Chapter 17
Chapter 17
THAT NIGHT, I called Reyha to my room. Not for anything inappropriate, mind you. I wanted her to find out more about the worrying atmosphere at Axeholm.
Reyha was happy to hear my request and immediately set out to investigate. She returned less than an hour later to report on what she’d heard.
“I’m very sorry, my lord. The doors to all of the important sections of Axeholm require certificate plates to enter. There are too many restrictions for me to be able to properly use my skills.”
While I tried to reassure Reyha—who looked depressed about the whole thing—I felt both disappointment and excitement. It was unfortunate that we didn’t have any new information, but this was proof that the dwarves of Sedia had technology that at least rivaled Reyha, a Level 20 thief.
They would be fearsome enemies, but they would be extremely useful as allies.
“If you can give me but another day or two, I will begin my quest to find a way to move freely within Axeholm!”
Our first night in Axeholm ended with a strange wave of motivation coming over Reyha.
***
The next day, we began discussions with Garde, head of the governing house of Zamslon. This made him, for all intents and purposes, the ruler of the dwarves.
The setting was the underground levels of Axeholm. Specifically, a massive conference hall. Though, it was so big it might have been better to call it a conference stadium. A huge table was set up on a round platform in the center of the room to accommodate attendees, and there was stadium seating for onlookers set up around that. I don’t know much about such things, but judging from the sheets hanging from the ceiling, and the various shapes worked into the walls, it seemed attention had also been given to the acoustics.
The massive table was lined with dwarves who belonged to House Zamslon. I sat in the center seat opposite them. I figured the dwarf with the strange crown on his head was Garde. His face was quite wrinkled, and his hair was completely white. He was the picture of a dwarf leader. Intimidating, to say the least.
“The time is 5-5-4-3-2,” sounded an announcement. I couldn’t tell where it was coming from. “The meeting with Lord Margilus of Castle Getaeus will now commence. The most senior official in attendance is Governor Garde Zamslon XI of House Zamslon. He is assisted by Sable Zamslon VIII and Casas Rimron V. Taking the minutes is Secretary Cowell Handron IX.”
While the announcement sounded, a dwarf positioned in the corner of the table started furiously operating a machine. He was typing on something that looked like a keyboard, probably taking the minutes.
Incidentally, the “paper” set in the machine was a thin sheet of metal. It seemed dwarves didn’t really use paper.
“Mister Margilus,” said the old dwarf. “Regarding the issue of trade arrangements with your castle, we would be happy to oblige.” His wrinkles stretched congenially as he smiled. Garde looked like a sly old dwarf. I wagered he must have learned a few tricks in his day. The quick response was probably thanks to the groundwork Ild had laid the day before.
“That is wonderful news,” I told him. “I believe our castle a natural and excellent partner for Axeholm.”
I did my best to sit up tall and look important as I answered. I glanced at the daughter of nobility seated beside me, and she nodded slightly. The crash course in dwarven etiquette Clara had given me the night before was already paying off.
Garde stroked his chin. “Regarding construction of the highway… Well, it clearly has Valbo’s approval, so I do not foresee any problems. Once it is complete, it can be used as a main route of trade.”
So, it seemed House Dauron did have significant authority. Still, Garde’s voice didn’t seem quite as pleased with the highway construction.
“And your final proposal is…an anti-daemon alliance. Well, it is undeniable that we at Axeholm are aware of the serious threat that daemons pose. If there are ways in which we can cooperate with each other, then that would be ideal.”
Cooperate. I was so grateful for those words that I wanted to cry, but when I tried to read the tone and expression on Garde’s face, he didn’t seem pleased.
“That is a wise decision,” I said. “Shall we leave the precise details for coordinating both trade and alliance to the practitioners?”
“That sounds fine.” Garde raised a hand, prompting his assistants to signal the staff waiting along the wall of the conference room. Maybe they would play a closing announcement…
“Oh, wait just a moment,” I cut in. “I’m very sorry to break from schedule, but I hope you might allow me to make one more proposal here. I think it would be extremely profitable for Axeholm.”
“Is that so? And what would that proposal be?”
I’m sure the word “profitable” caught his attention. Garde seemed willing to listen, and his assistants hurriedly gave the staff new instructions. The secretary resumed his furious typing.
This was the crucial moment.
“I hear that Axeholm is also trading with Filsand, but that there is no well-maintained trade route between your realms. If the dwarf people lend their assent, I would like to help establish a safe trade route to Filsand as well.”
“Mmn…” Garde was skeptical. “And how exactly do you propose to establish such a trade route? To the east is the Iron Fan mountain range. To the north are the Twilight Wastelands.”
I smiled. “I think we should dig a tunnel straight through the Iron Fans.”
“What?!”
My proposal had plenty of impact. Garde and the other dwarves started whispering angrily among themselves. I could hear words like “stupid” and “idiotic.” Well, even a species as advanced as the dwarves of Axeholm wouldn’t normally think of tunneling through a mountain range.
Last night, Ild had already spent time in secret discussions with dwarves of House Dauron in order to judge the feasibility of the proposal. Of course, all the discussions assumed access to my magic, the details of which were met with some skepticism.
“There is no profit for us in that,” Garde objected. “That much construction would take hundreds of years, even if we allotted all our dwarfpower. Even using giants wouldn’t make much difference. You would not live to see the project’s end.”
Garde gave his explanation gently, with a measured calm that reflected his age and wisdom.
But the time for reasonable economics and sober statecraft had ended. This was an age of magic users.
***
The day after the meeting, I found myself in the plains outside of Axeholm with a number of influential dwarves.
“Now, convince me, sorcerer. If you can.”
“I’m a wizard, actually. But yes, let’s get straight to it.”
The rocky wilderness outside the city was not suitable for agriculture, and there were strange structures dotted everywhere. As expected, we could also see the bizarre giant dwarf statue.
What were we doing in these rugged plains?
“Now I will show you how we can tunnel through the Iron Fan mountain range.”
That’s right. In order to establish safe passage to Filsand, we needed to dig a long tunnel through the Iron Fan mountain range, located to the east of Axeholm. I had asked for an audience in order to present how this task, deemed practically impossible by the Zamslon dwarves, could be achieved through magic.
I mean, they didn’t look happy about it, but here we were. Fortunately, Ild had already gained the trust of Axeholm.
“Open, Gate of Magic.”
As usual, I passed through the magical gate to my inner world and descended the spiral staircase to the eighth level.
I touched the charged spells that slumbered atop the bookrests of the spellbook archive and imagined the most terribly huge, useful monster I could—then projected that thought out into the chaotic realm.
“As a consequence of this spell, I will create one digdag worm in this space under my command for a duration of one hour. Create Monster: Special.”
As always, the air in front of me distorted. The distortion was even greater than when I’d called up the forest giants. It took up my entire field of vision, making me dizzy.
The silhouette of the thing created by the magic was also different from the giants. The long, strange shape started to gain more and more form and texture.
“Wooow!!” one of the dwarves exclaimed.
“What is that?!”
“A monster!”
Even Clara was taken aback. “Wow… P-please, Margilus, don’t make such strange things appear without warning me first!”
Their shock was to be expected. My spell created a gigantic worm some thirty meters long and three meters in diameter.
The beast made a quavering noise. “Shooo…”
“Hmmm… It certainly is disgusting,” I muttered.
I’d used this monster a lot in D&B, but I’d never actually seen one with my own eyes until now. The green surface of its flesh glistened with moisture; its huge, squirming body was positively disgusting.
“S-so,” Garde said, looking faintly nauseous. “This is your sorcery—or rather, wizardry? But how will this help…?”
“You’ll see,” I assured him. I had to hold back a bit of nausea of my own. Now, digdag worm. Show us what you can do!
I communicated with the worm telepathically, and it immediately got to work.
It lifted its head high in the air, as if stretching, and when it began to curve back down, we could see its round, open maw. Yuck.
The worm slammed its head forcefully into the ground.
Thoom!
The impact felt like the hammer of a giant god had fallen from the sky, and we could hear a crushing, grinding sound.
The worm thrust itself into the ground, and the rest of its body twisted…gradually working its head further into the earth.
One of the dwarves realized what was happening. “Hey, can this thing really…?”
“That’s right,” I said. “This worm can eat through rock and dirt. It’s an excellent digger.” As I explained, the thirty-meter body of the worm started disappearing into the ground, as if swallowed up by stone. It was probably only about five minutes more before the tail and its poisonous spike vanished into the earth.
“I can’t believe it can dig so fast…”
“How far will it go?”
“It’s disappeared…”
Curious, the dwarves immediately peered over the rim of the hole where the worm had burrowed.
“Hmm?” A dwarf from House Dauron examined the hole’s edges with widened eyes. “What is this substance that’s solidified the tunnel walls?”
Just as he said, the walls of the three-meter-wide tunnel had been coated with a gray, concrete-like material.
“How can I explain this…? The worm’s…secretions…are generated from the consumption of dirt and rock, and exuded from the worm’s body to help reinforce the paths it digs. Luckily, it’s possible to control whether or not these secretions are applied.”
“Ohh… Well, this is more than satisfactory,” said one dwarf.
“Aye,” said another. “If we’re going to tunnel through the mountain, then strength will certainly be an issue.”
I’m sure you understand what I was getting at: We were building better tunnels through the power of worm poop. I’d explained in a voice that I hoped was quiet enough for the girls not to overhear. The dwarves, at least, were very receptive.
Once he’d confirmed that the digdag worm could work, and indeed could dig up to five meters without stopping, Garde bowed to me with respect. “Margilus, please forgive me for doubting you.”
“Don’t worry about it,” I said. “It’s probably your first time seeing this kind of magic. It’s only natural to have doubts.”
“I appreciate your understanding…”
“So, if you’d indulge me, I’d love to show you a few more tricks this old wizard can do.”
“Huh?!”
***
After that, I used my Create Monster spells to create ogres, giants, and even dragons. I also generated stone and iron walls and moved the land in all directions. I used everything I could to awe and impress the dwarves.
I’d taken the advice Clara had given me to heart, and had decided to go all out. To be honest, if I’d held back at all, I didn’t think I could have offered anything to these dwarves, given their massive economic and technological strengths.
After the hour-long magic exhibition was complete, Garde shouted with excitement. “Your magic is absolutely amazing, Mister Margilus! Tell me, then! All the rumors were true?! Even dropping stones and turning people to pigs…?”
“Well, more or less, yes.”
Garde clenched a fist. “Mister Margilus, Axeholm will form a friendship with you stronger than mirsdine!”
“I am most pleased to hear it,” I told him. “So then, about the trade route with Filsand…”
“Oh, yes. We have certainly confirmed here that it is possible to dig a tunnel. However…” Garde trailed off, hanging his head.
Naturally there was still the problem of whether or not Filsand would agree. Perhaps the duke wasn’t very trustworthy? I then remembered the issue of the strange atmosphere at Axeholm. Would that come up now?
“Mister Margilus!” The old dwarf suddenly snapped open his eyes, which had been buried in his wrinkles. I already had an idea of how things might go…and my stomach sank.
“Y-yes?”
“In such times as these, we turn to the guidance of the God of Iron and Fire, and beseech the God of Creation! Mister Margilus, how about it?! Will you defeat the rust beasts that have threatened our home?!”
***
The rust beasts were a fearsome foe.
According to legend, these beasts had destroyed the base the dwarves used prior to establishing Axeholm. They were shaped like lizards with six legs, and there were red masses like spots of rust all over their bodies. Each individual monster was at least three meters in length.
The scariest part about them was what they ate. These monsters had a bodily fluid that contained some sort of acid, which they used to corrode metal, then eat the rust that was generated. The cheekiest part of all was that they preferred rust from the rarest and purest metals. If it meant getting a taste of such valuable metal, they had no problem attacking dwarves and humans.
Their acid could also be used as a means of attack. Normal warriors and soldiers didn’t stand a chance, and even their equipment wasn’t safe from corrosion.
These monsters were a natural enemy to dwarves, whose livelihoods depended on mining and blacksmithing.
When discovered years earlier, they’d lived in a pack of about ten monsters, but they had now formed a colony a hundred monsters strong. One had grown especially mighty, and was now widely reviled as the “Rust King.”
Currently, the rust beasts were settled in a corner of the Iron Fan mountain range to the east of Axeholm. Apparently, they hadn’t struck as far as Axeholm yet, but the problem was that the monsters had built their nest at Mount Njord. That peak was a sort of mecca for the dwarves, as well as a valuable source of ores.
Thus, the dwarves had been unable to mine sufficient ore for over a year now. The rust beasts were also proliferating and expanding their nest, meaning the situation was only going to grow more dire.
They had already sent two brigades to try and defeat them, but the results were disastrous. The worst part was that their weapons and armor had turned to rust and so become food for the beasts.
“So you see,” I explained to everyone, “having these things living nearby is a threat to our prosperity.”
I’d returned to the guest quarters to explain Garde’s request to my friends.
But really, was it physically possible for the bodily fluids of a living being to corrode metal? I didn’t really know. It might not have been strictly relevant, but there was a similar monster in D&B…
Clara pursed her lips. “Rust beasts, is it? I’ve heard rumors about them, but I didn’t realize that they were growing in numbers again…”
“They seem quite strong,” said Ild. “To think they have the power to rust iron…”
I knew there were monsters and magical beings in this world, but I hadn’t realized that there was one species causing so much damage. I’d never planned to try and become a monster hunter, but my interests were in line with the dwarves’ right now. “In any case, this is a formal request from all of Axeholm. Let’s accept.”
“Yes, you’re quite right. And I will negotiate proper compensation for your work,” Ild insisted. I wasn’t looking forward to that detail, but if it meant helping out with the costs of the highway construction or getting preferential treatment in trade, then it would really help.
“I’ve used a lot of spells today already,” I said. “Let’s leave tomorrow morning, after I’ve fully charged my combat spells.”
Once we dispersed, I suddenly had a thought. What I just said was the same as saying, “If we’re attacked tonight, I’ll be in trouble,” wasn’t it?
According to the information we got from the dwarves, the rust beasts hadn’t shown any sign of attacking Axeholm yet, but still.
If Yagi was the game master, that would definitely have been foreshadowing.
There was no game master in Sedia. I knew that, but I still had a certain gut feeling. Perhaps I was overthinking things, but forewarned is forearmed, and there was no reason not to be cautious. I asked Feivel to help make a few preparations outside of Axeholm.
***
The next morning, we were fortunate enough not to wake up to an attack. I rose relatively early and opened my spellbook. I needed to charge the spells I’d need for the day’s hunt.
From the outside, it looked like I was just reading through a spellbook, but my imagined self in my inner world was busy writing things down on blank paper. This was the ritual by which shape and form was given to my magical powers in the form of spells, and then preserved within my consciousness.
Just when I was about to finish writing my first spell…
“Hmm?”
I lifted my real-life head. I thought I’d heard something. Well, that much distraction wouldn’t really bother the me that labored within.
“My lord!” Reyha bounded into my guestroom. At this point, the inner world me was right in the middle of copying the spells. I had a really bad feeling about this.
“What is it, Reyha?”
“It’s an attack. The rust beasts have come!”