Chapter 78: The Dwarf Village

“Ugh.”

A pain shot through his shoulder, and Lucius woke up.

Something was peering at Lucius.

His blurry vision began to focus.

The thing peering at him wasn’t human. It had a surface like brown pottery.

Its figure was something Lucius had seen many times before.

—A clay golem!?

Lucius jumped up as if propelled, immediately circulating magic to summon his sword and shield.

At that moment, a voice came from behind.

“Lucius-san! Thank goodness!”

Turning around, Lucius saw Crane.

“…Are you alright?”

Lucius breathed deeply with relief. However, his attention quickly returned to the golem in front of him.

“Don’t worry. That golem won’t attack you.”

Golems were supposed to be hostile to humans. At least, that was how the golems he had encountered in the labyrinth behaved.

Yet, the golem in front of him didn’t seem to harbor any hostility. On the contrary, judging from the bandages and medicine at its feet, it seemed to have been treating Lucius.

“Where is this?”

Looking around, Lucius realized they were inside a house. It had high ceilings and meticulously crafted walls. The ceiling was adorned with a beautiful night sky pattern in gold filigree.

From its elegance, Lucius thought they might have returned to the Orlean’s guest room. Only upper-class nobles would have such a building.

“…You collapsed and fell into the lower world.”

“The lower world?”

Before Crane could answer, the door opened, and someone entered. It was a short girl with reddish-black hair.

Her eyes glared at Lucius.

“It seems you’ve woken up, human.”

—Human?

It was as if she were implying she wasn’t human.

“I instructed the earth golem to heal your wounds.”

“Heal?”

Indeed, the wounds inflicted by Lucial had disappeared.

Simultaneously, the memory of the recent battle flashed through his mind. Being shot from behind by someone he thought was an ally.

—Why… would a fellow countryman…

As he pondered, a pain shot through his shoulder. The wound seemed to have closed, but it hadn’t fully healed.

“Lucius-san, thank you for helping earlier. If you hadn’t shielded me at that moment, I would have surely…”

With a mixture of sorrow and regret, Crane stared at Lucius’s wound.

“I still can’t believe it. I heard her highness Lucial was gentle and benevolent. I never thought she would resort to such brutality.”

—Gentle and benevolent?

Whether someone is gentle and benevolent can vary depending on the person’s perspective. Some might consider someone kind just because they are gentle to cats, even if they ruthlessly kill insects.

However, “gentle and benevolent” was far from the image he had.

Would such a reputation really be established?

—Could it be an impostor?

As the question crossed his mind, the girl began to leave the room.

“If you’re awake, come out.”

“Fagra! Lucius-san had severe injuries, you know?”

“…Crane. We, dwarves, helped a human, so you should be grateful.”

—Dwarves?

If the girl’s words were true, then the girl called Fagra in front of him was a dwarf.

And for some reason, Crane and Fagra seemed to be acquaintances.

“I’m fine now. I can move a little despite the pain. More importantly, what about the spirits of the dragon knights?”

“Spirits can’t enter here. There’s a barrier.”

“…I see. That’s a relief.”

Lucius breathed a sigh of relief and headed towards the exit of the room. He followed the girl and Crane, leaving the room.

Outside the room, there was a vast space covered on all sides by rock walls, with houses lined up everywhere.

Although there was no sunlight, it was faintly bright. This was because the geometric patterns on the walls were faintly glowing.

The sight seemed familiar.

“Could this be… a labyrinth?”

“…Humans call it that.”

A labyrinth.

It was said to be a building made in ancient times. No one knows why it was built.

Once, when he went to the eastern region in search of a fake core, Lucius had stepped into it.

One major difference was that there was a town inside it.

Men with beards and women with youthful faces walked around, laughing.

Everyone, both men and women, tied their long hair and were as short as children.

From all over the city, there were sounds of striking metal with metal and the high-pitched sound of polishing with whetstones.

In addition, there were numerous holes in the walls like ant nests, and trolleys loaded with stones were coming and going.

Looking towards the front.

The houses made of stone are all rich in design and must have been made by famous master craftsmen.

The girl Fagra glared at Lucius, who was looking with his mouth slightly open.

“What are you staring at?”

“No, they’re all very splendid houses. Is this a noble district for dwarves?”

“Noble district? What’s that? Everyone just lives in houses they built themselves.”

“They built them themselves?”

“Of course. Can’t humans even build their own homes?”

“At least I can’t.”

“Humans not being able to build houses… How peculiar.” 

Fagra sighed, looking astonished.

“What are they mining? What is it?”

Seeing Fagra, arms crossed and looking displeased, Crane interjected.

“They’re mining iron, copper, gold, and silver. It seems they can also get mithril from the labyrinth. For dwarves, minerals are indispensable.” 

“Crane! Don’t just blurt it out!”

Though the details were unclear, it seemed Crane was acquainted with the dwarven girl. However, their relationship didn’t seem particularly amicable.

“Why are humans here in the first place!?”

“It’s Fagra again…”

“Sigh… The child of the Longbeard is pitiable.”

Amidst the murmurs of the dwarves, as they continued walking, they caught sight of fields beyond the buildings.

Instead of sunlight, small machines emitted intense light as they floated above the fields.

“Are those … magic tools!?”

Exerting magic formulas onto external devices is a technique of the Empire.

And what is necessary to activate it is magic power and mental brainpower.

Just six months ago, Lucius had one of his loved one killed by those who used that technology. He felt discomfort and pain as if his chest were forcibly stirred up.

“Don’t equate that with this. Magic tools are taboos committed by humans. What dwarves make is different.”

“Different…?”

“They’re fundamentally different. Just like the magic sword you have.”

Fagra pointed at Lucius’s cherished sword.

“Could it be that dwarves made magic swords?”

He placed his hand on the sword that was on his left hip.

“Yes. Although the existing magic swords weren’t directly made by dwarves.”

“…,”

Lucius swallowed his words.

Even if the mechanism were explained, he might not understand. Moreover, he couldn’t even organize the situation now.

He was shot by a fellow countryman, fell underground, and now he was in a dwarf city that should be hostile to humans.

Lucius and Crane was taken to a particularly large building in the center of the cave.

Inside the building, which was still splendidly decorated, it could even be mistaken for a royal palace.

And they were led into one of the rooms.

At the back of the room, a reddish-black dull-colored mineral about the size of a human head was stored securely.

He remembered its color and texture.

—The material for the magic steel golem?

When he looked to the right, there was a man standing in the room.

He was even a size smaller than the other dwarves and had a face that exuded a deep sense of calm.

The man’s hair and beard were a fiery red.

“Dad, I brought a human who was unconscious in the labyrinth here.”

It seemed that the man was Fagra’s father.

“Fagra… Did you bring that human again?”

While stroking his beard, the man looked at Crane.

“It’s not related to Crane! He fell down here together with that human… It just happened.”

Fagra’s father let out a deep sigh.

“Don’t you still have the awareness as the next leader? After I’m gone, you’ll be the one leading the dwarves, with your red-black hair.”

“Why does it have to turn into that! Enough—”

Fagra glared at Crane.

“I’ve broken off the engagement with Crane!”

—Marriage? Crane-san?

Crane remained seated silently, staring at an empty table.

“Fagra. I understand your feelings, but know the situation.”

He spoke to her as if advising a child.

“It wasn’t Dad who brought up the topic!”

Perhaps thinking they couldn’t remain outside the conversation forever, Crane bowed deeply.

“Long time no see, Long Beard.”

“You seem well, Crane. It’s been about two years, hasn’t it? And what about that promise?”

“…Still nothing.”

Long Beard turned a melancholic gaze towards Crane. Fagra did the same.

“Unlike dwarves, humans don’t value promises, I knew that much.”

Crane bit his lip in frustration.

In contrast, the dwarf leader turned his gaze towards Lucius.

“I see. So, what’s the reason you all came down here? Mining veins? Or hunting dwarves?”

The piercing gaze of the elder fixed upon Lucius.

“It’s not like we intended to come down here. We were attacked, and we just happened to fall nearby here.” 

They had only come to lure and strike down spirits to obtain the magic sword.

That should have been the only reason.

—Yet…

Lucius clenched his fists tightly.

As if understanding, the elder nodded.

“…Humans never change, do they? Not a bit.” 

Whether he understood that they hadn’t come with malicious intent or not, Fagra’s father gestured for Lucius and the others to sit at the table.

Observing as everyone took their seats, the elder began to speak.

“Well then, if you have any questions, ask away.”

It was probably directed towards Lucius, who seemed to be particularly unaware of the situation.

“Do all of the dwarves live in the labyrinth?” 

The elder sighed heavily.

“It seems that the surface-dwellers have forgotten.” 

“Forgotten?”

“Do you humans know anything about what you call the ‘labyrinth’?”

“I’ve heard it’s an ancient ruin.” 

“The labyrinth is a purification device for magic.” 

He seemed to recall reading such a description when he had visited the labyrinth before.

The chief continues his speech.

“The magic energy used in rituals stagnates.”

“Stagnates? Is that a metaphor?”

“The magic energy of magic cores is pure. However, when used in rituals, stronger powers and emotions are imbued, and they are released into the world. That’s stagnation. In many cases, negative emotions aimed at destruction or harm are infused.”

Magic power resides in the mind.

And rituals powered by magic energy are used for various purposes, but undoubtedly the most significant consumption of magic energy occurs in battles.

“Is there anything bad about this stagnant magic energy?”

The atmosphere around the elder changed slightly, indicating a hint of irritation.

“Stagnant magic energy brings malignant evolution to monsters. A small stagnation may turn into a habitat for monsters, but if it goes too far, it sinks into the Corrosive Sea.”

“The Corrosive Sea?”

“It’s a land where monsters with too much power roam, a place where no one can live.”

Indeed, the magic energy in forests and mountains inhabited by monsters feels prickly, and some people call it miasma.

—So that’s the stagnation of magic energy…

“The labyrinth was created during the Blue Era to prevent the world from sinking into the Corrosive Sea. It was made to calm and purify the surrounding magic energy. And we dwarves have been building and nurturing the labyrinth since the Blue Era, as a clan to protect and maintain the circulation of magic energy.”

Although he wasn’t sure if he fully understood the conversation, he imagined a large aquarium.

Without a filtration system, the water would stagnate, and the fish would die.

“Since the Blue Era, only dwarves…”

“Only dwarves..huh?  In just four hundred years or so, humans have forgotten even the covenant. It’s regrettable.”

The anger in the leader’s eyes seemed to vanish, replaced by mere sadness and a sense of emptiness.

“What is the Covenant?” 

Lucius asked just as the leader was about to speak, but before he could respond, the door burst open with a loud bang.

“Long Beard!”

“What’s going on?”

The person who came in was a dwarf man. 

A dwarf man exclaimed, blood dripping from his as though he’s been stabbed in his shoulder.

“The… undead… they’re in the city…” 

The trembling dwarf collapsed as if his knees had given out.

“What did you say!? What about the barrier!?” 

The leader questioned urgently.

“There was… something… above ground… it breached… the barrier…” 

The man relayed the information before losing consciousness.

—The battle that occurred above ground—

Certainly, it must have been caused by the spells unleashed by Lucial and the breath of the evil dragon.

Fagra suddenly pushed her chair aside and stood up. Without a word, she approached Lucius and grabbed his collar, shaking with anger yet tears welling up in her eyes.

“You humans aren’t satisfied to just kill dwarves, you kill each other too! If you love killing that much, go do it elsewhere!” 

Despite her trembling rage, tears filled her eyes.

Fagra’s father hastily stood up, grabbing some ores from the back of the room, a reddish-black mineral similar to Fagra’s hair.

“Fagra, now’s not the time to worry about humans! That’s the undead’s objective! We must defend our town! Protect those who cannot fight!!” 

With that, the Long beard and Fagra carried the unconscious man on their shoulders and left the room.

Left in the room were Lucius and Crane.

“Crane-san, please join the dwarves evacuating.” 

“What about you!?”

“I’ll go to take responsibility for bringing in the undead dragon knights.”

“That’s not your fault, Lucius-san!”

“For them… it’s the same.” 

With determination, Lucius headed towards the burning city.

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