Chapter 17: The Long Road to the Imperial Capital – Part 26
Afterwards, Mariane and Lady Dorozitte joined us, and in the end, all ten of us decided to stay at the Marquis’s residence.
“As a Marquis, welcoming dozens of guests is nothing unusual; ten is hardly a challenge,” Marquis Zanzagir remarked. However, the gathering of members from “Soul’s Guidance” was politically significant.
Among them were Freinir, the former duke’s daughter and a de facto candidate for the Saint; Larni and Karma, the children of the Beastman tribe leader; Sfenia, the daughter of a prominent High Elf; and Shizuna, the priestess from Oz Country, along with Geshura from the Kin of Twilight and the Grand Master of the Adventurers’ Guild. Moreover, their leader was a Count of the Kingdom, known by the title “Castle Breaker.”
Honestly, the thought of hosting such a group made my stomach churn. I silently bowed my head to the Marquis in my heart.
The next day, we promptly set out for the Dwarven village.
The Marquis arranged for carriages, and we divided ourselves into four. Geshura, unable to ride in a standard carriage, had to use a covered freight wagon. Since the Marquis was accompanying us, about twenty knights served as our escort.
I found myself sharing a carriage with the Marquis and Lady Dorozitte.
The road from the capital, Zanzagilium, to the Dwarven village was well-maintained, making the ride comfortable with minimal jolting. The carriages themselves seemed to be crafted with exceptional sound-dampening technology by the Dwarves.
However, this also meant they were heavier, as the horses pulling them were larger than any I had ever seen. I learned that they were special horses, mixed with monster blood.
“By the way, Soushi, I spoke with Geshura last night, and I never expected someone so intellectual to be part of the ‘Kin of Twilight.’ I heard you negotiated for her to join the party. What kind of exchange took place?”
The Marquis immediately broached an important topic inside the carriage.
“As I mentioned yesterday, she fled from the ‘Garden of Twilight.’ It seems she intended to live in seclusion, but it was clear she would struggle to secure food. So, I proposed that becoming an adventurer could be a solution, and she accepted.”
“Hmm. As a citizen of the Empire, the very idea of negotiating with the ‘Kin of Twilight’ is unfathomable. They are terrifyingly powerful even alone. To negotiate with such beings on equal terms, Soushi, you must possess remarkable courage.”
“She appeared to be a rational individual, and for me, a single member of the ‘Kin of Twilight’ is not that much of a threat, of course.”
“Fufu, even in the Empire, facing the ‘Kin of Twilight’ requires multiple A-Rank parties. To say they are not a threat is hard to believe unless you witnessed the recent dragon battle.”
Lady Dorozitte narrowed her eyes and began to pat my shoulder. Ever since I defeated the dragon with my bare hands, she had taken to occasionally touching me. According to Mariane, she sometimes analyzes subjects by touching them. …Is that really true?
“Grand Master, is that dragon battle the one reported near the southern border? I heard it was defeated.”
“That’s right. In front of many citizens and adventurers, Soushi single-handedly took it down. And he did it with his bare hands.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“I mean it literally. He took the dragon’s charge head-on and crushed its neck in a single embrace. It was as if a hero from mythology was fighting.”
“Well, that… is hard to believe…”
“Now that you mention it, I think Sakurahime said something similar. I might have dismissed it as a joke.”
“Over a hundred people witnessed it, and Soushi’s Item Box contains the entire dragon. I think the Dwarves would be thrilled to see it. They love that sort of thing.”
“I would certainly like to see it as well. Please show it to me once we arrive at the village.”
“I don’t think it’s something to flaunt, but if you insist…”
“However, the Dwarves might want the materials—fangs, claws, scales, and such. I can’t let them touch it until it’s presented to His Majesty the Emperor, though.”
In a world with few entertainments, providing such delights might be important. Especially if it makes the Dwarves happy, they would likely put more effort into our requests, which could be beneficial for us.
After a day and a half of traveling in the carriage, I noticed the lush scenery of forests, plains, and fields gradually transforming into a reddish-brown wasteland.
In the distance lay enormous boulders, each the size of a house, creating a landscape that could only be described as barren. However, the road was still intact, so we weren’t straying off course.
“The scenery has changed quite a bit. Is the Dwarven village located in such a land?”
“Indeed, they prefer exposed terrain like this. They say it allows for better fire management,” the Marquis replied.
“Better fire management, huh? That must be a sensation only Dwarves understand.”
As I conversed with the Marquis, the speed of the carriage began to slow. Looking outside, I saw castle walls that appeared to be carved from natural rock. They seemed to stretch about 300 meters wide.
From beyond the walls, several plumes of smoke rose, indicating that forging was in full swing.
It seemed we had arrived at the Dwarven village.
The carriage passed through the castle gate without stopping and came to a halt at a parking area.
“Since it’s inconvenient to travel by carriage within the village, we will proceed on foot from here,” the Marquis instructed as we disembarked.
As soon as I stepped out, a powerful scent of fire assaulted my nose, strongly asserting that this was indeed a village of blacksmiths.
Looking around, I noticed sturdy stone buildings lining the cobblestone streets, many of which had large chimneys, indicating they were workshops.
About two-thirds of the people passing by were Dwarves.
They matched the image from fantasy works in my previous life—stout, muscular figures, most sporting rich beards. The only beardless ones were women, though it seemed some women had beards as well. This was a clear reflection of the differences in race and culture.
The remaining third were mostly humans, appearing to be merchants or adventurers. They were likely here to procure weapons. Upon closer inspection, I noticed some dressed in fine clothing, resembling noble offspring. It seemed that noble families sometimes commissioned work directly from the Dwarves.
“Now, let us head to the Village Chief’s residence,” the Marquis said, leading the way with his escort of knights.
We followed behind, all of us glancing around like tourists, unable to help ourselves. The Dwarves were less common in ordinary towns than Elves, so their presence alone added a strong sense of foreignness.
“This village has a very unique atmosphere, Soushi. Most of the houses look like blacksmiths,” Freinir remarked, usually so composed, but today she seemed a bit more cheerful.
“It seems the Dwarves are more devoted to forging than I imagined. I quite like this atmosphere,” I replied.
“Your mace will surely be crafted into something magnificent,” she smiled, taking my arm.
“I’m looking forward to that. But first, I need to see if they will accept my request. I have a feeling craftsmen tend to dislike one-time customers.”
“I don’t think any Dwarf would refuse to craft your mace. It would likely be a once-in-a-lifetime job for them,” Sfenia chimed in, smiling at me.
Her demeanor was as usual, showing no signs of disliking the village’s atmosphere. She had previously mentioned that there was no animosity between Elves and Dwarves in this world, and it certainly seemed to hold true.
“I’m excited to see how my sword turns out! I have to make sure it’s better than Karma’s,” Larni added.
“I doubt anything could surpass what Karma has,” I replied.
“Well, surely the Dwarves have their secret techniques. They have plenty of materials to work with,” she insisted.
As Larni and Karma chatted, the Marquis announced, “This is the Village Chief’s residence.”
Though he called it a residence, it was merely one of the workshops along the street. It was slightly larger than the others but was an unadorned, square stone building resembling a large box.
The chimney protruding from the top continuously belched smoke, eloquently suggesting what kind of person the Dwarven Village Chief might be.