Things have fortunately been going well. Our life in the town of Lif’el goes on without a hitch.
But as for Wayne though… well, right now, he’s about to get out of the bathtub. I go over to him and slowly rip his skin off.
“Hngh…?! That didn’t hurt?”
Ripping off the tough skin revealed a patch of fair, untainted skin underneath.
The day after, I helped peel his skin like aiding a snake shed its skin.
Townsfolk peered through windows, alarmed at what I’m doing to Wayne. Word soon spread that Old Man Wayne came out of his pupa and spread his wings.
To call it like is kinda… well, it’s not too far off. But after helping him shed, Wayne shakily stood up and looked at his own body in amazement.
“I can stand! My body feels fantastic! Am I really cured?! I ain’t never felt better than this! Never mind if I turn to stone again, this is invigorating!”
His pessimism didn’t come off with his skin, eh? Is he going to be alright?
‘…? I see it now. After eradicating the disease that had taken control of his skin, the well-concealed curse is now revealed.’
A curse? What do you know about it?
Veno materialized a sheet of paper.
‘Lass, go prepare this ritual and magic circle. And fetch a high-leveled Priest. ‘Tis time to lift a curse. I know not who, but someone placed a distasteful curse on the man.’
“Y-Yes?! Umm, it seems like we shall be performing a ritual to break your curse, so I shall be off to find a priest!”
“Mu!”
Under Veno’s orders, Arleaf, along with Rurika and the helper, brought home a priest.
Then Arleaf took charge in drawing the magic circle and started the ritual… I think?
With focus on the now-flexible Wayne, they began chanting and thus, the ceremony.
Though it looks like it’s for summoning a demon, the magic circle glows with a beautiful light. And at last, the ceremony concludes.
“Cohgray! You really are quite somethin’. I’d better fire up the forge while I am still able to freely move about. I will smith until I can’t.”
‘Consider Wayne cured of petrification. Though I cannot say that there are zero chances that it shall return…’
“T-Thank you for your kind words.”
It makes me uneasy that you’re not confident that he’s cured… but it should be fine if we keep an eye on him, right?
“So? Arleaf? What was it that y’all wanted from me? Did you mention you were looking for your ancestor’s journals or something like that?”
Since we’ve stayed at Wayne’s household for nearly a week now, I think we can tell him our story.
It doesn’t seem like he believes all of it, but I can tell he’s thinking.
“I’ll pay people a visit and collect all records of your ancestor. And… wasn’t there talk of wanting me to forge somethin’?”
“Umm, Yukihisa?”
“With a budget of about 1,000,000 lag, I was hoping I could commission you could repair, improve, replenish, or even make us some new equipment.”
“Hmm, a whole million? I don’t want to know where you got that money… but fine. You mentioned repairs. Could you show me what you need fixin’?”
“Of course.”
I take out the crossbow and sword I got from Veno.
‘Let me take out some materials as well.’
Elbatoxin parts and a small amount of rat felts instantly appeared.
“I see you’ve got a stockpile goin’ on. Well, I think I can make somethin’ suitable for you two with this. Now, let’s see that crossbow…”
Hmm? Do you have an idea of what needs fixing?
“This looks exactly like somethin’ a student of mine sent me. After finishing the apprenticeship, some blue blood without two brain cells to rub together commissioned a bespoke crossbow from him. Said somethin’ about makin’ lots of money, too.”
He sent you a spare one? What, was he really proud of it or something?
“Maybe I’m wrong about that this is somethin’ my student made. Or perhaps that idiot noble gave this to you as a present. Or maybe even that he lost it in a funny turn of events, and it landed in your hands… hmpf.”
Yikes… he’s totally suspicious of me.
What do I do? Just wave it off?
‘It would be fine to tell the man the truth, aye? That thou received it from me!’
What’s the point of that?
More importantly, do you really think he’d believe that?
‘The lass has explained everything already!’
He probably doesn’t believe half of the things we said!
Augh, whatever! I’ll channel a sweatshop survival skill: The Smiling Poker Face!
“Yes, you could say fate brought it to me.”
‘It truly is about how and not what thou sayest… but do mention how it was obtained. From the apprentice? From the noble? From me? Or even that thou borrowed it after finding it on the ground.’
I can’t stand that abrasive way Veno speaks. I ignore him.
‘Canst thou not survive in thy world without spewing ambiguous half-truths?’
Oh, just shut up already. I’m trying to focus on tricking him here!
“… would you believe that the idiot noble picked a fight with a dragon, got defeated, and had his crossbow relinquished from him? And then somehow, it ended up in my hands? Kinda romantic, don’tcha think?”
“Hmm…”
Wayne taps at the stock of the crossbow, pointing out something to me.
Gah?! Was there a proof mark or a serial number?!
‘And the truth comes spilling out!’
“So, the noble challenged the Lord Dragon, had his weapon taken away, and was left alive? If it were the same Holy Dragon of our ancestors’, then that isn’t exactly a far-fetched story. They said He was a merciful one.”
‘Heh.’
I can picture a smug, shit-eating grin on his face right now.
You’re just too chicken to kill those warriors and heroes! Because you’re afraid of bad karma!
‘How nit-picking of thee! It is because of my mercy that thy talk is so smoothly progressing!’
Oh, and humble, too!
“It is true. The Lord Holy Dragon slumbers within Yukihisa!”
Arleaf takes the chance and comes to my defense.
But that would smell real fishy to strangers if they were told that.
“I get it, I get it. But Arleaf, no matter how close you are to your relatives, you should not speak so freely of this matter. There are heathens who do not believe in our ancestor’s words.”
Wayne warns Arleaf.
“Though it may be credible to me, seeing how I have been cured and how I have seen the crossbow, this isn’t something you should tell everyone.”
“I-I understand…”
After all, we are fugitives looking for a way to free this bond to Veno.
Not that I don’t trust Arleaf’s relatives, but this certainly isn’t something I’d like everyone knowing.
Things have fortunately been going well. Our life in the town of Lif’el goes on without a hitch.
But as for Wayne though… well, right now, he’s about to get out of the bathtub. I go over to him and slowly rip his skin off.
“Hngh…?! That didn’t hurt?”
Ripping off the tough skin revealed a patch of fair, untainted skin underneath.
The day after, I helped peel his skin like aiding a snake shed its skin.
Townsfolk peered through windows, alarmed at what I’m doing to Wayne. Word soon spread that Old Man Wayne came out of his pupa and spread his wings.
To call it like is kinda… well, it’s not too far off. But after helping him shed, Wayne shakily stood up and looked at his own body in amazement.
“I can stand! My body feels fantastic! Am I really cured?! I ain’t never felt better than this! Never mind if I turn to stone again, this is invigorating!”
His pessimism didn’t come off with his skin, eh? Is he going to be alright?
‘…? I see it now. After eradicating the disease that had taken control of his skin, the well-concealed curse is now revealed.’
A curse? What do you know about it?
Veno materialized a sheet of paper.
‘Lass, go prepare this ritual and magic circle. And fetch a high-leveled Priest. ‘Tis time to lift a curse. I know not who, but someone placed a distasteful curse on the man.’
“Y-Yes?! Umm, it seems like we shall be performing a ritual to break your curse, so I shall be off to find a priest!”
“Mu!”
Under Veno’s orders, Arleaf, along with Rurika and the helper, brought home a priest.
Then Arleaf took charge in drawing the magic circle and started the ritual… I think?
With focus on the now-flexible Wayne, they began chanting and thus, the ceremony.
Though it looks like it’s for summoning a demon, the magic circle glows with a beautiful light. And at last, the ceremony concludes.
“Cohgray! You really are quite somethin’. I’d better fire up the forge while I am still able to freely move about. I will smith until I can’t.”
‘Consider Wayne cured of petrification. Though I cannot say that there are zero chances that it shall return…’
“T-Thank you for your kind words.”
It makes me uneasy that you’re not confident that he’s cured… but it should be fine if we keep an eye on him, right?
“So? Arleaf? What was it that y’all wanted from me? Did you mention you were looking for your ancestor’s journals or something like that?”
Since we’ve stayed at Wayne’s household for nearly a week now, I think we can tell him our story.
It doesn’t seem like he believes all of it, but I can tell he’s thinking.
“I’ll pay people a visit and collect all records of your ancestor. And… wasn’t there talk of wanting me to forge somethin’?”
“Umm, Yukihisa?”
“With a budget of about 1,000,000 lag, I was hoping I could commission you could repair, improve, replenish, or even make us some new equipment.”
“Hmm, a whole million? I don’t want to know where you got that money… but fine. You mentioned repairs. Could you show me what you need fixin’?”
“Of course.”
I take out the crossbow and sword I got from Veno.
‘Let me take out some materials as well.’
Elbatoxin parts and a small amount of rat felts instantly appeared.
“I see you’ve got a stockpile goin’ on. Well, I think I can make somethin’ suitable for you two with this. Now, let’s see that crossbow…”
Hmm? Do you have an idea of what needs fixing?
“This looks exactly like somethin’ a student of mine sent me. After finishing the apprenticeship, some blue blood without two brain cells to rub together commissioned a bespoke crossbow from him. Said somethin’ about makin’ lots of money, too.”
He sent you a spare one? What, was he really proud of it or something?
“Maybe I’m wrong about that this is somethin’ my student made. Or perhaps that idiot noble gave this to you as a present. Or maybe even that he lost it in a funny turn of events, and it landed in your hands… hmpf.”
Yikes… he’s totally suspicious of me.
What do I do? Just wave it off?
‘It would be fine to tell the man the truth, aye? That thou received it from me!’
What’s the point of that?
More importantly, do you really think he’d believe that?
‘The lass has explained everything already!’
He probably doesn’t believe half of the things we said!
Augh, whatever! I’ll channel a sweatshop survival skill: The Smiling Poker Face!
“Yes, you could say fate brought it to me.”
‘It truly is about how and not what thou sayest… but do mention how it was obtained. From the apprentice? From the noble? From me? Or even that thou borrowed it after finding it on the ground.’
I can’t stand that abrasive way Veno speaks. I ignore him.
‘Canst thou not survive in thy world without spewing ambiguous half-truths?’
Oh, just shut up already. I’m trying to focus on tricking him here!
“… would you believe that the idiot noble picked a fight with a dragon, got defeated, and had his crossbow relinquished from him? And then somehow, it ended up in my hands? Kinda romantic, don’tcha think?”
“Hmm…”
Wayne taps at the stock of the crossbow, pointing out something to me.
Gah?! Was there a proof mark or a serial number?!
‘And the truth comes spilling out!’
“So, the noble challenged the Lord Dragon, had his weapon taken away, and was left alive? If it were the same Holy Dragon of our ancestors’, then that isn’t exactly a far-fetched story. They said He was a merciful one.”
‘Heh.’
I can picture a smug, shit-eating grin on his face right now.
You’re just too chicken to kill those warriors and heroes! Because you’re afraid of bad karma!
‘How nit-picking of thee! It is because of my mercy that thy talk is so smoothly progressing!’
Oh, and humble, too!
“It is true. The Lord Holy Dragon slumbers within Yukihisa!”
Arleaf takes the chance and comes to my defense.
But that would smell real fishy to strangers if they were told that.
“I get it, I get it. But Arleaf, no matter how close you are to your relatives, you should not speak so freely of this matter. There are heathens who do not believe in our ancestor’s words.”
Wayne warns Arleaf.
“Though it may be credible to me, seeing how I have been cured and how I have seen the crossbow, this isn’t something you should tell everyone.”
“I-I understand…”
After all, we are fugitives looking for a way to free this bond to Veno.
Not that I don’t trust Arleaf’s relatives, but this certainly isn’t something I’d like everyone knowing.
