Chapter 167
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 167
Chapter Title: The Price of Salvation
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“Wow, this is endless. Just how far down does this go?”
Gismond asked, looking around. The scenery of the cave, which sloped gently downward, was quite beautiful.
“We’re just about halfway… Senior.”
“Only halfway? It feels like we’ve been walking for three hours. So, does it always take dwarves over six hours to get out?”
“Of course not. They’re deliberately taking the long way around because we’re outsiders.”
“How did you…!”
As if I wouldn’t have figured that out.
Sensing things were about to get noisy, Pernyan changed the subject.
“By the way, do you know a dwarf named Adguif?”
“Adguif-nim? You… no, Senior…. But am I really going to the academy?”
“Are your parents in the city?”
“Well, yes, but…”
“Then you can go and get their permission this time.”
Anyway, back to the main topic.
“What kind of dwarf is Adguif?”
“He’s the captain of our city’s guard. But how do you know him? There’s no way you could have met…”
“You don’t need to know. What kind of person is he?”
“He’s a just and fair man. He’s respected by the other dwarves.”
Just and fair. That was a rather different assessment from what he had seen in the prophecy.
It had to be one of two things. Either the future had changed and he hadn't become a Vile Breed, or he was hiding his true nature and putting on an act.
“By any chance, have there been any missing person cases in your city?”
“How did you know about that, too…? Could there be a spy among the dwarves?”
Ahgrot’s mouth fell open.
“It’s been going on for a while. Miners who go on expeditionary digs have been disappearing… Ah, I’m not supposed to talk about this…!”
He belatedly covered his mouth, but it was too late.
“Ten grams of mithril.”
“…You can’t tell anyone I told you.”
Having finally given in, Ahgrot continued his story.
“We’ve been settled here for hundreds of years, and all the nearby veins have been depleted. So it’s common for us to go on long expeditions to find new ones.”
“What about the iron vein where I ran into you?”
“That one’s a bit too close to be called an expedition, but we’ve been deliberately leaving it alone. We were being careful since it’s relatively close to the elves’ territory.”
So, Ahgrot confessed, he would sometimes sneak there to mine iron ore.
“It’s like my own private treasure trove since no one else is around.”
“That’s an unnecessary detail.”
“Anyway, it’s been a headache. We’ve had occasional monster attacks before, but this is different. An entire mine shaft collapsed.”
As the number of dwarves sacrificed to monster attacks grew, the reluctance to go on expeditionary mining trips was already high.
“But during the recovery of the collapsed shaft, everyone—miners and guards alike—disappeared.”
“Disappeared?”
“Yes. Not a single body. Just a few bloodstains? There are only traces that suggest they were dragged away by monsters.”
An attack powerful enough to collapse a dwarven-made shaft, an attack from which not a single dwarf survived, was enough to send the city into shock.
“The city is in an uproar because of it. There are many who say they can’t leave their beloved home, but now that we’ve run into you Seniors, I think things might get more serious.”
“Have you found nothing about the missing people?”
“No. Captain Adguif has been leading the guard and tracking them continuously, but they’ve found nothing.”
“…That’s to be expected.”
You can’t expect to find a fish you’ve entrusted to a cat.
“Huh? What do you mean, ‘that’s to be expected’?”
“Nothing, never mind. Just keep telling me about the city.”
“…But if I say I’m going to the academy, will the mayor allow it…?”
“I’ll take care of that. You just get ready.”
“Really?”
Unlike before, Ahgrot’s voice held only a hint of anxiety, with no real sense of refusal.
“Doesn’t sound so bad to you, does it?”
“Well, now that I think about it, I’ve never been outside this area…”
After leaving and seeing the elven city, he somehow felt like he wanted to go, Ahgrot said.
“Are there many dwarves like you?”
“Quite a few. To be honest, a lot of people question why we have to stay cooped up underground.”
It was inevitable. No matter how large and wide the dwarven city was, how could it compare to the blue sky and the vast continent?
‘Relocation.’
If he granted the dwarves titles and land to live on, they could become the Fallenberg family’s loyal subjects—no, their cash cows.
How long had they walked while talking? Finally, the city's main gate came into view.
But something was strange.
“Move it!”
“The search party isn’t here yet! We’re heading straight to the site!”
“They’re on their way!”
The gate, which should have been firmly shut, was wide open, and numerous guards were moving urgently through it.
“…What’s this?”
“Don’t you think something’s happened?”
“Ahgrot?”
“Captain! Sir!”
A dwarf who had been directing the guards spotted Ahgrot.
The one called Captain was, uncharacteristically for a dwarf, clean-shaven.
“I heard you went outside with a human. But you’re late.”
“My apologies. Something came up…”
The dwarf’s gaze swept over Pernyan and the others. His brow furrowed.
“So it was true…”
“Excuse me? What did you say?”
“Nothing. But I heard there was only one human?”
“…Well, there were circumstances.”
He walked past the bowing Ahgrot and extended a hand to Pernyan.
“I am Adguif, the humble captain of this city’s guard.”
“Pernyan Fallenberg.”
“Fallenberg? Surely not the Fallenberg I know of?”
“If the symbol of that Fallenberg is a turtle, then yes.”
“…My word.”
Adguif’s eyes widened. But he soon regained his composure.
“Welcome to our city. The mayor has been waiting for you. Ahgrot!”
“Yes, Captain.”
“Take our guests to the mayor and report to the guard post immediately.”
“Yes, sir. But is something wrong?”
“Shaft 31 has collapsed.”
“Don’t tell me, again…?”
“This isn’t something to discuss in front of our guests. I’m busy, so I must be going.”
“Let’s go!” Adguif disappeared beyond the passage, leading the guards and the search party.
“Damn, another shaft…. Let’s go quickly, Seniors.”
‘So that’s Adguif. What do you think, Wooden?’
-*Grrrumble*.
As if it couldn’t feel anything, Wooden shook its head. It didn’t seem like he was a Vile Breed, but he couldn’t be sure.
Wooden was amazing at detecting demonic energy that was openly exposed, but it wasn't as good as Aint at finding what was carefully hidden.
Regardless, Adguif looked quite strong.
He couldn't be compared to a Royal Knight, but he seemed to be at the level just below.
‘Should I have brought Ruina?’
He clicked his tongue and entered the city.
* * *
“It seems on the surface, ten days are called a week.”
The mayor’s reaction was not favorable.
He understood. In fact, the man was being magnanimous just by not kicking him out immediately.
“My apologies. Something unavoidable came up.”
“Unavoidable?”
“It was related to the Vile Breeds. They’ve been running rampant, both above and below ground.”
At those words, the mayor said no more and changed the subject.
“During your absence, I’ve been mulling over your words. A Vile Breed among the dwarves?”
“Yes. I still believe that to be the case.”
After Pernyan’s firm reply, the mayor fell silent for a moment before speaking again.
“Did you know? For several years, this city has had a problem. As our nearby mineral resources depleted and we ventured further for expeditionary mining, monsters began to attack our shafts.”
This was the ‘minor issue’ the mayor had mentioned when Pernyan first asked if there were any problems.
“I heard about it on my way here.”
“Security is a complete mess.”
But that was all he said. The mayor didn’t press further.
“Yes, but those attacks were small-scale. I can’t say it was nothing, but the casualties were at most ten, and sometimes as few as one or two. The problem was their frequency, but we’ve been minimizing the damage by tightening security.”
But just a few days ago, something entirely different happened.
Along with a shockwave strong enough to collapse a mine shaft, all the dwarves inside vanished.
Only the traces of a fierce struggle and bloodstains served as proof of their existence.
“Dozens are missing. At first, I thought we had accidentally disturbed a monster lair while searching for a new vein.”
“Do you really think so?”
“Yes, I tried to think so. Even though we searched the area around the collapsed shaft for days without finding any lair.”
It hadn’t been long since he’d started to feel that something was amiss.
He was also aware of some unusual movements among certain dwarves who were dissatisfied with living confined in the city.
He had thought it was a problem time would solve, an unavoidable issue that arose from long-term stagnation.
But the idea that they were connected to the monster attacks and the disappearance of their fellow dwarves was truly unexpected.
“We have lived together in this narrow place for hundreds of years.”
The dwarven city was by no means small. But he wasn’t speaking merely in terms of scale.
“In an isolated, limited space, what do you think is most important for sustaining life over a long period?”
“Isn’t it not fighting?”
“Correct. There must be no conflict. Once a dispute arises, there’s no turning back.”
When humans fought, they could simply flee to another city or another kingdom. But it was different for the dwarves.
This was their only city, and the outside was a frightening, unknown place.
“So I deliberately tried to cover it up.”
Even though he was suspicious of his own kind, he knew that digging into it carelessly could lead the entire city to ruin.
“Were you waiting for the right time?”
“It may sound like an excuse, but yes. I wanted to secure more definitive proof.”
To end it with minimal damage, but with absolute certainty.
“The problem was that I didn’t know why they were sacrificing their own people one by one, why they had sacrificed nearly a hundred of our kin.”
But now he knew.
It was hard to believe, but if Pernyan was right and there were Vile Breeds among the dwarves, all the pieces fit perfectly.
The detestable traitors had sold out their own people for the sake of demons.
The mayor ground his teeth.
“…I’ll ask again.”
And now, he didn’t even bother to hide it.
A shaft had collapsed, and dozens of his people had disappeared at once. And just a few days later, another one collapsed.
They, too, would likely be offered up to the demons.
“Do you have proof? Not just words, but solid proof that anyone would find convincing.”
In such a situation, a lifeline named Pernyan had appeared.
“Not yet.”
“Not yet?”
“But I believe I can obtain it soon. Vile Breeds are fond of using demonic beasts. There must be demonic beasts hidden somewhere near the attacked shaft.”
“But no matter how much we searched around the collapsed shaft, we couldn’t find any. This must also be the traitors’ doing.”
Dwarves were a race that spent their entire lives digging the earth. Underground, none were superior to them.
If they couldn't find it, it wasn't there.
“Yes, that must be it.”
Unless their own kind had blinded the eyes of their brethren.
“If we leave this as it is, we will soon see the end. To them, the dwarven city is an irresistibly sweet prey.”
A great underground city, isolated by its own choice.
It wouldn’t be strange if the Vile Breeds and demonic beasts were using this city as a sacrifice for a massive summoning.
They could proceed with their plans without anyone ever finding out.
“But that sounds like you have a way?”
“Yes. If I didn’t, I wouldn’t have come to meet you so confidently, Mayor. However, a week might not be enough.”
“It can take months if it has to. As long as you find them.”
“That would be a problem for me. The academy is starting soon.”
And I don’t need months.
“Please allow me to participate in the current search for the missing, as well as the new expeditionary mining. Me and my companions.”
“Is that how you plan to nonchalantly get away with bringing in new humans? The old saying about never dealing with the Fallenberg lot wasn’t wrong, it seems.”
But in a situation where he needed all the help he could get, he had no choice but to go along with it.
“…I’ll ask just one more thing. Is the Vile Breed you’re thinking of a member of the guard?”
“Yes, I share your opinion, Mayor.”
At Pernyan’s affirmation, the mayor bit his lip.
“…I’ll entrust it to you.”
“Thank you.”
Pernyan began to pull out a piece of paper.
“What’s that now?”
“A contract.”
“A contract?”
“It’s a contract stating that in exchange for dealing with the danger to the dwarves, you will collaborate with the Golden Turtle Merchant Guild.”
“…What did you say?”
The mayor’s face twisted.
“By whose authority?”
“Living only underground, you may not be aware, but there’s no such thing as a free lunch in this world.”
Everything has a price.
“However, we are conscientious merchants. So this will be mutually beneficial, not detrimental.”
“You’ve drawn up a contract with terms we haven’t even agreed upon, and you say it won’t be detrimental?”
“Would you please read the last part of the contract?”
The mayor examined the document.
【Article 15. Upon proper fulfillment of this contract, the Fallenberg family shall grant them the Algot County and assist in their relocation.
The leader of the dwarves shall become the Count of Algot.】
“……!”
“Did you say you have nowhere to run? Do you think the world outside the underground is dangerous?”
Then take my hand.
“I’ve heard there are quite a few dwarves who question being stuck underground and wish to go to the surface.”
How much longer will you hide?
“The Fallenbergs will grant you vast territory, a just cause, and even a title.”
In return, the dwarves need only collaborate with our merchant guild.
“What do you say? Isn’t this a profitable deal for both of us?”
It didn’t end there.
Pernyan went a step further, prodding the mayor’s greed.
“You will become the Count of Algot. Not an elected mayor, but the eternal leader of the dwarves.”
The smile on Pernyan’s lips deepened.