Chapter 216: Dwarf (1)
Chapter 216: Dwarf (1)
“Ernestra.”
“Yes. I opened my eyes, and I was already here.”
Caretaker Tom.
The old man had traveled from the middle of the sea all the way to the Caravan Estate. Standing before him was Sherizik, the greatest beauty of the Orc race.
“I’ve heard of it from my father. The World’s Boundary.”
“The World’s Boundary…?”
“He said that those without the right qualifications will wander the gaps between dimensions for a lifetime if they enter. But those who are worthy will be sent to the place where they ought to be.”
“Are you saying there is another place where Young Master Arhan ought to be, other than here?”
Sherizik was an Orc, but she was far from ignorant. As a leader of her people, she had experienced many adventures and accumulated a vast array of knowledge by listening to her father, one of the continent's preeminent shamans. A wise Orc! She was a miracle—a woman who embodied two traits that rarely went hand-in-hand.
“‘The place where one ought to be.’ It’s an ambiguous expression. If we consider where the Descendant of Steel ‘ought to be,’ the Caravan Estate is the first place that comes to mind. But we shouldn’t approach it that way.”
“Then…?”
“From a shamanistic perspective, the ‘place where one ought to be’ is where ‘Fate’ is heading.”
Tap, tap.
Sherizik tapped the table.
“The Descendant of Steel was likely born with the destiny of steel. It is the same as the fate of all Caravans. To stand at the summit of this world, to climb to the highest point!”
“……”
“Furthermore, look at how the world is moving these days. Everyone is fighting. They scramble to take one more thing from each other, to gain even a sliver of greater glory. People are saying it—the Second Age of War has arrived.”
The Second Age of War!
“In an era of chaos, what is needed most is power. The Descendant of Steel likely went to a place where he could become stronger, according to his ordained destiny.”
“……”
“There is no need to worry. His star is not yet ready to be extinguished.”
His star is not yet ready to be extinguished. It was a very shamanistic expression. Tom looked at Sherizik, who was smiling without a hint of worry. Seeing her peaceful face made him feel relieved for some reason.
However.
“We don’t have time to worry about that.”
There was no time to be complacent.
“The winds of war are sweeping across the entire continent. Although the Caravan Estate is currently being protected by the ‘Gold’ mercenary group… we cannot rely on their shield forever. No matter how great the Golden Shield is, it cannot stand against the general trend of the world.”
“……”
“The Caravan Estate must become stronger. Stronger than it is now.”
It was the truth. However, the military strength of the Caravan Estate had drastically decreased. This was because the old caretaker, Tom, had completely lost his power as a Sword Expert. The loss of even a single Sword Expert was significant. Powerful Sword Experts existed within the Steel Legion of the Steel Great Empire Chervil and the Ash Knights.
Even if they couldn't defeat them in a direct fight, they needed other Sword Experts just to buy time.
“For the Caravan Estate to remain safe in the whirlwind that will soon strike, we need a powerful ally. The Descendant of Steel, or at least a being on par with him.”
Tom was worried. Was that even possible? Though the estate had taken on the appearance of a city, would such talents truly gather in a place located on the outskirts?
“Let’s go! It’s been a long time since I’ve seen my daughter Sherizik, you morons! Puhaha! While we’re at it, we’re going to see our friend, the Descendant of Steel, too!”
“Oh, Sherizik! Sherizik!”
“Descendant of Steel, Descendant of Steel!”
“To the Caravan Estate!”
Tom’s worries were unfounded.
“The stars will guide us, everyone. We are leaving the Southern Continent for the unfamiliar Western Continent, but there is no need to worry. Even if we wander in the dark of night, the stars will show us the way.”
Arhan.
The relationships he had built until now, the many threads of connection, were all converging at this moment.
“I wonder if he’s doing well.”
Among them, there was someone who had changed noticeably from before.
“I’m curious. How strong has he become?”
“……Small Gladiator.”
*
It was a memory from the distant past.
A mountain peak pierced the clouds, soaring into the heavens. A man stood suddenly at the very edge of the sky. He looked like a lion—not just in his features, but in the very spirit he exuded, like that of a fierce beast.
“You must remember.”
A voice rang out like an echo. Even though he spoke in a low murmur, it resonated throughout the entire mountain range. Every living creature dwelling there heard him. The magnificent voice was etched into their bones and carved deep into their souls. Surprisingly, dragons were crouched before the man, trembling with their heads bowed.
“Winged lizards. As long as I have my eyes open, you shall never again claim to be the masters of the sky. This is a pact. No dragon shall ever leave the blue sky. You must never take an interest in the outside world. You shall remain confined to this narrow place, constantly repenting for the sins you have committed.”
Humiliating words.
But the dragons didn't even think of raising their heads. They were like rabbits before a lion—the posture of creatures at the bottom of the food chain facing the apex predator. It was not an attitude that dragons, the "greatest" of the seven races, should ever show. Never.
“This is the Pact of Steel.”
Having said that, the man swung his sword.
In an instant, the wings of the prostrate dragons were sliced off. The wings, separated from their bodies, fell to the ground in heaps with heavy thuds. The pain was indescribable, yet the dragons kept their muzzles tightly shut, refusing to let out even a groan. The man looked down at them and spoke.
“You old dragons must survive forever. You must live for a very long time and inform every newly born dragon of this fact: In the Age of War, the great dragons were defeated by a single human. A single human destroyed the dragons. As the price for your crushing defeat, the world of dragons has been limited to this small mountain.”
“……”
“Remember, old dragons. The only reason you have been spared is for that role. If you do not properly perform the task assigned to you, you have no right to be alive.”
Thump. The dragons responded by slamming their heads against the ground. Looking at their humiliating posture, the man’s face remained arrogant. He raised his sword once more.
“Is it disgraceful?”
“……”
“If your dragon pride rears its head—if you find today’s pact so resentful that you cannot accept it—then feel free to break it at any time. Break the Pact of Steel, spread your wings, and come out into the world. If you do that…”
The man’s eyes flashed.
“I, Liam Caravan, shall return.”
.
.
.
“Gasp!”
The memory was a mere fragment, shattered pieces passing by like a dream. When I came to my senses, my body was drenched in sweat.
What kind of memory was that?
It was a memory of my Master. A memory from a forgotten era.
The Pact of Steel... dragons.
At the peak of the Sky Mountain Range, a sacred place that no explorer had ever conquered, Master had forced the dragons into a humiliating pact. He had bound them with the threat that he would return if they ever broke it.
Is this... the reason why dragons have been confined to the Sky Mountain Range? Is this why they haven't emerged since the Age of War? The reason they are only heard of in legends and never appear in the world?
If that was true, it was terrifying. Did it mean that a pact made hundreds of years ago was being maintained solely through fear born of violence? Master hadn't exerted any physical constraint on the dragons. He had simply made a declaration while holding his sword.
But as in Tom’s case, and the case of the Old Adventurer of Soaring, dragons have rarely shown themselves to the world.
Of course, they didn't appear actively. They appeared like the wind and vanished just as quickly. People called them ‘mysterious creatures,’ but that wasn't the reality. They still hadn't cast off their fear. The Pact of Steel was binding the great race even now, transcending the eras.
……This fragment was even more intense than the last.
It was different from when I first glimpsed Master’s ‘fragment’ contained within Liam’s beloved sword. Back then, it felt like I was watching from a distance. This time, it felt as if I had actually become Liam Caravan for a brief moment. And though it was only for an instant, I felt the overwhelming arrogance of his soul.
A massive power that I couldn't even dare to fathom. An arrogance that looked down upon everything in the world.
And a ‘loneliness’ so intense that it seemed to crush everything he possessed. An inexpressibly vast solitude filled the young Liam Caravan. Why? Why did Liam Caravan—a genius from the moment he picked up a sword, a hero who found nothing difficult—feel such crushing solitude?
“Are you awake?”
Of course, there was no way to know right now. I would find out someday. As Master always said.
“It’s been a long time, Descendant of Steel.”
“……Dwight?”
For now, I needed to figure out the situation I was in.
“Why are you here?”
“That’s what I should be asking you.”
“……?”
“This is the Dwarf Kingdom, Descendant of Steel.”
Dwight pointed at me.
“You came here. You literally dropped right out of the sky!”
What on earth was happening?
*
Dwight’s words were no joke. I was in the land of the dwarves. The Dwarf Kingdom.
The Dwarf Kingdom is a nation hidden in the Sky Mountain Range. I was just between the seas of the Western and Southern Continents... how did I suddenly drop here?
The distance alone was enormous. Was it possible to travel that far instantaneously? As I thought about it, I soon found the answer.
Ernestra.
A continental mystery. Something had clearly happened at that place.
Did I fall in a different place than Tom?
When I asked Dwight, he said I was the only one who fell into the Dwarf Kingdom. I searched the surroundings, but as expected, I couldn't find any trace of Tom. I was genuinely worried. Tom was no longer a Sword Expert; he was just an ordinary old man. An old man whose life would be in danger even if he fell down a local hill.
I hope he’s safe.
There was nothing I could do right now. Fortunately, it seemed Tom was still alive. When I summoned ‘Indomitable’ with the authority of ‘Radiance,’ I could call upon Santiago, but I couldn't call upon Tom. Santiago’s soul was entirely contained within the sword, but only half of Tom’s soul was. It meant he was still alive and breathing somewhere.
Let’s trust Tom.
Even if he had become weak, he wasn't an old man to be trifled with. I remembered the look in Tom’s eyes as he watched the ‘Radiance’ I unleashed. He would survive somehow. For now, I had to do what I came here for.
“You’ve come at a truly perfect time. To the point where I wonder if it’s destiny,” Dwight said. “Descendant of Steel.”
“Yes.”
“Could you… perhaps fight a dragon for us?”
A dragon?
“I know it’s a heavy burden. Our dwarf legion will join in, and I will lend my strength as well. If you, the Descendant of Steel, just help us, we will be able to repel it.”
Hmm.
There was no need for all that.
That’s not something you have to struggle so hard to catch.
I just finished one off before coming here. It took five seconds.