Ch. 78 Munchkin – Chapter 78
by AfuhfuihgsChapter 78
After finishing her bath, Lucy stepped out of the bathroom with a towel wrapped around her head.
Brian and Thomas were sitting on the floor, trying to train Hon.
“Sit!”
“Grr.”
“You’re supposed to sit like this. Sit straight.”
“Hmph.”
Hon plopped its rear on the floor and sat at an awkward angle.
“No, no. That’s not how you sit properly.”
“Bro, Hon’s a magical creature… training it like a dog might not work…”
Thomas patted Hon’s head.
Hon rubbed its snout against Thomas’s knee and rested its head there.
“Thomas, don’t spoil it. If we don’t train it properly, it’ll really turn into a wild beast.”
“I know, but…”
Lucy approached the two.
Brian and Thomas looked up at her.
“Lucy, you’re done washing up?”
“Let’s go eat breakfast. Today’s menu is potato soup.”
“I need to talk to you.”
Lucy sat on the bed as she spoke.
Brian tilted his head.
“What’s up?”
“We should part ways here…”
Lucy trailed off.
Seeing Brian and Thomas’s faces as they looked at her, the words didn’t come out easily.
“We should…”
Lucy bit her lip.
Brian spoke up.
“Are you saying we should go our separate ways here?”
“Yeah.”
“…”
Silence fell.
Only the sound of Hon’s grumbling filled the room.
Brian nodded.
“Alright.”
“Huh…?”
Thomas looked back and forth between Brian and Lucy, his face filled with panic.
“L-Lucy, why are you suddenly saying we should part ways…?”
“Thomas.”
Brian called out to him.
“This is where we should part ways.”
“No, but bro…”
Thomas’s eyes turned red.
“We’re supposed to protect Lucy…”
“Don’t say stupid things. How are we supposed to protect Lucy? Do you think we have the ability to do that?”
“Still…”
Brian stood up.
“Thanks for everything, Lucy.”
Brian’s gaze was fixed on the floor.
“Be careful on your way to the Black Forest.”
With that, Brian left the room.
Lucy sat quietly on the bed, and Thomas’s shoulders trembled as he hung his head.
Sophie stood awkwardly in the corner, watching the situation, while Finn quietly flew over and gently stroked Thomas’s cheek.
“Sniff…”
Thomas sobbed.
Lucy’s brow furrowed.
“Don’t cry, Thomas.”
“B-but… why do we have to part ways…? I don’t want to…”
“It can’t be helped.”
Lucy stood up and walked over to Thomas.
She reached out and wiped his tears.
“I’m sorry.”
“L-Lucy… do we really have to say goodbye…?”
“We can’t stay together forever. I have to meet my mom and then go back home.”
Not just the Black Forest, but Lucy couldn’t take Brian and Thomas all the way back to her home.
Well, she could take them and have them settle in the village, but Brian and Thomas’s goal was to become monster hunters.
There were no monsters in Leyton, where Lucy lived.
If the two wanted to become monster hunters, it was better for them to stay here.
Lucy wiped Thomas’s tears again.
“You two need to become monster hunters here.”
“S-sniff…”
Thomas grabbed Lucy’s hand.
“Will we ever see each other again…?”
Lucy smiled faintly.
“If I get the chance, I’ll come visit you.”
“R-really…?”
“Yeah.”
Thomas forced a smile too.
“Alright… Brian and I will become amazing monster hunters. You have to come see us. It’s a promise…”
“Okay.”
Lucy opened her arms, and Thomas hugged her.
They stayed like that for a while.
Brian returned after some time.
He tried to act like nothing was wrong, but his eyes and nose were red.
It was clear he had been crying after leaving the room.
“Lucy.”
Brian handed something to Lucy.
It was a small dagger.
“I bought it from the weapons shop. It’s not expensive, but…”
Brian hesitated, as if choosing his words carefully.
“You might not need it, but… it could be useful… I thought about getting you a doll or some accessories, but I figured you wouldn’t like that kind of stuff…”
Lucy smiled as she took the dagger.
As Brian said, it didn’t look particularly expensive.
But she liked it anyway.
“Thank you.”
“It’s nothing, really.”
Brian cleared his throat and spoke.
“I-I’ll miss you.”
“Me too.”
“Really?”
“Yeah.”
Brian’s eyes turned red again.
“Promise me, Lucy.”
Brian quickly wiped his eyes as he spoke.
“Next time we meet, Thomas and I will be stronger. Much stronger than we are now. So when that time comes… we’ll protect you.”
Brian had been thinking a lot.
He kept saying he’d protect Lucy, but in reality, he hadn’t been much help.
He felt like he was just a burden to her.
That bothered him.
That’s why he quickly accepted Lucy’s decision to part ways here.
Lucy nodded.
“I’ll look forward to it. When we meet again, I hope you become strong enough to protect me.”
“…”
Brian looked at Lucy with trembling eyes for a moment.
“I-I will. I promise.”
Lucy hugged Brian.
“Take care of yourself, Brian.”
“You too, Lucy. Say hi to the demons and undead for me.”
“Okay.”
After finishing her preparations, Lucy left Bellagard with Sophie.
Their destination was the Black Forest.
And inside it, Harmonia.
Finn sat on her shoulder, and Hon trailed behind her.
When they left Bellagard, Marco and Anna came to see them off.
Something must have happened between them in a day, as the two were now walking arm in arm.
It seemed like they had started dating.
Brian and Thomas also came to say goodbye.
At the city gate, Thomas burst into tears again, drawing everyone’s attention.
It wasn’t just Thomas who was crying.
Finn also sniffled as she said goodbye to Brian and Thomas.
And now,
“Wow…”
In the deserted forest, Lucy summoned her Death Mount for the first time in a while.
As the Death Mount, emitting a blue glow, appeared, Sophie let out a gasp of admiration.
“It’s amazing. This horse is an undead, right?”
“Yeah.”
“Incredible.”
Sophie’s ears perked up as she stroked the Death Mount’s leg.
“It’s cold. Like ice.”
Lucy held Hon in her arms and climbed onto the Death Mount.
It had been a while since she last rode it, so she felt a little excited.
“Let’s ride to the Black Forest.”
“Wow.”
Sophie looked thrilled.
Lucy instructed the Death Mount to lower its body so Sophie could climb on comfortably.
As the Death Mount bent its legs, Sophie carefully climbed on.
She sat in front of Lucy.
“Let’s go.”
“Mhm.”
Lucy set the Death Mount into motion.
◈
The forest scenery rushed by, and a pleasant breeze blew past.
Hon nestled deeper into Lucy’s arms, and Finn wriggled inside Lucy’s clothes.
Lucy smiled and gently stroked Sophie’s ears.
Sophie’s ears were incredibly soft and fluffy.
She even tried nibbling on them for a moment, but Sophie giggled and squirmed, so Lucy stopped.
By the afternoon, the sky began to cloud over.
The clouds covered the sun, darkening the surroundings, and the wind grew slightly stronger.
Finn and Hon had fallen asleep in Lucy’s arms, and Sophie quietly stared ahead.
The Death Mount was climbing up a slope.
The path was rough and steep, but it wasn’t a problem for the Death Mount.
It ran as smoothly as if it were on flat ground.
Soon, a mine tunnel came into view.
At the entrance stood a group of children.
Lucy rode the Death Mount closer to them.
She had to pass through the tunnel to reach the Black Forest.
“Uh, what do we do…?”
“Isn’t there any way?”
“We’re all going to die at this rate.”
The children were talking with serious expressions.
Then, they noticed the Death Mount approaching silently and screamed.
“Ah, damn it!”
“You scared me!”
“What is that?”
The children stared wide-eyed at the Death Mount.
Lucy narrowed her eyes.
Up close, they weren’t children.
For one, their voices were rough, and their faces were covered in thick beards.
They were short.
About Lucy’s height.
Their limbs were short and thick.
These were…
“Dwarves?”
“Yeah, you damn brat! Never seen a dwarf before?”
“What’s with this skeleton horse? Is it an undead?”
“Hey, kid riding in front. Are you a beastkin? Your ears are long.”
The dwarves each blurted out a comment.
Lucy dismounted the Death Mount and approached the dwarves.
As expected, they were about the same height.
“What are you doing here?”
“Mind your own business and go on your way. We’re in serious trouble here.”
“Yeah, our brothers are about to die.”
“The mine collapsed, and they’re all trapped inside.”
Lucy turned her gaze.
The mine entrance was indeed blocked by rocks.
It had collapsed.
“If we move those rocks, it’ll be fine, right?”
“What?”
“How are you going to do that? You’re tiny.”
“Your arms are as thin as twigs.”
Lucy ignored the dwarves and cast a skill.
Swish.
As she spread her hand, a massive magic circle appeared on the ground.
A clattering sound echoed as skeletons began to rise.
Not just one.
Ten, twenty, fifty…
Countless skeletons filled the area.
“…!”
The dwarves’ faces turned pale.
The sight of skeletons with glowing blue eyes lined up in rows was like an army of death.
Translator Note
T/N (Translator’s note):
Noob dwarves.
Placeholders
0 Comments