NOVEL NEXT Volume 6 Chapter 22: The Dwarf King
Volume 6 Chapter 22: The Dwarf King
(Walson)
After reaching an understanding with the Vassal of The Earth, the reincarnation of the Silverfish, Zakarina, she immediately burrowed into the ground and left.
I never imagined that there was someone else besides me who could infiltrate this supposedly impenetrable city using such an unconventional method—digging through the ground in a simple and crude manner, minecraft style.
I don't know how her combat strength compares to that of the Hero King, but I am very relieved that I don't have to face that "much stronger than Belle" guy myself.
—But seriously, what is the Guardian of The Light, Vantinom, doing? How could one of her Vassals suddenly go mad and wreak havoc like this?!
Though it doesn't seem to have affected me, a passive Vassal of The Forest, at the moment, who knows what kind of mess this will create for me in the future?
I'd like to ask Belle about it, but questioning another's Elemental Guardian is probably not a good idea. I just hope they can handle their own issues. I'll focus on the task at hand and try to resolve the issue of the Cat God's nightmares.
—Well, to be honest, this issue has already been resolved.
What? Just like that? You might ask, but it really was that simple.
Here's how it went: after nightfall yesterday, I had Barella stealthily fly up to that purple sun and instructed her to throw a bottle of milk at it.
Initially, I was worried about encountering some resistance, but aside from an anti-air barrier, there was nothing. I had thought that Nakula was the most neglectful Elemental Guardian regarding their labyrinth, but it turns out this Cat God, who only wakes up one day a year, is even lazier.
The Fire and Water Elemental Guardian built extremely complicated labyrinths, and even Nakula created a large forest as her maze. As for this Cat God... uh, apart from that anti-air barrier, there seems to be nothing else.
The anti-air barrier mainly targets specific types of flight magic, but the [Fallen Angel] flight suit that Barella wears is nothing like conventional flight magic. With no guardian beasts or other obstructions, she easily threw the bottle of milk onto the sun and flew back without a hitch.
The only potential issue was whether Barella would be noticed by the local Dwarfs, but it's unlikely anyone would pay attention to something flying in the sky. Even if they did notice, her speed would make it hard to discern that it was a person (and even if someone with sharp eyes did notice, they'd likely think they were seeing things). Thus, the issue was resolved.
The light from the purple sun seems softer than it was a few days ago. Barella successfully completed the mission, at least ensuring that the situation wouldn't worsen. However, the consequences that have already occurred still need to be dealt with, which is not my concern.
—-At least, that's what I thought, but no matter how much I planned, I didn't expect trouble to come knocking on my door.
Around noon, while I was sketching designs in the workshop, a group of neutral targets, marked as green dots on the [mini-map], suddenly appeared outside the fortress and rapidly approached in transport boxes.
The sudden occurrence left little time to react. I had to quickly use [Party Telepathy] to instruct Grace to use spatial jumps to swiftly evacuate everyone else.
Grace's spatial jump cooldown varies with the moisture concentration but generally takes about a second. It sounds short, but in an emergency, you quickly realize the importance of every millisecond.
Within a few seconds, my fiancées, Belle, and Alice, who were on the third floor, were successfully evacuated by Grace.
Despite our quick response, Tanaya and I, who were still on the second floor, were not as fortunate. We were forced to watch as the iron gate of the external passage opened, and a huge transport box filled with people was brought in by mechanical arms.
# Grace, I've been seen. Don't teleport back for now # I sent through telepathy, preventing Grace from attempting to come back and take us away.
There is a group of Noble Dwarfs here. If Grace and the others, who are from different races, were seen, it would cause a severe diplomatic incident.
Even if we successfully escape, we'd still face an unknown mess to clean up, which is something I don't want to deal with.
# …Walson, contact me anytime # Grace said briefly.
Five Dwarfs and several soldiers in small [Steam Motion Armor] disembarked from the giant transport box. These Dwarfs were clearly different in demeanor and attire from those I had seen on the streets before.
They all looked like elderly men, wearing blue diagonal sashes that exposed their burly arms. The leader, who had a neatly trimmed, graying beard and a sharp, eagle-like gaze, wore a purple and black sash and a crystal crown, making him stand out.
I instantly guessed the identity of the newcomer. His overwhelming presence exuded an intimidating aura that made people hesitate to meet his gaze. In comparison, his entourage seemed insignificant.
It was my first encounter with such a formidable figure.
[Gur Barlow_LV 56_HP 1033/1033_Status: Normal_Title: King of the Dwarfs]
As expected, a true king. I glanced behind Chuck, where a soldier had already restrained him. Clearly, something had gone wrong.
Damn it.
"Big Brother?" Tanaya tugged at my sleeve.
"Don't worry, stay behind me." I shielded Tanaya, steadying my nerves and meeting the Dwarf King's gaze without flinching.
The Dwarf King looked at me coldly. Although we were about the same height, I felt as if I were significantly shorter than him.
"Foreign invaders who ignore our nation's prohibition and intrude on our territory, state your name," the Dwarf King demanded. His voice wasn't loud, but it was filled with authority.