Actually, I didn’t plan to head to the Dwarf Village from the start.
Originally, I was just going to stay at Astron for a bit longer and then head to the Everts Duke’s House at Leisha’s insistence.
“The Third Prince mentioned the Dwarf Village’s festival during the regular meeting, right?”
A piece of news I happened to hear while staying at Astron.
No, actually, it probably wasn’t a coincidence. The fact that the Third Prince mentioned the Dwarf Village was practically a message meant for me.
The Third Prince doesn’t have the access pass to the Dwarf Village, which is only given to direct imperial family members. He gave it to me, after all.
Of course, only the Third Prince and I know about this, so it’s obvious why he brought up the Dwarf Village in a formal setting like the regular meeting.
“He can’t contact me directly.”
With the First and Second Princes keeping a close eye on the Third Prince, there’s no way he could send me a personal message. He’s been trying hard not to involve me, after all.
So, from the Third Prince’s perspective, this was the safest and most effective way to tell me to go to the Dwarf Village.
Every word the Third Prince says these days, as he stirs up a storm in the imperial succession race, spreads across the Empire. So, it was easy for me to hear.
………Even so, I shouldn’t tell anyone except those I truly trust that I’m going to the Dwarf Village.
Normally, you can’t go there or even enter. Just the fact that I’m going could raise suspicions about my intentions.
No, under imperial law, visiting the Dwarf Village without being a direct imperial family member or having permission is practically a death sentence. If Stella finds out, it’ll be hard to keep my head.
But.
“If you really plan to go there, you should’ve kept it a secret from me too………!!”
“Aren’t we board game friends?”
“………….”
“We’ve even played Bang together, so I trust you’ll keep the secret.”
“……Ha.”
Even aside from that, the Archmage is the safest person to tell since they absolutely don’t get involved in politics or imperial family matters.
You’d think someone of the Archmage’s stature would inevitably get tangled in politics, but after an incident in the early days of the Empire nearly turned the country upside down, I heard the Magic Towers and Archmages vowed never to get involved in politics again.
To put it bluntly, if the six Magic Towers joined forces, they could stage a coup and overthrow the Empire.
But it’s not the Magic Towers—the imperial family strictly monitors politicians and the Magic Towers, so there’s no way what I told Stella would reach the imperial family.
Besides, Stella is a board game friend, so I can trust her.
That’s what I thought.
“……I won’t ask how you plan to enter the Dwarf Village.”
“Thank you.”
“But how do you plan to get there if you don’t even know where it is? Are you just going to wander aimlessly across the continent?”
“………Excuse me, but it sounds like you know where the Dwarf Village is, Stella.”
Originally, I planned to use the method the Third Prince told me.
When he gave me the access pass, he also explained how to find the Dwarf Village.
If you hold the access pass, which is shaped like a necklace, tightly, you’ll feel an urge to go in a certain direction. That’s where the Dwarf Village is.
However, the range is too broad, and since the Third Prince himself has never been to the Dwarf Village, I had no idea how long it would take. I was prepared to scour the entire continent……but.
“Truly……luck is a strange thing.”
“Huh?”
“If you hadn’t told me your destination, there wouldn’t have been any chance of problems arising. But going to the Dwarf Village itself was the problem.”
“Hmm…….”
“But ironically, it’s because we’re board game friends—that silly reason—that you told me.”
“Thanks to you… I can now share what I know.”
“…What do you mean by that?”
“It’s nearly impossible to reach the Dwarf Village by physical means. I only went there once when I became the Tower Lord.”
After casting a soundproofing spell and activating all the protective magic installed in the Tower Lord’s chamber, Stella continued her story.
“The Dwarf Village is a 24-hour workshop. Every house has a furnace, and naturally, the entire village emits heat like a volcano.”
“So, is it located on a volcano?”
“Of course not. A place that constantly emits heat would have major issues if it were on something as hot as a volcano.”
“What kind of issues?”
“Cooling. Hot metal needs to be cooled to be usable. But to cool all the massive heat from the Dwarf Village, you’d need all sorts of artifacts and materials. If they’ve been doing that 24/7 for hundreds of years, it’d be hard to keep the village’s location a secret.”
Indeed, Stella was right. A place that emits heat like a volcano and cools it all down would be nearly impossible to keep hidden for centuries.
There would be constant steam and temperature changes, and if the Empire were transporting cooling materials every time, it’d be hard to hide such movements.
But if the Dwarf Village’s location has been kept a secret all this time…
There’s only one thing to consider.
“A place that cools naturally…?”
“While also being close to the Imperial family, who receive weapons and artifacts from the dwarves, and even if the general location of the Dwarf Village were known, it should be extremely hard to access. It should also be a place where dwarves can’t escape.”
“…No way.”
In the past, they were called the race of earth and fire, known for creating all the legendary weapons and structures.
But after a long history of war, most of them died, and only a few remain under strict Imperial control.
No one should approach them, but conversely, they shouldn’t escape Imperial control either.
It must be a place that can sufficiently cool the heat of the Dwarf Village while keeping all these processes hidden from the outside.
…There’s only one place.
“Is the Dwarf Village… under the sea?”
“Correct.”
Realizing the truth, I considered myself lucky to have honestly told Stella about going to the Dwarf Village.
If I had followed the Third Prince’s method of using the pass, I would have ended up facing the vast ocean.
I would never have realized the Dwarf Village was under the sea, and even if I had, there would have been no way to get there.
“Then how on earth do we get there? The ocean is too vast. Finding the Dwarf Village’s location in the deep sea is just…”
“That’s why I’m telling you. It’s laughable that you’d even think of finding such a place. Do you now realize how reckless that is?”
“………”
“But even if I try to persuade you not to go… you’ll still go, won’t you? From what I’ve seen of you, my board game friend, that’s just who you are. Am I wrong?”
“…I’m sorry.”
“No need to apologize. It’s not like I can help you anyway.”
“Huh? Aren’t you coming with me?”
“Are you kidding? The Astron Magic Tower has a mountain of work. Besides, I only know the Dwarf Village is under the sea, not its exact location. When I went, I was blindfolded and led by that Archmage from the Imperial family.”
“Then……”
“Why worry? Even if it’s not me, there’s a perfect candidate, isn’t there?”
The right person?
“A grand mage who can move freely at any time. A being unbound by anything, thus able to assist you. Someone who knows more than we do, and who owes you a debt.”
“…Oh.”
“At the same time, they’re also the intruder who recently set foot on the top of our magic tower. If you happen to meet them, could you tell them? At least say something before coming in. It’s seriously terrifying.”
The right person Stella is referring to is none other than…
“Diogenes.”
“Although he has already left, I heard he left behind a way to contact you.”
With a mischievous grin, Stella crossed her legs and declared.
“If it’s the Beggar Archmage, he should know the exact location of the underwater Dwarf Village.”
With utmost confidence…
…and a look of concern for me.
*
“I don’t know.”
“Excuse me?”
“I’m not sure why Stella Varnicion was so confident, but I’ve never been to the Dwarf Village either. I’ve only traveled around the continent. Honestly, I’m puzzled as to why you called me.”
Meeting Diogenes again wasn’t difficult. When he left, he gave me a leaf.
As soon as I tore the leaf inscribed with the name “Diogenes,” he appeared beside me in less than a second, holding a familiar crystal orb.
“By the way, did you enjoy the Diogenes Game? It seems… you haven’t cleared your memories yet.”
“Thanks to it, I’ve been keeping myself entertained. But seriously, how many rounds are there? I’m already on the 14th round.”
“You’ll find out eventually if you keep playing. But this is getting problematic…”
Stella, now busy with work, has locked herself in the tower master’s office.
To meet Diogenes separately, I left Sally, Water Tiger, and Adela with the magicians creating the Escape Room Board Game.
But now, even Diogenes doesn’t know, making things even more frustrating.
“Did you know the Dwarf Village is underwater?”
“I did.”
“…? So, like Stella, have you been to the Dwarf Village before?”
“Not exactly. I heard it from an acquaintance.”
An acquaintance?
Someone who knows the Dwarf Village is underwater?
“Who is it?”
“The former master of Glesia Magic Tower. A rather eccentric being.”
A being? A somewhat ambiguous term for a person, but since it’s Diogenes, I let it slide.
Anyway, that’s not the important part right now.
“Since they were also an archmage, do tower masters usually go to the Dwarf Village after taking their position?”
“Not necessarily. They go there because, at the empire’s level, they need to create staffs or wands. So, archmages like Olfin Grassburn, who have Dragon Hearts, wouldn’t go.”
“Anyway, that former tower master must’ve been similar…”
“Ah, that old woman was a bit different. Originally, you could only reach the Dwarf Village through Glesia Magic Tower.”
“…What?”
“Supplies need to be delivered to the underwater Dwarf Village, and weapons made there need to be received regularly, so a passage is necessary. But maintaining the passage permanently could lead to unforeseen issues, so they create a temporary passage each time.”
Diogenes continued, as if stating the obvious.
“That’s why the empire always relies on someone when going to the Dwarf Village.”
“Using multiple high magicians could risk leaking secrets…”
“The lord of Glesia Magic Tower is said to have created a path by freezing a tunnel from the sea surface to the seabed. So naturally, the lord of Glesia Magic Tower would know the location of the Dwarf Village for generations.”
“………Then I was wondering why you called me earlier.”
“Originally, you could have just called the lord of Glesia Magic Tower, but you twisted it and made me go. No………hmm, I think I understand Stella Varnicion’s intention.”
“What on earth is that?”
“She wants me to accompany her. It’s a wise choice. A knight guard should be enough.”
Wait, hold on.
Is a knight guard really necessary?
“Well, compared to Diogenes, it might be lacking, but Sally, Water Tiger, and Adela should be enough as my guards, right?”
“That’s the problem. You probably have the Dwarf Village’s entry permit, don’t you?”
“………Yes.”
“Thanks for being honest. Anyway, it’s only valid for one companion. That’s why even direct royal family members can only bring one guard.”
“So, I have to go with Diogenes alone?”
“Don’t worry. I can just clean up my presence, so it’s no problem. But you can only take one of those three.”
One.
If I have to choose one among Sally, Water Tiger (Leisha), and Adela, who should I take?
……Hmm, actually, it’s not a long thought.
“Then I should take Sally.”
“The maid, huh? Do you have a specific reason?”
“Uh……because she’s Sally? We’ve never been apart before, so……it’s just natural.”
Leisha and Adela are precious too, of course.
But if I have to take only one, it’s obviously Sally. Reason? Do I need a reason to take family?
Sally has been by my side for over 10 years since we first met in the back alley and came to the mansion.
That’s reason enough. We’ve been apart briefly like now, but we’ve never been separated for more than a day.
“It’s a good thing. I haven’t been able to give you the reward from back then.”
“The reward……are you talking about that personal request?”
“There were two things I promised you. One was information. You haven’t asked for that yet, so I’m waiting, but there’s no reason to delay teaching you magic.”
Technically, it was delayed because I sent Diogenes to play a board game.
I had forgotten, but Diogenes nodded as if this was the opportunity.
“It’s not for you to learn, is it?”
“Is it possible?”
“………….”
“Just teach Sally.”
“That’s a wise choice.”
The Dwarf Village’s festival, which happens once every 10 years.
Did the Third Prince want me to go to that festival, so he sent me a signal? Or is there another reason?
……At least, one thing is certain.
This time, unlike before, it feels like it won’t be a short trip.
That’s the feeling I got.
