Ihoujin, Dungeon ni Moguru

Chapter 80: If There Are Dreams That Spur People On V

＜If There Are Dreams That Spur People On, They Are Dreams That People Quickly Awaken From. Give The Peace Of Death To Those Cannot Stand V＞

Although it was after something like that had happened, His Majesty ate his meal heartily.

It was after the meal right now, and I was giving an explanation about firearms.

「I could barely see it. Because it was too fast and small, there was no way to avoid it, but I never thought it would be that powerful」

You saw the rifle’s bullet, huh?

As expected of you, Your Majesty.

While sipping warmed wine, Zamonglass cut into the conversation.

「The dwarves of the right continent made something similar, didn’t they? ………No, but that was……」

「Yes, I heard that they blew up an entire mining town due to a mishap when manufacturing them. The dwarves haven't made any firearms since. This firearm is from the foreign lands I come from. Well, it’s from a different country, but it’s a weapon from my world. Your Majesty, may I ask you a question?」

「Hmm, ask away」

Whichever way I look at it, the sniper’s rifle is the equipment of the first expeditionary force that was sent to the alternate world.

「In the past, there should have been a group of foreigners who came to this land. Do you know anything about them?」

「A group of foreigners, you say…… I'm sorry, nothing comes to mind」

In the alternate world, information is passed on mainly using word of mouth.

I had expected kings and people around them to have received that information though.

「Then, Your Majesty, Zamonglass-sama, please tell me what you know of the black elf. It doesn’t matter how trivial the detail」

Regure is not here. A distance away, she is………butchering Verxina.

Although it’s right to use its life to the fullest, I had grown attached to that horse. It may be unmanly of me, but I don't have the nerve to butcher and clean it.

「What I know is that the black elf has gathered all of the Myriad Kings who have a connection to the Vindoobunikuru, including Robbs. The black elf is a being that only appeared out of the blue three years ago, so information is scarce」

「What about you, Zamonglass-sama?」

「Elysium has almost no information on the black elf as well. In a short period of time, the black elf has sent spies to infiltrate, corrupted people, wrapped the knights of St. Lyridias up in conspiracies, and eliminated them. A number of my disciples have fallen victim to this too」

I dare say that more than half of the casualties were caused by Elysium's own infighting, with the black elf being used as cover. This man is as simple as he said he is. He is probably not well versed in politics and human intrigue.

Though my only proof is his incoherent words, Zamonglass giving up on Elysium and going over to His Majesty is something plotted by his disciple, Luxgaru.

The meaning behind doing that is still unclear.

「The range of this firearm is from this watchtower to the outer walls」

I'll assume it to be 800 meters.

That M1 Garand is a rare model with a sniper scope mounted to the side of its body. I had never thought that a scope could be attached to a clip fed rifle. I reckon it has the same range as its improved version, the M14.[1]

「Unlike arrows, its trajectory is a straight line. Its destructive power is focused on one point, so it’ll easily penetrate poor quality armor」

「It’s a threat on a plain with no obstructions. Such a thing will change the face of the battlefield」

「That's just it. If they were counting on the firearms as a means of warfare, they would make a bigger show of it. It would surely be a great form of propaganda if they had a group of weak soldiers use them to turn His Majesty into a beehive. I find it strange that it was used to assassinate one horse」

「No, you're wrong about that」

His Majesty refuted me.

「Souya, the history of us Myriad Kings is the history of our rebellion against Elysium. It’s a history of honing our martial arts and fighting at the pinnacle of skill. It’s a thousand year old tradition that we’re proud to risk our lives for. The time when this is broken is the time when the Myriad Kings perish」

Now I know why I don't see magic on the battlefield.

The beasts of Elysium nullify magic. By elevating their physical martial skill to the extreme, it becomes a countermeasure against them. That is how the Myriad Kings of the past must have fought. It's a tradition which makes logical sense.

「This tool called a firearm poses a real threat. But what would the other Myriad Kings think if they made a big show of killing me in the way you said?」

「Umm………that it’s their turn next?」

If a weak soldier was armed with a firearm, he might be able to kill a man. He might even be able to kill a hero. But what about the beasts of abominable blood? A rifle is not at all enough to kill those things.

For all of these years, the thing holding back Elysium’s invasion of the land of the Myriad Kings has been the sheer bravery of people like His Majesty. As a matter of fact, the fallen vassals of Ashtalia had risked their lives to defeat the beast.

If that tradition is broken by firearms, which seem strong but are ultimately useless against Elysium’s beasts, all that awaits this continent is chaos and the domination that follows.

「There's that too, I suppose. We bring aesthetics to warfare. We fight for pride. Many detest even the bow and arrow. Steel, flesh and blood. We fight with those alone and kill until the moment of our death. We die proudly, boasting to the souls of our ancestors that we had fought with every fiber of our beings.

This tool of the foreign lands sullies our pride. There will likely be those who feel repulsed and part with their flags. The Myriad Kings, especially olden Myriad Kings like Robbs, are such people.

There's probably another reason for shooting Verxina with the firearm. Perhaps it was simply the fastest way to save those weak soldiers. While it is a clever move, I get the sense that the shooter is probing for something」

「I guess we don’t have enough information」

「However, Your Majesty, this person has the means to go against it」

Zamonglass clapped me on the back.

He gave me a look that said, “Tell him.”

「Umm, Your Majesty, This sword」

I handed Agathion to His Majesty like I was presenting it to him.

「This is your sword that fell from the heavens, isn’t it? It's quite an unusual weapon」

「This is the sacred sword passed down in the St. Lyridias Order, Agathion. ‘s imitat――[2]」

「It’s the actual sacred sword Agathion」

My lie was interrupted by Zamonglass.

「Souya, what's going on here?」

His Majesty was looking a bit scary.

It's a sword that belonged to a hero of St. Lyridias. Not being able to tell the truth makes explaining why I have it difficult.

「This is――」

「My disciple Irvin was bestowed the sacred sword by the beast hunter hero, and entrusted it to the foreigner with his dying breath. Your Majesty, I believe he found it difficult to explain it to you because that was kept a secret」

「Yes, that's right」

Zamonglass explained it away very nicely.

I hadn’t expected that.

「It's fine then. For a moment, I mistakenly thought of you as a spy from Elysium. Forgive me」

「No, I'm sorry as well. This sword can protect you, Your Majesty. Agathion was able to make the firearm user withdraw earlier」

「Hmm, I did see it out of the corner of my eye. There was someone who was chased by this sword and disappeared using some strange technique right in front of the forest」

「Yes, I believe that she is likely a confidante of the black elf. She had black hair, dark skin and elven ears」

She looks like what’s known as a dark elf.

It's a simplistic association, but she likely has a strong connection to the person called the black elf.

「Hmm, how very strange」

「Huh?」

His Majesty had a wondering expression on his face.

「An elf with black hair and skin, you said? Have you ever heard of such an elf, Zamonglass?」

「No, never. Though if it’s possible, it would have to be a mixed-race elf. But such an abomination would likely have been killed at birth. The pressure the elves are under to conform is immense beyond belief. It’s possible that a slave merchant or kidnapper created her out of curiosity, but……… Souya, was she a young child? What about her size and build?」

「She looked young, and had the build of a fifteen or sixteen year old Hemu girl. There was nothing odd about her physique, and she seemed in good health」

「That's strange. I don't expect someone who was created for fun to be able to grow that big. It bothers me」

They say that there is wisdom in crowds, but we had resolved very little and had only raised more questions.

All that was decided was that I would be on lookout in the watchtower at all times to keep an eye out for snipers.

With the loss of Verxina, it's difficult to see how His Majesty can fight as well as he did before. I still think of him as someone who is a match for 10,000 soldiers though.

『………………』

A silence hung in the air.

And then,

「Hey~, you guys. It’s food. Rejoice」

Regure brought over a large heap of meat.

『………………』

A heavy silence hung in the air.

「Here you go, it's fresh meat. Meat? Salted pork is all well and good, but the vitality of this stuff is different! It was a fine thoroughbred horse, so I'm sure it will be delicious. It probably tastes exquisite」

She subsequently brought over some stones, which she used to prop up a table-shaped rock like an archway over the bonfire.

「When I lived on the islands, this is how the islanders would eat the stuff they took from the sea」

She carried out the work quickly.

『………………』

The silence between the men hung even heavier.

If it were a woman from the modern world, she would go,『How dreadful~, they look so scary~』and shy away, but the women in this world were different.

「Alright, it's warming up nicely」

After checking how hot the rock was, Regure melted a lot of butter on top of it and began to cook the meat.

Yay! Grilled meat!

It was hard to rejoice like that.

But it smelled really good.

「Souya, make something to give it more flavor」

「Oh, okay」

After being told to by Regure, I crushed up some rock salt, and then rubbed the alpine leeks that I had left out to dry in the cold air with the salt.

After that, I made a salad of wild vegetables.

「Alright, it’s done. Your Majesty, you can have the first piece~」

「…Hmm」

She picked up a piece of meat using tongs and placed it on the cheerless His Majesty’s plate.

No matter the form, it was his beloved horse.

「It’s the most delicious part」

「Regure, what part of Verxina is this?」

「It’s better if you don’t know」

「………Souya, eat it」

「Yes」

His Majesty dejectedly scarfed down the salad.

I took the meat.

Stabbing it with a fork, I ate it together with some salt and alpine leeks.

「?!」

It, it’s delicious.

It has a sweetness to it. And yet, the fat is delicate. It doesn’t have a bad smell, and the texture of the meat is different from that of pork. The more I chew, the sweeter and tastier it becomes. It has a very rich flavor. When I swallowed it, the vitality of the meat made me feel as if I’m eating life force itself. This, this is……

「Your Majesty………it’s extremely delicious」

「It’s my other half after all」

It’s really difficult to eat it when you say things like that.

Regure was putting the meat that was done on a separate plate.

I think she’s under-cooking the meat a little. But it seems like it can be eaten raw, so it’s fine, I guess?

「Come on, I'm going to keep on grilling them, so eat up, you guys. Don't hold back, old man. You haven't been eating much lately, so eat the good stuff and build up your strength」

Zamonglass really looked like he wanted to be anywhere but here.

「Zamonglass, don't hold back for my sake. It was finest among the finest horses that has been through thick and thin with me ever since I was a child. It's surely its wish that its flesh and blood become a part of my vassals」

Your Majesty, I’m telling you, you’re making it really difficult to eat it when you say things like that.

「Well then, pardon me」

Zamonglass sprinkled a small pinch of salt over the meat and took a bite.

The moment he swallowed it, the old man’s eyes shot open.

「Th, this is delicious. It's like my body is regaining its youth with every bite」

No way, that's absurd.

「Your Majesty, eat up. If it becomes a part of you, it can run with you again. I bet it'll be delighted」

She heaped His Majesty’s plate full of grilled meat.

「…Hmm」

His Majesty seemed to have made up his mind.

He shoveled the grilled meat into his mouth with a fork. His cheeks were bulging as he chewed the meat thoroughly, and then swallowed.

「Delicious! Verxina, to the very last, you were a true and loyal vassal who never betrayed my expectations. Let’s run together again in heaven! Why………I won't keep you waiting long」

His Majesty smiled fearlessly as he ate the meat.

We followed suit and ate the finest thoroughbred horse.

Today's feast was quiet but heated, and we ate the most food we ever had so far.

[1] Those who know something about guns, but aren’t knowledgeable about older firearms(like me), would prob be tilting your head at the side mounted scope. Here’s how it looks like, including the mentioned clip for loading the rifle.

The pic is actually of the M1D Garand sniper rifle btw(courtesy of tactical-life.com). And the M14 is a rifle developed from the M1 that replaced the M1 as the standard-issue rifle of the U.S. Army until it was later replaced by the M16.

[2] Souya was about to say the same lie he said back in chp 55 about Aga-chan being an imitation reproduced using technology from a foreign land. But because Zamonglass cuts him off right before he actually lies, I cut it at that timing too, but Japanese grammar being backwards meant that I couldn’t get the foreign technology part in without it being weird in English.

Very ironically, Souya does end up eating Verxina like he said he would…

And yeah, I got many questions about the term “black elf” when it first appeared. Many asked, why not use “dark elf”? That’s because it’s a fake-out by the author. After making you think of dark elves all the way back in volume 1, it turns out there are no such things as dark elves in this world and the people call the black elf a black elf probably because the black elf is an elf that has black hair and skin. With means that the black elf is……

Isn’t it interesting though that they’ve not heard of the advance troops from 50 years ago? Even though they were said to have done all sorts of atrocities?

Well, that’s the end of this arc and all the build-up, and the next arc is finally the meat of Souya’s journey to the left continent. What other secrets will be found or revealed? How will the confrontation with the black elf go? Beware the golden eyes glowing in the night, and stay tuned!