#119 Silent War (1)
The Enamel Continent, Drasha, capital of the Elven Kingdom.
Here, there was one who had communed with great nature and become one with it.
— The wind is nice, the sunlight is nice, and the shade is nice too. Now this is healing.
He lay sprawled on his back beneath the shade of a great tree, staring vacantly into space.
On the surface, he looked like nothing more than a lazy bum, but even this was part of his training, breathing together with nature and becoming one with it.
‘I can’t be bothered to move. As expected, you need times like this once in a while. There’s a reason people need leisure time.’
…There was a bit of selfish desire mixed in, but since he could further develop his affinity with nature through this process, calling it training wasn’t entirely wrong.
And so, the elf who expressed unity between self and world with his entire body amid the silence—Harris—rolled across the ground while hugging something long and wooden tightly to his chest.
“Haaah… this is nice…”
Just holding it gave him a warm, cozy feeling, making his body grow pleasantly languid.
He already had a tendency to immerse himself excessively in nature, but with this object by his side, that tendency seemed to be reaching an uncontrollable state.
‘Well, it was made from a branch personally bestowed by the World Tree.’
The branch he had asked Rapori to process had finally returned to Harris as a sleek, elegant bow.
Since the bowstring had been loosened, it looked like nothing more than a curved branch of wood, but merely possessing it had the ability to amplify various abilities of its owner.
Naturally, affinity with nature was included among them.
‘It’s peaceful. Maybe because it’s so far from the Ion Continent, where the Abyss opened, but the Enamel Continent really isn’t much different from usual.’
On top of that, perhaps thanks to the influence of the World Tree, the influence of madness was not that great either.
It wasn’t entirely absent, but it was at a level that could be handled well enough with their usual forces.
It was truly a blessed land.
‘Hm?’
Just then, his senses, which had been idling for a while, detected the presence of someone approaching him.
His perception, sharpened to the utmost by becoming one with nature, allowed him to immediately identify the other party, and Harris slowly opened the eyes he had closed and looked in that direction.
As expected, the person walking straight toward him as if they had business with him was someone he knew very well.
“Hwaaam— Decibel.”
Wooooong—
At Harris’s call, the sound spirit “Decibel,” who had grown to intermediate level, released the soundproof barrier it had spread around the area for a comfortable rest.
At the same time, sound gradually clothed the silent world…
~♪
From afar, the faint sound of lively music began to echo.
It was the cheerful music that had recently spread through Drasha like a trend.
The aftermath of the new culture that had flowed in through Harris’s active intervention could be felt firsthand.
Listening to the music, he slowly raised his upper body.
After lazing around to his heart’s content for a while, his desire for idleness had been satisfied to some degree, leaving him feeling exceedingly refreshed.
And just as he was stretching with satisfaction, the person who had finally approached with vigorous steps spoke to him—
“…Um, it’s been a while? You always seem to be here. I guess you like this place?”
The one who greeted him in a hesitant manner that contrasted with her confident posture was none other than an elven woman with blue hair and blue eyes—Shapiron Silvesty.
‘A while? Didn’t we run into each other just this morning?’
Ever since their performance at the festival, his relationship with her had remained more amicable than expected.
You could say they had become acquaintances who at least exchanged greetings when they met.
A large part of it was because, for whatever change of heart she had undergone, her attitude toward Harris had changed into something akin to how one would treat a rival.
‘No, it wasn’t just that. For a while, she even followed me around secretly and observed me.’
And she had been so enthusiastic about it that she had even been seen with her eyes sparkling like a model student’s as she took notes on something.
She seemed to think she hadn’t been caught, but there was no way she could escape the senses of someone whose affinity with nature had risen to an extreme degree.
‘I thought she’d quieted down recently, though. Looks like she has some business with me again.’
Judging from the way she couldn’t continue speaking after her first words and was only watching his reaction…
It seemed she had come to ask for some kind of favor.
“Hello, Miss Shapiron. This place puts me at ease, you see. It also makes it easier to commune with nature.”
“R-right. Communion is important…”
Shapiron, awkwardly smiling as she agreed with him, had now even brought both hands together and begun fidgeting with her fingers.
“So, did you perhaps have some business with me?”
“Ah!”
When he spoke first, she flinched briefly, then cautiously brought up the main point.
“Um, we were included in the delegation for the continental summit this time, weren’t we? So… I wanted to prepare a little…”
A continental summit was scheduled to be held at Rosellia Grand Temple, the holy land of the Main God Church on the Ion Continent.
Given the gravity of the matter, the nations of the Enamel Continent were also to participate, and Harris and Shapiron had both been included among the delegation’s attendants.
“Prepare?”
“Ugh… W-well, since it’s another continent, it’s bound to be different from here in all sorts of ways, right? But if we, who will be the face of the Elven Kingdom, were to make even a small mistake, it could escalate into an international issue! So…”
Harris, who was originally from the Ion Continent, had recently received a bow made from a branch of the World Tree, and all his spirits had evolved to intermediate level.
Shapiron, likewise capable of summoning an intermediate spirit, was the greatest prospect of Drasha Academy, yet also a greenhouse flower with absolutely no outside experience.
Since their abilities themselves were not lacking as attendants, both of them had been included as members of the delegation with the intent of letting them gain experience.
“You’re from the Ion Continent, so… I thought I might be able to receive a little help from you? Of course! I’m not asking you to do it for nothing! I’ve prepared proper compensation too!”
With an embarrassed expression, she rambled on without being able to meet Harris’s eyes.
Though she had improved recently, considering how she had behaved before, asking him for help now must have been quite embarrassing.
Still, he could understand how she felt.
She was leaving the Elven Kingdom, where she had lived her entire life, for the first time and heading outside.
And to a completely different continent, at that…
‘She must be nervous, and she probably wants to present a perfect image somehow.’
Moreover, the person in charge of this delegation was none other than her father, Rapori Granwood.
‘I thought he said his last mission was his final external assignment. In the end, it turned out like this again.’
Then again, with the current state of affairs, there was no way he could retire easily.
Cecily, who had newly become a High Elf, was still in the middle of her education, and the others each had their own duties.
Most decisively, Rapori was the one with the most experience regarding the Ion Continent, so it couldn’t be helped.
The matter they were facing now was simply that serious.
Of course, his circumstances were not what mattered right now.
“We’re part of the same group, so if it’s something like that, I’d be happy to help! …So what is this compensation?”
Helping was helping, and taking everything he could take was only natural.
***
“Mm— good! This is quite excellent!”
The latest equipment filled the spacious workshop.
Although calling it new-style still meant a handcrafting space with not a single automated facility, when every piece was the most expensive available, even its appearance was on another level.
Howard, the dwarf who had been transferred to the other world a few days ago, carefully inspected the workshop here and there before nodding in satisfaction.
Hubert had prepared the workshop in advance, but it felt different now that he had personally settled into the space…
After making adjustments here and there for several days, a satisfactory space had finally been completed.
‘I don’t know whether it’s because of the racial traits of dwarves or because of “Craftsmanship.”’
In any case, it was fortunate that there was nothing else left to tinker with.
“I’m glad you’re satisfied, Howard.”
“Yeah, this is the finest working environment! As expected, it was worth deciding to work together!”
Hubert and Howard conversed warmly and shook hands.
Naturally, it was a formality that took the eyes around them well into account.
Present here were not only the three guards Hubert usually took around with him, but also several employees dispatched from the merchant company.
‘For the sake of convenience in the future, it would be best to firmly establish that Howard belongs to our merchant company.’
It wasn’t as if Hubert could personally run errands every time materials were needed.
It would be convenient in many ways to arrange things so simple tasks could be handled through his subordinates.
‘And later, I’m thinking of visiting Zaonic too. I can’t keep hiding the fact that he’s a dwarf forever. It’ll be safer to protect him openly at the merchant company level.’
Hubert’s merchant company had already established itself quite well in Tarak, and the status of his business partner, Harley, was now incomparable to before.
On top of that, they still had the insurance of their friendship with the Main God Church, so most people wouldn’t even think of touching them.
‘Very good. Now all that remains is for him to embody Earth’s knowledge.’
And whether thanks to the synergy between his race and “Craftsmanship,” the theoretical aspects were already all inside Howard’s head, so all that remained was to align them one by one through practical application.
“From now on, procure everything Howard says he needs. Don’t worry about the cost. Treat him just as you would me or Harley.”
“Yes! Understood, Company Master!”
Those who would manage the workshop building and take charge of its security bowed their heads.
Since they too had been composed of carefully selected talents in their own right, they should be able to handle most matters on their own.
“Then I’ll be going now. I look forward to working with you, Howard.”
“Ah— leave it to me. I’m going to get straight to work!”
After exchanging farewells with Howard once more, Hubert left the workshop and headed toward downtown Tarak.
With the matter of Howard’s workshop finished today, he had gained a little more room to breathe, but what merchant had holidays?
Though he had taken charge of everything from supplying the avatars to handling miscellaneous chores, his main task was growing the merchant company, so he always had to keep moving diligently.
‘Still, it’s true that things have become much easier since linking up with the Brokoslak Clan.’
There were no talents better than vampires when it came to defending against the schemes of other organizations and gathering information.
Thanks to them, the merchant company’s growth had gained even more momentum, so they were already earning their keep more than enough with that alone.
And just as Hubert was walking busily with his guards in tow—
His instincts…
Felt something out of place.
‘What is it?’
Hubert immediately stopped where he was and looked around.
Merchants selling all manner of goods piled up, armed mercenaries walking about, people moving busily…
It was the same scenery as usual.
Nothing particularly strange stood out.
But something was definitely different from usual.
There was something he could feel despite not being able to see it, but he couldn’t tell what it was.
“Company Master…?”
When Hubert suddenly stopped and remained there frowning, the four guards who had been quietly following behind him looked at him in puzzlement.
As his thoughts began to accelerate, the sense of incongruity covering his entire body gradually grew stronger…
And at that instinctive warning that ignored reason—
He finally realized the cause.
‘Four?’
Very naturally, someone had slipped in among the three guards.
Someone with a striking appearance: pale skin, red eyes, and red hair.
Without being stopped by anyone, they stood right beside him and stared at him intently.
Even his fairly skilled guards seemed unable to perceive that existence, as they merely looked at him with worried expressions.
“You have good instincts.”
And Hubert instinctively knew what that being was.
‘A vampire?’
It was probably because of Heinz II’s influence.
The fact that he had been able to detect the incongruity was likely the same.
…Though even if he noticed now, it was already too late.
“Ah…? Cough…!”
Blood poured like a waterfall from Hubert’s nose and mouth.
Even though it was a change that had occurred within his own body, he only belatedly managed to grasp the cause.
His insides, including his heart, had been completely destroyed by an attack he could not perceive.
“Company Master!”
“What? Why all of a sudden!”
As he collapsed weakly on the spot, his guards caught him and began to panic.
In Hubert’s fading vision, the unidentified vampire who had been there had already vanished without a trace.
‘…What is this? Why would a vampire attack me…?’
Thanks to his accelerated thoughts, it felt as though a long time had passed, but the event itself had taken place in an instant.
Moreover, because his basic life force was so strong, he was only managing to endure for a few seconds now; this was not something Heinrich’s holy power could do anything about.
And so, without even a moment to do anything…
Just as the thread of life sustaining him was about to snap.
《You have received damage that would result in death from a single blow. “Instant Death Immunity” activates, reducing the damage to a critical injury.》
《Thereafter, “Instant Death Immunity” will be sealed for one day.》
Hubert snatched his life back from the jaws of death.