Chapter 169 A Heart That Is Bigger Than A Dwarf
Chapter 169 A Heart That Is Bigger Than A Dwarf
The next day, hundreds of Skeletons and three Rock Golems could be seen moving around Leaf Village.
They busied themselves with helping the villagers rebuild their homes by carrying logs, cutting wood, hammering nails, as well as applying a waterproof coating on the roofs of the newly built houses.
Lux, Eiko, their Skeletons, the Dwarf children, as well as the adults, were working on a giant structure near the Eastern part of the village. This was the orphanage that Cedwyn had proposed a day ago, and the Half-Elf thought that it was a great idea.
Although he didn't know much about carpentry, he was a fast learner. After a few hours, the orphanage's basic foundation was already starting to take shape, thanks to the tireless efforts of the Skeletons that didn't need to rest and the Golems that did the heavy lifting.
When Grandma Annie, Randolph, and Cedwyn saw three Luxs and three Eikos working side by side, they initially thought that they were just seeing things. However, after confirming that their eyes were not deceiving them, they finally understood why there were so many Skeletons that were helping the villagers reconstruct their homes.
"Such a convenient ability," Randolph said as he rubbed his chin. "If I could create two copies of myself then my work will be a whole lot faster."
Granda Annie nodded her head in agreement. As an alchemist, she would be able to produce pills and potions faster than she did in the past.
As for Cedwyn, he admired the clones because if he ever had them, then he would be able to take a nap, while the other two did his work for him.
This earned him a glare from Grandma Annie and Randolph, who started nagging him to do his job as Village Head properly.
"Lux, can you come here for a minute?" Cedwyn asked after escaping from his friends' nagging. His purpose for coming to see Lux was to let him know about the rewards that the village planned to give him in return for what the Half-Elf did for them.
The Half-Elf stopped his work and followed the Village Chief, who had a mischievous smile on his face.
"What's wrong, Village Head?" Lux asked. "Did something happen?"
Cedwyn shook his head. "Nothing happened. It's just, we came here to give you some rewards for helping us overcome this calamity. Also, you are not allowed to reject these gifts. Rejecting them is the same as rejecting our gratitude for you. We won't take no for an answer."
The wise Village Head had cut off any forms of retreat for Lux, forcing the red-headed teenager to accept the gifts that they had prepared for him, without even knowing what they were.
The two then joined Grandma Annie and Randolph, who were initially bickering at the side, and the four of them went to Cedwyn's house to present Lux the gratitude of the Elders of Leaf Village.
As soon as Lux entered the conference room, the first thing Lux saw was a dark-green armor, which he initially thought was the Faunus Battle Regalia. However, after closer inspection, he realized that the design was different.
There was gold plating on the edges of the armor, and it gave off a faint refreshing breeze. Beside the armor, a black halberd with an intimidating presence could be seen.
A single glance was enough to tell him that these two pieces of equipment were the rewards that he gained from clearing the Mythical Quest of Leaf Village, which was called "The Birth of a Legend".
"The name of the armor over there is the Favonius Legacy," Cedwyn explained. "It's the armor which the Faunus Armor Set was inspired from. It is also the armor of the first founder of Leaf Village, who decided to retire here after exploring the world. This was the legacy he left behind."
"The Halberd beside it is called, Misery's End, the Destroyer of Last Hope. This was the weapon that the founder of Leaf Village used when he was still on active duty. It is our wish that you carry out his legacy as you travel the world."
Lux looked at the two pieces of equipment before shifting his gaze towards Cedwyn who was looking up to him with a smile.
"But, these two items are too precious," Lux said. "I can't take them. These are like the final mementos of the Leaf Village's founder, right? It can also be considered a Family Heirloom. I greatly appreciate the gesture, but I can't take these with me."
Grandma Annie sighed before holding Lux's hand. The Half-Elf could feel the roughness of the old Dwarf lady's hand, who had encountered many hardships over the passing of many years.
"Lux, I'm sure that our founder would be very happy if you carry his legacy with you," Grandma Annie commented. "If not for you, this village would no longer be standing, and its people would all be dead. Although the village could be rebuilt again, once the people are gone, it wouldn't be the same.
"That is why, as long as you carry these with you, Leaf Village will always remain in your heart. Please, take them. This is our wish as the Elders of Leaf Village."
After seeing all the Elders look at him with tender gazes, Lux had no choice but to nod his head and accept the Founder of Leaf's Village Legacy.
"Thank you very much," Lux replied. "I will use these gifts to the best of my abilities."
"Good. That is all that we ask of you." Cedwyn smiled. "Now, go on. Take them."
Lux nodded and reached out to touch the ancient armor that had been kept in a hidden treasure house that only the Village Head of Leaf Village could open.
As soon as his hands touched the armor, the entire world suddenly turned white. A moment later, Lux found himself on a mountain, overlooking a small village in the distance. Although it wasn't exactly the same as the one he remembered, there was no mistake that the village he was looking at was the old Leaf Village.
"Beautiful, isn't it?"
A calm, steady voice spoke from behind Lux.
The Half-Elf turned around to see an old Dwarf, with white hair and weathered features. However, his presence was strong enough to let Lux feel that the person in front of him was very strong.
So strong that Lux was feeling doubtful whether he had properly assessed the old dwarf's strength or not.
'His strength is the same as my step-father's,' Lux thought as he felt his heart clenched in his chest. Although he was still half in doubt, he had aspired so much to become that person in the past, so he was mostly sure of his hunch about how strong the old Dwarf was. 'This person before me is a Saint.'
The old Dwarf smiled at Lux as he walked towards him. He then stopped a meter away from the Half-Elf and looked up at him as if he was looking at something very amusing.
Lux felt his heart tremble when the old Dwarf stared straight to his eyes. Although the Dwarf was smaller than him, he felt that he was looking up at a mountain, whose peak was hidden by the clouds in the sky.
"You are certainly not a Dwarf," the old Dwarf said after some time. "But your heart is bigger than one."
The old Dwarf chuckled as he gave Lux a brief nod of acknowledgement. "My name is Favonius, and I am very happy to see that my village has raised such an outstanding individual. What is your name, young man?"
"My name is Lux, Sir Favonious," Lux replied. "Lux Von Kaizer."
Favonius lightly patted Lux's arms as he spoke in a friendly manner.
"My friend, Lux, would you like to hear the ramblings of a lingering will that an old, decrepit, Dwarf left behind?" Favonius asked.
"It will be my honor, Sir Favonius."
"Good. As expected of the savior of my village."
Favonius happily chuckled as he looked at the person whom he had been waiting for hundreds of years to arrive. There were things that he wanted to impart to his successor and it was his wish that the legacy he left behind would be put to good use.
Lux took a deep breath as he forcefully tried to calm his wildly beating heart. He didn't know why he was able to talk to an old Saint after touching the armor, but he knew with every fiber of his being, that this meeting across space and time was something that he wouldn't forget in his lifetime.