Unrest in the Land of the Dwarves – Part 06

Hikaru woke to the cold air and an earthy scent. As he sluggishly sat up, he saw the roof of a tent made from animal hide right above him. He was alone in this one-person tent, lying on a small cot to avoid the discomfort of sleeping directly on the ground. He had slept here, wrapped in a blanket.

“Ugh, my body feels stiff.”

As an adventurer, Hikaru was used to sleeping in harsh environments.

He stretched his limbs and stepped out of the tent. The sun was rising slowly in the east, painting the sky pale blue. Smoke curled from all over the camp as Dwarves began waking up.

A river flowed nearby, but the camp also had a well. Around it, female Dwarves were already busy preparing meals and washing clothes. Hikaru admired their diligence. Gilma had mentioned last night that the men would still be asleep, likely hungover.

Lavia and Paula were over at the Gittan Trading Company building with Gilma, while the Four Eastern Stars had their own tents.

Hikaru decided on a leisurely morning walk. The camp was large, and it was easy to see that even among the Dwarves, there was a wide variety of personalities.

The Dwarves’ staple food was wheat, which they ground after removing the husks and boiled into a soft, porridge-like dish. They mixed in minced meat, chopped vegetables, or goat’s milk, varying the flavor daily. Hikaru found their culinary creativity fascinating.

In a distant meadow, some Dwarves were tending to dozens of goats and sheep. Despite it being winter, patches of green grass still dotted the dry, withered fields, and the animals grazed on them. Since the Dwarves’ city was in the mountains, they raised livestock in these hills.

“This place must sell some amazing cheese,” Hikaru mumbled.

Last night, Gilma had served yogurt and butter made from goat or sheep’s milk. It had a distinct smell from a cow’s produce but a rich flavor that screamed, “This is the land of the Dwarves.”

Hikaru stopped by the well to wash his face and rinse his mouth. The female Dwarves commended him for waking up early. Something about humans being better than Dwarves in that regard.

I’m not so sure what’s so praiseworthy about waking early, he thought as he headed toward Gittan Trading.

Even early in the morning, the area around the store buzzed with activity. A merchant convoy that had arrived late the previous day was preparing to leave, laden with goods they had bought from the Dwarves. Another convoy was expected by noon.

“What should I do today?”

Dodonno and Dodorono had taken the Progenitor’s Shield to their home. They probably wouldn’t stay long, so Hikaru guessed they would return in a day or two at the latest. Once they were back, Hikaru, along with the Four Eastern Stars, could head back to the Kingdom of Ponsonia via Agiapole.

He’d discussed these plans with Selyse and the others last night.

When Hikaru asked about what the Four Eastern Stars had been up to, Serika complained about the Adventurers Guild treating them like they were errand runners.

They’d been caught in a power struggle between Adventurers Guild factions. Selyse, sitting at the end of the table, had been oddly quiet, casting glances his way. Hikaru suspected she was up to something. Meanwhile, Sara and Lavia enthusiastically discussed a Japanese TV series, leaving Sophie to fill Hikaru in.

The Adventurers Guild had noticed something unusual happening in Ironforge, but they weren’t sure exactly what. This was because the Adventurers Guild didn’t have a presence here. Normally, they would have requested an investigation from the adventurers in Einbiest, but while Beastmen excelled in mobility and combat, they were not cut out for internal investigations.

By chance, the Four Eastern Stars arrived at Agiapole to escort adventurers they had rescued from the Great Labyrinth of Runay-aas, and even submitted a thorough survey report. This led the Guild to ask them to look into the situation in Ironforge as well. Regardless of any ulterior motives the Agiapole branch might have had, the commission itself seemed reasonable.

On a side note, the adventurers who made it out of the Great Labyrinth of Runay-aas had formed a new party with the remaining members but planned to quit once they’d saved enough for a fresh start. Their traumatic ordeal had clearly changed their outlook on life.

The Four Eastern Stars had also quickly realized that the Black Wedge Gate wouldn’t activate. They could travel from the Man Gnome village, but they couldn’t return there.

At that point, the Four Eastern Stars planned to quickly wrap up their investigation and return to Ponsonia, when they ran into a problem: humans weren’t allowed to enter Ironforge. As they debated what to do, they learned from Gilma that a saber-toothed tiger had been spotted near the camp. So, they decided to hunt it.

“What a bunch of softies,” Hikaru muttered with a smile.

The investigation commission was important, but they also couldn’t turn away from people in need. This was why Hikaru trusted the Four Eastern Stars.

“Hey, you. Human,” a voice called from behind.

Hikaru’s mind was occupied with the Four Eastern Stars that he hadn’t noticed the approaching figures.

When he turned around, he found four female Dwarves standing there. One looked young enough to be a kid, but with Dwarves, appearances rarely matched age.

“Yes?”

They were about ten meters away, too far for Hikaru to check their Soul Boards. His wariness spiked as he noticed they were fully armed, their posture sharp and battle-ready, unlike the camp guards. They looked like adventurers, much like himself.

They had also positioned themselves strategically, ensuring they could react quickly if there was an attack.

“Are you the adventurer with Gittan Trading?” asked the girl in front.

Her hair was tied in bunches, and although she looked young, she had a battle axe strapped to her back, nearly as tall as she was. Her flawless stance marked her as a seasoned fighter.

“I am,” Hikaru replied.

About fifty meters ahead was the back entrance to Gittan Trading. While he wasn’t officially employed by them, the fact that Lavia and Paula were staying there made it impossible to claim no connection. To others, it would likely appear that he was an adventurer hired by the company. Not wanting to bother with unnecessary explanations, Hikaru simply went with the girl’s assumption.

“I see. So you’re the shithead, huh?”

“What?”

Without warning, the girl moved, covering the ten meters in an instant.

“Haah!”

“Whoa, whoa.”

She pulled the battle axe from over her shoulder and swung it down at Hikaru’s head with enough force to split his skull. Hikaru evaded it with a quick hop back. The blade sank into the soft ground, and the earth erupted.

Hikaru’s Mana Detection sensed some kind of enchantment on the axe, but he had no time to analyze it.

“Stay still!”

The axe had hollowed out the ground, so she didn’t need to pull it out. Her next strike came just as fast.

“Haaah!”

She stepped forward, raising the battle axe high. Hikaru hadn’t expected such a barrage, but he managed to sidestep in time.

“Hyaaah!”

Almost immediately, the axe came at him again, almost like she was swinging a sword. Hikaru danced around it.

The girl’s strikes were sharp, but still not fast enough as a master swordsman’s.

If I wait, she’ll tire herself out.

The girl swung the axe furiously, which also meant she was overexerting herself.

I’m more concerned about her companions. Why aren’t they doing anything?

Her three fully-equipped companions were just standing by, watching with interest.

“Oh, look at that dodge,” one commented.
“She still has a long way to go.”
“You can do it!”

“Damn you! Stop running around!”

The girl was panting heavily, sweat trickling down her forehead.

“If you hit me, I’m dead.”

“I’ll stop just in time so I don’t kill you.”

“You hollowed out the ground on your first strike. Didn’t seem like you planned to stop.”

“Shut up!”

Great, you can’t reason with this one, Hikaru thought, glancing at her companions.

“Just let her get it out of her system,” one said casually. “You can handle it, right? You took down a saber-toothed tiger, after all.”

“What?”

That’s when it hit Hikaru. These Dwarves had mistaken him for the adventurers who killed the saber-toothed tiger.

“Wait, you’ve got it all wrong.”

“What exactly did I get wrong, huh? You said you were an adventurer with Gittan Trading!”

“Whoa!”

She swung the battle axe again. If it hit, it could easily sever his arm.

Ah, this is hopeless.

Hikaru realized something.

She’s convinced she’s in the right, never once questioning it. She has no clue how dangerous her actions are. She believes that racial discrimination is normal.

In short, she’s the kind of person I really can’t stand.

It was clear this girl wasn’t someone Hikaru could get along with. The same applied to her irresponsible companions.

Hikaru seized an opportunity to activate his Stealth. For the first time, shock flashed across the girl’s eyes, and her companions’ as well.

No surprise. Hikaru had vanished in an instant, reappearing behind the girl.

“Hey.”

“What?!”

Hikaru spoke because if he attacked without being noticed, his Assassination skill would trigger and he might accidentally kill her.

If she realized he was behind her, however, there wasn’t a problem.

“Gah!”

Hikaru kicked her hard from behind. Despite her heavy armor, the force sent her tumbling forward, rolling uncontrollably.

“H-Hey!”

The girl hadn’t expected to get hit. Seeing the situation turn sour, her three companions grabbed their weapons and sprang into action. At this distance, though, Hikaru could easily follow up with another strike.

But he didn’t.

“What are you doing?!”

From the main road near Gittan Trading, over a dozen Dwarves appeared. Leading them was a pompous-looking Dwarf in golden armor.

From the main street of the “Gittan Trading Company,” over ten Dwarves appeared. At the front stood a pompous-looking Dwarf clad in golden armor.

Finally, the guards are here.

Relief washed over Hikaru.

“Grrrr!”

The girl sprang to her feet, and instead of retrieving her battle axe, she charged at Hikaru, aiming to strike with her bare hands.

“Oops.” Hikaru tripped her and turned to face the approaching guards. “This Dwarf suddenly started swinging her battle axe at me.”

He was about to ask them to arrest her, but stopped. The guards’ spears were aimed directly at him.

“You, the black-haired human,” said the pompous, golden-armored Dwarf. “I take it you’re the adventurer Hikaru? You’re suspected of stealing the Progenitor’s Shield, a first-class national treasure. Surrender quietly.”