Chapter 107 - Don't mess with moles (3)

Buildings ablaze.

Statues collapsing.

The sound of something crumbling was loud here and there, as if there was a war, but no screams from the people who were actually destroying it were heard.

There was only a suffocating silence.

The faces of the dwarves running through the city were covered in black ash to the point where their original skin color was unrecognizable.

Their proud beards were singed by the heat, and the gear they had perfected throughout their lives was now being used to destroy the shining legacy of their ancestors.

With every strike of the hammer, an uncontrollable sadness flowed from their eyes.

If you have something shiny, you should know how to protect it.

But the dwarves failed at that.

All that's left is a pitiful downfall, and now, to survive, they must embark on an uncertain journey that will never end.

The tears of the dwarves who knew this mingled with the black ashes and flowed downward.

"…The fire here hasn't been extinguished yet."

In that moment when everything was tragically crumbling, there was still one furnace that had not lost its glow.

With the old man's gaze fixed on the furnace like a stone statue.

"Someone needs to see the end."

The word "end" spoken by the old dwarf did not simply refer to the furnace.

The shining era was coming to an end, and the old man would be the one to witness the end of that era.

"Is that so."

The man thought as he looked at the end of a brilliant civilization that was about to come to an end.

Still, I'm glad.

Because I didn't arrive too late.

"I came to make a request."

"Now?"

Kuguagagagang-!

Mines collapsing with a loud noise in the distance.

The mournful sounds of hammers destroying everything in the city where they had spent their entire lives.

In this tragic moment of destruction of everything their father's ancestors had built, the only people who did not shed tears were the unknown man and the owner of the last furnace.

"I brought you a metal that only the Eternal Flame can control."

With those words, the man pulled something out of his old backpack and showed it to the old dwarf.

"…That's it."

When the man removed the cloth covering it, there was a silver lump emitting a soft glow.

The metal, which did not lose its shine even in the red flames of the furnace, was enough to capture the attention of the old dwarf even in this situation.

"Please, do it."

The man's hands, visible through the collar, were full of recent wounds.

Perhaps because the times were like this?

Although he was a dwarf who got excited just looking at rare metals, the old man's eyes were more drawn to the man's scar-covered hands than the silver object in front of him.

"What do you want me to do?"

After hearing the answer he had been waiting for for so long, the man straightened his posture and looked at the old dwarf.

The man who came here to say this finally managed to smile a little.

"I need a sword that can kill a dragon."

I will slay the most perfect dragon in the world.

Even for worlds that cry at the bottom, like the crumbling dwarf city.

The man's eyes, looking at the owner of the last furnace, were hotter than an eternal flame.

***

In the quiet early morning, in front of the residence's stables.

"…"

There, Vlad was chewing on a piece of food with a worried expression on his face.

Noir looked at Vlad like that and had a puzzled expression on his face as to why humans chewed food, but Vlad's eyes, which were supposed to respond, were looking elsewhere.

"…Is that you, Captain?"

"Yes."

Goethe came out early in the morning, rubbing his sleepy eyes, and was surprised to see Vlad in front of him.

"Why did you get up so early?"

"I had trouble sleeping."

Seeing Vlad, who had already prepared all his tasks in advance, Goethe smiled satisfactorily, wiped his forehead, and leaned against the wall.

"Well, it was the first time you saw a troll, so it's worth noting that you couldn't sleep. The lord here was also very surprised to learn that it was a troll."

The mighty roar of the troll that sounded last night was enough to freeze the hearts of the people in the territory.

Although it was a sound that echoed in the distance deep in the forest, the troll's roar, reminiscent of death, was enough for Baron Dalmatia to gather his few soldiers.

"What's a bit disappointing is that it would have been more perfect if there had been a corpse. Troll's blood is a valuable commodity."

Vlad clicked his tongue after hearing Goethe's words.

It was a real shame that we couldn't secure the troll's body as Goethe said.

"I didn't know it would burn like that."

The troll's body I killed last night burned in an instant with no time to do anything.

As high as the firewood was piled, it's impossible to burn it so cleanly and without leaving a trace.

The cleanliness was so blatant that anyone could see that the intention was to leave no trace behind.

"…I guess I'll have to report this to Joseph."

Looking at the troll's tracks, which were nothing but black ashes, Vlad recalled what happened in Baron Utman's territory.

Suspicious, sinister, and familiar, Dobrechi's headless troll is definitely an incident that must be reported to Joseph.

"However, there are no wizards here. Do you plan to send Pavel?"

"No."

Pavel is not acceptable.

It's been a tough winter to move around, and the situation seems very suspicious, so it would be better to report it as soon as possible.

"What eastern city is closest?"

"A city… Let me see."

Understanding Vlad's feelings, Goethe opened the map he received from Baron Dalmatia and quickly began to look for the next destination.

"The nearest city where a wizard could be found is Tanovo. It's a city in the Vitskaya county. Just looking at the map, it will take a week."

"Okay."

Wizards are people who deal with the mysteries of the world.

Although they were the type of people that the church didn't like, they quickly delivered news through letters and provided advice to lords through various diverse knowledge, so from the nobles' point of view, they were people they wanted to have at least one person by their side. It was.

"Let's make Tanovo our next destination. Guide the way."

"Okay."

Baron Dalmatia was a poor lord who couldn't even invite a decent priest to certify the pilgrim's mark, let alone a wizard, as he owned a poor territory.

Therefore, Vlad was thinking of going to a larger city than here and borrowing a wizard from the lord there.

Although he belonged to a different family, he was a knight with a certain status, so if necessary, he could help with something like he did now.

When Goethe left the stable, saying he would look for directions, Vlad began to stare into the distance again.

The reason I went to the stable early in the morning was because of Noir, who had helped me yesterday, but it was also because I had such an intense dream that I couldn't easily fall back asleep.

"…But I really don't remember it."

But, strangely enough, the intense dreams that had made me toss and turn while sleeping barely remembered anything resembling a mirage.

All I remember now is the faint sound of a hammer and the heaps of ashes flying. And those were the last words the man spoke resolutely.

"Killing a dragon."

Vlad closed his eyes and thought.

The man's last words I heard in my dream were clearly the voice I was familiar with.

Perhaps the dream I had was not a dream, but one of the memory fragments left by the remnants of the voice.

The dark winter dawn is gone.

Today's sun was rising from the crest of a mountain in the distance.

The tip of Vlad's sword begins to shine as brightly as the morning.

Unlike before, there were white lightning flashes around Vlad's aura, which became a little clearer.

They were all remnants of the voice floating in Vlad's world.

That day, the voice asked Vlad to meet again in a deeper world, and Vlad responded that he would do so as today's Aura.

The knight closed his left eye toward a deeper world.

***

"Why do you want to leave already? Why not wait until the snow stops?"

Despite the cold weather, Baron Dalmatia, who came out to bid Vlad farewell in person at the residence, looked at Vlad with a truly subtle expression.

Although there had been a terrible incident, he felt like he didn't want Vlad to leave for a while, but a conflicting feeling was also rising in one corner of the baron's face, wanting him to leave as soon as possible.

Especially when I see Goethe smiling cheerfully behind me.

"I've done everything I had to do, and now it's time for me to leave, Baron."

I know the Baron's face turned as dark as the gold coin that came out of his hand.

However, the former pickpocket and swindler did not hesitate to accept fair compensation for his work.

Killing bandits, finding barley thieves, hunting trolls, and even a missing girl.

Still, since he wasn't cruelly dismissed, he'll probably receive the same farewell he's receiving now.

"Please, don't forget what I said yesterday."

"I won't. I'll take note of it."

"Consider this as my sincerity towards Him."

Vlad said nothing about the glowing mole but asked the lord to tell him various things.

"As you said, I won't burn the forest or chop down trees carelessly to expand the barley field."

It was a tough time to openly talk about the existence of spirits or the sacred tree, no matter how remote the territory was in a corner of the field.

Because now it was a world where only one God could be the truth.

"And sometimes it may be good to pay a small tribute to the forest. I definitely felt its will flowing through the forest last night."

Therefore, Vlad took charge of the mole by borrowing the existence of a god instead of the name of a spirit.

No more hungry moles stealing barley seeds.

"I understand! If only I could protect the barley fields that way!"

"Here's my offering to the God who blessed me with my victory."

Vlad said as he handed a shiny gold coin to Baron Dalmatia.

Though he has shown such sincerity, he will not ignore his words.

"Ah, the Northern knight is even faithful!"

The poor Baron's face brightened a bit as he regained some of his money.

It was exactly as bright as a gold coin.

Vlad watched Baron Dalmatia nod and looked at the Dobrechi forest in the distance.

This should be enough.

A small flag waved behind Vlad's chair as he left with the villagers' farewells.

Before I knew it, the emblem of the Dalmatia family was engraved there.

***

In a quiet forest with no one around.

The oak tree that the troll had struck with the axe was still scarred, but it wasn't as devastating as it had been that night.

This was because someone had carelessly applied green moss to every corner of the wound.

Although I don't know if it's an effective method for wounded trees, the oak seemed to like it and simply swayed its branches gently with the wind.

Ssssh!

Under the silently swaying oak, there was a mole with its head tucked into a small basket and moving its hind legs.

A basket full of bright red raspberries.

The raspberries in the basket were prepared by the girl whom the mole had helped.

Since spirits don't have a physical body, they don't need to eat to survive.

However, what they need to live is presence.

Things like someone's memories of them or emotions allow spirits to exist on this earth.

That's why today the mole was able to satisfy its hunger for the first time in a long time.

The girl's emotions contained in the raspberries were truly warm.

What?

The mole, who had been pondering over the raspberries for a while, felt a presence in the distance and wrinkled its nose.

Unlike usual, people come with small baskets instead of axes or picks.

Although they brought an offering to the gods, just the belief that there was something in the forest would be of great help to the glowing mole.

Because the emotions, memories, and beliefs contained within them were important.

Kieee!

Now you don't have to forget.

Realizing this fact, the mole smiled and raised its pinky finger as if in a good mood.

The direction in which the finger is raised.

That was the direction Vlad was leaving.

The first thing the earth spirit did after regaining some of its strength through today's offering was to grant a small blessing to the knight leaving the forest.

Today, a bright yellow star forgotten in the name of God returned to the forest of Dobrechi.

Like the lemons of Hainal, the oaks of Dobrechi seemed to have regained some of their green color.

____

Join the discord! 

https://dsc.gg/indra

____