Chapter 55
Chapter 55
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: penny
Chapter: 55
Chapter Title: Pavane for a Dead Dwarf (8)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
The red dragon, Orse Tabul, awoke from his slumber.
The dragon's sharp senses were telling him that a guest had arrived at the cave.
He spread his wings and stretched, pondering.
Was this finally the end of his decades-long wait? Or just another false hope, like always?
Just then, a rumble shook the ceiling, and stalactites and dirt rained down on his head.
It was the signal of someone forcing the door open. It seemed a real guest had indeed come.
Only then did Orse Tabul heave his massive body up and begin preparing to greet the visitor.
But his preparations weren't anything grand.
First, he activated the magic circles and guardians in the cave. The darkness-filled cavern lit up with the blue glow of mana.
With his vision cleared, the dragon meticulously cleaned the grave at his feet. He brushed away the dust and carefully inspected the treasures placed beside it.
The preparations were done in no time. It was something he'd repeated hundreds, thousands of times already.
Thud! Thud!
However, it seemed the guest would need a bit more time to open the door. The dragon was granted a brief respite.
Like all old-timers with time to spare, he closed his eyes and reminisced about the past.
The first thing that came to mind was his nest.
He had guarded this place for decades, but he'd never once considered it his nest.
His true nest lay beyond that dimensional gate, in the dwarf kingdom brimming with gold and mana metal.
A place filled with gold and jewels, exquisite decorations and treasures crafted by the dwarves themselves.
Among them, the most beautiful treasure was a life-sized statue modeled after him.
A statue capturing his younger self with the dwarf king on his neck, battling monsters.
Once, that statue had been the dragon's pride and joy. To the dwarves, it was proof of their history and myths, a symbol promising a great future.
...It had been.
Until Stalin invaded the dwarf kingdoms.
The dragon flipped to the next page of his memories.
From the distant recesses of memory, he recalled the war that destroyed his nest and statue.
The cursed invaders, Stalin and the communists, raining down mustard gas and shells like rain.
Before the Earth's murderous weapons, the dwarves' sturdy fortresses and underground boulevards were useless.
Later generations of dwarves called that time the "Yellow Winter."
Unrelenting bombardment through the changing seasons, with no negotiations or persuasions.
Even the most stubborn dwarves had no choice but to surrender—or were wiped out entirely. When the attacks finally ended, the dwarves surrendered, raising white flags stained yellow by mustard gas.
The victorious Stalin showed no mercy. Dwarves weren't human, and animals had no right to be proletarians.
Countless dwarves were dragged to the gulags. Clans were exterminated. The dwarf mountains were renamed the Lenin Mountains.
His nest was no different.
The nest, which held history as long as the dragon himself, was reduced to rubble under the bombs, leaving not even a trace.
The statue's fate was even more gruesome. The communists melted that "reactionary" statue in a furnace.
What became of it afterward, the dragon could only guess. Perhaps material for a Soviet palace or a Lenin statue...
As he recalled up to that point, pain shot through his right wing.
"Again... it's acting up again."
The dragon stroked the massive scar crossing his right wing.
A scar from the moment he charged into Russia's air defenses with the dwarf king on his neck.
The folly and ignorance of trying to slay the demon king Stalin and restore peace, just like a hero slaying the demon lord...
That thought went no further.
The seal guarding the cave broke, and the magic circle at the entrance exploded.
!!!
A short vibration followed. Unable to withstand it, the cave ceiling spewed dirt.
Dust piled up again on the freshly cleaned grave. The dragon frowned and looked toward the entrance.
As if to prove the entrance had been breached, a neutral voice boomed through the cave.
"Come forth!"
A human voice, not a dwarf. Orse Tabul couldn't hide his disappointment.
"Not a guest, but a thief after all."
The dragon unhesitatingly mobilized the guardians.
***
The dusky evening in Manchuria.
Under the fading sun, three motorcycles cast long shadows as they tore across the Manchurian plains.
Racing at insane speeds, the bikes flew past the plains filled with rocks, sand, and rough dirt in an instant.
Considering two people rode each bike, it was nothing short of deadly stunt driving.
Yet the group crossed the plains without issue. Possible only because all the drivers were superhumans.
Anyway, after racing across the plains for a good while like that.
As the sun dipped below the horizon and dusk turned to darkness, a massive mountain range appeared in the group's view instead of the horizon.
Soon after, they left the plains for snow-covered forests and winding mountain paths.
Perhaps because no human hand had touched them since the Soviet collapse, the mountain paths were brutally rough. Even superhuman senses barely helped.
In the end, after Kim Mansu nearly lost balance and tumbled down the slope, the group slowed down.
The moment they had some leeway, the saintess spoke up.
"How's my driving? Bearable?"
It was blatantly teasing. Yeomyeong, sitting behind her, twitched an eyebrow.
"...The worst ride ever."
"Hey, that's 'cause you're holding some weird spot. You can grab my waist, you know?"
The saintess giggled. It was probably a joke to lighten the heavy mood, but Yeomyeong, clinging precariously to the seat not knowing where to hold, couldn't laugh.
It hadn't even been a few days since he'd brawled with her crazy mom over that ridiculous snow misunderstanding.
He debated giving the back of her head a knuckle rap, then just shook his head.
"Enough with the pointless jokes. How much farther to the destination?"
"Pointless? I meant it."
"..."
"Answer."
"Sheesh, scaring me with that voice again. Can't I even joke?"
"..."
"Ugh, fine. Not much left. Darulma said it's in a huge valley that's impossible to miss... Probably just over that mountain?"
As the saintess said, right after cresting the rugged peak with no real path, a massive valley came into view.
Unlike the gentle surrounding landscape, sheer cliffs nearly vertical stood side by side.
If he hadn't known, it would've been a stunning vista. But knowing it housed the magic tool that would doom Manchuria made it feel downright ominous.
"We go on foot from here."
The motorcycles were running low on fuel anyway, so Kwon Captain ordered everyone off.
The group carefully laid the bikes down and approached the valley on quiet feet.
Fortunately, no enemies in sight. But as they drew closer, Kwon Captain frowned.
"If they're ambushing, we're dead meat in this terrain."
He pointed to the top of the valley. Sheer cliffs with nowhere to hide.
Even to Yeomyeong, an amateur, it was clear: bullets from above would leave them helpless.
"...Should I go up and check?"
When Yeomyeong asked, Kwon Captain shook his head.
"No, to scout from up there, we'd have to circle the mountain... We don't have time."
"But rushing in blind to an ambush is insane."
Kim Mansu, dry-heaving from motion sickness, chimed in. He eyed the valley top suspiciously.
"Doesn't feel right. Let's split up. My team will check above first."
"Send an advance team and follow later?"
"Yes. Captain, saintess, and Yeomyeong wait below. We signal when clear, then you enter. Sound good?"
"Not bad. But let's tweak the advance team. Considering our forces after entering the treasure cave—"
As Kwon Captain and Vice Captain Kim Mansu continued talking, Yeomyeong quietly drew his sword.
Shing.
All eyes turned to him, then followed his gaze to the left cliff top.
Something silhouetted against the moonlight stared down.
Kim Mansu first thought it was a suited man, but as moonlight hit their faces, he gasped.
"Pig Heads? Those bastards from North Manchuria that ambushed us..."
The same freaks from the North Manchuria incident. Yeomyeong confirmed it.
"Definitely them. I mentioned we ran into similar ones in the last ambush too. Horse Head instead of Pig Head, though."
Yeomyeong didn't mention they were government-modified humans. Pointless, harmful info.
"...So they targeted us in North Manchuria too, not coincidence."
Kwon Captain seemed to misunderstand oddly, but Yeomyeong stayed silent.
As Kwon Captain pondered, the Pig Heads atop the cliff multiplied.
At least thirty visible. Even Yeomyeong braced for a tough fight.
Having decided, Kwon Captain looked up at the group as if struck by an idea.
"Their numbers are several times ours, and better armed. Head-on fight is suicide. Even playing for time, losing the seal is just a matter of when."
"...No choice, then. Retreat?"
To Kim Mansu's question, Kwon Captain looked to the saintess.
"You said no risking your life, saintess. What'll it be? Retreat here?"
"...And if I say I'll fight?"
"We turn the tables and ambush. Climb the right cliff, hit them the moment they enter the treasure cave."
Kwon Captain's plan sounded solid but no guarantee of victory. Even if they took out the Pig Heads, no assurance of finding the seal.
Understanding that, the saintess clamped her lips, then asked Yeomyeong.
"What do you think?"
"What's to think?"
Gotta kill 'em all. Yeomyeong swallowed the rest, feigning nonchalance.
Even if the group retreated, he'd have found a way to fight them.
For the seal? No, not really.
Getting the seal for dwarf rewards wasn't bad, but he had no intention of risking his life against a dragon for it.
But if the government was investing this much... he'd sabotage it no matter what.
Misreading his thoughts, perhaps, the saintess nodded with resolve.
"Alright. Then we fight."
"...Saintess."
"We've come this far; can't retreat now. Kwon Captain, your plan. Climb the right cliff, ambush, then—"
Her determined words cut off.
As she raised her rifle, a massive mana wave surged from deep in the valley.
Trees shook in unison, grass bowed. Mana so immense the mercenaries swallowed hard.
The cliff-top Pig Heads felt it too. They desperately leaped down into the valley.
Meaning, they started clumsily descending the sheer cliffs.
"...Lucky break."
Kwon Captain said, watching. Apt or not, the group agreed.
Pig Heads dangling from cliffs, one slip from plummeting.
No more words or plans needed.
Click.
The group chambered rounds and charged the cliff where the Pig Heads poured down.
* * *