The Dwarven Crafter

by Kugane Maruyama

  “Hey.” His first greeting stuck in his throat, coming out only as a hoarse murmur. It still should have been audible, though, but the chief of the smith shops didn’t react.

  “Hey!” Worried, he shouted, but the chief of the smith shops still didn’t respond at all.

  Breathing heavily, he strode over to where the other dwarf was sitting. “Hey!!”

  “What?”

  Finally he got a reply, and he nearly crumpled to the ground from the tension draining from his body. “What? Sheesh, don’t make me wor—”

  At that point, he lost his words.

  Why hasn’t he turned around?

  He nervously went over to get a good look at his friend.

  His face looked different—like that of a cornered beast or more like the terrifying look of a dwarf who would kill members of his own kind.

  “What’s wrong?”

  Upon hearing the question that slipped out, the chief’s face shifted for the first time. He rolled just his eyeballs to glare at the chief of administration. “What’s wrong? What’s wrong…you ask? Hmph!” He moved his hand, grabbed the tongs, and then reached into the furnace for a scorching-hot metal ingot and hurled it at the chief of administration.

  “Whoa!” The chief of administration frantically dodged. The ingot fell to the floor with a thud.

  “A-are you trying to kill me?!”

  That was unforgivable even between friends.

  But the chief of the smith shops wore a cold smile. “Trying to kill you? I guess that’s what you would think.”

  Then he reached out his hand to pick up the ingot. It was standard for blacksmiths to wear gloves resistant to heat. But surprisingly, he wasn’t. And it wasn’t as if he had a magic item that would have given him that effect.

  He truly grabbed the heated metal with his bare hand.

  As the chief of administration goggled at this feat that made him hallucinate the sounds and smells of burning flesh, the chief of the smith shops practically spat, “It’s not even hot!”

  “H-huh?”

  “This thing hasn’t gotten even the slightest bit hot!”

  This time he caught the tossed ingot without thinking. The momentary flash of intense heat he thought he felt must have been his mind’s misunderstanding, because it wasn’t even warm. Shockingly, it felt cool to the touch.

  “Wh-what…?”

  Really, he didn’t need to ask. Metal that could be heated and not get hot? There was only one thing it could be. That was why his question slipped out as a fragment.

  The next words the chief of the smith shops spoke confirmed what he suspected.

  “It’s the ingot that undead gave us! I’ve been heating it all day, but it won’t warm up even a little! I strike it, and it doesn’t change shape! I can’t even scratch it! How am I supposed to make armor out of this?!”

  “M-maybe he gave you some metal that he couldn’t handle himself?”

  “That’s what I wanted to think. But he has a dagger made of the same metal! When you strike it with that, you can make a scratch! How can I call myself the most experienced craftsman?! I’m a fool who loses his mind in the face of an unknown metal!”

  The chief of administration desperately tried to think of a way to calm the agitated chief of the smith shops.

  “Wh-why don’t you ask that undead how to—?”

  “‘The one who asks when he doesn’t know is wiser than the one who doesn’t?’ Well, I suppose you’re right. The ancient dwarves knew a thing or two. But then…what has all my experience been for? Look at my fists.”

  He thrust out his hands. They were the toughened hands of an artisan, covered in burn scars. Any craftsman would be proud to have those hands.

  “I’ve been working metal ever since my days as a foolish apprentice. I’ve been working it longer than anyone else. I thought it was only natural that I would be called the greatest—I’ve put in more effort than anyone else!” The smith shops chief’s face crumpled. “I’ve spent my whole life blacksmithing, to the point that I thought nothing was impossible. I was sure I could make whatever shape I wanted from any metal. What a clown I am! Ha-ha! How vain. In my little world, I thought I was a genius. But I’m the biggest fool.”

  “B-but you could learn…”

  “You’re right. Yes, you’re exactly right. So right, my ears burn.”

  The chief of the smith shops took the ingot and clenched his hand around it.

  The lack of expression on his face worried the chief of administration.

  “I’ll be fine. I can learn again. So what did you come here for?”

  “What did I…? You… Well, whatever. That undead has left the city. The regency council is going to meet again tomorrow to discuss what to do. I just came to tell you that. And also to say that you don’t need to worry about the rune crafters.”

  “Ah… Got it. Then, I’ll see you tomorrow.”

  The chief of administration was still anxious, but he couldn’t quite put his feeling into words.

  When the body is exhausted, the spirit also tires. Figuring that the chief of the smith shops would be back to his usual self after a good night’s rest, the chief of administration headed straight home.

  The next day, he learned that the chief of the smith shops had taken the ingot and skipped town.

  2

  There were Three Impasses on the way to the former dwarf capital.

  The first Impasse was the Great Chasm.

  It went without saying that the massive gorge was impossible to cross by foot. Naturally, the only thing to do was look for a huge detour, but of course that meant a much higher rate of monster encounters. The predatory monsters who lurked in these rock formations posed an alarming threat to both dwarves and humans.

  It was difficult to evade that first strike when the creatures burst out of the earth after sensing movement nearby. The unlucky were often swallowed in one bite and ended up being helplessly digested. There were other monsters that unleashed a psychic attack first and dealt the fatal blow while their prey floundered.

  In this place, humans, dwarves, and elves—all humanoids—were frail beings fit only to be snacked on.

  The safest way past this obstacle was to go aboveground and cross the mountains, but for races who lived with their feet on the ground, that was an unparalleled challenge—because they had to be wary of the huge flying animals and monsters such as perytons, harpyias, itsumade, and giant eagles that would attack from the sky. Humans and similar races don’t have a very good vertical range of vision. For that reason, it wasn’t hard to catch them unawares from above. And there was no guarantee that one swoop wouldn’t kill them straightaway.

  Thus, the Great Chasm was a major obstacle even when people tried to go around it.

  That was why the dwarves built a city nearby and put a bridge over it: so that if the bridge was dropped, their home would be protected by that naturally impassable barrier.

  Since the kuagoa had in fact destroyed the bridge, the Great Chasm became a true impasse.

  However…

  Ainz’s party wasn’t bothered at all. They simply used Fly to cross it.

  The second Impasse was the magma zone.

  It was a red-hot sea that glittered with a dazzling light. The area was so incredibly dangerous that inhaling too deeply would cause lung damage.

  The reason there was magma flowing only a few miles underground was because this world was ruled by magical laws rather than common sense. A naturally occurring portal with properties similar to the spell Gate connected this magma flow to one quite far away.

  There was another reason that intensely hot sea was considered an impasse.

  Swimming inside was a magical beast that made this body of magma its territory.

  It was a huge monster with a fishlike body well over 150 feet long. If asked to compare it to something, the most likely reply would probably be an Atlantic footballfish. This creature was most well-known for its ability to use the lure attached t
o its head as an appendage to capture prey from a distance and hurl them into its powerful jaws.

  Its outer skin was thick and tough. It was covered in scales far harder than orichalcum.

  Some magical beasts that lived a long time acquired immense power. Those beasts were bestowed with a more prestigious name and often categorized separately from their original race. This monster, however, had achieved such a particular evolution, there wasn’t another like it in the world.

  Mt. Lapaslair, where the natural gate went, was ruled by three monsters:

  The ruler of the sky, the phoinixlord.

  The ruler of the ground, the ancient flame dragon.

  And the ruler of the subterranean magma sea, the l’angler lavalord.

  If the adventurer difficulty rating system was applied to this magma ruler, the value would be about 140—so combat meant that first and foremost, anyone who challenged it wasn’t coming back alive.

  Luckily the l’angler lavalord wasn’t very good at maneuvering on land, so attacks could be avoided by staying away from the magma. But the way to the dwarf capital was a narrow path carved into the cliff only a short distance above the flow. It made anyone who took it quite uneasy, but this was the only route.

  If unable to withstand the rising hot air, it was inevitable that travelers would lose their footing, slip, then fall straight into the magma.

  When the kuagoa had mounted their invasion, a number of them had slipped and fallen in along the way to the dwarf city.

  However…

  With complete resistance to fire and a Fly spell, Ainz’s party had no problems. They flew so high over the magma, they didn’t even see the l’angler lavalord, and it never noticed their passing.

  So far, it had been possible to get past all the Impasses with flying magic. For that reason, it was difficult to really consider them incredible obstacles. But the final one was a true impasse.

  It was a long, winding cave with various branching pathways.

  A network of interconnecting tunnels confusing enough to be called a maze.

  Certainly, that alone was a bit too simple to be called an impasse. There were no monsters in this area, so with time and effort spent mapping, it could be conquered. It was only an impasse for people who had limited time and no food or water.

  Yes—the reason it was considered an impasse was something else.

  There were holes that spewed volcanic gasses at fixed intervals. And there were pockets of gas here and there, too. In other words, this area was filled with invisible but nonetheless deadly poison.

  There were multiple routes to the exit, but only one route could be taken without encountering any of the gas, and even that one had pockets of it depending on the timing.

  Even if Ainz’s party used Fly, the way they had for the other Impasses, and flew along the ceiling, there were times when the airborne gas reached that high. The only way they could manage with Fly was hope they didn’t run into any pockets of toxic gas.

  However…

  Ainz’s people all had protections against noxious air. In other words, the only one who could be affected by the gas was Gondo. Undead had natural resistance, so unless it was a gas that dealt acid or fire damage, they were fine. Aura had a magic item that enveloped her in a bubble of fresh air for her to breathe, meaning she was immune as well.

  All Ainz had to do was cast a spell to protect Gondo, allowing the whole party to pass through the poisonous air unhindered.

  Thus, Ainz’s party managed to get past the Three Impasses, which were thought to be impregnable, without any preparation or intelligence gathering.

  Ainz’s spell Titania’s Blessing, which had found the best route through the maze for them, faded. Its departure was probably less about a time limit and more the fact that it had performed its function.

  “…Hmm. There were fresh-looking kuagoa corpses in that cave, but we still haven’t caught up to their army. I guess a day’s head start is significant.”

  “But it looks like we’ve closed the gap quite a bit. We don’t seem too far behind now,” Aura declared after examining the kuagoa tracks left on the ground.

  “…I see. Well, let’s discuss our next steps… Gondo, we’re almost to the capital, right?”

  “Right. I’ve only ever heard tell of it, but if that cave was the Maze of Death they talk about, then the capital is only a little farther.” There Gondo’s expression turned sober. “Was it really the Maze of Death, though? Supposedly, anyone who loses their way inside dies, but…”

  Ainz didn’t have a reply. It had been incredibly simple to get through. He couldn’t rule out the possibility that it was a dummy created to make people think they had escaped while ensnaring them in the real trap.

  “…Well, if it’s a trap, we can just break out of it. That said, it’s stupid to get caught in a trap you’ve anticipated. Let’s slow our pace a bit and keep a sharp watch as we proceed.”

  Thus far, they had been trying to catch up to the enemy, so they had been moving at a fair clip. But if they hadn’t caught up by this point, it was better to assume the enemy had already reached their home base and to rethink their strategy.

  “Time to decide what to do when we reach the enemy.” Seeing everyone nod, Ainz looked to the dwarf. “Gondo and I will capture the palace. I’ll take care of the dragons.”

  Neither the two guardians nor Gondo objected.

  The elite dragons were the most powerful opponents in Yggdrasil, too, so it was dangerous to operate separately from the guardians without knowing their strength. But Ainz had a World Item. It had a few different functions, but one of them worked particularly well against dragons. That meant that even in the worst case, he would at least be able to escape. If, however, he brought the guardians, and the dragons turned out to be more powerful than expected, he would have to buy time for them to get away.

  He was fine with abandoning Gondo if it came to that, but he couldn’t leave his friends’ children behind. Consequently, he chose not to take them with him at all.

  Dragons, huh…? This should be fun.

  In Yggdrasil, dragons were not only the most powerful enemy but also meant a mountain of treasure.

  They dropped good data crystals, and their artifact drop rate was higher than that of other monsters. On top of that, there were a variety of uses for the skin, meat, blood, teeth, claws, eyes, and scales harvested from the body.

  They could be called a delectable enemy.

  Ainz couldn’t help but feel a mix of ambition, anticipation, and nerves as he prepared to encounter his first dragon of this world.

  According to the dwarves, the dragon who destroyed their western city might be there. That meant he could be plunging into a fight almost as unpredictable as his battle with Shalltear.

  Someone powerful enough to kill death knights plus dragons? It’d be simple if they were one and the same, but it’s a bit trickier if they’re separate entities. Should I have brought more than just my stealth Hanzos? No, I think I made the right choice.

  “Lord Ainz?”

  “Hmm? Oh, Shalltear. Sorry, I guess I got caught up in my own thoughts. Okay, here are your orders, Aura and Shalltear. Take on the kuagoa. If they want to submit to our rule, that’s fine. If they refuse, show them the might of Nazarick.”

  The two guardians replied with spirited acknowledgments.

  Ainz glanced at Gondo, but he didn’t look like he had anything to say. He seemed ready to go along with what Ainz had decided.

  The promise to the dwarves was to clear out the kuagoa, but Ainz wasn’t of a mind to kill them all.

  He simply felt it was a waste to exterminate a race that didn’t exist in Yggdrasil. If he wiped out these guys, it was possible that the entire race would go extinct. Even if that didn’t happen, as long as he kept them alive, they could be of some benefit to Nazarick.

  Of course, it was equally possible that they would harm Nazarick, but Ainz thought it would be a shame to eradicate them without figuring out whi
ch it was.

  Killing is easy, but resurrecting is hard. That means there’s only one thing to do. Besides…

  “If they’re too stupid to swear loyalty, cull their numbers to ten thousand. Gather mostly strong ones. But keep the future in mind—don’t select only based on power. Make sure the number of females is equal to the males. Don’t let any get away, especially not the king.”

  “But…Lord Ainz.”

  Aura spoke with a gloomy expression, and Ainz prompted her to continue.

  “We don’t even know how big the dwarf capital is. It could be huge. It’ll be awfully hard to keep the kuagoa from escaping such a vast place with just the two of us. What should we do?”

  “Yes, that’s a natural question to have. That’s why—Aura—this is your time to shine. Use the World Item I gave you.”

  “I—I can use it?”

  “Yep. Times like these are precisely what it’s for.”

  “U-understood!”

  The guardians both essentially had the word nervous hanging over their heads.

  “While that World Item can be used unlimited times, you can lose it if someone meets certain conditions and escapes. If nothing else, avoid that worst-case scenario.”

  He recalled the time Ainz Ooal Gown stole it.

  The other guild had asked for it back so many times.

  Ainz snorted.

  No one was as foolish as the guild that couldn’t be reasonable and accept the obvious answer of, If you don’t want it stolen, then don’t use it. The key to preventing theft is to lock up possessions in a treasure chest and not walk around carrying them. Ainz figured they were fine, but it was still important to exercise caution.

  “Be wary of anyone not affected—because it means they’re carrying a World Item.”

  “Does it mean you won’t be able to come in, either, Lord Ainz?”

  “Once you activate it, I won’t be able to enter. But it’s possible to choose to enter later instead. Just pay attention to the timing… Okay, shall we?”