Kano walked ahead, but he could still feel something boiling inside him. He tried to shake off the lingering sensation from his battle with Lich, but it wouldn't go away.
Elgot walked beside him, occasionally glancing at him from the corner of his eye, as if assessing his condition.
But Revena was in no hurry to stay away.
—"Kano, right?"— her voice was warm, playful, but there was something more in it.
Kano nodded, not fully understanding what she wanted.
—"Where are you from?"— she took a step closer, closing the distance.
Kano opened his mouth to respond, but…
—"He's busy,"— Elgot sharply interrupted, turning toward her with a flick of his hand.
The demoness raised an eyebrow, as if amused by his gesture.
—"Oh, why so gloomy, mage? Haven't we become friends already?"
—"Friends?"— Elgot grimaced. —"We're not even acquainted!"
—"What, did you forget so quickly that I saved your friend?"
—"Saved him?!"— Elgot nearly stumbled. —"You drained half his life and looked like you'd just drunk the finest wine of your life!"
Revena smiled, her brown eyes narrowing slightly.
—"Oh, are you jealous?"
Kano gasped.
Elgot froze for a second, then waved his hands violently.
—"I... what?!"
—"Well, you're so worked up about our little kiss, I'm starting to wonder: maybe you'd like to be in his place?"
Kano coughed sharply, and Elgot turned as red as a flame, as if he could combust without fire.
—"Oh, Great Mana… You're just…"
—"Just what?"— Revena pretended not to understand, stepping even closer to Kano.
—"Just awful,"— muttered the mage, rubbing his temples.
Revena shifted her gaze to Kano, who was desperately pretending he wasn't there.
—"Alright then, darling, tell me: do you have a wife yet? Or are you still free?"
Kano only opened his mouth to respond, but…
—"Ohhh, he's busy!"— Elgot beat him to it.
Revena raised an eyebrow.
—"Oh, really?"
—"Yes!"— the mage nodded so energetically that he nearly lost his hood. —"He has three wives."
Kano spun around sharply.
—"What?!"
Elgot stubbornly ignored him.
—"Oh, and they're all incredible beauties! And also…"
—"Pregnant,"— he added, rolling his eyes, as if this were an obvious fact.
Kano froze, as though struck in the gut.
Revena looked at him with newfound interest.
—"Wow, those must be some passionate nights you've had, darling. And who are these lucky ladies?"
—"An orc, an elf… and..."— Elgot paused for a moment, then suddenly added, —"and a human girl, so beautiful that even the gods envy her!"
Revena was silent for a brief moment.
—"A human, an elf, and… an orc?"
Her gaze grew more serious.
—"And they all agreed to live together?"
—"Oh, and how!"— Elgot laughed, though his face showed that he had no idea how to wriggle out of this.
Revena slowly shook her head.
—"Boy, you're quite the phenomenon."
Kano took a deep breath and shouted sharply:
—"Alright, everyone, calm down!"
He looked at Elgot.
—"Stop lying!"
He then turned his gaze to Revena.
—"And you... what exactly do you want?"
Revena put on the most innocent face in the world.
—"I just wanted to learn more about my savior, to repay him properly."
Elgot rolled his eyes.
—"Fool..."
He turned and walked ahead.
Before them, huge gates began to appear, leading into the city of the dwarves.
Kano took a step forward, but…
Revena suddenly grabbed his hand and gently pressed it to her chest.
—"Can I at least treat you to dinner?"
Her voice became soft, velvet-like.
—"Personally, I'm so hungry, it feels like I haven't eaten in centuries."
Kano almost choked.
His thoughts screamed: "Don't look! Don't look!"
But his body had already felt everything.
He quickly turned his head away, trying to escape the situation.
The guard was already waiting ahead.
Dwarven warriors, dressed in sturdy chainmail and armed with massive war hammers, stood in front of them.
—"Kano Rom, Elgot Belatras,"— the guard's voice was stern.
—"The king has ordered you to be escorted to the palace."
Revena squinted.
Well… looks like her dinner would have to wait.
The gates of the dwarven city were simply gigantic.
Kano held his breath for a moment—before him stood a true stone colossus, hewn right into the mountain's body.
Dwarven guards, clad in heavy chainmail and wielding massive battle hammers, stood motionless as if part of the wall itself.
When Kano and Elgot stepped forward, the gates slowly began to open, and a warm breeze wafted from within.
And then he saw the city.
It was something unbelievable.
The dwarven capital wasn't just a city—it was an entire stone world.
The first thing that struck him were the proportions.
Towering cliffs, connected by enormous stone bridges, linked different levels of the city. Everything here was massive, yet sculpted with such precision that even elves might envy it.
The streets wound like a serpent, climbing upwards towards the main palace, which loomed at the highest level of the city.
The dwarves' houses weren't separate—they were built directly into the walls of the caves, creating the effect that the entire city had simply grown from the stone.
But what struck him the most was the light.
Magical crystals glowed on the walls, roofs, and even in the air—some warm-toned like fire, others cool, blue like moonlight.
Kano caught himself thinking that he had never seen anything like it.
The streets were filled with dwarves, humans, elves, and even a few orcs.
Blacksmiths hammered glowing steel, merchants shouted prices for goods, and some dwarves drank ale right in the street, arguing so loudly that it seemed they were about to fight.
Elgot quietly hummed.
—"So, Kano, what do you think?"
Kano slowly exhaled, still in awe.
—"This... this is amazing."
Elgot smiled.
—"I thought you'd say that."
But what unsettled him was how many dwarves were watching them.
Their arrival had drawn attention, and now many eyes were on them—some out of curiosity, others with respect, and some with suspicion.
—"I don't like this,"— Elgot muttered, glancing sideways at the passersby.
—"What, afraid we're pulling another Lich out of our sleeves?"— Kano joked, but even he could feel the weight of the gazes.
Revena acted as if she couldn't care less.
The demoness walked beside him as if she were strolling through a park, completely ignoring the dwarves who were staring at her.
Some glared with disgust—after all, demons weren't exactly welcome here.
But others—especially the men—couldn't take their eyes off her curves.
Her presence here was truly a sensation.
—"They're looking at me,"— she said, playfully winking at Kano.
—"Oh, really? Didn't notice,"— he rolled his eyes.
—"I thought you'd be jealous,"— Revena made a sad face, but there was a spark of mockery in her eyes.
Elgot grabbed Kano by the shoulders and pulled him forward.
—"Don't listen to her! And anyway, let's move faster before they start throwing stones at us."
Ahead, huge stairs leading to the dwarven palace were already visible.
But Kano felt that this city still had plenty of surprises in store for them.
Meanwhile, Drahfenfest had undergone some changes.
The letters with orders had stopped.
The refugees had become too numerous.
Across the continent, the undead were spreading.
Lenor sat in his office, going over the new reports.
One after another, they painted a horrifying picture.
"The clients no longer approach the guild. And when they do, it's only with pleas for help."
His fingers slowly tightened around the parchment.
"What is happening?"
But...
Even that wasn't the main problem.
He lifted his head and looked out the window at the square in front of the guild.
The higher orcs. With crates full of magical crystals. And they were buying… grain, cloth, building materials.
Lenor had never seen orcs trade on such a scale.
His fingers drummed a rhythm on the table as he pondered.
"Something's wrong. I need to find out the truth."
He stood up and went downstairs into the hall.
The guild hall was crowded with people.
Mercenaries and adventurers were discussing the situation, casting sidelong glances at the orcs.
The orcs were acting too calmly.
Lenor approached their table.
—"May I accompany you to your city?"
One of the orcs, the largest and most scarred, lifted his head.
—"Why?"
—"I would like to see an old friend,"— Lenor remained calm, but his heart was already telling him that he was about to hear something very... strange.
The orc thought for a moment.
—"A friend of the lord, you say?"
Lenor tensed.
—"Lord?"
The orc smiled and placed his mug on the table.
—"Yes. He's our lord now."
Lenor almost swallowed his tongue.
—"He... what?!"
The orc calmly took another sip of ale.
—"Kano Rom. He's our lord."
Lenor felt his heart stop for a second.
"No... what?"
His brain simply refused to accept this information.
Kano.
The lord of the orcs.
HOW???
He took a deep breath, forcing himself to remain calm.
—"Is he in the city?"
The orc shook his head.
—"No."
—"And his group?"
The orc thought for a moment.
—"Only his women are left."
Lenor stopped.
—"What... women?"
The orc answered calmly, as if it were the most normal thing:
—"An orc woman. An elf. And a human healer."
Lenor straightened abruptly.
His mind froze again.
—"WHAT?!"
He felt his hand grip the hilt of his dagger—pure reflex.
His lips twitched.
—"Say that again."
The orc looked at him impassively.
—"An orc woman. An elf. And a human healer."
Lenor slowly ran his hand over his face.
An orc woman... fine. She probably hadn't lost interest in him.
A healer... alright. There were instances where healers stayed with those they saved.
But…
His eyes narrowed sharply.
—"Which elf?"
The orc shrugged.
—"Her name is Lianel."
Lenor felt the world around him dissolve.
"Lianel..."
His sister.
He dropped abruptly into a chair.
"Lianel... in Kano's harem?"
"This is a joke?!"
He remembered her stern expression when she disdainfully spoke of human men.
He remembered how she had rejected all possible relationships, because "no man was worthy of her attention."
He remembered how she would rather die than become the wife of an aristocrat.
And now...
Now she was with some boy?!
His face slowly twisted into such a grimace that anyone else in the orc's place would have stepped back.
But the orc just smiled.
—"You didn't know? Well, now you do."
Lenor almost threw the table out of the window.
"What is he doing to her?! How is this even possible?!"
His imagination flashed several images at once. Lianel in bold attire... Lianel allowing Kano...
—"NO!"— he erupted, almost clutching his head.
The orc laughed, slamming his hand on the table.
—"Oh, brother, looks like you've got something to think about."
Lenor took a deep breath.
I am a lord.
I am the head of the guild.
I will not act like an idiot.
He slowly composed himself, wiping any emotion from his face, and raised his gaze to the orc.
—"I'm coming with you."
The orc nodded with satisfaction.
—"Smart decision."
Lenor closed his face with his hand once more.
"Kano... You. Will. Explain. Everything."