Chapter 435 - Misjudgment (2)
Second prince assault, prison floor jailbreak, Vigo's unauthorized intrusion, uncompromising forced barter, fortress property damage... even confinement.
All of it, are charges belonging to Gharun.
No matter how much he is the one wielding the Hammer of Integrity, there is a limit to leniency.
'You have crossed the line.'
As soon as Arkul left the fortress, his eyes turned upside down, and he immediately ordered the entire clan to search for Gharun's whereabouts.
No more respect or tolerance remained.
Had it not always been said, that for dwarves with such vile tempers, only the rod works best?
Of course, if one were to clash head-on with Gharun, the chance of being beaten instead was very high... but even so, landing a few punches on that face would relieve the stifling pressure in his chest.
If lucky, perhaps that senile mind of his might be thoroughly fixed.
It was not long after, that Arkul succeeded in discovering Gharun's trail.
But then.
"...Where did you say Gharun went?"
"To that black volcano west of the volcanic zone. The clan leader refused him use of the Red Volcano's facilities, so he said he would go seek and use the legacy left by the Black Volcano Clan."
It was Gharun's disciples themselves who came forward and confessed where he had gone.
It was not betrayal.
For a dwarf to enter a cursed land was a true taboo. Reporting it was simply the proper action in order to preserve tradition.
"Black Volcano?"
His anger naturally cooled.
In an instant, Arkul's beard trembled.
"The Hammer of Integrity, chose to head to the cursed land of his own accord?"
He knew why.
The reason Gharun committed such senseless acts had always been the same.
Even so, it was hard to accept.
'What in the world is he trying to forge, that he would go as far as Black Volcano?'
He asked Gharun's disciples, but all he heard was, 'He intends to craft a weapon that will leave its name in history'. In other words, once again to engrave a mark upon legend.
Indeed, considering the refined dragon's blood, and the items he bartered away from the clan's Vigo without permission, it was surely no ordinary thing... yet even so, this exceeded the boundaries of dwarven comprehension.
Arkul had always rated Gharun's skill very highly, but now he had to admit, he had underestimated that man's madness-driven creative desire.
"Ughm...!"
As much as he longed to pursue him to the end, his mind tilted toward quietly waiting.
For curses might cling.
As the Red Volcano's clan leader, leading dwarves to set foot on Black Volcano was something he wished to avoid at all costs.
Arkul's dilemma deepened with time.
Of course, that fear of Black Volcano applied only to dwarves, to other races it was nothing more than another region.
'Black Volcano, hm.'
The Sword Saint, Fribalt, who had grasped where Gharun and the fortress intruder had gone, withdrew to a secluded place and sent hand signals toward the sky.
The imperial airship waiting above immediately descended, and the captain came down in person, standing sharply at attention.
"Did you call for me, Lord?"
"Have you contacted the homeland?"
"As soon as the fortress showed signs of disturbance, I took measures. In about four hours, the 8th Fleet will arrive at Red Volcano."
"That will not suffice."
"...Pardon?"
The captain tilted his head slightly, not knowing the situation, which was only natural.
Fribalt spoke.
"There was an intruder in the Red Volcano Fortress. Likely human, but through some method has hindered outer perception, concealing not only appearance but even gender. Notable traits include abnormal weight, self-restoration, and possession of a spear-like artifact capable of large-scale terrain manipulation."
Of course, the Spear of the Earth was not an artifact, but a weapon manifested by magic, yet mistaking it was inevitable for him.
Setting aside the absence of magic power felt, who would see the collapsed passages and immediately think of
What Fribalt witnessed, was on an entirely different dimension from 3rd-tier magic.
"It is impossible to judge whether the intruder uses qi or magic power. Still, without doubt, a formidable expert. At least enough to cross blades evenly with me."
"My Lord, you yourself...!"
"And that one, escaped together with Gharun who plundered the Red Volcano Clan's Vigo. I hear they intend to go to Black Volcano to craft something. At the very least, it is clear they do not plan to leave the volcanic region immediately."
A blade-like gleam filled his eyes.
"Judging from the intruder's strength, it is highly likely he belongs to some organization rather than acting alone. Their forces are unknown. Furthermore, the search area will be vast. To think one fleet alone could locate and handle them, is impossible."
Fribalt made his decision.
"Request support from the other Lords."
***
It was not only the Arnak Empire that was wary of the fortress intruder.
The Oath-bound Knights, Solia and Bender, conversed in a place where none could hear.
"The sudden emergence of another power... judging from how they disregarded both us and the Empire, they are no ordinary group. But the information is too scarce. What do we do, withdraw like this?"
"That cannot be. The Arnak Empire will marshal their strength to expose their whereabouts. And we too were hindered in the meeting, attacked, and trapped in the fortress."
Bender cast his gaze toward Red Volcano, visible in the distance.
"In fact, it's rather convenient. Much more solid justification than anything about the Second Prince. Therefore, we will seize this opportunity."
"As expected, right? Then it is decided."
Solia removed her helm.
A woman's face, with golden hair and black eyes, was revealed.
Her expression seemed innocent.
She gathered her focus, and murmured softly.
"I, Solia Hercante. By supreme oath I speak."
A strange phenomenon occurred.
This was the 'Word' power, bestowed upon those who forged an oath with the Oathkeeper. In their language resided unique abilities.
Solia imbued her recent memories into her voice, and spoke clearly.
"Meeting suspended. A third power has intervened."
The situation was conveyed in its entirety to someone absent from the scene.
After about one minute.
A cold feminine voice bloomed in their minds.
───Confirmed.
From the Oath-bound Knight Order, the vice-captain.
The third seat of the Transcendents had declared their participation.
Thus two powers had reached their judgments.
***
Upon the spatial teleportation array, Verden's group safely arrived at the boundary near Black Volcano.
From here, they would have to scour the unfamiliar land, in search of the Black Volcano Clan's fortress buried who knew where.
The exploration had begun.
Not long after they set out, the land before them unfolded differently from all they had seen so far.
'This is...'
The first impression of the land dwarves had named Black Volcano was... simply put, bizarre.
Compared to ordinary volcanic scenery, the differences were more than a few.
First, the domain.
Dwarves, as skilled with their hands as they were, crafted detailed maps of the volcanic region.
Thanks to that, even outsiders could easily distinguish regions with different names, and the locations of other clans were marked visibly.
Even at reduced scale, the overall size of the volcanic zone could be gauged.
However, Black Volcano, being the cursed land, had been completely omitted from records, so its precise expanse was unknown... now that they saw with their own eyes, it was no mere volcano.
'At this scale, the volcanic zone is practically split in half.'
The entire horizon was dyed black.
Even at a glance, its size dwarfed Red Volcano.
It felt like facing a dark, boundless sea.
And second, the terrain.
The ground of Black Volcano bore heavy traces of upheaval and erosion.
Everywhere, countless jagged spikes of earth jutted out.
[Not suitable for traveling on foot.]
As Alpha had said, if one were to move only upon the surface, it did not even seem easy to cross the boundary.
Should one fall into the fissures covered in deep darkness, those without means of escape would either die instantly, or be isolated until death.
Third, the ecosystem.
Though the volcanic zone had a high average temperature, it was by no means barren. Many plants and animals lived there, having adapted to its conditions.
Livestock could be grazed, crops possessed such tenacious vitality that farming was even easier in some respects.
Of course, like in valleys, it was difficult to procure cool water, yet plants stored abundant moisture instead.
Thus even if one were to suddenly be dropped into the midst of the volcanic zone, with only basic survival knowledge one would not die of thirst.
But Black Volcano was desolate, and cold.
White mist rose with each breath.
"The weather is damned filthy."
"Had it not been for the robes, we would have frozen to death."
Gharun and Linus covered themselves with the magical robes given by Verden.
Dwarves, strong against heat but weak against cold, were clumsy in enduring chill. Linus too, accustomed to the volcanic zone, was unskilled in resisting the cold.
As shown by their reactions, ordinary life was nearly impossible, with hardly a common living creature to be sensed anywhere.
Lastly, fourth, the sky.
The skies above Black Volcano were yellowish-brown.
It was like gazing at a drought-stricken field. The ocher sky held not a single cloud, and was ominously still.
Everything was parched.
'So this is why dwarves call it a cursed land.'
It was too different.
Any trace of color had vanished completely. Above was only ochre, below only blackness.
Without doubt, not only dwarves but humans and elves alike would shun this place. Likely beastkin as well.
Verden, with Linus and Gharun aboard the flying carriage, slowly strolled the sky path, observing the surroundings.
"But for something called Black Volcano... it hardly looks like a volcano."
He cast
Many large rocky mountains could be seen, but no trace whatsoever of giant craters like those of Red Volcano.
"And judging from the look of it, there was once an enormous tectonic upheaval here. No matter how dwarven the structures, it would be hard for them to remain intact."
"No, the fortress of the Black Volcano Clan has not collapsed. Of that I am certain."
Gharun, gazing upon the desolate scenery of Black Volcano, spoke with confidence.
"How can you be so sure?"
"The west of the volcanic zone turned black about 300 years ago. And my current age is 283."
A far-off past.
Gharun was a living legend.
"Now it is considered old tradition, but to me it was an event of my time. Back then, Black Volcano was not even called a cursed land. When I was around ten, investigations into its cause were still underway."
His thick brows twitched as he pulled forth memories.
"And around when I was fourteen, I heard from the returning survey team that they had confirmed the fortress' existence. I did not see it myself, but all clans dispatched search parties based on that report, so it must be true. Why, do you doubt words alone?"
"If you are that certain, then indeed you must have sound grounds. I would like to hear in detail, but..."
Verden halted
"We will have to postpone it a little."
Drrrrrrrrrr...!
The ground shook, something was rapidly approaching.
Then, through the black rock, the massive head of a stone eater burst forth with fragments of earth.
Its visage was vicious.
It looked wholly different from ordinary stone eaters.
'A mutation, then.'
And worse, it seemed they had developed the habit of moving in abnormal large groups, their numbers were not few.
Their sizes varied.
Crunch, crack.
Having adapted to prey-scarce Black Volcano, it seemed they had even developed separate olfactory organs.
The mutant stone eaters wriggled their bodies as if sniffing, and upon spotting the dwarves and human inside the flying carriage, drooled thickly.
Gharun stroked his beard.
"Even in this wasteland, their numbers are considerable. They must be the local lords of this region. I might be safe, but Linus would surely be eaten."
"Don't say such things, Master."
"What use is it to teach you the war hammer, when you come back one-armed after being struck from behind by an adventurer? Did I teach you to act so foolishly?"
Most of the exchanges between Gharun and Linus were nothing but scolding.
Dwarf and human, master and disciple.
Their relationship was rarer than the scenery of Black Volcano.
'In any case.'
Verden calmly fixed his gaze on the swarm of mutant stone eaters.
This was a desolate land.
Whatever magic he cast, there would be no chance of collateral damage to innocent lives or property.
'I wonder what Adrian and Isabella are doing now.'
For a moment, the Ownerless Land came to mind.
With such thoughts, Verden released his magic power in full, and activated his Mystic Eye.
The ocher sky turned blood-red.
Crimson calamity.
A miniature sun formed of magic began to accelerate and descend.
The atmosphere boiled under the immense heat.
At last, the 7th-tier siege magic landed upon the ground with blinding light.
KWAaaaaaaaaaang───!
A searing shockwave.
The belated thunder of the explosion.
At the heart of Black Volcano, a massive mushroom cloud rose.
Rustle.
Alpha drew out the memory golem, recording Verden and his magic on film.
***
Meanwhile, in the disputed zone of the Ownerless Land, dawn was breaking on the promised day of inter-faction talks.
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