CH 444

Mountain People (2)

After thinking about it, I said to Dwarf King, “I can only create equipment with the Weapon Smithing skill. Will that be all right?”

“Oh, that’s fine. As I told you before, for us, that skill is a legendary skill that only the first Dwarf King could handle at will. Since we now have the chance to witness it in person, we will do whatever it takes to see it.”

Dwarf King gave me a youthful, irresistibly happy smile, and I chuckled in return.

By the looks of things, it was a good thing that I left Enne with my wives.

Our little girl would have become too popular in the Dwarves that she might not be able to move around.

“All right, then, Dwarf King, is your weapon a hammer?”

“Yes, this one.”

He handed me a hammer that was leaning against the wall.

The hammer was of good weight.

Like Enne, it was quite heavy, and although it was beautifully carved, it never lost its practicality, indicating that it was a weapon for combat use.

It was a very cool hammer.

As expected of a work made by a clan of blacksmiths.

I said to the Dwarf King, “Thank you, you showed me something good.”

“Oh, don’t mind it, you also showed me the little miss Zaien. Ah, and where might your wives and daughter be?”

“They are probably having a tour of the village right now. I’ll have them say hello later. Also, if I had brought Enne with me, she would have ended up being stuck with us. Looking at the current situation, it seems like my decision was right, don’t you think so?”

“Gahhhh, yes, you’re right! Zaien is also a legend in her own right. My guys are quiet now, but when they meet her, they probably won’t be able to hold back their curiosity.”

Dwarf King laughed bemusedly and affirmed.

I cut the conversation short and concentrated.

…I might as well make a hammer and give it to the Dwarf King, not as a souvenir, but as a gift.

The material I would be using was adamantite, a rare metal with good DP cost performance, which I was familiar with and had several kilos of it in my item box.

It was a high grade, but not too high grade, magic metal that was also easy to use.

However, the Dwarf King already possessed one of their finest works. I didn’t want to give him something that he had no use for.

If that’s the case, then I should create something that provides a little more of a refined performance.

Not something that could be used daily, but something that could be used only in specific situations.

The form….

After much thought and deciding on the details, I took out adamantite from my item box, spread enough magic power – and activated the skill.

A few moments later, a mallet was produced.

Hearing the amazed voices of the Dwarfs behind me, I handed the finished item to the Dwarf King.

“I made this one for you. It’s not a souvenir, but I’d appreciate it if you’d accept it. It’s name is Roaring Crush. Use it when you have to deal damage to a big target like a Corpse Dragon. It’s pretty heavy, but I think you can handle it.”

Roaring Crush: A black Great Hammer created by Demon Lord Yuki. A hammer that will smash through difficulties and pave the way forward.

Quality: S-

Although I might not be knowledgeable enough about weaponry to make something as elaborate as the Dwarfs, I could still make something that would be far above in quality compared to the equipment that I have seen.

If I wanted to compete, I would have to compete in another way.

And what I could do was to make something big and heavy.

I would need material that was heavy and strong enough to contain my Demon Lord’s magic power, and should be barely heavy enough to be wielded by a Dwarf’s physical strength.

A person with half-baked strength would not even be able to lift it…but the Dwarf King, who lifted Enne so easily in the past, would be able to handle this hammer at will.

After receiving the Roaring Crush from me, the Dwarf King’s eyes became those of a craftsman, and his gaze darted over the details.

After a few swings, he nodded his head in satisfaction as he said, “…Mm, it’s a good one. I will accept it gratefully.”

At his words, the Dwarfs behind him once again let out a gasp.

…What’s the deal with them?

While I was wondering, the Dwarf King called out to his men, “Now, you guys have witnessed what I’m talking about. We’re going to have some serious talk now, so get back to work, all of you.”

After seeing all the Dwarfs, who seemed to have lost their excitement, leave, the Dwarf King said, “Well then, let’s get down to business. What brought you to this village?”

“Oh, actually, I’m doing some research on mythology, but I don’t think I’ll be able to understand it if I stay in one place. Thus, I decided to visit many places for research. I’ve promised to visit this village before, so I decided to come here.”

The Dwarf King gave me a thoughtful look before replying, “Hmm… I see. Then, let me take you to the shrine we worship.”

***

After that, the Dwarf King took me to a mountain.

It was a towering mountain just behind the village.

There were many tunnels and passages open to the public for sightseeing purposes… but the one we were currently visiting was probably not open to the public.

The walls were covered with gem-like ores.

There were no lights in the tunnel, but the seven-colored glow of the ores made the path visible enough for us to see what was ahead.

It was quite a fantastic and moving sight.

Seeing the surroundings, Enne said in an amazed tone, “… It’s very, very beautiful.”

“Hey, I’m surprised. I didn’t know such a place existed… Is this the gem tunnel Lyuu was talking about?” (Nell)

“Yes! …but the colors seem more vivid than the ones I know. Is this place special?” (Lyuu)

Dwarf King replied to the Lyuu’s doubt, “Oh, you have good eyes, beastman girl. The ore here has not been mined, and the quality of the magic power is better than in other tunnels, so the ore shines better.”

The girls had been checking the area separately, but Dwarf King told me, “I’ll show you something good, so why don’t you invite everyone over?”

When we approached, I said in amazement, “Wow…so this is all ore?”

“It’s a characteristic of this mine. The same stone changes color depending on the way it absorbs magic power. I can only show you this passage now, but later you can see the gem tunnels on the front side.” (Dwarf King)

We walked for a few minutes, chatting like this.

“Well, here we are. We have reached the depths of this sacred mountain.” (Dwarf King)

After his words, the moment we laid our eyes on what’s ahead, a light incomparable to anything I’ve ever seen before entered our vision.

Hot.

Red.

It was boiling, emitting sparks of fire, a sludgy magma.

Perhaps the passage was protected by magic, but even so, it was so hot that even sweat seemed to be burning.

If there were nothing in the way, my body would have already ignited.

And at the end of this path – there was something in the form of a shrine.

It was a simple, small shrine, but it had a very sacred, overwhelming solemnity, as if the entire space existed for it.

In the center of the shrine was an old stone slab, apparently intended for worshiping.

Carved on the stone tablet are the words…[Touch me], huh?

Touch it? 

That’s a strange lettering for a shrine.

“Is this what you were trying to show me?”

“Oh, it’s just a flat stone with nothing carved on it.”

“What? Aren’t there letters carved on it?”

“Letters? Can you read this thing?”

Then the Dwarf King became serious and looked at me.

“Oh, yeah. It says ‘Touch me‘.”

He looked at me blankly, then at the stone slab.

“…The King of Dwarf had a legend. If anyone is looking for God, they are to bring him here.”

After looking satisfied with what was going on, the Dwarf King continued, “Demon Lord, touch it.”

“…Okay, Enne, will you stay close with me?”

“…Hmm. Of course.”

After she released her humanization and returned to the sword form, I called out to the other three, “You three, stay back a bit. We don’t know what’s going to happen.”

Hearing my words, I saw the Dwarf King look scared and serious, and my two wives looked a little nervous as they backed away.

I went to the shrine and stood in front of the stone slab.

As the wording indicated, I fearfully touched the stone slab with my right hand, and instantly the words disappeared and new ones appeared.

This feeling.

This was…I see.

This was of the same nature as the dungeon’s… menu screen….

It was the same as the one I always use, only in the shape of a stone slab.

I had been granted simple authority to operate it.

Maybe the old lady Cicerius also came here…but nothing happened for her, I guess.

I doubt that the condition would be whether the person was a Demon Lord or not.

The words that came up after the change were – [Armament that crowned a God].

Crowned a God? 

…Was it similar to the Divine Spear, I wondered.

When I took out the Divine Spear from my item box, the letters that appeared changed further. Apparently that was the correct response.

[Chant it. The true name, Lynn.]

“Lynn…?”

It was at that moment.

My consciousness went blank for a moment.

An uncomfortable sensation as if heaven and earth were turned upside down overwhelmed me.

“Ah…”

The change was so sudden that I couldn’t stand and collapsed to my knees, leaning against the blade of Enne’s sword.

-Stop.

I did not fall down….

I was standing right where I was.

My consciousness was engulfed in white.

Or rather, everything beyond my view turned white, an empty space.

I couldn’t tell up or down.

My sense of equilibrium was not in place, and I wondered if I was standing straight up, at an angle, or upside down.

Silence.

-I will be the guide.

Before I knew it, it was right in front of me.

A skull.

A body of bones.

It had several arms, a tail and horns.

It was a strange-looking creature that was far removed from a human.

Its presence was overwhelming, almost overwhelming.

But I knew this.

I have felt this sensation before.

“Divine Spear.”

As I said so, the manifestation of the Divine Spear slowly shook its head.

…

T/L: I have tried to make conversations flow more smoothly in this chapter, so you easily understand who is saying what. I will appreciate your feedback on it.