The Dwarf Mine
In the heart of the Elf Kingdom grew a colossal World Tree. The tree served not only as the physical pillar supporting the elven palace but also as the spiritual anchor for all elves.
Spreading out from this World Tree, the vast forest wrapping around the entire kingdom was tended to by the dryads, the spirits of the woods. Thanks to them, the leaves never withered even in autumn, keeping the forest lush and vibrant through all four seasons.
Recently, however, troubling reports had been piling up in the Queen's office inside the palace.
"Tell me, what is the state of the forest where the fire broke out?"
"According to the other investigators, it was not a natural wildfire. It was arson, deliberately set by someone."
"Hmm... As I thought."
For elves, a forest fire was a catastrophe on par with the appearance of the Demon King's army to humans. If the dryads were to abandon the forest because of it, the once-lush woods would wither away, erasing the elves' homeland from the map entirely.
"The fire broke out near the forest entrance bordering the Fiore Empire. The last person to pass through before the flames erupted was Princess Illuen."
While this pointed to Princess Illuen as the culprit, it was not enough to strip her of her royal title. Not until more concrete evidence came to light.
"Are there no witnesses or definitive proof?"
"No, Your Majesty. For some reason, all the elves living near the northern entrance of the forest disappeared that day. There was no one left to bring in as a witness."
"They all disappeared...?"
"It was almost as if... someone had quietly disposed of them."
Both the reporting investigator and the listening Queen already had a good idea of who that "someone" was.
"Were we a step too late...?"
"My apologies, Your Majesty. However... I did hear a strange rumor from the villagers nearby."
"A strange rumor?"
"Yes. You are aware of the half-elf in the Hero's party, correct?"
"Indeed. I know of her. A spiritist, was she not?"
"Yes. Many elves witnessed that half-elf summon the Water Spirit King."
"The Spirit King?"
The Queen had only known the half-elf in the Hero's party to be a spiritist. She had never heard anything about her summoning a Spirit King.
Since she was part of the Hero's party, the Queen had assumed she could summon at least intermediate or high-ranking spirits, but...
"How could a half-elf, a being of mixed human blood, summon a Spirit King? Surely... they must have misidentified it."
"There were far too many witnesses for it to be a mistake. More importantly, they saw the half-elf summoner conversing directly with the Spirit King."
"Unbelievable..."
"Furthermore, they say the spreading fire was easily extinguished thanks to the Spirit King's intervention."
A spirit capable of holding a conversation with its summoner. That was a feat only a Spirit King could perform.
Throughout history, every elf who had summoned a Spirit King was granted the right of succession to the throne, and most of them had gone on to become queens who left their mark on history.
By that tradition, it was only natural to summon her, grant her the right of succession, and have her compete with Illuen. The problem, however, was that she was not a normal elf or a noble high elf, but a half-elf.
Given the deep-seated classism that had taken root in elven society, the question was whether a half-elf like her could ever be accepted as a successor to the throne.
"What did you say this half-elf's name was?"
"Her name is Lucia."
"Lucia... And where is the Hero's party now?"
"I believe they have returned to the Arzen Kingdom and are currently resting."
The Queen realized this might be the perfect opportunity.
If she stripped Princess Illuen of her title, there would be no successor left, which would surely trigger a backlash from the elders. But if she introduced Lucia—a summoner of the Spirit King—to them, she could minimize their resistance.
"Guards."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
"Send an envoy to the Arzen Kingdom immediately. Secure an audience with Lucia of the Hero's party."
"Understood!"
A gentle smile spread across the Queen's face, which had been devoid of joy lately due to Illuen's misdeeds. Leaning back in her chair for the first time in a long while, she began to review the investigator's report once more, focusing on the section about the Spirit King.
The next day...
We were inside a carriage heading toward the Dwarf Mine, catching up on the sleep we had missed the night before.
I had failed to escape from being sandwiched between Clara and Lucia and had ended up falling asleep there, only to be woken up in the middle of the night by Lucia talking in her sleep.
After that, I had quietly slipped away and spent the rest of the night wide awake on the sofa.
"Lucia?"
Was it because of a nightmare? Lucia had been staring silently out the window ever since she woke up this morning, which seemed a bit unusual.
"Yes?"
"Did you have a nightmare last night?"
"What?! H-how did you..."
"I heard you groaning in your sleep, like you were having a bad dream. Are you alright now?"
Lucia hesitated, seemingly searching for an answer. In the meantime, Clara, who had shared the bed with her, stared intently at her face and spoke up.
"Really, Lucia? Are you okay now?"
"Yes, I'm fine. It was just a dream."
"What kind of nightmare was it? You still look pale."
"Haha... I-it was really nothing."
Just as Clara said, Lucia looked unwell, as if she had indigestion.
"I heard it too... You were tossing and turning, groaning for hours."
Irene, who had slept in a different bed, looked at Lucia with concern, having also heard her whimpering.
"I-I'm so sorry. I kept you all awake..."
"No, it's not that we couldn't sleep. We're just worried about you."
"Yes, of course. Haha."
Watching Lucia force a smile to reassure us only made her seem more suspicious.
"If anything's wrong, you have to tell us, Lucia. Okay?"
"Yes, Princess Clara. Thank you."
After thanking Clara, Lucia went back to staring out the window with the same troubled expression until we finally arrived at the Dwarf Mine.
The Dwarf Mine...
When we arrived at the mine, which boasted the largest scale and output on the continent, we did not see the glorious sight of the past. Instead, we were greeted by dwarves dressed in rags, sitting in the streets as if they had lost all hope.
Just a few years ago, lines of wagons waiting to transport ore would stretch out from this mine, and the dwarves' beards would glisten with grease from their daily feasts of meat and beer. Now, even those beards were dry and limp.
"Did you say you came from the Arzen Kingdom?"
After waiting for a while in the shabby village outside the mine, an elderly dwarf—seemingly the oldest among them—approached us with slow, heavy steps and addressed Clara.
"Yes, hello. I am Princess Clara of the Arzen Kingdom."
"Princess Clara... The sister of King Edwin?"
"Yes! You remember!"
"It's not so much that I remember you... but rather, King Edwin complained about his sister so much when he was here that it stuck in my mind..."
"Excuse me?"
The old dwarf quickly cut himself off, realizing he had made a slip of the tongue, but Clara's expression had already turned murderous.
"That brother of mine... seriously..."
The old dwarf seemed to want to ask why we were here. However, seeing Clara fume as if she were about to march back and invade the Arzen palace, it was clear she was in no state to talk. I stepped forward instead.
"Greetings. I am the Hero, Carlos."
"What?! The... Hero?"
"Yes. We have come to ask a favor of you."
"..."
When I revealed my identity, the old dwarf and the crowd gathered around began whispering among themselves. Not knowing what was going on, I got straight to the point of our visit.
"Are you aware that the Demon King's army has invaded and we are currently at war?"
"Of... of course we know..."
"That is why we are here. Would you be willing to sell us iron and silver ore? We will pay a fair price."
"..."
For some reason, the old dwarf remained silent.
"Even if we wanted to sell, we cannot."
"Is it because... of the rumors we heard on our way here? That a dragon has appeared in the mine?"
"..."
Once again, the old dwarf fell silent.
"Let us go inside first."
The old man pointed to the largest of the shabby houses nearby. Following his lead, we stepped inside.
True to the house's exterior, the interior was filled with crude, hastily made furniture. It was a stark reflection of the dwarves' current plight.
"Allow me to introduce myself. I am Milleg, the chief of this Dwarf Mine. You said you were the Hero, Carlos?"
"Yes, that's correct."
"What you said is true. Our mine has been shut down since last year because of a dragon that suddenly appeared."
"Is there really no way around it?"
"If we knew a way, do you think we would be living like this?!"
The dwarf chief raised his voice, his sorrow and frustration boiling over. The other dwarves hung their heads in silent agreement, none of them able to offer a solution.
"The only way... would be to drive the dragon out of the mine..."
At the mention of the dragon, everyone—from the surrounding dwarves to Clara, Lucia, and Irene—stared at the chief in shock.
"If I kill or drive the dragon out of the mine... will you be able to resume production?"
"You... surely you don't mean..."
If anyone else had said this, they would have been dismissed as a madman. But coming from the Hero, the claim carried weight. The chief gasped, unable to find his words.
"Just give me your word. If I drive the dragon away, will you immediately trade with the Arzen Kingdom?"
"Of course! If you can get rid of that dragon, we will sell to you at half the price we charge other nations!"
Hearing the chief's response, I glanced at Clara, who had come as the envoy of the Arzen Kingdom, to see what she thought of the terms. However, her mind seemed to have shut down the moment I mentioned driving away a dragon, leaving her completely frozen.