Considering Companions

"What is this?"

Serie shook the white hood on her head, looking puzzled.

To her, the hat on her head looked quite strange. A thin layer of white cloth hung beneath it, blocking her view ahead, though not completely. She could still vaguely see the road.

"A must-have little item for the Swamp Rainforest Region. We didn't have gauze, so we could only make do with this layer of white cloth."

Expecting Dwarves to weave gauze as thin as cicada wings was a bit too fanciful. Fortunately, Rhode had asked them for several bolts of cloth before leaving. With a little trimming, he had made a simple mosquito-repelling hood.

"It blocks my vision too much."

Serie took off the hood, only to put it back on immediately.

The moment she removed it, countless tiny flying insects began buzzing around her.

Seeing this, Rhode could not help sighing. "Sure enough, no matter where you are, swamps are great places for breeding mosquitoes."

Who would have thought that even after coming to a Western fantasy world, he still could not escape the clutches of these little creatures?

Back when he camped outdoors, there were not many mosquitoes and insects. On top of that, he always kept the campfire from going out, so it was still bearable.

But now that he was in this damp swamp, their numbers had increased more than tenfold.

"Annoying creatures."

Serie muttered, seemingly wanting to cast a spell to kill all the insects, but she eventually abandoned the idea.

There were simply too many mosquitoes here. She could never kill them all, and doing so would only waste her mana.

"Maybe we can come up with an insect-repelling spell later. I wonder if there are any plants that repel bugs? Say, didn't you ever see mosquitoes in the Elf Forest?"

Serie shook her head. "The Elf Forest is protected by ancient power. Weak creatures like these cannot approach it at all."

Rhode was rather surprised. He had not expected such a thing.

"Then do you know of any plants with similar effects? We can gather some if we come across them next time."

Serie did not answer Rhode's question. She merely looked at him as if he were an idiot.

She was an elf who had never left the Elf Forest in several hundred years. All her knowledge came from other elves, and she had never even seen a creature like a mosquito. How could she possibly know something like that?

Rhode realized it as well. He scratched his head, looking slightly embarrassed.

He had forgotten that the Little Ancestor before him was a shut-in elf, so he hurriedly changed the subject.

"By the way, about the Dwarven Relic Amuro mentioned, have you really made up your mind?"

Several days ago, they had heard about the relic from the Dwarf Amuro. At the time, Serie had suddenly asked where it was. Only after Rhode repeatedly pressed her did she finally reveal the truth.

That relic was closely connected to their destination, the Land of Fallen Gods.

The reason the stone tablet was red was because it had been stained by the blood of a god.

When the god fell, blood flowed across the ground. The stone tablet that absorbed the most blood became a relic, gaining unimaginable amounts of magical power.

It was through that power that the Demon Race had been able to activate the Teleportation Magic Circle and wipe out the Dwarven Kingdom overnight.

Thus, Serie had gained another destination: finding the lost Dwarven Kingdom and obtaining the relic within.

"Yes. I think it would be better to go to the ruins of the Dwarven Kingdom first."

"Is it dangerous there?"

Honestly, Rhode did not think the Dwarven Ruins would be much better. There might not be a Dragon guarding treasure, but there were probably numerous Monsters.

Serie's words confirmed his guess.

"Dangerous?" Serie chuckled. She tried to brush back her hair, but touched her hood first and had no choice but to give up. "Of course it's dangerous. The Demon Race occupied that place for hundreds of years."

Well, that really was the case. He just wondered whether the leader of the Demon Race there was named Azog.

"This is really troubling!" Rhode shook his head helplessly. "I don't think it's realistic for just the two of us to storm someone else's lair."

Serie understood that as well. After pondering for a moment, she said, "Perhaps we can find some help."

Ever since she had begun adventuring with Rhode, she had been considering this matter.

In this world, adventures were almost always undertaken in groups. Even elves were no exception and generally explored in small parties.

Only the Winged race, who could fly by nature, dared to adventure alone. After all, most Monsters could not fly, so the chances of being attacked were low.

Besides, both she and Rhode were mages. If they encountered a Monster skilled at charging in, they would be in trouble. One careless mistake and they might be defeated.

"I think that Som guy would be a good choice. After all, he managed to break through your Defense Magic."

"He is too inexperienced. He is probably not even fifty yet, with far too little combat experience. Making him the front line would be too much of a stretch."

Serie's words made Rhode feel rather awkward. Fifty was considered inexperienced? Then what was someone like him, barely in his twenties?

Still, she had every right to say it.

It could only be said that the elves of this world ranked among the very best, even compared to all Western fantasy worlds.

Their lifespans were nearly infinite. They could show those elves who only lived for a few thousand years what a true elf was.

"So our side quest now is to find companions?" Rhode joked.

Whether it was traveling with just Serie or forming a party with companions, he did not dislike either option.

Perhaps they could find a Dwarf and a Priest as companions. Then he could call themselves the Hero party.

And the original kind, at that. It would be the ultimate display of prestige.

The first thing he would do then was have the Dwarves forge him a sword that would not be eroded by time, weld it into a stone, and carve the words: "Only one who draws this sword may become a hero."

He wanted future generations to know that a hero was not made by a sword.

It was not that the person chosen by the Sword of the Hero became a hero. Rather, the sword chosen by a hero became the Sword of the Hero.

If future generations understood that meaning, perhaps they would place their own swords beside it as well, passing the tradition down through the ages. In the end, it would become a place filled with Swords of the Hero, until a blue-haired boy placed his own sword there too.

Rhode suddenly wanted to see that scene.

But would he be able to see it?

At that moment, Serie interrupted his thoughts. "You could put it that way. What are you spacing out for?"

"Nothing." Rhode came back to his senses and hurriedly said, "Anyway, what kind of companions do you think would be suitable?"

"At the very least, someone who can withstand three minutes of attacks from the Demon Race."

"That strict?" Rhode exaggeratedly widened his eyes. "Wouldn't that mean we need to find a Winged Race Warrior?"

The strongest races in this world were the Winged race and the Dwarves. The former could not only fly but also use Divine arts, making them perfectly suited to Serie's requirements.

"The Winged race is too arrogant." Serie snorted. "The way Lia looked at you last time was like she was looking at a talking squirrel."