How to Raise Your Skeletons

Chapter 46: After Forging

At the sign of a presence emerging from the forest, Dagnar spoke hastily.

“Damn it, it’s an elf! Oh no, we’re done for! An elf appearing in the border area? That means they must be in a group, for sure!”

He was panicking.

I sighed. “Stop talking and get ready! There’s only one opponent.”

I had already confirmed it through Boney 3’s Secure Vision. Apart from the two of us, only one other lifeform was nearby.

“Is that true?” Dagnar’s eyes widened. “Oh, that’s right! Come to think of it… You! Didn’t you single-handedly take care of a whole group of elves last time? We’re saved! We’re saved!”

“Please quiet down.” My lips twitched.

If it were an ordinary opponent, I would have been more relaxed, but…

“My lord, this one is no ordinary foe.”

The fact that even Sunny was on edge meant that I couldn’t afford to be careless.

Besides…

The old man wasn’t here this time, and I felt uneasy without him around.

—Rustle!

Just then, the sound of leaves crunching signaled someone’s approach.

“Sunny!”

“Yes, my lord!”

[‘Sun Spear’ used the skill ‘Solar Strike’ (Lv.4).]

—Flash!

Sunny swiftly thrust his spear forward. Lightning-like flashes crackled as they struck.

Regardless of the opponent, it was advantageous to strike first and suppress them if possible. If it was a misunderstanding, we could clear that up afterward.

But it was me who misunderstood. I made the foolish assumption that we could suppress the opponent.

—Bam!

A powerful force knocked Sunny back.

“Hmph!”

Sunny grunted as it staggered back. It seemed startled by their unexpected strength.

“Hnng…” I groaned.

At the same time, I positioned Boney 4 at the front and brought Boney 1 and Boney 3 into the battle.

The fight had already begun. It didn’t matter how intense the opponent was; we had to do something.

Just then, the opponent raised a hand.

“Wait a moment.”

“…?”

I finally got a proper look at them.

Long flowing hair, blue eyes, skin pale as snow, and elongated ears typical of elves.

“Please cease your attack. I didn’t come to fight.”

What was this? An elf speaking to me?

“I have been waiting here for you for a while.”

“Pardon?”

I was taken aback. Who was this elf? And how did they know who I was?

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“You are an outsider who does not belong to this world. We are already aware of your existence. Your presence has disrupted the balance between the two tribes.”

The elf’s gaze was both mysterious and intense. It was as if I was looking at Chief Vulcanus again, which sent shivers down my spine.

“You gave gifts to the dwarves, but they betrayed you in return. Will you stand by and do nothing after being treated in such a way?”

“…”

So basically the elf was saying I should join the elves’ side now because the dwarves had turned their backs on me.

“Th-This is a vile trick! You’re not falling for that elf’s words, are you?” Dagnar shouted.

The elf’s gaze shifted to him. “A foolish notion. My philosophy is to ally with even a dragon if it means keeping my enemy in check.”

The enemy of my enemy is my friend. Simply put, the elf said that I should use them instead since I’d been betrayed.

“Just listen to those words! How wicked must a race be to speak of allying with the evil dragon from 500 years ago? Don’t be fooled!”

“My name is Seraphine. I do not need to deceive you for any gain.”

“…!”

Seraphine? Who was that? One thing was sure—the moonlight shining behind her made her look quite radiant.

I looked to my side because the boisterous dwarf had suddenly fallen silent.

“Mr. Dagnar?”

“…”

Even as I called out to him, Dagnar remained tight-lipped. He was standing completely still as if frozen in place. His facial muscles were rigid, and his legs were trembling.

“Mr. Dagnar, what’s wrong?”

“S-Seraphine…?”

“Pardon?”

His eyes trembled. “We’re done for. It’s over. Everything is over. My life, your life. Ahh, damn it all. I’ll curse the Chief even in death…”

“Why? What do you mean? Who is Seraphine?” I asked, and Dagnar swallowed hard.

Seraphine also remained silent, staring at me with her blue eyes, simply waiting.

Finally, Dagnar’s lips fell apart to speak. “Seraphine is… the name of the elven queen, the high elf queen.”

“What?”

Did he just say… the high elf queen?

I felt a headache coming on.

So he was saying that the elf woman standing before me was someone on par with Chief Vulcanus.

And I had recklessly attacked her first.

Oh, my head…

My head throbbed as I let out a deep sigh.

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After a moment, I looked at Seraphine and said, “So… you can’t intervene directly in this war because of your agreement with the Chief, right?”

“Precisely.”

“And you want me to create weapons for the elves like I did for the dwarves? If I don’t, you’ll kill me?”

“Well, I never said I’d kill you…” She nodded slightly as she spoke.

Although she hadn’t said it directly, the implication was clear.

“You are an outsider to this world. Contacting you falls within the realm of indirect involvement.”

“Yikes, that’s frightening.”

I took a deep breath. Honestly, I was more relieved than anything. Having been expelled by the Chief, I had no idea what to do next.

But now, the head of the elves was extending a hand to me.

The elves’ favorability level is at 25.

However, Seraphine’s gaze held no emotion. So it seemed that absolute beings like the chief and the high elf queen were unaffected by the favorability system.

This is an opportunity.

An opportunity to regain the elves’ favor.

“Alright. I understand. But first, I need to assess what I can do.”

Honestly, I was curious too. The elves must have some crafting facilities as well. I was excited to see how much Boney 6’s skill level would increase.

“…Shall we go, then?”

At Seraphine’s suggestion, I nodded.

As for Dagnar…

I looked over at him, realizing I didn’t need to worry. No matter how much he hated the elves, he wouldn’t throw his life away for nothing.

And who knew? This dwarf could be the key to resolving the conflict between the two races. You never knew how things might turn out.

* * *

The area Seraphine led us to was a secluded village.

“…Who’s that?”

“They smell like the Rock Tribe.”

“How foul. There’s a dwarf, too?”

The elves eyed us warily as they were busy with non-combat tasks like fetching water and tending plants. But because of Seraphine’s presence, none of them dared to confront us.

“Where are we?” I asked Seraphine.

The place was surrounded by dense trees filled with sheep, goats, spiders, and silkworms.

Wait, could it be…?

Sheep, goats, spiders, and silkworms had one thing in common.

Weaving?

They were all used to produce thread, the primary material for weaving.

“Our Forest Tribe, unlike the Rock Tribe, cannot work with metals. However, we can spin thread and weave cloth. We can make garments out of them.”

Seraphine looked at me.

“Outsider of this world. You have a talent for creation. I saw it from afar through magic, but witnessing you forge the Thunder Hammer moved me, regardless of race.”

“R-Really…?”

She had been watching me?

“Here, take this.” Seraphine handed me something.

This is…

It was a blueprint. It felt similar to the one Tonir had given me before.

[Item: Elesis’s Cloak]

[Rank: A]

[Type: Blueprint]

[Description: A blueprint for crafting the ‘Elesis’s Cloak.’]

[Effect 1: Allows the crafting of the ‘Elesis’s Cloak.’]

[Effect 2: Requires 50 intermediate thread, 100 intermediate cloth, 2 advanced thread, and 2 advanced cloth.]

[Effect 3: Possesses excellent performance due to the complex crafting process.]

“Please, restore the balance that you disrupted.”

“…”

Oh, wow. Was this for real?

After smithing, I now got a chance to level up my weaving skills. And she gave me another A-rank blueprint.

I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t thrilled.

But I was also uneasy about how the dungeon was playing out in my favor like this, not to mention that this place was a medium dungeon of high difficulty rating.

“Alright, I’ll do my best.”

But for now, I had no other choice. Seraphine was one of the absolute beings in this world. Even if Gi Soyul came to help, she wouldn’t stand a chance.

Seraphine seemed satisfied with my response, nodding before disappearing.

Only then did Dagnar, who had been holding his breath and keeping quiet, finally speak.

“Phew, I have no idea what’s going on anymore. I never thought I’d find myself in the heart of Forest Tribe territory, helping elves. I don’t know what’s going through the high elf queen or the Chief’s mind.”

He was right. I also had no idea where this quest was heading.

“So… are you really going to make the cloak for them, as the Queen asked?”

“Won’t we have to, to stay alive?”

That’s what I said, but my real goal was to resolve the conflict between the two races. To do that, I needed to restore the balance I had disrupted.

“I can’t do it, nope! No matter how much I dislike the Chief, I can’t betray my tribe! Even if you’re my benefactor, this doesn’t feel right!”

“Hmm.”

He should have said that in front of Seraphine.

I began to organize my belongings.

It seemed that dwarves were more stubborn than elves. But I couldn’t let Dagnar, who had defended me, feel disappointed.

“It’s not betraying the Rock Tribe.”

Technically, the chief betrayed me first, but…

“Then what is it?”

“To defeat your enemy, you must understand them more thoroughly.”

“So?”

“Think of it as reconnaissance. Isn’t this a huge success, in a way? We’ve infiltrated the enemy camp without any risk!”

“That’s just sophistry.” Dagnar frowned. “You’re not spying on them. You’re helping the enemy. Your crafting skills are on par with those of our ancestors. The clothing you make will protect the elves and withstand the dwarves’ hammers.”

“No, no.” I shook my head.

I emphasized again that my ultimate goal in this place was to resolve their conflict, not just to level up Boney 6’s skill level.

And to resolve that conflict, I need to understand its root cause.

And the best way to understand the cause was to look into the history of both races. Of course, I needed an objective and accurate history based on facts, not just one-sided stories.

“Dagnar, do you know where the dragon was buried 500 years ago?”

“The dragon?” Dagnar tilted his head. After a moment of thought, his eyes widened. “Y-You… You’re not serious?!”

“Hm?”

“Ah, I knew it! You’ve got this all figured out! How could I have doubted you, even for a second? I’m truly sorry!”

“…?”

“You’re right! The place we dwarves have been most curious about! The dragon’s seal is in the Forest territory! We can investigate it while you’re working on what Seraphine requested!”

Huh, was that the case?

“In that place… lies the relic of our ancestor, Dmir the Great. Finding it is our destiny and the reason for this war! You’re a genius! I never doubted you for a second!”

…Seriously?

I felt like I just stumbled upon this whole thing by chance, but I’ll just roll with it.