Chapter 31.1 : Capital of Dwarf
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◆Dark Knight, Kuroki
Elios, the abode of the gods. Elios is a kingdom in the sky that floats above the clouds on top of the Elios mountain, the highest mountain in this world.
There are three methods to enter Elios. The first method is to enter via the sky. The second method is by climbing the mountain. The last method is to enter from the underground.
Each one of those routes are insanely difficult to enter.
The first method is naturally by flying in the sky, and yet anyone who would be entering from the sky without permit of the chivalric order of holy knight serving under god Oudith will be killed on sight just by approaching the mountain.
The second method, though Elios mountain is too steep to be climbed, there’s elven kingdom in the sea of forest at the base of Elios mountain. One must have the permit of the elven race to enter this forest.
The underground tunnel of the third method is under the protection of the dwarf, no one can enter without those dwarven permission.
The route I’m taking right now is the third route, the underground tunnel.
After a short distortion of the scenery, the scenery of the current room is changed from the previous room. The magic square below my feet is still letting out a pale light.
「Where are we, Dario-dono? 」
「Here is the small shrine at the end of sea of tree, Diehart-dono. The place we’re going to is below the ground via underground tunnel」
The one who was replying to my question is a big man whose height reached my shoulder but, his body width is twice as mine.
Dwarf. That is his race.
The dwarf is a natural born black smith and has longer lifespan than human. Dwarven made the best tools in this world.
Many of the dwarves have long since freely going in and out Nargol due to the long relationship between their god, Heibos and the demon king Modes. Though the one who profit the most might be the dwarf since the land of Nargol is rich with mineral resource.
Dario who becomes my guide to enter Elios right now is one of those dwarves who have free access to Nargol.
The reason I goes to Elios is to meet Heibos who is living at the lowest layer of Elios mountain. I want to ask him to make me a new armor to replace my previous armor that had been tattered in the battle against Reiji-tachi.
「Shall we go then」
After saying so, Dario began to walk.
It seems there’s underground tunnel inside of the shrine which can be used to enter the Dwarven Kingdom.
「Let’s go, Kuna」
I’m looking at Kuna who keeps embracing my arms on my side.
Kuna is nodding to me. Thereupon, I caught a glimpse of her pale face between her silver forelock from under the hood that hides her face.
I’m walking side by side with Kuna.
Though it’s a bit harder for me to walk with Kuna who is always embracing my arm, but I can definitely endure it.
She’s the beautiful girl that I’m always wishing for after all. For that I won’t mind even if it’s a bit harder for me to walk.
In the first place, was there any beautiful girl such as Kuna fell for me up till now?
Though it was obvious for her to love me since she is a goddess that was made solely for my sake, I won’t care about such thing after looking at the completed Kuna.
Thinking about what happened until now, I’m going to enjoy my time with her.
「Are you crying………. Kuroki? 」
Kuna is asking that question while peering from below her hood. Her gesture is just soo cute.
「No………. This is just sweats from my eyes. Let’s go, Kuna」
After leaving the underground tunnel, the place we’re arriving at have small vessel-like thing with strange shape.
「From here on we’re going to board this vessel, Diehart-dono」
「Boarding this vessel? Dario-dono」
It’s not like there’s water body around us. It’s just a vessel placed on top of a road.
「Fufufufufufu, well you’ll know when we’re boarding the vessel」
Dario can’t hold to his grin.
Me and Kuna then boarded the vessel with Dario on the lead.
After all of us boarding on the vessel, it is suddenly rising from the ground.
「OOh! ! 」
I unintentionally letting out astonished voice.
After rising from the ground, the vessel is moving forward by itself.
「How’s that, even the dark knight is surprised by this right」
Dario was saying so while laughing happily.
「Yes. I’m surprised」
I told him my honest impression.
I really am astonished by the level of technology in this world. It’s more developed than my original world in certain meaning.
The vessel is advancing at quite fast pace.
Now we’re already in the underground tunnel of the Holy Land. Holy land is a place where no one but dwarf race, elven race, and angel race who is approved by the gods of Elios can enter. Much less to say about me, a person of Nargol, the enemy of Elios. It’ll be quite a situation if I were to be found out by any of those above race except for the dwarf race.
The vessel keeps advancing. Due to its enormous size, the underground tunnel below the holy land is also quite long, I couldn’t see our destination despite already advancing at quite fast speed with the vessel.
Though it’ll be faster if we’re moving using transfer magic, it is unusable since there’s a seal from above the defensive line that prevent transfer magic inside the entire Holy Land.
After maybe around one hour later that I could finally see the way to exit.
After the vessel stopping on its place, we were descending from the vessel and now walking on the slightly small passage.
At the end of that small passage, we arrived at a huge place.
Various light is shining upon us. Though the lighting of the passage is bright too, this kind of light is different from those.
This townscape that was colored by various light such as yellow, green and red is making me forgetting the fact that this city is under the ground.
The entire townscape is donned with beautiful ornaments, and those ornaments were the one who is responsible for creating this fantastic scenery by letting out various light.
「Ooh! ! This is too……..」
I shouted a voice of admiration since this is the first time I’m seeing this kind of scenery.
Dario is showing a proud look upon his face in seeing my amazement.
「Welcome, Dark Knight Diehart-dono. Here is the capital of Dwarf, Volundr」
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◆Dark Knight, Kuroki
Volundr, the capital of Dwarf which is located beneath the holy ground of Elios mountain is a city that was created by gathering the best of the magic and craftsmanship.
In the city which was piled up from numerous floors, the things that connecting between the floors is below and above gem-like elevators to move between the floor despite nothing resembled a rope to hold it. This is something that not exist in the world of human. The dwarf is undoubtedly having far more advanced magecraft than the human world.
On top of that, the ornamentals beautiful gem that scattered in the entire city is shining in prismatic color due to mage craft. And despite located under the round, it doesn’t feel cramped due to perfectly layed out city design.
There’s around twenty thousands of Dwarf living in the Volundr. Though the number of Dwarf is far cry from human, this city is desolate from human. But, this city which become the territory of God of Craftmanship and God of Dwarf, Heibos is special existence amongst the dwarf race.
We’ve been passing by numerous dwarves along our way, I can only say that it’s natural since we are in the capital of dwarf.
But there’s also none dwarven race that is passing by us once in a while. Looking carefully, others living being which couldn’t be called as livestock is also living in this city. The body that look like pipe with flat smooth face. They might be the golems that was made by the dwarf.
Golem are the dolls that made by using things such as iron, wood and rock as materials. They’re similar to the robot back in my original world.
Those golems are the attendant of the dwarf, they’re also the one who is going to clean and sweep the road.
I heard some bit of trivia about the golem from Rugaas. The golems are of various kind of type from combat to household type.
The golem that was sweeping right now might be of the sweeping type.
Come to think of it, maybe that huge steel doll at the shrine was also a golem.
Maybe the type of golem that repulsing the intruder who was coming in without permit. We might be in danger if we were not coming along with Dario.
「Do not be surprised yet, Diehart-dono」
Dario said so as he looked at me who was looking around restlessly since a while ago.
「Yes, Dario-dono. In spite of being underground, I’m truly surprised by the scale of the city that was made by the Dwarf」
Dario is delighted in hearing my honest impression.
「Fufufufu. But, Diehart-dono. That’s all the surprise for you. Prepare yourself since we’re going to go to an even more amazing place」
Dario is saying so as his expression turned serious.
Then, I nodded at him.
「Hide your face, Kuna」
I told Kuna who walked along with us while clinging to my arm without even saying anything.
「Uhn」
After I say so, Kuna is putting on her hood to hide her face.
We’re getting on the elevator-like things and then arrived at the upper level. We must move carefully from this point ahead.
This point ahead is the workshop of the dwarf, an extremely restricted area which was located in Volundr.
And then, the workshop of god Heibos is on top of that after leaving the workshop area.
We were entering the workshop area. It was a completely different with the ornamental area from before, a completely dreary yet practical area is spreading ahead of us.
Many of the Dwarves inside those workshop is especially moody, we can’t make a ruckus here.
Though I think it’s better to not bringing Kuna along since beautiful girl have the tendency of disliking to enter this dwarf workshop, in the end I’m still bringing her along with me since Kuna doesn’t want to leave my side and I feel anxious to leave Kuna alone in Nargol.
If one were to ask what kind of anxiety it is, it would be her relationship with Regena, the former princess of Algore.
After I saved Regena and her relatives in Akeron mountain, she became a maid who took care of me in the demon king castle.
And for some reason, Kuna seems to hate Regena. It seems those hatred are one-sided hatred of Kuna since Regena doesn’t seem to hate Kuna, thus I feel anxious to leave Kuna alone in demon king castle while I’m away from her. Thus I bring her along with me.
We were leaving the workshop area in silence. Though I’m curious about what those dwarf doing in their workshop, I restrained myself since they’re the type that disliking someone who is trespassing their area.
And then, we finally arrived at the workshop on top of the workshop area.
There was a strange room here.
This workshop is cramped due to various kind of gems, paper, and tools as it’s a room that made anyone who was seeing it would be confused since the form of the room itself is confusing.
It seems this is the workshop of God Heibos. If that was the case, it means that this area is the boundary between Volundr and Elios. According to the story, god Heibos is living in the lowest place of Elios which also happens to be the highest place in Volundr.
We are entering the workshop of God Heibos.
And then coming out to a slightly spacious place. In there, a man was waiting for us. Though he gave the impression of a weak person with his crooked-like body and bushy beards, I can feel his sharp spirit from the glints that peeking out from his side profile and his brawny arms.
「Heibos-sama. I brought the dark knight」
Dario is bowing to that man. Thus there’s no mistaking it, this man is God Heibos.
Heibos is looking toward us.
The sharp glint in his eyes is locking on my figure. It seems God Heibos himself isn’t gifted with combat prowess but, the glint in his eyes feel like an extremely veteran warrior to me.
「It’s nice to meet you, God Hei—-」
「No need to greet me, Dark Knight Diehart」
He’s interrupting my greeting.
「You should hear about my request from Dario. Can you show me that sword? 」
Heibos is stretching his hand.
I give him a short sword which I kept in my bosom pocket.
The short sword length is generally shorter than long sword.
This short sword is something that I made myself after Dario taught me about know-how to make sword.
When the short sword is drawn from its sheath by God Heibos, its blade is exposed to the light.
「This one can understand few things after seeing this sword. One look and this one can understand better than hundreds words」
Heibos eyes are locking on to the sword. I made this sword with my own black flame while taking a lesson from Dario, and I finally completed this one after numerous failures.
On top of the scarce material that can withstand my dark flame, I made heap of wrecked sword due to the difficulties in adjusting the degree of the power and the timing.
Eventually when I finished the short sword, the sword blade is cast a dark light which might happened due to its long exposure in the dark flame, it was quite sharp too.
Though I thought it was a nice sword, I lost all of my confidence when showing such crude sword to the God of Craftsmanship.
「Fumu, I see……… You made a good sword. But please wait for a minute」
Heibos left us for a while after saying so. When he returned a while later, he’s holding a beautiful short sword which was different from the one I gave to him a while ago.
「This is」
Heibos is giving the short sword to me.
I’m stretching my hand to receive that short sword.
「Try to unsheathe the short sword」
When I’m unsheating the short sword, exposing the dark sword blade to air.
「This is………….」
I’m struck by a surprise.
「Yeah, this is the sword that was made by you」
The short sword which he gave me was the short sword that I gave to him. The short sword that I gave to him a while ago didn’t have any pattern or whatsoever, I was just focusing on how I can make it easy to use and easy to hold.
But, God Heibos doesn’t change the ease to use the short sword at all, he gave a bit yet splendid finishing touch on it. Thus I failed to notice it when he gave that sword back to me.
I’m admiring it in silence.
「The thing that I can grasp is the fact that the sword doesn’t have any ornament at all. So I added a bit of craftsmanship to it. Honestly speaking, I’m not that inclined to do so either. You might be the type of person that completely ignoring fashion sense. You are always wearing dark cloth so that you won’t stand out aren’t you? 」
Heibos words is stabbing like an arrow into my heart.
How do you know that. I’m surprised that you know that fact.
Shirone even told me 「Say Kuroki, have you ever worn any clothes other than the one with grey or black color?」. Dark color makes you feel at ease you know………..
「Bull’s eye am I? 」
I can’t even retort in hearing Heibos words.
Well it’s just way too obvious even without me making a groaning sound since it’s the fact.
And then, looking at the sword.
「But, I can feel a good will residing inside this sword…….」
Then, Heibos is looking at me.
「You’re a clumsy man in a certain meaning. You cannot do anything even if there’s a woman that you love, furthermore you just keep resigning from competing with another woman to win the love of the woman you love???
His words once again pierced like an arrow into my heart.
「Maybe it’s not just limited to woman, you basically won’t compete for anything and just keep resigning aren’t you? In the end you’re at lost for what you have to do and ended up doing something that you shouldn’t do」
And then, Heibos is changing his line of sight.