Chapter 167

“Wow, this never ends. How far down are we going?”

Gismond looked around curiously. The gently sloping cave landscape leading into the depths was surprisingly beautiful.

“We’re only halfway there… senior.”

“Only halfway? I swear we’ve been walking for three hours. So the dwarves take more than six hours every time they go outside?”

“Of course not. It’s because you’re outsiders—that’s why we make you go around in circles.”

“H-How did you know…?”

You didn’t need to be a genius to figure it out. Sensing the rising tension, Fernan changed the subject.

“By the way, do you know a dwarf named Adguif?”

“Captain Adguif? You… I mean, senior… wait, am I really going to enter the Academy?”

“Do your parents live in the city?”

“Yes, of course, but…”

“Then just go ask for permission this once, and it’s settled.”

Back to the topic.

“What kind of dwarf is Adguif?”

“He’s the captain of our guard. A just and upright person. All the dwarves respect him.”

Just and upright, Fernan thought. Very different from what he had seen in the prophecy.

It could only be one of two things—either the future had changed and he wasn’t a Corrupted yet, or he was hiding his true face.

“Haven’t there been any disappearances in your city?”

“How do you know that…? Is there a spy among us?”

Ahgrot was left speechless.

“Yes, it’s been a while now. Miners who went on expeditions in search of mines vanished… ah, I shouldn’t be saying this…!”

He covered his mouth too late.

“Ten grams of mithril.”

“…Fine, but don’t tell anyone.”

Resigned, Ahgrot continued.

“We’ve been living here for hundreds of years, and the nearby mines are already depleted. So going far out to look for minerals is normal.”

“What about the iron mine where we met?”

“That was too close to call it an expedition. More like something we avoided, since it’s near elven territory. I used to sneak out there from time to time to get some ore.”

He confessed he considered it his own “hidden treasure.”

“Unnecessary detail.”

“Anyway, that’s brought us trouble. There have always been monster attacks, but this time it was different. An entire tunnel collapsed.”

As casualties increased, the dwarves became increasingly resistant to those expeditions.

“And when they tried to clear the collapsed tunnel, miners and guards disappeared.”

“Disappeared?”

“Yes. Not a single corpse. Just some bloodstains, tracks as if they’d been dragged off by monsters.”

For a tunnel built by dwarves to collapse like that, and not leave even one survivor, was enough to shake the entire city.

“That’s why things are unstable now. Some don’t want to leave their home, but after running into you guys, I fear it’ll get even worse.”

“Haven’t you found any traces of the missing?”

“No. Captain Adguif has led the investigations, but nothing turns up.”

“Of course.”

How could you trust the cat to find the missing fish?

“What do you mean by that?”

“Nothing. Keep telling me about your city.”

“…But if I say I’m going to the Academy, will the mayor allow it?”

“Leave that to me. You just get ready.”

“Really?”

Though he looked a bit unsure, Ahgrot didn’t seem unwilling.

“Doesn’t sound so bad, right?”

“It’s just I’ve never left here. After seeing the elf city, I felt like discovering more.”

“Do many dwarves think like you?”

“Yes, quite a few. Some wonder why we have to live buried underground.”

It made sense. No matter how big the underground city was, nothing compared to the open sky and the vast continent.

‘So a relocation.’

If he could grant the dwarves land and titles, he could turn them into loyal subjects—or better yet, into a source of income for the Pellenberg.

They didn’t realize how far they had walked until the city’s main gate finally appeared.

Something was wrong.

“Move him, now!”

“The search party isn’t back yet! Head straight to the site!”

“They’re on their way!”

The gate, which should’ve been closed, was wide open, and a large number of guards were rushing in and out.

“…What’s going on here?”

“Something happened?”

“Ahgrot?”

“Captain! My respects!”

A dwarf, leading the guards, had spotted him.

He was strange—he had no beard at all, very unusual for a dwarf.

“I heard you went out with a human. You’re late.”

“Sorry, there was a mishap…”

His gaze swept over Fernan and the others, frowning.

“So it was true.”

“Excuse me? What did you say?”

“Nothing. But I heard it was one human. Why are there more?”

“…There were circumstances.”

The captain ignored Ahgrot and extended his hand to Fernan.

“I’m Adguif, captain of the guard.”

“Fernan Pellenberg.”

“Pellenberg? As in the Pellenberg I know?”

“If the Pellenberg symbol is the turtle, then yes.”

“…Holy hell.”

Adguif’s eyes widened, though he quickly regained his composure.

“Welcome to the city. The mayor is expecting you. Ahgrot!”

“Yes, captain.”

“Take our guests to the mayor, then report back to the barracks.”

“Yes, understood. But… what’s happening?”

“Tunnel 31 collapsed.”

“Again…?”

“This isn’t the time to discuss it in front of guests. I must go.”

With a shout, Adguif left along with the guards and the search party.

“Damn, another tunnel… come on, senior.”

‘That’s Adguif? What do you think, Wooden?’

— Kyuu.

The golem shook its head. He didn’t seem like a Corrupted, though nothing was certain.

Wooden easily detected external magic, but not hidden forces—that was more Aint’s specialty.

Even so, Adguif seemed powerful.

Not quite Royal Knight level, but close.

‘Maybe I should’ve brought Luina.’

Clicking his tongue, Fernan entered the city.

***

“Seems like on the surface, they call a week what we here call ten days.”

The mayor wasn’t very pleased.

And Fernan understood—not expelling him immediately was already a great act of patience.

“My apologies. Something unexpected came up.”

“Unexpected?”

“A matter with the Corrupteds. They’re active both above and below ground.”

At that, the mayor changed the subject.

“I’ve been thinking about what you said. You claim there’s a Corrupted among the dwarves?”

“Yes. And I’m still convinced of it.”

Fernan’s firm tone left the mayor silent for a moment before he spoke again.

“You know something? We’ve had a problem for some years now—when the nearby mines ran dry, our mining expeditions went farther out, and that drew monsters into the tunnels.”

That was the small issue he had mentioned earlier.

“I heard about it on the way in.”

“Then you know security is a disaster.”

But he added nothing further.

“Yes, but those attacks were minor. At most ten casualties, sometimes just one or two. Annoying, but we managed by reinforcing the guard.”

However, something different had happened just a few days ago.

A collapse so powerful that an entire tunnel caved in and all the dwarves inside disappeared.

Only traces of struggle and bloodstains remained as proof that they had ever existed.

“Dozens missing. At first, I believed that, in searching for new mines, we had awakened a monster nest.”

“And do you really believe that?”

“Yes, that’s what I wanted to believe. These past days, even though we’ve searched thoroughly around the collapsed tunnel, we haven’t found any nest.”

Not long ago, he had started to feel that something didn’t add up.

He knew that some dwarves, dissatisfied with living confined in the city, were moving differently.

He had wanted to believe that time would solve it—that it was an inevitable problem after so many years of stagnation.

But the idea that they were involved in the monster attacks and the disappearance of dwarves was completely unexpected.

“We’ve lived together in this cramped place for hundreds of years.”

The dwarven city wasn’t small. But it wasn’t just about size.

“Do you know what’s most important for surviving so long in an enclosed, isolated, and limited space?”

“Avoiding fights?”

“Correct. There must be no disputes. Once they start, there’s no going back.”

Humans could fight and then flee to another city, another kingdom. But dwarves couldn’t.

Their city was the only one, and the outside world was unknown and feared.

“That’s why I turned a blind eye.”

Even if he suspected his own people, exposing it poorly could drag the entire city into ruin.

“Were you waiting for the right moment?”

“It may sound like an excuse, but yes. I wanted to catch solid evidence.”

To end it with the least possible damage and in a definitive way.

“The problem is, I didn’t understand why they were sacrificing their own kin, one after another. Why hundreds of dwarves had to be offered…”

But now he understood.

As incredible as it seemed, if there were Corrupted among the dwarves, everything made sense.

The traitors had sold their own race to the demons.

The mayor clenched his teeth.

“…Let me ask you again.”

He wasn’t trying to hide it anymore.

One tunnel had collapsed and dozens had disappeared at once. A few days later, another had given way.

Surely, those victims had also been delivered to a demon.

“Do you have proof? Not words, but something that anyone would accept as indisputable evidence.”

At that moment, Fernan appeared like a rope thrown into the abyss.

“Not yet.”

“Not yet?”

“But I think soon. The Corrupted usually rely on monsters. Near the attacked tunnels, they must have hidden creatures.”

“But we’ve searched tirelessly around the collapsed tunnel and found nothing. Surely, that’s also the fault of those traitors.”

The dwarves had spent their entire lives digging through the earth. No one surpassed them underground.

If they hadn’t found anything, it meant there was nothing.

“Yes, that must be it.”

Unless their own had purposely hidden the truth.

“If we let this go, it’ll be over soon. To the Corrupted, the dwarven city is too sweet a prey.”

A large, underground, isolated city.

Perfect to use as a sacrifice to summon demons without anyone finding out.

“But your words sound like you have a plan.”

“I do. If I didn’t, I wouldn’t have dared come to see you with such confidence. Though maybe a week won’t be enough.”

“It could take months—it doesn’t matter, as long as you manage to uncover it.”

“That complicates things. The Academy reopens soon.”

And besides, that much time wouldn’t be necessary.

“Let me join the search for the missing and the new mining expedition. With my companions.”

“Trying to make up for bringing more humans, are you? No wonder they say it’s never wise to deal with the Pellenberg.”

But in this situation, even the help of a cat was needed.

“…One more thing. The Corrupted you suspect—is he a member of the guard?”

“Yes. I think the same as you.”

Upon hearing the confirmation, the mayor pressed his lips together.

“…Fine, I’ll leave it to you.”

“Thank you.”

Fernan pulled out some papers.

“What’s that?”

“A contract.”

“A contract?”

“One that states that, in exchange for eliminating the threat of the Corrupted, you’ll collaborate with the Golden Turtle Guild.”

“What did you say?”

The mayor’s face twisted.

“By what right?”

“You’ve spent too much time underground—it seems you’ve forgotten that in this world, nothing is free.”

Everything has a price.

“But we’re honest merchants. If there are profits for both sides, there are never any losses.”

“A contract drawn up without my consent isn’t a loss? And you say it’ll be beneficial?”

“Please read the last clause.”

The mayor flipped through the document.

【Article 15. If the contract is fulfilled, the Pellenberg Family will grant the County of Algott to the dwarves and facilitate their relocation. The leader of the dwarves will become the Count of Algott.】

“……!”

“You said you have nowhere to flee? That the outside world is too dangerous? Then take my hand.”

Fernan smiled.

“I know many dwarves are asking why they remain buried and want to see the surface.”

How much longer will they keep hiding?

“The Pellenberg will give you vast lands, legitimacy, and a noble title.”

In return, the dwarves only had to cooperate with the guild.

“What do you say? It’s a deal where everyone wins, isn’t it?”

But he didn’t stop there.

Fernan went one step further, appealing to the mayor’s ambition.

“You will become the Count of Algott. Not an elected mayor, but the eternal leader of the dwarves.”

The smile on Fernan’s face widened.