Chapter 439 - Black Volcano (2)
Some cause was interfering with mana detection, but it wasn't particularly bothersome.
It was merely a matter of limited range.
Moreover, by fully unleashing his dignity and pouring forth an overwhelming amount of magic power, he could forcibly crush the surrounding interference, and the problem would soon be resolved.
The only reason he wasn't doing so immediately, was because such an aftermath could cause distortions large and small, including collapses.
There was no other reason.
The current situation, if Verden wished, could be controlled at any moment.
If so, then there was no way he would fail to notice an approach at such close distance.
...!
A stranger, caught in the transparent blue eyes, fled in a hurry.
'The sound of footsteps and breathing can be heard, yet the figure is unseen, and the presence itself is faint.'
Not
With insight alone, Verden pierced straight through the stranger's essence.
Short in height.
Stride also small.
The fading breath was far from coarse, and it was neither Elf, beastkin, nor even human.
The answer came immediately.
'Dwarf.'
The underground resident was a very young dwarf.
***
Once, the most prosperous fortress sank beneath the earth, severed from the world. The dwarves who stepped into this place never again saw sunlight.
Yet the spark of life, even amidst the dreadful cold and darkness, never wholly went out, smoldering weakly for centuries.
For hundreds of years.
The young dwarf, Marmal, was one such precious spark.
"Not here either..."
Rummaging through the junk, Marmal pouted in disappointment.
Throughout the old fortress lay countless things abandoned without owners, yet most were broken like this.
Wide, but with no substance.
To obtain something still usable, one would have to survive among the debris for days. If seeking anything particular, it depended wholly on luck.
'Still, if I don't find it now, things might become much harder later.'
Not long ago, one of the robes cherished by the village was damaged, its function of retaining body heat completely lost.
It wasn't an accident, nor anyone's fault.
The ancestral relics had simply reached their limit after long endurance.
At such times, they would retrieve needed items from the lower levels of the village, but in truth, they rarely ventured beyond the immediate surroundings.
For going further meant death.
On rare occasions, savage monsters roamed the passages, but more dreadful than that... beneath the earth wandered the 'white ghost and the giant tree root'.
Especially the latter—whether dwarf or monster, none who were caught ever returned.
───You must not go there! Absolutely not! Never!!
The village chief repeatedly, earnestly warned the villagers every morning, as if it were a daily greeting.
Yet Marmal was brave.
Curious by nature, and fond of being praised in the village.
He still remembered the endless applause and cheers when he discovered a magical item wedged in a crack between rocks.
'Yes, let's go down. I've never been caught before anyway.'
Grrrgle.
'I just need to return before dinner.'
Stifling hunger, Marmal wrapped himself in a robe embedded with various magical functions, such as
His greatest treasure, found amidst the ruins.
He had once tested it, descending deep underground, and returned safe and sound.
At first, he thought of giving it to the chief... but in the end he didn't. The cautious adults would surely lock it away, cherishing it so tightly it would never again be used.
Better that he secretly used it himself, to aid the village more.
Resolute, Marmal slipped from the village and descended underground.
A grim atmosphere.
No matter how many times, the sight was frightening, but he swallowed hard and began searching. He could only carry a limited amount at once.
So his plan was to gather as much as possible, then take one or two items back each time.
But then... he heard an utterly unfamiliar sound.
Fear seized him.
Swiftly, Marmal hid inside a building and peeked out through a second-floor window.
'...!!!'
There was a dwarf.
A large nose.
A rugged, wrinkled face.
A bushy orange beard... belonging to an old dwarf.
'Village Chief?'
For an instant, joy rose to call out the name, but he barely covered his mouth in time. Looking closely, the features were completely different.
The respected chief was never that large, nor did he carry such an enormous hammer on his back.
That dwarf was clearly not a resident of the village.
'A ghost, perhaps?'
It was said that dwarf ghosts with white eyes bewitched the living.
Though this elder dwarf's eyes were not white... still, Marmal dared not approach. He was too afraid.
As Marmal trembled, not knowing what to do, two more shadows appeared behind the elder dwarf.
...They were large.
Longer and slimmer than any villager dwarf.
One, missing his left arm, had a patchy beard, while the other, with even sharper features, bore no beard at all───
'Huh? Not dwarves?'
Marmal narrowed his eyes to focus.
Indeed.
They were distinctly different from the dwarves he knew.
Suddenly, the old stories the chief often told came to mind.
'He said that beyond our world, there lived not only dwarves but other races as well.'
Tales of another world, told whenever time allowed───stories of the surface Marmal had never seen, having lived his whole life underground.
Recalling them, he pieced together the traits of those races... those two must be humans.
'Then, could it be?'
Marmal leaned out further to see more closely.
At that moment.
One of the humans turned his head.
Blue eyes met his, and his heart sank.
Though his robe rendered him transparent... though he should have been unseen, the gaze landed directly upon him.
Instinct cried.
He had been discovered.
The response was immediate.
Clatterclatterclatter!
Marmal leapt out the opposite window, used the roof as a foothold, then stepped down upon rubble and fled at full speed.
"Huff, huff, huff...!"
No time to hide the sound.
Consumed by fear, Marmal sprinted toward the village, running and running.
He did not cry.
With what strength remained, he forced his legs to move.
Suddenly, violet light flared before him.
"M-my sight... I can't see ahead...!"
His vision blocked, Marmal faltered and stopped in his tracks.
As soon as the light subsided, he lowered the arms covering his face.
The blue-eyed human was right in front of him.
"Where did you come from?"
An unfamiliar voice.
"Hik!"
A beat late, Marmal collapsed to the ground.
Not even words begging for his life would come out. His mouth simply would not open. His whole body trembled, and tears welled up at the corners of his eyes.
No matter how bright Marmal was, he was still only a dwarf of ten years.
An immature child.
Grrrgle.
In place of the terrified Marmal, his starving stomach answered.
A fleeting silence.
"..."
The human, who had been gazing at the sniffling dwarf, lightly snapped his fingers.
***
Crunch! Cracklecrackcrackle!
Marmal's mouth worked ceaselessly.
At the same time, he rummaged through the elegant box, stuffing both hands with sweets.
Whenever his throat felt parched, he gulped down the cool, refreshing water.
[Scan complete. Race. Dwarf.]
Alpha confirmed the race of the young dwarf named Marmal.
Regardless, Marmal was too busy eating with a flushed face.
Verden folded his arms.
"No matter how young, I've never seen such a thin dwarf. It simply seems like he hasn't eaten... is it safe to give him food that's heavy on the stomach without caution?"
If a starving human were fed recklessly, their innards could fail, vomiting until death.
Linus replied.
"Other races I don't know, but dwarves are always fine. I've never heard of a dwarf falling ill from eating proper food. Unless it's something rotted for several years."
"Indeed, indeed. A dwarf's stomach is sturdy even in a child. It could digest rocks without trouble. Speaking from experience."
No one cared much for Gharun's tale of swallowing stones in his youth.
"Anyway, what do you think about this dwarf?"
"Well, he's clearly not an original survivor. Likely a descendant of one, or maybe a distant child of some search party that entered Black Volcano and never escaped. Could be both. From how he speaks, it's clear he was taught."
Gharun let out a dry laugh.
"Even if dwarves are resilient, who would have thought they could preserve their line for over two hundred years at the bottom of the earth. Near a miracle."
An unexpected stroke of fortune.
The existence of survivors was in itself a valuable clue.
Not only for uncovering the facilities of Black Volcano───but for discovering why Black Volcano became as it was, and what became of the search parties.
Some three hundred years past.
Truthfully, it had little direct connection with Verden's staff-making, but apart from curiosity, it was still a gate they had to pass through.
'It's not as though I ever thought the goal would be easily won.'
Looking back, just to leave the Eastern Continent, he had to face Glory of the Dead, and even reached the subjugation of a Bone-Relic Dragon.
Enough said.
Well, thanks to that, he had obtained dragon materials.
That was Verden's life.
"Phew."
Marmal let out a satisfied sigh.
His belly rose slightly, packed full with snacks.
His expression now carried life.
Born underground, the only food Marmal had ever eaten apart from cultivated vegetables was the meat of abnormal species and insects.
All foul, reeking with rank odor, but when grilled long and chewed long, a bit of savory taste emerged, and so they were treated as delicacies.
In short, it was a wretched life.
In such circumstances, to taste the luxurious confections crafted by artisans who devoted their lives to flavor.
It was enough to drive one mad.
"Hehe..."
Blinking as he savored the lingering taste, Marmal suddenly lifted his head.
"I, I've never eaten anything so delicious! Thank you! So, um, I want the villagers to try it too, could you give me a little more?"
Belated praise.
And in fact, precisely the request they had been hoping for.
"Very well. Lead us to your village, and we will share as much as you like."
"Yes!"
Marmal did not hesitate.
A dwarf basking in the most satisfying fullness of his life, his goodwill toward humans overflowed beyond measure.
That Verden, who gave him sweets, might harbor ill intent, never even crossed his mind.
He even forgot to ask how, or for what reason, they had come to this place.
It was childlike, innocent thought.
Then, Linus asked.
"But Marmal, why were you here alone? Where are the other dwarves?"
"Ah, well, one of the village's robes broke, so I snuck out to scavenge."
"Snuck out?"
"Yes, this place is dangerous... ah."
Only then did Marmal realize he had released
"We, we must return to the village at once! Quickly! We've lingered here too long!"
"What?"
"I mean───"
...!
An ominous wind swept through.
Feeling goosebumps prickle his skin, Linus turned around.
At some point, hundreds of dwarves had gathered in the middle of the street. All with skin pale, and eyes turned white.
Rumble.
The ground shook ever more violently.
The black rock comprising part of the fortress's residential quarter split apart, and an immense tree root slowly reached out.
Through the
Unless one craned their head back, it was impossible to fit the vast organism of plant matter within their sight.
What was its identity?
There was little need to ponder deeply. At least not for Verden.
Strange beings, white-eyed, evoking the image of the dead.
Roots alone enough to imply the enormity of the main body.
"...Soul Tree?"
In the past, when the Ark first granted a trial, in the Forest of Demons settled in Duchy of Riviant, he had subjugated it together with Leira.
A tree that plunges nations into despair.
By name, Soul Tree revealed its presence out of the darkness.
You can read more chapters in organised way on my website:- https://revengernovel.com