Sword Master of a Fa Chapter 53 : Circumstances of the Dwarf Tribe (4)

Chapter 53: Circumstances of the Dwarf Tribe (4)

When Iron grabbed Kyle’s hand and refused to let go, Yul, who had been silent, spoke in a low voice.

“……Iron, wouldn’t it be better to consider relocating the tribe instead?”

“I’ve thought about it, but that damned lizard bastard, the Ice Dragon, won’t just leave our tribe alone.”

“Well, the one who sealed the Ice Dragon was the previous head of the Dwarf Tribe.”

“That lizard has no reason left, only hatred growing stronger…… it’s nothing but a headache now. All the forges have gone cold, and worst of all, even the Eternal Fla has taken serious damage.”

At Iron’s words, Yul’s expression hardened more than when he had first heard the news that the Ice Dragon had awakened.

“This is an urgent situation.”

“Help us. You know that when the Eternal Fla goes out, it won’t be only the Dwarf Tribe that suffers.”

“Hoo…….”

Faced with Iron’s desperate gaze, Yul closed his eyes.

Perhaps, just as Iron said, this might have been fate.

eting a human called Kyle Ragnar, and joining hands with the Ragnar Family.

At last opening his eyes, Yul turned his head toward Kyle.

“Kyle.”

“Speak.”

“Could you help the Dwarf Tribe?”

Under normal circumstances, he would have listened to the precise situation before acting, but there was no such leeway now.

Moreover, Kyle also knew what the Eternal Fla that had just co out of Iron’s mouth ant, so having ti to deliberate felt like a luxury.

“……Seros.”

“Yes, my lord.”

“Guard this place until I return.”

“My lord, I will accompany you.”

“If Yul and I both move at the sa ti, the defense here will develop gaps. That is why you must remain.”

At Kyle’s words, Seros raised a hand to his forehead.

Just as he said, if both Yul and Kyle left their posts, monsters with keen senses and instincts might swarm in.

Yul, who knew the situation of the Monster Mountain Range well, also supported Kyle’s words.

“I think Kyle is right. It’s only because I’ve been guarding the mountain entrance that the monsters have been keeping themselves hidden.”

“……Understood. Then I will remain here.”

“I entrust the safety of the tribe to you. Stay with the clan and suppress the monsters’ movents.”

Not only the Ragnar Family’s safety, but even the safety of the Ork Tribe was at stake.

Of course, if even one more Master moved, the chances of dealing with the Ice Dragon would increase, but they could not afford to abandon the defense of the mountain entrance.

Kyle patted Seros on the shoulder, then looked at Yul.

“Yul, let’s depart at once.”

“Is there anything you need to prepare separately?”

“No. All I need to bring is a sword.”

Yul, who had been looking at the sword hanging at Kyle’s waist, nodded as if he understood.

Just as Kyle said, this was a matter that required only a single weapon.

After all, food or supplies needed for battle could simply be requested from the Dwarf Tribe.

“Iron, wait. I’ll go get my weapon.”

Soon after Yul returned with his weapon, Iron took a deep breath.

Whiiik—!

At Iron’s whistle, wolves with blue fur that had been hiding revealed themselves.

They were Ice Wolves, with bodies twice as large as ordinary wolf-type monsters.

Kyle looked at the imposing figures of the Ice Wolves that had co running at Iron’s call with curiosity.

“Hoo?”

“They’re called Ice Wolves. Without their help, we probably wouldn’t have even dared to co this far.”

“I see.”

“It was urgent, so I brought them just in case. Looks like that was the right call.”

Since the Ragnar Family had only stayed near the foothills of the mountain range, they had never seen Ice Wolves that lived deeper inside.

When Kyle, with an intrigued look, reached out his hand toward the one with a long scar on its forehead, Iron hurriedly tried to stop him.

“You mustn’t approach. That one is……!”

It was the leader of the Ice Wolves.

It was so ferocious that even Iron could not handle it.

To control the Ice Wolves, the leader had to move no matter what, so he had been brought along out of necessity.

It had a disposition that attacked even familiar dwarves without hesitation, so Iron had never even tried to touch it.

And yet…….

“Is this one the leader?”

The one that had never allowed a human touch even once did not reject Kyle’s hand.

No, to be precise, it approached Kyle’s outstretched hand on its own, lowered its body, and bowed its head.

“Nice to et you.”

Grrr—r—r—

At the low growl that sounded pleased, Iron rubbed his eyes and shook his head hard.

Assimilating with other Ice Wolves had been easy, but the leader was different.

It was a vicious one that bowed its head to no one.

Seeing such a creature lower its head and wag its tail like a puppy was unbelievable.

“Do you like

that much?”

As the Ice Wolf wagged its tail at a speed too fast to be seen, Kyle curled the corner of his mouth upward.

Yul’s words had been wrong.

The dwarves had not been controlling the Ice Wolves, but rely extending a hand to them as friends.

“May I ride on your back?”

When the Ice Wolf leader nodded as if agreeing, Kyle stroked its head.

A monster that understood words—honestly, it no longer moved him much.

After eting the Orks, he had been given a chance to rethink what monsters truly were.

Kyle looked at Yul, who could be called the decisive catalyst for that change.

“Yul.”

“Speak.”

“The Ice Wolves will now beco friends of Ragnar. It seems the issue of mobility will be resolved.”

“I think that is fortunate.”

“Let’s go. To the dwarves’ territory.”

When Kyle climbed onto the leader’s back, Iron made a face as if he had bitten into dung.

Never once had he imagined that the Ice Wolves he had lived with as friends would betray him like this.

“Damn it, I shouldn’t have moved the Ice Wolves.”

If things continued like this, the Ice Wolves—valuable ans of transport for the Dwarf Tribe—would be taken away.

Iron desperately racked his brain to protect the Ice Wolves sohow.

Kyle, watching Iron like that, let out a faint chuckle.

“No matter how much you rack your brain, you won’t find an answer. The Ice Wolves will stay with Ragnar now.”

He did not know why the leader had bowed its head, but it had shown a sign of submission to soone it was eting for the first ti.

Still, because he had a rough idea of the reason, Kyle was confident that he could take the Ice Wolves away from the Dwarf Tribe.

‘He could feel a chill emanating from this creature’s body. Perhaps it had recognized the aura of the Frostfire.’

While Yul mounted the back of another Ice Wolf, Iron tried to say sothing to Kyle.

But he soon shook his head and turned around.

“Hamr Corps! Everyone, return ho!”

At Iron’s shout, more than a hundred dwarves turned their Ice Wolves around at once.

Thus, they set off toward the settlent of the Dwarf Tribe, and before long, Kyle spoke to Iron, who was running alongside him.

“An explanation is needed.”

“……That thing called the Ice Dragon was originally one of the rulers who had lived in the mountain range longer than even the Dwarf Tribe.”

The Dragonean Ice Dragon that had lost its reason and gone berserk.

It was an existence sealed by the Dwarf Tribe, who had been trapped in the mountain range after the war with Ragnar ended.

However, as a subspecies of dragon, it had originally retained its reason.

It was an intelligent being of noble power that could speak, and even transform its body into a humanoid form through its outstanding magical abilities.

“The reason that Ice Dragon went berserk was because of our Dwarf Tribe’s divine artifact known as the Eternal Fla.”

The Eternal Fla was a divine artifact shaped like a red gemstone, containing trendous firepower within it.

Because of that imnse firepower, the surrounding snow lted away, allowing the dwarves to obtain land where they could farm even in this land of bitter cold.

The problem began after that.

They had not known that the one who had made its nest right beside where the dwarf race settled was the Ice Dragon.

But from the Ice Dragon’s perspective, dwarves had suddenly flocked in and settled beside land where it had been living peacefully, an utterly absurd situation.

On top of that, the Ice Dragon’s habitat was gradually destroyed by the firepower possessed by the Eternal Fla.

Cases of dwarves encroaching even into its territory increased, and the cold that had once filled the area began to fade little by little.

As the cold gradually disappeared, the Ice Dragon began to lose its reason, and eventually things reached this state.

After finishing his explanation atop the Ice Wolf, Iron let out a sigh.

“……That was when the ill-fated bond between the Dwarf Tribe and the Ice Dragon began.”

“The dwarves were at fault.”

“……I won’t deny that. But Ragnar isn’t completely unrelated to this problem either.”

If Ragnar had not forcibly pushed the lords into the Monster Mountain Range, this would never have happened in the first place.

Despite Iron’s words, Kyle lifted the corner of his mouth.

“If the lords hadn’t devised a plan to annihilate all humans on the continent, none of this would have happened. How can Ragnar be dragged into this matter?”

“…….”

“Have you forgotten that Ragnar’s ancestors pitied the dwarves and protected the Eternal Fla? The dwarves lack sha.”

“It seems you know everything. Well, the Founding Head of the Ragnar Family wouldn’t have been that careless.”

“Did you think I wouldn’t know?”

At Kyle’s icy gaze, Iron shrank his short neck and turned his eyes away.

As he said, if the tribe had not suddenly sided with another lord, the dwarves would never have been trapped in the mountain range.

The descendants of the dwarves always felt ashad of the choice their ancestors had made—repaying a debt of gratitude with betrayal.

That was precisely why the dwarves clung so strongly to bonds of favor and resentnt.

Kyle seized upon that point and pressed into Iron’s opening.

“I know that the Dwarf Tribe’s way is to repay kindness for kindness, and return enmity twofold.”

“……No matter how much hatred toward humans had grown, we know we should never have done that to Ragnar. Our descendants have always felt ashad of that point. This is sincere.”

As Iron spoke with his head bowed deeply, Kyle clicked his tongue.

“Don’t lower your head. Look straight ahead. We’re going to increase our speed.”

“What do you an by that……?”

“If the Eternal Fla has taken damage, you know there isn’t much ti left, don’t you?”

At Kyle’s words, Iron nodded without being able to say anything.

After confirming that, Kyle turned his gaze and leaned his upper body toward the head of the Ice Wolf he was riding.

“Seori, let’s pick up the pace.”

Kyle, who had already given a na even to the Ice Wolf leader, stroked the creature’s head.

Responding to Kyle’s request, the leader—now bearing the new na Seori—raised its head high.

Awooo—!

Starting with Seori’s howl, the Ice Wolves increased their speed to full power.

And Seori, carrying Kyle on its back, charged relentlessly across the snow-covered mountains.

From the place where the Ork Tribe had newly settled to the Dwarf Tribe’s dwelling, it would normally take a full three days on foot.

But thanks to the Ice Wolves’ mobility, they arrived in a single day.

Iron and the other dwarves were greatly astonished.

Even they, who had spent a long ti together with the Ice Wolves, had never once seen them run at full speed.

“To arrive this quickly…….”

Iron muttered with a dazed expression at the fact that they had arrived in just one day.

But before he could sink into thought, Kyle’s voice flew to his ears.

“There’s no ti. Guide

to the place where the Eternal Fla is stored.”

Snapping back to his senses at Kyle’s words, Iron nodded and dismounted from the Ice Wolf.

Showing the Dwarf Tribe’s divine artifact to an outsider was unthinkable, but if that outsider was a descendant of Ragnar and the Successor of the Frostfire, it was a different matter.

“This way.”

Iron moved decisively inward, guiding Kyle toward the place where the Eternal Fla was kept.

A structure like a temple, with countless white pillars standing tall.

Kyle walked quickly toward where the Eternal Fla was, without even sparing ti to admire the beautifully carved patterns.

He could feel it.

The firepower that was gradually weakening was transmitted through every sense in his body.

‘It should be firepower strong enough to lt an ordinary person without aura the mont they approach. But…….’

It was insufficient.

The Eternal Fla he had seen in historical records did not possess rely this level of firepower.

Kyle carefully examined the red gemstone placed atop a tal ornant that resembled an altar.

“May I place my hand on it for a mont?”

“……Of course.”

With Iron’s permission given, Kyle reached out his hand without hesitation.

As powerful firepower gathered in Kyle’s hand, it defended against the firepower emitted by the Eternal Fla from invading inward.

Even so, Kyle kept his hand firmly placed on the gemstone and closed his eyes.

The surrounding sounds vanished.

Kyle’s senses were focused solely on the gemstone.

How much ti passed like that?

As Kyle concentrated on finding the essence of the firepower contained within the Eternal Fla, he suddenly opened his eyes wide.

“……It’s not because of the Ice Dragon.”

“What do you an……?”

“A crack has ford in the source of the Eternal Fla. Was this the reason the sealed Ice Dragon awakened?”