Safi began to speak, staring at the bonfire. The flickering flames stretch the shadows of me and Safi to the wall.
“Alfheim was a country of technology. As you can see—”
Looking around, Safi smiled wryly.
“—Well, to be honest, there’s no trace of it left. But this was our palace, carved into the mine, and it was also our town. I was born and raised in these mines.”
The staircase room at the end of the dungeon is dimly lit and a little chilly. The heat, and perhaps the magic of the lights, didn’t fully pass through to this place.
I squinted my eyes into the dim light.
There were patterns remaining on the walls, and there is a protrusion on the ceiling similar to a magic stone lamp. It was probably a remnant of the time when this was a palace.
“I think it’s already filled, but on this level there is the soldiers’ quarters and a room for their families. When the gods started the war, most of the dwarves fled from the surface and took refuge here.”
Safi stopped talking and stares at the flames.
“……How much do you know about black dwarves and white dwarves?”
I searched through the shelves of my memory.
“Of the races that were in Alfheim, the black ones are the blacksmiths, and the white ones had wings and was good at crafting, right?”
“Yes, that’s right. I’m a black dwarf…… they hated us.”
Safi stammered. After sighing as if letting something heavy out, she forced a smile. It was a smile that looked like her cheeks were twisted in a forced way.
“But, you know, it’s no surprise that they hated us.”
“Why?”
What went over my head was something like “useless skills”. I wonder if even in the land of dwarves, there was superiority or inferiority based on their innate skills.
“The black dwarves are blacksmiths. We— well, we are ‘weapon craftsmen’ through and through.”
Safi held the hammer in her hand over the fire. The faint, red magic runes on it stands out.
“Weapons are meant for fighting, aren’t they?”
“Uh-, yes—”
“So, some of the black dwarves wanted war. They made deals with gods and humans, tricked them into fighting, or placed curses on the weapons themselves.”
I pulled the scabbard from my waist and pulled out the blue crystal short sword. The ancient relic in the sheath had the letters Jinrad engraved on the hilt.
“For example, you could carve a magic rune that draws battles. In reality, it has the nauseating effect of “attracting enemies”. Then the wielder would fight a lot, and with that, it will show the power of the weapon. It would prove how superior the weapon is.”
“No way……!”
“Mm. For the sake of technology, they would do anything to get there. There were people like that.”
The short sword I had been using suddenly became terrifying. Adventurers entrust their lives to their weapons, so if they are betrayed by a blacksmith, their lives will be at stake.
“They’re not weapons for people. They are weapons for weapons’ sake. Some of them even make deals with monsters and titans or leave their forges to join the titans’ camps.”
Safi took a deep breath. The flickering flame is reflected in her dark eyes.
“……Of course, such black dwarves are in the minority. I don’t want to be lumped together with them. But it’s true that there have been scoundrels among us. That’s why we were disliked, and why you guys are wary of us.”
The words that had been between us were cut off. When silence comes, the sound of the dungeon, whether it is the roar of the wind or the roar of a monster, fills the surroundings.
Loki said it too. Even in God’s day, distrust and betrayal existed.
“But, you know—”
Safi smiles, showing her teeth this time. It’s a smile that is much more like the Safi before, as if she’s bragging about something.
“That’s why I wanted to be a good blacksmith, because the skills of the black dwarves are great, and the white dwarves who are suspicious of us are also engineers at heart. I thought that if I improved my skills, we would be able to understand each other.”
Study, practice, train. After saying this, the dwarf blacksmith shook her green hair and looked at me.
“In the end, I was chosen as one of the ten blacksmiths of Alfheim. That’s particularly the top ten most outstanding blacksmiths. It’s the highest honor!”
Her big eyes shined with pride.
“Fufu. It took decades though, because the black dwarves were disliked…”
Decades? …… Safi, how old are you?
While I ponder about that, Safi pursed her lips.
“……Hey, show some reaction will you. At that time, it had been about a hundred years since a black dwarf had been chosen.”
“H-hundred years?”
Not only is the dwarf’s sense of time great, but Safi might just be a pretty incredible girl…
Uhm, anyways, just praise her.
“T-that’s amazing. You’re amazing!”
“…………Nevermind.”
Safi shifted her eyes. She held her hands over the fire and resumed her story.
“I learned a lot about the white dwarves’ techniques during that time, including the blessing of pouring feelings into tools. I guess I became a bridge for the exchange of skills.”
Safi proudly shook her green hair.
“The Dwarf King also said, ‘Tools are power, so give the right tools to the right person. A person with the right heart.’”
Having said that, the little blacksmith looked down. The fire shook and Safi’s face darkened.
“Hey, Rion.”
“……What is it?”
“What do you think of the giant armor in that forge?”
This time, I stirred. The bonfire crackled.
“……I’m not sure either.”
“I see.”
Safi’s red ring sparkled.
“I was probably put to sleep before ‘something’ happened to Alfheim. And then I was sealed away. But… I don’t know what happened, or why it turned out this way.…”
I didn’t want to think about it, I just wanted to keep going.
“……I really don’t know, and I don’t remember. Hey, Rion, you are scared of me after all.”
“B-but—”
I interrupted Safi’s words.
I gripped my head hard. At this rate, Safi was likely to fall into a pitch-black valley, and I felt that now was the time to pull her out.
“Safi wants to find the Dwarf King and your friends, don’t you?”
“Yes.”
“Then we’ll look for them together!”
I turned to Safi while still sitting. The words just slipped out of my mouth. Saying them out loud would surely sound simple.
Safi seemed taken aback.
“…..Really?”
“Yes.”
“………Is there nothing else? That I’m suspicious, or that I’m a black dwarf, or that I-”
“Uh, no….…”
That’s true, but strangely, I didn’t feel like thinking about any further reasons. It felt like something important, some words, was inside my heart. But when I took it out and exposed it to the air, it seemed to crumble as soon as possible.
Like a statue made of snow.
“I think if it’s Safi it will be fine.”
Safi was dumbfounded.
“……You have a gods with you, right? Is that really okay?”
“Maybe.”
“Maybe isn’t good enough you know? Even goblins and other monsters were originally banished black dwarves who fell into depravity…”
Safi’s eyes wandered in all directions, then she scratched her green hair with both hands. She turned away and exhaled.
“……Well, thank you.”
Perhaps because of the fire, Safi’s cheeks and ears seemed to blush a little.
“I feel better now. Truly.”
The gold coin vibrated, and I heard the voice of the Gods.
『Rion, you’re good at encouraging people.』
It was Solana.
(T-thanks……?)
I wonder what kind of decision my father made at times like this. I wonder if Father wouldn’t have to make a decision while hesitating like me.
『A-ahem. But, you know, it’s kind of…… itchy feeling. 』
The goddess was mumbling something, which was unusual for her. When she said that, my body also felt itchy, and I started to stir as I sat with Safi.
Our conversation went on for a while. Then I heard footsteps in the distance. Within the range of the『Protection of the Hunting God』 , the supporters who had gone to the surface have returned. Reinforcements seemed to have been brought in as there were more signs of people.
Felix-san returned, leaned on his staff, and pointed to the exit with his eyes.
“It’s time to leave.”
I nodded and stood up.
The boss of the dungeon is at the 10th level.
Alfheim’s king, the king of the dwarves must be there.
This is translated by Yume Neiji. Kindly read at yumeineijiworks.wordpress.com.
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