Chapter 323 - Tenth Story: The Dullahan II
The Dullahan's headlessness was actually a fake.
When he attached the head he held in his hand to the cut end of his neck and chanted something, it stuck. He's tilting it left and right and making it crack as if testing its condition. It might be [Forbidden Magic].
"It's an [Illusion]. He just made it look like he attached the head, and made the head that was there from the start, which was hidden so it couldn't be seen, appear."
It's Mel. Dune also crossed her arms and nodded. It's beyond help now. He's just a total fake.
"N-No. Atmosphere is necessary for these kinds of things. So, um..."
"I understand. Atmosphere is truly important for everything, after all."
Eleanor-sama is nodding greatly. I don't really understand how it's important.
"I-Is that so! I'm glad you understand!"
"Well, first, please take off your helmet and have a drink."
"Yeah. Sorry."
He seems to have been completely won over; he easily took off the helmet he was wearing. He has blackish skin and short black hair. Like a monster, his pupils are red. He nonchalantly drank the mead in the bowl he was handed. I wouldn't be surprised if he were poisoned.
The Dullahan seemed to like the mead; after one sip, he drained the rest in one go. He had been playing war while confined to the mountains. He probably had no chance to drink alcohol.
"Oh! You can drink, can't you! Well, have another."
Henry-sama pours a second bowl. Having started a banquet with the Arachne he met for the first time during the Demon Lord subjugation, he's quite adept at this.
"How many eons has it been since I shared a cup with a human?"
He muttered while looking at the second bowl that was poured. "Were you drinking together before?" At Eleanor-sama's words, he's looking at the moon with distant eyes. He's quite an actor. This part might also be for creating an atmosphere.
"This guy was originally revered by humans as the one who informs of death."
Instead of the silent Dullahan, Alex started the commentary. In the past, he was treated like a god, and the villages the Dullahan came to welcomed him and offered him alcohol. Of course, he does the death declaration. However, because of that, there were those who fled to temples or shrines and prayed earnestly, and were able to avoid death. In other words, he was preventing untimely deaths. However, one day, he declared the death of a lord who came from the continent. It's partly because they didn't welcome a monster coming. Their way of thinking was likely different from the ancient people. If it's around here, it might be the group that founded Septanaquila. It's no wonder, the opponent is a monster. They probably hadn't heard the local legends either. The enraged lord drove away the Dullahan, and then died easily. "Actually, he was assassinated by the group that rebelled against the tyrannical lord. In other words, they conveniently used my declaration." The ones who succeeded him conspired to spread the word that everything was the Dullahan's fault, and executed those who protected him. Eventually, the legend was twisted, and he came to be treated as a monster that curses people to death.
Again, humans are to blame. Why are there so many people who nullify the Goddess's teachings like this?
"It's because you got carried away being revered by humans that it turned out like that. Prediction isn't something you tell others."
He's being lectured by Alex. Apparently, he knew everything. "In the old days, he even appeared in the south. It's a good medicine in a way." "Is it not a worry? There must be things left undone before dying. Besides, as a result of teaching about accidental death, there are those who were saved." "Originally, it's not something humans should know." "Well, that may be so, but..." Of course, it's said that death from disease cannot be avoided. Even so, worrying about human death, or longing to be a knight... actually, doesn't he like humans?
"W-What are you saying! Humans are the enemies of the Demon Lord, and therefore, my enemies. Don't say such irresponsible things based on your own delusions!"
I was scolded.
"Don't put on airs!"
Mel is smacking him on the head. Apparently, the 'own delusions' were correct.
"Let's get back to the topic," Henry-sama cut in. "Let's get back to the topic. Originally, the Demon Lord's request to you is the cause." "What do you mean by cause!" He's getting angry on his own. "The reason the Demon Lord said not to let human armies into this forest, wasn't it to protect the Dryad's Forest?" "Why do you think so?" "I think the Demon Lord's purpose is not to occupy land but to kill humans. If so, he couldn't involve the neutral Dryad in that war. Besides, if he attacked the Dryad's Forest and the Dryad became hostile to the Demon Lord, I think the Demon Lord would suffer a great loss." If human armies to subjugate the Demon Lord's army attacking the Dryad entered this forest, the Dryad's neutrality might not be maintained. If by any chance a cooperative relationship with humans was formed, it would be the worst. "I think so too. I live in the forest in Sertoria territory, but a long time ago, the Demon Lord's army attacked once." It must be the story of when the Demon Lord's army tried to build a fortress. The Ancient Priestess apparently drove them away, but after that, there wasn't even a battle. "The Demon Lord, unlike some humans, might be considerate of us spirits, don't you think?" "But... then, what about the Goblins? Goblins are spirits, but they belong to the Demon Lord's army, don't they? Well, they aren't under my command, though." Flora tells the story of the Goblin escape operation in the Eastern Plains. Goblins were forced to submit because their females were taken hostage by Orcs and Ogres. Dune and Mel nodded, and the Dullahan was at a loss for words.
Henry-sama moved the talk forward. "By the way, Dullahan-dono. Where exactly is the territory you were requested by the Demon Lord to protect?" Eleanor-sama quickly spreads the map. "This mark is where the Demon Lord appeared before. This mark is the fortress built by humans. And we are currently around here." If we divide the vast forest into east, middle, and west, we are now in the eastern area. The prediction is that the western and middle parts, which would be the invasion routes for the Demon Lord's army, are likely not included. Isn't it only the eastern part? "From this mountain, here, here, and here. It's east of the line connecting these mountains." The mountains the Dullahan pointed to are perfectly outside the east from the middle. It's as predicted. "Wait a minute," the three royals said, and they stepped away to whisper. A somewhat awkward time passed, but they came back once the talk was settled.
"Dullahan-dono. You have successfully fulfilled your duty. However, the war is over, and the Dryad has nothing to do with it. Attacking someone who maintained a neutral position when there is no war is not knightly. A knight must originally protect the weak. You should understand if you are a knight." Henry-sama is going to treat him as a knight to the end. "O-Of course, I understand. I am a knight, after all." The Dryad's eyes become sharp when she hears she's being treated as weak, but Alex is signaling with his eyes to suppress it. "Your mission was admirably fulfilled. Unfortunately, the war itself was lost because the main army, the Demon Lord, was defeated, but you did not let a single human soldier into this forest. You are a fine knight." "O-Oh! You understand, don't you. You humans have some promise." "However, as Eowyn-dono said earlier, it seems the investiture has not yet been completed." "W-Well, that's true." "How about it, why don't we do the investiture ceremony right here and now?" He said something major again. Looking at Eleanor-sama and Eowyn-sama, they are smiling. Eleanor-sama's smile is not to be trusted. Eowyn-sama also didn't lose his smile when Duke Hexham's misdeeds were revealed. The true feelings of these two cannot be known from their expressions. What on earth are they plotting? "Now? Here?" Even the Dullahan is surprised. In the first place, the Demon Lord he swears loyalty to is not here. "The Demon Lord doesn't have to be here. You just need witnesses and someone who can perform the investiture. Henry is a former king. He can at least perform a knight's investiture. As for witnesses, look, aren't there many spirits?" Alex looked down. Judging by how his shoulders are shaking, he must be suppressing laughter.
"Since you are being invested as a knight, you must make a vow. What kind of vow would be good?" Eowyn-sama asked without losing his smile. He must have been assigned the role of asking. "It's easy. You protect this forest. You vow that to the forest. However, the condition is that you will not interfere at all with the lives of the neutral spirits. It probably also coincides with the Demon Lord's request." At the unexpected proposal, the Dryad stood with her mouth open for a moment, but once she realized the meaning, she clapped her hands in joy.
He showed a grumbling attitude, saying he didn't want to be familiar with humans and receive an investiture, but when I said I was on good terms with the Arachne, his attitude changed. "Are you frequently having banquets with the Arachne?" "Yes. Once a month. The Demon Lord also approved of us spending time together." "W-What, the Demon Lord?" "Yes. Not just the Arachne, I asked if it was okay to be on good terms with other monsters too. Then, he laughed and said to do as I liked." "Did the Demon Lord laugh?" "Yes." At that time, the Demon Lord certainly laughed. "How about it? It's not a bad proposal. This matter is also approved by Eowyn-dono, the Crown Prince of the Kingdom of Northern Gram, which currently has this forest as its territory. Well, you know, why don't we have a banquet with us humans once in a while? The Demon Lord is as Jeanne said. I don't think he'll be particularly angry." The Dullahan showed a smile for a moment, but then he deliberately furrowed his brow. "The investiture is fine. However, on the day the Demon Lord is resurrected, I will belong to the Demon Lord's army." "I don't mind. You just have to protect this forest in response to the Demon Lord's request. However, the opponent is only humans." Eowyn-sama replied, and the talk was settled.
Afterward, the details were finalized. The area the Dullahan protects excluded the places where human hunters hunt, that is, the periphery of the forest. And it was confirmed that the Dryad's Forest is a neutral zone under the pledge of Eowyn-sama and the Dryad herself that human armies will never enter. In other words, humans won't enter the no-hunting zone. It will coincide with the policy of the Northern Gram royal family and likely the policy of the Demon Lord. One more thing, there was a request from the Goblins and Alraunes living in the Dryad's Forest. They said they don't want Ogres to come near. Orcs aren't that unpleasant. But Ogres love bullying the weak, and if there are Goblins or Alraunes, they apparently torment them to death. Come to think of it, I also heard they like eating humans. "Ah, don't worry. I also dislike Ogres. I haven't included them in my legion. A knight does not bully the weak." His pretense of being a knight is quite something by now.
The agreement between both sides was reached, and the subordinate Orcs were sent back to the mountains for the time being. "By the way, in the end, the duel became vague. If possible, I'd like to have a match after the investiture is over to liven things up. How about wooden swords?" It's Eowyn-sama. "That's good. Yes, how about the one who supported the loser treats the one who supported the winner to a drink? I'll bet on Dullahan-dono." "Then, I'm for Eowyn-dono." The delinquent old man said. Really, what is he thinking... "Rest assured. The prize money will be this. Let's decide that the winner will drink with this." Eowyn-sama throws out a wallet. As expected of royalty, he's generous. "T-Then I will too." The Dullahan searched his breast pocket and produced several gold coins. It's a stamp I've never seen. A profile of a person with a strange hairstyle is carved. Is what's carved on the edge the person's name and the year? "Ho, this is quite a sight." Wilson-san, who had been silent until now, picked it up and is observing it. After all, this person is a rich man from over a hundred years ago. "It's a gold coin from the continent, brought to this island through trade. It was issued by a giant empire that no longer exists, and its purity is high, so its value as gold will be sufficiently high." In the end, Eowyn-sama and the Dullahan each put out one gold coin, and we decided to have a banquet with them. The place was decided to be the isolation facility where the Dryad sends her clone.
Now, the investiture. Although he's a knight, unlike me who only received a staff as an honorary position, he's apparently a knight of a higher rank who is granted territory and a sword. I don't really know, but he's a warrior who protects something based on a vow with the sword he received. Henry-sama holds the sword, and before him, the Dullahan is on both knees with his head bowed. The sword and knight's staff to be given to the Dullahan after the ceremony were brought by Eowyn-sama, who returned to the royal palace in a super-high-speed bowl. The sword has a large blue gem on the hilt. The blue gem must be the blue representing the Gram River. It seems to be one of the masterpieces passed down in the Northern Gram royal family. Fortunately, he also seems to have obtained the King's approval, and we were able to start the ceremony safely. Henry-sama asks for a vow. "I vow to the forest that I will not allow human intrusion into this forest." Receiving the words of the vow, Henry-sama looked up, and the spirits all nodded. "Your vow has been recognized by the spirits of water, wind, mines, trees, flowers, and the forest who are here now." He tapped the Dullahan's shoulders once each with the flat of the sword, said, "I invest you as a knight," and handed the sword and knight's staff to the Dullahan, and the ceremony itself ended. "Dullahan-dono. With this, you are the knight of this forest, without a doubt." "U-Um. I am grateful." Eowyn-sama speaks to him, but he's still looking down, perhaps crying. "After a toast, it's a match. After that, it'll be tomorrow, but it's a celebratory banquet." "Congratulations." Henry-sama and Eleanor-sama said, and everyone clapped.
The match turned out as Alex said. The difference was that the Dullahan parried all of Eowyn-sama's attacks with his sword. Of course, Eowyn-sama has returned the Wildcat's stone to me. "Hmm. It's all defense, but it's quite something." "Yes. Eowyn-dono is also quite a practitioner. Despite that, he hasn't let a single blade touch his body." Eowyn-sama attacks, and the Dullahan receives. It's just the sound of clattering. After about half an hour, Henry-sama stepped forward. He must be going to declare a draw. Seeing that, Eowyn-sama, who jumped back half a step, apparently jumped with his back leg and went for a thrust. And the Dullahan, who was in a high stance, swung his sword down. He must have tried to swat it down, but since it was too fast for me to see, Will told me. A loud 'crack!' was heard, and both their swords broke. "That's enough!" Henry-sama declared a draw, and both bowed. Both of them sighed as they looked at their own broken swords and praised each other's efforts. "Both were admirable. Eowyn-dono's final thrust was also wonderfully fast. And Dullahan-dono's reception was also admirable. That last swing was particularly fast." "I am grateful for your words." "Thank you." Both of them are bowing properly. "Actually, it was self-taught. I had Orcs strike and I received them. After that, I was swinging the sword alone. It's not a legitimate one." "No, it's admirable. Swinging is the basic. You should continue to devote yourself." After that, the three of them are holding wooden sticks and talking about various forms. Henry-sama takes a stance, and the two of them imitate him. It's an impromptu practice. "It seems we'll be returning a bit later." Eleanor-sama laughed while shrugging her shoulders.
The next day, we set up a banquet for the value of two gold coins. However, on the surface, it's a negotiation between humans and spirits. The Dryad chose a tree from the nearby forest and gave it power, and Alex moved it to the garden of the villa and made it a base. Through the tree, Alraunes and Goblins also came. Of course, the Dullahan is with them. Since the Orcs who disliked being present didn't participate, we decided to give the Dullahan a souvenir. "It's amazing! Spirits have come to play!" Saxburg is overjoyed. The young Duke Hexham, who was taking care of the rabbits together, is also surprised. "Is the Dullahan here too? Of course I know him. He's that monster who predicts death, right? It's amazing. It's just like Jeanne's farm!" Since she has already had a banquet with Violet in Nakanohara, she has no resistance at all. On the contrary, the Dullahan is the one who is bewildered. "Ah, Saxburg. As for Dullahan-dono, please call him Black Knight-dono. There might be those who are suspicious." It's the result of prior discussion. As an exception, only the Bishop was informed in the form of Eowyn-sama's confession. Besides the villa, there are multiple people at the nearby isolation facility besides the Bishop: priests, patients, guarding soldiers, and permanently employed hunters. Of course, there are also traders who buy goods made at the workshop and sell food and daily necessities. A name is necessary. "Ah, that's right. I understand." Because of the matter with Violet, she accepted it easily. We said our first greetings. The opponent is a princess. The Dullahan knelt on one knee and gave a knight's salute.
When we went to the isolation facility, the Bishop, who had been told about the spirits in advance, guided us through the medicinal herb garden. "If it's alright, I'm thinking of having everyone help us." He explained the medicinal herbs being cultivated and their effects. All of them are said to be effective against the plague. "I heard that Alraune roots are sold at high prices among humans as highly effective medicine." One of the Alraunes is asking the Bishop. "That's nonsense. At least priests don't believe such things at all. Recently, due to the effect of the play written in Sertoria, the fact that Alraunes are spirits and their roots are not medicinal but only cause stomach upset or poisoning is spreading quite widely among the general public." And, he looks at Saxburg. "It's okay. It's been decided that anyone who harms the spirit Alraunes or Goblins will be severely punished. After consulting with my father, the King, we decided to issue a proclamation." It was decided before we went to the forest. In that case, two Alraunes decided to commute to the medicinal herb garden as a trial. The banquet was moved to the villa, and the Bishop also participated. The Bishop's interest suddenly turns to the Dullahan. "I hear Black Knight-dono can predict human death several days in advance." "W-Well, that's true." "For example, do you also know the cause of death?" "The general situation, yes." "For example, death from disease?" "I don't know. If it's vomiting blood from the mouth, I know. However, before, a person I told that to was poisoned and died vomiting blood from the mouth." It must be the story of the false accusation case he suffered. Apparently, the Bishop wanted to know if a patient's illness would lead to death or not, but it seems it wasn't that easy. "Is that so," the Bishop said, dropping his shoulders, but even so, he highly evaluated the Dullahan's stance of trying to save people from unforeseen accidents. In the case of accidental death, by eliminating the cause of the accident beforehand so the accident doesn't happen, not only the person themselves but also others can be saved. "However, I'm usually in the forest. I don't have much contact with humans. Accordingly, the predictions are also limited." "Then, please come to play at the facility earlier from time to time. And if there is someone whose time of death is near, please tell me. If it's something that can be prevented, I will prevent it; if it can't be prevented, I will respond accordingly." "Then, you should practice the sword together with the guards." "Once a month, let's have a banquet. My brother and I will treat you." Following the Bishop's words, Eowyn-sama and Saxburg say generous things. The Dullahan said he would take them up on their offer and drained the bowl of alcohol in one go. "Delicious. After all, a banquet is good." He's laughing, 'kara-kara'. I pretended not to notice that he seemed to be on the verge of tears.