Chapter 118. The Dwarf Village.
Chapter 118. The Dwarf Village.
As soon as we got close, they started right in on us. Or, well — to be more accurate, they weren't actually angry. We'd already known their way of talking was naturally rough. I mentioned as much to the girls, who looked ready to take offense, and they let it slide without much fuss.
"...?"
"You look like humans from around here... did you wander into this place without knowing where you were going?"
"Isn't this the Grand Canyon? In America?"
"Is that what this land is called? Never mind that. Get over here, and hurry up about it."
They stuck poles into the ground around us and draped cloth over the top. The moment the cloth went up, something shifted — our presence seemed to vanish, the inside and outside becoming completely sealed off from each other.
'Nobody who isn't a seasoned veteran would sense a thing in here.'
Once they'd caught their breath and seemed calmer, I asked, "You said 'a place like this' — what did you mean by that?"
"The moment night falls, monsters appear and attack. We've already lost a number of our brothers."
Piecing together what they said, it seemed that during the dimensional shift, the seal on monsters they had locked away had broken, setting them loose. Even though this was a different dimension, they felt responsible for the monsters that had crossed over with them and couldn't simply pretend they hadn't seen us wander into this area.
"Anyway, thank you for helping us."
The one who seemed to be their team leader waved a hand dismissively. "It was nothing. More importantly, what in the world brought you all the way out here? From what I know, the human settlements are quite a long way off."
"Actually, we came looking for you — the dwarves."
"For us? No, wait. How did you even know we were dwarves in the first place? Do our kin live in this dimension as well?"
Watching the situation unfold, I gathered they hadn't been on Earth for very long. Give them a little more time and they would have figured out that this planet is populated solely by humans. When I told them this dimension had no dwarves and was made up only of humans, they looked a bit surprised but seemed to have half-expected it.
"Hmm..."
"What tribe are you from?"
"We are the proud Solar Flame Tribe. Seeing as you know of dwarves, are you from Titan as well?"
It's true I came from Titan, but my home was Earth. And the Solar Flame Tribe — I was acquainted with them, to some degree. The problem was, this would all be a lot simpler if the dwarves I'd met back then were still alive...
"Something like that."
"To meet someone from home in a dimension so far removed from our own... what a coincidence this is..."
"Would you be willing to take us to your village? We came here with a good proposal to make."
My tone was about as suspicious as it gets, and after some deliberation, they answered firmly: "We're sorry, but we can't let just anyone into the tribe's village."
"If there's any way at all..."
"Absolutely out of the question. Even if you killed us on the spot, we couldn't open our mouths about it."
I hadn't even said anything yet. What was with this all-or-nothing temperament of theirs?
'Well, dwarves are pretty much all like that.'
Back in the past, I'd helped them out, and they'd given me a phrase they used to praise me. On the off chance they knew it, things would get much simpler.
"When the Breath of Flame drew near, the Black Veil protected us."
"...!"
They stared at me with a look that said, How does a human know that? I stared right back at them without a word. But their reaction was a little strange.
"What the— how do you know that phrase?"
"There's no way I wouldn't."
The mood turned hostile. They reached for the axes and hammers they'd been carrying on their backs — weapons sized for their own stout frames — and held them ready, clearly on guard against us.
"Do you know of our tribe's benefactor? Is he safe? Wait — if you've come here alone, what have you done with him?!"
'These lunatics won't even let me finish...'
If they knew that phrase, you'd think they might recognize me, but the fact that they didn't suggested they'd never met me in person. And announcing that I was that very person right now would just be laughable.
'Then again, I doubt these guys would believe it anyway...'
"I'm an acquaintance of his. He told me that if I spoke with you and asked for help, you would listen..."
At my flimsy excuse, the tense atmosphere subsided again, and they shouldered their weapons once more.
"What? If that's how it is, you should've said so from the start..."
'With personalities like that, they'd get scammed in about five minutes if they tried living on Earth...'
"Is the benefactor well?"
"Ha ha. How about we go have a nice, long talk with your chieftain?"
The short, stocky fellow gave me a hearty whack on the back and laughed boisterously. We spent the night in the tent they'd set up, and when morning came, they led us toward the village. The entrance was unusual — there wasn't a single sentry standing guard. What's more, from the outside it just looked like a solid wall, but when they approached and touched a specific spot, the wall opened with a low rumble.
"Welcome. This is the village of the Solar Flame Tribe."
A village had been built here that was hard to believe was actually underground. Every dwarf we passed stared at us with open curiosity.
"They're all staring at us."
"Well, it's rare for humans to be brought all the way into the village. And humans from another dimension, at that — of course they'd find us fascinating."
They showed us to an empty house and told us to make use of it, then said they'd come fetch us shortly to go meet the chieftain before heading back outside.
"Oppa, how old are those people?"
"I don't know exactly, but dwarves live about 300 years. The longer-lived ones can make it close to 400."
"That's incredible..."
"At the very least, they'd be over 50. I've heard dwarves only start growing their beards after about 50 years or so."
"That's the minimum?"
"That's right. And if they're out and about like that, they're probably close to 100."
"That's amazing..."
We were in the middle of talking when the door was suddenly flung open from outside. The girls seemed a bit startled, but I wasn't fazed in the slightest. They were just like that by nature. Though if you asked them to be more careful, they'd stop doing it next time.
"The chieftain says he'll see you now. All of you, follow me."
We exchanged a look and a nod, then followed him outside. We went fairly deep into the village, and looking around, I saw a great many dwarves hauling materials or hammering away, crafting various items.
When we arrived at the chieftain's house, it was clearly built quite differently from the ordinary dwellings. The dwarf guiding us called in with care from just outside, but the only sound from within was the clang of metal striking metal.
"Chieftain, I have brought the humans."
"Enter."
Once permission was granted, he signaled for us to go inside. True to a dwarf's nature, the interior was filled with modest furnishings and, in one corner, a small forge. And on the wall, a portrait of someone hung there.
'That picture...'
The chieftain was completely absorbed in his work, so focused on his crafting that he didn't even spare us a glance.
"So, what business do the humans of this world have with dwarves?"
The face wasn't one of the chieftains I'd known before, but I did recognize this dwarf. The situation was so absurd I found myself stifling a laugh, but before I could speak, Chaeyeon spoke up first.
"We run a settlement of our own, and we would like you to relocate there. Food is plentiful, and we can guarantee your safety."
"Hmm... Well, I doubt you came all this way bearing empty words. There must be something you expect from us in return, yes?"
"We were hoping to borrow the skilled hands of your dwarven people."
"Our skilled hands...? Humans are nowhere near the level of dwarves, true, but don't your kind have some decent craftsmanship of your own?"
Chaeyeon let out a small sigh and then laid out the current state of Earth in full. At the news that the world was facing an apocalypse, the hand swinging the hammer paused for a moment, but soon the hammering resumed.
"Unbelievable..."
"That is why we are working to rebuild society. And in that process, we need the strength of the dwarves, whose craftsmanship is second to none. Moreover, other races besides the dwarves will also cross over here. Ultimately, we want to build a nation where humans and other races can live together."
The hammering hand stopped. His gaze turned distant and wistful. But he still wouldn't look at us.
"A dream without the strength to back it up is nothing more than empty idealism... So many elves died because of humanity's lust for beauty. So many dwarves died because of humanity's greed for our craft."
"..."
"There was a nation in the place I once lived where many races had gathered. In the beginning, it suffered invasions from every neighboring land. Had a certain mercenary company not come to its aid, it would have been utterly destroyed and torn to pieces."
"We possess the strength to protect you sufficiently...!"
"You said you are rebuilding society? Then what happens to us once that is done? When the rebuilding is finished, do we become unnecessary? Or will you set us to making weapons for conquest?"
"Why are you so deeply hostile toward humans...?"
To be precise, his hostility was directed at the humans of Titan. The only reason he was even speaking to us now was because we were humans from Earth.
"We do engage in trade with humans. But that is only as business partners, and nothing more. At a fundamental level, we cannot trust humankind. In any case, my answer is this: we will not relocate to your settlement."
His stance wouldn't budge an inch. No matter what compensation we proposed, he remained stubbornly unmoved. I stepped closer to him, but another dwarf beside him immediately blocked my path. I had no intention of fighting, so I stopped where I was and spoke.
"Galrand. I went to the trouble of saving you when you nearly got yourself killed by a dragon, and this is what's become of you? Where's all that manly bravado gone?"
"How do you know my name... No, more importantly than that..."
"Where did all that fighting spirit go? The kind that made you boast you'd forge a shield capable of blocking a dragon's breath?"
"...!"
His hand, which had been hammering away unconsciously, stopped. He turned his head and looked at me. Then the hammer in his hand slipped and dropped to the floor with a clang. An act a dwarf should absolutely never commit — which only showed just how great the shock was.
"Y-you are..."
"A dwarf dropping his hammer? If your ancestors could see you now, they'd be weeping in the underworld. Don't you think?"
Tears the size of chicken droppings spilled from the eyes of the bushy-bearded dwarf. And then, in a thick, heavy voice, he wept. He cried until his nose turned bright red, then blew it roughly and stopped.
"Benefactor. How many years has it been...? Was this place your homeland all along?"
The moment the word "benefactor" left his lips, the dwarves who had been guarding the chieftain hurriedly dropped to their knees and offered their respects toward me.
"You know I hate that kind of thing. Keep it easy."
When I told them to stand, they glanced warily at one another and then quietly rose back up.
"My homeland has ended up in this sorry state, and I've found myself in need of some craftsmen. So? Have you changed your mind at all?"
"Of course. I have yet to repay even a fraction of the grace you showed us. If we can be of even the slightest help, we will follow you wherever that may be! Please, use us and work us as you see fit!"