Chapter 116: Perka, the Dwarf Girl (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 116: Perka, the Dwarf Girl (2)
Perka was an ordinary realist.
She didn't believe in gods, heaven, or hell, nor did she think there was an afterlife. To her, the reality right in front of her was all that mattered.
If she had to believe in something, it would be the "souls of weapons" that dwarves always talked about.
That was because she'd heard about it from her father and acquaintances until her ears bled. Even then, her belief was limited to a simple, "Well, maybe they exist."
But now, that same Perka was seriously contemplating the idea of a past life.
'In my past life… did I sell out my country or something?'
It was the only thing that made sense.
Perka had just met Karami for the first time.
She wasn't particularly interested in world affairs, so she'd only first heard about the Slave Reaper a few days ago from the guards' conversation.
And the way the guards shuddered when they mentioned the Slave Reaper's name. Even their attitude when they handed her over to Karami.
That alone was enough to tell her what a horrible person Karami was.
And that Karami…
Out of all the many, many slaves…
Of all people…
Had chosen her.
From Perka's perspective, it wasn't strange to suspect she'd committed some terrible sin in a past life.
Maybe she'd been a gruesome serial killer.
Or perhaps a succubus who devoured men.
She must have devoured so many men that, as punishment, a man's soul had attached itself to her own in this life. That had to be why Perka, a girl, was always told she was like a farmhand!
'What's going to happen to me now?'
They said the Slave Reaper only took female slaves, played with them roughly, and then killed them in the end. If that was true, then Perka's fate would be the same…!
"I'll leave your clothes outside. Take your time and come out when you're ready."
"Ah, yessir!"
Perka answered with a start at the voice from outside the bathroom.
She was currently soaking in the bathtub.
She'd worked up a heavy sweat in the mines, and slaves were never given proper time to wash. Her body and clothes were thoroughly steeped in it.
Because of that, she reeked of a foul odor that pierced through even a plugged nose. So when Karami had subtly wrinkled his nose, even Perka, who had grown up being called a boy, couldn't help but feel a considerable shock.
Sniff, sniff.
The bathtub was filled with all sorts of herbs and oils.
It was a fragrant scent she had never smelled in her life.
She knew at once that they were quite expensive.
A question naturally arose.
'Isn't he treating me… a little too well?'
She'd thought he would be a monster, but he was completely different from the image she'd had in her head. The disconnect was confusing.
But Perka's perception of Karami didn't change so easily. She clearly remembered what he had said to her.
I'll send you deep underground.
What else could that mean? Nothing came to mind except being buried alive.
'Sorry, Dad. At least if I'm buried underground, I'll be close. If you get bored, come visit me sometimes.'
Having composed her last will in her head, Perka got out of the tub and dried herself off. Covering herself with a towel, she opened the door just a crack. Just as Karami had said, a new set of clothes was lying right in front of it.
Women's underwear and a pure white dress.
It was a choice born from Karami's judgment that when you don't know someone's exact size, a one-piece dress is the safest bet.
Perka was deeply troubled.
A dwarf's body wasn't as long and slender as a human's, and more importantly, Perka had never worn a skirt, let alone a dress.
But she couldn't just walk around naked, and a slave couldn't be picky about clothes…
Perka squeezed her eyes shut, put on the dress, and walked out of the bathroom.
"Oh, are you all clean?"
"Ye-yes…"
"You certainly look much better than before. But why are you standing like that?"
Karami tilted his head as if he had no idea what was wrong.
Perka's awkward posture. She couldn't stand still for a moment, fidgeting and constantly pulling down the hem of her skirt.
"M-my legs feel… bare…"
At home, she could walk around naked and feel nothing, but now, just showing a bit of bare leg made her feel like she would die of shame.
When the wind slipped under the hem of her skirt, deep inside, and tickled her thighs.
"Eek?!"
Perka let out a shrill scream.
Her face was already beet-red, like molten iron in a forge.
Had the air always been this chilly?!
Perka wanted nothing more than to just collapse onto the floor.
In truth, Karami knew full well that Perka's femininity was at rock bottom. She wasn't a main slave, but she was an important sub-slave for the story's progression, so he had raised her back in his gaming days.
If he'd given her pants and a shirt instead of a dress, they could have formed a much more conventional relationship, but he could never do that.
Perka had the characteristics of a tomboy, a type that sometimes appears in subcultures.
The small scar on her cheek. Her formal, almost military speech pattern. The firm limbs with lean muscle from growing up as a miner. Her carelessly tied brown ponytail, stiff from lack of care.
And despite all that, she had an audacious body.
The dwarven physique evolved to be optimized for underground life. They were short in stature to allow them to pass through underground mines and narrow caves with ease.
In return for mining ore and working as blacksmiths, they had thick bones and stout bodies.
But Perka was different from typical dwarves. She was a half-dwarf, a hybrid born between a dwarf and a human.
Even though she was fully grown, she had inherited her dwarven genes and was short, about the same height as Mirabelle. Yet her build was slender like a human woman's.
At a glance, she looked no different from a young human girl, but she was merely short; she was a full-fledged adult, and a full-fledged dwarf.
The proof was the characteristically large bust of a dwarven woman, sitting proudly on her chest. In vulgar terms, a loli with a huge rack. Her small frame made her large breasts stand out even more!
A tomboy who was also petite with a huge bust. And you put a girl like that in a light, fluttery dress?
'Kyah~'
Karami exclaimed inwardly.
Look at that fidgeting, embarrassed sight.
To be honest, it's much better, both visually and in terms of arousal, when they start wearing it on their own. It's often described as "female corruption."
But forcing them to wear it has its own charm.
Look at her, face flushed like a carrot, glaring this way with sharp, upturned eyes. Her resistance is at zero, so you get to see a 100% pure reaction!
"Eheheheheh."
Karami let out a lecherous laugh as he watched Perka.
Perka had to feel with every fiber of her being that the rumors about the Slave Reaper were no exaggeration.
*
Dwarves.
One of the representative races in fantasy worlds, holding a major position alongside elves and beastkin. In TOS, dwarf slaves were also an extremely important resource.
Dwarves were known for their exceptional manual dexterity.
If you raised a dwarf slave, you could craft the furniture and buildings needed to run your tycoon without having to buy them. They even came with additional effects when crafted.
Not only that, but they could also craft the highest-grade equipment and accessories for your character to wear.
'That's why I built a dedicated skill tree for each dwarf.'
One for furniture.
One for equipment.
One for accessories.
Dwarf slaves were essential slaves that you absolutely had to raise to get your character's end-game specs.
But my reason for buying Perka wasn't to craft items.
She wasn't on the level of a main character, but she was a sub-character with her own story, one that served as a link to the fourth main character's storyline.
The first part of that link was located in the holy land of the dwarves: the underground city of Doomheim.
It was also the home that Perka had so desperately wanted to return to.
"Th-this place is…!"
After getting Perka out, we took a carriage straight to Doomheim.
Perka, who had been growing restless as we neared Doomheim, had an even more intense reaction when we arrived. Her jaw dropped.
It seemed she hadn't even considered the possibility of returning home. Of course, even taking that into account, Doomheim was a magnificent sight that deserved a gasp of awe.
If the elves of the Great Forest lived in houses built on giant trees, the dwarves of Doomheim built their city by digging into the earth.
A massive, seemingly endless cavern. A colossal stone arch formed the ceiling, stretching on forever, while luminous stones were scattered across it like stars in the sky, illuminating the deep underground darkness with a golden light.
As if designed by someone with OCD, the black stone buildings were constructed in perfect rows and columns without the slightest deviation.
Every home had a forge, where bearded blacksmiths hammered away at iron.
And in the center of the city, a colossal forge reminiscent of a volcano.
Like blood flowing from a heart through veins to every corner of the body, molten metal, boiling like lava, flowed through iron channels to every forge in the city.
The eternally burning flame. The great structure revered by the dwarves as their guardian deity.
It was the Heart of Magmora.
'So that's it.'
It looked fucking cool in person.
So much so that even I, a non-dwarf, felt a sense of awe I didn't know I had.
"Let's go."
"…"
"Miss Perka?"
Perka, who had been spacing out, answered with a start.
"Ye-yes? Did you call, sir?!"
"I said, let's go."
"Wh-where are we going, sir?"
"We're going to see your father, Miss Perka."
*
"Hey, look over there. Isn't that Perka?"
"What kind of nonsense is that? It's been half a year since Perka went missing."
"No, just look! I'm telling you, it's really Perka!"
The dwarves' gazes turned to one spot.
An underground street lit by luminous stone lamps. A human man, and following behind him, a fidgeting dwarf girl.
She couldn't stay still for a moment, like a criminal, glancing around and pulling down the hem of her dress.
"Are your eyes busted? There's no way that's Perka. Her, wearing a feminine dress like that? It'd be more realistic for an elf to declare the World Tree is just an ordinary tree."
"The World Tree is just a big tree. Anyway, I'm telling you, look closer! Her face, her hair, even the scar on her cheek. She's the spitting image of Perka!"
"…Huh?"
It was true.
No matter how many times they rubbed their eyes and looked, it was unmistakably Perka.
Perka, who had been missing, had returned.
But who was that human man? No, more importantly, Perka was wearing a dress like a girl.
This was Perka, whose body was female but whose soul was suspected to be male.
Yet that same Perka's skin was flushed red. Her constant flinching and fidgeting were just like the movements of a shy female.
"What in the world happened?"
"How should I know?"
Did she go off somewhere to train or something? She'd returned half a year later as a woman.
The stinging glares pouring down on her. The murmuring noise. Perka squeezed her eyes shut.
'J-just kill me…'
Meanwhile, Karami, the one who had made her wear the dress, hummed a tune as he looked around the city.
Perka realized it once again.
This man was a genius.
A genius at tormenting women.