Chapter 36
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 36
Chapter Title: The Romantic Dwarf
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Baaaaa!
As if the man's rough voice had only provoked it further, the goat-headed monster let out a long cry, violently kicked off the ground, and rammed the cart with its coiled horns.
The cart shattered under the terrifying charge, and the cage made of iron bars fell to the ground with a heavy thud. A scream erupted from within.
“Agh! My back! You son of a bitch!”
What a strange one.
Luon, looking down from above, let out a dry laugh.
The man, thrown to the ground along with the cage, was screeching at the monster snorting furiously right in front of him, showing no fear.
“You damn goat bastard! If I wasn't tied up, I'd take that damn head of yours and just… hey, you fellas! Aren't you going to help me? You just gonna stand there and watch? Huh?”
At the bold request for rescue, Igor scratched his head.
“There’s a strange lack of tension.”
“Indeed.”
The man’s unfiltered cursing, so out of place amidst the scattered corpses and the gruesome monster, was like watching a comedian’s monologue.
But they couldn't just keep watching. If they did, the enraged goat-headed monster would surely smash the man to bits, cage and all.
Luon spoke.
“Let’s get rid of that thing first.”
Luon immediately descended the slope, drawing his holy sword.
Just then, the clouds parted, and bright sunlight streamed through. Seeing this, he angled the blade.
The goat-headed monster, about to charge the iron cage, wrinkled its nose as if bothered by the light shimmering at the edge of its vision and turned its head violently.
Luon, reflecting the sunlight off the blade's surface, crooked his finger.
“Come on.”
Baaaaa!
The taunt seemed to work, as the monster shrieked and charged toward Luon.
As it closed the distance with a reckless charge, Luon swung his holy sword down.
The holy sword clashed hard with the monster's horn as it thrust its lowered head up with all its might.
*Clang!*
The monster's brute strength far exceeded his expectations. Luon, digging long furrows with his feet as he was pushed back, gritted his teeth and powerfully thrust the arm gripping the holy sword forward.
His own formidable strength, in no way inferior to the monster's, was fully transferred to the holy sword, which instantly severed the monster's steel-like horn.
Baaaa!
Having lost its horn, the monster recoiled in shock, swerved sideways, and kicked at Luon with its hind legs.
He quickly leaned his upper body back to dodge the massive hoof, then straightened up and swung his holy sword in an upward arc.
The monster, its thigh deeply slashed, let out a sorrowful cry, turned, and began to flee.
It seemed to have lost its will to fight after just a brief exchange.
Naturally, there was no way Luon would let it go so easily.
Sheathing his holy sword, he quickened his pace, took a running start, and kicked off the ground, leaping into the air.
Baa!
Landing precariously on the limping monster's back, he wrapped both arms around the neck of the beast as it staggered from the impact of his landing.
Instinctively sensing its impending doom, the monster slammed its back against a large rock.
*Crash!*
With a tremendous noise, a part of the rock shattered, but surprisingly, Luon, still on its back, was unharmed.
*He must have done something.*
He could feel Igor's holy power, emitted from a distance, gently enveloping his body. He channeled all his strength into his arms.
*Crrrack, crunch.*
A sickening sound echoed from the monster's neck, caught in his log-like arms.
Its neck bones snapped before it could even suffocate, and the monster collapsed, its nose hitting the ground.
Luon continued to choke the monster for a moment longer. Only after feeling a sense of elation welling up inside him did he release his grip and stand up.
“My word! Do you have giants in your ancestry? I never imagined that goat bastard would be choked to death!”
Luon rubbed his stiff back and approached the iron cage from which the boisterous voice had come.
He could see the man beyond the bars grinning broadly.
“Glory to Duermyure! Meeting you fellas must mean he hasn't completely abandoned me!”
The speaker was an impressive-looking dwarf with a smooth, bald head and a beard twisted like a pretzel.
Though short in stature, he had an incredibly sturdy build. Not only were his hands and ankles bound in shackles, but his elbows and knees were also wrapped in iron chains.
Luon asked.
“Who are you?”
“I am Strabo. A dwarf who knows the romance of adventure. Thanks to you, I can finally escape this pathetic cage!”
Luon tilted his head.
“When did I say I’d let you out?”
Strabo’s eyes widened as he retorted.
“Huh? Didn’t you kill that monster to get me out?”
“You’re getting ahead of yourself.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
Luon said.
“Never mind that. Why should I trust and release a criminal being transported in an iron cage?”
At Luon’s calm words, Strabo’s bushy beard bristled.
“Looks like I need to explain a few things to you, fella! I'm no criminal. Those bastards over there with their heads smashed in fit that description far better.”
He spat toward the corpses and continued.
“Scum! Good riddance!”
Just then, Igor asked.
“So why were you being dragged away?”
“Oh! You’re the fella who was emitting a faint glow! It was quite beautiful, you know.”
“Th-thank you.”
Igor scratched his head, embarrassed by the sudden compliment.
Strabo said.
“Those bastards lying over there are the Iron Fist mercenaries… no, thugs who’ve taken over the back alleys of a city called Halen. They're parasites who empty the pockets of the poor, citing all sorts of ridiculous reasons like ‘management fees’ and ‘protection money’.”
“Then why were they taking you away?”
Strabo answered Luon’s question without hesitation.
“Because I killed their leader!”
He clenched his fist and continued.
“During the fortnight I spent in Halen, I must have seen them pull their scummy stunts at least a hundred times. I couldn't just stand by and watch, so I stormed their base and bit their leader to death.”
“You did what now?”
Thinking he’d misheard, Luon asked again, and Strabo shrugged.
“I said I bit him to death. Ah, did I not mention? I have the ability to transform into a beast! I’m a druid, you see.”
At his casual reveal, Igor’s eyes widened.
“A dwarf druid? Is that even possible? I heard only special elves could become one.”
Strabo snorted.
“I suppose when you think of dwarves, you only picture them hammering away at an anvil, huh? Unfortunately, I didn't want to waste my life like that. I'm a dwarf who knows the romance of adventure!”
After that somewhat tangential exchange, Strabo continued his story.
“Anyway! I thought that killing the bastard would bring peace to the back alleys. In fact, I was even worried about all the human women who might fall for me. But what do you know? The people who saw me change back to my original form started screaming that a demon had appeared.”
He shook his head as if he still couldn't understand it.
“No matter how many times I told them it was the process of infusing my soul with the essence of nature to reconstruct my body into the form of a beast, nobody believed me. Damn it all, I was branded a demon worshiper and a bounty was put on my head. I tried to run… but I was eventually caught. And by the Iron Fist bastards, of all people.”
Having finished his explanation, Strabo began to rub the top of his head against the iron bars as if it were itchy.
Luon asked him.
“Fine, let’s say the misunderstanding was unavoidable… but with such an incredible ability, why did you get caught?”
Strabo sniffled and said.
“After I transform into a beast and back, my body is under a lot of strain, so I have to rest for two or three days. It’s another damn side effect of being a dwarf…”
*Then why become a druid?*
Luon tilted his head.
He didn't know exactly what a druid was, but he could certainly tell it wasn't a profession suited for a dwarf.
Just then, Strabo spoke up.
“That’s my story. Fellas! If you know the romance of adventure, won't you free me from here? I can't just waste away in this place.”
His cheerful smile nearly made Luon nod without thinking, but he soon sighed and said.
“Regardless of your intentions or the process, it seems you’re now branded as a demon worshiper… Are you aware that if we recklessly release you in this situation, the trouble might splash back onto us?”
At those words, Strabo blinked stupidly.
“Ah, is that how it works?”
*Why is someone with such a bushy beard so naive?*
Luon added, looking at the strangely screw-loose Strabo.
“Besides, even if I did let you go, what would you do? Run for the rest of your life?”
“W-well.”
His stammering made it clear he hadn't thought that far ahead.
After struggling for a moment, Strabo spoke with a solemn expression.
“Hearing you talk, I see how shortsighted I’ve been! Hell, I can't be a burden. Just go on your way. I'll find my own way to survive.”
With that, Strabo slumped to the ground. Luon scratched his head.
*Strange.*
For a reason he couldn't quite explain, Luon liked this reckless dwarf.
Though it was absurd to speak of romance in a world where all sorts of terrible things never ceased, it wasn't a bad feeling at all.
Igor seemed to feel the same way. He glanced back and forth between Strabo and Luon for a while before slowly speaking.
“…Isn’t there some way we can help him?”
“If the bounty was issued simply on suspicion of being a demon worshiper, then there might be a way.”
“What is it?”
Luon said to Igor, whose eyes had widened.
“As a priest of Tivela, if you were to testify that this dwarf has no connection to demons, I think that would work.”
“Ah, I see.”
Strabo, who had been staring blankly at the two of them, asked.
“Huh? You’re going to help me?”
Igor shrugged and replied.
“Mother would be pleased with a testimony for the innocent.”
Strabo shot to his feet, his face brightening.
“Oh, thank you! You fellas truly know the romance of adventure!”
“Enough with the romance talk. Step back.”
Deciding that getting involved with this strangely compelling dwarf might not be so bad, Luon immediately gripped the bars of the cage.
“Trying to open the door? If you search the waist of that red-headed one, you’ll find the key to the cage…”
Strabo, who had been gesturing with his chin toward a fallen corpse, stopped talking and blinked stupidly as Luon bent the iron bars with his bare hands as if they were taffy.
“Are you… really a descendant of giants?”
At his words, Igor shook his head and said with a rather serious expression.
“No. He is the true Champion of Tivela. He is on a great journey to annihilate evil.”
Strabo’s eyes shot wide open.
“Whoa, he’s an incredible fella.”