Chapter 46
Sensing a presence flowing from the forest zone, Dagnard quickly spoke.
“Damn it, an elf! Oh no! We’re finished now! An elf showing up at the border? That’s 100% proof they’re moving in a group.”
He was making a fuss.
I let out a sigh.
“Save your breath and get ready! There’s only one opponent.”
I had already confirmed it through Bone Three’s “vision acquisition.”
Aside from the two of us, only one other lifeform was nearby.
“Is that true?”
Dagnard’s eyes widened.
“Oh, right! Now that I think about it… You! Didn’t you wipe out an entire elf party on your own last time? We’re saved, we’re saved!”
“Please, quiet down.”
I twitched my lips.
Normally, I would’ve relaxed a little with an opponent like this.
“My lord, this one is not ordinary.”
Just the fact that Sunny was on guard meant it wasn’t a situation where I could afford to relax.
‘On top of that.’
The old man wasn’t here with me now.
It made me uneasy.
Rustle!
At that moment.
The sound of a leaf being stepped on came, and someone was about to reveal themselves.
“Sunny!”
“Yes, my lord!”
[‘Sun Spear’ uses the skill, Solar Consecutive Strikes (Lv.4).]
Fwoooosh!
Sunny swiftly thrust his spear forward.
A flash burst like crackling electricity.
Whoever the opponent was, it was best to strike first.
Better to subdue them now, and if it was a misunderstanding, I could sort it out later.
But.
The one mistaken here was me.
The illusion that I could subdue the opponent was just that—a delusion.
Wham!
Something with tremendous force knocked Sunny back.
“Ugh!”
He gasped and retreated, clearly shaken by the overwhelming power.
“Hm…”
I groaned.
At the same time, I pushed Bone Four forward and sent Bone One and Bone Three into battle.
The fight had already begun.
Strong or not, I had to do something.
Then.
“Wait.”
The opponent raised a hand.
“…?”
I was finally able to get a proper look at them.
Long hair, blue eyes.
Skin pale as snow.
And long ears, like any elf.
“Stop the attack. I didn’t come here to fight.”
What? The elf was speaking?
“I’ve been waiting here for you.”
“What?”
I was stunned.
What was this elf?
They knew who I was, and had been waiting for me?
“Outsider. We know who you are. Your sudden appearance has disrupted the balance between the two tribes.”
The elf’s eyes shimmered with mystery.
And power.
It was enough to make me feel the same prickling awe I felt before Volcanus.
“You gave the dwarves a gift. But what you got in return was betrayal. And you’ll just let that stand?”
“……”
So.
The dwarves turned their backs on me.
Now they were asking me to join the elves’ side instead.
“W-what vile trickery! You’re not falling for this elf’s words, are you?”
Dagnard shouted.
The elf’s gaze turned toward him.
“What a foolish thought. If it means I can hold my enemy in check, I would even join hands with a demon dragon. That is my creed, my philosophy.”
The enemy of my enemy is my friend.
In short, since we were both betrayed, they were saying we could use each other.
“See that? What kind of wicked race casually invokes the demon dragon from 500 years ago? Don’t be fooled!”
“My name is Serphin. I have no reason to deceive you.”
“…!”
Serphin?
Who was that?
All I knew for sure was that the moonlight shining on her back made the night glow unnaturally bright.
I turned my head.
The dwarf, who had been shouting a moment ago, had fallen silent.
“Dagnard?”
“……”
Even when I called him, he stayed silent.
Looking closer, his whole body had stiffened.
His facial muscles were locked, his thighs trembling.
“Dagnard. What’s wrong?”
“S-Serphin…?”
“What?”
His pupils shook violently.
“We’re dead. It’s over. My life, your life. Damn it all. Even as a ghost, I’ll curse the chairman…”
“Why? Just who exactly is Serphin?”
Dagnard swallowed hard.
Even as he did, Serphin remained silent.
She only fixed me with her blue eyes, waiting.
“Serphin is…”
Dagnard’s lips trembled.
“She’s the Queen of the Elves. The High Elf Queen herself.”
“What?”
What did he just say?
The High Elf Queen?
A headache spiked through me.
So this elf woman in front of me was…
A being on par with Volcanus?
And I had just attacked her without hesitation?
‘Ah, my poor head.’
Pain throbbed through my skull.
I let out a long sigh.
—
“So.”
A little later.
I faced Serphin and spoke.
“You’re saying that because of your pact with the chairman, you can’t directly intervene in this war?”
“Correct.”
“And now you want me to make weapons for the elves, just like I did for the dwarves. Otherwise you’ll kill me?”
“Well, I didn’t say I’d kill you…”
She tilted her head slightly.
She hadn’t said it outright, but the meaning was clear.
“You are an outsider. Contact with you counts as indirect intervention.”
“Phew, that’s scary.”
I steadied myself.
Honestly, inside I felt relief.
Banished by the chairman, I had no plan.
Now the leader of the elves herself was extending a hand.
‘Their favorability is down to 25.’
There was no emotion in Serphin’s eyes.
What was certain was that absolute beings like the chairman and the High Elf Queen were unaffected by the favorability system.
‘This is a chance.’
A chance to restore the elves’ favorability.
“Alright. But first, I need to figure out what I can do.”
Truthfully, I was excited.
The elves surely had their own facilities for crafting.
How much would they raise Bone Six’s proficiency this time?
“…Then let’s move.”
Serphin’s question.
I nodded.
‘As for Dagnard…’
Looking at him, I realized there was no need to worry.
No matter how much he hated elves, he wouldn’t throw away his life meaninglessly.
Who knew?
Maybe this dwarf could even become a key to ending the conflict between the races.
The world is unpredictable.
—
The place Serphin led me to was a secluded village.
“…Who’s that?”
“He smells of the Rock Tribe.”
“Disgusting. A dwarf too?”
Elves without combat power cast wary eyes, but because of Serphin’s presence, none dared to pick a fight.
They busied themselves with drawing water, tending plants, and other chores.
“Where is this?”
I asked Serphin.
The place was surrounded by thick trees, filled with sheep and goats.
And crawling with spiders and silkworms.
‘Wait a second…’
Sheep, goats, spiders, silkworms.
They had one thing in common.
‘Textiles?’
They all produced raw materials for weaving thread.
“Unlike the Rock Tribe, our forest tribe cannot work metal. But we can spin thread and weave fabric. From that, we can make clothing.”
Serphin looked at me.
“Outsider. You have the talent for creation. I saw it myself from afar through magic—the sight of you forging the Thunder Hammer moved me, regardless of race.”
“R-really?”
So she had been watching me?
“Take this.”
Serphin handed me something.
‘This is…’
A blueprint.
It reminded me of the one Tonir had once given me.
[Item: Mantle of Elysys]
[Grade: A]
[Type: Blueprint]
[Description: A design for crafting the ‘Mantle of Elysys.’]
[Effect 1: Allows crafting of the ‘Mantle of Elysys.’]
[Effect 2: Requires 50 Intermediate Thread, 100 Intermediate Cloth, 2 Advanced Thread, and 2 Advanced Cloth.]
[Effect 3: Difficult to produce, but boasts excellent performance.]
“Please, restore the balance you’ve broken.”
“……”
Oh.
She was serious?
So now I could raise weaving proficiency on top of smithing?
And another A-grade blueprint too?
‘I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t happy.’
Still, part of me was uneasy.
Would the dungeon really just flow in my favor like this?
And in a dungeon known for being extremely difficult, no less?
“Alright. I’ll do my best.”
For now, I had no choice.
Serphin was one of this world’s absolutes.
Even if Ki Soyul came to help, she wouldn’t last a single move against her.
Satisfied with my answer, Serphin nodded and disappeared.
Only then did Dagnard, who had been holding his breath in terror, finally open his mouth.
“Ugh, I don’t understand any of this. To think I’d end up helping elves in the middle of the forest. The High Elf Queen and the chairman—what in the world are they planning?”
He wasn’t wrong.
I had no idea how this quest was unfolding either.
“So… are you really going to make their cloak like the queen said?”
“If we want to survive, don’t we have to?”
That’s what I said.
But my true goal was to resolve the conflict between the two races.
At the very least, I had to fix the balance I had disturbed.
“I’ll never do it! No matter how much I hate the chairman, I can’t betray my race! Not even for you, my benefactor!”
“Hm.”
As if he would’ve said that in front of Serphin.
I busied myself tidying up my things.
Sure enough, dwarves seemed a bit more stubborn than elves.
But I couldn’t let Dagnard, who had spoken up for me, feel let down.
“This isn’t betraying the Rock Tribe.”
To be precise, it was the chairman who had betrayed me.
“Then what is it?”
“To fight an enemy, you have to understand them clearly.”
“So?”
“Think of it this way. Isn’t it incredible? We infiltrated enemy territory without the slightest danger.”
“That’s sophistry.”
Dagnard frowned.
“You’re not spying on the enemy. You’re clearly helping them. Your current skill has reached the level of the ancients. The clothing you make will protect elves’ bodies and withstand dwarves’ hammers.”
“No, no.”
I shook my head.
I’ll stress this again.
My mission here was not to raise Bone Six’s proficiency—it was to resolve the conflict.
‘And to resolve a conflict?’
You have to know the cause.
And the best way to uncover the cause?
Ask history.
The shared history of both races.
But not just one-sided accounts—objective and accurate history backed by ruins.
“Dagnard. Do you know where the demon dragon was buried 500 years ago?”
“The demon dragon?”
Dagnard tilted his head.
Then.
After a moment’s thought, his eyes widened.
“Y-you… don’t tell me?!”
“What?”
“Ah, of course! You had a plan all along? Ha! I can’t believe I doubted you even for a moment. I’m so sorry.”
“…?”
“Yes! The place we dwarves most longed to know! The seal of the demon dragon lies here, in this forest zone! While you pretend to carry out Serphin’s orders, you can investigate that place!”
Wait, really?
“There… our ancestor, the great Dmir’s relics lie hidden. To uncover them is the dwarves’ destiny—and the reason for this war! Haha! You’re a genius! I knew I could trust you!”
…Seriously?
This felt like a lucky shot more than a plan.
But for now, I’d roll with it.