sleeping soundly in Glenys’ arms. Glenys gently stroked the fox’s fur as she spoke.

  “Hey, Arc, could you do me a little favor?”

  “What kind of favor?”

  I hesitated at the request, unsure of what she might want from me. Glenys put Ponta down atop a branch in the potted tree next to her before walking into a storage room and returning with two wooden swords. She offered one to me.

  I took the sword and looked back at her inquisitively. “What is it that you would like me to help you with?”

  Glenys took a defensive stance, then smiled at me and brandished her sword.

  “Don’t worry. You saw Ariane’s swordsmanship, right? Well, I taught her everything she knows. But I’d hate to lose my edge.”

  With that, she swung. The wooden sword made a sharp snapping sound as it sliced through the air.

  This was a far cry from my school days, when the boys would get together on school trips and play around with practice swords. The swiftness and precision of her movements made that evident.

  Though I was far from defenseless, I wasn’t sure how much I’d be able to help her. She was the master, not me. With a fair bit of uncertainty, I lifted the wooden sword to face her. Glenys offered me another gentle smile.

  Before I had the chance to ask her any questions, Glenys launched herself at me.

  Thrown off by her sudden movement, I withdrew without thinking, easily sidestepping her opening strike. Without missing a beat, Glenys glided forward and closed the distance between us, striking the inside of my leg and then my side, finally drawing the tip of the wooden sword up to my throat.

  “Wha?”

  As I stood there, frozen in place, Glenys’s golden eyes crinkled in a warm smile.

  “You have a good eye, but you react too slowly. Pay attention, and at least try to dodge.”

  I felt a cold chill ripple up my spine. It was all I could do to nod.

  She was pretty much spot-on. In spite of my impressive magic and equipment, at the end of the day, I was still just a normal human who’d lived a normal life up until now. When it came to combat, I didn’t stand a chance against someone who’d spent their already-long life dedicated to refining their swordsmanship.

  “All right, ready yourself. I’m not going to let up, okay?”

  Glenys drew away before once again holding her sword at the ready, the smile never leaving her face.

  “I’m ready!”

  This was terrifying! Until just moments ago, I’d pegged Glenys as a gentle housewife. Now she struck a fearsome figure as she faced off against me. It was the first time I’d truly felt fear since assuming my skeleton form, though I knew the sweat I felt running down my body was imaginary.

  However, if I intended to survive in this world, I’d need to learn how to handle a blade. Learning from a skilled swordswoman such as Glenys was an incredible opportunity.

  I lifted my wooden sword and locked eyes with my sparring partner.

  She immediately closed the distance, as if she had been waiting for me the whole time. I kept my eyes locked on the tip of her sword, doing what I could to dodge her blows. However, I fell for her feint and opened myself up to her.

  I wanted to scream, but I needed to focus all of my attention on the task at hand.

  By the time we were done with Glenys’ so-called favor, the sky was already turning dark.

  Though I felt fine physically, I hadn’t realized just how mentally draining hours of practice could be.

  “By…by the way, ma’am. It’s a bit late to be asking this now, but why did you want me to practice with you?” After catching my breath, I finally asked the question that had been bothering me all afternoon.

  “Dark elves are known for their physical prowess. Any time I run across someone who seems like they could be a challenge, I want to test their abilities.”

  Glenys laughed, her voice sounding like a bell. She was a lot more hands-on than she appeared.

  “Besides, as a mother, I want to make sure any man hanging around my darling daughter is up to the challenge. Well! I think it’s about time to make dinner.”

  Glenys returned the wooden swords to the storage room and made her way indoors.

  As I watched her disappear into the building, I wondered if she’d been speaking to me as a mercenary, or as someone potentially interested in her daughter. I dragged my exhausted body over to the tree where Ponta was sleeping, picked it up, and headed inside.

  After dinner, I returned to the room I’d slept in the night before and took off my armor before getting into bed.

  Unlike the oil lamps used by the humans, the light from the magical crystals the elves used illuminated the entire room, bathing it in a relaxing glow.

  I could already hear Ponta snoring lightly, curled up next to the bed with its large, cottony tail draped up over its face to block the light. It looked content, stuffed from the dinner we’d just eaten.

  I waved my hand over the crystal lamp, silently extinguishing the light and bathing the room in darkness.

  Once my eyes adjusted, I could still make out shapes around the room, thanks to the light of the moon shining through the window.

  I sat on the bed, careful not to wake Ponta, and looked out over the village. The immediate vicinity was pitch black due to all the branches and leaves from the tree house, but this only mad
e the moonlight more comforting.

  I looked down at the bones of my arm, stark white under the faint light of the moon.

  Was I cursed? Was that what had turned me into this?

  If so, I should at least try to remove it, right?

  I recalled using Uncurse, a spell belonging to the mid-tier Bishop class that I’d used to remove the mana-eater collars the bandits had put on the captured elves to prevent them from using their magic. Maybe it could also lift the curse on my body.

  Holy Purify, a spell belonging to the top-tier Priest class, was also able to remove curses. However, it caused damage to the undead. I wasn’t sure if I qualified as undead, but given how I looked, I wasn’t eager to take any chances.

  It’s never an easy decision to use magic on yourself, especially when you don’t know the limits of your power. On the other hand, I’d been using teleportation magic all this time without any problems. Even those spells could have had disastrous effects on my flesh…err, bones…if I’d made a mistake. What if I’d teleported myself into the middle of a rock?

  Still, might as well give it a try.

  I brought my right hand over my left and focused on my left index finger.

  “Uncurse.”

  As I quietly invoked the spell, complex magical symbols appeared in the air, forming a glowing, magical pillar that enveloped my fingertip.

  Flesh began to appear around the first bony knuckle.

  “Wh-whoa! Oh?”

  I gasped in surprise. I’d never anticipated it would work this well. But a moment later, my elation was replaced with doubt as the flesh faded from my fingertip, my bleached-white bone once again reflecting the light of the moon. Just like that, it was all over, like it had been a dream.

  I decided to expand my area of focus. I invoked Uncurse again, enveloping my entire left forearm in a magical pillar and turning to flesh. My new skin looked almost sunburned in contrast with the white bones of the rest of my arm. I was also far more muscular than I had been before, though that was probably related to my in-game level.

  “Huh?”

  A strange tingle ran up my arm before the flesh disappeared again, replaced once more with bone.

  I rubbed and squeezed my left arm, opening and closing my hand to make sure everything was as it had been.

  I tried Uncurse on my left arm several more times, but it always ended the same way. The strange tingle I felt in my flesh eventually faded as I repeated the test, turning my arm from bone to flesh and back.

  At the very least, I now knew that there was, without a doubt, a curse placed on my body. However, even though I could temporarily lift it, the curse returned immediately.

  I slumped back on my bed.

  My head feel empty…literally. I decided it would be better to get some sleep than let my mind run itself to exhaustion.

  I wrapped my body in a blanket to keep Ponta from climbing into my rib cage again and rolled over. I probably looked like some kind of strange mummy.

  My mind wandered for a long time before I finally drifted off to sleep.

  Elder Dillan and Ariane arrived back from Maple late the following evening.

  Ariane wasn’t dressed in the leather armor and cloak that she’d worn out into the forest, instead favoring more traditional elven attire consisting of a blouse and cape that exposed her shoulders. Her soft, amethyst skin was on full display.

  She shot me a glare, even though I hadn’t said anything yet.

  Though I would have liked to bask in the excitement of her new attire, I had other things on my mind.

  Dillan told me that we had something to discuss and brought me and Ariane up to the second-floor dining room. Glenys disappeared into the kitchen, humming to herself as she began preparing the evening meal.

  Dillan gestured to a chair before sitting across from me, Ariane silently taking a seat next to him.

  Ponta hopped up onto my lap, resting its front paws and chin on the edge of the table.

  “I’ve already told Ariane, but we’ve been ordered by the council of elders to gather information on the names written on these purchase contracts and track down or rescue the other elves who have been sold. However, not only do we have no one to spare for such a mission, but we know almost nothing about the world outside our village. Therefore, I would like to ask you to continue assisting Ariane.”

  Dillan held my gaze, a grim look on his face.

  I was just as much in the dark as they were when it came to the goings-on of humans in this world, but it would also be far easier for me to infiltrate human towns.

  Ariane shared her father’s serious look. Of course, I was more than willing to help her out.

  Sensing my hesitation, Dillan turned the conversation toward compensation.

  “We don’t have a lot to offer you in return, and the money we do have is mostly what you had brought to us in the first place, so…” Dillan trailed off, smiling ruefully. “What about exchanging information instead? I’ve heard talk of a spring that can lift curses. It’s possible this spring could lift the curse from your body, though I can’t make any promises.”

  “I’ve never heard of such a spring.” Ariane interrupted her father, looking at him inquisitively.

  Dillan shrugged his shoulders. “I have it from reliable sources that there’s a magical spring near the Lord Crown. However, getting there is a dangerous feat in its own right. There’s no assurance you’d even make it there alive.”

  “The Lord Crown is located farther in, so… No, it’s probably not possible.” Ariane looked as if she’d been about to say something but then changed her mind

  I had to imagine it would be rather problematic for them to bring a human even further into elf territory. I was only here in this village thanks to the elder sitting across from me.

  “What is this ‘Lord Crown’?” I’d never heard the name before.

  Dillan cleared his throat before launching into an explanation.

  The Lord Crown was a tree that grew near the home of a powerful dragon known as the Dragon Lord. Having spent so many years in the presence of the Dragon Lord’s immensely powerful magic, the tree had been altered. It was now possessed by spirits.

  “The spirits lurking within the Lord Crown’s bark and leaves have a variety of abilities. The tree’s deep roots even have an effect on the surrounding area. I’ve heard that branches from the Lord Crown sell for a significant amount of money.”

  Ariane interjected. “However, the effects of the Lord Crown vary due to the numerous spirits that reside within it. What’s more, with the Dragon Lord living nearby, no one knows what would happen if you were to anger the spirits.”

  So, not only was the route quite perilous, but it was no safer once you arrived. Even with all my abilities, I wasn’t interested in facing a powerful dragon alone.

  Besides, there were still so many things I didn’t understand about this body.

  I had explained to Ariane and the others before coming to this village that I was a man who’d been turned into a skeleton by a curse. However, that was backstory I’d invented for my character. In reality, this was simply an avatar I’d chosen through the in-game editor.

  However, after my little experiment last night, it seemed like my backstory was true in this world. In which case, continuing to help the elves might not be so bad if it led to finding a cure for my curse.

  If there was a chance I could turn my body back into flesh and blood, then it was definitely worth a try.

  But there was one pressing issue I needed to address first.

  “Is it possible to enter the Dragon Lord’s domain and come out alive?”

  It’d do me no good to venture deep into the forest to lift my curse only to face an opponent I had no hope of beating…and possibly be gobbled up in the process. Though I wasn’t sure if a dragon would want to eat a pile of bones like me.

  “Oh, don’t worry about that. The Dragon Lord probably wouldn’t like a human just showing up, but if an elf were to talk wi
th him first, I’m sure he’d give you permission to enter.”

  Apparently, the Dragon Lord was able to communicate with people. He served as the guardian of all the great forests of Canada. I imagined his abilities were nothing short of impressive.

  But when it came to fighting ability, the elves were certainly a force to be reckoned with as well, in spite of their relatively small numbers.

  “You have nothing to worry about if I go with you to the spring, Arc,” Ariane said.

  Dillan, the elder of Lalatoya, regarded me—a human—solemnly. “So, what do you think? Will you continue to lend your incredible strength to the elf cause?”

  Ariane leaned forward. “Please, Arc, I’d also like your help.”

  “I will help your cause.”

  It wasn’t like I had anything else to do. Traveling the world and helping people out wouldn’t be too bad. My decision had nothing to do with Ariane…

  I couldn’t keep lying to myself.

  Agreeing to any request a woman made of me would be a bad habit to get into, but I was honestly excited about continuing my travels with Ariane. I might appear to be made of bones, but I was still a man, deep inside.

  Though turning back into a human was a daunting prospect.

  “I shall join you, Miss Ariane, and lend my assistance.”

  Dillan bowed his head once and offered me his right hand. “This will be a great help. Elves stick out in human towns. Please, take care of my daughter.”

  No sooner had we finished shaking hands than Glenys’ voice drifted out from the kitchen. “So, are we done with all the formalities? Dinner is ready!” She appeared carrying dishes of food with her, which she set on the table.

  Ponta stood on its hind legs and began sniffing around, picking up the scent of the food.

  The evening’s menu consisted of bread, salad, bean soup, and a main dish that looked suspiciously like a hamburger patty. Glenys had also prepared a plate of cooled meat just for Ponta. Unable to wait, the fox dove straight in, its tail wagging from side to side.

  “All right, we’ll discuss the details after dinner then.” Dillan turned his attention to the food as soon as he finished speaking.