Astartes of the Bear School

Chapter 1095 1077. Black Arrow

"Everyone wants to sit back and enjoy peace, Your Majesty. But if peace can be 'thought', then it is too worthless."

　　Thranduil's true appearance in front of Lan En did not make the witcher feel any discomfort.

This kind of dragon flame burns into the bones and flesh, but is blocked by the power of the elf itself. The wounds caused by the repeated sawing and destruction of the two forces are so ferocious that they can frighten many veterans on the battlefield.

 But in Lan En’s [Memory Diving], the enemies faced by the human empire in the interstellar era, the destruction that those monsters and monsters can cause is even more terrifying.

The green-skinned Orks' crude and unreasonable homemade weapons, the flesh-eating guns of the new enemy Zerg that suddenly appeared on the edge of the galaxy, and the evil creations among the Eldar who specialize in torture as an art.

 Being scratched by any of these things will make anyone shudder at the traces of wounds.

 As for the Space Marines, as the force of the human empire that confronts these monsters, those horrific scars have long been spread all over their bodies.

 At the end of the day, it’s just a wound.

“You all believe in prophecies, and maybe you have your own reasons for this. But please forgive me, I come from a distant place, and our attitude towards prophecies is more cautious.”

Lan En said carefully as he considered his words.

Thranduil, who originally had his face facing Lan En, seemed to have calmed down and retracted his forward body.

At the same time, the hideous wounds on his face disappeared like an illusion, turning into delicate and fair skin again.

 He sat condescendingly on the back of the stag and looked at the witcher calmly.

“The prophecy only said that Smaug would cause the Lake to ignite war again, but it didn’t say whether Smaug was dead or not?”

 Lan En spread his hands and said seemingly unintentionally.

But this statement caused Thranduil to chuckle on the stag's back. Of course, the chuckle contained his signature coldness.

“Oh, I understand. Adanisil, do you want to kill the dragon and gain the reputation of [Dragon Slayer]?”

“But there are countless people who want to kill Smaug from ancient times to the present, not to mention the people in Riverdale and the Lonely Mountain. Those dwarves and humans even fight the evil dragon for the lives of themselves and their families.”

"But what happened? The dragon was unscathed. Its scales were so indestructible that swords, crossbows, and catapults couldn't even scratch it."

"Not only can't it be hit, but it can't even be hit at all. Because that dirty beast flies up with great force and can go straight into the sky. Only things like catapults or crossbows can hit it, but only within the range. It’s just ‘able to catch’.”

“Whether it is possible to hit a free-flying dragon with weapons on the ground is difficult, I think the descendants of Girion can answer it.”

Thranduil said with sarcasm.

But the sarcasm was not directed at Bard, it was just the Elf King's habit of speaking that affected him.

“That would be difficult, especially since Smaug is not a clumsy flyer, but agile and ferocious.”

Bard pursed his lips and said.

“But I still have to explain: The original Lord of Dale City shot Smaug! He used the black arrow shot by the dwarf wind crossbow to break a scale at the base of Smaug’s left wing! Almost knocking off the entire scale!”

Facing Bard’s statement, Thranduil looked cold.

 “Don’t fool me with legends, Bud.”

“Everyone knows that it is just a wishful legend, just to give your ancestors a decent account.”

 The Elf King turned to Bard with a calm face.

"And the fact is: your ancestor shot all the black arrows, but failed to hurt the dragon. This is nothing to be ashamed of, he has tried his best."

“Since the dragon was born from the hands of Morgoth in the First Age, how many people can truly become [Dragon Slayers]?”

After speaking to Bard, Thranduil sat on the back of the stag and shook his head, apparently wanting to end the conversation.

 His mouth came out with a concluding sentence.

“In any case, it doesn’t really matter whether Smaug was shot off a scale. After all, the black arrow, which relied on the ancient technology of the dwarves and was specially used to deal with evil dragons and kill with one strike, is gone.”

 “Used by the original Girion, and then destroyed by Smaug’s massacre of Dale.”

“And Smaug has been entrenched in the Lonely Mountain for such a long time. Even if there was originally black arrow casting technology in the Lonely Mountain, all the tools, blueprints, and magic spells should have been destroyed by it now.”

"The dragon is cruel and ferocious, but at the same time it is cunning. It will not keep the black arrows that threaten it, and that thing is not made of gold that fascinates it."

"I know that you fear and hate evil dragons, and I also know that your town still retains the dwarf wind crossbows that you brought with you when you fled from Riverdale City."

"And you also want to use our elven archers. Although our archers are not as powerful as the dwarf wind crossbows, their accuracy and sophistication are unmatched."

“But in the final analysis,” Thranduil waved his hand, “without the Black Arrow, the rest is just talk.”

 After saying this, Thranduil turned the stag's head and prepared to leave.

 They came to take their son back to the country during this turbulent situation. After returning, they just wanted to close the border and wait for the storm to pass.

 The world is full of ups and downs, and he has seen too much.

 However, just when his stag was about to turn around and head towards the army array of the elves,

“You said ‘without black arrows, it’s just empty talk’, right?”

There was a "snap" sound, which was the sound of the stag's hooves standing still on the gravel beside the lake. Thranduil narrowed his eyes slightly and turned to look at Bard who made the sound.

 At first I didn’t know why, but then I seemed to think of something, and my eyes widened in shock.

  “You mean”

 The Elf King whispered uncertainly.

 But Bard looked up at the handsome and elegant Elf King, with a smile on his lips.

Bard is the top archer among humans. He showed his skill level last night, even compared with most elves.

So to this day, he still carries a bow and a bag of arrows with him. But there is a long package behind it.

Now, under Lan En's sideways gaze, Bud took off the package behind him and tore open the canvas wrapping the long object.

There was a sound of "crash" as the canvas trembled in the wind, and a huge black arrow was lying across Bard's hand.

Not only Thranduil, but also the elven army formation behind him, which was originally neat as one, looked sideways at the soldiers in Bard's hands.

 Black arrow.

Since learning about Smaug’s massacre in the Lonely Mountain and Riverdale City, this thing has continued to appear in the stories and legends of the time, with true and false mixed with each other.

 Now, the real thing appears.

 Considering Bard’s identity, the appearance of this black arrow is quite reasonable and convincing.

This arrow is almost the same size as the dragon-hunting arrow used by Lan En in the World of Fire and the Silver Knights of Irushil in the Cold Valley.

 It can be used as a short spear by ordinary people.

 The length must be about one and a half meters.

However, what is different from the silver knights’ dragon-hunting arrows that ordinary people can’t hold with one hand, and whose arrowheads also use square pyramid armor-piercing heavy arrows, is that the black arrows have an unimaginable light texture.

Lan En took it from Bard's hand and looked at it. This all-metal arrow was as thick as a thumb and about one and a half meters long. The weight in his hand was even less than that of a silver fork!

 The arrow finally has tail feathers that are also made of metal. The thin steel does not feel like it is being bent at all.

The arrow is made of a steel shaft that bifurcates into two branches. Finally, at the top, it looks like two black snakes chasing each other, twisting and converging into a cone shape.

 “Black Arrow.”

Even Thranduil looked at the arrow in trance and murmured.

"Yes." Bard responded simply, "The last black arrow in the world."

"This is an opportunity." Lan En also stood beside him and played the drum. "If it is true as you said, Your Majesty. The black arrow is made from the ancient technology of the dwarves. It can kill the evil dragon with one blow."

“This, then, will be the last chance to drive the Shadow of Smaug from the north of Middle-earth once and for all.”

“Then the entire area will return to its former prosperity, and your woodland kingdom will have a peaceful life again, without having to worry about dragon fire falling from the sky.”

Thranduil looked deeply at the black arrow in Bard's hand.

 It can be seen from his face that he has actually gritted his teeth and was engaged in some kind of ideological struggle in his heart.

Lann looked at Thranduil out of the corner of his eye. He opened his mouth again, wanting to continue to persuade him from another angle and help deal with Smaug.

In terms of logical reasoning and communicative persuasion, Lan En can explain the same thing from hundreds of different angles if he wants to.

 The Emperor's Children are adept at using diplomacy to achieve their goals.

 But before Lann could speak again, Thranduil raised his hand to stop him.

Lan En raised his brows in slight shock at first, and then a smile appeared on his lips.

"You don't need to fan the flames anymore, Adanisil. This is an opportunity that only comes once in a thousand years, and I know it very well."

Thranduil still spoke in that elegant and calm tone.

 But his face was still immersed in some kind of struggling emotion, but he had already made up his mind in words.

 Emotions are just residue, reason is the guide for doing things.

"The evil dragon does not know the existence of this arrow. It is predicted that it will destroy this dilapidated town. In this vast area that is desolate because of it, there is only this small town."

Thranduil murmured, as if he was telling some kind of story or interpreting a prophecy.

"It was annoyed by the dwarves, so after killing the dwarves, it rushed out to kill as usual, vent its anger, and enjoy the screams and howls. But here, there is a black arrow."

 After finishing speaking, Thranduil's tone suddenly increased.

 “Legolas!”