113. Reverberations of Memories
Looking towards the direction of Hermod Kingdom, Sion sighs with worry.
From Noble mtl dot com
As Arcel looked at Zion, he was worried that something might have happened to Stella.
She was already so worried that she even pushed Stella away when she reached out for her hand, so she thought that if something happened to Stella, the cause would be her.
“Grandson, tell me honestly. “What on earth did you tell me?”
At that time, Sion suddenly asked Alfred.
“I will answer questions as always. I am fair and equal, so I will not lie no matter how stupid the other person is.”
“Why do you have to take after your parents?”
“There is a saying that parents are the mirror of their children.”
“I should have covered that mirror a long time ago.”
Shion frowned.
If it was urgent, it would have been better to hurry and find Stella, but I felt frustrated because Shion did not explain the situation.
“I’m sorry. But please be clear. “What happened to Stella?”
“The child found out the truth before the baby did. And she became consumed with deep murderous intent in pursuit of the truth.”
Truth.
What does that truth mean?
The devil does not destroy humanity
A mysterious hero who is said to have existed before the Demon King.
The reason why the warrior’s records were not accurately known.
Which of these three does the truth that Zion speaks of mean?
“It’s not like that. “It’s more personal and directly related to your baby.”
Shion tapped the floor with his cane.
Then roots grew from the ground and surrounded the three people.
Alfred looked at it in silence with his arms crossed.
“…What is this place?”
And when he opened his eyes, what was in front of Arcel was the place where everything ended after defeating the Demon King in the past.
The day the Holy Sword was stained with blood other than that of the Demon King.
A terrible reality that would have been better if it had been a nightmare.
“Do not look back on the past, what is important to you is the present. “It is good to learn from the past, but we should not be tied to the past.”
At that time, Zion spoke firmly to Arcel.
Thanks to this, I frowned slightly, but no nightmare-like memories came to mind.
“Grandson, now won’t you tell us what you told that child?”
“Unfortunately, I cannot share your personal information freely, customer.”
“Even though I am the child’s legal guardian?”
“Yes, I can’t tell you without you.”
Alfred answers with an artificial smile.
Arcel couldn’t tell what the two were talking about, but it sounded like he couldn’t tell Stella what he said anyway.
Sion tried to hit Alfred’s head with his cane, but Alfred quickly pulled his head out and threw it at Arcel.
“If you use violence, I will call the police.”
“…Why on earth are you pulling out your healthy hair?”
If it was your first time, you would be quite shocked, but now you are used to Arcel.
“That’s something I do sometimes after hearing a fairy tale about the Dullahan a long time ago.”
“Durahan is like a prince riding a white horse, although I prefer unicorns to white horses.”
Xion sighed while listening to Alfred.
“Follow me. My grandchild seems to enjoy sitting on the sidelines, so I guess I should give him a hint.”
Arsel moved along while holding Alfred’s head.
Alfred’s headless body flew away as if he had other business to attend to.
How does the body move without a head?
It’s strange that his head was still intact after being cut off in the first place.
“You know best where this place is.”
“…Yes, I know.”
The place where Sion took Arcel was the place where she was toasted in commemoration of defeating the demon lord.
Although it was a temporary headquarters made of wood, Arcel and his colleagues found a way to fight against the Demon King’s army here, and it was also a precious place where they spent time together.
“There are signs that someone has already been there.”
There is no need to say who it is.
Arcel collected traces of that time step by step.
Even though there were things I couldn’t remember and didn’t want to remember, I needed to look back at the past for the sake of the present.
What did Stella find here?
What on earth did they find that made Sion come to Arcel like that?
“Is there anything that comes to mind?”
“We had a meeting here. We planned a strategy, and on the day of victory, we even toasted together.”
Arsel said, looking at the table split in half.
I remember memories of the past and feel sad.
Of course, I tried to remember the past but not get caught up in it.
“This is a place that soldiers from the front lines made for us in the past. Originally, we would have lived in the barracks normally, but it seems that not only the soldiers but also the knights gathered together to create this place little by little.”
Although it was not a luxurious mansion, being able to use a sturdy ceiling and bed in such a battlefield was truly like an oasis in the desert.
In particular, it was a great help to the wizard, who was naturally weak, and to Stella, who was reluctant to spend time with many humans.
“It’s been a really long time here. “Since that day five years ago, I haven’t even dared to come close…”
It was a pity that it was neglected like this, but on the other hand, I also missed it because traces of that time remained intact.
A place unaffected by the fighting.
The rooms used by Arcel and the warrior’s companions in the past were dusty but not particularly damaged.
“I miss those days… I guess…”
Arsel tried hard to hold back the tears that were about to flow.
I try not to get caught up in the past, but I still can’t forget the regrets of that day.
The curse placed on humans was lifted, but the curse placed on Arcel himself still remained.
I missed those days so much.
Those days when we could laugh together and dream of the future.
†††
In the past, Arcel felt a little worried about the soldiers’ unexpected requests.
One day, soldiers asked him to blindfold himself and follow them.
I wasn’t suspicious because they were soldiers who were usually with me on the battlefield, and Lord Karkal said it was okay, but I still wasn’t used to being blindfolded.
Of course, it’s not difficult to respond to enemy attacks even without visibility, but isn’t it frustrating if you can’t see?
“Come on, warrior. You can take off the blindfold now. “I hope you’re not too surprised.”
Lord Karkal said with a happy smile.
“What on earth did you prepare… This?”
Then what appeared before Arcel’s eyes was a hut, and it was a very large hut.
Large, long trees were erected as roofs, and wooden sheds were tightly wrapped around them, and there was also a forest to block the sunlight and harsh winter winds.
It was a place where at least one family could stay.
“This is a place we created for the warriors. “I hope you can rest comfortably here from now on.”
The soldier next to Lord Karkal said.
It may be a bit shabby, but it’s truly a dream to have a place like this near the front lines.
At best, a tent made of cloth that was hot in the summer and cold in the winter was the best shelter that could be enjoyed.
Some soldiers of lower ranks do not even have this and are exposed to the morning dew.
“I thought I was a spy for the Demon King’s army because I secretly left the base and went into the forest. Of course, if you do something like this without permission from your superiors, you will be dealt with under military law…”
“hahahaha… Didn’t you decide to look at it?”
“I said I would help, but I never turned a blind eye and decided to just move on. “When I first saw this, I thought you guys were secretly creating a place to commit deviance.”
Lord Karkal smiled and grabbed the shoulder of the soldier next to him.
Strangely, Karkal’s shoulders tremble and strength goes into his hands.
The soldiers behind him were laughing, but they couldn’t smile on the inside.
It was probably kept a secret from Karkal, but unfortunately it seems to have caught on soon after.
“Lord Karkal, this was done with me in mind, so please do not punish the soldiers…”
Arsel also half-smiled and asked Karkal.
“I’m kidding, I didn’t plan on punishing you from the beginning. “If that were the case, I wouldn’t have helped you.”
Well, I don’t know.
Lord Karkal just laughed.
“The work was made easier thanks to Lord Karkal’s help. Especially these days, the Demon King’s army is also slow to attack. “They must be taking care of themselves in the winter.”
Definitely, as they said, the attacks of the Demon King’s army have decreased significantly recently.
Alfred, whom I had met before, once told me to take care of myself since it was a cold winter.
-Ugh… It’s cold. Aren’t you even cold? There’s no reason why I’m setting up camp and not even going home this winter.
-How can you do that when you don’t know when they will attack?-
-You guys really like to suffer and take care of yourself. Later, I came with Bom, but it’s no fun seeing you all frozen to death.
Alfred does not lie.
Talking nonsense was his specialty, but he didn’t lie as much.
Although it is difficult to believe Alfred’s words, he never contained lies in anything he said out loud.
“I hope the warriors will stay here from now on. Although it is close to the front line, it will not be easy for demons to attack due to its location.”
“But are we the only ones who can enjoy these privileges? “Other soldiers also barely escape the cold in the cave…”
“We have already completed discussions with our unit and other units. Above all, since the warrior came to the front, the number of questions about our comrades has decreased significantly. “It’s not a luxurious mansion, but I hope you like it.”
The soldiers in the back also cheered loudly.
Arsel was also very happy and shed tears of emotion.
Also, Arcel was also worried that Stella, a weak wizard and an elf, were not suited to the battlefield.
However, in a place like this, even a wizard would be able to take good care of themselves, and since it was located in a forest, Stella would also like it, not hate it.
You’ll probably both like it when you see this place.
Of course, other colleagues will like it too.
“Thank you so much.”
“No. “Thanks to you, we were able to survive, so I feel even more sorry that I can only do this.”
“No, my heart alone is enough, but I am even more thankful that you showed me in real life like this.”
Arsel bowed his head to the soldiers and expressed his gratitude.
And then I quickly prepared to go somewhere.
“Hey warrior? But where are you going?”
“I feel like taking a look inside the chimney, but it reminds me of something I have to do for a while. Please wait a moment. Oh, I would appreciate it if you could call your colleagues as well.”
“Okay, please come back. We’re getting ready. “We will have to show this to the warrior’s companions as well.”
“Yes, then please, Lord Karkal. Let me go for a moment. It won’t take long. “I’m just trying to recall old memories.”
The soldiers all shook their heads in confusion at Arcel’s words, but only Lord Karkal seemed to understand Arcel’s words.
Soon, Arcel disappeared in an instant, and when Arcel disappeared, Karkal spoke in a loud voice.
“Everyone, go back quickly and prepare dinner! “It’s been a while since I’m going to have a lot of oil in my stomach, so leave it empty!”
Karkal said those words and rode back on his horse.
From Noble mtl dot com
Why is the ship being oiled out of nowhere?
It is already winter, so the only food available is potatoes and sweet potatoes, and meat is very rare.
Hunting is not easy, even catching a rabbit unless you are a fairly advanced hunter.
Specifically, the animals around here were like monsters, and spears and arrows bounced off their skins.
“Lord Karkal, what do you mean by that?”
A soldier asked Karkal what he meant.
“This is what happened a long time ago when I went to visit the girl who had been chosen as a warrior, and she was almost wiped out.”
But Karkal simply told a story about the past.
But, it was quite interesting.
“Lord Karkal’s knights must have gathered only the finest knights in the kingdom… Was there even an attack by demons?”
“No, we just fell into a trap set by the villagers and were surrounded as a group.”
“Yes? “You mean the villagers?”
“Yes, of course it was also my fault that I couldn’t point my sword at the villagers. It’s also embarrassing to be the subject of an article. But what was unfair was that it was a village of hunters.”
“Hunter’s village…?”
“…It was a shame that we spoke the same language, otherwise we would have had a war there.”
A small town where the average eyesight of the residents was like that of a bird of prey.
Hunters who ran through the forest on large, swift horses.
In addition, there are not only dangerous monsters nearby, but also the area of local demons, but the demons there did not even come near the village.
After listening to the story, it seemed like there was a history of our ancestors severely scolding the demons a long time ago.
“…Are you saying that such a hero lived in such a place? “No, is there someone who looks just like a princess if she puts down her armor and sword?”
“Well, didn’t you learn not to judge others by their appearances? To be honest, it was a monster disguised as a girl. No, isn’t that unfair even to monsters?”
Carkal looked back a little more at his past memories.
Especially when he first saw Arcel there, he and the other knights were speechless.
Of course, didn’t a little girl of only 5 years old knock down a wild boar bigger than a bear with her bare hands?
Furthermore, the village people thought it was quite normal for a girl to catch such a wild boar.
Thanks to this, I was able to return with a full stomach along with the warrior.
The villagers came as escorts, so there were no monster attacks.
Already, while going to the village, monster attacks were so frequent that it was a problem to return, but the monsters actually avoided the hunters when they saw them.
“Anyway, to conclude. “In order to be chosen as a warrior, you have to have at least that kind of background.”
“What is the true identity of the hero…?”
“How do I know that? Ask yourself.”
Karkal laughed loudly while riding his horse.
And, a few hours later, Arcel returned, having hunted dozens of wild boars and carrying them on his shoulders.
The soldiers’ mouths were wide open, but soon their saliva began to flow at the smell of warm, savory meat.
It’s been a while since I’ve eaten meat, so how could I not salivate when I see a wild boar grilled to a golden brown color?
However, there was still one question.
The wild boars that Arcel caught were all large and more monster-like than monsters, but strangely, there was no sign of using swords or arrows at all.
Instead, all of them had large lumps on their heads.
Could it be possible that he killed all those wild boars with his bare hands?
Those big, fierce boars that can chew up even orcs?
“…Stella, I have a concern that I can only tell you about.”
“What are you worried about?”
“It seems like the soldiers are somehow afraid of me. “Have I done something to make them fear?”
“Well… But, you know that we elves also use magic and bows when hunting monsters, right?”
After that day, Arcel’s reputation grew even more, but there were ugly rumors going around about him that only he himself could know the cause of.