Earthling in Uncharted Dimensions

Chapter 344: Hugo Swanturn, The Lieutenant

After that, the Lieutenant walked back into his office. Before he entered the building, he saw Aleria and the boy standing next to her. He gestured at them to come in as he was already notified about the precious cargo.

***

Entering his office, the lieutenant walked to his chair and plopped down with no gentleness.

"When you notified as precious cargo, I never expected it to be an elf."

Aleria had already walked to chairs and had a seat. She gestured at Jonathan who followed her instructions.

Following that, Aleria narrated the entire event from the beginning. She also added the remarks of her mother and the name she had given to her 'son'.

"Your mother's intuition is right. Elves won't hesitate to kill him if we return him. They won't stand for reason and are unbearably prideful beings.

Most importantly, how he ended up in the forest is a mystery. The nearest known elf settlement is deep inside the Swamp Forest, and it is at least a hundred kilometres away.

Also, we cannot let him live in the town. As a human settlement, people might still be holding grudges against other races. That was one of the many reasons why elves isolated themselves."

Hugo Swanturn, the lieutenant of the Emogus town, shrugged his shoulders helplessly. He had no idea what to do with this boy.

Then, his eyes brightened up as he spoke-

"I remember that we still have a Judge Stone with us. So let's get him tested. If he has an elemental affinity, then we might be able to send him to the kingdom city to learn."

Without waiting for a reply, Hugo stood up and walked out of the office and to the basement. Jonathan and Aleria followed him with brisk steps.

The lieutenant was in a hurry to take some measure in Jonathan's case. He was concerned about the response of the public to the elf's existence among them.

Descending the flight of stairs, they set foot on the underground floor of the building. It was surprisingly well illuminated and tidy.

A sea of boxes and shelves welcomed their sight as they looked around. For Jonathan, this scene was new whereas Hugo and Aleria have been accustomed to this sight.

"Gary!"

Hugo's voice echoed throughout the underground chamber. The trail faded away and there was no response except a few boxes falling from where they were stacked.

"Sorry, just a minute."

From beneath the fallen pile, a figure rose. The bald man with a potbelly scratched his head as he walked to them while kicking the boxes away.

"You are becoming clumsy lately."

Hugo's remark was scoffed off and Gary replied-

"I think the word that you are looking for is old."

Hugo's face had a funny smile as he shook his head in defeat.

"Brother, do we still have that Judge Stone with us?"

Gary's eyes skimmed over the face of Jonathan and the need for such an object was disclosed.

"Yes we have, but it's not in good condition."

Gary threw a casual glance at Aleria before turning away from the trio. He walked leisurely, shaking his layers of fat.

Walking to a shelf among many, Gary opened a box that was placed at its foot. With visible struggle, he picked up a deep grey coloured stone slab.

The seemingly simple stone slab had many cracks on it. Its edges were damaged and had many pale spots. A large crack ran diagonally over it and the condition of Judge Stone was pathetic.

Gary raised the stone slab into his hands and supported it with his layers of belly fat. The difficulty in maintaining the stone in his hands was visible on his face. For help, he swung his eyes to Hugo and those with him. But he saw the lieutenant whistling while scanning the ceiling with his hands in the pockets.

Gary walked with the stone in his hand while mumbling under his breath. He walked past the lieutenant while giving him a solid brush.

Pacing towards a corner of the room, the stone slab was placed on a table at the corner. The entire process proved exhausting as Gary sighed and breathed in and out repeatedly. There were beads of sweat on his forehead.

"Here you go, Judge Stone."

After introducing the stone, the storeroom manager walked to a nearby chair and plopped on it. He was fortunate the chair did not break.

Hugo stared at the stone with his hand rubbing his chin. He closely observed the amount of damage it has sustained. His eyes did not miss a single crevice as he counted the number of pale spots it had.

"Gary, this looks beat."

The lieutenant turned his head to the storeroom manager and the reply was quick-

"Well, we have been using this one stone for almost a decade. It should work a couple more times before it crumbles down."

The lieutenant shuttled his eyes back to the stone and concluded that it is time to buy a new one. He then turned to the elf.

"Jonathan, place your hands on the stone."

Hugo's sound was stern and had the authority of a lieutenant. Jonathan glanced at Aleria and she nodded in agreement with the lieutenant.

Jonathan placed both of his hands on top of Judge Stone and it trembled for a second. Then a light was projected upward from it.

[Stone: 1]

The words were blurry yet readable. With only a word and a number, the light disappeared a few seconds later.

What was that?

Jonathan's mind was conflicted upon seeing the words appearing and disappearing in midair. He felt a harmless pain running through his head and it was bearable. Unbeknownst to him, his perspective of the world was about to change.

Aleria's brows rose upon seeing the affinity being highlighted in the air.

With confusion and query, he peered at Hugo who was standing motionless rubbing his chin. The lieutenant was in deep thought. Upon sensing the elf's gaze, he turned to explain upon comprehending the meaning of his stare.