allendalepharm Chapter 189 : Dwarf (1)
Chapter 189 : Dwarf (1)
Chapter 189: Dwarf (1)
A woman with her hood pulled low walked down the street.
With a longsword strapped to her waist, anyone could tell at a glance that she was an Adventurer.
Walking at a somewhat brisk pace, the place she arrived at was the Oak Tree Inn.
She cut across the hall bustling with rough-looking patrons and sought out the proprietor.
“Welcome. I am Humphrey of the Oak Tree Inn.”
“I’m looking for someone. A swordsman named Robin is staying here, right.”
Anticipation seeped into her cold voice.
The kind of anticipation that carried the nuance of someone who already knew everything.
“It is true that Robin frequents our inn, but he is not here at the moment.”
“Could you tell me where he went.”
“I only heard that he was heading east. He said he didn’t know himself when he would return.”
“Tch.”
The woman clicked her tongue briefly and ordered a glass of whiskey.
In a sense, she was paying for the information.
As Humphrey brought the bottle and poured, he asked,
“For what reason are you looking for Robin?”
“One doesn’t need a reason to meet someone.”
“Oho, it seems you two know each other.”
“We know each other well.”
“If it isn’t rude, may I ask what kind of relationship you have?”
The woman slowly sipped her whiskey.
Very slowly, as though contemplating whether she should speak or not.
“If you’re unwilling, you don’t have to tell me.”
“No. It’s just… now that I think about it, I don’t know what to call our relationship.”
“Did you not say you knew each other well?”
“That’s true. But it’s been a long time since we’ve seen each other. In the meantime, Robin changed, and I changed a lot too.”
Humphrey listened to her quietly.
He did not know what had happened between them, but it seemed there was a complicated story.
“When we were young, Robin took care of me. It was an employer and employee relationship, but to me, he was like an older brother.”
“The past of a promising Adventurer, hm. That’s quite valuable information.”
When Humphrey spoke jokingly, the woman let out a faint chuckle.
After drinking about half her whiskey, she recalled a few years ago.
“Do you know what it feels like when it seems like everyone is going to kill you? It was such a hard time that I wanted to die, but Robin didn’t abandon me. Even though he must have been struggling himself.”
“It seems your life wasn’t exactly smooth.”
“To me, Robin is a benefactor and like family… no, I’ll correct that.”
She downed the remaining whiskey and let out a deep breath.
Borrowing the strength of alcohol, she faced feelings she usually turned away from.
“I like Robin. That’s why I’m looking for him.”
“Ah… I-I see.”
Humphrey was flustered by the unexpected answer.
As he filled a glass of water and offered it to her, the woman’s eyes glinted beneath her hood.
“Robin must have missed me too. How lonely must he have been alone all this time. I want to see him soon and fill that empty space.”
Humphrey felt that something was wrong.
He was about to let it pass with a smile when Margaret walked by and tilted her head.
“Hm? If you mean Robin, he already has excellent companions, though?”
“Margaret!”
Humphrey called out to Margaret, but the woman heard clearly.
“Companions… could you tell me a bit more?”
“The four of them are famous. The Barbarian Tribe Sigbard, the unerring Aelin, and the Spirit Mage Serena. There’s hardly anyone around here who doesn’t know them.”
“Serena is… with Robin……?”
“Yes. She often zones out, but when you talk to her, she’s a good person. She’s skilled, and her face is pretty too.”
Humphrey kept shooting Margaret warning glances, but she did not stop.
“And what about Aelin. She always wears a helmet, so I’ve never seen her face, but she’s probably very pretty. You can tell just by her voice.”
“Two women……?”
“Margaret! That’s enough!”
Unable to bear it any longer, Humphrey covered Margaret’s mouth.
Margaret looked confused, but soon realized her mistake.
Crack.
The woman crushed the glass in her hand.
When she crumpled the pewter cup like paper with nothing but her grip strength, Margaret fell silent.
“Ah, sorry. I didn’t realize I put so much strength into it. How much is the glass?”
“It’s fine. We were going to replace it soon anyway.”
“Don’t refuse. These things should be settled properly.”
She placed a silver coin on the table.
Humphrey tried to decline, saying it was too much, but the woman instead asked him to answer a question.
“What food does Robin like?”
“He eats just about anything, but he especially likes sashimi.”
“His tastes haven’t changed. Then I wonder if his reason for operating in the Uncharted Area is the same.”
“That much, I’m not sure…….”
The woman straightened the crushed cup and rose from her seat.
As she turned to leave, Humphrey made a well-meaning suggestion.
“If you’re waiting for Robin, how about staying at our inn?”
“It’ll take quite a while to go to the east and come back. I can’t just sit around doing nothing.”
“Do you have other business?”
Clink.
She opened her palm and showed the silver-ranked Adventurer token issued by the Guild.
As expected, she was highly skilled.
“I heard Robin’s Adventurer rank is Gold Rank?”
“That’s correct. He was promoted not long ago.”
“I can’t be the only one falling behind. Before Robin returns, I’ll earn my Gold Rank too.”
Statistically, fewer than ten percent of Adventurers who entered the Extreme Region returned alive.
Whether she knew or not that countless hardships lurked there beyond what numbers could explain,
she spoke as though attaining Gold Rank were as simple as a children’s game.
Even so, Humphrey had a feeling that the woman before him could do it.
“The whiskey was good, Pulverizer Humphrey.”
The epithet that had followed Humphrey during his active days.
The fact that she knew that epithet, which few remembered now, meant…….
“So it was you, Butcher.”
“Not anymore. I got out.”
“Are your comrades well?”
“That’s strange. I heard Pulverizer left early on, yet you still call them comrades?”
“I still respect their cause.”
“If you’re curious, why not ask yourself. Raymond is at the Safe Area Rest Stop.”
Humphrey let out a snort and shook his head.
“No. Nothing good comes from outsiders getting involved.”
“You thought it through well.”
“Please stop by again. Next time, the drink is on me.”
The woman waved her hand and left for the Uncharted Area.
As comfortably as if she were stepping in and out of her own home, into the lawless land filled with danger.
The fortress city of Zeras in the east.
Thanks to its proximity to the Dwarf Kingdom, it was a city with many forges.
Sigbard had gone to the entrance of the Uncharted Area to train, and Serena had followed Robin out but lost interest and returned.
Since the purpose was to establish an exploration plan, she found the conversation between Aelin and Robin dull.
“Come back as soon as you’re done.”
“I will.”
“Just in case, I’ll attach a spirit.”
“……?”
He did not know her intention behind those last words, but he did not stop her.
Aelin let out a faint sigh of regret, but that was not what mattered.
They visited the Guild and a general store to gather nearby maps, then sat at an outdoor table of a tavern and began drafting their exploration plan.
Scratch. Scratch.
The sound of pen on paper signaled how focused the two were.
It was common for Adventurers to stare holes into maps, so no one disturbed them.
Until a man appeared.
“Is this your first time in Zeras.”
When he looked up, a large man stood there, hands in his coat pockets, surveying the table.
The moment Robin saw him, he sensed something off.
From head to toe, not a single part of his body was exposed to the outside.
He had wrapped a stretchy fabric around his face like bandages, covering even the areas where his eyes, nose, ears, and mouth should be.
One had to wonder if he could even see.
Adventurers’ attire was often eccentric, but even among them, this was something he had never seen before.
“Yes. We arrived a few days ago.”
“What brings Adventurers of such caliber to a remote city like this?”
They had exchanged only a few words, yet the man had already gauged Robin and Aelin’s skill.
Raising his guard, Robin responded evenly.
“For the obvious reason. To make money.”
“No, no. If it were simply about making money, there would be no reason to go all the way to Dwarf territory.”
Aelin, who had been planning their route, rolled up the map.
Eavesdropping on an exploration plan was quite rude.
“Robin, let’s go.”
They tried to ignore the man and pass by, but his muttered words stopped Aelin in her tracks.
“It would be difficult. If you cross the mountain range, the resource consumption would be severe, and if you detour, it would take far too long.”
“You speak as if you’ve been there yourself.”
“I have, indeed. I am an Adventurer as well. I know the answer to that problem. Would you care to hear it?”
The man calmly sat down and tapped the table.
Aelin could not easily leave.
He had struck at their greatest dilemma.
When she looked at Robin, he gave a slight nod.
If they had nothing to lose, they might as well hear him out.
As the two sat back down, the man immediately got to the point.
“I will guide you to the Dwarf Kingdom, so grant me one favor.”
“Let’s hear it.”
“Nothing grand. Just hunt a single Monster.”
“What kind of Monster?”
The man looked up at the sky, as if recalling his memory.
“It looks like a lizard, but it’s quite large. Its body is covered in carp-like scales, tough enough that ordinary weapons won’t work. When it swings its tail, winds like a typhoon rise, and it can even breathe fire from its mouth.”
“Hmm… was there such a Monster in the Uncharted Area?”
“It has horns on its head, sharp teeth you must beware of, and wings that allow it to fly.”
“That’s no ordinary troublesome Monster.”
“Still, don’t worry too much. It doesn’t attack if you keep a certain distance.”
From the description alone, it was not an easy opponent.
Regardless of type, Monsters capable of flight saw a sharp rise in subjugation difficulty.
Beside him, Aelin sank into thought.
While she considered, Robin asked the most important question.
“How can we trust that you’ll provide a proper route?”
“That part can be guaranteed at the Guild. I’ve been active for quite a long time.”
The man rummaged through his pocket and showed a Copper-Ranked Adventurer token.
The name Niaroti was written on it.
“Is subjugation the only objective? Do you intend to claim the spoils as well?”
“Of course it’s for the spoils. Why else would I ask?”
“And the distribution?”
“For that Monster alone, I take everything. The rest can be handled however you wish.”
Given that it was a rare Monster they had never heard of, its remains were likely valuable.
However, that made the deal unbalanced.
“Everything is too much. We’ll give you half.”
“The strategy and information I possess are worth far more than that.”
“If you’re that confident, do it alone.”
“Hwahaha! You’ve got guts, young man. Very well, I’ll concede 10%.”
“Only 10%? We’d need at least 30%.”
“Young friend, don’t be too greedy. There aren’t many who can handle that Monster’s materials anyway. Let’s say 15%. But I get priority in choosing what to take.”
The man’s attitude was firm.
As if this truly was the limit of what he could concede.
“If you’re truly uneasy, I can even draft a contract.”
“We haven’t decided yet.”
“Take your time. We have plenty of it.”
“Let us discuss it privately for a moment.”
Robin led Aelin a short distance away and asked,
“What do you think, Aelin? Does it seem like a fair deal?”
“It’s not bad. There’s no publicly available information about the route to the Dwarf Kingdom.”
“The unidentified Monster is the problem…….”
“If it’s in the Safe Area, it should be fine. With our skill, I think we can be confident.”
“Mm, this is difficult.”
After much deliberation, they eventually accepted the man’s proposal.
Of course, they planned to draft a thorough contract at the Guild.
In the Uncharted Area, anything could happen without consequence, but within the city, things were different.
“We look forward to working with you, Niaroti.”
“And I with you. I’d like to greet your other companions as well.”
“Since we’re at it, let’s have dinner together. We can coordinate the schedule.”
“Ah, that won’t be necessary. I should mention in advance that I value my privacy. I prefer to eat alone.”
A peculiar man.
Then again, Aelin rarely ate in front of others either, so it was not entirely incomprehensible.
Keeping a moderate distance from Niaroti, they finalized their exploration plan.
“Let’s depart.”
Together with their newly added guide, they headed toward the Dwarf Kingdom.