Chapter 12 : Dwarf Princess
Chapter 12: Dwarf Princess
“Now, consider this. The heroes confidently opened the door, certain that only weak monsters would be inside. But what if, instead of monsters and a labyrinth, something else was waiting?”
“If that something were dwarves, we would become a laughingstock. Is it mockery you seek rather than demonic energy?”
“If you utter the word ‘mockery’ before me again, Gordon, even you might lose your head.”
“....”
Gordon fell silent under the sudden murderous intent that burst forth.
“I will explain again. I am not talking about dwarves themselves. I mean the tools they create. If colossal ballistae launched bolts, if logs and mechanisms activated, and amidst them an enormous cannon packed with explosives spewed fire?”
“Uh....”
That was quite something.
“It won’t just be ‘quite something.’ It will be decisively effective.”
The Demon King’s Standard had already been studied and countered by Arein’s heroes.
As a result, a Hero’s Standard existed, and using dwarves was a clever move that could strike a gap in it.
“Heroes have a deeply rooted preconception.”
On the 1st floor were weak monsters, and as one ascended, stronger monsters and demons appeared.
“To them, that is a truth.”
Because Demon Kings had adhered to the Standard as though it were absolute truth. It was no different from centuries of indoctrination.
“But what if, instead, the dwarves’ meticulously crafted devices poured down like a single, overwhelming bombardment? And what if they weren’t even powered by mana?”
“It would certainly....”
There was a real possibility.
If they were demons, one might say otherwise. But humans were different.
Even a hero powerful enough to stand against a Demon King was still ultimately human. If a hole was punched through their abdomen and their organs ruptured, they died.
What was a minor injury for demons became a severe wound for humans.
If the attack came at a completely unexpected moment, in a completely unexpected form, they could all be annihilated—or at the very least, suffer critical injuries.
“Then I take it you agree.”
Gordon, who had been blankly imagining the scene, quickly shook his head.
“No matter what, that does not align with the Standard....”
But the Demon King was already gone.
* * *
Humans unmistakably ruled the dimension called Arein.
Countless other races lived there, but more than 70% of the land had fallen into human hands, over 20% remainedl undeveloped territory, and the areas where the other races survived amounted to less than 10%.
And even that meagre portion was divided and fought over by the various races.
Thus, to find another race, one had to venture rather deep. Humans had taken all the good places.
Among them, the dwarves—renowned for their exceptional metallurgy—were famous for burrowing their underground nests into mountainous regions rich in ore veins.
Berje stood at the entrance leading into their underground city, his face hidden beneath a thick hood. The tips of several crossbows pointed at him.
“Halt. Who are you, and where did you come from?”
“A mercenary from the Pulan side.”
He held out the mercenary badge he had obtained from the Red Hawk Mercenary Company.
“Human?”
“Yes.”
“Your purpose?”
He pulled out a chipped sword he had picked up on his way.
“You use cheap scraps.”
“Don’t cause trouble.”
Clank—
Once he stepped inside, a massive device dropped vertically. A faint aura of mana drew Berje down into the underground.
‘A first.’
Before his regression, he had killed countless dwarves, but this was the first time he had actually sought out one of their cities himself.
‘If a hero had a fine weapon, it was always the work of those little dwarven bastards.’
There had been more than a few cities he had annihilated by sending monsters.
The enormous wealth and spoils were a bonus, though at the time he had not understood the value of money. He had pursued only strength, demonic energy, and the Standard.
‘I was a fool.’
With that money, he could have bought an entire kingdom.
The door opened. A long, straight main road stretched ahead.
The buildings lined along the road were arranged with flawless order.
Unlike humans’ disorganized cities, this was a planned one—rigid, yet delicate.
Clang, clang, clang—
A gentle geothermal warmth washed over him.
The distant hammering echoed softly, and black smoke trailed upward toward the ceiling.
Short, stout dwarves moved busily through the streets.
Berje stepped into the nearest inn.
“Human...?”
The short innkeeper eyed him warily and shamelessly charged five silver coins for a single night.
“Five coins for only one night?”
“If you don’t like it, leave. But no innkeeper will let a human stay for less.”
“We signed a peace treaty ages ago.”
“Signing a treaty doesn’t erase the past.”
Well, it wasn’t Berje’s concern.
“If you tell me who the most skilled craftsman in this city is, I’ll give you one more coin.”
“Are you a hero come to repair equipment?”
“There’s no rule that only heroes must have their equipment repaired.”
“Two coins.”
“Copper?”
“Silver, of course.”
“So dwarves are just as greedy for money as heroes, it seems.”
“Because humans are greedy for money.”
Berje placed seven silver coins on the table.
“Roger Friedrich. Walk one kilometer east along the main road from the central plaza, and he should be on the right. But even if you go, you won’t get what you want. Too many reservations. He won’t have time for some lowly mercenary’s request.”
“And yet you sold that information and took my money?”
“The question you asked was only to name the most skilled craftsman.”
The dwarf shrugged and handed him a key.
“Third floor, room 303.”
“If I go now, will he be there?”
“He doesn’t leave his workshop often, so most likely. Though whether you’ll manage to meet him is another matter.”
“Thanks.”
He first went up to the third floor. The room was shabby. Just a small table and an old bed.
But that didn’t matter. He opened the window and stepped outside.
He pulled the robe tighter to hide his face more securely and headed toward the workshop.
Five massive chimneys belched thick black smoke into the air. Contrary to the innkeeper’s words, there was no long line.
Instead, there were armed guards. Dozens of them. Whether that famed craftsman had hired them personally, or whether the rulers of the city had stationed them to protect him, Berje didn’t know, but one thing was certain.
Skill.
At least the innkeeper hadn’t lied about that.
‘Well, dwarves are known for being worth every coin you pay.’
Unlike humans, who were greedy yet often worthless.
Berje slipped past the dwarves’ attention and quietly entered the workshop.
Kang, kang, kang, kang—
The hammering that barely reached his ears outside now boomed like thunder through the entire building. The heat was incomparable to what it had been before.
Below, shirtless dwarves glistened with sweat. Dozens of craftsmen worked the furnaces in unison—an impressive sight.
‘Which one of them is....’
Roger?
He wanted to kidnap them all, but doing so would certainly expose his identity.
‘A blade once shown is no blade at all.’
Why would the Demon King kidnap dwarves? That question alone would shatter their preconception of the Demon King. So he absolutely could not allow the Demon King—him—to be discovered abducting dwarves.
So he needed just one. The best one.
It was then—
Wooong—
A faint vibration muddled his senses.
A subtle intruder-detection spell he had failed to notice because he’d been distracted.
“An intruder!”
“It’s Roger’s workshop!”
The soldiers scrambled into motion.
Siren-like alarms echoed, and the craftsmen’s hammering abruptly ceased.
But that—
Kang, kang—
Was an opportunity instead.
Up the corridor, beyond a door, the only remaining hammering continued. The soldiers’ shouts—“Roger’s room”—echoed in Berje’s ears.
“....”
He carefully opened the door. A blistering wave of heat washed over him.
A dwarf hammered away, his back muscles rippling.
The metal, glowing red-hot, spat brilliant sparks. Intense mana seeped into it. The entire process was almost beautiful.
But then—
“....”
“....”
The dwarf turned and looked straight at Berje.
Their eyes met.
“...demon race?”
“...hero?”
Instinctive hostility surged between them like a storm.
The dwarf flared the fire within the forge. A fierce blaze swept toward Berje. Through it, a massive hammer came crashing down.
But the hammer failed to pierce his body. The forge’s flames felt as familiar as an old friend.
Crack—
A rough hand clamped around the dwarf’s throat.
“For a hero, you’re quite weak.”
Weaker than any hero he had ever fought.
Berje’s mouth curled into a sly smile.
* * *
A hero was a guardian.
The demon race were invaders.
A hero chosen by the dimension instinctively sensed invaders.
Invaders instinctively recognized their natural predators.
There was no need for a complex process.
The moment even the slightest opening appeared, they realized they were enemies.
That was why Berje had bothered putting Granada at the front as a face. No matter how much he hid his own face, if he stepped forward personally and met a hero, the moment he revealed even the slightest bit of power, his identity would inevitably be exposed.
In this world, one never knew when or where a hero might appear.
“Ghk...!”
The dwarf’s face turned pale.
“Weaker than any hero I’ve ever faced.”
A hero, by definition, was someone empowered by the dimension. Since they were the dimension’s will to protect the world, they were destined to grow strong.
Of course, a newly-awakened hero could still be weak. But this dwarf called Roger was not one of those.
He carried a reputation of being the best in the city. It was not something built in a day or two.
How could someone like that be this weak?
“Why is a demon race here?”
“Well.”
I came to kidnap you. Originally, anyway.
“This is troublesome.”
He had thought the dwarf was a simple craftsman, but he was a hero.
‘Should I just reveal myself as the Demon King and kill him?’
His combat ability was terrible, but his reputation echoed throughout the underground city. Given the nature of dwarves, the news would have already spread to the other cities.
It was somewhat different from killing human heroes, but the effect would still be notable.
No—would it?
The value of a hero’s death lay in the fact that heroes were their hope. But could such a pitifully weak hero even be considered hope?
“The door’s open!”
“He’s after Lord Roger!”
The soldiers’ voices approached quickly.
Roger desperately worked his thoughts.
‘Why would a demon race be here?’
The Tower was the stronghold of the demon race. The farther they moved from it, the weaker they became due to interference.
The demon race were a species that despised weakness and could not easily accept their own decline. That was why only monsters ever came to greet heroes.
There was only one reason a demon race—or a Demon King—would come in person.
To kidnap a prince or princess.
‘No way...!’
Lightning streaked through Roger’s mind.
‘The princess...?’
A princess of the kingdom had recently come here, to the underground city of Wolfner, and was still staying there. Her purpose was the weapon Roger was forging, and she was to leave with it as soon as it was completed.
If the demon race knew that and had come here because of it—
Roger clenched his fists.
He hated fighting, but he was still a hero. He could not stand by and let someone kidnap her.
“You fiend! You will never take the princess!”
“Oh? So the princess was here?”
“Don’t play dumb!”
“Don’t worry. I’m kidnapping you.”
“...What?”
Thud—
Roger’s vision went black.
“Lord Roger!”
What the soldiers saw when they burst in was an empty workshop—and the princess’s weapon, melting from the rising heat.
* * *
“Ugh.”
Roger opened his eyes. A shabby ceiling came into view. His body wouldn’t move, as though bound, and his mouth wouldn’t open either.
“You’re awake?”
A deep voice. Thick demonic energy seeped from it.
“This is an inn on the outskirts of the city. I’d like to leave the city soon, but things got bigger than expected. The security is tight. Well, I could still get out if I wanted, but I don’t feel like revealing my identity.”
Roger shifted his eyes. He saw pupils looking down at him, legs crossed in boredom.
“So I’ll ask. Do you know of any secret passages? I know dwarf cities have several. You’re a hero—surely you know at least one or two.”
The fiend whispered.
“I’ll let you speak. Even if you scream, it won’t matter, so if you want to tear your throat apart, go ahead.”
Snap—
A light flick of the fingers. His stiff tongue began to move.
“...You think I’ll tell you? As you said, I’m a hero. Do you think a hero would help a demon race bastard like you?”
“I’m giving you a choice. Will you come with me quietly so we can leave smoothly? Or will you watch the princess get kidnapped from the afterlife?”
“...!”
So the princess was the target!
Roger ground his teeth.
“The kingdom’s royal knight order is guarding the princess with an impenetrable defense. Do you think a mere demon race mongrel like you could kidnap her?”
“Let me correct just one thing. I am not a ‘mere demon race.’ I am the ‘Demon King.’ So yes, even with a few royal knights around, it’s entirely possible.”
“...D-Demon… King?”
Not demon race…?
Hic—
“Oh, I just thought of something more entertaining than killing you. If I release you… and then go kidnap the princess, what would the dwarves think?”
“What vile scheme are you plotting!”
“A member of the demon race, captured a hero but was let go, and then the princess disappears. Isn’t it obvious? A hero who ‘sold the princess to beg for his life.’ What a wicked hero.”
Humans called this social execution.
The Demon King snapped his fingers and murmured. His tongue, smooth like a cunning serpent’s, made Roger’s complexion fade.
To live after that would not be living. He didn’t even want to imagine what would follow. Death would be kinder.
“You vile—!”
“Thanks for the compliment. I’ll give you another chance. What will you do?”
“...I’ll go.”
The Demon King and the hero ascended to the surface through a tunnel the hero had secretly dug.
* * *
Meanwhile.
“....”
The princess of the dwarf kingdom stared blankly at the half-melted mass of metal.
Something that could not be called a weapon… nor armor.
“...So this is my weapon?”
“...It was your weapon.”
“Shut up. Before I kill you.”
At the princess’s growl, the knight fell silent.
“Explain it to me in a way that actually makes sense. Why did it end up like this?”
“Lord Roger has disappeared. Just before his disappearance, there was a large commotion. We have testimony from the soldiers. Therefore, we are assuming he was kidnapped, and we have sealed all entrances and begun a full-scale search.”
“Motherf—!”
Bang—
The princess slammed her fist down. Her punch went through the table and partially collapsed the floor below. The knights staggered, and screams rose from beneath.
“That bastard is supposed to be a hero, isn’t he?”
“He is a hero, but he spent all his time smithing, so his combat ability is rather....”
“Bring him to me immediately! Hunt down that damned kidnapper and drag him before me!”
“We will capture him without fail!”
“If you don’t… I’ll use your head instead.”
Screee—
The steel cup twisted until it was unrecognizable in her grip.
The knights’ faces turned pale.