Chapter 36: Stories Worth Telling
They returned as the sun was going down, which was how Arthur measured successful days: long enough that the sky changed color on the way home.
He was carrying four bags. Mithra was carrying one. Vedas was carrying three. Melo was asleep on top of the middle one.
Maria looked up when the door opened, took one look at the collection of bags, and said: "Arthur."
"Yes?"
"Those weren’t all paid for."
Arthur looked down at the bags. Then up at Maria. "Most of them were."
"How many is most?"
A pause. "Enough."
Maria sighed. It was the sigh of someone who had developed a specific sigh for this specific situation over many years.
Mithra set her bag down on the counter. "He traded the old woman’s groceries run for two of them," she offered.
"That somehow makes it worse," Maria said.
"I thought it was resourceful," Arthur said.
"That somehow makes it worse too."
Arthur looked pleased with himself anyway, which lasted until Maria directed him toward the kitchen and assigned him vegetable preparation, which lasted until the third time she redirected his hands away from something important.
"Arthur."
"I’m helping."
"That’s what concerns me."
"I help people all the time."
"With things that aren’t dinner." Maria physically moved him to a less consequential station. "Bread. You can cut bread."
Arthur accepted this. "Bread is important."
"It is," Maria agreed. "So please just cut the bread."
Mithra moved through the kitchen with the ease of someone who had cooked in one before, which visibly surprised Arthur. Vedas was given tasks and completed them in the disciplined sequence of someone who approached new activities the way he approached everything else: learn first, then do.
Melo appeared under the table at some point with a piece of chicken and the expression of someone who had planned this for some time. No one had witnessed the acquisition. No one asked.
...
Dinner came together with the combined effort of everyone except Arthur, who had managed the bread adequately. The smell of chicken and fresh vegetables filled the small house in the specific way that good food filled small spaces: completely and warmly.
When they sat down, there was a moment of comfortable quiet.
Then Maria folded her hands and smiled.
Arthur recognized the smile and felt something in his chest that was not quite dread and was not quite acceptance.
"Oh no," he said.
"Oh yes," Maria said.
"Mom."
"Arthur."
"I’ve had a long day."
"I know," Maria said. "Tell me everything."
Mithra’s laugh came out before she could decide whether to let it. Vedas quietly reached for a second piece of bread with the calm of someone who knew what was coming and had decided to be comfortable for it.
Melo, still curled on the edge of Vedas’s chair, opened one eye.
♢♢♢♢
"We met," Arthur said, pointing at Vedas. "We explored. We fought some monsters."
Maria’s fork slowed. "Some?"
"Several."
"Define several."
"More than two."
Mithra set her fork down. "There was a pack of twelve boars chasing them through the forest for the first evolution."
Maria looked at Arthur.
"Pack is a strong word for twelve boars," Arthur said.
"Twelve is a pack," Vedas said.
"Twelve is a number."
"A large number of boars is a pack."
"Philosophically—"
"Arthur."
"Yes?"
"Were twelve boars chasing you?"
Arthur considered whether to answer. "There was a large boar. And then some smaller boars who got involved."
Melo, who had been there and had in fact been used as an airborne projectile during this event, sat up and gave Arthur a specific three-eyed look.
"The fox is disagreeing with you," Mithra said.
"The fox is resting," Arthur said.
Melo’s expression did not change.
Maria looked at the fox. Then back at Arthur. "We’ll come back to the boars."
"Let’s now," Arthur said as he looked away. "We found a Goblin settlement,"
"Oh?" Maria looked at Vedas.
"He’s from there," Arthur said. "Sort of. It’s complicated."
"It was being raided," Mithra said. "Repeatedly. For years."
"It was having a difficult day," Arthur said.
Mithra stared at him.
"Several difficult years," Arthur amended.
"Hobgoblins," Vedas said, because someone needed to say the actual word.
Maria set her fork down. "Hobgoblins."
"About thirty of them at the peak," Mithra said.
"Thirty is a strong—" Arthur began.
"We counted," Mithra said.
"Mithra counted," Arthur said. "I was occupied."
"With what?" Maria asked.
"Yelling advice," Vedas said.
Melo made a small sound that everyone at the table instinctively interpreted as agreement.
Maria looked at her son. "What kind of advice?"
"Good advice," Arthur said.
"Hit them," Vedas said. "Dodge. Don’t get hit."
The table was quiet for a moment.
"Those are the same two pieces of advice," Maria said.
"They worked," Arthur said.
Maria picked her fork back up and held it without eating. "And Vedas was fighting thirty Hobgoblins."
"Not all at once," Arthur said.
"At the raid, it was close to all at once," Mithra said.
Arthur pointed at Mithra. "Details."
"Yes," Mithra said. "Important ones."
Maria looked at Vedas. The Goblin Commander had the expression of someone who had survived the events being described and was finding the retrospective more difficult than the events themselves. "Were you alright?" she asked.
Vedas thought about it honestly. "I came very close to not being."
Arthur looked betrayed. "Traitor."
"Truth," Vedas said.
"You could have said fine."
"That would have been inaccurate."
Melo huffed in what appeared to be agreement with Vedas’s approach to accuracy.
Maria laughed despite herself, the kind of laugh that was competing with something else. "At least you’re honest."
Arthur reached for more chicken and said, in the same casual tone he used for everything. "Oh, and there was also a dragon."
The table went quiet.
Mithra set her fork down with deliberate care.
Vedas appeared to become interested in the ceiling.
Melo sat up straight.
"A dragon," Maria said.
"A Golden Dragon," Arthur said. "It belonged to Leon Draken."
"Leon Draken," Maria repeated.
"He’s in my year. Very talented. His dragon is quite large." Arthur ate the chicken. "Was quite large, I suppose. It’s larger now."
Maria looked at Mithra.
Mithra nodded.
Maria looked at Vedas.
Vedas nodded.
Maria looked at Arthur. "What happened?"
Arthur pointed at Vedas.
"He fought it," Arthur said.
"Vedas fought a Golden Dragon," Maria said.
"Yes."
"And?"
Arthur thought for a moment, then demonstrated with his hands. "He got hit by the fire. Took several impacts. Got launched across the crater a few times." He paused. "Then he climbed onto its back."
Vedas set down his bread.
Maria said nothing.
Arthur continued. "Wrapped his arms around its neck." He demonstrated this with his own arms. "Then—" He made a fist. "Punch."
Silence.
"Punch."
More silence.
"Then a few more punches."
"And then?" Maria’s voice had the careful quality of someone who had committed to hearing the whole thing.
"Then the dragon lost."
Melo, who had helped with illusions during this fight and felt this deserved acknowledgment, puffed her chest out visibly. Several tails swayed.
"She helped too," Mithra said, noticing.
Melo’s chest expanded further.
"Melo confused several of the other Hobgoblins with illusions so the hunters could take them," Mithra explained to Maria.
Maria looked at the small fox with gold eyes. "Thank you," she said, with complete sincerity.
Melo accepted this with dignity. Then Melo immediately stole another piece of chicken.
The dignity vanished.
Maria laughed. "That seems more accurate."
The little fox paused before rolling her eyes, and she continued eating. Vedas had his hand over the lower part of his face in the manner of something enduring a review process.
"You strangled a dragon," Maria said.
"...yes," Vedas said.
"And punched it."
"...yes."
"Multiple times."
"Yes."
Arthur nodded. "It also made a very funny noise."
Vedas froze. "Arthur."
"What?" Arthur tilted his head. "It did... Honestly, I was wondering if you were really punching it or slapping it."
Vedas stared at him. "I was punching it! You saw my fist coming down on its-"
"So it was your punch that was weak?"
Vedas was speechless as he stared at him while Mithra immediately started laughing and Melo turned away.
"...Had scales-"
"And you have Armor Piece skill..." Arthur blinked. "Don’t tell me you forgot about it?"
"I didn’t-"
"Wait... You didn’t think it could only be used with a spear... Right? No way my partner would be that silly? Let me guess... It was just a skill the dragon used at the last second. No wonder it sounded weird."
"..."
Vedas looked like he wanted to evolve into a different species entirely. Maria pressed a hand over her mouth as the image was not helping. This only made Vedas even more embarrassed.
Arthur suddenly paused. "Oh. I almost forgot."
Maria looked at him. "What?"
"We also met a Crystal Deer."
Maria blinked. "...A Crystal Deer?"
Mithra nodded. "A Silver-Rank one."
Maria nearly dropped her fork. "A Silver-Rank beast?"
Arthur smiled. "It was beautiful."
Mithra looked at him. "That’s your first description?"
"It really was." Arthur spread his hands. "It had crystals growing all over its back. Flowers too."
Vedas nodded. "...Very beautiful."
Maria relaxed a little. "So... it just let you admire it?"
Silence.
Mithra looked away.
Arthur scratched his cheek. "...I threw a rock at it."
The table became completely still.
Maria slowly closed her eyes. "Arthur."
"I wanted to say hello." He looked away, knowing that tone.
"You greeted a Silver-Rank beast... By throwing a rock?"
Arthur nodded. "It got its attention."
"It got everyone’s attention," Mithra corrected.
"It destroyed half the forest," Vedas added.
Melo covered her face with one tail.
Maria stared at Arthur for several long seconds. "...I don’t even know where to begin."
Arthur looked genuinely confused. "It wasn’t a very big rock."
Mithra burst into laughter.
Vedas lowered his head.
"That wasn’t the problem." Maria sighed before smiling despite herself. "...Somehow, I knew there was more. Alright, no more of that or you’re never leaving the house."
Arthur lowered his head. "...Fine."
Mithra looked at Vedas. Vedas looked back.
Neither of them said anything.
They simply nodded.
For the first time today... Arthur had surrendered immediately.
...
The stories continued through the rest of dinner, building and correcting and confirming until the plates were mostly empty and the kitchen was warm and the evening had found its settled pace.
Maria had laughed and gone quiet and laughed several times again. At some point, between the Goblin settlement and Hobgoblin, she had simply stopped looking surprised and started listening.
Maria listened quietly.
Arthur talked about each of them exactly the same way.
A Crystal Deer.
A Dragon.
An Ancient Kingdom.
A trip to the bakery.
To him... They were simply things that had happened during the day.
Maria smiled softly.
Some things never changed.
Arthur always finds himself in a difficult situation, finding the solution, and then coming home without a care.
The table was quiet for a moment.
Maria reached across the table and put her hand on top of his head, the way she had when he was younger and had done something that deserved acknowledgment.
Arthur went still.
"I’m proud of you," she said.
He smiled. Small and real and slightly surprised, the way he was surprised by things he should have expected. "Thanks."
Mithra looked at the two of them and said nothing.
Vedas was also quiet, which was the right call.
Then Maria turned toward Vedas. "I also want to thank you as well, Vedas."
The Goblin Commander blinked.
"For what?"
Maria smiled. "For protecting and bringing my son home."
"She’s right." Arthur blinked. "You saved me plenty of times too."
Silence.
The answer caught him completely off guard, and Arthur’s words didn’t help him either. Because the truth was he never thought he had protected or kept Arthur safe. From his memories, it had always been Arthur encouraging him, protecting him, and guiding him.
Yet for some reason, he couldn’t come up with a response. The warm gaze of Maria made him tremble as a wave of warmth swept through him. And then he realized, it didn’t matter to her how helpful he was.
What mattered was that he was there helping and supporting Arthur. And that was enough for her.
Vedas looked away first. "...you’re welcome."
Arthur smiled.
Mithra smiled.
Even Melo looked unusually pleased.
...
After a while, Maria turned toward Veda. From what she could sort out from the stories, Vedas has become the chief of a Goblin tribe that is named after their last name.
She studied him for a moment. The Goblin, who had defeated an A-rank beast, strangled a dragon, became the chief of a goblin tribe, and defeated an ancient Hobgoblin Chief.
All of those were amazing things. And yet, she still saw a child that was recently born trying his best to carry responsibilities far larger than himself.
The thought made her smile.
Then she asked:
"What kind of Chief do you want to be?"
The question surprised him. He looked at her, and then looked down at his hands, and actually thought about it in the way he thought about things that mattered.
He thought about Suri standing in front of the axe. About Gruk raising his staff. About the children in the settlement who had looked at him the same way the children in Greenleaf had looked at Arthur today.
"The kind that makes people feel safe," he said.
Maria nodded, waiting.
"The kind that gives them a future." He was quiet for a moment. "And the kind they won’t need to depend on forever."
The table was still.
Because everyone understood exactly what he meant, and everyone understood that he had already been working toward it without having said it in those words until now.
Maria smiled.
"A Chief’s job," she said, "isn’t to make people follow him. It’s to help them learn to walk without him."
Vedas looked at her.
"Good," she said.
He looked like he was going to say something and then didn’t, which was sometimes the thing that meant the most had arrived.
...
Later, when the house had gone quiet and everyone had settled in for the night.
Arthur was about to go to his room but paused. "Mom..."
"Yeah, sweety?"
"Did I tell a good story?"
"Mom?"
A small laugh escaped Maria. "You never tell stories properly...But I like that because I know you do it because you want the others to participate."
Arthur smiled and said. "I have no idea what you’re talking about."
"A mother always knows~"
He chuckled before walking away and entering his bed. Vedas was already resting inside of his Mana Realm.
He muttered to himself. "The kind that gives them a future.... Haha, what an interesting thing to say."
Arthur closed his eyes.
"You really do sound like a good Chief... I can’t wait to see you surpass even that ancient king."
Comments