Vol 8 Chapter 10

"W-what race are you...!"

"As you can see, hu-"

"S-stop, stop! D-don't say it!"

Just as Kapros was about to say he was human, as anyone could see, the dwarf waved his hands and stepped far back.

"That gloomy black robe that conceals everything... that gloomy voice... and this evil aura...!"

'...Evil?'

"Pffft..."

Beside him, Kion-hyung made a sound as he couldn't hold back his laughter. The dwarf muttered to himself while looking at Kapros with terror-filled eyes, then seemed to reach a conclusion as he pointed and shouted.

"The Black Dragon's minion has finally appeared!"

"..."

The misunderstanding was so tremendous that no words came to mind. Though Kapros had no idea what about him suggested he was a Black Dragon's minion, the dwarf seemed absolutely convinced of his assumption. Trying to calm his gradually rising irritation, Kapros opened his mouth once more.

"Like I said, I'm hu-"

"Henmer, shut up for a bit."

However, interrupting his words again, another figure revealed himself from behind. A dwarf with long half-white beard who seemed much older than the dwarf before them looked around at them while coughing loudly.

"Originally we shouldn't reveal ourselves here, but thanks to you all we've come out here for the first time in hundreds of years. Just who are you humans? And you..."

The elderly dwarf looked meaningfully at Kapros's face while coughing heavily.

"I sense dragon's aura from you. And very strongly... Which dragon sent you?"

'Ah... Is it because of that passive skill?'

Only upon hearing this did Kapros think he understood why they had said things about him being a dragon's minion or sensing dragon's aura. Kor had given him a new passive skill that supposedly bestowed dragon's aura on the user, and it seemed that was taking effect on them.

'Since passive skills are invisible, I had forgotten about it.'

"It's Flame Dragon Kor. I've come at Kor's request to meet the dwarf race's master, the iron craftsman."

"Flame Dragon Kor..."

"Elder Gimpa, if it's the Flame Dragon, could it be that one near here...?"

"Didn't I tell you to keep your mouth shut, Henmer. Should I have Temtem weld that mouth of yours that can't read situations? *cough, cough, kugh!*"

As soon as the dwarf who had appeared first tactlessly interrupted, the elderly dwarf glared at him sharply and rebuked him.

"Ah, alright. I get it."

'Fortunately it seems I can communicate properly with this dwarf.'

As Henmer the dwarf stepped back, immediately cowed, the elderly dwarf called Elder Gimpa looked at Kapros.

"Why does the Flame Dragon want us? What business?"

"I will only tell that to the iron craftsman Kor told me to meet."

Would this answer work or not? After frowning even more deeply at Kapros's careful answer and pondering for a while, the elderly dwarf difficultly nodded.

"...Very well. If that's true, then it's not something I should hear."

"Elder!"

The dwarf called Henmer shouted in shock from behind.

"Are you in your right mind? Letting humans in...!"

"Henmer, go back to the village first and inform everyone. I will return with these people."

"Elder Gimpa!!"

"*cough, cough cough!*... You who haven't even learned water essence have no right to stop me. Go quickly and do as I say."

"...Damn it!"

The young dwarf who glared at them with wary eyes ground his teeth and suddenly ran off somewhere.

"Pardon my late introduction. I am called Gimpa. Since we are a race that shouldn't be here, let's move somewhere else first before talking."

The dwarf called Gimpa said this while glancing at the wall Kion-hyung had broken. He seemed very displeased about it.

'...If we had broken through the whole tunnel as planned, we would have been beaten to death.'

"Follow me."

The place the dwarf took them was a dead end nearby where a huge rock seemed embedded in the wall like a barrier. When he looked around there and kicked one of the ore-like stones that was embedded,

Thud, rumble!

"Wow..."

Surprisingly, the rock split in two before their eyes and a new path opened. Following the dwarf who entered without hesitation, they could see light-emitting ore embedded in a straight line as if someone had placed them deliberately.

"What are your names?"

"I am Kapros, a human mage, this is my companion Kion, a priest of Skaga. And this person is..."

Unable to judge whether it was alright to proudly state Lucrecian's job as assassin, Kapros looked to the side and the grinning man continued on his own.

"I am Lucrecian, who does knife work at night."

'Knife work at night...'

Though it matched the general image, Kapros wondered if such an explanation was really alright.

"I see. As you can see, I am a dwarf, and though retired now, I was once a brave warrior."

'...Seems it was fine.'

As if noticing Kapros's incredulity, Lucrecian gave a sweet smile even more full of schemes than usual while waving his hand slightly.

"Why did you try to break Kelastiers?"

Like before, he had wondered about the unfamiliar word Kelastiers, but from context it seemed to refer to the mine they had broken into.

"That's... we were looking around thinking you might be somewhere here, and thought it might be better to dig a straight tunnel instead, and somehow..."

At Kapros's answer, the dwarf called Gimpa's wrinkled eyes narrowed into lines.

"Dig a tunnel?"

"..."

"You're saying you have that kind of power?"

"If you hadn't come, we would have already broken through and more."

Kion-hyung, who still seemed to have negative feelings toward the dwarves, finally shot back.

"How much do you know about us?"

"To be honest, not much."

"That's fortunate. Otherwise there would be no meaning in us hiding our appearance."

The dwarf walking ahead let out a phlegmy laugh.

"You should know well that if there is even one falsehood among your reasons for wanting to meet the iron craftsman, no one will leave our home, Duranberg, alive."

"..."