Chapter 9

♪ To The Eeedge Of Night Until The Staaaars Are Aaaall Aaaliiiight ♪ Part 2

“Everything's okay now. There are no more bad guys,” I reassure as though I was speaking to a couple of kids, not really sure how I should be addressing them.

Two girls who appeared to be in their mid to late teens looked at each other before they both clung to the other at my words of affirmation. Loud weeping from the shock and grief of their recent tragedy could be heard throughout the area, and so I kept watch to allow them to grieve in peace. Seeing Masada's stout vigilance, I decided to read through the numerous notifications.

However, before I could even read the first, Masada alarmed me of movement coming from the area where the first golf ball I hit had landed. I survey the spot intensely when a lizard-man rushed out with a spear. Masada intently listened to my plan as it was briefly whispered to him before he was hurled at the monster like a javelin. Once I had let go, Masada used his own mana, since I had no more, and [Shadow Step]ed right in front of Mr. Titleist Golf-ball. The momentum from my throw continued after the [Shadow Step] concluded, tearing a hole through the lizard-man-golf-ball-dragon-goblin-thing. Gotta love the good ol' p=mv equation. Thankfully, the two hysterical ladies hadn't noticed and continued to comfort one another while sobbing. Masada used [Shadow Step] again to appear in my hand, which earned him an affectionate ruffle in his fur.

I walked back after flicking the blood from Masada again, only to make the two women flinch.

“I'm so sorry for startling you... there's nothing to worry about,” I reassure again, feeling somewhat overwhelmed by a situation where I am being so heavily relied on. They sat there with shocked faces, in unnatural clothing... It's actually kind of sad to see, but I'm definitely not a therapist. To hopefully bring some semblance of normalcy to the situation, I pull out the [Brightgem] to illuminate the area.

Yikes. Now that I can see them clearly, I can tell they're both covered in blood. I suppose I could have handled those bandits better. That thought is rather short-lived, however, seeing the extensive injuries on the maid. Pulling out the [Rejuvenation Powder], I request that her boss use it on her maid, “Young miss, would you please apply this to your maid's wounds?” I'd rather not be stingy about the powder, but I can't be insensitive about their crisis, by just putting it on her myself, either. Bruises and broken bones mended themselves in seconds, leaving a perfectly healthy maid flabbergasted at the astounding treatment.

'bling'

Meh, I'll read you later.

Her bright blonde hair hung down over her shoulders, long pointed ears protruding through the strands. Two green eyes looked directly into my own from a deep, amethyst-colored face with a wide smile and a small button nose. I thought to myself, Wow. I've never seen someone so beautiful, understanding that she's probably older than I am, being an elf and all. Just having such a loving smile aimed at me made everything worth it.

Amazed at how quickly the powder worked, the maid's master said, “Sir knight, are you sure this is alright!? This must be an exorbitantly expensive healing powder!” Huh? Really? Well, regardless, isn't it necessary in this situation? “Please, call me Tru. It wouldn't be right to leave a person, let alone such a beautiful young woman, in such a state, would it? I give it freely to whom I wish. Forgive me, I didn't ask if you have any injuries.”

“Oh, no, if my pride isn't counted as such,” she replied.

“That's a relief. I am happy to know you aren't physically injured. As for your pride, there is no shame in being a victim. I'd like you to know, I see the two of you only as beautiful young women with their whole lives ahead,” I retort. Jeeez, is this a corny cliché competition or something? I'm definitely taking home the bacon on this one. “Now, please go over to the river with the [Brightgem] and wash your bodies. I'll take care of the mess at the bottom of the hill and guard you, so please be at ease.” A smile of admiration beamed at me, as though she were trying to blind me much as the maid had earlier.

I continued to watch the two as the first young miss stood with her maid but instantly noticed that the maid's little master had lied about not being hurt as she staggered and placed a hand on her leg. She started to fall back to the ground prior to my dash over to her. "You're definitely injured. Please show me where you were hurt."

Her bashful face looked down regretfully with the color of embarrassment before lifting the robe partially to expose a torn hole in her leg. The bleeding had been stopped somehow, potentially magic implemented by the golf balls to protect their "merchandise."

"This should do the trick," I said with a dash of [Rejuvenation Powder] sprinkling from my hand. Sure enough, the wound fully closed not leaving any sign of the previous arrow puncture. She had a look of shock which turned into another charming smile before stating, "There's not even a scar! Surely I tell you, your reward for our rescue will not be a paltry sum." The two young ladies made their way over to the river after their injuries were all taken care of.

Cleaning up the carnage at the bottom of the hill wasn't difficult. I just decided to stow all the scaly, dead golf balls into the [Ring of Space] along with their weapons and whatever bags I found. Their horses didn't seem to be disobedient, despite their masters having been slain by me. I gathered their reigns and tied them to the back of the carriage, while Masada vigilantly stood guard by the river. As for the ladies' guards, I laid them alongside the carriage with their eyes closed and hands on their chests. The quality of swords the guards used compared to those of the lizard-men was pretty obvious.

Now that cleanup is taken care of, I suppose I'll look through the belongings of the golf balls. Hopefully, I can find keys for the collars placed on the girls. But searching through them, I couldn't find the keys. This is actually quite bad. I can't just have them wearing a collar and chain while walking with me. I definitely don't want anyone getting the wrong idea. After thinking for a moment, I glance over at the horses. Most seem like weak steeds that aren't fit for pulling heavy loads for a long distance. Three of the horses appear to be much stronger than the others. The strong ones are already attached to the carriage, but there seems to be a dead horse among them. I have no idea how these saddles work, but I guess I have time to figure it out. And so after storing the dead horse in the ring, I put my brain to work reverse-engineering the saddles and whatever it is that connects a horse to a carriage... A yoke I think it's called? I just pray they can travel inside the carriage out of view from any misunderstanding passers-by.

It didn't take long to figure out, as straightforward as the contraptions were, before the girls returned, clean but soaked. The two of them went to the rear of the carriage before approaching me, to dry themselves, and change into extra clothes they brought along. My attention was fixed on the horses, though I'd be lying if I hadn't been tempted to peer over at the two defenseless maidens. No. Respect their privacy. Respect the situation. Resist temptation, dang it. Help me out here Yahweh, this is harder than it looks. I tell myself, battling the desires of the flesh. A sensation like someone was speaking into my mind, but not speaking into my mind at the same time, made me FEEL the phrase 'I gotchu homie.' It was almost like the voice was speaking directly to my feelings, in whatever language feelings speak. Thinking about how strange the impression was, I hear some reassuring actual words.

“Thank you, my lord.” The maid appeared next to me and gave me a heartfelt thanks while bowing deeply. She stretched out her hands to give me the clothes, that I let them borrow while they were indecent, as she gave her thanks. “We owe you our lives. Please, though you have already done so much for us, may we ask one more thing of you?” she asked.

I slipped the [Robe of the Scholar] around my shoulders before offering a curt reply, not allowing any misinterpretation as to the meaning, “I sincerely dedicated myself as a humble servant to your master earlier. I extend the same courtesy to you as well. Think nothing of status or social standing,” I reply, sounding pretty dang cool to myself I think. Wait. Am I developing a hero complex?

“We have no way of reaching miladies' home safely... Would you be willing to further assist us until we reach our destination?” the young maid asks hesitantly, her anxiousness showing on her face.

I reply simply, reminded of a line spoken by a true hero, a man named Wesley, “As you wish.”

Slightly embarrassed, I continue after clearing my throat, “*Ahem* that said, I don't think I'll be able to remove those collars. My skills aren't so refined that I can get them off with Masada and I can't find the keys among the bandits' belongings. Does that greenish glow have something to do with it?”

“Ah, these don't have keys. They are bound by a skill called [Bind], which marks us as slaves. We will need a high-level enchanter to break down the skill's effect.”

That sounds terrible and all, but I'm glad the skill system is known by others. Hopefully, they'll have a library I can make use of for the topic. “The two of you seem to be from royalty, no? I can certainly get you home. Will you have access to such an enchanter?”

The young maid blushed, making my heart melt even more, when she replied, “Ah, yes, milord. The Avacyn family retains skilled enchanters, though we have no royalty here in the elven lands. Milady Is a noble, though a very young noble... I should not presume to steal her introduction, however, so please await miladies' return,” the maid said, apologizing with another deep bow and continued, “I however don't even come close to royalty. I am not even of noble birth, being that I am a mere attendant to my mistress.”

“There's nothing to apologize for,” I declare while gesturing for her to raise her head. “First of all, I'm sorry for making you feel conflicted about our discussion before her arrival. Please be at ease and drop the formalities with me,” I request before another gentle voice spoke up while approaching us, “No, no. Please forgive us. You're our savior and I can see that our hysterics have burdened you further. My name is Lyra of the Avacyn family, lords of the Kulkne forest, and this is my handmaiden, Malady.”

After she paused for a second, they seemed to be expecting a brief introduction in response. “It's a pleasure to make your acquaintances, though I wished it had been under better circumstances. I'm Truck Coon, but as I said earlier, please call me Tru.” I respond, attempting to sound more sophisticated than I normally do. Should I tell them that I was sent by God from another world? Mmmm I think I'll hold off. I'm not exactly sure how much excitement they can handle at the moment, I determine during a brief pause at the end of my introduction.

“We thank you from the bottom of our hearts, Sir Coon,” Lyra responded with another bow. These people sure like to bow a lot.

“Ah, please just call me Tru, my lady,” I embarrassingly request. Sir? Does she think I'm a knight or something? I'm wearing a college professor's robe with a priestly hat and a monstrosity of a sword. How is that synonymous with 'knight?' “and it is a pleasure to be of service. Would either of you be able to tell me what exactly is going on? I was just sleeping when Masada here pointed out a commotion,” I gesture to Masada, who is sheathed into the moss.

“Kuruuu~♪” Masada musically waves hello.

With wide eyes, Lyra inspects Masada before thanking him as well and giving me a rundown of what happened.

. . . . . .

Masada had tears in his eyes halfway through the retelling. Hmm. So they're called Kobolds. I've heard of those before. I definitely feel pity for the elves' situation, so I offer advice on how to move forward, “Let's not waste any more time here and return you to your families. Should I move the guard's bodies into my ring?” The question puzzled them, not having ever seen a storage item. “How do you mean, Tru?” after which I cut down a [Leatherleaf Tree] and activated the [Ring of Space]. Two pairs of beautiful plump lips dropped open in shock as the tree disappeared into my ring. “That... Is that one of the legendary storage items told in fairy tales?! I've never even heard of someone who's seen one apart from the stories we tell children!” Lyra proclaimed, confounded at such a mythological item. Malady was the first to compose herself, coughing with a stern look at Lyra, shaking her from her stupor. “*Ahem* surely they would be honored to have their bodies treated with such high regard,” she said. “Consider it done,” are the only words I spoke before the guard's bodies disappear.

“Now, does either of you know how to drive a carriage?” I hope they do, otherwise, I may end up looking pretty silly trying to figure it out myself.

Malady is the first to respond, somewhat awkwardly might I add, “Yes... Tru.” She seems to feel uncomfortable not addressing me with honorifics. I'm sure it was ingrained into her during her maid training to show respect. “Listen, Malady, if it makes you uncomfortable to speak informally, just speak in whatever way makes you comfortable.” Her face seemed to brighten up just before she said, “Thank you, Sir Tru.” Again with the sir... is it that I look old or something? “Okay then, I ask that you drive the wagon. Lyra, please ride along and we will finish this journey together,” I direct, before walking over to the mass of [Orichalcum] we rested on earlier and conveniently storing it into my pocket universe.

Lyra let out a sigh with a soft smile on her face, the kind of sigh you let out when you feel you can finally relax as she rode comfortably in the carriage. I, on the other hand, was slightly annoyed. Since Masada is twelve hundred pounds, none of the horses can carry us. I also wouldn't dare to damage the carriage by riding in or on it. In other words, I have to walk the whole way. At least Masada is happily humming to himself.

Malady could see the frustration on my face and said, “Is there not a way to make traveling easier for you master?” Being called master made me raise an eyebrow, but the masculinity in me beat out the perplexity. I may have been affected by some kind of charm skill, because I say, “I think I love you,” without even thinking. I can feel beads of sweat start to form when she replies, “Forgive me, but I think I may have misheard you.” Thank Yahweh Malady wasn't able to comprehend what I just said... Relieved, I hurriedly respond with, “Ah, nothing can be done about it. Masada is really much heavier than he looks, and he looks pretty dang heavy.”

“Pfff,” Malady giggled and continued, “You have such an interesting way of speaking. I'm curious as to where you hail from?” I haven't even really thought of how to describe my backstory yet... “I'm from America,” I decide to stick with. “A-mer-ica?” she questioned slowly with her head tilted, indicating that she'd never heard of it. “Ah. It's a long way away. I was kinda just dropped at the edge of the [Abascan Upper Floor] in a small clearing.” I laughed out loud at her following reply, “I see. It's a dang shame I haven't heard of that country... Why are you laughing so energetically? Did I say it wrong??” Pretending to wipe away a tear, I answer, “Nope. I just didn't expect that response at all.”

We continue on our path silently when the clouds peel back and expose the array of stars in the sky that were all alight. Along the way, I think about the horses being towed behind the three-horse carriage, I'd imagine I'll get decent money from selling those horses. They're prob the equivalent of a car in the modern-day... Hmm, wonder what happened to my old Geo Metro, by the way. But before I could maintain that thought, Malady pointed ahead at what resembled a wall of redwood trees so tightly packed there was no space between them. It almost looked like a wall made by nature. “We're almost there, Sir Tru. Just ahead is the border wall of Kulkne.”

*sigh* I'm just going to assume I'll have to deal with official crap thanks to the attack on their little party... It looks like it'll be a while before I get a chance to read through all those notifications.