Chapter 431 – Interview (2)
Depending on the answer, the result would change.
If Verden's response did not meet Gharun's expectations… staff creation would fall through, and he would have to wander again, searching for a dwarf who might rival Gharun—someone whose existence was uncertain.
There was no doubt, this was a one-time chance.
This orthodox dwarf would never overturn his decision, no matter what. There was a reason he was called the Hammer of Integrity.
One could tell just by looking at his glaring eyes, and his calloused hands.
Even so, Verden was not shaken.
No matter how he wrapped up his words, the meaning of enlightenment would not change. There was no need to look for some clever trick, nor to force anything.
He only had to say it.
Gharun asked once more.
"What will you do, once you obtain such a powerful weapon?"
Verden answered immediately.
"Before long, I will erase two Transcendents from this world."
"...!!"
Gharun's eyes twitched.
The answer was so unexpected that even he could not hide his surprise.
He spoke again after a pause.
"Judging by the circumstances, it seems you only recently achieved transcendence… but still, you must know, that Transcendents have rules of their own. If you rampage without measure, the other Transcendents will not leave you be."
"If I reveal myself openly, then yes, it would turn out that way."
"You mean to wage war against Transcendents in secret? Hah, utterly absurd. Fine, at least I understand what it is you aim to do."
Then, Gharun asked the next question.
"Then what is it for, that you would do such a thing?"
The ultimate purpose that underpinned one's actions.
Not something petty like a promise or revenge, but the very cause of one's awakening.
It was a simple question.
Verden looked Gharun straight in the eye, and condensed his transcendence into a single phrase.
"Freedom through strength."
"How grand."
Gharun exhaled through his nose.
"And contradictory. Strength and freedom are concepts that do not coexist. For strength itself contains the nature of oppression. It is nothing but an ideal. Something that can never be attained."
"If it serves as a milestone to walk toward, then it is an ideal. And, as I draw closer, perhaps one day I might reach it. There are no absolutes in this world."
"There are no absolutes? How can you be sure? Can you prove it?"
"I am the proof."
Verden did not reveal the aura of a Transcendent.
Even so, the entire expanse of the prison layer felt as though it had suddenly been filled with something. At least, that was how it felt to Gharun.
A strange resonance.
Only then did Gharun glimpse a fragment of Verden.
"...They say every Transcendent bears their own madness. But Asher, you are rather unusual. Perhaps the most insane of them all, more so than any Transcendent I have ever met."
Gharun chuckled low.
"And so, you are very interesting. I do not know what the future holds for you, but at least my creation will never suffer boredom. Good, with that the questions are over. Now for the last one. Show me your Mado."
"Mado?"
"When forging a weapon, one must thoroughly understand its owner. In that sense, nothing is more accurate than witnessing the Mado of the one who pioneered it."
He stepped a few paces to the side.
"I heard you mainly use elemental magic that regards destruction as its true purpose. Then try breaking this prison. Even with all your effort, it would be near impossible to scratch… but since you are a Transcendent, you should be able to do at least that much."
An abrupt demand.
Of course, it was not difficult.
"I will show you, one by one."
"…One by one?"
Ignoring Gharun's puzzlement, Verden displayed Mado
Countless lights of elements floated in the air.
They flared brightly, illuminating the dim space, leaving behind the afterimage of infinite possibilities, then vanished.
Without delay, he released Mado
From his heart surged dark crimson magic power, racing through the mana circuits of his entire body. With independent operation, Verden fused and controlled his inner magic, extending his left hand forward.
A dark wave expanded in a circle.
Space itself rippled, and the shockwave of Destruction struck head-on.
The bars, made of special dwarf-forged metal and crafted in part by Gharun himself, were utterly shattered.
No, it was more like they had evaporated.
Some pieces at the edge of the blast fell in half-shapes, clattering onto the ground.
Silence lingered.
"One is without limit… one is the end… To carry two such contrasting Mados in one body… unbelievable."
Gharun did not even blink as he replayed the sight in his mind.
"Besides that dragon's skull, is there nothing else suitable for the staff? Don't bother mentioning metals."
"There are a few."
Verden summoned high-grade runes [Concentration] and [Release] from subspace. They had been part of the payment he received from Marquis Esperanza.
He also laid out what remained after crafting the Orient: a trunk of the Soul Tree, a dragon's claw, a dragon's rib, and even the claw of the Septa Horn.
"You carry so many precious things, as though artifacts are not enough. Other than the skull, I don't need the dragon bones… hm, yes. The outline is beginning to take shape."
Gharun picked up a fragment of the prison at his feet.
Twisting his wrist, he wedged the jagged shard of a bar into the gap of his shackles, manipulating it until a locking sound clicked.
Boom!
Casting off the heavy restraints, Gharun regained his freedom.
"I've drawn the rough blueprint in my head. But there are two problems."
"What are they?"
"First, materials are lacking. What you have alone cannot achieve harmony. Especially to synchronize high-grade runes with dragon bones, a special medium is needed. And to forge a weapon of that caliber myself, I'll need my hammer."
From the sound of it, none of this would be easy to obtain.
A deadlock right from the start.
When Verden asked for a solution, Gharun twisted his lips.
"What else? If it isn't here, we must go fetch it."
The Hammer of Integrity lightly loosened his muscles.
***
At the very heart of the Red Volcano Citadel, the clan leader Arkul, the Arnak Empire's Sword Saint, and two knights of the Oath-bound Knight Order gathered.
"..."
The Sword Saint leaned back in his chair, glaring at the Oath-bound knights. Even before the representative of the Empire, they had not removed their helmets, hiding their faces.
Arkul took the lead in the meeting.
"Red Volcano Clan, the Arnak Empire, the Oath-bound Knight Order… we are gathered here because of the same problem. Truly regrettable. Each of us may want different things, but I hope for a deep and peaceful discussion befitting our stations. First───"
As clan leader, Arkul had to take responsibility for what Gharun had done.
So he treated the guests with humility.
This too was Arkul's sense of duty, something uncharacteristic of a dwarf.
But the fragile atmosphere he managed to create shattered in an instant.
"I will speak plainly."
The Sword Saint cut him off.
"Drop the petty schemes, and step aside. This is the Empire's matter."
It was not provocation meant to incense the other side and shake their judgment.
What the Sword Saint had learned until now was not complicated plots, but the sword, and strength.
He was a direct disciple of the Empire's Transcendent, the Sword of Arnak.
"Harsh from the start."
The Oath-bound Knight, Solia, shrugged her shoulders.
"Sorry, but that we cannot do. When the lord's daughter heard of this incident, she was most displeased. After all, the man who may become her fiancé was humiliated in the middle of the street."
"Then all the more reason, there is no justification for you to interfere. The royal bloodline has never joined with the child of an Oathkeeper. The prince's safety is not your concern."
"Are you in any position to say such things? You did not even punish the one who assaulted the Second Prince to prioritize relations with the dwarves… Ah, of course, if you grant us what we seek, we are willing to leave."
Solia turned her gaze to Arkul.
"Hand over the Hammer of Integrity, Gharun."
Arkul furrowed his brow.
Since the incident's cause lay with a member of his clan, he had considered accepting some demands… but handing over Gharun?
"That I cannot do."
"Then kill him."
"…! How dare you."
Craaaack.
The armrest of the chair screamed under his savage grip.
"You may rely on a Transcendent, but this goes too far. Do you not think your demand is reckless, even yourselves?"
The Oath-bound Knight, Bender, replied.
"We want punishment for the criminal who attacked the young lady's betrothed-to-be. It is tied directly to the lord's dignity. So choose carefully. Will you hand him over, or will you kill him?"
If they chose the former, the Oathkeepers would gain a legendary dwarf. If the latter, enmity between the Red Volcano Clan and the Arnak Empire would spread like plague.
Either way, it was division.
As the Oath-bound Knights made their threat, the Sword Saint countered with fire.
"Then I give you two choices as well. One, leave quietly. Two, be expelled with one hand severed."
"Ha, among the lords of the Empire, it is said the Sword Saint is the most extreme. Seems the rumors are not wrong. You are exactly as I had hoped."
Silence fell.
Amid the taut tension, the Sword Saint declared in a low voice.
"There is no compromise with the Empire's enemies."
Kwaaaang!
The Sword Saint kicked the massive table into the air, then unleashed a torrent of swordlight in an instant.
The green sword aura split metal apart.
At the same time, Solia and Bender drew their twin swords and longsword, deflecting the slash aside and twisting the trajectory of the shattered table.
A fleeting clash.
The Sword Saint and the Oath-bound Knights faced each other with space between.
Of course, the clan leader did not remain still.
Kwooooom!
Arkul restored the massive halberd-axe, which had been magically minimized, to its original form, and slammed it into the ground.
The citadel quaked.
Dwarven elites stormed into the chamber, forming ranks on both sides, crossbows leveled.
Clack.
Bolts were loaded—special bolts capable of piercing not only alloyed armor but even elemental shields of the 4th tier.
The force they unleashed could not be stopped even by a small fortress wall.
"I showed respect in treating you as guests…! Yet you act so outrageously. Empire or Transcendent, make another move and I will unleash siege weapons upon you, be warned."
This was the dwarves' fortress.
Their forces, armed with astonishing technology, rivaled that of nations.
The two Oath-bound Knights sheathed their swords.
"It was the Empire who struck first. We too prefer to resolve this with words, if possible."
"Then state what you truly want. If you intend to spout nonsense again, then hold your tongues."
"The young lady wishes to visit the Red Volcano. Together with the Second Prince. And naturally, the escort will not be the Empire's, but the Oath-bound Knight Order's."
The Sword Saint narrowed his eyes.
"You treat the Empire's prince as your own."
"It was your Empire that chose the dwarf over the Second Prince, was it not? Then it is we who must see to it. For the young lady wishes it."
"I told you, the royal family never promised such a union."
"That matters not. To us, only the lord and the young lady's will matters."
It was another audacious demand, but at least better than mentioning Gharun.
At least for the dwarves.
Seeing Arkul deep in thought, the Sword Saint pondered.
Should he prioritize the dwarves, or disregard them and cut down the Oath-bound Knights?
'What benefits the Empire most?'
Suddenly, he recalled the reason the Sword of Arnak had sent him here.
Yes.
If a proper negotiation had been the goal, another lord would have been dispatched.
For example, the Warlord, Legrit. But instead, it was he, the Sword Saint, who was sent to the Red Volcano.
'Do not let anyone cross the Empire's boundaries.'
The Sword Saint understood the meaning.
"Your demand is denied."
The Sword Saint shifted his weight forward, when—
Kugugugugugugugugu───!
The entire fortress suddenly shook.
Dust fell from the ceiling under the shock, like an earthquake had struck.
Solia, thinking a volcanic eruption had begun, raised her guard to the utmost.
But this was not a disaster.
Arkul hurried to the window, looking down upon the city.
Sensing the epicenter through the seismic waves, his awareness shifted to the fortress floor… the underground.
Could it be.
"Gharun…?"
***
Having escaped from the prison layer, Gharun made his way alone toward the clan's treasury.
To reclaim his confiscated belongings and the materials for Verden's staff.
Hidden inside his robe, Alpha sensed the massive tremor.
[Large-scale seismic activity. It is the signal that the treasury's gates have been opened.]
According to Gharun, opening the treasury without proper procedure caused a great booming noise.
Which meant, inevitably, that the Red Volcano Clan would notice.
That was why Verden's role was to guard the fortress core, and the escape route outward, until Gharun returned.
'In short, stalling for time.'
Fortunately, he had the pitch-black [Ainber].
Thanks to it, he could act boldly without fear of his identity being exposed.
"..."
Verden stood still, at the center of the great passageway.
Before long, he sensed someone rapidly approaching.
Not a dwarf.
Judging by the sheer presence, it was certainly a human who had awakened his qi.
Step, step.
From the front appeared a stranger.
In the light of the mana-stone lamps on the walls, his shadow stretched long.
Wearing worn light armor, with only an unremarkable sword at his waist, the swordsman halted, casting a merciless gaze.
One of the guests Gharun had mentioned.
From his appearance, he did not seem like the Oath-bound Knights…
'The Empire's Sword Saint, then.'
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