LIGHTNOVELONLINE Book 6: Side Story 3
One Hundred Years Adventure 3 [Evil Race Woman]
(Extra story for the LN electronic version)
The mountain dwarf Dalton, the human Samantha, the forest elf Miranda.
These strange trio with each having different race became childhood friends, then adventurers, then the dog beastman Fran and the human boy Rook joined their party. After that more than a decade passed.
The five also became adult through that passing of time──
「Yaai, smaaall fry, smaaall fry」
「Gununu」
But around two of them were also unable to completely become adult.
This came about when Samantha became rank 4 when she was twenty years old.
In this world, people would respect those who became rank 2 in their teens, and ordinary person could only reach upper rank 3 even if they spent their whole life for it. Samantha who reached until rank 4 when she was still this young was legitimately a prodigy.
With that naturally the way her surrounding looked at her changed. Naturally Samantha got cocky from that. Greatly so even.
The victim who got agitated like that was the forest elf Miranda.
The forest elf was seen as good looking by human, and had life span that was nearly ten times of human and beastman. They were a race that was called as forest fairy.
By the way, the elf race’s beautiful look was because their frame becoming dainty because of their unbalanced diet for long years, and because their lifespan was needlessly long, they were picky with choosing their marriage partner. Their looks was the result of continuing to do those things for so long, some researchers hypothesized.
In short elf race’s aesthetic sense wasn’t that different from human race. That was also a cause why half-blood elf was born, and why elf race was haughty despite being country bumpkins, but those didn’t matter. The point was that elf’s growth in every aspect was slow because of their long lifespan.
Miranda’s age too was quite in the mature period based on human’s sense, but her appearance was still like a girl in her early teen. She reached rank 3 in that age, so Miranda too was qualified enough to be considered a prodigy based on elf’s standard, but perhaps because of their familiarity as childhood friend, Miranda who was usually a snob and like to put on airs against her surrounding fell prey to Samantha’s snobbiness this time.
「Annoying」
*Gan!*
「「──~~~-!」」
Suddenly Samantha and Miranda ate double chop on their head from the backs of steel gauntlets that came from the side. They pressed their hands on their head and crouched down.
「What’re you doing Dalton, you violent brute!」
「I’m telling you two don’t make a racket at your age!」
The childhood friend of these two, the mountain dwarf Dalton had also grown to look like a twenty years old youth. But, because he was tall for a dwarf and how he often frowned due to his nature as a worldly-wise man, he strangely appeared like a middle-aged man.
「Look around you! Everyone is put off by you two!」
When they looked at the direction that Dalton pointed at, the other adventurers who were gathering inside the spacious room were staring at the eccentricity of the girls with dumbfounded look. The swordsman Rook and the scout Fran were also mixing in among them, pretending to be stranger.
The two had also turned thirty. Thanks to their high mana capacity their appearance looked like they were at their mid-twenty.
Rook had grown properly since his youth and became a young man, but the dog beastman Fran now showed no trace at all of being a stray street urchin anymore. She had grown tall and beautiful where she had remarkable growth at all the right spots.
「Woof」
Fran still didn’t talk with human word much even after getting that kind of appearance, but perhaps because they had known each other for long, the common sense man Rook got what she said and spoke to his “wife” with a troubled look.
「Samantha. Fran also said to not make a ruckus.」
「Chee~~」
Samantha who was holding her head puffed up her cheeks from the words of her “husband”.
By the way although they were husband and wife, they didn’t marry and also didn’t live together. To Rook, he wanted to take responsibility even though it was Samantha who assaulted him, but Samantha seemed to be satisfied with just making a child.
Samantha’s appearance almost didn’t grow at all since her mid-teen, and her acting like that didn’t contrast her appearance, but she was a mother of two children despite appearance.
「……Why am I too」
Miranda was looking tearful from eating a chop to the head with magic steel gauntlet even though she had below average endurance among these people and was a victim who got instigated by Samantha.
.
Their party……it got called as the [Rainbow Sword] referring to each member’s overly strong and diverse personality. Right now they were going to an expedition until a foreign country, the United Kingdom of Ganzal.
After Samantha became rank 4, Dalton worked hard to reach rank 4 too in order to quell her reckless action. The “Rainbow Sword” that Dalton was leading was also becoming generally famous as a rank 4 adventurer party.
It was then, at United Kingdom of Ganzal, case of monsters attacking remote settlement at the northwest area was becoming frequent. There were also powerful rank 4 monsters among them so the united kingdom put on request with high reward for high ranked adventurers.
Of course the nation had its own army. But, it was more suited to face head on charge after making preparation. Against monster attacks that happened sporadically, it was highly possible that the army itself would be destroyed if they spread out their soldiers that were only rank 1 or 2 at best.
Ganzal’s army and people were gathered at city with rampart and hardened their defense there. But, the number of monster wouldn’t decrease like that. The adventurers were suitable in this case where their role was to search and destroy powerful monster with small number.
Dalton’s party, “Rainbow Sword” too didn’t come until this far to Ganzal where they needed to pass through several other countries first just for the reward. They wanted to hunt wyvern that from the start could be seen often in this area. This was the result of Samantha and Miranda throwing tantrum.
And then they learned of this quest and thought that perhaps they would also be able to hunt wyvern at the side. It was a godsend so they ended up participating with the search-and-destroy mission.
.
「This area is for us. The villagers are already evacuating, but the people will be troubled if the farmland here get ransacked, and our reward will go down too so put your back into it!!」
「「「Oo~~」」」
「Woof」
Dalton’s teammates energetically raised their hand in respond to his words after they arrived at the scene. They were already at the mature age, but the way they easily got into this kind of mood was their good point but also bad point.
They had traveled to their destination that was a farming village with the villagers evacuated.
「Woof」
「Yep, they’re here……they’re coming!」
The dog beastman Fran sniffed something and urged the rest to be cautious. Miranda who asked wind spirit to search for enemy also supported that and aimed her bow toward a direction. Everyone focused on that direction and from inside the thicket, a swarm of multiple monsters appeared as though they had sniffed out the smell of prey.
「It’s lizard man!」
Appearing from the thicket were huge lizards standing on two legs……lizard men.
They often were thought as monster from their appearance, but their way of being was closer to demihuman species like elf or dwarf rather than beast demihuman like goblin or orc. But, lizard man and human had hostile relationship since the ancient time because of the difference in their ecology and appearance.
There was a reason why lizard man could survive despite being enemy of mankind that surpassed them in statistical parameter.
There was how they had different living habitat, but more than that there was their “strength”. Lizard man had high status parameter from the start and all of them were hunter and warrior. They all would grow into danger level rank 3. Furthermore just like human, if an individual lizard man became warrior full time, they could even grow to reach rank 4 or higher.
But that too was only the case when the battlefield was at “waterside”.
「Do it Samanthaa!!」
「Rooger! Sandstorm──!」
Samantha unleashed level 4 earth magic──Sandstorm before the lizard men could close the distance. The magic swept violently and sand hit the lizard men’s whole body along with their sight, robbing their stamina.
「Rapid shotttt!」
Miranda immediately fired arrows consecutively with absurd vigor. It was a shooting without any decent aiming that only prioritized rapidness. Normally they wouldn’t hit and the target would have easy time to dodge, but the lizard men were clumped together and blinded. And so they were fully hit by those arrows.
But, apparently Miranda thought it was a waste to use expensive arrows for such attack. The number of lizard men who were defeated by Miranda’s attack was few. However, that attack linked to the next move.
「Haa!」
Rook swung his long sword and tore through the lizard man’s hard scale.
The lizard men were held back and blinded were all so the vanguards could rush forward before the enemy closed the distance.
The lizard men were distracted by the arrows that flew at them while the sandstorm whittled down their stamina and defense. Rook who was an upper rank 3 swordsman was defeating them one after another in that state.
Even so the lizard men were gradually regaining their sight and surrounded Rook who was charging ahead alone.
「Woof」
But that too was disturbed by Fran who leaped around crushing their eyes with knife while scattering around powdered stimulant, like a jack of all trade. It sent the lizard me into confusion.
However──.
『GIIGIIIII!』
A lizard man that was larger than the rest let out a grating cry and leaped forward. It swung down a weapon that looked like a hatchet toward the two who were in a rampage.
*Gakiiin!*
「Dalton!」
「Ou!!」
The heavy warrior Dalton used his huge magic steel warhammer to block its attack. Then in respond to Rook’s voice he pushed back the large lizard man.
Most likely it was a rank 4 lizard man warrior. The warrior also realized that Dalton was a rank 4 warrior that was equal to himself and its face warped into a laugh.
Rook and Fran started to eliminate the other lizard men who were still in confusion so they wouldn’t get in the way of the two warriors. But, this wasn’t a duel.
Dalton suddenly lowered his head in panic. The lizard man warrior who was focusing on him was wary but didn’t let go of that opening. It leaped forward──in that moment.
*GO!!*
Its face was smashed by a lump of rock that just barely missed the back of Dalton’s head.
「──Rock Brake──」
In that moment, it was Dalton this time who didn’t let go of this chance and his Battle Skill bore into the lizard man warrior’s rib and internal organs from diagonally below.
「──That was dangerous Samantha!!」
「There’s no way it would hit you if it’s you Dalton~~」
Dalton yelled his complain while sweating coldly. Samantha who believed that if it was Dalton then he would sense it was cackling loudly.
『……Giiii』
The moment it collapsed, the lizard man warrior vomited out blood while muttering something.
Most likely it was saying something like 『coward』. Dalton guessed that and grimaced, even so he easily spat out his next words.
「Who the hell will risk his comrade’s life during work, stupid idiot.」
Dalton was a professional to the end. He became strong because of his sense of responsibility, not because he was a berserker or a martial artist.
But, with the battle between leaders concluded, the battle was inclining toward “Rainbow Sword”.
Samantha and Miranda robbed the enemy’s combat strength from afar while the three vanguards were reducing the number of remaining lizard men.
Perhaps the result would differ if this location was a waterside. But, why did lizard men appear in this kind of place?
That was──.
.
「──Can you stop there?」
Such “voice” flowed into the battlefield. Flame was unleashed in radiating shape at the same time. Fran who was about to finish off a lizard man hurriedly jumped back.
「……Woof」
「Who’s there!?」
Dalton confirmed that Fran wasn’t seriously injured and questioned the identity of the intruder. Then the person in question wearing a hood appeared above an empty’s house roof.
「────!」
That person used a “voice” that they couldn’t really make out and swung their hand. The lizard men who had finally regained their sight started retreating with their injured comrades in tow.
「Wait!」
「──Ice Lance──!」
Miranda quickly fired her arrow at the lizard men, while Samantha fired an ice lance.
「──Air Curtain──」
But, the hood wearing person blocked those attacks with the wind sorcery they unleashed.
「Kuh」
Rook was going to leap forward after seeing that, but──
「Wait Rook!」
Samantha stopped him. As a fellow sorcerer Samantha had seen through that the mysterious person was a sorcerer who equaled or surpassed her.
「Who’re you?」
Samantha also asked that question toward the cloak covered person. That person lightly turned their gaze toward the sorcerer Samantha who stopped her comrades……then their eyes stopped on Miranda behind Samantha.
「……Forest elf?」
「W-what……」
Miranda felt awkward and muttered that question because from the person’s voice tone, it sounded nostalgic like they were meeting someone who they hadn’t met for a long time.
「……fu」
The person in cloak let out a slight snort as though to laugh at the reaction of Samantha and others. They drew out a blade that was curved like a crescent moon from their waist and pointed it to Dalton and the others.
「It’ll be troublesome if too many of them die. After all they are our collaborators even like that……. You guys, there are also kids with you. I’ll kindly overlook your group if you all withdraw from here.」
It seemed the person in cloak was a female. Her words were clearly referring to Samantha and Miranda.
The next moment──
「……Whooo the hell are you calling stumpyyyy!!」
Samantha suddenly snapped and used her “complaint” to replace activation word and fired countless rock bullets.
「Hee……」
Although it was just a level 2 sorcery, not many sorcerer could fire it in this great number. The cloaked woman leaked out an admiring voice at Samantha’s sorcery, then she diverted the rocks with the wind’s protection around her body and her curved sword, or she dodged using a strange martial art.
「Eee!?」
The average warrior wouldn’t even be able to do such thing. Samantha’s eyes widened seeing such feat.
「──Spirit of wind──」
Even so, aiming the moment the cloaked woman’s feet left the house’s roof, Miranda used wind spirit sorcery and blew away the woman’s body. In that moment──
「Woof!」
Fran leaped to the air with her short sword at the ready. It was unknown whether she was matching the timing or that she had predicted ahead. She swung her blade at the cloaked woman.
*Gakin!*
There was the sound of metals clashing. Sparks scattered. The woman immediately changed target and met Fran’s attack. Both of them got repelled from each other. The cloaked woman used the that recoil to return to the roof’s edge. Fran who was rolling on the ground jumped back on her feet while pulling out the hidden weapon that stabbed her shoulder.
「Fran-!」
「Woof」
Fran indicated that she was alright in respond to her comrade’s yell, even so her eyebrows were lowered weakly from the injury’s pain.
And then the cloaked woman…….
「……You guys, aren’t bad.」
The cloak’s hood was torn and her bare face was exposed.
She looked like she was in her mid-twenty. She was a beautiful woman with sleek silver hair that fluttered in the wind.
But her ears were long like Miranda who was a forest elf. Her skin was lustrous black like glamorous obsidian. Those features──.
「Dark elf!?」
The forest elf Miranda raised her voice the moment she saw the woman’s face.
The young dark elf glared, while the dark elf received it with a fearless smile. Dalton gulped when he heard that and stared at the woman.
「”Evil race”……here?」
「It’s too bad that you find out. I can’t let you guys leave alive anymore now that you have learned my identity.」
Seeing that there was no more need to hold back, intense killing intent radiated from the dark elf toward Dalton and the others. Dalton and the others were sweating coldly not only because of the woman’s true identity, but because they could use Appraisal more accurately on the woman now that her cloak was taken off and her true strength became visible.
Evil race──it was a depreciatory name for dark elf, a race that the holy church designated as mankind’s enemy. They were few in number but every single one of them was magic user and warrior. Humans feared them.
「Why’s a dark elf in this kind of place……」
「That was really an extraordinary greeting, forest elf missy. Even though we don’t even know each other」
The light and dark elves glared at each other again.
「……Do you know about that?」
Dalton kept his gaze and weapon pointed at the dark elf while asking that question. Miranda nodded quietly.
「Yes, I know. It’s my first time meeting one but……」
Miranda swallowed her saliva into her dry throat and continued.
「When I lived in the forest, the elder told me the story once……. While we were living in the forest from the start, they were a race that specialized in handling fire and cut down the trees. Because of that there was always a conflict between them and us forest elf, and they were hated by spirits other than the fire, earth, and darkness spirits so they couldn’t even obtain the forest’s blessing. Because of that even though they’re elves they created things like hoe and tilled the farm like smelly dwarf. They farmed things like wheat and baked pan, and then just because they accidentally succeeded they looked down and made fun on us. They are really an unpleasant bunch, the elder said.」
「「「「…………」」」」
Torrent of insults flooded out from Miranda’s mouth. Just how much grumbling that elder had told to her? Her comrades reflexively took off her gaze from the enemy to look at her.
Those “insults” had been passed down among the forest elves for centuries……or perhaps even millenniums from the era of that parent or grandparent. The dwarf Dalton twisted his lips as though he wanted to say something when Miranda also casually insulted him in the middle of her rant, but the dark elf who was the direct target of that was staring with twitching cheeks.
「Hee……I’ve also heard the story before. How there is some stupid bunch who got called as fairy race by humans and got carried away, so they forced themselves to live deep inside the forest.」
「Haa!?」
Miranda opened her eyes wide at the dark elf woman who was condescendingly making fun of forest elf.
「W-w-what did you say!」
「It’s true isn’t it? You guys mistook yourselves as a noble existence or something, went out of your way to live inside forest where not only there was no grain, you guys didn’t even have any proper tool, so you needed to sharpen animal bones to make sharp thing and live like primitive.」
「E-even dark elf lived in cave like dwarf!」
「……oi」
Dalton who got hit by a stray spark cut in with a low voice, but the enraged Miranda didn’t seem to hear. Miranda too had lived in human town for quite long, and her personality too had greatly mellowed down, but only the person herself didn’t notice that her haughty side would still show up when her emotion heightened up.
Seeing the girl like that, the dark elf woman made a theatrical sigh as though to say “good grief”.
「This is why ignorant country bumpkin is troublesome……. Your friends must also have a really hard time dealing with you.」
「「「「……」」」」
Dalton and others unconsciously turned their gazes at Miranda again.
「Mukiiiii!」
Those gazes made Miranda’s face reddened and she fired her arrow.
「Hmph」
The dark elf woman scoffed toward the suddenly shot arrow and dodged by jumping down from the roof.
「There!」
Miranda aimed at the moment the dark elf woman was floating in the air and immediately fired her next arrow.
Forest elves were all hunter who were said to be master archer. As a forest elf herself, Miranda was great at firing rapidly. Her usual accuracy was lacking right now while she was especially furious, but her speed was higher than usual and several arrows assaulted the dark elf woman.
But──
「Wha-!?」
The dark elf woman changed her posture by kicking on the air once more. The arrows were swept away by her flapping cloak. In the end none of the arrows hit her.
「Whyyyy!? Hit already!」
「I’m amazed you can call yourself the hunter of the forest like this. Are you dimwitted?」
Miranda continued firing her arrows that wouldn’t hit the target while half-crying. The dark elf woman was dodging them all with only martial art as though to make fun of her.
Originally her comrades should be rendering her assistance, but Miranda’s appearance only made her looked like a kid throwing a tantrum. The skilled dark elf was also exuding the atmosphere of “a big sister teasing her young little sister” somewhat, so everyone was only watching in a daze.
And then…….
「Ah, guess it’s time.」
「……Ha?」
The dark elf woman muttered. Miranda who was breathing with heaving shoulders asked back in respond. Then the woman shrugged playfully and took distance from her.
「The lizard men should have finished retreating. They’ll act as they pleased again if left alone so I can’t just ignore them.」
When they realized, that many lizard men had gone completely without any trace. Perhaps they would be able to catch up if they followed the track, but they might get lured into marshland like that and fell into disadvantage.
「Bye. I’ll let you guys go just for this time. Think of it as payment for the comical act of the pipsqueak elf over there.」
「Haaa!? Wait! Don’t run away!」
「Ahahahahahahah」
The dark elf woman only provoked Miranda for all her worth before leaving without even really harming Dalton and others. She left while laughing.
「Waitttttt!」
Miranda hurriedly tried to shoot her arrow, but she noticed that she had run out of arrow and stomped her feet on the ground angrily like a spoiled kid.
「Mira」
Miranda looked like she was going to chase after the dark elf even if she was alone, so everyone restrained her. Even so she was still really agitated. Rook who was looking a bit pale patted her shoulder.
「That evil race……that peculiar martial art, most likely she……is the [War Demon].」
「……eh」
The evil race’s War Demon.
It was the nickname of an evil race member who was said to be a powerful rank 5 magician who was also an expert warrior.
She had slaughtered many enemy commanders by running through the battlefield by her lonesome. She had killed famous knights and adventurers by the dozens on her own. She had a personality that wouldn’t even hesitate to hit her own ally with her sorcery, so she was feared by both her enemy and ally because they had to resolve herself for certain death if they met her in the battlefield.
She was a soldier of the evil race army who could also be said as an exceptional being. Countries were offering prize for her death.
Miranda picked a fight with such person on her own and got into an insult match with her, where in the end it was the other side who retreated for some reason. Miranda turned paler than even Rook now that she had calmed down a bit.
「……Could it be, I almost died just now?」
The others nodded wordlessly at Miranda’s mutter.
.
The chance meeting of the evil race’s “War Demon” and “Rainbow Sword” went like that.
Since then the dark elf woman kept her eyes on Miranda. Even after that Miranda would keep getting teased for all her worth in the battlefield for decades.
Why was Miranda the only one who got let off without getting killed? Nobody knew the answer to that.
The one hundred years adventure of the adventurer party [Rainbow Sword] was still continuing.