Chapter 80
Chapter 80
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 80
Chapter Title: Myriad Forms Dragon
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I packed my bags and stepped out of the inn. Since this wasn't a long-distance journey, the luggage I'd brought was suitably light. At most, it was just poking around the area—Azgal Rock at the farthest. The featherlight weight of the bag slung over my shoulder quickened my steps.
Finding Olbern's mansion in the capital of the Tennern Kingdom was a breeze. It stood alone on a sparsely populated hill, desolate and unvisited, a solitary fixture in the landscape. The petite dwarf girl was already there waiting for me at the door, her own bag packed and ready.
I didn't remember setting an exact time, so it caught me a little off guard. What if I hadn't shown up today? Would she have been out here since morning anyway?
Bag and all, no less. As I gazed at her steadily, Durel, who'd come up beside me, spoke up.
"Master, is that the one...?"
"That's Olbern."
"A dwarf mage... He looks incredibly old. What's his circle level...?"
Durel had only just inscribed his second Mana Circle into his heart. He still had eyes that saw only mystery, and since I hadn't taught him Arcana yet, he couldn't perceive Olbern's true form.
'Maybe it's time to start preparing...'
I hadn't prepared Erkamon yet, but time was on my side, and there was no rush.
"Hey! Lumia! I've been waiting!"
As we drew closer to the mansion, Olbern noticed our approach and waved cheerfully, grinning wide. To my Arcana-enhanced eyes, she looked unmistakably like an adorable girl, but to my two disciples without it, she probably seemed like a senile old man making a fool of himself.
In fact, Durel and Simo's faces were twisted in something like discomfort.
"It feels kinda weird..."
"It's uncanny..."
Olbern came rushing up, panting, then circled around us briskly, nodding all the while. Her sharp gaze lightly scanned Durel and Simo's bodies.
"These must be the companions you mentioned? Hmm, hmm. Well, with you here, it'll be fine. Anyway, nice to meet you all. I'm Olbern, the dwarf world's greatest inventor, scholar, and mage."
"Durel of the Infinite Archive School."
"Likewise, of the Infinite Archive School. Simo."
"Oho... So you're all mages from the same school... But that human boy over there... I sense nothing from him, just like from Lumia. Some secret technique of the Infinite Archive School?"
She asked whatever popped into her head without a thought for the other's mood. Durel frowned and took a step back at the glint of mania in Olbern's eyes.
"Hmm? Oh, wait—now I see, that sword of yours has runes inscribed on it. I can feel traces of mana. About six runes? No, seven? Must've been made by a master artisan... Huh? Hmmmmm?"
Standing a short distance away and staring holes into Durel's sword, Olbern suddenly shifted her focus. This time, to Simo's arms. Over the dark blue leather armguards gleamed vivid runes, impossible to hide, scattering faint light in the sunlight.
Spotting it, Olbern's eyes widened, and she burst out.
"Th-that! Isn't that wyvern hide? That sheen... that texture... No doubt about it. Where on earth did you get it? Wyvern leather is only handled in the Karadun Kingdom... No, before that—this rune inscription...! It's infused with real magic? Etching such clear runes onto mana-resistant leather? What kind of artisan...!"
Despite Olbern's noisy fussing, Durel and Simo didn't look too displeased. As she kept praising them breathlessly, they even nodded with strangely satisfied smiles. Simo went so far as to lift his arms for a better look.
At this rate, the whole day might slip away right here. I sighed and took a big step forward.
"Enough. You haven't forgotten the goal, have you?"
"Oh, ooh...! Sorry about that. I got too excited. But when I see such fine craftsmanship, I can't help it... It's just so, so beautiful...!"
"Save the admiration for later. Let's get moving first. Where to start?"
"Mm, hmm...! Right! I'll explain on the way, then."
Ahem—as if to say forget my earlier antics—Olbern cleared her throat and took the lead. As we descended the hill, she began explaining our destination.
"Year 1 of the Yorn Era. A colossal being descended from the sky and unleashed a burst of light. The barren rocky mountain was suddenly overrun with life. A thousand roots linking heaven and earth entwined the peak, forming three summits brimming with mystery."
"A colossal being..."
"Exactly. Records of that giant entity. The first trace of a colossal being in Tennern Kingdom histories. They didn't call it Lem Drain or Myriad Forms Dragon back then."
Olbern nodded, pulling out a small notebook. Her robe dragged along the ground with a swish.
"In Azgal Rock, there's only one mountain with three peaks side by side. Muradin—our destination today."
Muradin Mountain lay not far from the Tennern capital. Riding a Turtle Golem nonstop, we could reach it in half a day. Barring any incidents, we might even return to the capital by evening.
Just after passing the massive city gates and exiting, Olbern halted with a peculiar smile. She carefully set down the large bag on her back.
"Hold on a moment. For an old dwarf like me, trekking to Muradin is no small feat. That's why I brought this along..."
From the bag emerged the quadruped golem I'd disabled the day before. About the size of a large dog, it unfolded its crumpled form to reveal sleek contours.
"You've seen it already, Lumia, but it's new to the other two. What do you think...? My masterpiece golem: Wolf Queen!"
Unlike yesterday, the fully extended Wolf Queen showed no aggression. She'd apparently used the prior failure to refine its internal design further.
"Cute golem."
"Can't you make it bigger?"
"Wh-what...?"
Not the reaction she'd hoped for, apparently. Olbern, beaming proudly in front of Wolf Queen, looked baffled by Simo and Durel's responses.
"Cute? This Wolf Queen? Heh... Human aesthetics must differ from us dwarves... Look closely—this isn't cute, it's..."
Before Olbern could finish, I lightly tossed the golem core from my pocket. It flew swiftly, activating on contact, absorbing ambient mana. The gathered mana manifested mystery, assembling the body per its internal design.
Kugrrr rumble—
Earth and stone erupted around the core's landing spot. I'd designed it to form its body from the surroundings. Previously, it'd used tough mountain rocks; this time, dirt and stone.
Thus appeared a six-legged Turtle Golem, three meters tall and six long. As Durel and Simo hopped aboard with practiced ease, Olbern stared blankly and stowed Wolf Queen back in her bag.
I chuckled lightly and asked,
"Weren't you gonna ride that?"
"Wolf Queen... needs maintenance. More importantly—that golem. Did you make it?"
"Something like that. Just tweaked the internals."
"Heh, heh... Don't tell me the Infinite Archive School specializes in golemcraft..."
"You gonna stand there all day?"
To make it back to the capital today, we needed to hurry. I hooked my toes onto the Turtle Golem's leg and extended a hand to Olbern. She stared at it, then asked in a strangely moved voice.
"C-can I really ride it?"
"Don't want to?"
"N-no, I do!"
As Olbern scrambled over and grabbed my hand, a gust of wind blasted from below, lifting us both up. We rode the breeze into the golem's interior, where Olbern promptly collapsed.
With everyone aboard, I smirked and set the Turtle Golem in motion. It shook off the dirt clumps, then charged forward on its six powerful legs.
Thud thud thud—!
Inside the rumbling golem, Olbern looked up at me from her seat.
"Um... I have a favor to ask."
"What?"
"Could I take a peek at that golem's core...? I-I'll pay whatever it takes!"
Her tiny dwarven hand pointed to the core at the golem's center. Her gaze burned with scholarly zeal. After a moment's thought, I pulled a dictionary from my pocket—the rune lexicon I'd acquired before.
"No need for money. Can you translate what's in here into Ber Kingdom script?"
Back in Karadun Kingdom, I'd worked with a dwarf named Mangor on translating that rune dictionary. But time had run short, leaving some unfinished—a lingering regret.
Olbern knew Ber Kingdom script well, so she could handle it solo.
The dwarf girl nodded firmly.
"You got it!"
And with that, the deal was struck.