Episode 119 Silent War (1)
Enamel Continent, Drasha, the capital of the Elven Kingdom.
Here, there was one who had become one with nature through communion.
'Ah— The breeze is nice, the sunlight is nice, the shade is nice. This is healing.'
He was lying sprawled out under the shade of a large tree, looking like nothing more than a lazy bum.
But even that was part of his training, breathing and becoming one with nature.
'I don't want to move. I need to have some time like this once in a while. There's a reason why people need leisure time.'
…It might be a bit self-serving, but it wasn't entirely wrong to call it training, as he could further enhance his affinity with nature through this process.
Harris, the Elf, who was expressing the unity of mind and body with his entire being in the silence, rolled around on the ground, hugging a long, wooden object.
"Haaa… This is nice…"
He felt warm and cozy just by holding it, and his body relaxed.
He already had a tendency to be overly immersed in nature, and with this item, it was becoming uncontrollable.
'It's made from a branch directly bestowed by the World Tree.'
The branch he had asked Rapori to process had finally returned to him as a slender bow.
It looked like a curved branch because the string was loosened, but it had the ability to amplify the owner's various abilities just by holding it.
It was only natural that affinity with nature was included.
'It's peaceful. Perhaps because the Enamel Continent is far from the Ion Continent where the abyss opened, it's not much different from usual.'
And thanks to the World Tree's influence, the effect of madness wasn't that great either.
It wasn't completely gone, but it was at a level that could be sufficiently dealt with with their usual forces.
It was truly a blessed land.
'Hmm?'
At that moment, his senses, which had been idle for a while, detected someone approaching.
His heightened senses, having become one with nature, allowed him to immediately identify the person, and Harris subtly opened his eyes and looked in that direction.
As expected, the one approaching him was someone he knew very well.
"Haaaam— Decibel."
Wooong—
At Harris's call, the Sound Spirit 'Decibel', which had grown to the Intermediate level, lifted the soundproof barrier it had deployed for his comfortable rest.
At the same time, sound slowly returned to the silent world…
~♪
And faint, cheerful music started to be heard from afar.
Upbeat music that was currently trending in Drasha.
The aftereffects of the new culture introduced through Harris's active intervention were being felt firsthand.
He slowly sat up, listening to the music.
His desire for laziness was sufficiently satisfied after lounging around for a while, and he felt refreshed.
And as he was stretching, the one who had approached with vigorous steps finally spoke to him—.
"…Um, it's been a while? You seem to always be here, do you like this place?"
The one who greeted him awkwardly, despite her confident attitude, was Shapiron Silvesty, an Elf woman with blue hair and blue eyes.
'It's been a while? Didn't we just see each other this morning?'
Their relationship had been surprisingly smooth since the performance at the festival.
They had become acquaintances who at least greeted each other when they met.
It was largely because her attitude towards Harris had changed, as if she was treating him like a rival.
'No, she even secretly followed me around and observed me for a while.'
She was so enthusiastic that she even took notes with sparkling eyes, like a model student.
She probably thought she wasn't caught, but she couldn't escape his detection, which had been heightened by his extremely increased affinity with nature.
'But I thought she had calmed down lately. It seems like she has something to ask again.'
Judging by how she was just looking at him, unable to speak after her first sentence…
It seemed like she had come to ask for a favor.
"Hello, Shapiron. I like this place because it's comfortable. It's also easier to communicate with nature here."
"R-right. Communication is important…"
Shapiron awkwardly smiled and agreed with him, fidgeting with her fingers.
"So, is there something you need?"
"Ah!"
She hesitated for a moment at his question, then cautiously brought up the main topic.
"Um, we're included in the envoy for the continental summit, right? So… I want to prepare a bit…"
The continental summit was scheduled to be held at the Roselia Cathedral in the Ion Continent, the holy land of the Main God Church.
The countries of the Enamel Continent were also participating because of the gravity of the matter, and Harris and Shapiron were both included in the envoy as attendants.
"Prepare?"
"Uh… well, it's another continent, so it's bound to be different in many ways, right? And if we, who will be representing the Elven Kingdom, make even the smallest mistake, it could escalate into an international issue! So…"
Harris, who was originally from the Ion Continent and had recently received a bow made from the World Tree's branch, causing all his spirits to evolve to the Intermediate level.
And Shapiron, who could also summon Intermediate-level spirits and was the most promising student at Drasha Academy, but had no outside experience, a flower that had grown in a greenhouse.
They were both capable enough to be attendants, so they were included in the envoy to gain experience.
"Since you're from the Ion Continent… I was wondering if you could help me out? Of course! I'm not asking for free! I've prepared a proper reward!"
She rambled, unable to make eye contact with him, her face flushed with embarrassment.
Well, it must have been embarrassing to ask for help now, considering her past behavior.
But he could understand her feelings.
It was her first time leaving the Elven Kingdom, where she had spent her entire life, and going to the outside world.
And on top of that, it was a completely different continent…
'She must be nervous and want to show her best side.'
And the leader of this envoy was her father, Rapori Granwood.
'I thought his last mission was his last external mission. But it happened again.'
Well, he couldn't easily retire in the current situation.
Cecily, the newly awakened High Elf, was still in training, and the others also had their own tasks.
And decisively, Rapori was the one with the most experience in the Ion Continent.
The current situation was too serious.
But that wasn't important right now.
"We're in the same group, so of course, we should help you! …So what's the reward?"
Helping was helping, but he had to take everything he could.
____________________
"Hmm— Good! This is excellent!"
State-of-the-art equipment filled the spacious work space.
It was a manual labor space without any automated equipment, but it looked different when it was filled with the most expensive items.
Howard, the Dwarf who was transferred to another world a few days ago, nodded with satisfaction as he examined the workshop.
Hubert had prepared the workshop in advance, but the feeling was different when he was actually in the space…
After working on it for a few days, a satisfactory space was finally completed.
'I don't know if it's because of the Dwarf's racial characteristics or "Craftsmanship".'
Anyway, it was a good thing that there was nothing more to fix.
"I'm glad you're satisfied, Howard."
"Yes, this is the best working environment! It was worth joining forces!"
Hubert and Howard shook hands warmly.
Of course, it was a formality, very conscious of the surrounding gazes.
Not only were Hubert's three usual bodyguards present, but several company employees were also dispatched here.
'It would be good to establish Howard as a member of our company for future convenience.'
Hubert couldn't run errands for him every time he needed materials.
It was more convenient to have his subordinates handle simple tasks.
'And I'm planning to visit Zaonic later, I can't keep hiding the fact that he's a Dwarf forever. It would be safer to openly protect him as a company.'
Hubert's Trading Company had already established itself in Tarak, and his business partner Harley's status was on a different level from before.
And they also had the insurance of their connection with the Main God Church, so most people wouldn't even dare to touch them.
'Perfect. Now all that's left is for him to internalize Earth's knowledge.'
And thanks to the synergy between his race and "Craftsmanship", the theoretical part was already in Howard's head, so all that was left was to put it into practice one by one.
"Get him everything he needs. Don't worry about the cost. Just treat him like you would me or Harley."
"Yes! Understood, Master!"
Those in charge of managing the workshop and security bowed their heads.
They were also selected talents, so they would be able to handle most things on their own.
"Then I'll be going. I'll be counting on you, Howard."
"Ah— Leave it to me. I'm going to start working right away!"
After saying goodbye to Howard, Hubert left the workshop and headed towards Tarak's city center.
He had more free time now that Howard's workshop was set up, but a merchant didn't have holidays.
He was in charge of supplying the avatars and handling their miscellaneous tasks, but his main job was to grow the company, so he always had to be on the move.
'But it's true that things have become much easier since we partnered with the Brokoslack Clan.'
There was no better talent than vampires when it came to defending against other organizations' schemes and gathering information.
Thanks to them, the company's growth had accelerated, so they were already proving their worth.
As Hubert was walking busily with his bodyguards,
He felt a sense of dissonance in his instincts.
'What is it?'
Hubert immediately stopped and looked around.
Merchants selling all sorts of goods, mercenaries walking around armed, people busily moving about…
It was an ordinary scene.
He didn't see anything strange.
But something was definitely different from usual.
He could feel it, but he couldn't tell what it was.
"Master…?"
His four bodyguards, who had been quietly following him, looked at him curiously as he suddenly stopped and frowned.
His thoughts accelerated, and the sense of dissonance that enveloped his entire body grew stronger…
And he finally realized the cause at the warning from his instincts, which ignored his reason.
'Four?'
Someone was among his three bodyguards.
Someone with a very strong impression, pale skin, red eyes, and red hair.
They were standing right next to him, staring at him intently, without being stopped by anyone.
Even his relatively skilled bodyguards didn't seem to recognize their presence, as they were just looking at him with worried expressions.
"You have good instincts."
And Hubert instinctively knew the identity of that being.
'A vampire?'
It was probably because of Heinz the Second's influence.
That must have been why he was able to sense the dissonance.
…But it was already too late.
"Ah…? Cough…!"
Blood gushed out of Hubert's nose and mouth like a waterfall.
He was able to grasp the cause only belatedly, even though it was a change happening in his own body.
His insides, including his heart, had been completely destroyed by an attack he couldn't even perceive.
"Master!"
"What? What's wrong?!"
His bodyguards started to panic, catching him as he collapsed weakly.
The unidentified vampire was already gone without a trace, disappearing from Hubert's fading vision.
'…What? Why did a vampire target me…?'
It felt like a long time had passed because of his accelerated thoughts, but it had only happened in an instant.
And he was only able to hold on for a few seconds because his basic life force was strong, even Heinrich's holy power wouldn't be able to do anything about this.
And the moment the thread of life that was barely sustaining him was about to be severed…
《You have received fatal damage that would lead to instant death. "Instant Death Immunity" activates, reducing the damage to a critical injury.》
《"Instant Death Immunity" will be sealed for one day.》
Hubert was brought back to life.