Chapter 242: Acting separately is a basic course of action (1/2)

Chapter 242: Acting separately is a basic course of action

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Northwest of Lorel.

The whole place is filled with mountain ranges, and not many hyumans enter that area.

Aside from a few settlements where demi-humans live a self-sufficient life, there’s many volcanoes and deep ravines in this area.

It is included in the territory of Lorel Union, but it is one of the locations that they have been unable to develop.

“Isn’t that Beren! Long time no see. Has it been around 30 years now?”

“I was feeling nostalgic, so I dropped by. This place…hasn’t changed much since the last time I came here.” (Beren)

At a certain volcano within that area, there was someone that had arrived there.

A short stature, yet, fleshed out with muscle, and a long beard that grew from below his chin.

An ancient dwarf race, the Elder Dwarf Beren.

He visited a dwarf village he had visited in the past.

“What would change in just a few decades? It is the same, this mountain, and us as well. I don’t know how it looks to you who has been from journey to journey though.”

“Seems that way. That’s why it is nostalgic huh.” (Beren)

Beren looked at the scenery that had practically not changed from what he remembers in his memories.

For the dwarfs, whether it be the elders, they are a race that considers decades as a short time.

And yet, this familiar visitor said that this place is nostalgic.

The dwarf that had come to greet Beren had a puzzled expression.

“…You, did something happen? Speak, I will listen.”

“Rather than words, there’s something that’s easier for us to understand, right? Catch.” (Beren)

“Oi, don’t just suddenly—this…is?!!”

What Beren threw was something that was wrapped in cloth.

It was too big for it to be alcohol.

The man that had received it, unwrapped the cloth and checks what it is.

It was a small axe that was around 1 meter in size counting both the handle and the head.

As he checked, he saw that the name of Beren carved in it.

The craftsmanship in his name was slightly reserved which could be said to be a design that fits Beren.

There’s no doubt it was Beren’s creation.

But the reason why the man was surprised was because of the quality of the axe itself.

“It is one of the things I recently made.” (Beren)

“Unbelievable. Yeah, it is unbelievable, but…I can certainly see peculiarities of yours in this. Something as overwhelming as this…was made by you? Impressive. It is truly impressive. But since when…”

“I had what you would call ‘a fateful encounter’. I want to have a talk with the village chief. Talk about the time when I left here, about the place where I had settled down afterwards, and also…about the encounter I told you a moment ago.” (Beren)

“O-Okay! Well, come with me. Seriously, the first time you came here was sudden, but your return was also so sudden. Moreover, you have appeared as a smither that can make such outrageous creations! I will have you tell me in detail, got it?!”

The man cheerfully and enjoyably guided Beren.

Looking at his back, Beren followed him from behind.

(Well, it is truly an unchanging place. If it were my past self of a few years ago, I would have seen it as normal though. Even I can’t believe it myself. Attacked by a spider, meeting Tomoe-sama and Waka-sama; it has only been a few years since then. Can barely be called a few years.)

Those were years that he could clearly tell that his ability was increasing everyday.

Moreover, it continues onto the present day.

The knowledge he has gained by interacting with the many races, Tomoe, Mio, and Shiki. Also, on top of that, the many unknown techniques that their ruler, Makoto, has brought about.

For Beren and for the Eldwas, this is a time for them to absorb everything as they continue their trial and error, and grow with all their ability.

Of course, within their living in Asora, they will one day hit a wall, and once they do, there will be a lot of things that will occupy their minds one after the other.

But that’s a thing of the future.

The amount of experience that has been piling up steadily is truly turning into something. This kind of happiness is currently being savored by the dwarfs of Asora.

There’s nothing as great as this for a craftsmen race.

(It is not only armour. There’s also ceramics, and miniaturized heavy equipment. I wonder what kind of face they will make when I show them those. And what they will wish. Waka-sama has repeatedly asked me not to do invitations that will chip off the national power of Lorel, but…only a small amount of dwarfs get involved with hyumans, so it should be fine to invite the ones that are not involved with them.)

If they are capable craftsmen, Beren intended to invite them to Asora.

At present, less than half of the dwarves are cooperating with the Lorel Union and the hyumans.

The dwarf race that surpasses the hyumans in knowledge and technique as craftsmen, have not received that much discrimination from the hyumans and are one of the demi-humans that are able to coexist with them. Because of the need to collect raw materials, dwarfs normally make villages in remote places.

For the dwarfs that live in precipitous mountain ranges, it isn’t that strange that they lack interaction with other races to begin with.

(Focusing on that, Tomoe-sama said that at first it was best to do this separately. Enter the country separately, and after gathering information, we rendezvous at the lodging. She said that was the ironclad rule or something like that, but…there’s probably some sort of deep meaning in it. She said that it was okay to act alone without the need to bring the Forest Onis, so at this moment, I should act as the representative of the Elder Dwarfs!)

Beren had been ordered to act separately by Tomoe, and instead of entering the country from the east entrance like Makoto and the others did, he entered by crossing the mountains.

Of course, it wasn’t an entrance that was permitted.

Or more like, the north and western side of Lorel Union was separated by mountain ranges that work as a natural shield, so there’s not really anything standing as a national border security.

Aside from having a Dragon Knight unit patrol the area, it is practically in a state where you can enter and leave as much as you want.

However, that’s only applicable with the condition that you can cross over the mountain range, are able to be self-sufficient for several days, and on top of that, you are able to fight continuously against all the mamonos as you do this.

The Dragon Knight unit also possesses pretty high reconnaissance ability, so it isn’t really that much of a reliable method to enter the country.

“We are here. Welcome back, Beren! Take your time!”

Beren, who had crossed the precipitous mountains alone and arrived at the volcano he was aiming for, didn’t show much exhaustion as he entered the dwarf village.

Maybe because Beren felt comfortable with the sounds of smithing and the presence of fire, his mouth had turned into a smile.

“It seems like you are also doing well, village chief.” (Beren)

The smithing sounds could be heard from various places.

It seems like Beren picked one of the peculiarities from within those sounds, he made a wry smile.

In the Elder Dwarf village that he had settled in, the chief there was also devoted to smithing.

It might be the nature of Dwarfs to get more motivated as they grow older. That’s how Beren thought.

And he himself will climb higher as a smither.

His wry smile was half directed at himself.

“By the way Beren, that’s quite the big baggage you have there. You must have alcohol there too, right? The Earth Spirits were making a big ruckus saying that someone they have never seen before was coming, but to think it was going to be a dwarf carrying baggage.”

“Of course. Leaving aside the amount, you can look forward to its quality.” (Beren)

(It can only be found in Asora after all.)

Beren carried luggage that surpassed his body weight by several times. Seeing it from afar, it would look as if the luggage was walking.

Receiving the report that something unknown was heading to the village, the warriors of the village had armed themselves and stood out, but they saw that it was their old friend Beren waving his hand.

“I am looking forward to it! This axe is plenty enough for a present, and yet, you are making me have even higher expectations!”

“The name of that creation is: ‘Mountain Cutter’. In time, I will master it and show it to you.” (Beren)

“Mountain Cutter huh. You have learned the Wise writing huh. Can’t underestimate you.”

“I see it habitually, so I simply got used to it. I am bad at using my head as always, you know.” (Beren)

“I’m relieved to hear that. Now then, I will let you meet that hardheaded geezer–I mean, the village chief. Just stay there, okay? When you are done talking with him, I will have returned from telling the others. At that time, let me hear your story!”

“Thanks. Later then.” (Beren)

Beren and the man that was guiding him entered the imposing workshop.

In the past when Beren had entered this place to give his greetings, he was nervous and withered, but now, for some mysterious reason, he was calm.

With a smile, Beren met with the village chief that had turned around.

◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆

At that night when Beren had made his revisit, there was a banquet -even if modest- at the dwarf village located halfway up the volcano.

However, the center of it which is Beren was nowhere to be found, along with the village chief.

The reason was because of the many goods Beren displayed to the village chief at their meeting.

“To think that you had gone all the way to the wasteland and settled there.”