Chapter 263
Chapter 263
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 263
Chapter Title: Stubbornness (1)
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Demian crumpled the note in his hand and looked around the forge.
The war weapons that the dwarves had proudly shown him the night before, the "Ancient Suns," were all gone.
“How the hell did they disappear?”
The area around the forge was guarded by Demian and his undead.
It was impossible for the dwarves to slip out without being noticed.
“Milord, take a look at this.”
Domenico called out to Demian. When he cleared away the crates that had been hiding one wall, a tunnel dug with pickaxes came into view.
Demian peered into the tunnel for a moment, and it looked incredibly deep even at a glance.
“There was no tunnel like this before... Don't tell me they dug it in that short time?”
Demian could only click his tongue in amazement.
To dig such a deep tunnel while evading his senses.
It was truly dwarven. They had casually succeeded at something that defied human common sense.
“They're going to settle things among themselves? I didn't think they'd be stubborn to the very end.”
Dwarves were originally a race with incredibly strong pride and were extremely selfish.
However, the Splinterhammer dwarves had received help from Demian multiple times. Their leader, Killo, had even bowed his head personally.
So he had thought they had bent their pride, but that was Demian's great mistake.
“And they even finished this in the meantime.”
Demian picked up one of the bluish-green weapons in the corner of the forge.
It was a weapon made using the special alloy that Killo had mentioned to him.
It had an astonishing level of completion that was hard to believe had been made in such a short time.
In addition to armaments for the skeletons, there were dedicated weapons for Domenico and Miya, and even armor for the lumps.
“Milord, there was this too.”
Domenico brought over a staff.
It was about a meter long. The material was metal, and the handle was finished with a mineral similar to silver.
A note was tied to the staff. Demian untied it and read it.
[For the first and last friend of the black mage.]
Demian gripped the staff. He could feel the mana in his body circulating.
Only then did Demian realize the true nature of the staff.
It was a magic staff that Killo had made for him.
It seemed to be crafted by mixing rare metals specialized for mana circulation in precise ratios.
“Unbelievable.”
Demian let out a hollow laugh.
He was grateful, but he couldn't help feeling annoyed.
“Domenico, arm the skeletons. We're pursuing the dwarves.”
“But milord, we don't know the location of their city.
The dwarves had stubbornly refused to reveal the city's location, insisting they would guide him themselves.
Thinking back, they had probably planned to be stubborn from that point on.
“Don't worry. If I'm right, they'll let us know from over there.”
“Yes?”
Domenico gave him a puzzled look.
At that moment, an explosion boomed from afar. It was loud enough to drown out any thunder.
At the same time, the whole world shook. A faint earthquake rattled the ground and buildings.
“This is...”
“The dwarves detonated an 'Ancient Sun.'”
Demian said as he turned his gaze toward the direction of the sound.
“The dwarves are over there. Let's chase them right now.”
* * *
Killo and the dwarves who had escaped through the tunnel headed toward the city.
Their steps were swift. They covered the long distance in one breath and arrived at a spot where the city came into view.
But the dwarves advanced no further.
It was because of the Weaponmaster's subordinates guarding the area around the city.
“Yawn, what a hassle this is.”
“How long does the Weaponmaster plan to keep us out here?”
“I want to go into the city and lie down on a soft bed.”
The subordinates patrolled ceaselessly around the city. Killo observed them from hiding in the bushes.
“Chief, was it really okay to leave Victor behind?”
One of the subordinates said to Killo then. Killo immediately flicked him on the forehead.
“You idiot! Since when did us Splinterhammer dwarves start spouting such spineless nonsense! Our ancestors would weep if they saw this!”
Killo shouted loudly.
“And didn't we discuss it beforehand? We said not to drag that guy into it needlessly. Even if he's a black mage, we owe him a debt. We can't put him in danger.”
At those words, the subordinates could only nod.
As Killo said, it was already a settled matter.
“If you have time to worry about that, move quickly. We need to give those bastards a proper thrashing.”
“Yes!”
The subordinates stepped forward. They set down the large cylinders strapped to their backs on the ground.
“Load it.”
The dwarves behind them took fist-sized iron balls out of the leather pouches on their backs.
As the dwarves inserted the iron balls into the cylinders, they rolled inside with a clatter.
The moment they hit the bottom of the cylinder, they were ejected with a deafening roar at tremendous speed.
The iron ball that shot out traced a parabolic arc and fell toward where the Weaponmaster's subordinates were.
“Huh? What's that?”
“Ung? An iron ball?”
The Weaponmaster's subordinates on patrol spotted the iron ball.
Their reaction was slow since it was something they'd never seen before. The iron ball landed right at their feet.
And it exploded.
With a sound like the heavens and earth collapsing, the surroundings were devastated. The subordinates caught in the blast flew in all directions.
“Gah, kah...!”
“Cough, cough.”
The subordinates directly hit by the explosion were in bad shape. Limbs were torn off, or their entire bodies were covered in burns.
“Charge!”
Killo immediately gave the order. The dwarves ran toward the city gate en masse.
The walls encircling the city were extremely high and curved inward, like a bowl with a hole in the bottom covering the city.
They took something out of their pouches.
It resembled clay but was sticky. The dwarves smeared it thickly on the gate.
This was the gunpowder used to make the Ancient Suns.
The basic method was to put it in jars and throw them, but for destroying large objects, clumping it together like this and detonating it was far more effective.
“I'm blowing it!”
The subordinate shouted loudly as he lit the fuse. The flame traveled up the fuse and reached the gunpowder.
Immediately after, a massive explosion occurred.
The gate was shattered in an instant. Not just the gate—numerous buildings in the city were also blown away. It was truly terrifying power.
“Inside!”
Killo took the lead. The dwarves followed behind him.
But not all of them. More than half the dwarves stopped at the gate.
“Then chief, we'll block the entrance as planned.”
“We'll seal it tight so not a single one of those outside bastards gets in!”
There were still many of the Weaponmaster's subordinates outside.
They had given them a good hit, but it wasn't enough. They would surely come charging soon.
“...I'll trust only you all.”
“We'll trust only you, chief.”
“Please liberate us for sure.”
The dwarves said with smiles. Killo ground his teeth and turned his body.
“Everyone, follow me!”
Killo led the remaining dwarves into the city.
The interior of the city was dead silent, like a ghost town.
Not a single dwarf roamed the streets. Nor were they inside the buildings.
All the buildings were dark. No smoke rose from any chimneys.
Originally, the Splinterhammer city had been home to tens of thousands of dwarves. It had been so lively it was noisy.
That city was completely dead. Killo felt his chest tighten.
But Killo decided to set aside those emotions for now. This was no time to indulge in them.
They passed the buildings and emerged into the plaza. There, Killo and the dwarves saw it.
Something occupying the entire plaza.
It was square-shaped, with a thick, elongated chimney rising from the top.
Lava bubbled inside. Black smoke from it rose ceaselessly into the sky.
At a glance, it resembled a furnace. But there was a crucial difference.
It writhed like a living creature.
Furnaces were normally made by piling up earth. But this was different.
Muscles formed its body. Those muscles pulsed endlessly. With each pulse, the flames inside boiled.
Just looking at it made nausea surge—a horrific sight.
Someone stood before the furnace.
From his small stature and muscular build, he was definitely a dwarf.
But unlike the other dwarves, his beard was neatly shaved. And he wore not work clothes, but a clean uniform.
Killo shouted at that dwarf, his voice filled with hatred.
“Aquilo!”
Aquilo turned his head. Strangely, his eyes had no sclera. No irises either.
They were entirely black. As if he had gouged out his eyes and filled them with darkness.
“I heard a commotion outside. So it was you after all.”
Killo ground his teeth at the relaxed attitude.
“You filthy traitor...”
“Traitor? Didn't I tell you last time? You were the ones who chased me out first. Traitor isn't the right word.”
“Have you forgotten why you were exiled? It was because you and your father broke the taboo!”
Killo said that Aquilo and his father had been exiled due to responsibility for the plague.
But that was only half the truth.
Aquilo and his father were the ones who had summoned the plague. It was a side effect of those two breaking the taboo.
“Our ancestors commanded us to work only with metals! They earnestly warned us not to tamper with living beings! Yet you and your father not only broke the taboo but even kidnapped clansmen to experiment with it!”
The ancient dwarves hadn't used only metal when crafting armaments.
They had used living beings as well. Flesh and muscle, bones, nerves, souls, and more. They incorporated everything to create armaments.
Armaments made that way were not only stronger but also inherited the characteristics of the creature.
But because it was such a horrific technique, it was designated a taboo.
Aquilo and his father had resumed research on that forbidden technique.
“Taboo... I can't understand how craftsmen can have such rigid mindsets.”
“Shut up! Your nonsense ends today!”
Aquilo clicked his tongue.
“After getting beaten so badly last time, you should have fled far away. Why come back to the city?”
“To destroy that thing behind you!”
“Ah, this?”
Aquilo turned his body. He gazed lovingly at the pulsing furnace.
“I can't understand it. Why would you destroy such an excellent furnace? And still call yourself a smith?”
“Where do you get off spouting such bullshit! Do you have any idea what you did to create that thing!”
Bloodshot veins filled Killo's eyes.
Just thinking about what Aquilo had done to make that furnace made his blood boil to the point of death.
“Your leisure ends now.”
Killo and the dwarves took iron balls from their pouches. The moment Aquilo saw the Ancient Suns, his eyes gleamed.
“To mass-produce Ancient Suns in such a short time. I have to acknowledge your skill. But... surely you didn't come relying only on those?”
Aquilo tilted his head.
“You haven't forgotten who's here, have you?”
Someone jumped down from atop the furnace.
A man with weapons strapped to his back, waist, and all over his body.
The moment he saw the man, Killo muttered in a face filled with terror.
“...Weaponmaster.”