Chapter 90

I opened the door and asked Nail, who had just entered.

“Gather the Dwarves? You?”

“Yes. I’ll somehow gather my father’s comrades.”

The way Nail spoke was no longer the powerless, despairing figure I had seen earlier.

A determined gaze.

Nail looked at me with those eyes and said.

“…But it won’t be easy. They won’t easily listen to you.”

“I know. But I don’t have the exceptional martial prowess like my father, nor the ability to craft weapons effective against Vampires as a blacksmith. That’s why I’ve been holed up at home, frustrated by my own weakness.”

At first glance, Nail’s words seemed unrelated to my question.

But Tommy and I didn’t interrupt him, waiting patiently for his story to continue.

“But I realized I was wrong. My weakness wasn’t due to lack of ability, but because I didn’t take action. I realized that after seeing Kurt. Even though he’s an adventurer of the same rank who would be helplessly drained by a Vampire, he risked danger to search for us. So, I’ll do what I can—not as a warrior, not as a blacksmith, but as an ordinary Dwarf.”

“…I see.”

There seemed to be some misunderstanding in the middle of his explanation, but I didn’t think it was necessary to embarrass Nail, who was showing such strong resolve, so I just nodded ambiguously.

…

…

…

Late at night.

By now, not only Tommy and I but also Mari, Karina, and Serena had returned to the inn after finishing the tasks I had asked of them, sitting with stern expressions.

The five of us waited anxiously.

I had first finished my search and gone to Tommy for help around sunset.

Then, hours were spent going from house to house to talk to other Dwarves.

And then, Nail had come and said he would gather the Dwarves, which was hours ago.

By now, the date had changed.

The other guests at the inn had either gone home or retired to their rooms to sleep, leaving only the five of us on the first floor.

The only sound filling the room was the chirping of insects outside, and the flickering candles and the firewood in the fireplace cast unstable shadows.

Mari and the others, anxiously checking the height of the moon to gauge the time, spoke in tired voices.

“…It’s getting late.”

“Did he fail to persuade them?”

“We’re going to turn into grandmothers at this rate.”

“No, let’s wait. He said he’d bring them.”

“If Kurt says so…”

At my words, the three sat down anxiously and began to wait. Just as Mari was about to speak again after several more minutes had passed—

*Bang*

“Sorry for being late.”

Nail, who had confidently promised to bring the Dwarves, entered through the door.

Behind him were Dwarves who, despite needing rest, had stayed up past midnight and looked pale.

Though I had only seen them once, I could tell they were the Dwarves I had met throughout the day.

As soon as they stepped into the inn, they stiffened upon seeing us sitting and waiting, then turned to Nail with angry faces and growled.

“…Nail. What’s going on? I came because you said Trail left a message about the Vampire.”

“Sorry. That was a lie.”

“A lie?”

“Yes. My father left no message. But I had no choice to get you all here.”

At those words, Gale frowned and glared at Nail.

“Hey, Nail. I followed you because you’re the boss’s son, and I was curious about your request. I even insisted that the entire Warrior Squad read the message together, which is why I helped with this foolish task late at night. And now you’re saying it was all a lie?”

It looked like he might hit Nail.

The atmosphere instantly tensed, and I heard Tommy swallow nervously beside me. Mari, Karina, and Serena also adjusted their stances, ready to jump in at any moment.

Can’t be helped.

“Don’t get so angry. It was my request.”

“…Ah. It’s you. Kurt, was it? You ignored my friendly warning and went ahead to stir up trouble.”

At my words, Gale and the Dwarven Warrior Squad glared at me with undisguised hostility.

An ordinary person would’ve been stung by their hostility by now.

This is why I try not to talk.

“Ku-Kurt…”

“It’s fine. Don’t worry.”

Mari called out to me in a worried voice, but I reassured her and turned back to Gale.

I couldn’t just dump all the responsibility on Nail.

“Yeah. No one wanted to talk, so I had no choice. Well, now that we’re all here, how about we have a conversation?”

“We have nothing to discuss with outsiders. We’ll decide on an official punishment for this matter later. We’re leaving.”

“The streets are dangerous at night. There might be a Vampire hiding in this city.”

“That won’t happen.”

Nail turned to leave the inn.

But I couldn’t just let that happen.

After all the trouble to gather them here, I couldn’t let them leave.

“What if Nail’s words weren’t entirely a lie?”

*Startle*

“…What do you mean?”

At my words, Gale, who had been holding the door, stopped and glared at me sharply.

“It’s not exactly a message from Trail, but what if I have important information about the Vampire?”

Gale’s reaction was immediate.

*Stomp stomp*

He turned back and approached me, grabbing my collar to demand answers.

But no way.

I casually dodged his grip with a slight movement, and he shot me a burning, intense glare.

“Speak. What did you find out?”

“I can’t tell you right now. It wouldn’t be fair if I just spilled everything, would it?”

I smiled naturally and gestured to the chairs in the inn. Understanding my gesture, Gale hesitated for a moment before sitting down.

As Gale sat, the other Dwarves followed suit, sitting down one by one as if they could share thoughts without speaking.

With all the Dwarves Nail had brought now seated, Tommy, Mari, Karina, Serena, and even Nail let out quiet sighs of relief, worried that violence might break out.

This much is already half a success.

“Alright, outsider. I don’t know what you’ve found out, but let’s talk.”

“Finally ready to talk about what happened that day?”

“I didn’t want to reveal it to an outsider… but fine. First, tell us what you’ve found out. Then, we’ll tell you what happened that day.”

“Alright. But before that…”

“…Before that?”

“Let’s eat first. It’s late, and you must be hungry.”

Come to think of it, we haven’t eaten since dinner.

At my words, Gale and the other Dwarves looked at me in confusion.

“Did you just say food?”

“Yeah. I feel bad for dragging you all here, so I’ll treat you. I’m actually pretty good at cooking.”

“We didn’t come here to eat! Are you joking?!”

Gale, who had barely calmed down, raised his voice again in anger, and Mari and the others tensed up.

As they tensed, Gale’s subordinates also frowned and raised their energy, turning the inn into a powder keg ready to ignite.

“Stop. Aren’t you curious about what I found out about the Vampire?”

“Do we need to eat together for that?”

“If the conversation drags on, won’t you get hungry? So let’s have a light snack while we talk. Since we got off on the wrong foot, consider it an apology. It’s easier to exchange information in a good atmosphere, right?”

When I put it that way, Gale reluctantly sat back down.

But his face still showed clear dissatisfaction.

“…Fine.”

“Good choice. It won’t take long, so just wait a bit.”

After saying that, I turned to Tommy.

“Recipe request. Let’s do one more now.”