Chapter 162

“D-Did you just say that…?”

“Since it was a sudden encounter, it’s not strange for me to suddenly make you an offer.”

“That’s true, but…”

The dwarf looked to be in his mid-thirties. As expected of a dwarf, he was short, but his muscular build stood out, and his thick beard left a strong impression.

“…Anyway, it’s very sudden.”

Ahgrot didn’t shake the hand Fernan extended; instead, he stood up with the help of the ground.

“But how did a human get all the way down here?”

“And you, why were you digging tunnels here?”

“Does a dwarf need a special reason to dig? I was doing it because there’s an iron mine in the area.”

“Same here.”

“…A human came all the way here to develop a mine?”

Ahgrot’s eyes widened.

“And the elves allowed that? I don’t think they’d just let it happen.”

“We have the elves’ permission. As you know, this area is just rocky mountains with barely any vegetation.”

“…That’ll be a problem.”

Ahgrot muttered without thinking.

“What kind of problem?”

“N-No, nothing. Ahem.”

He changed the subject.

“But can humans even mine at this depth? This area is almost entirely solid rock.”

“It’s not impossible. Just not profitable.”

It was practically impossible due to how unprofitable it was.

“But if you’re looking for a mine around here, that means you live nearby.”

It was no secret that dwarves lived in underground homes.

“Hmm, well…”

“Do you have family or companions?”

“Yes, but… why do you ask?”

To hire them all, of course.

But Ahgrot didn’t take the bait so easily.

Naturally. Even Fernan would’ve been cautious if he suddenly met someone from another race a thousand meters underground who offered him a job out of nowhere.

So he needed bait.

Something juicy enough to make the other party wag its tail. And luckily, Fernan had just the thing.

“Do you know what this is?”

“What is that…? H-Hey, wait…! Is that…!?”

A glowing purple stone floated above Fernan’s palm. It was orichalcum—one of the three legendary metals.

A piece he’d set aside for personal use from what was recovered after the destruction of the Bell of Destruction.

“Where did you get that?”

“Do you want it?”

“Of course I do!”

“If you agree to a favor, I might give it to you.”

“A favor…?”

“Yes. I want to meet your family.”

“Why…?”

“Just curious about how dwarves live. Nothing more.”

“Still, that’s a bit…”

Fernan took out another stone.

“A-Adaman…?!”

Ahgrot began to drool.

“Do you want it?”

“Of course I do!”

“Then will you agree to the favor?”

“B-But still…”

He still had a bit of common sense left.

However.

“M-Mithril too…!? Who the hell are you!?”

With the three legendary metals together, the dwarf surrendered.

“I’ll take you. It’s awkward showing a human the city, but someone like you—who has all three great metals—can’t be a bad person. No way.”

Ahgrot nodded.

“The mayor will understand. Yeah… He definitely would’ve caved too.”

“Wait a second.”

Fernan interrupted. Some words didn’t make sense.

“Mayor? There’s an underground city down here?”

“Yes, is that a problem?”

“…No, not at all.”

Fernan clenched his fist where Ahgrot couldn’t see.

His nails dug into his palm, but he didn’t feel the pain.

‘A dwarven city? Do dwarves live together by the hundreds or thousands?’

It wasn’t just a pile of ingots lying around.

This was the world’s greatest mine.

***

Dwarves were rare.

It was because they’d suffered the most casualties in the war against demons a thousand years ago.

Unlike the elves, who had founded a kingdom beneath Fridian, dwarves had no consolidated community.

There had never been any record of a city founded by dwarves.

Some had settled on the continent, but they were very few.

Even for the Pellenbergs, who were obsessed with recruiting dwarves, the number affiliated with their company didn’t even reach fifty.

Because of that—

“…Holy hell.”

The shock Fernan felt upon witnessing that vast underground city exceeded all imagination.

His mind went blank, and it was hard to stay composed.

Dwarves here. Dwarves there.

The structures carved into the subterranean rock were worthy of being called works of art, and embedded high above were unmistakably magical lamps.

Gulp. He swallowed hard.

“First of all, we need to report to the mayor, especially since we brought a foreigner…”

“Of course.”

In truth, that was preferable. Negotiations were best handled by those in charge.

“Hmm. Covering your face won’t help. You’re clearly not a dwarf, so let’s go. The rumor will spread quickly anyway.”

“Aren’t there guards?”

“Of course there are. But they’re stationed inside the city to maintain order—not at the entrance. After all, in a place like this, no outsider could possibly enter…”

That was true. Who would ever guess that dwarves had dug such vast tunnels and built a city beneath elven territory?

“A human?”

“How could a human get all the way down here?”

“It’s a human! A human has entered the city!”

The dwarves who spotted him began shouting everywhere.

“Calm down! I brought this human myself, and we’re going to see the mayor now!”

“You brought a human to the city? Have you lost your mind?!”

“The guards! Where are the guards?!”

“There’s no helping it. Let’s run.”

As the commotion grew, Ahgrot took off running.

“Is it always like this?”

“It’s not that they hate humans. It’s just that, in hundreds of years, no other race has ever been allowed inside the city…”

The fact that he had dared to bring Fernan there said a lot about what the Three Great Metals meant to the dwarves.

“Since when have you lived in a city like this? A dwarven underground city—I’m genuinely surprised.”

“Since before I was born, so I couldn’t say exactly. It’s not that important.”

Soon after, they stopped in front of a building at the center of the city.

It had the shape of a mountain carved from a single block—majestic and beautiful at the same time.

Especially impressive was the golden ornament crowning the dome, reminiscent of a mosque.

“Halt. What’s going on at city hall—a human?”

“How can there be a human here?”

The guards raised their weapons. At the sound of a sharp whistle, dozens more soldiers rushed out, completely surrounding them.

“I’m Ahgrot. I’ve come to see the mayor.”

“Ahgrot, are you the one who brought a human into the city?”

“No. This human arrived here on his own.”

“And you expect me to believe that?”

“I have something I can only say in the presence of the mayor. Please tell him Ahgrot is here.”

Following his gaze, Fernan pulled out the orichalcum he had promised to show.

“Orichalcum?”

“Where did you get this?”

“…Hold on a moment.”

One of the guards went inside the building. However, the perimeter remained intact, and a cold tension filled the air.

“Is that really a human?”

“Was it really Ahgrot who brought him?”

“Citizens, step back!”

Even curious dwarves, alerted by the rumor that a human had entered the city, began to gather.

Some tense time passed until—

“The mayor has agreed to receive you. Follow me.”

“Thank you very much.”

“Human, if you try anything strange, we’ll kill you on the spot.”

“I have no intention of doing anything.”

Fernan entered the building under strict guard escort.

“Ahgrot, you wait outside. The mayor wants to speak with the human in private first.”

“Understood.”

“I don’t know how this conversation will go, but I thank you nonetheless. Here’s what I promised.”

Fernan handed Ahgrot the three metals.

“By all the gods—along with orichalcum, adamantite, and mithril?”

“…Now I understand why you brought a human with you, Ahgrot.”

The guards looked on enviously, practically drooling with greed.

“I’m the one who should be thanking you, hehe.”

“Now that I think about it, we haven’t formally introduced ourselves. Though I already heard your name, it’s different saying it properly. I’m Fernan.”

“Ahgrot.”

At that moment, a flash of lightning shot through Fernan’s mind. The world flipped upside down.

[“Ahgrot.”]

His appearance wasn’t much different from now, but the atmosphere was completely changed.

A volcano on the verge of erupting. It was as if he were forcibly suppressing an uncontainable rage.

[“I heard you’re a hero. That you’re skilled at hunting demons.”

“It’s not that big a deal.”

“I heard it with my own ears, so it’s true.”]

The one before him was Aint. With a gaze more mature and deep than it was now, clearly showing the passage of time.

[“I’ve been looking for you.”

“Why me?”

“I heard you defeated Demon No. 70, Seir; No. 64, Flauros; and even No. 72, Andromalius.”

“It’s true. But I didn’t do it alone…”

“It doesn’t matter. You’ll keep fighting demons, and sooner or later, you’ll face that one too. When the time comes, I want to stand beside you, axe in hand.”]

As he said this, he gripped his weapon tightly—its blade still crusted with dried blood.

[“That one? Who are you talking about?”

“Adguif. A traitor who allied with the demons. The scum who murdered my family, my friends—all my dwarf brethren.”

And he added,

“The demons used him to summon Aym, Demon No. 58.”]

‘…Aym? A rank 58 demon appeared just like that?’

And because of him, this massive dwarven city would fall into ruin?

That was a bolt from the blue.

‘Damn it, what the hell is going on!?’

Finding another of Aint’s companions, as foretold by the prophecies, brought no joy.

A demon—and a rank 58 one, at that!

Just yesterday he’d breathed a sigh of relief after confirming Bercheff was safe, and now another threat stood in his way.

“…Why that face all of a sudden?”

“No, it’s nothing.”

“Human, get in already. The mayor is waiting.”

The door opened. The inside of the office was surprisingly modest. The furniture, the carpet, the chandelier—none of the decorations were particularly flashy.

However, everything was dwarf-made, which gave it immeasurable value.

And there, in the center, sat the mayor.

A venerable old man.

His beard reached down to his chest, his wrinkled face paired with a stern and unyielding gaze, along with a body still muscular from age and labor.

He almost looked like a father.

“Welcome.”

His deep voice resonated throughout the room.

“I’m Valbern, mayor of this city.”

“Fernan.”

Fernan bowed his head.

“Take a seat.”

“Thank you.”

“Tea, perhaps?”

“No need.”

“I’m glad to hear it. It wouldn’t be proper for the first intruder in the city’s history to demand tea like it’s nothing.”

His words were sharp.

“They told me you came in with Ahgrot. How did you meet?”

“I found him while looking for mines.”

“And how did you persuade him?”

“I gave him three fist-sized stones.”

“It matters what kind of stones.”

“Adamantite, orichalcum, and mithril.”

At that moment, the mayor’s pen—busy signing document after document—stopped.

“…Enough to tempt Ahgrot.”

“There’s more.”

“…Don’t play games with me.”

The mayor answered calmly, but Fernan caught a glint of greed in his eyes.

“Let’s get to the point. Why have you come here?”

“It was coincidence.”

“This city is 1.2 kilometers underground. And you expect me to believe it was coincidence?”

“It was. I was digging for mines, and there he was.”

The pen resumed movement, papers flying by with speed.

“That’s an even worse excuse. I’ve never heard of elves allowing excavation on their land.”

“But it’s true. My family obtained exploration and mining rights. Only in rocky, barren mountain zones, of course.”

“…Really now?”

“There’s no point in lying about something that could easily be discovered.”

The mayor paused again.

“…What family could convince those stubborn elves?”

“Sorry for the delayed introduction. I’m Fernan Pellenberg.”

“…Pellenberg, you say?”

Valbern’s eyes shot wide open.

“Yes. Even living in hiding, I doubt you’re unaware of who we Pellenbergs are.”

“Of course I know. How could I not? Every time we go out to trade, you carrion merchants always try to lowball us.”

“…You’ve misunderstood. I am one of the Pellenbergs.”

‘Damn it, seems we don’t have a good reputation…’