18 — Chapter 18

I didn’t lower my rifle, silently observing my opposition.

The bearded men were carrying guns. They were heavily muscled and directed sharp gazes toward me. Their posture was that of those who knew combat—and seasoned veterans at that. They were likely well-acquainted with violence on a daily basis. I could tell just by facing them. These guys were skilled. They seemed far stronger than the knights or soldiers of the city.

Wiping them out would be easy, but Alice was sleeping inside the car. Considering her safety, I didn’t particularly want to fight. In a gunfight, there was always the risk of a stray bullet hitting her. I’ve always been bad at the act of protecting someone. Even in my original world, escort missions were depressing. I was much better at assassinating the VIPs being guarded than guarding them myself.

That said, I wasn’t in a position to complain. I had to protect Alice. I needed to refrain from any reckless moves.

Still, their appearance seemed somewhat familiar. I couldn’t recall the specific name, but I felt like a similar race appeared in fantasy works.

‘Well, I guess that doesn’t matter right now…’

Their next move was what I needed to watch for. If they showed signs of firing, I’d kill them instantly. If I used the golem car as a shield, I should be able to protect Alice effectively.

As I formulated strategies for various patterns in my head, one of the bearded men questioned me suspiciously.

“Who are you? Why are you in a place like this?”

His intonation carried a heavy dialect. His voice was thick with wariness.

“This is the territory of us dwarves—are you a poacher, by any chance?”

Another bearded man—a man identifying as a dwarf—knit his brows in an expression of anger. Following his lead, the others tightened their grips on their guns. They looked ready to shoot depending on my answer. That was the atmosphere they radiated.

Though I felt the urge to fire first, I held back at the last second. I had to play it cool. I lowered my rifle and raised both hands.

“Hold on a second. It’s a misunderstanding. I’m not a poacher.”

I proceeded to explain the circumstances. How we were nearly eaten by a dragon in the canyon region. How we fought it off while escaping in this vehicle. How we fell from the waterfall and drifted here. I told the dwarves the whole sequence of events in a flat tone.

“—So, it’s not like I entered your territory by choice. If I knew the way back to the surface, I’d leave immediately. If possible, it’d be a huge help if you could guide us out…”

Despite my explanation, the Dwarves began to buzz among themselves. Had something in my story caught their attention? After waiting a while, one of them shouted a question.

“You fought off a dragon?! Is that the truth?!”

“Of course. I have no reason to lie. Here, take a look. There’s a piece of the claw stuck right here, isn’t there?”

With an exaggerated gesture, I pointed toward the rear of the golem car. Lodged there was a fragment of the claw that had crushed the roof—the part I had shattered with my fist. I had left it stuck there, thinking it might be useful for something.

The dwarves began to eye the claw from a distance. Initially skeptical, their faces gradually shifted into expressions of shock. After a brief discussion, they approached hesitantly.

“…Would you mind if we took a closer look?”

The dwarves were deadly serious. At the same time, they seemed to harbor a quiet frenzy. I spread my arms and nodded.

“Sure, I won’t charge a viewing fee. Inspect it to your heart’s content.”

The murderous intent had already vanished from the dwarves.

While I wouldn’t go so far as to call them friendly, it didn’t seem like I had to worry about them suddenly opening fire.

Their eyes were glued to the dragon’s claw. They seemed to possess an extraordinary interest in it. They looked exactly like craftsmen who had just stumbled upon the ultimate material.

Though the Dwarves had approached cautiously at first, before I knew it, they were sprinting toward us as if racing to be the first one there. They swarmed the vehicle, practically leaping onto it, and began to inspect the dragon’s claw incessantly. They were heating up considerably—observing every detail with painstaking care, stroking it to confirm the texture, and arguing loudly amongst themselves.

I figured I’d only be a nuisance if I tried to butt in, so I stayed quiet and waited for them to calm down. Eventually, one of the dwarves approached me to ask a question, looking quite excited.

“It really does seem to be a dragon’s claw… Where on earth did you get something like this?”

“I told you already. A dragon attacked us, so I gave it a taste of its own medicine. This is just a souvenir it left behind.”

“I see… Hmph, you have the eyes of a man who isn’t lying. Though it’s still hard to believe.”

“I’ve got plenty of confidence in my brawn. Next time, I plan to finish the job for sure.”

I flexed my bicep for him. The dwarf gave me a look of pure exasperation.

“Slaying a dragon all by yourself… Are you serious?”

“Yeah. I’ve already decided that the damn lizard is getting roasted. I’m a man of my word. Anyway, no matter where it goes, I’m going to track it down and blow it to hell.”

I answered with a smirk. The dwarves actually flinched back. For some reason, I’d managed to scare them, even though I had no intention of causing them harm.

Composing himself, the dwarf then pointed inside the vehicle.

“Is that your wife in the carriage?”

“No, just a travel companion. A business partner, you could say.”

“Is she injured?”

“Looks like she broke some bones from the impact of falling down the waterfall. Well, she won’t die from it.”

While I was answering, the dwarves exchanged looks. I wondered if they were consulting each other. Just as that thought crossed my mind, the one who seemed to be their representative stepped forward.

“It’s a tragedy, being attacked by a dragon. Since we’ve met here by some twist of fate, why don’t you rest up at our settlement? The little lady is unconscious, and your vehicle is broken. If we get back to the settlement, we should at least be able to handle the repairs.”

“That’s more than I could hope for, but are you sure I can impose like that?”

“In exchange—if you don’t mind me asking—we’d appreciate it if you could share a bit of that dragon claw with us. Just an amount about the size of a thumb would do. It makes for a panacea, you see.”

“I see, so it’s a trade-off.”

I found the dwarf’s proposal reasonable. Based on what he said, dragon claws were rare. They seemed to hold considerable value. It certainly wasn’t the kind of material you could get your hands on frequently, considering you had to face that monster to get it. Most people wouldn’t have enough lives to pull that off.

Consequently, if you asked me if I hesitated to hand over the claw, the answer was no. The claw lodged in the vehicle was a decent size. It wasn’t quite human-sized, but it was large enough to be used as a short sword. Therefore, I didn’t mind parting with a thumb-sized piece. Besides, I was grateful for a chance to rest nearby. I had been prepared to survive in the wild if necessary, but it was better to avoid that if possible. I also couldn’t ignore the offer to repair the golem car.

Having reached a decision, I held out a hand to the representative dwarf.

“We have a deal. I’m in your debt.”

“You’re a reasonable lad. Alright, follow us! We’ll get you to the settlement in no time.”

Guided by the Dwarves, we proceeded down a side path of the underground cavern. I pulled the golem car with Alice inside. The path was slightly uphill, but that didn’t really matter. The weight was negligible.

As I hauled the golem car, the dwarves showered me with praise, marveling at my “monstrous strength.” It seemed that physical power was one of the absolute values in their society. It was likely a culture that revered warriors. Thanks to that, the dwarves began to treat me with a sense of familiarity. Since we were heading to their settlement, it was good that we were able to get on friendly terms beforehand.

To put it nicely, Alice wasn’t exactly the type of person who excelled at communication. She was fundamentally quiet and tended to keep her remarks to the bare minimum. It seemed like it would be difficult for someone like her to break the ice with the boisterous dwarves. It would be much more convenient for everyone if I was the one who got along with them.

“By the way, where were you headed? There shouldn’t be any cities or main roads nearby.”

“We were aiming for the Independent State of Eurea. Cutting through the forest is a shortcut, right?”

“I suppose so, but… that’s quite bold of you. Well, if you’ve got the strength to drive off a dragon, I guess it’s not that surprising. Whoops, looks like we’ve got company.”

While we were enjoying our chat, cream-colored caterpillars began to crawl out from a crack in the rock wall. What’s more, they were in a massive swarm of dozens, with each one being about the size of a human baby. It was a pretty disgusting sight.

“Alright! This is a huge haul!”

“We’re having a feast tonight!”

“Men, don’t let a single one get away!”

The dwarves charged gallantly, using axes and guns to start slaughtering the caterpillars. Apparently, this was food to them. They energetically began gathering the carcasses into nets. Seeing this, I called out to a dwarf who was hacking away at a caterpillar nearby.

“There are quite a lot of them. Do you want some help?”

“We’re fine. You just stay there and protect the lady.”

“Understood. Thanks for the consideration.”

I answered with a wave of my hand. The dwarves’ combat capabilities were high. Each one was a veteran warrior, possessing strength that lived up to their appearance. Even without my help, they were handling themselves with plenty of room to spare.

They proceeded to annihilate the army of caterpillars with impressive efficiency. Hoisting the bulging nets onto their shoulders, the dwarves resumed the journey.

About thirty minutes later, we arrived at a dome-shaped space enclosed by rock. In front of us stood a heavy iron gate, and beyond it, I could see several rooftops poking out. A hole had opened in a portion of the rocky ceiling, revealing the stars in the night sky. Stone stairs were built along the rock wall, leading toward the outside of the hole. I couldn’t see it from here, but the residential area might continue onto the surface in the same way.

From beyond the iron gate, I could hear a cacophony of noise. The heat radiating from within was intense as well. Even though we were still outside the gate, I could feel the lively atmosphere against my skin.

“Heh, this is something else…”

I was honestly impressed. It was far more developed than I had imagined. When they said “settlement,” I had pictured somewhere a bit more primitive. I had to revise my perception.

Perhaps sensing my state of mind, the representative man slapped my shoulder with a proud look.

“This is the dwarven settlement. Make yourself at home.”