Chapter 371: Ire to Those Greedy Dwarves.

Chapter 371: Ire to Those Greedy Dwarves.

Speak or die.

Grwak?! The dwarf didnt respond correctly, so I slammed his head into the stone floor, quickly realizing from the lack of a dent that something was protecting the floor. Ghuuurk! Aka!

Boss!!!

Hmm? But, from the sounds of it, the damage I inflicted is still pretty much what I expected. Good thing all these dwarves are suited up in heavy armor.

While the floor didnt even show a small crack or even a slight mark from my action, the indented helmet and the fact blood was seeing from the dwarfs head proved to me it wasnt ineffective. Slamming the dwarf's head back into the stone once again for science, the dwarf cried out in pain, but the floor still wasnt damaged at all.

Mana Eyes.

I knew there was something suspicious here, but what I didnt realize was that this whole place was brimming with mana. There wasn't nearly as much mana as Shaturein or current Elyonda; no, in fact, the mana wasnt nearly as disorganized as those other places. The mana in the former two was like a wild, untamed river, while the one in this place was like a perfectly outlined waterway.

The mana below me was streaming through this alleyway to the end of the walls surrounding us, where I noticed the stream flowing into these blocky boxes. I also noticed multiple manatech decorating the place, each given either a share or the mana was entirely isolated from this network of mana. Fascinated by this, I looked even further, where I noticed spots where Peolyncian words were scribbled on. Were these runes?

go of me! Finally finished with my inspection, my attention returned to reality as I noticed the dwarf trying to punch my face. As it landed, I noticed a green and brown rune lighting up on his gauntlet.

Wind blasted from his gauntlet, increasing the strike force of his punch before I felt mana suddenly enter my body, bypassing my [Draconic Barrier]. Did this mana really ignore it?

Crack sounds coming in our skull, my parallel minds informed me, visualizing in my mind how the mana was seeping from his gauntlet and was forming something like a crack. My Wisdom immediately went into action, protecting me from the full brunt of the attack the moment the mana exploded.

From the look of it, this foreign mana was passing through my mana paths. Maybe this was why my [Draconic Barrier] treated it as normal, outside mana, instead of something dangerous. Well, at least my Wisdom came into play.

W-what?! the dwarf stuttered as I pushed his fist away with my head, showing no signs of damage despite his tricks. A-attack!

Save the boss! The remaining dwarves all charged towards me with their weapons ready in hand. However, before they could do anything, Shay body checked the dwarf in the front, sending the Taz flying back into the rest of the gang before he unleashed his cryo breath.

The dwarves quickly activated their barriers, probably [Defensive Rune: Auracoil], to defend themselves. The ice froze over their mana barrier, leaving the dwarves undamaged and allowing them to use their equipment to break through the ice. Just like the dwarf I was threatening, all of the Taz dwarves we were dealing with had runes adorning their metal armor and weapons.

I snapped my fingers. Boys, I called out, signaling for Tatsuya and Kyouya to help out Shay while I healed Haruka.

Got it! Both shouted before activating what seemed like new abilities they probably had just gained from their training with Saori.

Kyouya, in his bulky shadow armor, touched his shadow and began pouring mana into it to not only clad Tatsuya in a shadow armor like his own, but also to create a shadow shield for himself. He unsheathed his sword and charged forward like a steam train, seeing as how his armor was exuding black mist.

Tatsuya, on the other hand, took out a single fulinoe leaf and placed it in his mouth as he began to transform with his druidic powers. However, instead of the wolf form I was used to seeing, he transformed into a felgheist one of the giant bat monsters! In fact, it looked eerily similar to the vampire transformation we saw those poachers use, but I couldnt tell for sure, due to the black goo-like armor from Kyouyas shadow.

I had only asked them about their Unique Jobs, but I clearly forgot that Tatsuya was celebrating a new unique skill too. I should ask them afterwards.

In any case, I left the fight to the boys while I slammed the boss dwarf once again on the ground, knocking him unconscious and busting up his helmet to the point someone would need to pry it off his head to get it off. I then went over to comfort the frightened and crying Haruka, all while the fight against the dwarves continued.

As mentioned before, the dwarves were using their weapons to break free from the ice. Once they had a clear shot, the dwarves used their weapons to begin shooting out spells as projectiles through their runes. The basic four elements were all they had, but I could recognize spells like [Fire Ball], [Wind Slash], [Water Bolt], and [Rock Bullet] amongst them.

However, Kyouya remained unfettered. As Shay flew up to dodge, Kyouya passed under him and charged right through the spells. He was slowed down and I saw fragments of his shadow shield and armor breaking off, but he still reached the dwarf in the front. Whether these mobsters were actual fighters or not, the dwarf didnt panic, simply slamming his hammer right into Kyouyas shield.

Got you! he shouted as his shield snapped around the dwarfs weapon. Kyouya then touched the coated weapon, forcing the dwarf to drop the weapon, as if it was too heavy to hold on to, the weapon slowly being submerged in his shadow.

WhTuuwark! the dwarf wanted to cry out, only for Tatsuya to slide right in and interrupted the cry by running his spear into the dwarfs shoulder.

Too shallow! The spearhead couldnt even pass through whatever under armor Tatsuyas opponent had, being stopped completely by the shoulder plate. I knew dwarven culture was very artisan-heavy, but to the point some random thug could afford armor strong enough to block Tatsuyas spear? Then again, to be fair, it wasnt made from my materials like my spear was; this was still the spear he got from the church.

Realizing this, Tatsuya instead chose to kick the dwarf in his head. It didnt deal as much damage as I could do, but it still staggered the dwarf. The boys had clearly improved, but I was still a bit worried they couldnt handle this but all that worry disappeared once Shay descended.

[Support me!] he commanded, and both boys agreed immediately.

With the boys acting as tanks, disrupters, and engagers, this allowed Shay to pressure the dwarves with his ice and temperature control. Even if the dwarves had runes to back themselves up, Shay was still a rank B wyvern and trained by Mom. The dwarves could put up a good fight, but Shay ultimately was far too strong.

I can leave them be.

Hestia-chan! Haruka suddenly hugged me, forcing me to look away. They took them away! They took them away! We need to

Okay, okay, okay! With her face covered in tears and snot, coupled with how she had clearly lost weight and smelled as if she hadnt shown in days, I could understand the gist of it. I know, but you need to calm down. Youre safe. Im late, but we will handle everything once youre back on your feet!

I helped her up, noticing how she winced when she tried to straighten her legs. Haruka wasnt a combatant, as she had a strong blood phobia, so her level was extremely low compared to our partys standard. Her stats were decent, as she had been training to keep her body fit, but she was mostly our partys treasurer and our third merchant.

Still, seeing her like this was unbelievable. What happened during the two weeks when the siege began and up till now? There was no question this unconscious dwarf knew something. As such, while helping her up, I grabbed the guy by the arm and slowly dragged him towards the open portal. I didnt like to interrogate people, especially if I had to use torture, but that might be needed this time

Stop!

However, it seems that time wasnt on my side.

What?! I snapped my head around, noticing there were now several armed Taz dwarves blocking the right entrance of the alleyway, just as the earlier thugs were blocking the left side. Similar to those thugs, these dwarves were heavily armored and equipped with long polearms to compensate for their height, but unlike the former, all of them looked like they were uniformly equipped. Like soldiers or guards.

By the order of the Hold King, stop right there! Cease any further hostilities, or face the earths punishment! the guards shouted at us, slightly relieving me of the stress, since I could just turn this guy in.

No! However, the moment I took a step forward, Haruka shouted at me. Dont! The guards are all in cahoots with the Luedbrumdar clan! The entire hold is on their side, including the ruler! They tricked us! They were responsible for Nishio-sans beating. No, we need to get out, Hestia-chan, please!

What exactly was happening here?! I didnt follow along with their travels, but I never thought it would be this complicated. However, now Haruka was telling me the guards were corrupt? What exactly did she mean by Nishio here? Did something happen to him? And what did all of this have to do with Grimnirs ex-clan?

I darted my head from side to side, evaluating what exactly I should do here. Shay, Tatsuya, and Kyouya had stopped their fighting, but they had already beaten up the majority of the dwarven thugs. They didnt look tired, especially Tatsuya who was tapping his feet on the ground like a restless dog. We could still fight.

Mana Eyes.

Lv. 57

The levels of these guards were around level 50 and 60 and their skill build was pretty average for normalpeople, as in, the average skill level amongst these people was around five. They didnt have any advanced or hybrid skills. Their weapon skills were mostly level six, so they were decent with their weapons, but not masters.

Essentially, they were on par with capable rank C adventurers, and clearly stronger than the average guard of Artorias and Elyonda, who were around level 30 or so. In fact, these guards could probably fight on par with a standard human knight, though people like Renee or Farron could kick multiple of their asses at once.

In comparison, the thugs were around level 25 to 45. No wonder Shay was able to overpower them without any problems. The only thing that was problematic about the group was their equipment. That closed the level gap, as Tatsuya and Kyouya had to actually try to beat them. Which made me a bit impressed at how these guards standard armor was pretty up there.

Standardized Eoriant Dwarf Guarder: A dwarven breastplate made from eoriant alloy. Standardized and perfected in its form and function in accordance with the materials and labor required, the efficiency of this armor is unparalleled. Although not the best, it is the standard-issue armor for the common guards of the dwarven holds. As such, it is the perfect graduating test for novice blacksmith, as it didnt require any local materials and ores to increase its function.

Vitality Power: 220

Wisdom Power: 220

Skill: [Sundering Resistance Lv. 3] [Piercing Resistance Lv. 3] [Crushing Resistance Lv. 3] [Fire Resistance Lv. 3] [Heat Resistance Lv. 3] [Physical Resistance Lv. 2]

Rune: [Defensive Rune: Auracoil] [Defensive Rune: Pavise] [Utility Rune: Clean Armor]

It had been a long time since I spoke with Grimnir or seen a lot of runes being used, as I was the only one in the Elyonda siege who had a weapon with a full set of runes, but I still remembered the Rules of Blood. Each individual weapon or armor piece normally can only contain three runes, but the higher the rank of the being the blood came from, the more you could add. At rank D you could add two more runes, and it increased twice with every higher rank.

Since it only had three, they probably just used whatever blood was available to bind the runes on the weapon. The more runes you wanted, the more intense the runesmithing session. After all, you had to etch all the runes you wanted during the same day, since the ritual to start runesmithing was pretty elaborate. That was why Grimnir could only do so much as our only runesmith.

That was why seeing about 21 guards with this armor impressed me. This was not mentioning their gauntlets, helmets, and greaves. At least chainmail couldnt carry runes, since the rings werent large enough for a rune to fit on it.

Surrender now!

My accelerated thinking speed stopped once the guards shouted once again, the lot of them not readying themselves for immediate combat. What should I do? Should I try to speak with these guards and use my title as princess to turn things over, or risk losing time and a chance to rescue my friends if Haruka was correct about these people. What was the correct decision here?

You have until the count of three to stop! If you do not, we will take this as a further act of hostility!

Stop, stop! And just like that, the remaining thugs gave up, dropping their weapons and kneeling down with their hands up. Strangely, their faces were all too relaxed. They werent smiling, but it seemed like they were expecting the situation to turn around in their favor now that we werent beating them up.

Really?

Hestia-san! Tatsuya called me, looking nervous at what to do.

Shay turned around, too, looking at me as he gave me a nod, almost as if he was urging me forward before speaking with telepathy, [My lady, I will listen to whatever decision you want. I will follow through, but you need to make a decision before it is made for you!]

He was right, but this decision wasnt easy. It was a diplomatic situation the moment I disobeyed these guards, but I also couldnt risk losing a chance to rescue my friends. To me, my friends and family were the most important people to me. Some dwarven king? Unless you were the High-King of Ankor-Nazta, I didnt believe they were allowed to stop an Imperial Dragon Princess!

It does, right?

Huh?

I snapped around as I heard that unfamiliar voice, only to see an Inko dwarf walking forward as he held onto a metal guitar with an axe head on the body. He reached up to my waist and, unlike the wild crowd below, this guy seemed more normal.

As in, he was wearing a black tank top which revealed his trained muscles while his pants were just a set of metal greaves. He wore a small cap on top of his slick blond locks, greased up to hell with fat or some kind of oil. His long beard, which reached down to his chest, was decorated not only with that rock hair dwarves had but also with rings, strings, and some braids here and there. Two glowing tattoos covered his respective shoulders, telling me they were runic tattoos.

All in all, he was pretty bulky like most dwarves, but he didnt have a belly like Grimnir did, caused by all his drinking. Then again, the fact he was an Inko dwarf made him look incredibly different from Grimnir. Especially the fact he seemed far more confident and charismatic.

Heya, I guess from those red clothes and that shrine maiden robe, ya that explosive lass of a princess, ey? he asked as he strung the strings of his guitar, causing it to light up blue as it reproduced closed-to electric guitar sounds.

And who are you? I kept my distance from this guy.

Ha, cold shoulder from a fire dragon! Ya pal Grimnir didnt describe you like that! The moment I heard Grimnirs name, I reacted, causing the dwarf before me to smirk and perform a guitar solo. Wraaahaaaaahaa!

I took a step back as he screamed from the top of his voice, reaching some notes most men shouldnt be able to reach. It was falsetto, a term to describe people singing higher than their normal vocal range. And this dwarf did just that without cracking, sounding almost like a woman for a moment.

Names Rosserto. Im the band lead of the punk rock band Punker Paradise. Follower of Chihiro, and ONLY the Revolution Queen! he stated as he ended his solo. Also, a friend of Broggi, Grimnirs cousin.. Ive been sheltering two of the kids from ya group, and the ol twat told me to wait for ya to come. Wraaaaahaaaaaaha!

A note from AbyssRaven

Imagine casting magic is forbidden in a magical fantasy world. Welp, stay mad, dwarves!!!

If you guys want to support me, Hestia and "A Dragon Idol's Reincarnation Tale" (or just read up to 20 advance chapters + any Patreon-only chapters) please check out my Patreon: Rawr!

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Thank you for reading this chapter.

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Thursday, January 26, 2023 3:57:26 AM Germany [Member of Zard Skwad]

Bio: Hey there, AbyssRaven here. I'm just an avid Light Novel and Fantasy story reader who randomly thought of a story and began writing about it.

I eventually found out that I've been spending a bit too much time with building, planning, and researching for the story, that I've decided to just share it with others.

Writing is mostly a hobby for me, but I would still love any kind of criticism to improve on it.

I'm also german, so please excuse anything that sounds a bit weird...I wouldn't mind you pointing it out though.

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