Chapter 21
The War Elf Tribe (2)
Ssshhh! Sssh!
To keep his identity from being exposed as much as possible, Jade had been assigned a separate detached palace within the royal palace.
It was literally excessive treatment for an ordinary commoner.
But no one found it strange.
Because Jade treated not only Sword Master Haines but even the Crown Prince and Princess with courtesy, the servants and maids working in the detached palace were especially careful with their words and actions.
-How is it? Do you like it?
“It’s definitely light. Its durability is hard to compare with the sword I used before. Is this why people are so desperate to get dwarven weapons?”
-Is it really that good?
“Yes.”
Silestin’s eyes widened at the praise-like assessment.
Jade rarely praised anything to this extent.
Besides, the blade and hilt were a single piece, making the entire sword pitch-black.
-Judging by the color alone, I’d believe you if you called it a magic sword.
“Even though it hasn’t undergone any magical processing.”
-But it isn’t an unpleasant black. Magic swords have a chilling, murderous atmosphere all their own. Some even possess egos of their own.
“I’m curious. There are so many things I don’t know about this world.”
-There’s nothing good that can come from seeing one.
Silestin said firmly.
A magic sword was an object that harmed the world simply by existing.
As such, there was no reason for Jade to go out of his way to see one.
-I’m curious about Earth.
-Me too, me too! It’s amazing that not a single spirit knows anything about Earth! Even Her Majesty says she’s never heard of a place called Earth!
At Elestra’s words, Silestin shouted as she flew frantically around the room.
Whid also flapped their wings and took flight.
They began circling the spacious room after Silestin.
“Someday, you’ll be able to see it for yourselves. If I go there, you’ll be able to go as well.”
-Exactly! I’m really curious! You said even iron can walk around on its own and fly through the sky.
-From what Jade says, it sounds like a completely new world.
“First, I need to find a way to return.”
Jade muttered as he swung his new sword, partly to get used to it.
Although it clearly had some weight, its balance was so excellent that he could not feel the weight at all.
That was despite the sharp whooshing sound that rang out every time he swung his arm.
-First, let’s get strong enough to beat down a dragon! Then we can threaten it! Make it spill every bit of knowledge it has!
“...That is the most certain method, but I’m not sure it’s possible. Body Change made me much stronger, but I still have a long way to go.”
-Our lifespans have increased, so it’s definitely possible! Even now, Jade is practically writing a new chapter in history!
-That’s right. Humans who have contracted with a top-tier spirit are rare enough to count on one hand. Those who have contracted with two or more are few enough to count on one hand even in human history.
“...Really?”
Jade wore a slightly surprised expression.
He had not known his talent was that extraordinary.
-Of course, Jade has worked hard as well. Nothing is gained for free, no matter what it is.
“But working hard doesn’t mean you’ll be good at everything.”
-That’s true.
Elestra nodded readily.
She, too, had seen many people become frustrated because they could not overcome a wall no matter how hard they tried.
Continuously striving and challenging oneself was truly an incredible thing.
-Aren’t you going to give your new swords names? At that level, they seem more than good enough to be called masterwork swords. The same goes for the dagger.
“Names, huh?”
-They can cut through most ordinary iron swords, so I think it’d be fine to give them names!
Silestin playfully tapped the blade.
Whid, who had been sitting quietly in the corner of the room and watching Jade’s sword dance—or something resembling one—brightened their eyes.
Silestin’s actions looked amusing.
But Whid waited patiently until the end.
“It certainly is an impressive sword. Sir Haines’s sword isn’t an ordinary one, either, but this one doesn’t fall behind it at all.”
-And Jade is the one using it!
A faint smile appeared at the corner of Jade’s mouth.
He was grateful to Silestin for always taking his side and praising him.
At first, it had been a little burdensome, but now he found it comforting.
In fact, Silestin had also helped him greatly on a psychological level.
“You’re flattering me too much.”
-Because it’s true. You’ll keep getting stronger, too. In terms of pure physical ability, Jade will probably be far ahead of any human who has undergone Body Change.
“That is, unless there happens to be a human who has eaten a dragon heart.”
-Then let’s hunt a dragon and eat its heart! You couldn’t have handled it as a human, but it should be possible now!
Silestin smiled brightly as she let her imagination run wild.
As her contractor, Jade’s increasing strength also increased the power Silestin could use.
Jade had eaten the heart of a Gold Drake and undergone Body Change, shedding one layer of his human limitations, but even so, Silestin still could not bring out her full power.
‘Well, even now it’s incredible. No spirit mage in human history has ever drawn out this much of our power. Of course, there have been humans who saw the Spirit Kings, but none who contracted with them.’
The history of the continent of Arpedia was older than humans imagined.
And over that long span of time, countless geniuses had appeared and vanished.
Some of them had possessed talent comparable to Jade’s.
But it was rare to find anyone who possessed both talent and diligence, as Jade did.
“I don’t think we necessarily have to eat one.”
-It’s one of the fastest ways to grow stronger. It’s not as though there have never been dragon slayers. Most of those dragons had only just become adult dragons, but impressive is impressive.
“Oh?”
Jade’s expression turned intrigued at the words “dragon slayer.”
Of all things, that was a title he coveted.
-But dragons that can truly be called dragons begin at the wyrm level. That’s when you can really call them dragons. Adult dragons haven’t fully matured their scales or breath, after all.
“I suppose I’ll be able to meet one someday. I heard they still exist on the continent?”
-There are quite a few. Not as many as in ancient times, but still. Their numbers have steadily declined over time.
Jade nodded.
The decline was not particularly a problem.
What mattered was not the number of dragons, but whether there was one who knew about dimensional travel.
‘Even if it doesn’t know, it’ll probably show interest. And I can use that curiosity. Of course, the easiest option would be to make it find the method for me.’
Arpedia was not an uncomfortable place to live.
He had adapted sufficiently and could now make a decent living by his own standards.
But no matter how well he adapted or how much power he gained, he was still an outsider here.
Knock knock knock.
Jade emerged from his thoughts at the sound of a servant knocking on the door.
At the same time, Whid and the two spirits turned their gazes toward the door where the knocking had come from.
“Lord Jade, Princess Rainy and Crown Prince Lloyd have come to see you.”
“Please show them in.”
“Yes, sir.”
The door opened along with the polite servant’s reply.
Whid burrowed into Jade’s arms.
Whenever they were apart from him, Rainy pestered them so much that they had fled in advance.
“Oh, were you training?”
“No. I was getting used to a newly made sword.”
“I heard it was made from a Black Drake’s tooth.”
“Yes. I happened to obtain a few by chance.”
Rainy looked at him with curious eyes.
She had often seen wyvern bones and griffin bones at the royal palace, but this was her first time seeing drake bones or teeth.
“I suppose it really would be possible in the Great Forest. It’s such a dangerous region, after all.”
“But it is also a land of opportunity. The greater the risk, the greater the rewards, you could say.”
Swish.
Jade’s gaze shifted behind the two siblings.
There were three visitors in total, and the figure standing behind the siblings had more than half of their face hidden beneath a hood.
But Jade focused on the aura they gave off rather than their appearance.
-It’s an elf!
-And a powerful elf at that.
Despite the two spirits’ commotion, Jade’s gaze remained calm.
Even without their words, he could tell the visitor was an elf from the scent of spirits naturally wafting from her.
And not a half-elf like Clora, but a true elf.
“We wanted to introduce our new companion to you, Lord Jade. It’s also the reason my brother and I came here.”
“It’s nice to meet you. I’m Arrelia of the War Elf tribe.”
“I’m Jade.”
“You’re just as Clora described.”
When Arrelia offered her hand first, Jade calmly extended his own.
But there was something unusual about the way Arrelia looked at him.
Her eyes were filled with astonishment.
“As expected, you aren’t surprised. I secretly thought you might be.”
“There aren’t many beings who can give off such a strong scent of spirits. But I’ve never heard of the War Elf tribe before.”
Rainy looked disappointed. She had secretly hoped Jade would be surprised.
Now it felt awkward to boast about the War Elf tribe joining them.
“It means exactly what it sounds like. You can think of us as a tribe of elves specialized in combat.”
“Oh?”
“You could say we’re elves who aren’t afraid of blood.”
Arrelia answered with a gentle smile in Rainy’s place.
At the sight of it, both Rainy and Lloyd were astonished.
They had not known Arrelia could smile like this.
They had thought her personality was as blunt as her expression, but when she smiled at Jade, the two exchanged wide-eyed looks.
“Simply put, you’re a warrior tribe.”
“That’s right. That’s why I hurried here to help the two of them. Ordinary elves don’t much like fighting. There are guardian warriors who protect the tribe, of course, but even they tend to dislike seeing blood.”
As Arrelia spoke, she looked at Jade with curiosity-filled eyes.
Her spirit affinity was impressive, but like her, Jade was also a warrior who had properly trained his body.
That was why Arrelia felt a competitive spirit rising within her.
“How many people came with you?”
“Three hundred, including me.”
“That’s quite a force.”
“The number may be small, but every single one is an excellent warrior, so I’m sure they’ll be a great help.”
At her prideful words, Jade nodded.
There might not be anyone as strong as Arrelia, but three hundred War Elf warriors was by no means a small number.
Since every one of them was both a spirit mage and a warrior, each would surely be worth a hundred ordinary soldiers.
“That’s good to hear.”
“Grandmother helped us a great deal. We never expected her to go this far for us, either.”
Rainy replied to Jade with an emphatic nod.
She had expected some help, but even she had not anticipated this much.
That was why both Rainy and Lloyd were still greatly surprised.
“It was only possible because Clora is a War Elf. If she belonged to another tribe, it would never have happened. At most, two or three might have volunteered.”
“Thank you so much.”
“But remember. This is the first and last time.”
“...Yes.”
The starkly different attitude from the one Arrelia showed when speaking with Jade made Rainy shrink back unconsciously.
But she was not offended.
Arrelia was an elf, and on top of that, she was the great warrior of the War Elf tribe.
As such, she had every right to treat Rainy this way.
“When will you be leaving?”
“Tomorrow. We also came to tell you that, and I thought it would be good for you to greet Lady Arrelia before we departed, so I brought her along.”
“To be precise, I wanted to see you myself.”