Chapter 192: Dwarf (4)
It did not take long to arrive at the Dwarf Kingdom under Niaroti’s guidance.
It had been located not far from the place where they had faced the dragon.
The castle gate was grand in contrast to the stature of the dwarves.
In front of it, Niaroti cleared his throat.
“Is anyone there!”
“I am in the position of visiting a foreign nation. Is it really alright to shout like that?”
“It is fine since I am here.”
For whatever confidence he had, Niaroti shouted at the top of his lungs without any plan.
It quickly beca clear that this strategy had failed.
He yelled several tis at the top of his voice, but no reply ca back.
Thinking that if he left it like this, they would never get inside in a lifeti, Robin politely knocked on the castle gate.
“Is anyone there. I am a human from the Empire.”
“I doubt it would be much different if it were you.”
“Isn’t my attitude much more polite?”
Though his tone was courteous, the silence remained the sa.
After knocking on the gate several tis, Robin felt a sense of unease.
He stopped knocking and pushed the gate with force.
Grrrrrrrrk.
The heavy door dragged across the ground as it opened.
There had been no locking device fastened to the gate.
“That works out well. Let’s go in.”
“You are just going in?”
“You said you were going to the kingdom. Did you not want guidance?”
“Is it alright for another race to just walk in like this?”
“What would be the problem. If they wanted to block entry, they would have stationed a gatekeeper.”
Without any sign of hesitation, Niaroti strode inside.
Robin wondered if this was truly the right thing to do, but having no other option, he followed Niaroti.
“This is the Dwarf Kingdom, right. I do not sense anyone.”
“Indeed. Perhaps they fought a war while I was gone.”
The buildings within the gate resembled those of the Empire.
The most noticeable feature was how densely they were built, like terraced fields.
However, no dwarves could be found anywhere.
“Do not worry too much. I have a good guess where they might all be.”
As if he had anticipated such a situation, Niaroti did not appear flustered.
He walked briskly without hesitation, and Robin followed behind, taking in the view of the kingdom.
Though the houses looked empty from the outside, he noticed one distinctive feature.
Most of the windows faced in a single direction.
“It almost looks like a fortress. As if they are preparing for soone to invade the interior of the kingdom.”
“You have a keen eye. That is correct.”
“You are joking, right?”
“I am not joking.”
Unable to see his face, it was difficult to discern his true intentions.
He had ntioned war earlier, and with no sign of life around, it sounded all too real.
“This way.”
Niaroti entered a shabby building in the central district and climbed onto a structure of unknown purpose.
“What is this.”
“An elevator. An invention that can take you up and down.”
It looked like a prison cell with iron bars that opened and closed to the sides.
Suppressing his reluctance, Robin stepped on, and it swayed like a suspension bridge.
When Niaroti operated a device on one side, the elevator began to descend.
“Robin, once we go down there, you will be caught up in troubleso matters. Will you still go?”
“We are already going. If you were going to ask, you should have asked earlier.”
“As expected of you. I knew from the first ti I t you that you possessed a righteousness that could not overlook injustice.”
“What are you talking about. Do not suddenly speak like so peddler.”
Clunk.
The elevator stopped, and Niaroti opened the bars.
Despite being underground with no sunlight at all, a wave of hot air rushed at them.
“This is…?”
“Welco. You have arrived at the kingdom’s final line of defense.”
Unlike the desolate upper level, this place bustled with all sorts of noise.
Shouts urgently calling for soone, the hamring of blacksmiths.
Countless dwarves moved busily before their eyes.
“Hey! Who are you two!”
A gruff voice pointed accusingly at Robin and Niaroti.
A dwarf with a thick beard looked them up and down, tilting his head.
“Are you from the Imperial Family? We only sent a ssenger not long ago.”
“No. I am Robin, an adventurer from the Empire. Master Craftsman Taironi—.”
Thud.
Niaroti, standing beside him, covered Robin’s mouth.
He pulled a blue stone from his pocket and showed it, answering in his stead.
“We have an item arranged for trade.”
“Hm… Are you heading to the forge?”
“That is correct.”
“Go that way. We are busy, so it would be best to receive your item and leave quickly.”
Though it was obvious at a glance that the two were not dwarves, the sight of the stone Niaroti displayed eased their vigilance.
Perhaps because they had long maintained exchanges with humans, no one made a fuss upon seeing Robin.
“Why did you cover my mouth just now.”
“If you have arranged to et your companions, is it not more important to enter the kingdom first?”
“That is true, but why….”
“There is a good place to wait. Let us go there.”
Robin’s questions rely lingered without receiving a proper answer.
An absurd hypothesis in his mind gradually beca clearer.
The shouts echoing from all directions and the worry etched on the dwarves’ faces.
That alone confird the truth that the dwarves were at war.
Against none other than the forces led by the Demon Tribe.
“You seem deep in thought.”
“I never heard that the dwarves were at war in the Empire. That ans the Imperial Family knew and chose to overlook it.”
“Let us wet our throats here.”
Arriving at a place that was neither clearly a restaurant nor a tavern, Niaroti took a seat and skillfully placed an order.
Despite a human having co in, the dwarf proprietor calmly brought out alcohol and side dishes.
“It is a chaotic ti in many ways. From your perspective, you might consider yourself fortunate.”
His separated companions and the letter sent by Taironi.
The dwarves at war with the Demon Tribe.
Niaroti’s remark that this was the kingdom’s final line of defense.
Judging by the empty buildings they had passed, the situation was more serious than expected.
“Just stepping out for a mont.”
After Niaroti left, it truly sank in that he was the only human here.
Even so, it was strange that not a single dwarf stared at him simply because he was of another race.
Gulp.
He drank the cool water and organized his thoughts.
Should he not have co down here?
He had left a mark in case his path crossed with his companions’, yet his anxiety did not fade.
About ten minutes passed.
A commotion arose outside.
Perhaps the enjoynt of watching a fight did not differ by race, for the dwarves stopped eating midway and rushed outside in a crowd.
A sense of foreboding struck Robin, and he followed them out.
That premonition proved exactly right.
Niaroti had picked a quarrel with several dwarves and was engaged in a heated exchange.
“Your approach is not only futile, it is far too dangerous.”
“So, Taironi was right?”
“That would be correct.”
“Absolutely not. What is truly dangerous is that romantic illusion of fighting to the very end! ‘The end’ ans total ruin. Inviting destruction upon ourselves is not heroic. That fellow Taironi should have stayed stuck in the forge from the beginning.”
It was a debate over whether to fight the war to the very end or to conclude a peace treaty.
Niaroti spoke fervently, pouring out his argunts.
“Will you only co to your senses after falling for the Demon Tribe’s sweet words and losing everything? How can you talk to a tiger while sticking your head into its jaws!”
“Judging by that chanical body, you seem to be one of Taironi’s followers, so listen carefully. If we negotiate now, before they sweep away our army, we can use our strongest card. The Demon Tribe cannot impose unreasonable terms either. They know their own weaknesses. They will co to the table rationally.”
“When will you co to your senses? When will you finally wake up!”
When Niaroti stomped the ground with a thud, the surroundings fell silent.
“If we endure just a little longer, a solution will erge.”
“If we endure just a little longer? As expected of a Taironi follower, you are carefree. Well, that must be why we suffered a crushing defeat at Fort Balrox.”
“How dare you!”
A furious roar, filled with burning anger, rang through the area.
It was the bellow of one whose reverse scale had been struck.
“Our unit was trapped on the Agra Mor Plain, surrounded by hordes of Monsters and unable to move. In the second battle, the plan to encircle the Demon King’s army from both sides was a good strategy. We could have succeeded! If only that chicken-headed king and the military commissioner who knew nothing but flattery had permitted the surprise attack!”
The dwarves who had been watching with keen interest.
The urgent shouts.
The rhythmic clang of tal.
All of it ceased.
In the suffocating silence, only Niaroti’s heavy breathing, as he tried to steady himself, proved that the world had not stopped.
An aged dwarf who had been observing stepped between the two.
“Calm yourselves. Everyone, return to your duties. I will speak with this one.”
At his words, the dwarves dispersed in unison.
Only Niaroti, Robin, and the dwarf who had diated the quarrel remained.
“Follow .”
They had no choice but to obey the dwarf’s words.
Robin did not have the thick skin to reenter the tavern with Niaroti.
After walking in silence for quite so ti, they arrived at a building that looked important at a glance.
Unlike the other buildings, it was clearly ant for the ruling class to discuss important matters.
The ones guarding the entrance saw the aged dwarf and opened the door.
They did not ask Robin or Niaroti anything.
“I knew that an outsider had entered the kingdom, but the timing is unfortunate. How much do you know?”
They entered a room neither wide nor narrow, and the dwarf closed the door.
By fastening the lock, he showed that secrecy would be maintained within this room.
Niaroti, who had kept silent until now, opened his mouth.
“I know as much as others do.”
“That will make the discussion easier. So what is this solution?”
“We slew the dragon that remained in the storage. This friend here and his companions lent their strength.”
“He looks like a young human. Is that true?”
Robin did not deny it and nodded.
The way the dwarf looked at Robin changed.
“I must offer my thanks. I am Volgrim, a master craftsman of shield-making. At present, I am in charge of the kingdom’s armant supply.”
“I am Robin. I stopped by in order to rejoin my companions after being separated on the way.”
“A pleasure. Thank you for resolving one of our kingdom’s major troubles.”
A master craftsman held a high position even among the dwarves.
It felt unfamiliar to have such a dwarf bow his head in greeting.
“I rely honored the contract. It was a request from Niaroti here.”
“Slaying a dragon on a re request? Are you perhaps a Knight Commander of the Empire?”
“Ha ha… I did not know the subjugation target was a dragon either. Had I known, I would not have accepted.”
When Robin answered sheepishly, Volgrim burst into hearty laughter.
Niaroti, his agitation having subsided, let out a faint chuckle as well.
“If you are grateful, then prepare so equipnt for him. With your skill, Robin will surely appreciate it.”
“It does not seem like he uses a shield. Is there sothing you would like?”
“Are you offering equipnt crafted by a master?”
“Indeed.”
It was an unexpected windfall.
A dwarf—no less, a master craftsman’s creation.
Robin chose his words carefully, wishing to answer with due consideration.
“There is no need to decide right away.”
“Thank you for your consideration.”
“Then, returning to the main matter. I would like to hear what this solution is. I am also curious why you have appeared in this form.”
Volgrim stared intently at Niaroti.
Niaroti took out a blue stone and placed it on the table with a thud.
“We will create a Dragon Speech Stone.”
“And then?”
“We must rescue our isolated army.”
“Simple enough.”
Though Volgrim and Niaroti spoke lightly, the content was anything but light.
“A Dragon Speech Stone? Does that not require a living dragon to create?”
“There are many thods. If your companions can safely retrieve the corpse, it will not be impossible.”
Volgrim lifted the corners of his mouth in agreent.
Having co this far, Robin could not help but ask again.
In truth, it was now a question bordering on certainty.
“Niaroti, you are a dwarf, are you not?”
“Have you only just realized?”
It was a refreshing reply, as though he had never intended to conceal it.
The truly important question ca next.
“Are you Taironi?”
“Yes. I am Taironi.”
A clean admission.
It made all the ti he had spent racking his brain alone feel futile.
“What? You are Taironi?!”
Unexpectedly, it was Volgrim who was most startled.
His wide eyes showed he truly had not known.
Even after hearing the heated argunt in front of the tavern—how could he not have realized?
“That cannot be. Taironi had his forge confiscated and was exiled. He could not have obtained a chanical body!”
“Then who did you think I was?”
“I thought you were one of the commanders who led the defeated army.”
The charisma Volgrim had exuded when he introduced himself as a master craftsman faded in an instant.
Letting Volgrim’s fuss pass through one ear, Niaroti rubbed his temples.
There was much to discuss.
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