Chapter 391: Huh? No, I Don’t Want To
“Is this a new foe!?”
The words spoken made me halt in my tracks.
“Hmm? …A human, you say?”
I was about to respond to the dark elf woman who had her bow trained on me, but then it hit me. The language she was using wasn’t Brinks Language, which is common around here. It sounded more like Elvish. I had heard there were no villages south of the entrance to the land I received, so it seemed this tribe had been isolated from the outside world for quite some time.
“Are you not concerned about what’s happening over there?”
I decided to reply in Elvish to match her tone. I pointed towards the scene where several dark elves were being scattered by a Black Ogre. It appeared she had mistaken me for an ogre, but the real issue lay with her comrades.
As I pointed, I witnessed a dark elf being sent flying by the Black Ogre. Though she managed to backstep and mitigate some of the impact, the ogre’s strike was undeniably powerful. Her arm was bent at an unnatural angle, making it clear she wouldn’t be returning to the fray anytime soon.
“Rizelade-sama!”
The dark elf woman momentarily diverted her gaze from me to the one who had been thrown. It seemed her aim with the bow remained steady, perhaps due to her race’s proficiency with it. However, that was merely speculation; I couldn’t say for certain.
It appeared that the gap left by the one called Rizelade was quickly filled, as the Black Ogre’s encirclement remained intact. Thanks to that, it seemed the injured wouldn’t be pursued any further. Still, it was only a matter of time before that changed. Watching the dark elves simply fall one after another was becoming tiresome.
“W-What are you—”
Had she noticed that I was gathering Magic Power? She called out, but before she could finish her sentence, my spell was unleashed.
It had been a while since I last used Sniping Magic. This was the same spell I had employed to pierce the shell of a giant turtle back in the Empire. Though I hadn’t infused as much Magic Power into it this time.
The Black Ogre twitched for a moment after being struck in the head before slowly collapsing to the ground.
“Guh, who goes there!?”
The woman called Rizelade, despite being supported by her comrades, called out to me. It seemed she was receiving Healing Magic, suggesting she was the leader of this group.
“I am Shuu. Just a mere adventurer.”
Even when asked who I was again, that was the only answer I could give. If I were to add anything, it would be:
“I came from beyond the northern mountains.”
“W-What…?”
My words caused a stir among the surrounding dark elves.
“You crossed the northern mountains?”
“Impossible.”
“That can’t be true.”
They certainly had a lot to say, but just how dangerous were those mountains? I had merely opened a Dimensional Rift and moved from the other side, so I couldn’t say anything too outrageous.
“That mountain is the Cursed Mountain, where merely climbing it makes it hard to breathe. There’s no way a mere human could cross it.”
At Rizelade’s words, I turned my gaze toward the northern mountain. The midsection to the peak was covered in snow, and just from a glance, it seemed to tower above even Mount Fuji. I had never seen a mountain taller than that, so I couldn’t say for sure, but the air near the summit looked thin. Perhaps they referred to the thin air as a curse.
“Well, I just came to investigate what’s around here.”
“Hmph… You think I would believe the words of a human who boasts about crossing the Cursed Mountain?”
“Oh, is that so?”
I shrugged and glanced around. I had no intention of using my assistance as leverage, but being called a liar didn’t sit well with me. The woman who had first spoken to me seemed to have lowered her bow, but everyone else remained on high alert. Perhaps this was how things were in a place where no one else came.
“However, I must thank you for defeating that ogre. If things had continued as they were, our village would have faced annihilation.”
Having completed her healing, Rizelade stood up, moving her treated arm. It seemed the other members who had been injured were also receiving treatment one by one.
“I’m glad to hear that.”
This time, it appeared that the ogre had been destroyed by a Spider TYPE, but there was a chance the dark elves might have discovered the Spider TYPE themselves. If that had been the case, they might have turned hostile, so perhaps it was for the best.
In that case, it might be wise to retrieve the Spider TYPE before the dark elves found it. If they stumbled upon something suspicious, their wariness would only increase.
“Well then, I’ll be on my way.”
“Wait!”
As I turned to leave, Rizelade called out to me.
“Is there something else?”
I turned back, a hint of irritation creeping into my voice, and met her gaze, which looked down on me with an air of superiority.
“I said I would thank you. You should come by our village.”
Why was the one offering thanks acting so high and mighty? I was the one who had taken down most of the ogres, including the one they struggled against.
“Uh, no thanks.”
“Huh?”
Her eyes widened in surprise at my reflexive response. Did she think I would just follow her because she offered thanks? While her attitude was bothersome, what annoyed me the most was—
“I refuse the gratitude of a race that doesn’t even introduce themselves and calls others liars.”
Honestly, I had to investigate those who spoke in that peculiar dialect, but I had no desire to deal with such unpleasant individuals.
“Well then.”
As I began to issue commands to the other Spider TYPEs to avoid the area surrounding their village, a heavy atmosphere began to mix with hostility. I decided to retreat quickly. I would think about these dark elves once I had calmed down.