Bluebeard's Forbidden Flame
Bluebeard and his aides emerged from the deepest depths. Among them were four master smiths and five sturdy blacksmiths—the elite of the Red Anvil Mine. They unwrapped the white cloths binding their bodies. The air in these lower depths was stiflingly hot, but coming from the absolute core, it even felt refreshingly cool. The cloths were soaked through.
They maintained their body temperature by mixing powder from cooling stones into underground spring water to create coolant, then soaking the white cloths in it and wrapping themselves. It couldn't have been good for the body, but without it, no work was possible in the core depths. Only the Red Anvil's elites entered those depths—warriors among warriors whose heat resistance had been pushed to its limits through prolonged exposure to the scorching blaze. They worked alongside Bluebeard, fully prepared, yet their faces and skin were still burned bright red.
Bluebeard. True to his name, the lord's beard was a striking blue. Once, Rozena had adored it, saying it was the color of the sea. Amusing, considering none of them had ever laid eyes on the actual ocean. But had time passed, or was it the endless exposure to the inferno's heat? Now, his beard was no longer its former vibrant blue—charred and twisted, with only a faint dark-blue hue lingering.
"Hoooh..."
Bluebeard let out a deep sigh, finally noticing the commotion.
"What is it?"
"Some snake... It was looking for you, my lord."
A young dwarf explained. Muttering "A snake?" he stepped forward—and sure enough, there was a snake. Astonishingly, it spoke the common tongue. A notebook floated in midair, a pen scribbling across it to communicate. Even Bluebeard, who had witnessed countless mysteries, had never seen such a sight.
And the snake's words were even more shocking.
"Pellelian, you say?"
A name he hadn't heard in ages. Yes, he had made a contract with that fairy archmage. Pellelian had been infamous even then, but Bluebeard couldn't refuse the price offered.
"A contract breach..."
Only the old dwarfs knew the full story. The young ones looked baffled, clueless about what the snake was saying. The floating notebook flipped a page on its own, and words appeared.
'Where is my Celestium sword?'
"...Ah, you're talking about the Celestium Sword."
The treasure vault. When humans discovered Pellelian's dungeon, Bluebeard and the dwarfs stepped in to dismantle it. In the process, they secretly pocketed the vault's most precious items. It was unavoidable. Celestium—that metal with insane heat resistance—was essential for mining the Mountain's Heart.
"This..."
The item made from it hung at Bluebeard's waist.
"Is this what you're after?"
A chain and bucket, crusted with sticky black stains—a filthy sight. This was the current state of what had once been a gleaming Celestium sword. The snake's scales turned pitch black.
"Kee, kee..."
The snake roared in fury.
"Kiiisaaaak!"
That insane dwarf who turned my sword into a bucket—may heavenly retribution strike him down.
I wondered what dwarf heart tasted like. A sliver of reason barely held me back. Right, just get it back. I'd demand he melt down that beggar’s bucket and chain, forge a fine sword, and return it. I demanded as calmly and rationally as possible.
'Hand over my Celestium sword right now, you thieves!'
The dwarfs panicked. But Bluebeard neither flinched nor dodged.
"Is the Reverse Heaven still alive after all this time?"
'None of your business. I'm the legitimate proxy of Pellelian!'
I pressed on boldly, just as Pellelian had instructed.
'You contract breakers. Ignoring the terms and stealing the item? Weren't you afraid of the consequences?'
"...So it's true."
Yes, it was.
"I'm sorry. I apologize. It won't be settled with mere words, but I can't return the Celestium."
'Fine, then pay the price for breaching the contract.'
A death sentence for Bluebeard. I was about to utter the keyword for contract breach—the one phrase that would reduce him to a fate worse than death.
"Not right now. Once the work is done, I can return it immediately. I'll forge the finest sword myself, with the best materials."
'...?'
"You're wondering why I went to such lengths to reclaim the Celestium and breach the contract."
Not even a little curious? Then die already.
"Once you know the reason, even Reverse Heaven will understand. It's the true Mountain's Heart!"
-Wait.
Pellelian stopped me. Why!
-Once you say the keyword, there's no turning back. Besides, I'm curious. Did that runt really find the Mountain's Heart? Let's hear him out a bit.
For once, Pellelian spoke soothingly. The archmage's curiosity was piqued, no doubt.
"Want to see? What we're doing with this Celestium."
Bluebeard proposed in a dry tone. I pondered briefly, then decided.
'Don't try any tricks.'
"You'll understand once you see. Why I breached the contract to take the Celestium."
Bluebeard bought time. But he didn't seem pleased—just utterly weary as he bellowed.
"Back to the core depths! Prepare!"
"My lord, it's dangerous. You've only just come up..."
"Prepare the coolant and cloths."
His subordinates protested, but Bluebeard ignored them. In the end, the dwarfs heading back to the core with him gathered.
"Bring Jeremiah."
Jeremiah was the master smith I was originally supposed to meet instead of Rozena. He was in these depths? And when the dwarf appeared, I was stunned.
'He's a walking corpse.'
All the dwarfs I'd met so far looked sturdy. Even old Helmut, who gardened pigs with Dungkel, seemed tough despite his age. But this so-called master smith? Gaunt, with patchy hair and beard. He coughed up blood. He looked like he was on his last legs.
I edged back instinctively, and another dwarf approached.
"Stay still."
What? He started wrapping me in a water-soaked white cloth. I tried to squirm away in disgust but stayed put—it was too refreshing.
"The core is scorching hot. You'll need this."
Ah, the coolant-soaked cloth. I'd tensed for battle; now I felt a bit deflated.
"Open the gate!"
Bluebeard shouted. The dwarfs pulled the pulley chains, swinging open the core's iron door. A massive blast of heat surged out.
Whoa.
My heat resistance leveled up again. Without the coolant cloth, it would've been rough. It was this hot for me—what about that old Jeremiah? But supported by others, he descended the stairs to the core.
-The Mountain's Heart. Does it really exist?
'What's that supposed to be?'
-It's like dwarf legend stuff.
Thud. The iron door sealed shut. With Bluebeard, I'd entered the deepest heart of Kalea Mountain.
'This situation's getting interesting.'
-What's interesting?
'Just a funny coincidence.'
I'm the Heart-Eater Serpent, after all.
Do you know of beavers? Astonishingly, these mere animals devote their lives to building dams. They weave branches across rivers—pure instinct, no command given.
There's no grand reason behind it. The underground dwarfs digging into the earth are much the same. They seek precious ores, smelt them into greater creations.
I judge their compulsion to delve deeper akin to the beaver's. The Mountain's Heart is like their "perfect dam." Dwarfs burrow ever downward to unearth it.
Often, they strike vast lava zones deep underground. They believe a perfect, pure flame resides there—what they call the "Flame Essence" or Hwajeong.
Legend says it could melt and refine all metals in the world, forging the ultimate alloy upon cooling. But does it truly exist? Controversy lingers.
If the Mountain's Heart were real, why have we never seen items made from it? Perhaps it's merely a legend ensnaring fire-maddened dwarfs.
Once enthralled, they plunge deeper into lava veins. Eventually, the heat consumes them, their illness stimulating the magma flows—until the entire mine is engulfed in flames. Thus ends the pitiful fate of a fire-haunted mine...
"It's not mere lava."
Bluebeard said. His voice cracked from the hot, dry air.
"I'm not an idiot who can't tell lava from the Mountain's Heart."
Pellelian urged me to ask, so I did—and that was the reply.
"The purest fire lies in the lava lake below. Dig deeper, and we'll unearth the Mountain's Heart for sure."
What do you plan to do once you find it? When I asked, Bluebeard eyed me like I was the clueless one.
"Anything we want. We'll take it to the surface. A dwarf kingdom will be born."
Come to think of it, dwarfs were another rootless race. Elves had the Great Forest and World Tree as bases; dwarfs scattered across the world in mountains.
"We'll haul the Mountain's Heart to the surface and build a grand forge. Dwarfs from every continent will gather to witness the primordial smithy."
Not just mindless digging, then. Bluebeard harbored ambitions.
'Primordial smithy?'
"The legendary forge where Hwajeong melts and refines all metals."
I'd expected raving madness from fire-enchantment, but Bluebeard was surprisingly composed. Though founding a kingdom was no mild dream. Another megalomaniac—right after Nanaruk with her goblin kingdom plans.
"I won't be king. I'll mine the Mountain's Heart and step down. That's my calling."
If true, not a full megalomaniac. Though he might change his mind later. At last, we reached the core's center. Cliffs encircled it like a vast well, a lava lake glowing below.
"The Mountain's Heart is in there."
Insanely hot.
Even the coolant cloth was heating up. Just being near threatened life itself.
"That's why we need Celestium. Ordinary metals melt the instant they go down."
Bluebeard explained he'd made chains and buckets from it, hammers and such from the rest.
"I'll show you harvesting a bit of the Hwajeong. You need to see the Mountain's Heart's potential."
He had his subordinates grip the chain, then dropped the bucket into the depths. It floated atop the lava lake instead of sinking, as expected. How do you scoop the Mountain's Heart like that? And the lake looked like ordinary lava. But as if reading my mind, Bluebeard spoke.
"Look closely. That's just lava. The Heart's inside."
His tone felt ominous. I tensed, fearing he'd shove me off.
"Watch carefully—it's only for a moment."
"Saaak."
Got it, so don't come closer. Pellelian stood beside me, peering cautiously below.
-What the hell is down there?
Seeing nothing, I turned back to Bluebeard. He was embracing old Jeremiah.
What the—?
"You've done well, Jeremiah."
"This old, sick body serving thus is an honor. *Cough*."
Bluebeard ignored the blood splattering his face.
"Shall I help?"
"If you would..."
Jeremiah shuffled forward to the cliff edge. Then the unbelievable happened. Bluebeard shoved the frail dwarf without hesitation.
The fall was brief. No splash—just his body swallowed by the crimson lava. Sizzle! Smoke rose from the spot.
'What the hell are you doing?!'
I screamed in shock. But the dwarfs? They approached the edge like awaiting a spectacle, peering down. Whoosh! An orange flame erupted from the lava's surface—distinctly not lava. Like a hellish beast flicking its tongue.
The glow reflected in their eyes. No one spoke. They just gazed, entranced, at the flame's dance. Bluebeard finally broke the silence.
"Beautiful... isn't it?"
His voice trembled with emotion.
"Behold that flame. The purest in the world..."
Beautiful...? Not at all. Not even close. To me, it was just fire.
-Madness. Fire-enchantment confirmed.
Pellelian tsked. Bluebeard, who seemed sane till now, looked truly deranged. I got what fire-enchantment was.
-But... it is a beautiful flame...
Pellelian's voice sounded off too. He stared blankly at the flickering blaze. What was beautiful about it? No matter how hard I looked, I felt nothing. Then it hit—a familiar message.
Ah. Aha. Now I got it.
'That's an accursed flame.'
Not just dwarfs enthralled by fire. Whatever lurked beneath that lava lake was a flame with real, tangible danger.
"Saaak!"
-Gah, you startled me! What the—?!
Negotiations over. Scheming to enchant me too? Hand over the Celestium sword now.
Bluebeard clicked his tongue.
"Can't appreciate that beauty even after seeing it? You're just a beast after all."
Beast. My least favorite word.
"Grab that snake and toss it down!"
Bluebeard showed his true colors. I whipped out notebook and pen to write the keyword. Sizzle! The ink bubbled and clogged. The notebook yellowed, then caught fire.
"Gotcha!"
A dwarf lunged. No pen or paper? I'd use others.
"Gah!"
I bound the charging dwarf's ankle, tripping him flat. On his fallen rear, I drew dagger Ashra and slashed.
Sizzle, ssizzle—hiss!
"Aaaagh!"
The dwarf screamed from the searing pain. Words branded on his butt. Bluebeard read them too.
Fool—should've closed his eyes.
"Guh!"
Bluebeard's body froze rigid. The runic tongue of retribution, demanding contract breach penalty. I shouted it inwardly once more.
'Barus!'