ALL NOVEL chapter 38
38 – Dwarf Mine
In the center of the elven kingdom was a huge world tree.
The tree serves as a support for the elven palace building,
It was a very important tree that served as the spiritual support for all elves.
Starting with this world tree, the huge forest that covers the entire elven kingdom is all managed by the forest spirit dryad.
Even when autumn came, the leaves did not dry out and the forest was able to maintain a dense forest throughout the four seasons.
However,
Recently, unusual reports have been coming up in the Queen’s office in this palace…
“So, what is the condition of the forest where the fire started?”
“Other investigators say the fire was man-made and not a natural fire.”
“Hmm… I guess…”
For elves, a fire in the forest was as close to a catastrophe as the appearance of the demon army for humans.
If the dryad, the spirit of the forest, leaves the forest because of that incident, the dense forest will dry up and the elves’ nest will disappear from the map.
“The place where the fire broke out is the entrance to the forest on the Fjord Empire side, and it is said that Princess Illuen was the last to pass through before the fire started.”
With this, you can point out Princess Illuen as her culprit, but you can’t dismiss her from her position as princess.
Until more concrete evidence comes along…
“Do you have any witnesses or anything that could be a solid evidence?”
“Yes.. For some reason, all the elves who lived at the northern entrance of the forest disappeared that day, so there was no one to bring as witnesses.”
“Everybody disappeared…?”
“As if… Someone had quietly…”
I already guessed the reporting inspector, the listening queen, or someone who handled it quietly.
“Am I too late…”
“Sorry. Your majesty. But… I heard a strange story from the villagers.”
“A strange story?”
“Yes. Isn’t there a half-elf in the hero’s party?”
“Yes. I know that. Did you say elemental sage?”
“Yes. Many elves witnessed the half-elf summoning the water spirit king.”
“The Spirit King?”
The Queen only knew that the half-elf in the warriors’ party was an Elementalist.
I had never heard of summoning even the King of Spirits.
She’s just about to join a hero’s party, so I thought she’d summon at least a mid-level or high-level spirit, but…
“No, how could a half-elf mixed with human blood kill the spirit king…? No way… I must have misunderstood.”
“There were too many witnesses for that, and most of all, they were the ones who saw the conversation between the half-elf and the spirit king.”
“I can’t believe it…”
“Not only that, but it is also said that the fire was able to be easily extinguished thanks to the spirit king’s efforts to spread the fire.”
A spirit that can converse with a spirit.
That was an ability that only the Spirit King could do.
In history, all the elves who summoned the spirit king were given the right to succeed as queens, and most of them ascended to the throne and left their names behind.
And this time as well, according to the custom, it is natural to summon her and grant her the right to succeed as queen, thus competing with her Illuen.
Her problem is that she is a half elf, not an ordinary elf or a noble high elf.
Someday, due to the classism ingrained in elven society, she, a half-elf, will be able to succeed as her queen…
“What is that half-elf’s name?”
“Yes. My name is Lucia.”
“Luciara… Where is the warrior party now?”
“I understand that you are resting after returning to the Kingdom of Argen.”
The Queen thought maybe this was a good opportunity.
After dismissing her princess, Iluen, she had no right to succeed to the next queen, so the elders’ resistance was expected.
If they introduced Lucia, who summons the Spirit King, the backlash could be reduced to a minimum.
“Hello.”
“Yes.”
“Send an envoy to Argen Kingdom right now and get an appointment with Lucia, a member of the warrior party.”
“Yes!”
A gentle smile spreads across the face of the Queen, who has been unable to smile lately due to the events of Iluen.
Sitting in a chair in a comfortable position after a long time, I was once again looking at the parts of the spirit king written in the report handed out by the investigator.
*****
The next day…
We had been sleeping soundly the night before in the wagon heading for the Dwarf Mine from the village…
I failed to get out of the relationship between Clara and Lucia and fell asleep.
After that, I had to sneak out and spend the night on the sofa.
“Lucia?”
Is it because Lucia also had nightmares?
From the time I woke up in the morning until now, it seemed a little strange to just stare out the window without saying anything.
“Yes?”
“What nightmare did you have this morning?”
“Yes!? That… How did you…”
“I have nightmares at night.. I heard the sound of pain.. Are you okay now?”
I wonder if Lucia is thinking of an answer to my words.. She didn’t answer right away,
Meanwhile, Clara, who had been sleeping in the same bed, stared at Lucia’s face and opened her mouth.
“Really? Lucia? It’s fine now?”
“Yes. Are you okay. It’s just a dream.”
“What kind of nightmare did you have? Her face still doesn’t look very good.”
“hahahaha.. That… it’s not just a dream.”
As Clara said, Lucia’s face didn’t look good, like someone who had a sham.
“I heard… he kept moaning for hours.”
Irene, who slept in the other bed, also looked at Lucia with her worried face, as if she had heard Lucia’s sound.
“I’m sorry. You can’t sleep because of me…”
“No. It’s not that I couldn’t sleep. I just wanted to make sure you were okay.”
“Yes. Sure. hahahaha.”
Looking at Lucia, who forced her smile to show us that she was okay, she only looked more suspicious.
“If anything happens, be sure to tell us. Lucia. Understand?”
“Yes. Clara. Thank you.”
Thanking Clara for the last time, Lucia continued to stare out the window with the expression she had made the first time until she arrived at the Dwarf Mine.
Dwarf Mine…
When you arrive at the Dwarven Mine, which is the largest and most productive on the continent,
I saw beggar-like Dwarves sitting on the streets, losing hope for a living, not the brilliant Dwarf mines I had seen before.
Just a few years ago, this dwarven mine was lined with carts waiting to move minerals.
The dwarves also drank beer and meat every day, so there was no day when their beards didn’t get oily…
Now even that beard was dry and hung limp.
“Did you say you came from the kingdom of Argen?”
How long did you have to wait in the shabby village in front of the mine…
An old man who seemed to be the oldest among the dwarves approached with slow steps and spoke to Clara.
“Yes. Hello. My name is Clara, the princess of the kingdom of Argen.”
“The princess… Clara… Is King Edwin’s younger brother?”
“Yes! You remember!”
“Rather than remembering…well…that King Edwin made a lot of noise about swearing at his younger brother and went away and remembered…”
“Yes?”
The old dwarf cut off quickly, perhaps sensing that he had made a mistake in speaking, but
Clara’s face had already turned grim.
“This oppa… Really…”
The old dwarf seems to be asking us why we came here…
Judging from Clara’s upset condition, as if she was going to invade the kingdom of Argen at any moment, it seemed impossible to talk any more. Instead, I stepped forward and opened her mouth.
“Hello, how are you? My name is the hero Carlos.”
“What!? Yo… Hero?”
“Yes. It’s nothing different, I came here because I had a request.”
“…..”
When I revealed that I was a warrior, not only the old Dwarf, but also the Dwarves gathered around me were chatting with each other.
I started with the purpose of our coming here without knowing why.
“Did you know that the Demon King’s army is currently invading and is at war?”
“Ah… I don’t know…”
“So, by the way, can you sell iron ore and silver ore to us? I will give you my full price.”
“…..”
How come the old dwarf doesn’t answer my words…
“I want to sell it, but I can’t.”
“Perhaps… We heard rumors that a dragon appeared in the mine when we came here…”
“…..”
An old dwarf who doesn’t speak again…
“Come inside first.”
The old man pointed with his hand to the largest of the shabby houses right behind, and we entered the house with his guidance.
Befitting a shabby house…
Furniture with poor marketability and hastily made furniture…
It seemed to show the dwarves’ situation as it is now.
“Let me introduce myself. My name is Milleg, the chief of this dwarf mine. Did you say the hero Carlos?”
“Yes. That’s right.”
“You are right about what you just said. Our mine has been closed since last year due to a dragon that appeared one day.”
“Then how come there is no way?”
“Would we be doing this now if we knew how!?”
Even as the Dwarf village chief spoke his words, he raised his voice, not his voice, as he was blessed with sorrow over the hardships he had had so far.
The other dwarves seemed to agree with the chief’s words, but no one suggested any method or alternative.
“As for the method… I have no choice but to drive out the dragon in the mine…”
When he heard the word dragon, everyone, from the dwarves standing around to Clara, Lucia, and Irene, all stared at the village head in surprise.
“If you kill or drive out that dragon in the mine… Then you can start producing again?”
“You… I can’t believe…”
If this had been said by anyone other than me, they would have ignored it or treated it like an idiot.
Perhaps because I have that much credibility when I speak as a warrior, the village chief was startled and couldn’t even speak properly.
“Just promise me. If I drive out the dragon, is it possible to make a deal with Argen Kingdom right away?”
“You call that a horse? If you drive out the dragon, you can trade it for half the price than selling to other countries!”
After hearing the village chief’s answer, I sent a notice to ask Clara, who had come as an envoy from the kingdom of Argen, about the conditions of the dwarves.
She was frozen as if her head had stopped at the point where I was about to cast out the dragon.