Chapter 131
Chapter 131
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 131
Chapter Title: 12. Survival Competition (8)
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Dras quietly followed the dwarves' path deeper into the mountains. It was because, while chatting with an old friend he hadn't seen in ages, he'd heard an unusual story.
There was someone raising something vicious.
Frankly, considering the traits of the dwarf race, they preferred purity. They favored well-refined, pure ore over something crudely made.
So, while they might feud with elves over differences in temperament, they absolutely loathed demons.
But if someone was raising something vicious, there was a chance that something originally pure had been corrupted into something foul.
"Oh dear. I should have brought the Shopkeeper."
A stone cave. The moment he reached the entrance of this somewhat artificially carved cavern, a distinct demonic stench hit him hard.
Dras paused at the utterly dreadful sensation, but he sensed no violent aura emanating from inside.
What else could he do but go in?
"Heh heh. Excuse me."
The instant he stepped inside, it felt like plunging a foot into a deep swamp. Still, slowly but surely—one step, then another.
As he proceeded cautiously, at some point the ground shifted from stone to something soft and black.
Struggling through the squishy, sinking footing, he finally reached a bizarre lifeform—or rather, something so grotesque it was uncomfortable to even call it a living being.
Was this murky black sludge coming from that thing?
No, it was more like the thing was absorbing it.
"Baby. What are you eating?"
Dras asked it in a friendly tone. Instead of replying, it let out a low roar from its massive maw.
Seeing it growl, Dras soothed it without a hint of fear.
It's okay.
I won't hurt you.
I came to help.
Yeah. Who's your mom?
"Yeah, good boy. Someone who'll make you comfortable is coming soon, so just wait a little."
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"Oh ho. It really is just a child."
"Uh..."
"Your Majesty the Emperor. That's how you address her."
"Yes, Your Majesty the Emperor."
"Yes. I heard it's being raised by dwarves. May I hear the circumstances?"
"Ehehe. Well, you see..."
The empire's western border was a mountain range lined with towering peaks. There were people who lived off the mountains' bounty, gathering wild herbs or timber to survive.
And that's why accidents happened from time to time—a massive bird-like monster snatching people as prey.
If they were lucky, subjugating the monster would lead to rescues, and this child was exactly such a case.
The child had survived a dwarf-led monster hunt but, too young to read maps, had no way to return to their distant home village.
So they were staying here for now.
"Do you know the village's name?"
"The elders in our village called it Epidem."
"Someone! Fetch me a person well-versed in the empire's western territories."
Alina quickly removed the child from suspicion. She was the emperor of the empire, and under her rule were tax collectors in every region.
No matter how small the village, if taxes were gathered, records would exist—and that meant she could quickly ascertain the village's existence or any missing children.
There was no reason to lie like this. Besides, unless every dwarf was in on a deliberate deception, testimonies would reveal no such rescue.
"I'll make sure you can go home."
"Thank you."
"I couldn't call myself emperor if I couldn't do this much for an imperial subject."
Now, let's think.
If there hadn't been this tip-off, she might never have learned of the child's existence. In that case, the informant would seem more suspicious.
Diversion. Feint east, strike west.
The major premise: demons smuggling weapons or resources and lurking near the dwarves' homeland.
And no matter how discreetly she moved, rumors of the emperor's whereabouts would spread.
It was only natural to assume her visit had been detected.
"Will they wait, or go for us all at once?"
Yulius came to mind.
To be blunt, she knew less about demons than he did, making it hard to predict their patterns.
Should have brought him along.
Of course, regrets were regrets, and her task was simple.
"Looks like we'll have to wait a bit."
She was well aware that, status aside, she wasn't exceptionally gifted. There wasn't much she could accomplish alone.
Besides, this wasn't empire soil—forcing investigations or searches would be an international discourtesy.
Still, information was gathering slowly, and she had her strongest card: Yulius.
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"What am I supposed to do with this?"
I gazed at the distant horizon from midway up the dwarves' country—or village. I'd already received and reviewed the full list of smuggled demon goods, but nothing useful for ultra-long-range sniping or bombing.
That meant they'd likely come at us head-on, but the surroundings were suspiciously pristine for that.
Both I, who could roughly sense demonic presences with my aura, and Big Sis Mina, superior in raw detection, had concluded: nothing.
It's weird. There has to be something, but we can't find it.
This place was built into a massive mountain, and from higher up, you could survey the base visually—any anomalies should be visible to the naked eye.
"When it's too clean, it raises more suspicion. Scrub a spot too hard, and it stands out spotless."
The closer to the truth, the more obsessively clean it would be.
Where could such a place be?
Somewhere out of sight, hard to notice, and neatly maintained.
Ah.
Something clicked, so I raced along the ridgeline to find Dras, who knew the terrain and was trustworthy.
"Dras!"
The area was vast beyond imagination for a full search, making it hard to find one person. Plus, Dras had left long ago, and as a total outsider, I had no guides.
So, to verify my hunch, I circled horizontally instead—abandoning the search for Dras or testimonies, maintaining altitude as I looped the mountain.
Racing through undeveloped, lush forested zones, I pinpointed the most suspicious spots in my mind.
"If it's not visible from outside, you have to suspect it's inside."
Scouring every nook around the mountain, even bird's-eye from the peak—no signs of danger.
The dwarves felt no omens of approaching threats either.
That left underground, inside the mountain, caves.
I had no choice but to suspect those.
"Ah, damn it."
The first cave was narrow and short. Fine for hiding something small, but woefully inadequate for stockpiling arms or plotting.
The next was deep but twisted so badly inside that entry was impossible.
Checking cave after cave, the sky had turned red and the sun was setting before I knew it.
Better head back for now.
Searching again tomorrow seemed wiser.
Exhausting my stamina only to eat a demonic energy orb would spell disaster.
"Nothing should happen overnight."
I knew it was practically planting a flag, but I had to say it.
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Leimi sat at an outdoor table at a restaurant, sipping a drink while watching the sun dip low.
It was a day where she already missed the Shopkeeper's coffee, but as a craftsman handling tools, the gains were substantial enough to set complaints aside.
Flipping through her notebook of findings from her legwork, reviewing them again, she sensed the atmosphere shift oddly.
It was quiet.
Not just quiet—an instant chill that made spines tingle, like something had passed by.
The other patrons—no, the dwarves—seemed to feel it too, their expressions a bit off.
"Excuse me."
"Yes, ma'am."
"Did I just imagine that, or...?"
"Nah, not at all. Though lately, it happens now and then."
"Any idea why?"
"No clue. Everyone wonders, but no matter how we search, no answers."
Leimi recalled why she'd come here.
She was basically baggage. The real reason was the emperor's commission reaching the Shopkeeper, something tied to a demonic plot—details fuzzy, but definitely that.
Was that it just now?
Just in case, Leimi asked:
"So, when did this start?"
"A little over two months ago."
"Two months..."
It was ample time to prepare magical terrorism. If the eerie vibe started two months back, actual prep likely began earlier.
Telling the Shopkeeper first—who had rich combat experience against demons—made more sense than the emperor.
Leimi paid her bill, pocketed her notebook, and dashed back to the inn.