Vol 8 Chapter 11

"Remember that I allowed you in only because I trust the Flame Dragon's name and aura."

"Understood."

Only after hearing that answer did the dwarf seem satisfied and close his mouth. Saying they were letting them in because of the Flame Dragon's name and aura meant that if Kapros hadn't received that passive skill from Kor, they wouldn't have even made it this far.

'As expected, that skill wasn't given for nothing.'

"I'm kind of looking forward to what the dwarf village will be like. The elf village was so pretty."

Despite having just heard the dwarf's threatening words, Kion-hyung chatted in Kapros's ear with a completely untense attitude.

"Elves?"

Having apparently heard those words, Lucrecian asked with an interested manner.

"Ah, you fraud haven't been there, right? Kar and I have already been to the elf village too. Hmph."

"I see. Well, I can go later with hyung."

"You think our Kar would go with the likes of you?"

As Kion-hyung flared up and wrapped his arm around Kapros's neck to pull him sharply toward himself, Kapros almost lost his balance and fell for a moment.

"...Hyung."

"Ugh. Sorry."

"You lot... I noticed from how casually you talked about trying to break Kelastiers... but you seem to have completely lost your sense of fear. *cough, cough!!*"

The dwarf Gimpa walking ahead looked at them while coughing.

"We'll be entering soon, so you'd better get your wits about you as we go down."

As he said, soon the outside light began to grow closer. As they advanced while shielding their eyes from the brightness with their hands, they could see a group of dwarves gathered not far away.

"Gimpa! Gimpa, are you alright? Are you safe?"

"No, why is everyone out here?"

"Henmer said the shock from Kelastiers was because humans were trying to break it, but you were coming with those humans... Gasp!"

The dwarf who had rushed over to embrace Gimpa saw Kapros standing behind him and backed away in shock.

"Th-they really are humans!"

Seeing them so surprised just because they were human gave Kapros a strange feeling, as if they had become ghosts or monsters. While the elves had found humans interesting, they had only watched from afar and kept their distance unless they had reason to speak, but the dwarves seemed to have completely different personalities.

"It's only been 500 years since we became a dwarf-only society, why are you acting so shamefully surprised? *cough!* They say they've come as the Flame Dragon's representatives to see the Master, so it's none of our business."

"Ah... ah, the Master you say. The Flame Dragon's..."

Finally passing by Gimpa's dwarf friends who were calming down, they stopped in their tracks, surprised by the well-organized city made of earth and stone that spread out widely from where the path ended.

"Wow. The scale is completely different from the elf village. This is practically a city, just without castle walls, isn't it?"

Though there weren't any special light-emitting ore attached, this place was warm and bright as if sunlight were shining down.

'It doesn't seem like there's anywhere for light to leak in either...'

The dizzyingly high ceiling they looked up at was made of just earth and stone like the one they had seen in the mine.

"Hmm... Though smaller than a metropolis, this is about the size of a decent mid-sized city."

"This is Duranberg, the first home created by us, the iron race."

Gimpa, who had approached them again, looked down at the city with a proud expression. Behind him, a group of dwarves was still pointing at them and whispering, not daring to come closer.

"You said you came to see the Master. This way."

The dwarf city they had finally entered was overall smaller than human-sized, but most of the buildings were surprisingly solid and detailed.

Buildings made by stacking carved black stone were each adorned with artistically engraved patterns that added to the overall beauty, and surprisingly, trees and flowers also bloomed along the streets and in gardens.

'Though they're plants that look a bit strange...'

"Look at that. Humans!"

"My goodness. Humans we've only seen in pictures!"

"Not having any hair, they're really ugly."

"..."

At those words about being ugly, Kion-hyung's eyebrows, which had been walking along nonchalantly until then, twitched uncontrollably.

"Did you hear that, Kar? Calling us ugly... Their eyes must be seriously crossed, all of them."

Well... though Kapros thought different aesthetic standards might explain it, it seemed an utterly unacceptable statement to Kion-hyung's sky-high pride.

"It's interesting hearing something I've never heard before in my life."

Lucrecian, who had seemed more likely to be angrier than Kion-hyung, looked with interest at the group of dwarves who had said that, along with a radiant smile like a poisonous flower. Of course, those dwarves fled in terror.

"The Master should have already been contacted through Henmer. The Master's workshop is right there."

The place Dwarf Gimpa pointed to was a huge temple-like building erected in the center of the city.

"From here on, you must go by yourselves."

"Thank you for guiding us."

"May you receive Kelastiers' wrath."

With that curse and a hoarse cough, Gimpa turned and disappeared. They climbed the stairs toward the building Gimpa had shown them, ignoring the groups of dwarves gathering behind them and whispering.

"This really looks like a temple."

Having entered the building, Kion-hyung muttered while looking around, apparently sharing Kapros's thoughts.

Though it had been called a workshop, the building's interior was lined only with all sorts of symbolic statues and sculptures, and nothing about it felt like a workshop no matter where they looked.

"So you've come, dragon's representatives, human adventurers."

At that moment, a female dwarf with long hair braided in two plaits emerged from among the sculptures to greet them. Though she gave off the impression of a fierce cat with her fluffy hair on her exposed arms and legs and upturned eyes, she possessed quite striking beauty.

"Are you the iron craftsman?"

At Kapros's question, the woman shook her head.

"I am the Master's daughter. Father is waiting, so please come this way."