Skeleton Knight in Another World Vol. 2

by Ennki Hakari

  I put my hands together in a quick blessing before removing my helmet.

  There was no sauce on the patty, but the meat was so juicy—and slathered in salt and spices—that it hardly needed it. I thought I tasted a hint of nutmeg, which reminded me of the food I’d eaten back in my own world. I hadn’t come across any meat spiced with nutmeg in the human towns. I supposed it was another of the many spices available only to elves.

  After what ended up being a very nostalgic dinner, Dillan and Ariane shared the details of their plan.

  Tomorrow, Ariane and I would embark on a journey to find the missing elves.

  Chapter 2:

  In Pursuit of a Princess

  I followed Ariane, who was draped in her charcoal coat, as she led the way through the mist-engulfed trees.

  I was dressed in travel attire—my full suit of armor and black cloak. A tired Ponta let out a loud yawn as it clung to my helmet to keep from falling off.

  We’d left the village of Lalatoya early that morning and were now headed for the Librout River, which ran through the Great Canada Forest.

  Last night, we’d decided to start with one of the towns listed on the purchase contracts. After that, we’d travel to the others.

  There were three names on the contracts, one of which Dillan recognized: Fulish du Houvan.

  He was a noble of note in the town of Houvan, which was located along the road that connected the Rhoden Kingdom and Grand Duchy of Limbult—the only human domain that the elves had any sort of trade relationship with—so it seemed like the best place to start.

  Houvan was a considerable distance from Lalatoya, so we decided to follow the Librout downstream along an oft-traveled trail that would first take us to the elven town of Dartu. From there, we would travel west along the northern side of the Anetto mountain range. Once we were out of the forest, it was only a short distance to the human town of Selst.

  On her own, Ariane would have traveled to Dartu using the transportation point located in Lalatoya, but we decided to avoid publicly revealing that a human knew of the elves’ secret method of transportation. That information, and the fact that I had teleportation magic of my own, would be best to keep to as few people as possible.

  Between Transport Gate, which would teleport me to any location I had previously visited, and Dimensional Step, a spell allowing me to teleport short distances, traveling wasn’t much of an issue for me.

  However, here in the forest, surrounded by trees and dense undergrowth, I couldn’t use Dimensional Step. We had no choice but to walk, hefting our bags along this unmarked path—not that Ponta was actually walking.

  Also, according to Ariane, the mist that hung around us inhibited the use of magic. The mist itself wasn’t terribly thick. Oddly enough, it looked a lot like the spray of snow thrown up behind a skier. It made objects in the distance a little hazy, but I could still see them well enough. Regardless, when surrounded by this kind of mist, which existed only in forests, valleys, and other places full of mana energy, it had a dulling effect on the user’s magic, making it much harder to control—or even unusable. Even simple abilities, like summoning a flame, could be affected in all sorts of unpredictable ways.

  However, this effect was typically restricted to humans. The mist had no impact on elves and their control over spirit magic, or on monsters and other spirit animals.

  After a while of trudging through the mist-filled forest, we finally heard the sound of rushing water up ahead. We’d made it to our first checkpoint, the Librout River.

  The air cleared as soon as we reached the bank. For one reason or another—perhaps the light breeze—the mist was much thinner here. I could see quite far, both up and downstream.

  Unfortunately, the clear air brought a new set of issues with it. Up ahead, I could see a group of dragonflies flying along the river.

  The insects seemed to view our sudden appearance as a threat. They snapped their mandibles and emitted an earsplitting shriek as they spread their massive, translucent wings and launched their two-meter-long frames toward us. The sight of them alone would have haunted a person afraid of insects for life.

  “Watch out, Arc!”

  “Huh?”

  Ariane pulled her sword from the sheath at her waist in a well-practiced motion, squaring off against the dragonflies. Every time she swung her blade, it sent her long, white hair fluttering among the severed wings and thoraxes.

  I wasn’t equipped to deal with multiple dragonflies at once, so I relied on my Dimensional Step. The lack of mist along the riverbank made it easy to put some distance between me and the oncoming threat.

  I readied myself for combat.

  If Glenys could see me now, she’d probably ask me for the “favor” of another intense training session. The image of her gentle smile and brutal blows comforted me.

  I didn’t have anything against insects, but these dragonflies reminded me of a traumatic experience I had as a kid, when a cockroach flew right onto my clothes and held tight. At least, that was the excuse I gave myself as I prepared to face off against the massive creatures, who were now frantically searching for a target that had disappeared in front of their multifaceted eyes.

  I drew my sword and charged. The blade gave off a light blue glow as I slashed it sideways, cleaving a dragonfly clean in two. Even after it hit the ground, its wings were still beating in the sand of the riverbank. I crushed its flailing body with my armored boot as I turned to face the other airborne enemies.

  The remaining dragonflies quickly realized that this was not a battle they would win. They fled upstream, leaving only the ominous sound of flapping wings in their wake.

  A few moments later, we were once again enveloped in the peaceful burble of the flowing river and the gentle rustling of leaves.

  Ariane carefully wiped the dragonfly blood from her sword with a cloth before returning it to her sheath.

  “It looks like the mist doesn’t reach the riverbank, so we should be able to teleport downstream.” She sounded slightly winded.

  I nodded in agreement. After making sure that Ariane had a firm grip on my shoulder, I used Dimensional Step to teleport down the Librout.

  The mist began to burn off as the sun rose in the sky, giving us an even better view.

  Around noon, we took a short break at a large rock beside the river and ate the lunch that Glenys had prepared for us. Then, we resumed our trip.

  Mountains came into view just as the sun began to set, looming large in the distance. This was the Anetto mountain range I had heard about.

  In the forest to the east lay the elven village of Dartu. The village looked almost identical to Lalatoya. However, the walls were surrounded by a massive moat fed by the Librout River, preventing anyone from getting too close. A raised suspension bridge jutted out from the gate. I spotted several of the mushroom-shaped houses I’d seen back in Lalatoya scattered about the open area in front of the moat.

  Ariane didn’t seem particularly impressed by the scene in front of us. She called to an elf stationed in one of the watchtowers built into the wall.

  “I am Ariane Glenys Maple! I am here on a mission, on my way to a human town. I would like to request accommodations for the night!”

  The man in the tower glanced in my direction before turning to speak with another guard next to him. After a moment, he responded to Ariane.

  “You may enter! The town will provide you with a meal and a hut for the night.”

  Ariane bowed her head in appreciation, then turned to me. “We’ll be spending the night in one of the huts over there. Tomorrow morning, we’ll make our way west. Once we’re out of the forest, we’ll see the Rhoden town of Selst.”

  “Finally. We’ve traveled quite a long way already.”

  “Under normal circumstances, it takes around four days to make it here on foot from Lalatoya.” Ariane gave me a surprised look before leading the way to one of the huts.

  The flat-roofed, mushroom-shaped building was actually rathe
r spacious inside. It consisted of a stone floor, a fireplace for heating and cooking, and a large pillar in the center of the room. To the left of the pillar were a table and four chairs. To the right, four beds were lined up against the wall under the window. There was no other furniture.

  I set my bag next to the central pillar and sat on one of the beds. Ponta hopped down from its perch atop my helmet and walked around the room, tilting its head to the side as it investigated our new surroundings. It left paw prints in the dust with each step.

  Apparently, they didn’t clean these huts.

  I opened the window and shook out the blanket, sending up a massive cloud of dust. Ponta summoned a magical gust of wind—probably to help clear out the room—but this only stirred up more particles.

  “I’m going to speak with the Dartu elder. Could you do something about all this dust while I’m gone?” Ariane waved a hand in front of her face as she spoke, trying to stave off a coughing fit with a look of annoyance on her face.

  I nodded. “I’ll take care of the beds first.”

  After seeing Ariane off, I took another look around the hut. I grabbed a broom from against the wall next to the fireplace and started sweeping.

  After collecting most of the dust, I grabbed a wooden bucket and washcloth from the corner of the room and went outside. The sky had already turned crimson, and the forest was an indistinguishable black mass.

  I couldn’t find a well anywhere near the cluster of huts, so I made my way to the moat instead. I figured this was probably where people got their water. A stairwell led down to the moat’s surface.

  I returned to the hut, dumped the washcloth into the bucket, and squeezed out the excess water. Then I wiped down the tables, the chairs, and the rest of the room. Once I was done, the hut actually looked pretty nice.

  “Huh, I guess that’s about it.”

  Truth be told, I enjoyed cleaning, laundry, cooking, and other chores. I crossed my arms and looked around the room, satisfied with my work. Then I gathered up the bucket and went outside to dump the dirty water.

  As I stepped out of the hut, I spotted Ariane walking across the lowered suspension bridge, holding a covered stewpot and cloth bag. She showed me what she was holding.

  “I’ve brought dinner!”

  Arianne’s glossy lips curved up into a smile, and her amethyst cheeks took on a light shade of pink. Her long white hair, usually tied back in a ponytail, was slightly damp as it hung loose, blowing gently in the breeze. I caught the scent of flowers from her direction. She had the appearance of a woman freshly out of the bath.

  “D-did you just take a bath?” I blurted out without thinking.

  Though she was usually rather reserved, her eyes went wide at my reaction. Then she gave a nod. “I did back in Lalatoya, too, you know. I guess humans don’t bathe all that often?”

  “What? There were baths back in Lalatoya? I wish I’d known…”

  Ariane regarded me with confusion as my shoulders slumped.

  I hadn’t had the chance to bathe once since coming to this world. If only I’d known there was a bath in Ariane’s house. I was so frustrated at my own inattention, I almost cursed myself. But to be fair, I already was cursed.

  “Oh, did you want to take a bath?”

  “I did…”

  “Why would a skeleton need to wash itself?”

  “How rude! I was a compulsively clean person back when I was a human!”

  Ariane ignored my outburst and suggested that we eat dinner. Ponta let out a kyiii of agreement and ran after her into the hut.

  Outnumbered, I followed them inside, scowling the whole way.

  The stewpot contained a bean and bacon soup, and the cloth bag held some bread, wooden bowls, and several red fruits.

  While Ariane ladled the soup into the bowls, I glanced back around the room again just in case I’d missed something, but I was quickly disappointed.

  “There’s no bath in here.”

  Ariane ignored my grumblings and handed some fruit to Ponta.

  “These huts were only built for humans who got lost in the woods.”

  Dartu was located just fifty kilometers east of Selst and thirty kilometers north of the Grand Duchy of Limbult. Humans who strayed from the path to escape monsters often ended up here. These huts provided temporary lodgings for them. That explained why they had only the bare necessities and lacked the magical crystal lamps found in elven homes.

  A pathetic flame hovered above the oil lamp atop the table, offering minimal illumination.

  The next time we were in Lalatoya, I’d ask to take a bath.

  I ate the salty bacon and bean soup in silence, vowing to get my hands on some spices for my future travels.

  We left Dartu early the next morning and headed west, the Anetto mountain range our constant companion to the south. Like the day before, we were forced to travel on foot throughout the morning due to all the mist.

  We did encounter the occasional monster, which would invariably bare its fangs and attack us, but these distractions only slowed us slightly.

  Once the sun was high in the sky and the mist began to clear, we able to start teleporting again. This improved our progress somewhat, though I wasn’t able to use my magic to its full potential due to the poor visibility in the forest.

  When we finally broke out of the trees and caught sight of the town of Selst, the sun was staring to sink in the western sky.

  The town was built in a similar style to Luvierte—the first town I’d visited when I came to this world—in the middle of a vast plain. The crops in the surrounding fields appeared to be primarily vegetables, with little in the way of staple grains. An empty moat and dirt wall faced the forest, in order to ward off the monsters that lurked in the trees.

  The two of us—a dark elf in a charcoal cloak who hid her pointed ears and amethyst skin, and a massive knight draped in black—must have been quite the sight as we walked along the road between the fields of Selst.

  Farmers stopped their work and turned toward us as we approached the town, but we ignored their stares. Two guards stood watch at the gate. After paying the entrance tax, we entered Selst.

  “We should probably look for a place to stay first.”

  Ariane’s response was curt. “Right.”

  She glanced around, a look of wonder on her face. Night had already fallen when we’d entered Diento, so it was probably strange for her to see a human town in the light of the setting sun.

  The streets were packed with people, the air full of the sounds of shops closing up, hawkers calling for last orders, and the general bustle of a town at nightfall. The mass of people parted for me as I walked. Between the black cloak on my back and Ponta atop my head, I must have struck an intimidating figure.

  We passed a building with a group of men clad in metal and leather armor milling about out front. The familiar sign indicated that this was the mercenary guild office. The mercenaries crowded around it were carefully checking their weapons and talking among themselves. Mercenaries tended to talk in loud voices, and these were no exception. Each was yelling to be heard over the rest.

  I slowed my pace, curious to hear what they were discussing.

  “So, how did it go?”

  “I didn’t find anything.”

  A massive man sporting an unkempt beard, metal armor, and an oversized shield at his feet was speaking to an attractive young man in front of him. The young man was clad in leather armor and had a bow slung over his back. He shrugged his shoulders in an exaggerated motion and shook his head.

  “One of our scouts spotted one, but it got away.”

  “Ten men in seven days…huh. Doubt they’ll show themselves while we’re here.”

  “There are already ten dead? That’s quite a bit. Still, we can’t do much with our numbers. Setting traps is a waste of time. They’re too smart for that.”

  “If we can’t slay the haunted wolves, then it’s only a matter of time until the count gets involved.”
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br />   Ariane’s head snapped up, as if she’d heard something important.

  Judging by the conversation between the mercenaries, monsters were coming out of the forest at the base of the Anetto Mountains, and the town’s mercenary troupe had called an emergency meeting to deal with them.

  It looked like the mercenaries had a considerable force. The haunted wolves must have been quite a problem to draw this many men. A call like this typically only included mercenaries who belonged to the town’s troupe, but in the event that war broke out with another noble, or even another country, then all the mercenaries living here would have to answer an emergency call. As such, it’d probably be a good idea to avoid entering the town under my mercenary license.

  Ariane tugged at my cloak. I turned. Ponta looked around curiously, wondering why we’d suddenly stopped.

  “Arc, there’s something I’d like to discuss once we make it to the inn.”

  “Understood. Let’s hurry up and find a place to stay.”

  After a cursory search for a sufficient inn, we found ourselves in a relatively clean one operated by an older woman. I reserved two rooms on the second floor and gave one of the keys to Ariane. She took the key, picked up her bags, and made her way upstairs.

  After seeing her off, I turned to the innkeeper. “Excuse me, miss, but could you tell me how to get to Houvan from here?”

  “Miss? Cut it out, Sir Knight. You’re making me blush!”

  The woman had a rather hefty frame, which shook as she let out a boisterous laugh. She reminded me of the older women in my neighborhood.

  “Houvan, right? Well, you’ll want to leave through the south gate and follow the road that runs parallel to the woods. It’ll take you around two days by carriage. Skilled fighters apparently cut straight through the woods, but it’s probably not a good idea right now.”

  “Because of the haunted wolves?”

  “Right! At least ten people have been eaten over the past few days. Monsters don’t usually leave the forest here. Seems like these ones are coming down out of the Anetto Mountains for some reason. It’s got the whole town on edge.”