Ch.85Chapter 85 – Carbonation Maniac Pathos

“Do you know what the ‘Heart of Extreme Flame’ is?”

“The Heart of… Extreme Flame, you say?”

After pondering for quite some time, His Imperial Majesty uttered a strange combination of words I had never heard before.

Heart of Extreme Flame.

Not Heart of Fire, nor Heart of Blaze, but Heart of Extreme Flame.

“I’m afraid I don’t know, Your Majesty.”

“Yes. It’s normal not to know.”

When I admitted my ignorance about the Heart of Extreme Flame, His Imperial Majesty let out a deep sigh—whether of relief or simply from exhaustion, I couldn’t tell.

“The Grendillet Mountains are known as a treasure trove of countless resources due to their rugged terrain and dense forests. And the first to pioneer that land and declare it their territory were the dwarves, a race called ‘Dwarves’ in the ancient tongue.”

Oh? Is this about the history of dwarves in the Erasto Chronicle?

I should pay attention. It never hurts to know these things.

“The dwarves call themselves by the ancient term ‘Dwarf.’ Anyway, that’s not the important part.”

No, that is important too.

I’d rather not accidentally call them ‘little people’ and end up saying farewell to life after being struck by axes and hammers.

“The dwarves who settled in the resource-rich Grendillet Mountains faced one problem. That was the need for ‘strong flames’ required for metal processing.”

“Flames, you say?”

“Yes. The Grendillet Mountains were strangely lacking in fuel like flamestone that helps generate high heat. It was so bad that they would say among themselves, ‘Now I understand why our ancestors didn’t covet this land.’ Moreover, the lack of fuel meant they were especially vulnerable during cold periods.”

“So, is the Heart of Extreme Flame something created to overcome this problem?”

“Very good. Your reasoning would be excellent if not for the fact that they didn’t create it.”

“Pardon?”

Wait a moment. So the dwarves didn’t create this Heart of Extreme Flame?

“You look confused. I understand. I was quite surprised myself when I learned the truth.”

His Imperial Majesty continued with a hearty laugh.

“The Heart of Extreme Flame was discovered during mining operations to find minerals like flamestone for furnaces and heating. It was found deep underground along with a stone tablet.”

His Imperial Majesty took a sip of tea before continuing.

“The tablet was inscribed in an ancient language. Since the dwarves were proficient in ancient languages, they interpreted the contents and discovered it was a legacy of an ancient civilization that had long disappeared—the Heart of Extreme Flame.”

I see…

An ancient civilization.

This was never mentioned in the game.

“Following the instructions on the tablet, they built a device to support the Heart of Extreme Flame, and when they lit the fire, it began to burn intensely. The heat was so fierce that even dragon bones, known to withstand high temperatures, would turn to mush instantly.”

Dragon bones. I think those were commonly used as weapon enhancement materials.

“And recently, I received word that a serious problem has occurred with the Heart of Extreme Flame. They said they’re in a difficult situation because they can’t fix it with their own abilities.”

“If it’s something even the dwarves can’t fix, are you asking me to repair it?”

I realized why the dwarves had invited me.

The Heart of Extreme Flame.

They wanted me to fix this legacy of an ancient civilization.

“That’s right. Somehow they discovered your ability to fix anything. They believe that while it might be impossible for them, you could do it.”

I pondered His Imperial Majesty’s words for a moment.

I was wondering if I should go to the dwarven kingdom to fix it.

But before that, there was something I needed to know.

“What exactly happened to the Heart of Extreme Flame?”

“They said the problem occurred while trying to repair the heirloom sword of the Ekatos family.”

“What?”

How exceptional must a family heirloom sword be to cause problems while being repaired?

“By the Ekatos family’s heirloom sword, do you mean the Diamant?”

“No, not that one. Diamant is just a common heirloom sword; the real one is something else.”

I couldn’t understand what His Imperial Majesty meant.

What does he mean by “common heirloom” and “real heirloom”?

“You can hear the details from Ironbeard, the king of the dwarves.”

“Do I really have to go there?”

To be honest, I wasn’t sure if it was necessary for me to go.

I mean, what’s in it for me?

If I go there and fix the Heart of Extreme Flame, I’ll just become more famous, which would be a real headache.

“He fixed an ancient civilization’s legacy that even the dwarves couldn’t repair!”

“Really? Then let’s entrust all ancient relic restorations to him!”

…Ugh, that’s exactly what I don’t want.

The reason I’m working hard now is to prepare for the future.

When I get too old to work, I want to live extravagantly with the money I’ve saved.

Having to work until the end of my life would be too sad.

I should have ended that kind of bone-breaking labor in my previous life.

“Well, there’s no need to go immediately. There are many replicas of the Heart of Extreme Flame now. But there’s one problem… dwarves hold grudges very deeply and for a very long time.”

Ah, seriously? They even faithfully reproduced that unpleasant trait!

“If you refuse their request and the Heart of Extreme Flame is completely ruined… they will record you in their Book of Grudges and torment you for the rest of your life.”

Tsk, typical dwarf stubbornness.

Recording people in a Book of Grudges just to torment them.

In a way, it’s to remember the cause and target of revenge, but others might see it as petty and narrow-minded.

“However, if you grant their request and fix the Heart of Extreme Flame, you’ll become a hero. A hero of the Grendillet Mountains and a hero of the dwarven race.”

“I only want to be a hero to the person I love.”

“Hahaha! You should dream bigger! If you have great abilities, you should swim in bigger waters!”

His Imperial Majesty then made an expression as if he’d just remembered something, saying “Ah!”

“By the way… the dwarves serve exceptionally fine alcohol to their benefactors. And not just any alcohol—drinks of incredible quality that human hands could never brew. Especially their carbonated beer, which is exquisite.”

C-carbonated beer? Really?

I barely managed to keep my jaw from dropping when His Imperial Majesty mentioned carbonated beer.

Carbonated beer! Could such a thing really exist in this world too?

“Dwarves, being skilled craftsmen, are a race that tries to forget the hardships of labor with alcohol. As a result, some of their technology is used to make, store, and transport proper alcohol. Elevators, temperature and humidity control devices, freezers, refrigerators, metal kegs—all these tools were created for storing and transporting alcohol.”

To be honest, the beer people drink here isn’t carbonated beer but flat beer.

Of course, it’s not flat in the sense that it tastes like bland urine; it’s genuinely rich with the flavor and aroma of barley.

Perhaps that’s why I didn’t particularly like the beer people drank.

It was so bad that I would go to shops selling carbonated drinks to have dessert.

In that process, I even met Eterna, so in a way, carbonation brought Eterna and me together.

“Oh, by the way, carbonation concentrators can only be made with metal forged using the Heart of Extreme Flame. Metal forged by other methods can’t withstand compressed carbonation and breaks apart.”

“Then I should go fix it right away, shouldn’t I?”

“Hahaha! Are you perhaps also a carbonated beer enthusiast?”

“A carbonated beer enthusiast, Your Majesty?”

“Yes. People who insist that beer must have carbonation to be proper beer. I am one myself.”

Ah. So that’s why His Imperial Majesty deliberately mentioned alcohol and carbonation to me.

“I do prefer carbonated beer, but there aren’t many carbonation compressors in the Empire, so carbonated beer isn’t very popular.”

“If you go and fix the Heart of Extreme Flame this time, I think the dwarves will send you plenty of carbonated beer to repay the favor.”

“If you prepare a carriage, I’ll depart right away.”

Come to think of it, weren’t carbonation compressors also made by the dwarves?

If the Heart of Extreme Flame stops working and they can’t make them anymore?

One of the joys of my life would disappear.

“Very well. I’ll requisition a carriage by my authority. I’ll let you know as soon as it’s ready.”

“Understood, Your Majesty.”

Sigh, if it weren’t for carbonation, I would never have gone to the dwarven kingdom.

Wait for me, carbonation!

I’m coming!

Heh, as payment for fixing the Heart of Extreme Flame, I’ll drink every last drop of that carbonated beer!