Episode 44

Since it was a merchant caravan managed by the ducal house, there was no need to use force during the journey.

Even minor tasks were handled by the maids and knights dispatched from the ducal house.

Thanks to that, we were able to travel comfortably until we arrived in Petra.

"So this is it. It's much bigger than I thought. I assumed everything would be small since it's a Dwarf nation."

"You know that's incredibly discriminatory, right? Don't say things like that outside."

"Oh? Then I should be careful."

I looked outside next to Aron, who was marveling.

Many people assume that since they're Dwarves, their houses, castles, and everything else are small, but that's not necessarily true.

There were many large facilities in the city center for visiting merchant caravans and delegations.

As we passed through the outskirts and entered the center, a bustling commercial district appeared.

'This place is similar to the Northern Region. Both in temperament and food.'

The Red Canyon is located in the north but isn't cold due to a certain reason. Instead, it's always dry and the weather is hot, making it a contrast to the north.

If the north drinks to forget the cold, the canyon drinks to forget the heat.

Thanks to this setting, it's written that even the refrigerator was developed by Dwarves.

The refrigerator here was originally made to enjoy cool beer in a hot place.

"Oh, isn't that it? The chewy stone cookies? The ones Dwarves often eat, right?"

I glanced in the direction Aron was showing interest.

There was a person selling small, gray spherical food. Various races were lined up waiting in front of them.

"That's right. I heard they've become popular recently even in the Empire's capital. Let's go try some after we get settled. How should we sell the alcohol?"

"I'll ask my friend. In the letter, they said they live here... I'll just ask them for a favor."

"Oh, that's good? It'd be great ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠if our work gets reduced."

While we were briefly talking, the carriage stopped.

A knight carefully pulled aside the curtain and opened the carriage window.

"We've arrived. We've arranged for you to stay at an inn here, so please feel free to use it during your stay."

"When are you returning, by any chance?"

The distance from the canyon to the north is also too far to walk.

If possible, it's better to travel with the help of the knights and maids.

The knight tilted his head for a moment before answering.

"We usually stay for about two weeks before returning. Sometimes we stay up to three weeks if it's long, so you can think of it as around that time."

"Thank you. Then... we can just go into the lodging, right?"

"Yes, please rest well."

After a brief farewell, the knight handed over temporary IDs, money, and lodging keys.

After the knight left, we got off the carriage.

"Shall we go meet my friend first? The caravan is storing the alcohol for us too... Wouldn't it be easier to sell it quickly?"

"That sounds good. Then... shall we go find him right away?"

Aron looked at the huge castle visible behind the low buildings.

Although it was smaller than the castle in the north because it was a Dwarf nation, its refined feel and atmosphere were no less impressive, if not superior.

"Can we just go and meet him? Looking from the front, it seems like the soldiers will stop us."

"Them? Stop me?"

Aron laughed with a dismissive expression, but I grabbed his arm.

"You're not thinking of forcing your way in, are you? We're here representing the north, we can't do that. It'll cause trouble for other people besides us."

"No, I wasn't necessarily planning to use force. We could just sneak in."

"Ah. Right. But we won't get caught, will we?"

If a Swordmaster runs at full speed, ordinary people can't even see them properly.

Only those with good eyesight can see the afterimage; otherwise, they'd just think it was a gust of wind.

"Then let's just take one bottle each and go right away. We can't go empty-handed when meeting someone ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠after such a long time."

"Right! Then... let's take one of each type."

Since this was the first time meeting a friend of Aron's who wasn't a woman, I felt nervous too.

So far, all women had been enemies.

Could it be a man too?

With that thought, I stared intently at Aron.

"Aron."

"What?"

"By any chance, do you think good taste is all that matters?"

"Uh... I guess that's somewhat true?"

"Then do you think men are possible too? No, do you just like anyone regardless of gender? You don't have one or two men in your harem, do you?"

At my question, Aron shook his head vigorously.

"Me, why would I like men! There's no way I could date a man!"

"Right? I thought... that would be the case."

My original intention was clearly to find out if the Dwarf was a lover, but seeing his intense reaction made my heart heavy.

What if later I reveal or get caught being a man?

Would I be rejected like that too then?

"What's wrong? You suddenly look upset."

At Aron's question, I looked at him for a moment before shaking my head.

"It's nothing. I'm just a bit tired from the long carriage ride."

"Then let's rest before going. It'll take some time to unload all our alcohol ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠from the cargo hold anyway."

"Okay."

*

I was feeling a bit gloomy, but I quickly cheered up.

Since I'm a man originally, it's only natural, which made me feel better.

'Right, once I return, none of this will matter. No point getting emotional about such things.'

After this trip ends, I should be able to dimension-hop anyway.

It's not something I can be sure of, but I decided to believe it for now. The presence or absence of hope makes a huge difference to a person.

"So... this is the famous stone chewy cookie?"

"Yeah, it looks like a stone... but it's called a chewy cookie, that's interesting."

It's gray and looks like a stone, and despite being called a cookie, it's like rice cake.

"Shall we try it? Ah~"

I put the small stone chewy cookie that fits in one bite into my mouth.

First, it's chewy rice cake.

Crunch! Crunch!

Inside was something incredibly crispy filled with the distinctive aroma of alcohol. At the same time, it had a sweet taste, so it wasn't bad.

"Honey rice cake with alcohol? That's what it feels like. Did they crush cookies and put them inside?"

"I don't know either... It's a taste I've never experienced before in my life."

Though the satisfaction was a bit low for the expensive price, I thought it was worth trying at least once for the experience.

I threw the trash into the bin next to the store and continued walking.

"They sell a lot of alcohol here too. Even kids are carrying alcohol."

"Right. Is it because they drink more alcohol than water here?"

Adult Dwarves, regardless of gender, carried tools and alcohol in both hands. Young Dwarves weren't much different.

Just the types of alcohol were slightly different.

"Maybe. More importantly, what else should we try? Should we try the meat that Dwarves often eat?"

"Isn't their bread famous too?"

"That's famous for being tasteless though..."

There's something called stone bread that's hard like actual stone and tastes terrible.

From what I've heard, it's similar to hardtack.

"But I'm still curious."

While Aron and I were sightseeing in the Dwarf city, we heard a commotion in the distance.

People egging on a fight, and someone at the center of it?

The voices are mixed so I can't hear well.

"Aron. Shall we go over there? Doesn't it look interesting?"

"Huh? Um... It looks like they're fighting though."

"Watching fights is always the most fun. Honestly, don't you think so? Right?"

Aron didn't deny it either.

"That's true. Then shall we go watch quickly?"

Aron and I moved with quick steps and arrived.

When we arrived, it seemed like a bear Beastkin and a Dwarf had gotten into a fight.

"How dare you compare our beards to animal fur! I'll kill you right now!"

"I'll rip out that filthy beard right now!"

True to being a bear Beastkin, he was large and looked strong.

Compared to such a Beastkin, the Dwarf was small, but as soon as I saw the hammer he was holding, I muttered.

"This won't be fun."

"Why? It looks pretty interesting though."

I pointed at the hammer the Dwarf was holding.

"See that Golden Hammer engraved on the hammer that Dwarf is holding? That's proof of being a Master Craftsman. It means he's strong even among Dwarves."

"Ah... Well, if he's at the level of a Master Craftsman, he has to be strong."

Dwarves often go out to find materials themselves, so to make good tools, they need to be strong themselves.

So of course a Master Craftsman would be strong.

If you can't get materials, you can't make good equipment.

"Hmm, plus he's holding a very unusual tool? Did he bestow a special effect to that ring?"

At those words, the gazes of both the bear Beastkin and the Dwarf who was about to fight turned toward me.

As if he'd lost all interest in the fight, he immediately approached me.

"You there, miss! Did you recognize my masterpiece?! Let me just knock out this bear in front of us first, then we can talk! How about it?!"

"Uh... Well, shall we?"

Unintentionally, I got a chance to talk with a Master Craftsman.

*

Meanwhile, in the center of Petra.

Todin, who was working as usual, nodded at the news that people from the north had arrived.

Recently, merchants who used to come privately for safety reasons were coming under the ducal house's protection, but nothing had changed much for the Dwarves.

Rather, having a delegation come ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠along made them more trustworthy to work with.

"Hmm, so was there any new alcohol this time too?"

But what was important right now was alcohol.

Familiar things are good, but new stimulation is also necessary.

"Among the included beverages, there were a few types I hadn't heard of before. Makgeolli, sake, things like that..."

"The names alone suggest they're not northern foods. Did you check who brought them?"

"Yes, the list is here."

After receiving the offered paper, Todin checked the names for a moment.

"Aron? That's a nostalgic name."

The name of a comrade he hadn't seen in a long time.

The name of the comrade called the first hero among humans was used by many people as a sign of respect.

'He shouldn't even be able to come out due to the curse, so I got excited for nothing.'

Sometimes he had thoughts like that.

Wouldn't it have been more fun if he had stayed in the forest without breaking the curse?

"These two people here. Please summon them to the palace as quickly as possible."

"Yep. Then I'll send Dwarves right away."