Chapter 173
Piyooooo—!
Aboard the powerfully soaring Alpha Gryphon.
I looked around and thought.
‘I can see the sea.’
The Monster Mountains, which serve as the eastern spine of the Plank Kingdom.
The sea to the east of that mountain range.
According to the map Elvandor gave , a large cave in this sea was the ‘tunnel’ where the dwarves lived.
‘And to find it, he said to look for two large chimneys… is that it over there?’
It was still so distance away, so I couldn't see it clearly.
But I could definitely see chimneys standing tall. The two chimneys were so distance apart from each other; one was emitting thick smoke, while the other had none.
I called out to Yoanna, who was flying right next to .
“Yoanna!”
“Yes, Your Majesty!”
“We’re heading to where the smoke is rising!”
“Yes, understood! I will relay the ssage!”
Piyooo—.
Yoanna steered her Gryphon toward the other knights. For so reason, the other knights were flying a little distance away from Yoanna and .
As if to protect the private space and ti for just the two of us.
I wasn’t sure why they were doing that.
‘According to the I checked while we were resting… it said Grombrindal would be out to greet .’
Grombrindal. A dwarven elder I had only heard of by na.
The master craftsman who made the King's sword, the giant elder's shoulder guard, and my mother's ring.
‘I don’t know how he knew I was coming and is waiting for , but it’s a good thing. It ans I won’t have to wander around looking for the tunnel.’
As I was thinking, I had already flown to a point where the chimney was clearly visible.
As expected, Gryphons are fast.
***
Grombrindal.
He had co up to the surface from the underground city for the first ti in over ten years, perhaps even longer.
Haaa—.
As he took a deep breath, the fresh scent of the sea and the Monster Mountains filled his nose. It was refreshing air, but being a dwarf, he couldn't help but prefer the heavy air of the underground.
‘This is the first ti I’ve been outside since I parted with them and returned to the underground city.’
The sun, which he hadn't seen in a very long ti, was as strong and beautiful as ever. He had wanted to create a weapon that captured the power and beauty of that sun.
“Grombrindal. Are you sure your friend is coming? Did you get a ssage or sothing?”
A dwarven craftsman who had co to the surface with Grombrindal asked.
This craftsman was a dwarf who ca to the surface quite often for a dwarf, because he was the craftsman who managed the ventilation chimneys of the underground city.
His na was Domitar.
“They are definitely coming, Domitar. My hamr is reacting.”
“Well… if you say so, but no one has co for quite a while.”
“Wait. You’re as impatient as any other dwarf.”
“Gahaha. That’s the charm of a dwarf— huh?”
The chimney craftsman was laughing, stroking his beard, when.
“Up there in the sky… is that a Gryphon? Is soone riding it?”
He pointed to the sky with a hand that was unusually thick and large for his body. When Grombrindal looked in that direction, there were indeed about ten Gryphons flying towards them.
‘Why Gryphons all of a sudden? Are they riding Gryphons? But giants have terrible compatibility with Gryphons, so they shouldn’t be able to ride them.’
Grombrindal’s hamr would not vibrate unless the equipnt of his three friends was nearby.
That ant that right now, atop one of those Gryphons, was Grombrindal’s friend, ‘Giant Elder Barut.’
‘…No, it’s possible they had their equipnt stolen.’
Such a thought suddenly occurred to him.
But Grombrindal imdiately shook his head, thinking it couldn't be true.
‘Neither Philip nor Barut are the types to have their equipnt stolen. Those two are no ordinary warriors. That empty-headed, big-chested elf wench is also ridiculously strong.’
Especially given Victoria’s personality, she would have destroyed her equipnt rather than let it be stolen.
The Victoria in Grombrindal’s mory had a personality that was anything but pleasant.
Even as he thought this, Grombrindal vaguely sensed it.
For so reason, his expectations were wrong.
He had a strange feeling that the ones coming might not be his friends.
Piyooooo—!
Soon, the large Gryphon flying at the very front landed near Grombrindal. The remaining Gryphons landed in a line behind it.
Thud—!
The rider of the first Gryphon to land dismounted. A young human.
As soon as he saw him.
“You… are you the son of Philip and that elf wench?”
At the dwarf who approached him and spoke, Leonardo greeted politely and replied.
“Yes, I am the son of King Philip and the elf Victoria. You… recognize right away?”
“Of course, I do. The sword you carry, ‘Cardania,’ is the sword I gifted to Philip. And you resemble that elf a lot too.”
“If you gifted the sword to my father, then you must be—.”
“That’s right, I am Grombrindal, your father and mother’s friend.”
Grombrindal spoke as if it were nothing.
But inside, he was very disappointed.
‘The fact that Philip gave that sword to his son must an he is dead. …I wanted to see him one more ti.’
“Is Barut’s shoulder guard and the elf wench’s ring in that bag?”
Grombrindal asked, pointing to Leonardo’s backpack.
“That is correct. You know about that as well.”
“Philip’s sword, Barut’s shoulder guard, and the elf wench’s ring. When those three get close to , this hamr vibrates. So… I was expecting the three of them.”
“……”
“So, are Philip and your mother dead? Barut too?”
Although he had already sowhat expected his friends to be dead, Grombrindal still asked.
In the hope that they might be alive.
However.
“Yes, my father and mother have passed away.”
“……I see.”
“But Sir Barut is still alive.”
“Barut is alive?”
Grombrindal’s voice, which had beco gloomy at the news of Philip and Victoria’s death, brightened.
He was truly glad that at least one of his dear friends was alive.
“Yes. That’s why he lent the shoulder guard you gifted him, sir. He said you would give a warm welco if I brought this when I went to et you.”
“Tsk, a warm welco, my foot. That giant brat, he never used any of the equipnt I made and only accepted that one.”
Even as Grombrindal clicked his tongue and spoke to Leonardo.
He extended his hand for a handshake with a clear look of delight.
“Let introduce myself again. I am Grombrindal, an elder and patriarch of the dwarves.”
“I am Leonardo, the King of the Plank Kingdom.”
Squeeze—.
After firmly shaking Leonardo’s hand once, Grombrindal continued.
“So, what is the reason you’ve co to see ? It doesn't seem like you’re here to repair my friends’ equipnt.”
“Haha, that’s not it. It’s another favor.”
“Another favor?”
“Yes.”
Leonardo took out a piece of paper he had kept in his bosom.
It was a paper with a drawing of the ‘Griffon Aircraft Carrier.’
“Sir Grombrindal, I don’t know if you are aware, but my kingdom recently—.”
“You had a war. The vibrations from the monsters moving into human territory shook the city.”
“You knew?”
“How could I not? So, what’s that paper?”
“Ah, this is… a new ‘ship’ to protect my kingdom. It hasn't been long since the war with the monster army ended, but soon, beyond the southern sea—.”
As Leonardo was speaking.
Grombrindal frowned and snatched the paper from Leonardo.
Snatch—!
“Did you say Leonardo? Dwarves don’t like to beat around the bush like humans. Get to the point, just the point. I’ve listened this far because you’re Philip’s son. If it were anyone else, I would have thrown it away imdiately.”
“Ah… yes.”
Leonardo was a bit flustered. It had been a while since anyone had spoken to him so rudely.
But he wasn't offended. On the contrary, he was glad to skip the unnecessary talk and get straight to the point.
Grombrindal’s eyebrows twitched as he looked at the ‘Griffon Aircraft Carrier’ drawing.
“Hoh… so you are indeed Philip’s son. You’ve co up with sothing interesting. A ship that carries Gryphons?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
“It would have to be enormous for Gryphons to board. Those creatures would die of boredom if they couldn’t run around freely. But where are the sails and oars?”
“Ah, yes. That’s for the pinwheel-like thing drawn under the ship—.”
“You move the ship with this? …Wait, is this?”
Grombrindal looked closely at Leonardo’s ‘propeller’ drawing.
He called out to the dwarf who had co up from underground with him, the one who was yawning behind him.
“Domitar! Co here.”
“? Why ?”
“Just co when I call you!”
“Why are you yelling at !!”
When the two suddenly raised their voices, Leonardo and the other knights were a bit surprised.
But it seed they usually talked like that, as they continued their conversation normally.
“Look at this. The pinwheel drawn under the ship. Doesn’t this look like a ‘Neleph’? The device inside our chimney.”
“Hmm… it does. But why would you attach this to a ship?”
Domitar asked, looking up at Leonardo.
“We intend to move the ship with that.”
“Move a ship with a ‘Neleph’? That’s impossible! A Neleph is a tool for creating wind. Spinning it in water would just… huh?”
As if he had realized sothing, Domitar let out a dazed sound.
Clap—!
He clapped his hands and snatched the Griffon Aircraft Carrier paper that Grombrindal was holding. Then, he busily ran towards the cave on his short legs.
“I-I’ll build this! Grombrindal! Don’t tell anyone else! I’m definitely going to build this!!”
—…?
—…?
—…?
At Domitar suddenly taking the drawing and declaring he would build the ship, Leonardo and the knights stared blankly after him.
Grombrindal shook his head as if he couldn't be helped and sighed.
“It seems you’ve piqued that fellow’s curiosity. He’s spent his whole life making and fixing Nelephs, so it’s understandable. It’s worked out well for you. Domitar is one of our finest craftsn among the dwarves.”
“Ah, yes. But don’t you need to know what this ship will be used for?”
“If so strange fellow had asked to build such a peculiar ship, I would have asked, of course. We dwarves don’t like it when the world becos chaotic with the equipnt we’ve made. But—.”
Grombrindal said, pointing at Leonardo’s sword.
“That sword, Cardania. The fact that it has accepted you is proof that you are a good person. An evil person cannot use that sword.”
“Ah… I see.”
“Hmm. And the fact that the sword maintains its pure white color ans—.”
Grombrindal started to say sothing.
He trailed off and shrugged lightly.
“Well, you don't need to know that.”
“……”
“More importantly, that fellow Domitar said he would build the ship for free, but I have no intention of doing so. I must receive a proper ‘price.’”
At the word ‘price,’ Leonardo beca a little tense.
***
‘Price.’
At that word, I was reminded of the content from the .
‘So, this is the mont.’
The diary only ntioned that Grombrindal would demand a price from , but not what the price itself was.
‘It would be fine if it’s sothing like money or land…’
“What is it that you desire?”
I spoke as confidently as possible. After all, a confident attitude is important in negotiations.
However, Grombrindal demanded a price I had never expected.
A price I could never easily accept.
“Give Philip’s sword, Cardania. Then I will build the ship you wish to create.”
“……My sword, you say?”
“Yes, your sword. The one and only in the world, a sword that I made but have yet to be able to replicate.”
“……”
“You don’t want to?”
Don’t want to?
“It’s not a matter of liking or disliking. This is a nto from my father. Entrusting the kingdom to , he told to overco any crisis with this sword.”
“So you won’t give it to ? Just get to the point. I don’t like unnecessary talk—.”
“Yes, I cannot give you this. Absolutely not.”
“……”
“Please na sothing else. Gold, silver, anything will do. But my father’s nto is not an option.”
“Is it because you like the sword? Then I will give you a better one.”
“The sword’s performance does not matter. I have a duty to protect this sword.”
The ‘Griffon Aircraft Carrier’ is incredibly important not only for but for the future of the kingdom.
Building it could ensure a long period of peace for this kingdom.
‘But even so, I can’t hand over my father’s nto. If I can’t build the Griffon Aircraft Carrier, I can just launch the Gryphons from the coast. It might lead to battles on the coast, but… still, I can’t give up this sword.’
I didn't realize I would cherish my father’s nto this much.
Perhaps that’s how significant King Philip, my father, is to .
With that serious thought, I looked at Grombrindal with a serious gaze.
But then.
Hmph—.
Grombrindal stroked his beard and let out a pleasant laugh.
“Excellent.”
“Pardon?”
“Excellent, I said. That’s how the son of Philip and that big-chested elf wench should be. I can understand why Barut entrusted you with the shoulder guard.”
“……?”
“Alright, I’ll build the ship for you. Instead!”
“Instead…?”
“Lend that sword of yours for a bit. I’m trying to make a sword better than that one, but I can’t seem to find a breakthrough. I need to get so inspiration by looking at my greatest masterpiece.”
Gahaha—!
Grombrindal now laughed openly and cheerfully.
‘Is it… resolved? It seems so.’
“Sir Grombrindal. Then, do you have any idea when the ship might be completed?”
“Are you in a hurry?”
“I’m not in a great hurry, but I am in a hurry.”
“……Not in a great hurry, but you are in a hurry, what does that an? Humans have such a difficult way of speaking.”
Hmm—.
Grombrindal stroked his beard in thought and then spoke.
“If you are in a hurry, how about inviting our dwarven craftsn to your kingdom? Then they could build the ship with your labor force, and it would be much faster.”
The dwarves would co to the kingdom?
There was no reason for to refuse.
‘This is a chance for the kingdom’s craftsn to see and learn dwarven technology.’
For Grombrindal to suggest sothing I should have been asking for.
It was an opportunity I couldn't miss.
“Yes, I would appreciate that. I will provide whatever is necessary.”
And so, I gained more than I had expected, and with great ease.
It might be getting ahead of myself… but I felt like my life in this world was finally starting to go well.
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