Chapter 62
Dwarves were a curious bunch.
"You're here?"
It was the appointed time to depart for the dwarves' city. After leaving Talion at the imperial stables, I headed to the meeting spot, where Karen, who had arrived first, spotted me and asked just that.
There were several reasons I hadn't brought Talion. Even with his horns sawn off, there was a chance Karen might figure out what he really was. I felt a bit bad about turning the already depressed guy into one of her lab rats. Plus, the dwarves had prepared a carriage to escort the hero, so we didn't really need our own horses anyway.
I nodded lightly at Karen's question and glanced at the dwarves, who were busily tinkering with the carriage.
"What are they doing?"
"No idea. They've been at it since I got here."
I asked Karen, but she was just as clueless about their behavior. I approached the little guys, who were swarming all over the carriage like ants.
"Aren't we leaving?"
"Ah, hero. Just hold on a sec."
"Why? Something wrong with the carriage?"
"Nah, it's just that we're carrying humans, so we gotta tweak the settings. Takes a bit."
I tilted my head at James's response. What kind of settings did a simple carriage need? But reading my expression, James looked exasperated and launched into an explanation.
"You think all carriages are the same? This here's an eight-cylinder—no, eight-horsepower beast with insane speed. Vibration scales with speed, though, so we've got custom suspension on the wheels. Problem is, that suspension's calibrated for dwarf weight. To haul you and that lady over there, we need adjustments. Essential maintenance, see?"
He was speaking in imperial tongue, but I didn't understand a single word. As I blinked in confusion, James sidled up and beckoned me to lean in.
I bent down to bring my ear close, and he glanced at Karen before whispering,
"You hit that?"
"..."
"You fuck her or what?"
James made a hole with one hand and poked it with the other finger, asking point-blank in classic dwarf fashion. I scowled at the crude joke.
"Why the hell are you asking?"
"Just curious, y'know? Heard she's from the Magic Tower—looks like a real ball-buster. You're decent-lookin' even if you're a bit soft, so I figured it'd be a shame if you're tappin' that."
His words gave me a throbbing headache. Mages were freakishly powerful to begin with, but Karen was on another level. Hell, she could probably level the dwarf city single-handed. One meteor summon, and their precious mountain home would vanish without a trace.
Shit, maybe I need to watch out for Karen before worrying about the demon army?
With her blank expression, I had no clue how she'd react to the dwarves' dirty talk. But after saving them from the demon king, I couldn't let them get wiped out by Karen. I resolved to keep her as far from the dwarves as possible.
"Hey, if you're up for it, I can hook you up with a prime dwarf girl. Real deal, trust me."
I stared at James, oblivious to the danger he was courting.
I had zero interest in whatever dwarf "beauty" he had in mind. By dwarf standards, that probably meant braiding her beard or some shit.
"Pass."
"Aw, c'mon, don't be shy. I'll pick the hottest piece of ass."
"Don't need it."
"Haha, you'll change your mind once you see her."
James boasted away, but no way in hell.
"Faster than I expected?"
Only Karen and I rode in the carriage. Most dwarves had their own mounts, and the rest sat up front driving. It was weird seeing those stubby bodies handle horses so well, but they managed expertly.
Stuck alone with Karen inside, things felt awkward as hell, but she didn't seem to mind and kept chatting like this from time to time.
"And barely any shaking. Wonder what the principle is."
I sighed lightly at Karen casually critiquing the ride. Who knew when this psycho might snap over the dwarves' jokes?
"...Something bothering you?"
She noticed my sigh and asked. It's you nearly slipped out, but I swallowed it and forced a smile her way.
"Nah, no worries. First time to the dwarf city?"
"Pretty much. They don't like humans much."
Humans avoided them too, but I couldn't exactly say that to her face. Shelving that for later, I tossed out a more constructive question.
"What's your deal with the emperor?"
"Oh, he's just a patron of the tower. I use his cash to satisfy my curiosity; he turns the results into more money. Get it?"
I nodded. Nothing special between them—just a business tie. Money bonds broke easy when the cash dried up.
Problem is, I ain't got that kinda dough.
I let out a hollow chuckle at the pointless thought, but Karen just tilted her head, clueless.
As Karen and I traded occasional words, the carriage sped on. Days passed, and we neared the border between the empire and the dwarf city.
Even at the border, it was still days more to their actual city. Dwarves lived in mountains for easy ore access, so from the empire's frontier, we had steep paths ahead.
"Mind stopping at a town near the border first?"
"Sure, we need supplies anyway."
James, leading the dwarves, agreed, and we veered toward the border town of Caliban.
"Herooooo!!"
As we entered Caliban, someone came running from afar, yelling for me. I knew that voice all too well.
Coincidentally, Jena von Darius had been assigned right here in Caliban territory. If the demon army stuck to their old script of hitting humans first, they'd probably be marching on this place instead of the dwarf city.
"Long time no see, Jena."
I greeted her as she dashed up, panting hard.
Spotting the others around me, her face flushed, but she didn't bother hiding it.
"Indeed, it's been too long."
"How'd you know I was coming?"
"Word from the empire. Said the hero and dwarves would pass through."
"Word?"
I gave her a puzzled look, and she explained that key imperial territories had communication magic installed.
Huh, news to me.
I chuckled in disbelief. Funny thing—in the last loop, I hadn't even known the empire had a comms network.
"Anyway, you can just blurt that out?"
Even if past-me was a dumbass, not knowing about comm magic meant it was a closely guarded secret.
"Ah!"
Predictably, Jena clapped a hand over her mouth too late. Everyone in our group had heard.
"...Jena von Darius, I presume?"
A chilling voice came from behind me—Karen Cross, of course, who must've scampered all over the empire installing those very systems.
She seemed to know Jena already, but her tone dripped zero friendliness.
"Ah, Karen Cross?"
Jena looked startled at her appearance. The Magic Tower held serious sway in the empire, and she'd just blabbed near-military intel right to one of their own.
"Hah, don't think we're on a first-name basis."
"...My apologies. Got ahead of myself."
Jena stayed cool despite Karen's barbs. She'd softened around me, sure, but she was no pushover.
"Do you even have a brain under all that muscle? Know how much effort the tower put into installing those comms in secret?"
"Bit harsh. You all got paid for it anyway, right? If my slip-up's an issue, that's on me—not your problem."
I frowned at the instant catfight. Maybe Karen was emotional, and I'd just deluded myself otherwise.
And right then...
"...You fuck her too?"
Dwarf James sidled up beside me, poking away at his homemade hole with that damn gesture again.