Chapter Two: The Difference Between a Kettle And a Brain (Pt.9)

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Anyway, I finally threw the last one over. The last one didn't feel uncomfortable at all, and it almost seemed to enjoy the flight. Although it asked me to let it face the front, so it can see the view clearly, that could be too dangerous, so I still pointed its feet in front, and then threw it over. So even if the guys couldn't catch it, it would only get its ass hurt.

While I was throwing these monsters over, the people around me were watching the scene nervously. They murmured: "Uh... There you go!" "Uh... Nice!" kind of things. Iruril held her own hands and watched, when an Urc arrived the other side safely, she would then relax a bit. The Urcs were also the same, after I threw theses guys over, until they caught their companions, they were all clamorous  They are now even laughing happily. The one who looks like it's their chieftain(because it was the last one thrown over, so I guess so) went to the cliff and said:

"No matter what happened, I have to say thank you! Oink!"

"I'm very glad to be able to help."

"I will not chase after monsters like you anymore! Oink! We are Urc Fighters! We will not expect to, oink, keep receiving forgiveness from enemies!"

"Okay? Thank you. But how about the Orcs' request?"

"Those weak guys! Oink! Not request, they begged us! Oink! We will just refuse them!"

I shrugged. If it is a conservation between humans, people may feel very unhappy about the words. But if it's between Orcs, how do I know how they would think? I waved my hands and then turned around.

Iruril said to me:

"Seems that you simply ignore the meaning of this bridge. I hoped them to cooperate with other races to cross the bridge, so that they would be able to learn the meaning of cooperation and reconciliation. Although we came over after a battle, I believed if they could learn these things after that, that could still become a good thing."

"Is that so?"

Iruril doesn't look like that she's blaming me. She is just simply saying those words.

"But Huchi, in fact you are the one who exemplified the meaning of this bridge the most. The Urcs who were trying to kill us are now actually saying thank you to you. Now even if the creator of this bridge found that the bridge becomes useless, he would not be angry too."

"If that is the case, it would be great."

"You seem to become a friend of those Urcs."

This elf seems to be so stubborn on certain parts that people can't stand. Maybe I do look like someone who can become friends of all races, but I don't understand those things. I am just a future candle maker of Heltant Fief, the Knight Nedval of the Noble Lady Jamini.... What! How come I am admitting this thing? I'm dead! Axelhand came up to me with a very worried face.

"Didn't you worry that you could miss once?"

I smiled and nodded.

"Yes. And because I missed all, so they could all arrive safely!"

"Ha ha ha! Thanks to you, today I saw a rare scene. Thank you! Hope your journey will be blessed by Karis •Numen."

Karis •Numen... I managed to recall that Karl mentioned it's the deity of the dwarves. But what should I answer? I glanced Karl, and Karl finally helped me to make an appropriate answer.

"May You Grasp the Essence of the Sparks between the Anvil and the Hammer."

Axelhand looked at Karl with a surprised face, smiled and then picked up his luggage. He put on a great backpack, covered his blade with a holster, and then inserted it into the belt. I guess he can't walk easily in this way, but he seems to feel well. Then Iruril started looking at us. Time for her farewell? But then I found that Sanson is showing a "I have great courage now!" face.

Sanson, although with a bit hesitant, said in an upright manner (I don't know how he did it, it's too amazing):

"Where is Miss Iruril going next?"

"Is that necessary?"

Well, what a strange answer. Although it sounds like "Is it necessary to let you know where I am going", this could mean she was upset, but in fact she is just asking purely out of curiosity.

"Can we travel together?"

"Didn't I mention in the morning... I don't have a horse."

Sanson seemed to be waiting for these words for a long time, he answered:

"I can ride the same Huchi with horse!"

I instantly looked at Sanson with a confused face. What did he say? What did he want to do on me? Karl is also looking at Sanson with a smile. And Axelhand is beginning to laugh loudly. Sanson was confused for a while, and then changed his words:

"No, I mean, I can ride the same horse with Huchi..."

"Muhaha ha ha!"

I am almost rolling on the ground.

Iruril shook her head.

"No thanks. You are going to visit your king. You should be in a hurry, but I'm not. I don't want to cause you troubles."

Poor Sanson made a mistake again. So from Iruril said goodbye to Karl, until she silently disappeared in the woods, Sanson didn't say a word, he was just blushing while standing still. I find myself and Axelhand are patting each other's shoulders and laughing. Axelhand is almost losing his breath.

"He said, said, said what riding you with a horse...... Ha ha ha ha!"

"Do I have run with a horse on my shoulders? Ha ha ha ha ha!"

Axelhand separated with us, walked a few steps and stopped to laugh, walked a few steps and stopped to laugh again. Because we are riding, so we got ahead after seconds. The hearty laughter of Axelhand came behind from time to time.

Whenever the laughter came, Sanson would make a face that he wants to die.

I started talking with Karl. Sanson is still not recovered to the state that can listen to me.

"Karl! What do you feel about the Bridge of Dozen?"

"While it was built with good intention, I don't really like to force races to have reconciliation through such an inconvenient way."

"But in order to to make all races which are difficult to have peace to cooperate, you must create this kind of situation right? A person with this ability should be able to build a normal bridge easily. But he chose to build the bridge this way..."

"Right, Nedval. This way is a way that if you don't cooperate, you can't pass. That's the good intention. However on this bridge, the so-called cooperation has turned into a mean only. In my opinion, a real cooperation doesn't need any reason, it comes out naturally."

I repeated the words three times before I understood it.

"That is too idealistic."

"Is that?"

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Chapter Two: The Difference Between a Kettle And a Brain (Pt.8)

Four Urcs and three of us, plus Iruril and Axelhand, we all went to the edge of the cliff. After all twelve of us stood still, Iruril began to whisper:

"In accordance with the convention, we gathered twelve individuals. Please let us cross the river."

Sanson and I stepped slightly forward in order to view the whole scenario, and we almost fell. Once Iruril finished her speech, the floating raft began moving towards us slowly. After a while, that raft reached the edge of a cliff where we are quietly. I looked at the thing with frightened eyes.

Axelhand ran up first without any hesitation. The raft didn't move. After Karl went up, I started to step out one foot on it carefully, and then slowly moved another foot on it. Won't this thing fall? But this raft is still floating in the air not even with a little bit shaking. I try hard not to look down, so I have been staring at the sky. Sanson is also having a frightened face, trying to pull our horses over. The horses tried to resist, after they suddenly stopped, Sanson finally managed to get them on.

After the four Urcs got on the raft, Iruril handed a bottle of medicine to the Urc staying on the cliff.

"This is not difficult, as long as you feed them the right amount. If the wound is very serious, you should also pour a little on that wound. But I have treated the most serious ones, so just feeding them would be fine."

The Urc did not answer, snatched the bottle with one hand, and ran to its fallen companions. Iruril looked into her backpack for a while, and then got on the raft.

Because Iruril has got on, there are twelve people now. The raft began to move slowly. I am a little nervous, so I am grasping the railing firmly and looking at the sky. When the raft began to move, even the horses seemed to be excited.

"Hee hee! Heeee hee hee! Pooffff!"

Sanson wanted to appease the horses, but it seems to be not very easy.

"Hey, Hey! Listen, it'd just be a short while!"

Although the horses are all stamping heavily, the raft doesn't even sway a bit. But the other passengers are all frightened. There is just a kind of feeling that the raft will be capsized. Then Iruril walked towards the horses.

Iruril put her cheek on the middle horse's face, her hands are stroking the faces of the other two horses. So she is now like hugging three horses at once. Then she whispered:

"Calm down. Calm down. We will be fine."

Surprisingly, the horses are beginning to calm. Karl is watching this scenario with a amazed face, and Sanson is staring at her with his over-admiring eyes. Although I am very surprised, I am still nervous, so I don't have a thought to say any words of praise. After this scene, I looked down.

Shit! It's so scary!

The cliff is far away and blurred. From here we can see that at the bottom there is a rapid stream flowing between the cliffs. I started to feel that the world is spinning. The waves go up and then go down blithely, beating the cliffs. I lifted my sight with a frightened face, tried to look around. Then I saw Iruril.

Iruril's black hair is fluttering. Is that wind? Iruril closed her eyes, as if she is feeling the wind with her cheek.

The wind is blowing.

Sasasa......

The Autumn Leaves started flying over from the woods on both sides of the cliffs.

They are the red maple leaves, and yellow ginkgo leaves. The leaves are flying, like a group of frightened birds flying at the same time. The leaves are riding on the wind blowing to the valley, falling while dancing. As far as we can see, the leaves are fluttering everywhere.

As if flying in the rain of Autumn Leaves.

Fly, Dance, Spin, Fall, they are falling without any fear. When you are dancing with the wind, does it matter even you fall? I seem to be able to hear the laughter of the leaves. Sha la la la la. Sha la la la la.

After a while, the last leaf continued to hover in the air. This is the only one left in the air. Moments before it was a performance of a group of flurry leaves. Now it's its solo time. This leaf is small, but it has a bright red color, dancing under the blue sky. Floating, flying, spinning, falling, falling without any fear.

"Are you coming down?"

After Sanson patted my shoulder, I finally got off the raft. Ah, I really want to make a song. The fear in my heart not long ago has completely disappeared. I suddenly want to take a ride again.

I helped Sanson to pull the horses down. Over the opposite side, those Urcs who have taken the medinces have all stood up, they are staring at us ferociously. I thought they were going to shout at us, but surprisingly, they are very quiet. Oh, is it because we have four Urcs as hostages? That being said, they have one more thing different from Orcs. They seem to care about companions. Didn't they say they are Urc Fighters? Hum.

The Urcs came across the river with us got off the raft,  and immediately ran away from us to a little distance. Iruril is watching the scene quietly. Axelhand is again raising his tomahawk to the front of his face, began feeling the blade.

Losing all of their arms, listening to our orders, will the Urcs really come to attack us? I feel like that it is worth to observe, but Iruril spoke.

"Please wait here until the other travelers come, then go back to meet your companions. If you plan to do so, then you should follow the convention, don't fight, Okay?"

"Mind your own business! Elf! Oink!"

It's really not easy for them to go back to meet their companions. This Bridge of Dozen although was built with good intentions, it's very inconvenient. The builder seemed to want to place all races in this inconvenience, and yet not to fight. I suddenly have an interesting idea at this moment.

"Oi! You can't wait to join your companions? We also don't want to leave you guys behind after we left, getting ready to ambush us."

The Urcs are looking at me nervously. I smiled and said:

"You want me to take you back?"

"You, what do you mean? Oink!"

I didn't answer, looked towards the opposite cliff and shouted:

"Hey! Focus! Ready to catch them!"

The Urcs couldn't understand what I was saying, and put on scared faces. I grabbed the Urc next to me, then lifted it up. The Urcs above my head began screaming.

"You, you, Oink! What do want to do?"

"Don't worry,the first one is the toughest one. Hey! You there! Wake up! Don't step back!"

Then I threw the Urc over. But I didn't throw with a single thought that if it fall down it would have nothing to do with me. I was aiming very carefully before I threw, so that the Urcs there could catch it. As the distance is about 60 cubits, I pointed its legs forward, and threw almost horizontally, that even if the guys opposite can't catch it, its neck won't break.

Although I tossed easily, Urc's body is not something small. The flying Urc is making strange screams, struggling to move its body. Then it fell correctly on the target location I set, where the remaining five Urcs are. The six guys rolled into a ball. I took a look whether they are injured or not, but they seem to be alright.

I laughed, looked at the remaining three Urcs here. They are all scared with their blue faces on and start running around.  I should make them feel easier.

"Hey, didn't you see that? The first one is the toughest one. After that, you have more and more people to catch you there, you will then be more safe."

Once I finished my words, the Urcs began to argue who to be the last one.