WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: Order

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Chapter 32: Mountain City Barquntol (2)

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The three were shown to the reception room in Mountain City Barquntol's city hall.

Elbridge and Marcus, seeing Barquntol's city hall for the first time, both thought the building looked more like a temple than a city hall.

That was especially true because a statue depicting the God of the Iron Anvil stood tall in the very center of the city hall.

"Mr. Rombel. Here··· this really is city hall, not a temple?"

There had been a city hall in the Holy City of Solenion where they had stayed as well.

But Solenion's mayor had to avoid making religious remarks in public. So many different faiths lived together in the Holy City of Solenion.

Putting a statue of a particular god inside city hall would have been unthinkable.

"The mayor of Mountain City Barquntol is different from the mayors or lords of other cities. The mayor of Barquntol also serves as the Archbishop of the Order of the Iron Anvil."

Since every dwarf living in Barquntol worshiped the God of the Iron Anvil, there was no reason to separate city administration from faith.

"That's unusual."

"The dwarves in this city probably find the outside world just as strange."

Elbridge had a different question from Marcus.

"By the way, doesn't the city feel oddly peaceful?"

Marcus could not agree with Elbridge's opinion.

"Peaceful? Didn't you see how stiff the dwarves' faces are?"

Rombel, however, agreed with Elbridge.

"I see it that way too. They're calmer than I expected."

Of course, it was not an atmosphere of complete peace.

Just as Marcus said, worry was clear on the dwarves' faces, and the city's atmosphere was taut and sharp. It felt as if something could explode at any moment.

But this was a situation where a demon had appeared.

If a demon showed up, the city should have been swallowed by not just worry and tension, but complete chaos that could not be contained.

Rombel smiled with satisfaction.

"That just means the old dwarf warriors were that skilled. You think I'd have taken this job without thinking?"

In the past, when a demon appeared, more than twenty Knights and Paladins were sent to seal it.

Even when manpower was short and the demon was especially weak, they still sent at least five Paladins or Knights.

By contrast, Elbridge's party had only three people, Marcus included.

Three people could not seal a demon. Even if Elbridge and Rombel were highly skilled, the success rate was far too low.

So what had brought Elbridge's party all the way to the Red Mountains with only three people?

It was the old dwarf warriors who had survived the war against the demons in the past.

"Rombel. How many dwarf warriors did you say were left?"

"At least seventeen or eighteen should still be alive."

A dwarf's lifespan was roughly four hundred years.

The war had ended two hundred years ago, so the young warriors from that time should still be alive.

Just then, Marcus, who had been fidgeting the whole time, spoke up.

"Mr. Rombel. Do you know where the restroom is?"

"The restroom?"

"Yes. Truth be told, I had to go since we crossed the valley."

"I don't remember either. It's been a while since I was here. Go out and look around."

Marcus awkwardly left the reception room.

Now only Elbridge and Rombel remained in the room. Rombel grinned.

"Elbridge. You still haven't told Marcus who you are, right?"

"The only person on earth who knows who I am is you."

Rombel's eyes lit up with mischief.

"I'm already looking forward to it. When you tell him, that idiot Marcus is going to flip out, isn't he?"

Rombel and Elbridge planned to join the dwarf warriors.

And they would surely figure out who Elbridge was. It was only a matter of time before Marcus learned Elbridge's true identity.

"Before we leave, I need to make sure Marcus keeps his mouth shut. I have to stop him from passing the story on to other people."

"Is keeping his mouth shut important right now? What matters is Marcus's reaction!"

While Elbridge and Rombel were whispering, the reception room door opened and two people appeared.

One was Marcus, who had gone to the restroom. The other was a dwarf Elbridge had never seen before.

That dwarf looked a little younger than Rombel, but he had the air of someone in a high position.

After Marcus hurriedly sat down beside Rombel, the unfamiliar dwarf greeted Elbridge's group.

"Greetings. I am Baldrek Deepdelver, mayor of Mountain City Barquntol. Please call me Baldrek, or simply mayor."

"Good to meet you, Mayor Baldrek. I am Rombel. This fellow beside me is the Paladin Elbridge. The one who just came in is Marcus, a Mercenary who is half a Paladin."

"Half a Paladin?"

"He is a Mercenary, but he received an oracle from the God of Fox Rain. He has also built up some divinity, so he counts as half a Paladin."

"I see. Understood."

Mayor Baldrek sat opposite the group and began his explanation.

"As you may have guessed, we asked for outside help because the situation in the Red Mountains is not good right now."

"I guessed as much. What kind of abilities does it have? And where are the people who saw it?"

Baldrek shook his head.

"It wasn't a demon. It was a demonic beast."

"What?"

Thinking back, the dwarves had never actually mentioned a demon directly.

But the circumstances were strange if this was merely a demonic beast.

"A demonic beast? I saw the Demon Brand with my own eyes. And there is no way the dwarves would ask for outside help just because they couldn't suppress a mere demonic beast."

"Mr. Rombel. That is not an ordinary demonic beast. It is a late-stage distortion-type demonic beast."

At those words, Rombel let out a long sigh.

"Well, damn."

As he listened, Marcus asked Elbridge,

"Sir Elbridge. If it's a distortion-type demonic beast, isn't that the same kind of thing we saw last time, the crow? It was strong, sure, but··· it didn't seem like the sort of thing that could turn a city this huge upside down."

"That one had only just crossed from the middle stage into the late stage. But once a distortion-type demonic beast fully reaches the final stage, things change a bit."

"In what way?"

"As you saw, a distortion-type demonic beast twists space. A mid-stage one only uses that ability to attack other targets··· but a late-stage one also acts as a kind of conduit."

"A conduit?"

"Yes. A conduit connecting the world beyond and this world. A late-stage distortion-type demonic beast can even summon other demonic beasts."

Marcus's face turned serious.

"Don't tell me it can summon demons too? If it can summon several demons, then it's worse than a demon···"

"No. But demons often project their power through distortion-type demonic beasts. A late-stage distortion-type demonic beast can be considered nearly demon-level."

Since ancient times, there had been one rule that absolutely had to be followed when a distortion-type demonic beast was discovered.

No matter the reason, even if sacrifice was required, eliminate it the moment it was found.

The effects a distortion-type demonic beast could unleash were so severe that they were closer to a demon than to a mere demonic beast. It had to be destroyed by any means necessary to prevent future trouble.

Rombel asked Mayor Baldrek,

"What is the situation?"

"Bronzimmar has been completely occupied."

"...I see. That was why the iron gate leading to Bronzimmar was shut."

Another unfamiliar name had come up.

Marcus asked boldly,

"Bron... whatever. What is that?"

"Next to Mountain City Barquntol there is another city carved into the mountain. It started as a mine. The entrance gradually widened, and it eventually became a city. The name of that city is Bronzimmar."

"Is it far?"

"It's right next to Barquntol. If you look toward the cliff opposite city hall, you'll see a huge iron gate. Cross that gate, and Bronzimmar is right there. From above, it looks like two circles stuck together."

Elbridge recalled the iron gate he had seen on the way to city hall.

It was enormous, large enough for several carts to pass through at the same time.

The mayor continued.

"About three months ago, demonic beasts appeared in the mine inside Bronzimmar. We tried to deal with them somehow, but they kept appearing endlessly. In the end, the tunnels became packed with demonic beasts, and it was impossible to handle."

"..."

"We had no choice but to block the tunnel entrance and hold out. But eventually the tunnels were breached, and Bronzimmar was taken over completely. Now we have no way of knowing when Barquntol will collapse too."

Mayor Baldrek bowed deeply toward the three of them.

"We desperately need your help. Request anything you need. If you can retake Bronzimmar, I won't stint on the reward."

"...Understood."

* * *

After the discussion, the three left city hall.

Then they started walking through the streets under the gaze of the dwarves.

Marcus asked cautiously,

"What do you think the situation is like?"

Arms folded, Elbridge answered,

"There is one bad point and one good point. Which would you like to hear first?"

"The good point."

"The fact that we're dealing with demonic beasts instead of demons is clearly a good thing."

"Didn't you say the demons would pull something through those demonic beasts?"

"Even so, it is far better than facing a real demon. Unlike a demon that has to be sealed, a demonic beast can be killed outright."

Marcus smiled in satisfaction.

"The bad point is obvious enough, then. The problem is that we have to deal with a swarm of demonic beasts?"

"That's right. There will probably be several times more than you imagine, Mr. Marcus."

Marcus's face twisted miserably.

On the road to the Red Mountains, Marcus had fought demonic beasts several times with the help of Elbridge and Rombel. And he had never once managed to kill one on his own.

"Don't worry. If we get help from the old dwarf warriors, we'll manage somehow."

"That's a blessing in disguise."

"Depending on the situation, a few people might die···"

"That doesn't sound very blessed."

"That's only if things go badly. If everything goes according to plan, no one will die."

"That's a real relief."

"But situations involving demonic beasts or demons rarely go according to plan."

"...Stop messing with me. Right now I'm being tossed between heaven and hell with every word Sir Elbridge says."

Elbridge and Rombel walked on, teasing Marcus.

At last, the three of them stopped in front of a house.

Elbridge asked,

"Is this the house of the old warrior?"

"That's right. The house of diligent Stonegard. You know him, right?"

"Of course I do."

"That Stonegard bastard. To leave things undone until the situation got this bad···"

Rombel grumbled, but his expression was very bright. It made sense, meeting a comrade from two hundred years ago.

When Rombel knocked hard on the door, a dwarf girl came out and looked at the three of them.

"Who are you?"

"Is this Stonegard's house?"

"He's my grandfather."

"Is the old guy inside?"

"He died before I was born."

"Oh, is that so. I see."

Rombel looked embarrassed and glanced back at Elbridge.

"Stonegard was a bit older. Let's go to the house of the brave Anvilborn. Though, without diligent Stonegard, they probably kept putting off dealing with the demonic beasts until the situation got this bad···"

Rombel muttered to himself as he headed for the next house.

The next house was not far away.

This time, Rombel knocked on the gate again.

A young dwarf came out to greet him.

"Who are you?"

"Is this the house of the brave Anvilborn?"

"He was my great-uncle. May I ask who you are?"

"I am Rombel. Anvilborn's close friend."

At that, the young dwarf frowned.

"I don't know whether he was your friend, but you certainly weren't close. You're showing up now, after my great-uncle died in a tunnel accident one hundred and ninety years ago?"

After saying that, the young dwarf slammed the gate shut.

Rombel said as if nothing had happened,

"At this point, let's go to Helga's house. It's just a little farther."

Rombel knocked on a gate for the third time.

A middle-aged dwarf woman appeared. This dwarf even seemed to know Rombel.

"Oh! Rombel? When did you come back?"

"Today. It took a long time because of some circumstances."

"I see. I've heard bits and pieces··· Anyway, what brings you here?"

"Is Helga inside?"

The dwarf woman's face darkened.

"My sister is dead."

"When did that happen?"

"About two or three years after the war ended, I think. The wounds she had suffered in battle suddenly got worse, and she died. She was still young."

"...I see. I understand."

The dwarf woman was about to close the door, then glanced around.

And then she whispered softly,

"Be careful, Rombel."

That was all she said.

But those short words carried a great deal of meaning.

Creak- thud.

It was ominous.

Not only Rombel, but Elbridge and Marcus also turned serious.

The three of them went from house to house, looking for other dwarves.

Barnok, Borin, Siefrid, Hulgar···

Yet by cruel chance, not one of them was still alive.

When coincidences pile up, they become fate.

What the deaths of the seven dwarves meant was clear.

Elbridge said,

"Rombel."

Rombel did not answer Elbridge's call. He just stood there with his fists clenched, silent for a long time.

But fury seemed to be burning in his eyes.

At last, Rombel muttered in a low voice,

"God of the Iron Anvil. You bastard···"

Footnotes:

"신성력" was rendered as "divinity" to match the glossary.

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