Both Felix-san and I froze when we saw what was underneath the cloth in the back of the carriage.
We both looked at each other.
“……Stone statue?”
“Looks like it.”
It’s a very strange stone statue.
It is in the shape of a little girl, and it is extremely detailed. Her large eyes, the tips of her hair, and even the wrinkles of the clothes and bags are intricately carved. The ring on her looks like it’s about to sparkle at any moment too.
Even I can tell that it was carved by someone with great skill, but the pose is, how should I put it.…. it’s very strange.
She is on all fours with her right hand reaching for the bag next to her. It’s as if the moment she tried to pick something up, she was frozen in her place.
| Black Dwarf can be unsealed. |
My shoulders jerked.
“B-black dwarf?”
It was a type of dwarf who can be found at our target destination, Alvis. They are also known as the “Dwarf of Darkness”. A cunning being who makes deals with gods and humans. I was at a loss for words at this encounter, which I thought was still a long way off.
『L-let me see too.』
Solana jumped out of the gold coin. The doll-sized goddess flies around the strange stone statue.
“Yes, it definitely looks like a black dwarf —Dwerg… no it doesn’t look like it. Can you unseal it?”
I nodded, but I was also confused.
“Well, you said they might be in Alvis, right?”
“That’s true…… I also wonder why there’s one here.”
There are a lot of things I don’t understand.
Felix-san spoke, looking wary of the surroundings.
“I’m sorry, but I don’t understand what you’re saying at all. .….Is this the dwarf we are looking for? No matter how you look at it, it’s just a stone statue.”
I nodded my head in agreement. Though my Alarm skill is reacting, it looks like a normal stone statue.
Solana nodded her head in confirmation and crossed her arms.
“Dwarves are half-human, half-god. They are not manifested by magic like I am now. They have a physical body you see.”
“Oh, I see….…”
“Maybe the way they are sealed is different to how gods are sealed.”
Well….… Let me think about it for a moment.
“Solana is sealed in the gold coin, right……?”
“Yes, but the dwarves can’t afford to lose their body, so they may be sealed with their body, or they may have turned to stone statues to protect their body……. What do you think of Loki?”
『Well, I’m not sure either. I agree with the latter though. I’ve heard rumors about black dwarves turning to stone after being exposed to the sun, but that’s just a small story.』
I looked at the black dwarf who had turned to stone. When I looked closely, I can see that her eyebrows are furrowed, and she looks a little distressed.
“……I wonder if she’s okay.”
When I touched it gently, the skill rose on its own.
| Skill: 『 Alarm』was used. Executing【Unseal】. |
The light suddenly scattered. Felix-san and I hurriedly covered the area with the white cloth.
“Rion, what are you……?”
“I’m sorry.”
Both Felix-san and I were dripping with cold sweat as we looked around.
If anyone saw our current situation, they might think we are thieves. At worst, if we revealed our identity as Raven Warriors, we could say we were “investigating,” but trouble was still trouble.
“Uh~hmm……”
In front of us, the white cloth begins to squirm. The apples also rolled off the cart.
“Uah.”
The unsealed entity falls to the ground, taking the white cloth covering the loading platform with it.
I closed my eyes hearing the painful thud sound. For a while, the white cloth continued to wriggle and move.
“O-ouch……!”
Eventually, a girl poked her head out of the cloth. She was wearing a tunic and was about 4 or 5 years old. But if she’s really a black dwarf —I’m not sure if she’s really that age.
She is wearing an apron like that of a blacksmith’s, and her green hair is eye-catching. It was a hair color that I haven’t seen in the Royal Capital. Her dark eyes seemed to be unlike anything I had ever seen. Somehow, I think it glowed a little like an animal.
“……Y-you are….…”
“Rion.”
Felix-san pointed to the exposed cargo bed where the cloth had come off.
“That’s…”
I gasped.
In the cargo bed of the carriage, there was a gap on the left edge, exposing a dark red color. The gap had been covered by other luggage, but now it had shifted along with the white cloth.
“Leviation”
Felix-san used magic to float the luggage. Apparently, the loading platform had a “double bottom”. And that hidden bottom is lined with densely packed dark red orbs.
“Golem core.”
Felix-san’s analysis made me remember the Mithril Golem we fought before.
The same “Golem Core” are now lined up all over the cargo bed!
“The core’s color is similar to the one in the Western Dungeon….…”
“They may be related.”
A black dwarf who came along with the golem’s technology.
What does that mean? Where are they from?
Solana softly descends on the cores.
“This is…… perhaps we now know where the golem from the western dungeon came from?”
At that moment, we heard footsteps in the distance.
They were walking slowly towards the carriage. Since they are not monsters, it was impossible to detect their magical powers. There are four footsteps. They seem to walk with varying strides, and they are chatting while walking.
If we want to run away, we could do so now.
“Felix-san”
“……Has the guards returned?”
“Yes.”
I gestured four people with my hand. Solana quickly returned to the gold coin. I didn’t suggest hiding because I simply thought it would be quicker this way.
There are risks. However, now that I had dived into the dungeon and trained with the Raven Warriors, I could estimate the strength of our opponents with just my ‘Wild Heart’.
Strong people are different from the way they walk.
“……I trust you.”
Felix-san whispered.
Eventually, the men who returned ran up to us.
“You!”
I stared back at them and got ahead of them.
It was that man –the man with a scar on his nose who tried to pickpocket me in the evening. Felix-san whistles briefly. He must have given a signal to our comrades.
“……We’d like to have a question about your cargo.”
The men whispered at each other hearing those words.
“Is this the one our employer talked about?”
“Yeah…… I didn’t think so at first, but he did have a gold coin.”
……Employer?
That’s a little worrisome. The pickpocket incident in the evening was aimed at me after all.
Solana whispered.
『Rion』
“Un, I know.”
I prepared myself so I can activate “Golden Flame” at any time. I can’t let my guard down. There’s no way I’ll miss an enemy now.
“What are you doing here?”
When I didn’t answer, he clicked his tongue.
“Catch him.”
A scary-looking man jumped at me, but I dodged him by stepping forward. They still think of me as a child. I’m stuck at level 19, but with a lot of God’s protection, I can close the level gap by two or three in terms of physical ability.
“Gaa……”
Uh-, I don’t think I need to fill it.
『Haha, nice throw. 』
Thor laughed from the gold coin. While I waited in the temple, the Gods gave me a lesson. At that time, I was taught how to fight a big enemy.
『Perfect for a brave person like you. 』
I had already been taught how to use the difference in height to my advantage and aim for my opponent’s legs. The other two are quickly knocked out by Felix-san.
“You……!”
The pickpocket yelled, his eyes blazing with anger. He held a dagger in reverse grip and started slashing at me. But I know how to use a dagger too. Of course, I know how to block it.
“Ha!”
I took a short breath and guarded my arm with my gauntlet. After killing his momentum, I turned my wrist and grabbed his arm.
“O-o-ooouch!”
Maybe using Golden Flame was unnecessary…
The other party dropped the dagger and groaned in pain. Then our comrades also arrived. Among the warriors was Mia-san.
The man with a scar on his nose spoke with a pale face.
“W-who are you guys……?”
We exchanged glances with each other.
For the time being, there may be people watching the uproar, so we can’t say “Raven Warriors”…….
I laughed mockingly.
“Are you awake?”
“………Huh?”
I glanced back. Wrapped in a white cloth, the black dwarf was staring at us.
“Amazing~……”
She looks somehow harmless. Even after hearing about the black dwarves nature, I can’t help but think that.
Now then, it is time to ask her a lot of questions….
Suddenly, I shuddered. Looking back at the wagon. All the golem cores are now glowing bright red.
When the Raven Warriors stepped forward, the men panicked.
“No, no, w-we don’t know anything!”
“We were just told to transport it!”
“It’s just that.…. an information about a brown-haired kid with a gold coin would be worth money so..…”
I activated the Protection of the Hunting God, “Wild Heart”. The red lights indicating dangerous monsters were not only on the loading platform in front of us, but all over my field of vision.
7, 8……
“…..Seventeen?”
There are other wagons who appear to have been loaded with golem cores. And right now, the magic in it is strengthening all at once.
『Oh my~ oh my~, I see…..』
Loki’s voice sounded.
『So they are using the giant’s ashes in the golem core. We’ve got some good enemies huh. 』
“What do you mean?”
『Giants hate the gods you see. They use their nature to activate the golem when they feel the power of the gods. 』
Loki’s voice, which is lower than usual, burns in my chest with anxiety.
『This could be…… dangerous, you know? 』
Golem cores are activated one after another. They grew larger, absorbing the surrounding rocks and trees, and even the weapons on the loading platform.
I gulped.
If we do it poorly, we would end up repeating what had happened on the east side of the royal capital. Outside the square, there are dense buildings and food stalls —the outer market is right in front.
『Rion!』
It was Thor who spoke.
This is not a dungeon. I realized that the seal was weak.
There is a flash of hope.
Inside the gold coin are the four pillar gods and Solana, who has regained her power.
『I can’t last as long as I did with the horn, but…….』
『I think it’ll be enough against the golems. 』
『It’s not a bad time to work. 』
Thor, Loki, and Uru each conveyed their eagerness to fight.
Bathed in moonlight, an army of golems appeared on the night of Kalmar.
『Rion, this time we’re going to fight together.』
Thor’s words made my golden flame burn even hotter.
This is translated by Yume Neiji. Kindly read at yumeineijiworks.wordpress.com.
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