The Stone of Days Chapter 20

A cold day without the luxury of food pa.s.sed by with an interesting legendary story as the topic of conversation. Such was our first prison experience. Ah, my att.i.tude of trying to be optimistic in a situation like this was surprising.

"I can't exactly explain where it came from. I a.s.sume that you've probably heard about the Sjoren Mountians in Seremuz? And within those ranges is the highest peak, Jungsk-Rite. Usually, it's known as the snowy mountains, but that's usually for those that have witnessed the perpetual snow at the top of the peak. Originally a volcano, below Jungsk-Rite is a large, wide terrain. Below that is a stalact.i.te cave I had entered."

I really loved legendary stories, especially those that had treasures in it. Whether it's a legendary renowned sword, or the jewel of a dragon, the thought of selling it gave me glee.
So…if that story was like the fella behind my back, I would feel at rest.

"I was searching for it. Finding it, I entered inside the cave and explored deeper. The interior of the cave was adorned with many beautiful stalact.i.tes and stalagmites. There were so many jagged limestone pillars popping out from the walls that I could only slowly advance a few steps at a time. And I was in quite a predicament of not knowing what to do since my torch would burn out after a while, so I had to make constant trips back and forth. Even so, because of my efforts to find this place, I had no choice but to delve deeper."

Mirbo paused for a moment before resuming his story.

"… to find a sword like this was beyond my wildest dreams."

The fact that Mirbo's voice was quite gloomy was in fact all a misunderstanding.

"Due to the countless battles I had fought while trying to reach that location, the blade of my sword was completely blunt, so I abandoned it while leaving the cave. No, to be honest, I made a grave for each one. Even up till today, I had damaged so many swords, but I always made a grave whenever I had thrown it away. You need to handle it like if it was an extension of your arm – a sword is a part of your body. Despite that sword being the best among the swords I had ever wielded, it was a fight so intense that it caused it to break."

So it seems Mirbo was quite a sentimental person, hehe.

"What did you fight?"

"Golem."

Ha, no wonder the fight was so intense. My body shuddered. Although I've never witnessed a golem in real life, I am wary of the golem's ma.s.sive thick skin. Of course, these were from legendary tales as well.
To be honest, I have heard the majority of the monsters' descriptions through stories, but I have never met one once. If you exclude the beast from before, as if the monsters had hidden themselves somewhere, they don't appear as often in comparison to that legendary age. "The Eternal Redeemer" Ezekiel had sealed a plethora of them up. And, unfortunately, it included the treasures of those monsters as well.
Despite being this kind of story, the story was greatly ordinary in my eyes of what Mirbo was telling. Even if he were to say that he had met stuff that could be natural monuments in this age.

"Of course that wasn't all. That beast was a decisive fella that was determined to break my sword."
This mister knows how to joke? Mirbo wasn't laughing.

"Although I've entrusted it to the doctor at Ember Village, the axe I used against it was pretty useful as well. "

If you're talking about the doctor in Ember Village, Doctor Nauke? Haha, for some reason, I want to laugh. Doctor Nauke is someone that only asks, and Mirbo is a Mister that doesn't answer. If the two met, they must have developed a new way to communicate with each other.

"That gentleman was quite a difficult person to talk to."

At times, it's as if Mirbo reads my mind.

"… …so I had continued to delve deeper with a sword that had lost all its blade, and a torch that ran out of oil. You'll probably be fine with me skipping the exploring part. In the end, I arrived at the end of the cave."

"So what happened?"

As if I was listening to a fairy tale, I watched him like a child would do.

"It was quite an expansive room, different from the path I had travelled. And in the center of that… …."

Mirbo displayed a self-satisfied smile. That old man seems to be smiling more lately.

"Last night when we encountered the monster, you ran away and brought back my sword. That flame I saw, something that even I could never produce, it wasn't the first time I had seen it."

I had a rough guess.
But still, to say that I had fled, it was a bit harsh. I had just wanted to go and call for help… … mmm, I should stop since it's poking at my conscience.

"It was burning at the center of the room. The rooted sword, as if it had sprung up from the stalagmites, compared to my miniscule light of the torch, was surging such flames like a grand spectacle. Until yesterday, that was the last day that I had seen it wreathed in such flames."

"After that?"

"The sword never blazed again. From the day I had broken all the stalagmites in the cave and pulled it out."

A bit later, he added this to say.

"But the beautiful flames that were s.h.i.+ning in your hands yesterday weren't the same from what I had seen before. The flame I saw last night was burning at least several times greater than what I witnessed five years ago, the heat of it so great that I was enraptured by it on the spot. I knew from that moment. I was forced to concede that the sword didn't belong to me. And then."

What is he trying to say?

"It was then I thought that I should let you live."

Ahhhhh… all of a sudden, I didn't want to be near him.

The sunlight that was blinking through the window had eventually disappeared. The rustic stone floor of the stone prison in the castle began to release the old, chilly air. My whole body s.h.i.+vered from the cold.

"Cover your body with that bundle of straw."

It was reasonable advice. I had loosened the sheaves of straw, and after spreading them out on the ground, I double-folded it as I covered it over my body. It'll probably aggravate my wrist and shoulder. It seems I'll have to pay the doctor quite a bit of money this time.
After making my seat, I leaned onto the plain, cold walls as I called over to Mirbo.

"If our bodies are side-to-side, it'll a bit warmer."

Mirbo obediently came closer to my side and laid down on the straw. He pulled over the straw onto his body. If it wasn't so cold, it would be quite a nice atmosphere to talk. The situation was quite strange. I never had thought that I would ever enter a prison cell in my life. I was supposed to be an honest merchant.
To leave such an irreversible stain in my life, sigh.
Whatever, let's think slowly. It'll be alright tomorrow.

"I said to give me breakfast-!!" as I roared for the fifth time, dropping down onto the straw bed below me. What has exactly happened? The sun is about to rise.
As a merchant with over 10 years of experience, I have a set habit of rising up early. Aigoo, I'm so hungry.
It's already been almost three hours since I have woken up.
Mirbo rose up and was measuring how much he had grown overnight… … was not the case as he was trying to look at the tall window whose height was higher than his as he called for me.

"Fabian, it would be good for you to take a look outside."

TL Afterword

OMG Bonding with Mirbo and Fabian! Although d.a.m.n, Mirbo was savage when he said 'I should let him live.' And how could you make him starve?! Food is life, food is love.

PR Afterword

Sai101: Cue prison music "Akon – Locked Up ft. Styles P"

Translator: Calvis
Proofreader: Sai101, Kajin