Chapter 163
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 163
Chapter Title: The Mayor's Gamble
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“And you expect me to believe that?”
“…I suppose that’s asking too much.”
Allow me to reintroduce myself properly.
“I am Pernyan Fallenberg.”
“I’ve heard your name. You’ve been fighting the Vile Breeds alongside Aint Armian.”
“How did you know?”
“We don’t live completely cut off from the outside world.”
Though, failing to notice the elves were about to grant development permits seems pretty cut off to me.
He clicked his tongue.
But this matter had been rushed through a secret agreement between the Fallenberg and Friedien families, so it was only natural the dwarves hadn't known beforehand.
“In any case, thanks to you, I’ve received some good news. Yes, I suppose it’s about time we moved.”
“Where are you going?”
“Mind your own business. You are a criminal who has trespassed in this city. You’re also under suspicion of bribing an innocent dwarf with valuables.”
“In the human world, we bring housewarming gifts when visiting a friend’s home.”
“You and Ahgrot are friends?”
“Of course. We share a bond thicker than blood.”
A bond of money and ore.
“How absurd. I have nothing more to say. Leave the city. The soldiers will escort you to the surface.”
“I can’t do that.”
I couldn't just leave a city of nearly ten thousand dwarves to its fate without any results.
I couldn’t just walk away knowing the prophecy that a demon would be summoned and destroy the city.
“Do I sound like I’m asking you?”
Instead of words, Pernyan took out an ore. It was Adamant.
“…Don’t think of me as the same as Ahgrot. How dare you try to bribe the mayor.”
But his eyes were honest. The fact that the mayor, who had been angrily telling him to get out, had paused was effect enough.
“Aren’t you curious why the elves have only now granted permission for development?”
“Should I be?”
“No matter how full of rocks a place is, elves love nature as it is. And meat, of course.”
“A useless addition.”
Only then did a flicker of curiosity light up the mayor’s eyes.
“Since you said you aren’t completely cut off from the outside world, I’ll tell you. Demons are currently stirring on the surface.”
“I know. The 66th demon, Kimaris, descended in Bercefe, didn’t he? It’s a good thing they stopped him.”
“That’s the reason.”
“…What do you mean by that?”
The mayor put down his pen entirely.
“I am tracking the traces of the Vile Breeds at the request of the elves. And those traces…”
“…Lead to our city?”
“Yes. Otherwise, why would the elves have granted development permits? It was because of the great enemy—the Vile Breeds and demons—that we were able to get permission.”
He pushed the documents aside. A few papers fell off the desk, but he paid them no mind.
“Don’t you think you’re contradicting yourself?”
“Why not think of it this way? I came to Friedien in search of the Vile Breeds’ trail.”
In exchange for cooperating with Friedien to find the Vile Breeds’ trail leading to the rocky mountains, I would gain the development rights to the ore extracted there.
“I followed the ore and the trail down into the underground, where I happened to meet Ahgrot and the dwarven city. Honestly, I didn’t understand it at first. Why would the trail lead here?”
The ultimate goal of the Vile Breeds is to summon demons. And summoning a demon requires an immense amount of mana.
But the barren, rocky mountains had no significant source of mana. What could possibly exist in a place where even plants struggled to grow?
“But if there’s a dwarven city, that changes everything.”
It was common knowledge that the Vile Breeds’ favorite method for rapidly accumulating mana was through blood and life force.
“The Vile Breeds are after the dwarves, after this city.”
“…Do you have any idea what you’re saying?”
“Yes, I do. If you insist on hearing it from my own mouth, I’ll say it. Among the dwarves, there is a traitor to your race. A Vile Breed.”
The underground city belonged to the dwarves. There were only dwarves here.
For the Vile Breeds to be plotting something in such a place, the only answer was that the Vile Breed in question was a dwarf.
“Can you take responsibility for those words?”
The atmosphere grew heavy. A furious pressure crushed the office.
‘He’s strong.’
Pernyan realized this man was a powerhouse he couldn’t hope to face at his current level.
Then again, it was perhaps to be expected of the leader of a city.
‘Is he on the level of a Royal Knight?’
No, I couldn't be sure. Pernyan wasn't skilled enough to gauge that level of power.
“I don’t know.”
“You don’t know?”
“I am certain, but the slightest possibility of being wrong always exists.”
“You say that, yet you can’t take responsibility?”
“Yes.”
Pernyan nodded confidently. The mayor’s expression turned peculiar, but he couldn’t claim to do something he couldn’t do.
‘There’s always a ‘what if’.’
Even though he had seen it in the Prophecy Book, the future had already diverged from its pages several times.
This was just another possibility, not an absolute certainty.
“Nevertheless, I am confident. There is a Vile Breed.”
He already knew the name Adgif. But considering Abel's case, he decided to hold off on revealing the name for now.
“The reason you haven’t thrown me out already, Mayor, is because something about this is bothering you, isn’t it?”
“It’s a trivial matter. Nothing to do with the Vile Breeds.”
“Do you really think so?”
“Are you saying it isn’t?”
“I am.”
At Pernyan’s firm response, the mayor swallowed a groan. He would have kicked anyone else out for spouting such nonsense.
But this was Pernyan of the Fallenberg family.
The man who had been hunting Vile Breeds alongside the rising hero, Aint Armian.
The heir to the Fallenberg family.
His deliberation deepened, but he reached a conclusion.
“I’ll give you exactly one week.”
The heavy energy that had been pressing down on the office vanished as if it had been washed away.
“Find the Vile Breed and bring him before me. Or at least bring proof that one exists. If you fail, you’ll be thrown out immediately.”
“So if I catch them, I can stay. Understood. I have one request as well.”
The mayor frowned at his interpretation of the deal, but he didn’t say anything.
“A request?”
“I don’t know this city well. I’d like you to assign me a guide.”
“That’s a given.”
“I’d like it to be Ahgrot. I’m more comfortable with him than with anyone else.”
“No. A dwarf who was bribed by you once could be bribed again. I’ll assign guards to you.”
“If guards are going to be assigned anyway, can’t you just add him to the group?”
Pernyan gestured with his eyes toward the Adamant on the table.
“Ahgrot is a guard. I’ll make him one of the guards assigned to you.”
“Thank you.”
“Go out and wait.”
“Yes. Ah, would it be possible for me to leave the city for a short while? People will worry if I disappear for a week.”
The mayor, who had been tidying the fallen papers while dismissing him, frowned again at Pernyan’s subsequent words.
“And why should I trust you?”
“The disappearance of the Fallenberg heir would cause a much bigger problem. I will return within a week at the latest.”
“A whole week?”
“I have things I’ve started up there as well.”
“…Exactly one week. Return by then.”
Pernyan exited the office.
“…It’s definitely Pernyan Fallenberg. He wouldn’t lie about something like this. Especially since he seems thoroughly determined to work us to the bone with his greed.”
The mayor had seen Pernyan’s face before. If he hadn’t, he wouldn’t have agreed to let him go so readily.
A moment later, Ahgrot entered the mayor’s office.
“You called for me, Mayor?”
Ahgrot’s eyes darted about nervously.
“Ahgrot. I will overlook your crime. For the time being, you will stay with that human.”
“You’re letting the human stay in the city… I mean, yes. Of course. Thank you.”
“However.”
The mayor extended a hand toward him.
“Hand over everything you received from the human.”
“What?”
“I won’t repeat myself.”
“No, I mean…”
“Would you rather be exiled from the city?”
“……”
Ahgrot bit his lip hard and handed over the three pieces of metal.
* * *
“Human, from now on, you are under our watch. Any complaints?”
“None.”
Five dwarven escorts—or rather, guards—were assigned to Pernyan.
“Before that, I heard you’ll be leaving the city for a week and then returning. Ahgrot will guide you out. Go with him.”
“Thank you.”
The city had ten passages leading to the surface. Ahgrot chose the one closest to where he had first met Pernyan.
“If you go up this way, it won’t be far from where you came down.”
“Good.”
The passage was a typical cave tunnel. The incline wasn't steep, but that meant it was long.
“This way to the surface.”
The cave was a complex network of winding and branching paths.
“One could easily get lost here.”
“That’s the point. It’s how we’ve avoided being discovered until now.”
“Indeed. It makes sense you’d go to such lengths to build a city in elven territory. By the way, why the long face?”
“It’s nothing… Say, do you happen to have any more of that ore from before?”
Ahgrot laughed awkwardly.
‘He lost it all.’
Well, he had expected this to happen the moment he mentioned the ore to the mayor. It was partly his intention, too.
‘The dwarves’ greed for ore is beyond imagination.’
He wanted to gauge the extent of their avarice.
It was similar to how the Fallenberg family treated money. This was something he could definitely use.
“I don’t have any more.”
“…Damn it. Ah, I wasn’t talking to you.”
“I understand. Instead of such gloomy talk, how about we formally introduce ourselves, since fate has brought us together like this?”
“Didn’t we already do that?”
“We only exchanged names.”
This was a man who would become Aint’s companion.
It was best to learn as much as possible about him.
“Is that so. As I said, I’m Ahgrot. A spry 21-year-old dwarf.”
“Pernyan Fallenberg. A 22-year-old academy student…”
Wait a minute. What?
“…How old did you say you were?”
“Twenty-one.”
“How old?”
Only then did Ahgrot realize something was off. Pernyan was older than him.
“Twenty-one…”
“With that face?”
But Pernyan wasn't surprised because the dwarf was younger than him. It was because his face looked nowhere near that age.
“How is that possible?”
“This face? Possible? What in the world is that supposed to mean!”
“Mean?”
“…mean, sir.”
Ahgrot’s voice, which had flared up, shrank.
“That’s not my fault… sir. I naturally assumed I was older.”
“Same here.”
“…Ahem, you shouldn’t judge people by their faces, sir. All dwarves look like this.”
“The dwarf professor I know is over fifty, and he looks younger than you.”
“……”
“Don’t glare at me like that.”
“You should be grateful I’m not saying it out loud, sir.”
Well, that wasn’t particularly important.
“Twenty-one. That’s a suitable age.”
“What are you talking about all of a sudden?”
Ahgrot was Aint’s new companion, certified by the Prophecy Book.
Especially if he grew as strong as the vision in the prophecy suggested, he would by no means be weak.
This was another good card to have against the demons.
But Pernyan had no intention of letting Ahgrot join his cause as a revenge-driven survivor after the dwarven city was destroyed, as the prophecy foretold.
He would protect the city and turn it into a source of income, and he would nurture Ahgrot’s growth so he could become Aint’s companion.
And the best way to do that was…
“You. Have you ever thought about enrolling in the Armian Imperial Academy?”
To get him into the academy and stick him right next to Aint.