Record of Lodoss War Vol 1 Chapter 2.3

Chapter 3

As afternoon turned into evening, the noise of the taverns reached its peak. The festivities of the day were drawing to a close, but those who still felt the need to celebrate opened the doors of taverns, seeking alcohol. Separated from Eto, Parn joined them in seeking a free table throughout Alan. Finally, he arrived at a small tavern.

Parn couldn’t shake the thought that something strange had happened to him. When he’d left the inn, the ‘Crystal Forest,’ Eto and Ghim ought to have been with him. But instead, it was the elf girl sitting across from him and filling his gla.s.s. Well, ‘young’ is relative when speaking of elves, and he had no idea of her exact age, but Parn had decided upon meeting her to think of her as the young elf.

Sipping the ale Deedlit had recommended, his cup filled to the rim, Parn was telling Deedlit about himself.

“Yes, we’re on a journey.”

Deedlit gave an exaggerated reaction, as though that was a very difficult thing to do. Opening her eyes very wide, she nodded a few times. Parn was so drunk that he had no idea her reactions were an act.

“And your companions are just that priest of Phalis and the dwarf who were with you this afternoon?”

“No, there’s also a mage. He’s an odd one, but he’s powerful. I hate to say it, but his magic is much stronger than my sword.”

“Slayn, that’s the mage, right?” Deedlit nodded, not forgetting to add, “I don’t think you give yourself enough credit.”

That wasn’t just an empty compliment - Deedlit really meant it. Parn had easily read her movements earlier that day, after all.

Watching Parn scratch his head in embarra.s.sment at her compliment, Deedlit laughed a little deep in her throat. The tips of her ears lowered and her eyes narrowed.

Bored of her tedious life in the forest, Deedlit had recently left her village in the elven woods. Everything in the human world was new to her. Of course, humans seemed foolish and uncivilized to her. But she knew that it was useless to expect humans to have the same culture and beliefs as elves did.

Once she had come to that realization, she didn’t mind living among humans so much. From time to time she encountered unpleasant people like the men from that afternoon, but as long as she kept her wits together, she was sure of getting herself out of such situations.

Even if this youngster hadn’t barged in, Deedlit would not have made out poorly against the four men earlier that day. In fact, it was only because of him that any of the men had hit her at all. But the youngster had easily controlled her movements. The fact that he had shown her up left a painful wound in her pride as a skilled fighter. That reaction was the real reason Deedlit was manipulating Parn, though she had yet to realize it. But Parn was so unused to talking to women that his amusing reactions lead Deedlit to forgive his actions earlier in the day.

Parn had gone on talking so long that he had come to his own reasons for traveling — the fight with the goblins. Really getting into his subject, he slurred his words and stood up in his chair.

“Just then, I thought no one would save me. But I was wrong. My old man said that too, you know? What’d he say? I already forgot. Oh yeah, that’s why I’m here. What I saw, that’s what my dad saw, I thought. Tha- that’s why I’m going to Valis, to check on that. The hero, King Fahn, is there. Him and his hundreds of holy knights, yeah. My old man, he was one of them, once. That’s why I became a warrior. I’m still just an ordinary mercenary though. But you know, even Kashue, the king of Flaim where I fought before, he started out as a wandering mercenary too. That, that’s why. I’m gonna be a king… no, there’s no way. But I want to do something worthy of a hero or a great man at least.”

Deedlit had listened to Parn’s latest speech with an expression of disbelief.

“What do you hope to find in Valis?” asked Deedlit in a quiet voice.

“What? I wonder what. Something I can’t find yet, I guess.” Parn let out a dry laugh.

“That’s a riddle. You could be a great master of riddles.”

“The one who should be solving riddles is Slayn. Seems he’s searching for his own star. He even went as far as calling himself a weird name like ‘Sta.r.s.eeker’. The name my parents gave me is enough. It’s Parn. Any other name is something other people give me.”

Parn rubbed his eyes sleepily and absently gazed at the beautiful creature before him.

“Why don’t you come along? Traveling is fun, ‘cuz you go with friends. Ghim can be rude, but beneath it all he’s a good guy. Slayn is strange but he has power. More than my sword, you know. And Eto is kind. Plus he’s smart. I bet he’ll be the head priest of Phalis someday. And he’ll see that I get knighted.”

Deedlit decided it was time to get Parn back to the inn before he collapsed. His inn was called the ‘Crystal Forest’ or something. And she’d decided to rest there as well.

When Deedlit and Parn got to the Crystal Forest, Slayn had returned as well, and the three companions were seated around a table on the first floor. Since the inn also served alcohol, the place was full of thoroughly drunk partiers, shouting to the glory of Alania.

There were two drunks at Parn’s companions’ table as well, drinking and shouting ‘Long live the king!’

Slayn sat up in his chair the moment the unlikely combination of a very drunk Parn and the young elf came through the door. Even after hearing Eto and Ghim’s story, there was no way for him not to be surprised at the reality before him. Ghim sniffed disapprovingly and Eto’s laugh could be described as strained.

Why would the elf…? Slayn asked himself while observing the elf girl sitting next to Parn, who was laughing impishly. The elf was still young. She was probably less than two hundred years old. But he thought he could see a suspicious light in those eyes. Slayn slowly reached for his staff with his right hand.

Deedlit saw his movement. According to Parn, one of his companions was a mage. It would seem this was the one. His name was Slayn, wasn’t it? Deedlit’s movements sharpened. She reached behind her back and touched the drawstring of the water sack hanging from her belt. In there, Deedlit always kept a single water spirit, Undine. She knew Undine’s power, and it ought to be just enough to keep the mage at bay.

For a moment, a line of tension ran between the two of them. But the one who broke it was Slayn. There was no reason for this elf to lay a trap for Parn. He had little money, much less political influence. He’d wondered if she belonged to the thieves’ Guild, but elves had no reason to cooperate with Guilds. He was just on edge after learning of the end of the Academy of Sages, he decided.

“Nice to meet you. We were just talking about you. Thank you very much for bringing Parn back to us.” Slayn pulled his hand away from his staff and returned it to the table as before. He spoke to the elf girl in his usual slow manner. He looked down and placed one hand over his heart.

“I’m fine.” His words slurred, his feet unsteady, Parn waved at Slayn.

“What are you calling fine? You’d better go to bed. Eto, will you help him?”

Nodding to Slayn, Eto rushed to Parn’s side.

“How pathetic, getting drunk like that. Or did you give him some kind of elf poison?” Ghim asked Deedlit in a barely audible voice.

“It is pathetic, if you think humans are the same as dwarves. And elves don’t use poison. Unlike dwarves.” Deedlit grinned and waved gracefully at Ghim.

“Ha! You’re a feisty one. But let me apologize for my rudeness earlier today. It’s neither you fault nor mine that elves and dwarves don’t get along.” Ghim let out a throaty laugh and raised his mug of ale to Deedlit. “A toast to old enemies. Didn’t we learn to work together back when we fought against the demon?”

“I suppose.” With this noncommittal response, Deedlit turned to watch Eto half-carry Parn up the stairs.

“Come, please sit down.” Slayn pulled back an empty chair and gestured for Deedlit to sit in it. Deedlit hesitated a moment, given the situation, but feeling that it would be a mistake to leave so abruptly, she accepted the mage’s offer.

“We’d better have a little chat to avoid further misunderstandings,” Deedlit caught Slayn’s gaze with her green eyes. “My name is Deedlit.”

She began to talk about herself as openly as if bespelled by the mage.