Chapter 364: Fugitives, Usurpers (3)

The glory-seeking, promotion-hungry, gold-greedy Britainia knights surged into the cave. Torches lit from all directions and summoners added magical light, eliminating all visibility constraints.

“Long live His Majesty the King!”

“To the glory of the undefeated knight, the feat of dragon-slayer shall be added!”

Several enthusiastic knights cheered at the bloodstains the dragon had left in its retreat—a clear demonstration that they were the hunters and the dragon was the prey.

The knights were armed with the magical weapons Eugene had collected throughout his expeditions, giving them confidence they could land a solid blow even against a dragon.

However, the bloodstains cut off midway—it must have somehow stopped the bleeding. The stone floor made tracking footprints impossible as well.

“That’s enough shouting. Hunting a fugitive requires silence above all else. From now on, let’s think of ourselves as the ones conducting the night raid. Even the dragon erased its tracks to shake off our pursuit.”

Before the summoners even spoke, the knights had already quieted themselves.

“Britainia is a bigger country than I thought.”

An elf scout remarked.

He had just arrived, having served as a distant outrider all along. He knew Britainia’s king had come, but hadn’t expected so many knights to be mobilized.

Britainia was an island nation somewhat removed from the main currents of the old continent’s history. Its trade volume with other nations wasn’t small, but its presence was comparable to a minor kingdom.

Thus, the image the third-era elves held was of a rural backwater.

“Britainia is the world’s largest island nation. The sea is bountiful, and we have more plains than most powers. Not ideal for diverse crops, but our per-area yield is second only to Varcia. Moreover, our land knows no drought. When every other nation was suffering famine in the great famine of the past, only we had no one starving.”

A knight from Cornwall kindly corrected the misconception. A place where patriotism—an oddity for the feudal era—was a specialty.

“Could you tell us more? We’re quite interested in the king’s—rather, Your Majesty’s—country.”

The expansionist Avarim elves listened with shining eyes, and the knight grew even more enthusiastic.

When elves or dark elves perked up their long ears, it was unmistakable: “I’m focusing intently on you.” Naturally, as a speaker, it was a thrill.

“As an island nation, whatever storms rage on the continent across the sea, we remain unaffected. Besides, we’ve conquered even Midgard, our archenemy. We can project national power outward without worrying about home invasion.”

“Indeed—if the main force is absent, exploiting the gap would require mobilizing a large fleet first.”

“That’s why when His Majesty declares a honorable adventure, the knights can join without worry. Normally we’d need many ships, but His Majesty has a magical castle. Truly, Britainia is a god-blessed nation.”

Naturally, since they weren’t vassals, Eugene had no right to summon knights from various regions.

The resort life at the Moving Castle (lodging and hot springs were free for participating forces), opportunities to socialize with the king and various nobles, spoils from battle, and the daily wages Eugene paid.

Participating was itself an enjoyable adventure, with enormous returns relative to cost.

The result was that despite Britainia having inferior national power to Varcia or similar power to Gord, the number of free knights mobilizable under the king’s name was enormous.

“It’s clean.”

“No traces of excrement either. Seems it didn’t bring subordinates to its lair.”

No matter how large the cave, if monsters inhabited it, there would be a characteristic fetid smell. There was none here. As one would expect of a dwarven dwelling—whether natural or artificially carved, the ventilation was excellent.

“Rest in peace.”

A devout knight prayed before dwarven remains. Complete decomposition had finished, so there was no unpleasant odor.

“Most died from stab wounds or punctures. Occasionally there are marks from blunt weapons.”

“No arrows embedded, so it wasn’t orcs.”

“As expected—it was the dragon, with lizardmen as vanguard?”

The knights advanced, examining the remains scattered everywhere. So much time had passed that the iron weapons had rusted beyond recognition, but occasionally gemstones embedded in necks and arms drew attention.

-During the two eras they lay forgotten, these belongings meant nothing to them. Those who need them should take them. After the dragon falls, I’ll collect and distribute everything. Don’t stoop during the operation.

With the king’s promise, no unnecessary trouble or operational delays occurred.

“It’s similar to Kajador, but this has a much more raw flavor.”

Homi inhaled deep into her lungs, determined not to miss even small clues.

Kajador was an underground city structured with separate mining areas based on its role as a royal palace.

This ruin, on the other unlike, maintained the form of a natural cave, adding structures as needed. Still, as one would expect of a dwarven stronghold, even thick layers of accumulated dust couldn’t conceal its sturdiness.

Unlike the knights obsessed with finding the dragon, Eugene was more interested in the walls and floors. When he spotted a worn ladder, he carefully examined the vicinity for something hidden.

“You there? What are you looking for?”

“The mineral that was mined from these ruins.”

Eugene and Valda had for a time after the coronation switched between formal and informal speech out of consideration for others’ opinions. But since they were frequently discovered by subordinates and both found it troublesome, they had simply reverted to their original way.

“So the gold mine expectations are irresistible.”

“In terms of location alone, the Great Forest has many places better than this. Considering safety and trade, settling near Elenost in a good spot would have been a hundred times better. Coming all the way here where monster threats are severe means it’s obvious.”

“That there was something worth overcoming all those obstacles.”

“Yes. Gold, perhaps, or gold, or gold-like…”

Valda’s face was expectant too. Not from greed for treasure, but because she wanted to repay her husband in some way.

At that moment, a squire from one of the knight groups that had split into multiple paths came running. Gasping for breath, the young man knelt before Eugene.

“What is it? Have you found the dragon?”

“No, Your Majesty. It seems they’ve found something you should see, so my lord sent me urgently.”

“…”

“…?”

“When reporting to a superior, it’s basic to briefly state what was discovered.”

“Ah, I… that is…”

“Calm down. It’s neither a rebuke nor a rush. I was the same once.”

Eugene gently patted the squire’s shoulder.

“Hah.”

Valda, watching from the side, smiled with an ambiguous expression. After all, the apparent age difference between the two men was negligible.

In any case, the king’s warm demeanor calmed the extremely flustered squire.

“We found the mineral! It’s salt!”

“…Well, salt isn’t bad either.”

Eugene, who had told the knights not to get their hopes up, couldn’t help feeling disappointed himself.

*

But the disappointment didn’t last long. When Valda arrived at the location the squire had guided them to, her eyes widened.

“This isn’t salt.”

“Your Majesty? This doesn’t look like silver at all.”

Where the knights waited, white crystals embedded in the rock face in disorderly spider-web patterns. About three meters tall.

“This is a treasure beyond comparison with silver—mithril.”

“That… is mithril?!”

Everyone present was stunned. Mithril was the supreme metal rivaling aether-forged metal.

If the latter was artificially created through magical processing, the former was found in its natural state like gold or silver. Before mithril, even gold was nothing but base metal—in both rarity and utility.

Crack!

Homi leaped and swung a military hammer. A section of rock shattered cleanly, and she snatched the largest chunk from the air, handing it to Eugene.

Valda stroked the pure white crystals beside him.

“It possesses silver’s purifying power but doesn’t diminish, is as light as a leaf, and its beauty surpasses any gemstone—it is the queen of precious metals. As its name suggests, it shines brilliantly under moonlight, so radiant that even gold blushes and stops glittering.”

Valda shrugged.

“Well, the last part is probably an exaggerated legend.”

Couples grow alike, they say. Her playful gesture was identical to her husband’s.

“No wonder the dwarves insisted on making this their home.”

Eugene gazed at the dwarven remains some distance away.

Dwarves possessed stronger resistance than other intelligent species to most desires—material, power, sexual. But there was one area of weakness: greed for minerals.

“If it has so many advantages, isn’t it better than aether-forged metal?”

Homi asked with curiosity.

“As a gemstone, perhaps. But it has one drawback.”

“What is that?”

“Its durability is low. Fine for jewelry or ceremonial armor, but not practical for real combat weapons.”

The listening knights were puzzled.

“But Your Majesty, in the legends I’ve heard, mithril weapons definitely appear?”

“I’ve heard that even now, certain Roman ducal families have a mithril chainmail as the family’s sacred relic.”

Here, Eugene stepped in.

“If refined through special methods, it’s possible to create high-strength alloys. That’s how the legendary weapons you know were made. But it’s a lost art now. When I visited Kajador, the dwarven king told me at the feast.”

The dwarven king had been grieving the loss of many ancestral technologies, with mithril refining being the highest priority.

When mined locations vanished and techniques were passed down purely through oral tradition and records, they would inevitably be lost at some point in future generations.

“In any case, congratulations. Isn’t this God’s reward for Your Majesty, who slays evil beasts and walks the straight path?”

“Perhaps. When this is over, I should offer a mithril ornament as tribute to the goddess Banas. Thank you for the good advice.”

“The honor is mine.”

The knights who had caught the king’s eye celebrated and resumed their exploration.

*

Venturing deeper, they discovered what appeared to be the main living quarters—a massive hall.

“Oh, my God!”

“Your Majesty, are you seeing this?”

“Yes. This is what a dwarven city looks like. I’ll have to retract my statement that it can’t compare to Kajador.”

Eugene silently apologized to the dwarven remains he had passed.

Massive pillars, each requiring about five men to encircle, spread out like a bamboo forest. The pillars fading one by one into the darkness beyond was majestic beyond description.

“As expected of first-era dwarves, many elements resemble elven architecture. This is the real difference from Kajador.”

Eugene approached a pillar and touched its carved grain. Somewhat rough, but one could immediately see it depicted an ancient tree.

The ceiling, where the pillars converged in an arched form, was a design evoking a lush forest—a style completely absent from Kajador.

“To build a settlement with this kind of structure even during a refugee situation. As expected of a royal family that ruled the world through virtue rather than power.”

A Cornwall knight saluted Valda in admiration.

“But weren’t they cowards who abandoned their royal family in the face of true threats? Even rest is a luxury for such cowards.”

A central knight who considered “never retreating from battle” the highest virtue interjected. The Britainia kingdom’s only berserker unit—they acknowledged the underground city’s excellence but looked at the dead dwarves with contempt.

During their exploration, the group discovered a room. Around a broken door, numerous lizardman skulls and dwarf remains lay scattered. It appeared they had fought to the last against the dragon and lizardmen’s combined assault.

Homi discovered a book from the only remains not wearing armor. Without being asked, the squire immediately brought it—a model example.

“It’s a war record… starting with unusual earthquakes, monsters increased dramatically, and finally they raided us here.”

Valda speed-read through it and stopped at the final page.

“Please continue reading. I want to know what happened here properly.”

Eugene, speaking for the knights’ sentiments, nodded at Valda.

“Our elf friends were right. We should have stayed together at Elenost… Coming here, believing the rock would protect us, was our mistake.”

It appeared there had been a disagreement between Ostir’s family and the dwarves during the settlement after arriving in the Great Forest.

“Thousands of unpleasant vertical pupils swarmed before our nest. Above them, a single pair of fearsome vertical pupils reigned like the sun. Lizards sang to worship their god, and thunder answered in response.”

As expected, the dragon had been behind the dwarves’ destruction.

“The gates we believed would protect us even in the end times were shattered mercilessly. Whenever the cave shook, women and children screamed, and even brave warriors trembled so their weapons clattered.”

The knights recalled the dragon’s tail that Eugene had severed. The bone hammer-like tip was truly a divine scourge—terrifying as a blunt weapon, but also a magical staff that could summon earthquakes and storms.

“We hid in the sturdiest room and locked the door. Oh, no! The screaming from the room next door has just stopped. Now the growling comes from beyond our own door—a savage sound that no door, no matter how sturdy, can block.”

Valda paused briefly, then read the final passage.

“If only we had fought and died honorably instead… Great King, please forgive this disloyal fugitive.”

The dwarves’ record ended there.

“…”

“…”

“…”

Silence descended. Even the central knight who had called them cowards wore a somber expression. One couldn’t harshly judge even a man who repented and lamented before his race’s destruction.

“I forgive you.”

Valda broke the silence.

“I pity you, who died in despair and were buried in oblivion. I pray this reaches you, but if it does, may you find peace even now…”

Clatter.

Clink.

Was it coincidence?

For some reason, the moment Valda finished speaking, the dwarven remains that had been maintaining their form began to collapse here and there.

*

Two hours after beginning the cave exploration, a whistle sounded. It was a special whistle crafted by summoners who wielded wind.

The piercing signal spread far and wide under the guidance of the wind spirit. The desire to escape the cramped cave and return to nature—that kind of spirit had many applications.

“…!”

First, Valda’s ears perked up.

Then Homi’s tail hair bristled, and finally the knights reacted. Faintly but clearly, the dragon’s cry echoed from deep within the cave.

“It’s the dragon!”

“One of the knight groups that went ahead seems to have found it. Lucky them.”

The knights burned with fighting spirit, but those who understood mystique—Eugene, Valda, Homi—tilted their heads.

“Something seems different.”

“Indeed. It’s softer and more rhythmic than a battle cry. Almost like a song…?”

Homi’s assessment was accurate. The dragon, detected by four knight groups, had unleashed its final resort. A dragon’s song, laden with dense mystique, reverberated through every corner of the underground city, awakening sleeping souls.

Fortunately, the undead didn’t rise. Too much time had passed for even that to be possible.

Instead, the dragon had utilized the final lingering resentment left by the dwarves’ extinction—the emotion of “regret.”

“Damn it! The dragon is over there!”

“What is this? Why can’t we pass?!”

The knights cursed, watching the dragon retreat in the distance. Before them, a translucent curtain of white and blue waves blocked the way.

[Turn back… before it’s too late…]

[Your families wait for you…]

[Great King… forgive us…]

The spirits of those who had lived in the underground city spoke. Poor souls who had lost most of their memories to death and the passage of time.

‘We shouldn’t have come here.’

They clung to that single thought from their final moments, warning the Britainia knights to turn back.

“We’ll slay the dragon and avenge your resentment!”

“To uphold justice—step aside!”

The knights shouted bravely, but the spirits only returned the same answer: go back.

The knights’ voices were filled with fighting spirit and justice, but that alone couldn’t reach the broken souls.

Some knights tried to charge through; others sought gaps—but it was useless. The spirits repelled everything that tried to enter.

“Damn it!”

“Wait—stop! How can you try to strike these pitiful souls?!”

When one knight raised a magic-enchanted sword, another stopped him. These weren’t undead causing harm—they were spirits offering善意 warnings.

Since Eugene’s coronation, Britainia prided itself as the foremost knightly nation. No matter how just the cause, striking them would violate the spirit of chivalry.

“Then what do we do? Just watch the dragon escape? We have to kill it before it recovers even a little!”

“We swore to protect the innocent—how can we…”

“Honorable knights, please stop arguing.”

The one who mediated the knights was the specialist in arbitration—the summoners.

“In any case, slashing with magic weapons won’t work. This barrier of souls is a mass of countless spirits intermingled beyond individual boundaries.”

A summoner cut the barrier with a silver dagger, but it immediately healed.

“As you can see, it’s like trying to cut water.”

“Then how do we break through?”

“Well, the easiest way would be to resolve these spirits’ grudges. But how do we unravel grudges hardened over such vast stretches of time?”

The same situation was occurring throughout the entire subjugation force. Both knights and summoners tried various methods to pass the wall of souls, but none succeeded.

But today was a fortunate day. For both the knights trying to enter and the spirits mourning.

Squirm!

A sun rose in the gloomy graveyard. The appearance of the unspeakably beautiful elven princess shook the wall of souls greatly.

[Light…]

The spirits, who had only been repeating “turn back,” spoke in unison.