A Place To Settle

After the thinning of the dungeon monsters was finished, peace came to Magros Volcano for the time being.

While deciding what to do with the dwarves, I had Nadja explore the inside of the dungeon together with the Sandstorm personnel I had summoned through Mass Tree-to-Tree Group Transfer.

“No enemy can withstand this beloved sword of mine, the Phoenix Blade!”

She seemed to have taken quite a liking to the drop item that came out after we defeated that dragon.

She had already given it a name, hung it at her waist, and treasured it, and sometimes she would even rub her cheek against it while letting out a melting smile.

Seeing that sloppy smile made me a little worried about whether she would be all right… but for now, I had to check on the dwarves.

There was still a strong possibility that monsters might come out, and there might even be powerful monsters inside the dungeon.

To make absolutely sure no monsters came outside, I had a large number of Dark Wood Golems take up an interception stance, stationed several members of Sandstorm as guards to command them, and decided to leave Magros Volcano for the moment.

“—That is how it went.”

“…Because I made a strange proposal, I ended up bringing all sorts of trouble to you… I have no excuse, yes.”

Since I finally had time, I decided to give Degji-san a detailed account of what had happened after we arrived at Magros Volcano.

As he listened, Degji-san started trembling partway through, and by the end, he kept bowing his head repeatedly every time he said anything.

I did not think he needed to apologize that much, though.

After all, aside from the Wood Golems, there had been no damage at all.

“How are the dwarves doing?”

“For now, they have made something like this, yes.”

After saying that, Degji-san turned around.

Then he put his hand on some velvet.

Something seemed to be hidden underneath it, creating uneven bumps.

When he smoothly removed the cloth, what appeared there was…

“This is… a vessel I’ve never seen before.”

They were vessels such as plates and bottles in various colors.

Their colors were so clear that I had never seen anything like them.

The vivid greens and blues were so transparent that I could see the scenery on the other side.

“They are fired goods the dwarves call porcelain. Among the things they said they could make quickly, this was the product that seemed most likely to be in demand.”

I had seen quite a lot of pottery before, but I had never seen anything this thin and transparent.

I had thought it was like glass, and apparently, the base material was actually vitrified by firing it at high temperature.

Colorful containers that changed color depending on what was placed inside them… since they were breakable, they would need to be handled carefully, but if brought to the proper place, they would without a doubt sell for an outrageous price.

“Other than that, they also made metal bottles, cups, and things like these. They themselves seemed dissatisfied, saying they could make better things if they had more time, yes.”

What Degji-san brought out as he said that were metal mugs, tableware, and the like.

I thought iron would rust if used as it was, but apparently, by kneading in some monster materials, they had managed to give it corrosion resistance.

They looked far too usable to have been made just to pass the time.

There were almost no decorations, and they were thick, so their appearance was rather sturdy and practical, but that also meant they seemed highly functional.

Looking at them like this, compared to the things made by the craftsmen in Wenti, there was a considerable difference in quality.

At this rate, they might no longer be able to make a living. Leveling them up might be urgent.

Fortunately, there were now people nearby whose techniques they could watch and steal, so I thought they would probably improve on their own… but as their lord, I might need to take some kind of measure too.

“As for weapons and armor, they said those would carry the lives of their users, so they wanted to work on them carefully after properly securing their own forge.”

“They really are craftsmen at heart… Understood. We have to hurry and build houses for them.”

The sound of blacksmithing was quite loud, so it would not be good to build it in a densely populated area.

They might also say that even the time needed to carry materials would be a waste, so it would probably be best to build it near the mine.

After discussing future plans, I parted ways with Degji-san.

Then, I headed straight toward Vis-san and the other dwarves.

The number of dwarves who had come was around a hundred in total.

I had assumed many of them would want to remain at Magros Volcano, but apparently, all of them wished to remain in Guinea.

Magros Volcano had been blessed in terms of mineral resources, but there had been many dangers too.

To break away from the unpleasant memories they had there until now, leaving that place might be a good choice.

“Woody-sama… truly, thank you. It has not been very long since we arrived, but everyone has already felt just how wonderful this place is.”

Vis-san said that while gazing at the scenery lined with House Trees.

At the end of his gaze were dwarf children eating fruit deliciously and dwarf women sitting and happily chatting.

“That is why everyone is this bright. Until just a short while ago, I never could have imagined this…”

And for some reason, a little farther away, Wheel-san had come over and was having a drinking party with the dwarves, sharing drinks with them.

Perhaps because many of them had the temperament of craftsmen, some people had already shut themselves inside several House Trees and seemed to be making something.

“Seeing everyone relaxed and laughing like this… is the first time since I was born.”

Vis-san said that and smiled.

It probably was not because they were inspired by his smile, but from a little distance away, I heard the laughter of dwarf children.

“Now that I think back, all I ever did was make everyone suffer… I thought we would be swallowed by the dungeon and come to an end. I thought that was our fate…”

“Fate, huh… But in that case, was it also fate that I saved all of you dwarves?”

“…No, Woody-dono is the one who overturned the fate that should have been decided for us. Thanks to you, we, who never thought we would be able to laugh together again, are now laughing like this… Gin said he wanted to make small items other than weapons and armor for the first time in a while. Saji said he wanted to devote himself to glasswork again after so long, and Nitomaru said he wanted to try mining if metal was produced this abundantly.”

“I would very much like all of you to make use of your skillful hands.”

“This is… a good place…”

As Vis-san murmured that with deep emotion, his profile was dyed by the setting sun.

His eyes were moist. His lips were pressed tightly together and had turned white.

His fists were clenched tightly, and his feet were planted firmly on the earth.

I pretended not to notice his restraint.

“Yes, it is a territory I’m proud of.”

“I… see…!”

After hearing the voices of the drinking party in the distance, Vis-san turned his back to me.

I also pretended not to notice that his small yet solid shoulders were trembling.

For a while, I watched the dwarves.

They were drinking happily.

The sight of them tilting bottles of liquor while laughing heartily did not seem that different from yesterday.

But their faces looked as if something possessing them had fallen away.

I wondered what was different, and then I realized.

For them, the liquor they drank until yesterday was surely something meant to help them escape from the fear of the approaching end and the cave that might collapse at any moment.

But for them today, the liquor was something to nourish their spirits so they could work hard again tomorrow.

“When someone is in trouble, we help each other.”

“Help each other…?”

“Yes. I don’t intend to say something arrogant like, ‘I saved you, so…’ But if you do not mind, please become happy as residents of Wenti. If you do, I’m sure that in the end, my own purse will grow warmer too.”

“…Leave it to us. We will never make you regret taking us in. We will work desperately so we can repay our debt to you, Woody-dono.”

After saying that, Vis-san bowed his head with formal courtesy.

He had surely practiced it, and from his polite way of speaking, which he had become much more used to than at first, his naturally serious personality came through clearly.

He looked at me with a tense expression, and after smiling at him, I slowly nodded.

“I look forward to working with you as well.”

And so, dwarves came to Guinea Village.

From then on, they would make all sorts of crafts and processed goods and come to contribute greatly to Wenti.

If you truly wanted to buy high-quality metalwork, go to Guinea, where the dwarves lived.

That would become something people said a little later…