episode_0195

“I don’t know how to repay this favor.”

Jukel bows his head and expresses his gratitude. I immediately waved my hand.

“No, no. I did it all because I needed it. ”

“Still, that action saved me and other dwarves, so how could I not be thankful.”

I couldn’t find the words to reply to that and just scratched my cheek.

If you just listen to me, you’ll think I’ve already defeated Araz.

And when I thought about it, what I said to Araj was that I would also use some gems, not that I should not exploit dwarves.

Hmm… I guess I’ll have to meet Araj again.

“Anyway, if a human hero protects me, there’s nothing I can’t do with my arms raised!”

Jukel raised his short arms up, confidently gathered his tools, and went out.

“Good. It’s been a while since my mineral veins started to feel a bit sore. What did you have in mind for the jewelry?”

I thought for a moment about the gemstone for my wedding ring.

Of course, we spent a long time selecting various candidates, but there was nothing like Diamond.

Isn’t this a beautiful miracle created by carbon?

“I’m thinking of diamonds.”

I was so intimidated that I spoke in a voice that made mosquitoes crawl.

This was because I lacked confidence since I was speaking directly to a dwarf who could be considered an expert among experts.

Just like on Earth, some people don’t even know whether diamonds are considered the best among gemstones here.

Fortunately, Zukel’s response was positive.

“Diamonds are nice. Isn’t it a jewel that symbolizes eternity? There is no word more fitting than that to compare it to marriage.”

“If you know of any other good gems, can you recommend them?”

“Are you curious about jewelry!?”

Jukel suddenly gets very excited by my question. It seemed like I had pressed a button that I shouldn’t have pressed.

“I’ll explain right away!”

As soon as we left his house, we had to stand outside and listen to his introduction to gemology for two hours.

“…Anyway, in conclusion, it is true that diamond is the best choice. Considering everything else, it’s about Ruby.”

After hearing Jukel’s explanation, I nodded. This place and Earth were similar except for differences in transparency and color.

There were no fictitious gems or anything that did not exist on Earth.

In the end, excluding price, diamonds and rubies are the best.

“Hmm… I’m worried. I also like Ruby.”

“What is the reason?”

“It’s red. It also feels like passionate love.”

“For that reason, a red diamond would be fine.”

Come to think of it, I heard that diamonds come in many colors.

“Isn’t it too rare? I heard that you can’t buy something like that if you want to.”

“Kkeulkeul, where do you think this is? There is a reason why dwarves live together.”

Zukel led us into the mine. Other dwarves questioned him as he suddenly headed toward the mine.

“Hey, Jukel. Have you already become senile at such a young age?”

“What are you doing with mining equipment? I can’t touch anything anyway because of the dragon.”

Jukel later looked surprised at the dwarves’ words, which seemed to be half-complaining.

“Oh, look at my mind. I forgot to share my joy at the thought that I could get some shine after a long time.”

Jukel cleared his throat, cleared his voice, and then shouted loudly in the middle of the village.

“Everyone, please listen! My old human friend came to the village today with a human hero!”

“…Why should I be embarrassed to hear it…”

Wayne and I looked at each other and blushed as we realized what Juckel was going to say from the first words.

It was because neither she nor I were suited to this type of public speaking.

“Hehe. I like compliments like that.”

Orhaman, who was one step away from the praise because it was not mentioned, was smiling brightly and liking it.

“Human warrior?”

“Yes, that’s right. And it is said that the hero personally negotiated with the dragon.”

“No, is that true? That means…”

“We are back to normal business from today… no, we can produce works!”

“Wow!!”

The loud cheers of the dwarves. Perhaps because the surrounding area was mountainous, it echoed here and there, creating a truly magnificent sound.

So much so that even Araj, who was confined to Lair, could hear it.

“…Should I go to Rare alone?”

I shook my head at Wayne’s words.

“That’s it. If you don’t mind, I’ll come out on my own.”

From his perspective, it would be better to hold out for now. Anyway, if we leave this place, we can always take it back.

You can’t sacrifice your life for pride, right?

“I shouldn’t be like this. Should I do something for my benefactor?”

As soon as he finished speaking, a dwarf rushed out holding a pickaxe and other equipment and everyone nodded in agreement.

“Ah… I’m fine….”

Jukel, who covered my mouth as I tried to say something humble, shouted loudly again.

“Our human friend is still looking for a red diamond to use when he proposes! Thank you all for your help!”

“Red Diamond? Oh, I’m looking for all kinds of rare things.”

“What a generous human being. I didn’t even give my wife a diamond.”

“Please do something, you guy. Don’t you feel embarrassed for becoming a dwarf?”

As I watched the dwarves start talking among themselves, I tipped off Jukel.

“Ugh… I’m worried that I’m entrusting my personal favor to these people for no reason.”

“Don’t worry about that. Dwarves are a people who must repay the alcohol they have obtained and the favors they have received.”

“Still….”

“In addition, as I confidently said earlier, red diamonds are really rare, so you have to work hard to even slightly increase your chances of finding them.”

For a moment, I weighed the faces of the dwarves who would suffer in the mine because of me and Arjen’s face, who would be happy to receive the ring.

Without even thinking about it, the latter won by a landslide.

“If that’s the case, there’s nothing I can do about it. Haha.”

Jukel, who subcontracted the work to many dwarves, jumped into the mine with other dwarves.

“Humans, please rest in the village! If you are curious, you can follow along, but you must endure the rough environment of the mine.”

“You are resting. Like that person said, the inside of the mine is a harsh environment.”

I didn’t want to let them into a dark and bad place for no reason.

Orha seemed to know that too and asked me with concern.

“Are you okay, Eugene?”

“I’m fine.”

I could distinguish objects even without light, and there was no need to breathe, so mine was no different to me.

Wayne asked another question.

“What are you going to do? You don’t know much anyway.”

“I’m going because I want to know because I don’t know much… And in a way, I also have experience.”

“Really? This is my first time hearing this…?”

“Yes, there was a mine where I lived where stones were broken into square shapes.”

It was something that people who knew would scoff at, but Wayne, who didn’t know much about Earth, agreed and thought it was probably true.

“Then we will rest comfortably here. Have a nice trip.”

“Okay. I’ll come back with lots of jewels.”

I headed to the mine with the dwarves with a solemn expression, even though I wasn’t even going to use a pickaxe.

Of course, I regretted it less than 10 minutes after entering the mine.

The dwarves, who had not been able to mine for a while due to Araz, were frantically collecting ores and gems as if they were side effects of withdrawal symptoms.

I wish I could explain it briefly, but it was a completely unrewarding journey as they dug up the mine among themselves, leaving me behind.

It’s a bonus that the target, Red Diamond, didn’t even show his nose.

The dwarves, who had a rewarding day among themselves, leaving me alone, came out carrying a bundle full of unprocessed gems.

“Haha! I don’t know how long it’s been since I last had a cool pickaxe like this.”

“Kya~ It feels amazing to bring this tired body in and have a drink…”

“Oh.”

“Ahh….”

A group of dwarves who were chatting a lot but suddenly became solemn when someone shouted at them.

I suddenly asked why I wanted to do this.

“What’s going on? The people who were making such a fuss just a moment ago…”

“That… actually, that dragon named Araz.”

Also, dragons were mentioned. At this point, I wanted to look into what orders he had given to the dwarves.

“He said he would not sit still on a day when someone ruined his treasure while working while drunk, so he got rid of all the alcohol in the village.”

“Not only did they throw away the available alcohol, but they also banned making and drinking it.”

“……Wow.”

I didn’t have anything to say, so I just let out a short exclamation.

Oh my god, a dragon was casting a ban on the dwarves that even the United States failed to implement.

The Prohibition law in the United States, which was controversial and had many problems, had nothing to do with drinking what was already there, but Araj had one more drink there.

I also learned why the dwarves were so gloomy when I first arrived here.

I thought it was simply because the rights to minerals and gems were taken away, but the very foundation of life was shaking.