The Skeleton Soldier Failed to Defend the Dungeon

Even though it looked like it’d rained until an hour ago, the back alleys of Grassmere were remarkably clean.

Was it Chandler? The lord must be doing his job properly.

The scenery stood in stark contrast to Yublam or Erast. No thugs lurked around to prey on travelers. Perhaps it was because the blacksmiths were striking heated metal with their muscular arms in the open storefronts.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

Every alleyway had at least one forge. I peeked inside one of them and saw three men who were hard at work. A boy was stoking the furnace with a rod. A man in his thirties swung a massive hammer down onto the heated metal.

Clang!

A white-haired elderly man held the metal in place with tongs, carefully refining the edges with a small hammer between the heavy blows of the larger one.

The three men shared similar facial features. It was three generations of blacksmiths. The forge probably hadn’t changed much from fifty years ago. That white-haired old man had likely once been the boy by the furnace.

Fifty years from now, the scene would be entirely different. They’d all be gone. Even if they survived the flames of war, the Demon Kings would descend. Only a few human cities would withstand the onslaught, and according to my memories, Grassmere wasn’t on that list.

”...”

Clatter.

Shaking my head, I quickened my pace.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

The landscapes that would one day turn to ashes and the sounds that would be buried beneath screams—they passed by on either side of me.

It should be around here...

I checked the circled spot on the map and compared it to my surroundings. It was the very location the inspector had given me, which was later confirmed through the little girl’s letter.

As I slowly approached the inn, I heard a woman’s battle cry. ”Hiyaaah!”

Wait.

The voice sounded familiar.

Where have I heard it before?

Clang!

However, the battle cry was drowned out by the clang of a large blade. I flinched and stopped in my tracks.

I was exactly twenty steps from the inn with the large sign that read, Far Elf Forest Inn.

It’s the right place.

”Hiyah!”

Swish!

Another cry rang out as the blade sliced through the air. The voice was deeper, so it couldn’t have been Rena.

Detection.

Two humans appeared in my view. The fight took place in the courtyard in front of the inn, enclosed by walls with the door shut. As such, it was difficult to discern their identities with just my Detection skill. I approached to see with my own eyes.

Stealth.

If I were going to intervene, a surprise attack would be best. I moved closer to the wall.

Clang!

The sound of clashing metal rang out again.

In one leap, I managed to scale the roughly two-meter-high wall. Standing atop the wall, I peered down and was stunned by what I saw.

What are they doing here?

Moreover, they were a completely mismatched pair.

”Here I come!”

The attacker was a woman, gripping a blunt training sword. Her face tensed as she squared off against the man, just five steps away. She towered over him, at least two heads taller. Her well-built muscles made her nearly twice his size.

Swoosh!

She planted her foot firmly and lunged. Meanwhile, the slender man simply lowered his sword slightly, his posture remaining completely relaxed.

Swish!

The woman’s sword cut through the air. It wasn’t sharp, but it was still made of iron, capable of breaking human bones like twigs.

Clang!

Effortlessly deflecting her attack with the back of his blade, the slender man gracefully stepped back and tapped her shin with his sword.

The slender man said, ”Missed! But you’re improving!”

The woman’s face flushed. She reset her stance, aiming her sword at the man once again, but their duel was cut short.

Thud!

I revealed my presence, landing heavily on the ground.

”Whoa!”

”Huh?!”

Both of them flinched and turned to look at me.

To be honest, I was more surprised than they were. I’d expected to see Rena waiting for me, so seeing these two familiar faces instead caught me off guard. I’d never imagined encountering them here.

”Whoa... Whoa...” After a brief moment of surprise, the slender man broke into a wide smile. ”You really came! Did you get through the city gates smoothly?”

”So, you were the one waiting for me? Your outfit has changed.”

The slender man in a white martial robe chuckled and replied, ”Well, I have about twenty of these in different colors.”

”...”

Two months ago, I’d fought this very man in an intense sword battle under the moonlight. Now, he was smiling at me as if we were old friends.

”I gave instructions to the inspector, and it seems he did his job properly.”

”Hyungbin Chandler, so you were indeed the one waiting for me?”

”Haha... That’s right.”

Strange. When I mentioned Rena earlier, the girl reacted.

I instinctively reached for my sword hilt, but I didn’t draw it. This wasn’t a trap. There was no hostility in Chandler’s voice. For now, I decided to remain calm and gather information about Rena’s whereabouts.

If I had to look for her later, getting Chandler’s help would be the fastest option. He was the next lord of Grassmere—in other words, the leader of the humans here.

He seems cooperative.

Besides, fighting here wouldn’t benefit me at all. So, I said to him with feigned familiarity, ”Chandler, after we parted that night, didn’t you go back to your martial training?”

”Haha...” Chandler chuckled lightly. ”After receiving your teachings all night, I had a realization: if a passing knight’s sword was that sharp, then was my journey to the East all for nothing?” ”Your swordsmanship was impressive, though.”

”Thank you for your words. After that day, I went on a journey and challenged others to duels, but none of them were satisfying. So, in truth... I was looking for you.”

With Chandler’s skills, he’d fit right in with the imperial guard. He could easily take down twenty fully armed soldiers in a single battle. Few fighters in the area could match him.

”You were looking for me...?”

”Yes, but I had no idea where you had gone.”

”So, what did you do?”

I was hoping for the conversation to shift to Rena soon. If I asked directly, he probably wouldn’t give me a proper answer.

”Ah, during that time, I heard about a tournament being held in Erast.”

”Did you participate...?”

”I did. I was hoping I’d run into you, but you weren’t there.”

I glanced at the woman standing next to Chandler. I recognized her from the Erast Tournament. Aside from me, she had displayed the strongest swordsmanship in the tournament, yet no one had given her the respect she deserved.

I remembered the conversation she had with the lord.

”So, Krestin, you’re revealing your true identity. You’re listed as a wandering knight...”

”Yes, I volunteered for this tournament.”

”Is that so? Haha! You don’t have ogre blood, do you?”

It was Christina de Bruyser. Suddenly, I understood why she was here.

”Did you meet this knight at the tournament...?”

Christina blinked, and Chandler tilted his head.

”How did you know...?” Chandler asked.

I brushed it off casually. ”Just a guess. She looks like an excellent knight.”

”That’s right! You really are sharp.” Chandler grinned widely. ”She was a talented warrior from the tournament. I thought it’d be a waste to leave her buried in a trash heap, so I brought her along.”

With a faint chime, a notification of increased Affection appeared above his head. He had a look of satisfaction on his face, happy that his judgment had been recognized.

I looked at the woman and thought to myself, The future has changed.

Originally, she and Chandler would never have met. More and more things were diverging from my previous life. Chandler had survived because I had arrived at Gith-Za-Rai a few days late.

In my past life, he had been brutally murdered near the Barren Underground Tomb. This time, he passed by that place without incident and encountered me on Yublam Road.

After receiving lessons from me, he entered the Erast tournament, met Christina, and brought her with him.

Perhaps sensing my gaze, Christina straightened her posture and said with knightly decorum, ”I am Christina de Bruyser, Baron Chandler’s disciple.”

”Hey, hey.” Chandler shook his head. ”Not a disciple, a guard! My only personal guard! I officially appointed you, remember?”

”My skills are hardly enough to claim I protect the baron...”

”If you train properly, you’ll surpass me within a year. Have some confidence.”

Chandler grinned playfully, encouraging Christina. She lowered her head slightly. Even while standing a step behind, she was fully in position, ready to jump in at any moment if I made a move against Chandler.

She’s serious about this.

I recalled something Rena had once said. ”There must be women with romantic ideals. Loyalty, honor, things like that. They often enter these dueling tournaments, hoping to seize an opportunity.”

Did she seize one?

At the very least, she looked freer now, having removed the helmet that had once been like shackles. But Rena kept lingering in my thoughts. I didn’t want to keep talking in circles.

How should I ask about her?

As I pondered how to bring up Rena’s whereabouts, Chandler said, ”Ah, I wasn’t the only one waiting for you. We were waiting for you—Rena and I.”

”What? Where is Rena?”

”I don’t know her exact location. She’s not someone I can easily track.”

”Do you know her? How did you meet her?”

At my question, Chandler smiled good-naturedly and answered. ”Well, after returning from the tournament, I received a report. Apparently, a woman had exercised a weapon manufacturing permit with my signature.”

A weapon manufacturing permit...

It was the small metal plaque engraved with intricate writing.

”You mean the one you gave me?”

”Yes. At first, I was caught off guard. I wanted to find out who she was, but no matter how much I searched, I couldn’t track her down, even in my own city.”

Chandler smiled sheepishly before continuing, ”Then, one day, she found me. She told me about you and that you were coming to this city.”

”You believed her and waited for me?”

”Yes! She was someone worth trusting. Very capable, too.”

”...”

”Rena—yes, your Rena will be here soon. She said she wouldn’t be late.”

Chandler took a step toward me.

”In the meantime, would you do me the honor of a duel? I haven’t been idle these past two months.”

Swish.

He slowly lowered his training sword.

He’s gotten stronger.

Even though the blade was completely dull, I could still sense the chilling aura of intent.

Ssssk!

Something zipped rapidly through the air, suspended by an invisible wire.

”I’ll go first!”

A woman dressed in black suddenly dropped from the roof.

”Master!”

”...Rena?”

She landed lightly on the ground, without making any sound. She wore pitch-black outfit made of a special material, with thin steel guards strapped in various places, forming an unusual design.

Shing!

She drew a sleek side sword from her leg sheath.

It’s... short?

The blade was a handspan shorter than a longsword and, above all, thin. The blade tapered into an incredibly sharp point—almost unnaturally so. A fuller, the groove designed to aid blood flow and reduce weight, ran along its surface in a purely functional design. The hilt and guard had an elegant, refined craftsmanship, seemingly designed for swift maneuvers. Steel loops spiraled around the guard, letting the wielder rotate the blade with minimal effort.

Whoosh!

Rena swung the blade once through the air before gripping it properly.

It’s neither a rapier nor a longsword.

It was a weapon that combined the best traits of both, efficient for slashing and thrusting alike.

Stab and slash... stab, then slash.

A blade that perfectly matched her. Even if I had chosen one for her myself, I couldn’t have picked a better weapon.

”You found a good sword,” I remarked.

Rena nodded.

Then, pointing her drawn blade at me, she spoke, ”Teach me everything I missed in these past two months.”