Chapter 18
Chapter 18
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Translator: crow
Chapter Title: Dwarven Festival and the Beast
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"It's no big deal, right?"
Lione, who had stopped Enoch from charging in to smash the dwarf's head, shot a subtle glance at Liraum.
It meant she should clean up the mess she'd caused.
"R-Run away now...! The witch has appeared...!"
"Agh, shut up, old timer! Quit your nonsense!"
"Wh-What...! You said she's the Millennium Sword Queen!"
"Well, that's true."
"Kyaaaaah...!!"
In the end, it took about twenty minutes to calm the dwarf down.
The old man was panting heavily after all his fussing.
Liraum patted his back with firm thumps.
"Hey, old timer. What kind of rumor did you hear? Yeah, she's a weird one, but not enough to cause this much of a scene."
"The Millennium Sword Queen is that dwarf slayer, ain't she!"
"I don't know about slayer, but yeah, she's got a reputation as a hater."
The old man cast a wary glance at Lione.
Of course, Enoch was glaring at him like he wanted to tear him apart.
"Anyway, old timer. We're kinda screwed."
"Wha? Why the sudden shitstorm!"
"Looks like you just created the dwarf slayer of the future."
The old man glanced sideways at Enoch.
Then he chuckled dismissively.
"Pfft, tch. Dwarf slayer my ass. That kid's head won't even crack if we're lucky."
Liraum figured she wouldn't be seeing the old man much longer and changed the subject.
"Anyway, they want a tour."
"Huh? Who does."
"Who else? These guys. Show the little brat how badass dwarves are, yeah?"
"No, what the... I'm busy, you bitch!"
"Busy my ass! Do it quick! You're bitching at me!"
After a brief squabble, the old man finally surrendered.
"Fine, fine! Geez, picking on an old fart like me."
Grumbling, the old man approached Lione and Enoch.
He still seemed a bit tense around Lione, but he threw open the forge doors with a hearty laugh.
"Come on, follow me! I'll show you the dwarven essence!"
*
Their first stop was the tavern.
It was odd enough that there was a tavern on a volcano, but it was packed with dwarves inside.
"Oh, old timer's here?"
"Shut it, you punk!"
In the rowdy tavern, once Liraum revealed Lione's identity,
"Kyyyaaah...!"
"Wi-Witch...!!"
And after the commotion—which was starting to feel familiar—settled down, the conversation continued.
"So, you're curious about dwarves?"
"What's there to it! Here, have a drink!"
The drunken dwarves offered beer to Lione and Enoch.
Lione hesitated for a moment before nodding reluctantly.
"Well... beer should be fine for you too, Enoch. Go on, try it. Dwarven brew is the best around, after all."
Beer mugs the size of a man's head.
Enoch looked dubious and pondered briefly, but under Lione's gaze, he took a big gulp.
"Guh..."
"How is it? Not bad, right?"
Lione smiled faintly as she sipped her beer.
White foam clung to her lips like a mustache.
Then her red tongue darted out to lick it away.
"Oh..."
Beer ain't bad.
Enoch kept chugging, using Lione as a side dish.
"Oh, the kid can hold his liquor?"
"Shut up, shorty."
"Oho! This one's got some spirit! Proper dwarven grit!"
Enoch wondered if "dwarven" was an insult, but before long, he was swept up in the vibe.
The sun that had painted the sky red sank behind the mountains, and the volcano's night lit up with the red glow of lava instead of streetlamps.
The tavern door burst open with a bang!
"Hm...?"
Enoch, nestled in Lione's arms in his tipsy haze, lifted his head.
"You lot! Quit guzzling and grab your tools!"
"Damn it, old bastard! Another one?"
"Always ruins the fun!"
The dwarves, faces flushed from booze, started grabbing their tools.
Mostly hammers, sometimes sledgehammers or iron clubs.
"Oh! Hey! Come on! This is the real deal!"
Excited, Liraum snatched up a hammer and dashed out.
Enoch froze, wondering what was happening.
Then his body suddenly lifted.
Lione had scooped him up.
"Wanna go watch?"
"Yeah."
"Arms around my neck. There you go."
Holding Enoch securely, Lione stepped out of the tavern.
The sky stained black, lava glowing red.
The clang of bells and dwarven shouts.
Strolling along, they spotted about a hundred dwarves.
"Charge, you bastards!"
"Oooh!!!"
The tool-armed dwarves surged forward in a horde.
They headed straight for the volcano.
A strange rumbling echoed from within—thudududu—,
And then—
KABOOOM──────!!
The volcano erupted.
Lava, ash, and massive boulders spewed into the sky.
Mixed in among them was...
"Monsters?"
As Enoch tilted his head,
SPLAT—!
A dwarven hammer smashed the head of a monster falling from the sky.
That was the signal.
"Kill 'em all!"
"These damn pests!"
Monsters poured out from the crater in droves.
Some got caught in blasts and plummeted from the sky, others swept along by lava flows.
The dwarves greeted the monsters arriving in all sorts of ways.
"Kyatho!"
"Watch your head there!"
"Kyaaak...!"
Heads exploded in an instant, chop chop.
It was like a tiny festival parade, so Enoch and Lione watched the show from a safe distance.
"Hehe, fun, right?"
"Kinda..."
Idiots.
He didn't say it.
But Lione somehow got it and giggled.
"That's what makes it fun. And lively."
"Yeah."
"Where there are dwarves, it's always bustling. The race as a whole is like that."
Personalities vary, but groups often share traits.
Dwarves were no exception.
Blind faith could lead to prejudice, but this much was fine.
"Ugh—stretch... Nice weather."
Lione stretched and started skipping lightly.
The humid heat mixed with cool night breeze created a strange sensation.
Rowdy yet serene and peaceful.
It reminded her of ancient village festivals from long ago.
Then—
FWOOSH───────!!!
A massive explosion rocked the volcano.
And an equally massive monster burst forth.
"Huh...?"
"Shit..."
The dwarves froze.
Red lava dripped from the freshly emerged monster's body.
Its black basalt-like skin cracked in places, revealing molten innards, and eyes huge as the volcano itself glared down at the dwarves below.
— KkkIiiiaaaaa──────!!!
A roar.
Then panic.
"W-We are fucked!"
"Liraum! Where's Liraum!"
"Hey hey hey! Run!!"
The pint-sized dwarves scattered in terror.
But Liraum, the great dwarven warrior, didn't flee.
"You cowards! Ain't you ashamed!"
Her booming voice made the fleeing dwarves glance back.
Liraum bellowed again.
"Hey! Lione! What're you doing!"
Lione tilted her head.
"Help me, you fucker!"
Lione let out a hollow laugh at the brazen plea.
"You act like you'll handle it, then this."
"I'm a smith, not a warrior."
The great dwarven smith extended her hand.
"Go, Lione! Smash it!"
"Sigh..."
Lione sighed and stepped forward.
But a faint smile played on her lips.
"Always ends like this at the last minute."
Shing—, her sword reflected the lava's red glow as it cleared its sheath.
The moon in the night sky.
Under its bright light, the elf's golden hair fluttered.
— KkyyIiiIAaaa─────!!
The lizard, crudely forged from black stone, roared and stomped.
BOOM—! The volcano erupted, sending a tsunami of lava surging toward Lione,
"Seriously... this makes cleanup a pain later."
Lione extended her slender fingers.
Then, tap, her finger dotted the air and shot skyward.
The oncoming lava defied gravity, bubbling up into the sky.
"Ooh...!"
"That's the Millennium Sword Queen!"
"What!? Millennium Sword Queen!? Kyaaaaah...!"
Ignoring the noisy dwarves, Lione slowly danced her fingers.
Carefully and meticulously, so her cute disciple could see better.
"There."
Lione raised her sword high.
Tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands of lava droplets floating in the sky.
They too took the form of swords, aimed at the monster.
"Watch closely, Enoch. Big ones like that, you do this."
The sword slowly slashed from above downward.
Then, crack—! Without warning, the monster's body split left and right.
— KKkrrk!?
The monster freaked, trying to knit its body back,
"Chop 'em fine, and most die."
With that, the myriad lava swords in the sky plummeted toward the monster.
A majestic scene like a rain of fire.
But the outcome was far from gentle.
RUMBLE───────!!!
A massive boom, and thick black smoke billowed endlessly into the sky.
No doubt the perp standing there had gone up too.
Literally or figuratively.
As the dwarves mourned the minced monster, Lione sheathed her blade and approached Enoch.
"How about it? No big deal, right?"