CHAPTER 99: HEAVY MITHRIL VS MAGIC ARROW

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January 27, 2022 iokioka Honing Magic Arrow to the Limit One comment

“AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH?!” Lihilt screamed.

He ran up to the Heavy Mithril embedded into the wall, bringing his face next to it.

Its beautiful jet-black surface, which had been polished to a shine, was now riddled with cracks.

“W-W-Wha?! Are you serious?! HUUUUUUH?!” 

You could tell how dejected Lihilt was at a glance.

I felt sorrier by the second just looking at him.

“…I, uh, screwed up a bit, didn’t I, Lihilt…”

“Oh, no, don’t say that!” Lihilt turned to me and shook his head.
“You didn’t do anything wrong! I was the one who said you could shoot!” he said.
Despite what he just said, he petted the Heavy Mithril, looking reluctant to part ways with it.
“But still… aah…” His shoulders drooped.

I know how you feel, Lihilt… I can’t stress enough how sorry I am…

“Ah, who cares! Get over it, Lihilt!” Lihilt said, slapping both his cheeks out of nowhere.
He then grinned ear to ear.
“That’s Albert for you! Never in my wildest dreams did I think you’d put a dent in our most prized possession!”

“So that’s your most prized possession, huh…” I stared at the Heavy Mithril.

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I gotta say, it was pretty tough, all things considered.
I couldn’t fully pierce through it with my Magic Arrow; that much is for sure.

Or, to put it the other way around: it withstood my Magic Arrow, only getting cracked in the process.

I take it I’d only need a few more shots to destroy it, but it’s clear that just one isn’t enough to finish the job.

Lihilt raised his voice, “Well, don’t let it bother you too much, Albert.
There’s a bunch more Heavy Mithril I can get right around the corner, anyway!” he said as he made his way to the exit.

Sounds to me like he’s pushing himself a bit, but…

“Let me guide you to your rooms.
We can talk all we want over dinner!”

As we exited the room, Laura called out to me, “Your Magic Arrow really is amazing, Albert!”

“Huh?”

“I couldn’t so much as scratch it, but you shattered it in a single shot!”

“Haha, thanks.”

Having it pointed out like that made me feel a bit bashful.

That day, we stayed the night at Lihilt’s residence, and the following day, we began our trip to the neighboring Count’s domain.

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We were going to use a high-speed carriage as our means of transportation.

A high-speed carriage, as the name would imply, was a horse carriage capable of higher speeds than usual.

Naturally, there was a reason for its increased speed: the carriage itself was imbued with a powerful spell, substantially reducing the horse’s fatigue.

As a result, the horse can pull the cart at full speed for the entire trip.

And although extremely convenient to have, installing and maintaining it was unduly expensive, so you didn’t see one every day.

“This thing came with the Transportator, all because my territory used to be owned by the royal family!” Lihilt said with a smile.

The only people who ever used high-speed carriages were those ranked nobles or higher, so the interior was quite extravagant.

“Hawa, hawawawawa!” Laura raised her voice in excitement.
“It’s so wide! And soft!”

High-speed carriages were on the larger end, and the passenger area was much more spacious than regular carriages; naturally, the seats were made of comfortable and cozy cushions. 

Laura enjoyed herself as she poked at the cushions, then realized what she was doing.
“I-I-I-I’m sorry! I just couldn’t help myself!”

“Nonono, it’s totally alright.
I get how you feel.
I’m an ex-poor noble myself, so I made a huge ruckus when I first stepped foot into this carriage.
I was all like, UUUUUUUUUUUUUOH!” Lihilt said as he laughed and sat in his seat.

Laura and I took a seat in front of Lihilt.

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“I always love seeing those kinds of reactions.
I gave Third Princess Nastasia a ride a little earlier, and she took it all in stride.”

What he said stood out to me.
“Third Princess Nastasia?”

I knew that name.
Nastasia Valentine, the Third Princess.
As her title would imply, she was a part of the royal family.

If I recall, she was in her twenties or so.

Lihilt replied, “Yup, that same Nastasia.
She’s been staying at the Count’s domain for a while now, which is where we’re headed.
There’s a festival that’s held at the Count’s domain every few years, and it’s customary for royal family members to participate in it.
The Count’s domain doesn’t have a Transportator in it, so I took her there with this carriage.”

“If she’s still staying there, we might be able to meet her.”

That caught Laura’s attention.
“With a royal family member…?” Her shoulders began trembling.
“A-A-Albert! What are people from the royal family like?! Do they actually glow golden?!”

“They do not.”

“Rainbow, then?!”

“I don’t think color’s the issue here.”

“Will it really be alright…? I-Is it ok for a commoner such as myself to enter her field of vision…?” 

Royalty, huh…

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It’s been over 10 years since I last conducted myself as a noble, and my memories of then are getting foggy, so I don’t know anything about Nastasia’s personality.
She was around 10 years old at the time, I believe…

I’m pretty sure she was hailed as being astonishingly beautiful as a child or something, but that’s all I really remember.

“It’ll be A-OK!” Lihilt responded in my steed.
“Miss Nastasia is a super friendly person! I don’t think she cares much about someone being a commoner or whatnot!”

“I hope so, but…” Laura looked up at me.
Her eyes were filled with anxiety.
“I-If we… ever end up meeting royalty, then… I, um, would like you to teach me the ways of interacting with them, and stuff!”

“You can count on me.” I smiled and nodded in response to reassure her.

Lihilt spoke up in a cheerful voice, “Let’s get moving, then!”

The high-speed carriage began moving, and we headed off to the Count’s territory.

Let’s turn back the clock a little, right around the height of autumn.

Third Princess Nastasia Valentine had arrived at Viscount Lihilt’s domain via Transportator.

She was traveling to the neighboring Count’s domain, and this was a quick stopping point.

Nastasia flashed a charming smile at Lihilt, who had come to welcome her.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Viscount Lihilt Strahm.”