Ankoku Kishi Monogatari (WN)

The dwarf who had just arrived reacted in much the same way.

It reminded me that elves and dwarves didn’t get along well with each other.

Though both were descendants of the Gods of Elios, and thus had to cooperate, it was clear that their alliance was more a result of divine order than mutual respect.

「W-WAIT A MINUTE, YOUR HIGHNESS! PLEASE DON’T FORGET ABOUT OUR GOAL! WE’RE HERE TO COOPERATE WITH THEM, RIGHT!?」

Another elf stepped forward from behind the elven princess.

Judging by her attire, she appeared to be a dryad. And, if I wasn’t mistaken, she looked familiar.

「Eh? Tess, is that you?」

The dryad turned toward me when I called her name.

Yep, it was Tess, without a doubt.

She stared at me with a puzzled expression.

I subtly shifted my hood, just in case anyone might be trying to peek at my face.

「AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!」

Tess’s loud shout echoed in surprise.

It seemed she recognized me.

「IF IT ISN’T KUROKI!! WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE!!?」

Without a second thought, Tess threw herself at me in a happy hug.

I could feel her slender body pressed against mine through my clothes.

The onlookers around us looked shocked at the sudden display of affection.

「It’s been a while, hasn’t it, Tess? What about you? What are you doing here?」

「I’m serving as Her Highness’s attendant! Your Highness! Everyone! This swordsman is Kuroki! He’s my acquaintance!」

Tess enthusiastically introduced me to the others.

The elven princess’s expression seemed to soften a bit once Tess made the introduction. I wondered—was it really that bad for her to be saved by someone associated with the dwarves?

「Thank you so much for saving us from that predicament. My name is Luusien. We were ambushed by those filthy Fanged Folk on our way to the dwarven village.」

Luusien spoke with elegance, expressing her gratitude.

I was a bit flustered when a beauty thanked me so gracefully, but… honestly, the dwarves should also be thanked. They were the ones who had helped them too.

「The elven princess is an ambassador? What’s going on here?」

Even with an elven princess in front of them, the dwarves weren’t holding back with their words. Of course, their relationship had always been more confrontational than cordial.

「Eh? Haven’t you heard already? There was a notice from the gods above about working together. Now that you know, can you lead the way?」

Luusien’s words seemed to provoke a few of the dwarves, as they exchanged uncertain glances.

While the relationship between elves and dwarves was akin to a dog and monkey bickering, they were not outright enemies.

In the end, they reluctantly agreed to lead the way for the elves.

「Humph. You already know the location of our village, even without us leading you, right? Our dear guests? Now, let’s get moving.」

I nodded in response.

Kuna and the others should be on their way to the elven country by now, so it was likely that our paths would cross soon.

「Hey, Kuroki. Will you come with us? You can, right, Milady?」

「Yeah. It doesn’t really matter. But, Oleora… how’s the condition of our carriage?」

Luusien looked over at the broken-down deer-drawn carriage. Then, the elf named Oleora began repairing it. It seemed the carriage would still be functional, even after a quick, emergency fix.

But I kept quiet about it. After all, they were guests of the dwarves.

「Sorry, Tess. I have to go back with the dwarves.」

Tess’s face fell slightly at my words.

「I see, it can’t be helped… I wanted to ask you so many things if you were coming with us. Well, I’ve asked this before, but what are you doing here? I mean, you’re supposed to be… Oh, never mind. I guess it doesn’t really matter anymore.」

Tess trailed off mid-sentence.

I wondered what she was going to say.

I had a feeling that Tess already knew my true identity as the Dark Knight. But given the current situation, it wasn’t something I could confirm easily.

As I was about to turn away…

「PLEASE WAIT A MINUTE!」

Someone suddenly called out to me.

It was the boy who had accompanied the elves. He looked at me with a serious expression.

「P-PLEASE! T-TEACH M-ME! SWORDSMANSHIP! I WANT TO BECOME STRONG!」

The boy’s desperate plea tugged at my heart in a way I couldn’t explain. I walked over to him and knelt down until our gazes met. Even then, the boy kept his head lowered.

「Why do you want to become stronger?」

The boy raised his face at my question. His eyes met mine, full of seriousness. Despite his delicate, almost feminine face, I could tell without a doubt that he was a boy. My instincts never failed me.

「I MADE A PROMISE TO MY DEAR MOTHER! I PROMISED HER THAT I’LL BECOME A SPLENDID KNIGHT!」

The boy spoke with determination in his voice. And yet, I could see the weakness in his form.

I glanced at Luusien, and it seemed she had no objections to me teaching him.

「My name is Kuroki. Can you tell me your name?」

「Yes! My name is Kouki!」

So his name was Kouki—a name I had never heard in this world.

Had I simply never known it?

But that was a trivial thought in the grand scheme of things.

「Okay then, Kouki-kun. It might only be for a short time, but I’ll do my best to teach you while we’re at the dwarven village. Does that sound good?」

I extended my hand as I spoke.

Kouki’s eyes welled up with tears, clearly moved by my words.

「Y-YES! THAT’S ENOUGH! THANK YOU VERY MUCH, MASTER!」

Kouki grasped my hand. His hand was small, delicate—his grip was strong, though.

This had nothing to do with whether you were a child or an adult.

This was a promise between men.

◆Serpent Prince Dahark

In the abandoned mine in Kauf, we were still in this place. A temporary palace had been built by the Yig, the slave class.

Botis looked bored as she observed the surroundings.

「Is something the matter, Botis? What’s going on?」

Botis looked up, clearly surprised that I was speaking to her. It seemed she had been lost in thought.

「Ah, young master. Well, it’s just a small matter… Those wolves seem to be fighting someone.」

Botis replied while scanning the area. Dozens of little one-eyed snakes slithered around her. They were her familiars, able to transmit what they saw to her. She had released them into the forest to gather information.

The report had come from the snake that had been traveling with the wolves.

「Wolves? You mean Yasab and the others? It’s pretty normal for them to fight in the forest.」

I tilted my head in confusion.

Headhunter Yasab, a wolfman with fiery red hair, was a noteworthy figure despite his humble origins. He and his pack had been in constant conflict with the elves in the forest. There was no reason to be concerned about a skirmish or two.

It seemed there was something more on Botis’s mind.

「That’s right, but what interests me is who they’re fighting…」

「Who they’re fighting?」

「Yes… Well, maybe I’m just being overly cautious.」

Botis laughed it off. Perhaps she was simply excited for the execution of our real plan. That must be why she was focusing on such a trivial detail.

「No need to worry about every little thing, Botis. The most important thing is when we’ll be able to leave this place. I’m getting bored since there’s nothing to fight.」

I was itching for a fight, but there had been no enemies to engage with. Even Mushusshu was getting restless from the lack of action.

「Fufufu, just a little longer, young master. The day when you can fight to your heart’s content is right around the corner.」

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