Ch.94Chapter 94 – Alone in the Mountains

The sound of hammers striking echoes from all directions.

The dwarves here showed interest only when I first appeared, then quickly returned to their work.

True to their reputation as a blacksmith race, they seemed more focused on the items they were crafting than on other people.

“Excuse me, but could you tell me where this place is?”

Not wanting to disturb the dwarves concentrating on their work, I approached one who was sitting quietly without working and asked.

Unlike the other dwarves, the dwarf I questioned was sitting in a chair without wearing gloves.

“Hmm? Here? You mean this place?”

“Yes.”

“This is the Third Communal Workshop. It’s where blacksmiths who aren’t skilled enough to have their own forge come to hone their skills or craft items.”

“So, does that mean we’re somewhere in the Grendillet Mountains?”

“Well, of course! Where else would this be if not the Grendillet Mountains? Any proper dwarf lives only in the Grendillet Mountains. Some eccentrics occasionally venture outside the mountains, but they never last more than ten years before coming back.”

I gained unexpected information from the dwarf sitting in the chair.

Hmm, so by their standards, dwarves living outside the mountains were considered eccentric.

“If your curiosity is satisfied, you should leave now. The craftsmen can’t concentrate on their work when non-dwarves are in this space.”

“Ah, I apologize for the intrusion. May I ask just one more question? Where should I go to meet His Majesty Ironbeard?”

I asked one final question to the dwarf who was dismissing me.

The reason I came here was to meet Ironbeard to repair the Heart of Extreme Flame.

Therefore, I needed to know where I could find Ironbeard, who could guide me to the Heart of Extreme Flame.

“My, my… young fellow seems to have a poor memory… tsk, but since you’re an outsider, I’ll answer. All communal workshops are built in eight directions around the royal palace. So when you leave here, among the many roads you’ll see, follow the largest avenue to its end, and the tallest building there is the royal palace where His Majesty Ironbeard resides. Is that enough?”

“Thank you for your kind answer.”

“Tsk, at least you know your manners. Now go on. Don’t bother the other craftsmen.”

I had no choice but to leave the Third Communal Workshop at the seated dwarf’s dismissal.

After exiting, I looked at the widest road among those extending from the workshop, just as the seated dwarf had instructed.

Raising my gaze along the wide avenue, I could see a massive structure in the distance.

It had a design that didn’t look man-made, embodying both ruggedness and delicacy simultaneously.

I began walking along the avenue.

That enormous structure appeared to be the royal palace where Ironbeard resided.

As I walked carefully, I noticed quite a few people moving about the streets.

“How much is this one?”

“Just ten silver coins. So I can go buy some ale.”

“Oh! Here you go!”

“Hehehe. Thanks for buying my wares.”

On one side, a craftsman and merchant were rejoicing over a successful transaction.

“Hmm, this item seems to have a scratch…”

“What? Are you saying my work has flaws?”

On another side, a merchant was trying to find flaws in an item to haggle down the price with a craftsman.

“Hey, Jotun! How about roast pig and a barrel of beer tonight?”

“Hahaha! Sounds good! You’re buying the roast pig, right?”

“Swinging a hammer twice only makes your arm sore! But you’re buying the drinks.”

“Deal! Let’s drink enough to empty the tavern’s cellar tonight!”

Elsewhere, two male dwarves who appeared to be friends were excitedly shouting about drinking together.

Really, seeing all this makes it hard to believe this is a world inside a game.

Oh right, I keep forgetting. This isn’t a world inside a game, but the actual world that became the background for the game.

‘Maybe I should hit my head with a hammer?’

That might fix this scatterbrained mind of mine.

Anyway, I continued walking along the avenue toward the royal palace where Ironbeard was staying.

‘But I feel like I’m forgetting something important… must be my imagination?’

◈◇◈◇◈◇◈◇◈◇◈

At the same time.

The Belsarem Teleport Station was being blockaded by the city guard.

There was only one reason for the teleport station’s lockdown.

“Are you saying Count Severio has gone missing?”

“That’s correct.”

It was because Pathos had disappeared.

He had gone to the underground level to fix the malfunctioning teleport device, but unfortunately, when the device was repaired, the teleport suddenly activated.

As a result, Count Pathos Severio had vanished to somewhere unknown.

Seol, the person responsible for managing the teleport station, was immediately arrested by the dispatched guards.

At first, Seol tried to make excuses, but the missing person happened to be Count Pathos Severio.

A young noble of ability user lineage, favored by both the Emperor and the Chancellor.

Though it might sound simple, being favored by the Emperor and Chancellor meant having a guaranteed path to success.

Moreover, what achievements had he accomplished?

He had destroyed the Demon Sword and cured the Prezmerine disease, known to be incurable.

These achievements alone were unprecedented in history—things no one else had ever accomplished.

Naturally, Count Pathos Severio’s safety was always a top priority within the Gelebrio Empire.

So the accident at the Belsarem Teleport Station that resulted in Count Pathos Severio’s disappearance was considered a major incident.

Eventually, an investigation team urgently dispatched from the Imperial Palace arrived at the teleport station and began their investigation.

Each member was a renowned expert with tremendous authority in fields related to teleportation magic.

After several hours of investigation, they reached the following conclusion:

“We are certain that Count Pathos Severio is alive. However, the coordinates to which he was teleported are somewhat unstable.”

“What do you mean by unstable coordinates?”

“When teleportation coordinates are unstable, it means something is deployed at that location that makes teleportation magic difficult to cast. And according to our investigation, the coordinates to which Count Pathos Severio was teleported are…”

The expert’s finger pointed to a location far beyond Belsarem, outside the empire’s borders.

“The Grendillet Mountains.”

It was the Grendillet Mountains, Count Pathos Severio’s intended destination.

The news that Count Pathos Severio had been teleported to the Grendillet Mountains was relayed to Emperor Decatro IV.

Upon receiving this news, he immediately established magical communication with Ironbeard.

[This is Ironbeard. What business do you have, Emperor of the Empire?]

“It’s been a while, Ironbeard. Have you by chance seen Count Pathos Severio there?”

[Ah, you mean the Demon Sword Destroyer? So that wasn’t an impersonation?]

Impersonation? What does he mean by impersonation?

Emperor Decatro IV couldn’t help but question Ironbeard’s words.

“Impersonation? What fool would dare impersonate someone recognized by the Great Goddess Church? They would be struck down by divine punishment immediately.”

[…Is that so? Oh dear, this is a serious matter.]

When Emperor Decatro IV heard Ironbeard say it was a serious matter, he sensed that something had gone wrong.

“Does this person happen to look like someone from the Eastern Continent?”

[Black hair and brown? Black eyes? Yes, that’s right.]

“That is Count Pathos Severio. The one who destroyed the Demon Sword.”

[Oh my! I nearly committed a grave discourtesy to an important guest! Thank you for letting me know!]

With those words, Ironbeard abruptly ended the communication.

Emperor Decatro IV sighed at this.

Haah. Really. Pathos, how far do you intend to surprise me?

No matter how much he lamented internally, Count Pathos Severio wasn’t actually in front of him, so he could only sigh.

Simultaneously, he issued orders to inform Pathos’s companions of his location.

Thus, Serin and Etherna, who had been waiting in Belsarem, were also informed of Pathos’s whereabouts.

“Are you going?”

“Isn’t that obvious?”

“Sigh, this time I’ll accompany you.”

“That’s what I was going to say.”

Upon hearing that Pathos was in the Grendillet Mountains, Serin and Etherna immediately departed for the mountains.

Incidentally, the thief who caused the damage to the teleport station was “Zoro III,” the Great Thief, a chapter boss from the Erasto Chronicle.

Of course, with the news of Pathos’s disappearance, he was immediately branded a heretic and executed.

And so, Pathos had inadvertently eliminated yet another enemy.