Astartes of the Bear School

Chapter 1095 1077. Black Arrow
"Everyone wants peace and quiet, Your Majesty. But if peace and quiet can be 'imagined', then it is too worthless."

Thranduil's true appearance revealed to Lan did not make the witcher feel any discomfort.

This dragon fire burned into the flesh and bones, but was stopped by the elf's own power. Then the wounds caused by the repeated tug of war and destruction between the two forces were so hideous that they were enough to scare many veterans on the battlefield.

But in Lan's [Memory Dive], the enemies faced by the human empire in the interstellar age, those monsters and demons could cause even more terrifying damage.

The crude and unreasonable homemade weapons of the green-skinned Orks, the flesh-eating guns of the emerging enemy Zerg that suddenly appeared at the edge of the Milky Way, and the evil creations of the Eldar that specialize in torture as art.
Being touched by any of these things would leave scars that would make anyone shudder.

As the force of the Human Empire fighting against these monsters, the Space Marines already had horrific scars all over their bodies.

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

"You all believe in prophecies, and perhaps you have your reasons. But please forgive me, I come from a faraway place, and we are more cautious about prophecies there."

Lan En spoke carefully.

Thranduil, who had originally leaned close to Lan, seemed to calm down and retracted his body.

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

He sat on the stag's back, looking down at the witcher calmly.

"The prophecy only says that Smaug will set the Lake ablaze again, but it doesn't say whether Smaug is dead or not?"

Lan En spread out his hands and spoke casually.

But this statement caused Thranduil on the back of the stag to chuckle, of course, the chuckle was accompanied by his signature coldness.

"Oh, I see. Adanisir, do you want to kill the dragon and gain the reputation of Dragon Slayer?"

"But there have been countless people who have wanted to kill Smaug since ancient times, not to mention the people in Dale and Lonely Mountain. Those dwarves and humans fought against the dragon for their own lives and the lives of their families."

"But what happened? The dragon was unharmed. Its scales were so strong that swords, crossbows, and catapults could not even scratch them."

"Not only can it not be hit, it is impossible to hit it at all. Because the filthy beast flies with great momentum and can reach the sky. Only things like catapults or crossbows can hit it, but they can only hit it within the range."

"I think the descendants of Girion can answer the question of whether it is possible to hit a flying dragon with weapons on the ground."

Thranduil said sarcastically.

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

"That is difficult, especially since Smaug is not a clumsy flyer, but agile and fierce."

Bud pursed his lips and said.

"But I still have to explain: the Lord of the River Valley shot Smaug! He shot a black arrow from the Dwarf Wind Crossbow and broke a scale at the base of Smaug's left wing! He almost knocked the scale off completely!"

Facing Bard's words, Thranduil looked indifferent.

"Don't tell me about legends, Bud."

"Everyone knows that it is just a wishful legend, made up to give your ancestors a decent story."

The Elf King turned to Bard with a calm face.

"And the fact is: your ancestor shot the black arrow but failed to hurt the dragon. There is nothing shameful about this, 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 a Dragon Slayer?"

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

A concluding sentence came out of his mouth.

"In any case, whether or not a scale was shot off Smaug is actually irrelevant. After all, the black arrows that relied on the ancient technology of the dwarves to kill dragons with one strike are gone."

"It was used up by 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 the technology to forge the Black Arrow existed in the Lonely Mountain, all the tools, blueprints, and magic spells should have been destroyed by him now."

"The dragon is brutal and ferocious, but also insidious and cunning. It would not keep the black arrow that could threaten it, and that thing is not made of the gold that fascinates it."

"I know you fear and hate dragons. I also know that your town still has the dwarven wind crossbows you brought with you when you fled from Riverdale."

"And you want to use our elf archers. Although our archers are not as powerful as the dwarven wind crossbows, their accuracy and experience are unmatched."

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

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

They came here to bring their son back home in this turbulent situation, and after returning, they only wanted to close the border and wait for the storm to pass.

The world has its ups and downs, and he has seen too much.

But just as his stag was about to turn back and head towards the elves' army,
"You said 'without the Black Arrow, it's just empty talk', right?"

There was a "click" sound, that was the sound of the hooves of the stag stopping on the gravel by the lake. Thranduil narrowed his eyes slightly and turned to look at Bard who made the sound.

He didn't understand at first, but then he seemed to have realized something and his eyes widened with a hint of shock.

"You mean"

The Elf King whispered uncertainly.

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

Bard is the top archer among humans. He demonstrated his skill level last night, and he is on par with most elves.

So today, he still carries a bow and a bag of arrows, but there is also a long package on his back.

And now, under Lan's sidelong gaze, Bud took off the package on his back and tore open the canvas wrapped around the long object.

There was a rustling sound of canvas fluttering in the wind, and a huge black arrow lay in Bud's palm.

Not only Thranduil, but even the elven army behind him, which was originally in unison, glanced at the soldiers in Bard's hands.

Black Arrow.

Ever since people learned about Smaug's massacres at Lonely Mountain and Dale, this thing has continued to appear in stories and legends of the time, mixing true and false together.

And now, the real thing has appeared.

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

This arrow is almost the same size as the dragon-hunting arrows used by the Silver Knights in Irithyll of the Frost Valley in Lan's Fire World.

Ordinary people can use it as a short spear.

The length should be about one and a half meters.

However, unlike the Silver Knights' dragon-hunting arrows, which are so heavy that ordinary people cannot hold them in one hand and have heavy arrowheads made of four-sided pyramids that can penetrate armor, the black arrows have a light texture that is beyond imagination.

Lan En took it from Bud's hand and examined it carefully. This all-metal arrow was as thick as a thumb and about one and a half meters long. It felt even lighter in his hand than a silver fork!
The arrow ended with tail feathers also made of metal, but the thin steel did not seem to bend at all.

The arrow head is made of two forked branches from a steel shaft, and finally at the top they twist and close into a cone shape like two black snakes chasing each other.

"Black Arrow."

Even Thranduil stared at the arrow in a daze and muttered to himself.

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

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

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

"Then the entire region will return to its former prosperity, and your woodland kingdom will be able to enjoy a peaceful life again, without having to worry about the 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 clenched his teeth and is having some kind of ideological struggle in his heart.

Lan glanced at Thranduil and opened his mouth again, trying to persuade him from another angle to help deal with Smaug.

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

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 eyebrows in slight surprise at first, then a smile appeared on the corner of his mouth.

"You don't have to fan the flames, Adanisir. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, 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 struggle, but his words had already made a decision.

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

"The dragon doesn't know about this arrow. It is prophesied that it will destroy this dilapidated town. This is the only town in this vast area that has become desolate because of it."

Thranduil murmured, as if telling a story or interpreting a prophecy.

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

After saying this, Thranduil's voice suddenly became louder.

"LEGOLAS!"

(End of this chapter)