176 episodes
“Do you really think the elves knew about this place? A place where an elf who has never been to Ferratem is deep underground?”
“… … .”
The old dwarf only frowned, unable to answer.
The young Dwarves next to him reacted rather.
“Yeah, man! Do not be rude to the elders!”
But Ethan ignored it and continued.
“At that time, what the dwarves wanted to convey to the elves was only the intention of the alliance. If you were still alive then you would have known. There’s no way you can talk about the arsenal to someone who’s not sure whether to accept the alliance or not.”
“Yeah, but shrewd elves would have figured it out!”
Ethan sighed.
“Then let me tell you about the guys who fooled you a hundred years ago.”
As soon as Ethan finished speaking, the entrance to the underground workshop rattled open.
They were dwarf soldiers.
“We have found an intruder! Capture him now!”
Although he was about to be surrounded, Ethan raised his hands leisurely as if he would not rebel.
So Ethan’s party was surrounded.
* * *
“Aww!”
“help me! Help me!”
The appearance of Haup’s estate was reminiscent of hell.
The soldiers who had to fight against the kingdom army attacked the houses of commoners out of nowhere.
Soldiers began to gather food or metal that could be melted and forged into weapons.
“No! If you take this with you, what will we eat for a living?”
“Eight, get your dirty hands away!”
“Aww!”
“honey!”
As the woman was pushed, the man tried to support her.
However, the soldier grabbed the man’s hands from behind.
“As of today, a conscription order has been issued. If you want to save your family’s life, don’t talk and follow me!”
“Aww, Daddy!”
The children cling to the man, but the soldier pushes them away as if annoyed.
This didn’t just happen in one house.
All the men in the Haup estate were conscripted, and all of their supplies were plundered.
It was because of the orders given by the Plaguemaster.
When David and Seongju died, the Plague Magician made the Seongju’s room their own and devastated the Haup estate.
“From now on, I will devote all materials and human resources to war! I have no intention of procrastinating anymore!”
The Plague Wizard had one goal.
“I will stake my all in the upcoming battle.”
He was going to fight the kingdom’s forces in the plains.
That was then.
A subordinate approached the Plague Magician who was sitting in the castle’s chair.
“It is said that the saint candidate entered the forest of dawn light a while ago.”
The information flashed the Plaguemaster’s eyes.
‘In the forest of dawn light, there must be elves… … . What the hell did you mean to go there?’
Although there were doubts about his move, the opportunity was now when Ethan vacated the fortress.
‘I just need to finish everything before he returns to the fortress anyway. Even though he is a great priest, he will not be able to recapture the occupied fortress alone.’
The plague magician urged his subordinates to hurry up to prepare for war.
From now on, it was a race against time.
* * *
Kwajik!
Ethan grabbed the monster’s head and slammed it down to the floor.
bang!
The monster’s head exploded like an explosion.
Blood splattered loudly, but it didn’t even rub against Ethan’s robes.
Ethan easily killed one monster and turned around.
“What kind of priest is being so mean?”
Only the old dwarf, Deli, who was watching from behind, had a tired expression on his face.
Calia, behind Delhi Bay, was also surprised to see Ethan’s battle.
‘That’s a speed that has already surpassed the realm of human beings.’
One human, one dwarf, one elf.
This multi-ethnic union is now walking down a secret passage for one reason.
-Then let me tell you about the guys who fooled you a hundred years ago.
Immediately after those words were finished, Ethan and his party were surrounded by dwarven soldiers.
But then it was only Delhi that came out.
He stopped the soldiers who were trying to grab Ethan’s party and lead them.
-You? Were the dwarves and elves fooled?
-yes.
-Isn’t it just a gimmick trying to get away with this moment?
Deliman looked at Ethan with a suspicious look.
-If in doubt, I will present the evidence. But it’s hard to explain in words here, so I think someone should follow me to the monitoring station.
-What? Where are you going?
-I don’t think there’s only one secret passage from the prison that connects to this underground workshop. Isn’t there a separate passage to the outside? You have to go outside of Ferratem to show the evidence.
– Huh. The more I listen, the more excited I get. Okay, let’s go see some evidence of that!
Deliman fell to Ethan’s declaration of war.
It was a typical dwarf custom persuasion method.
However, unlike the young Dwarfs who were only curious, the Elder Dwarves were quite meticulous.
-However, the other three humans will be detained in Ferratem. If the evidence is correct, then I’ll release it.
– It doesn’t matter.
Then Deliman guided the passage out of the underground workshop while making an ugly face.
That’s how this multi-ethnic union was formed.
Deliman glanced at the corpse of the monster whose head had exploded.
“I knew about the underground passage, but I didn’t know these guys were here.”
The monsters in the underground passage leading out from Peratem were taking the form of shadows.
Shadow monsters could freely change their shape.
The monster has been clinging to the wall using its characteristics and making a surprise attack.
Kalia also muttered a little.
“I have never seen such a monster before.”
Even dwarves and elves were the first monsters they had ever seen.
However, Ethan was aware of the monster’s existence.
‘It’s artificially created with magic, so you don’t have to know.’
So there was no such thing as a name given to the shadow monster.
It’s just that the magical mass borrows the shadow and maintains its shape.
If I had to give it a name.
‘A heterogeneous existence? That would be the best fit.’
It was when I kept walking down the secret passage like that.
Ethan soon found a corpse at his feet.
The body was stained black as if the whole body had been charred.
“Why are there bodies like this?”
Unknowingly, Calia reached out towards the corpse.
Jijik.
Then, as if he was biting Kalia’s hand, a terrifying magical energy overflowed.
Even though it was a very old corpse, the energy of magic was terrible.
Calia was startled and tried to pull her hand out.
However, the terrible magic did not let go of the prey it had found for a long time.
Deliman opened his eyes and shouted at Ethan.
“Hey! how do you do it! What if that elf changes color?!”
I was going to do it anyway.
Ethan clicked his tongue low, then summoned the divine power in his hand to spit out the magical energy.
Then, the terrifying magic that had flew through the air to grab Kalia’s hand disappeared as if it were cut with a single knife.
Calia expressed her gratitude with a pale face.
“Thank you, heir of the oath.”
“The elves aren’t too careful with their magic.”
“yes. that’s my fault. I feel like I’ve become too comfy because I’ve only been living in the forest.”
Only Delhi, who had been watching from the side, was rather annoyed.
“Even so, what kind of guts did a race vulnerable to magic approach the corpse? What if I make a mistake and turn into a dark elf?!”
Yes.
Elves were vulnerable to magic.
It was the same principle as animals and plants exposed to magic rot or die black.
This is because the elves were the race most similar to nature.
When exposed to magic, they die instantly or turn into dark elves.
That was why the elves were so poorly pushed back by the Imperial Army a hundred years ago.
Each of the elves was an excellent elementalist, but they were helpless by the imperial army armed with magical powers.
“The elves know that better than the dwarves. That’s the story.”
“what?”
“For now, please keep looking at this. Even if my hands are purified, I will be able to see the shape properly for a moment.”
Saying so, Ethan created a divine power in his hand.
Deliman didn’t understand Ethan’s words.
However, a mysterious light was already spreading before their eyes.
“… This?!”
* * *
A certain memory flashed through the mind of Deliman, the elder of the dwarves.
It was a hundred years ago, during the Anti-Magic War.
It was a very long time ago for humans, but it was still vivid for dwarves who lived as long as elves.
The devastating war continued.
Not so long ago, the city of dwarves, Ferratem, had well defended against the imperial army’s invasion.
However, after the city was locked down, there was no choice but to suffer from a shortage of supplies.
– Now the food is running out. I’m worried about how much longer the soldiers can hold out.
– Deliman, what should I do now?
Many Dwarves were starving, and if they continued like this, they would be killed by the Imperial Army.
Now there was nothing more to measure.
Deliman, the lord of the castle at the time, made a radical decision for a Dwarf.
– How about asking the elf for help?
-yes? Are you serious?
-Even though they are weak in magic, aren’t the elves well-versed in spirits and magic? So, if we brave warriors, wise forest watchers, and elves work together in war, there will be a chance.
So they selected the most reliable of the elves and invited them to Ferratem.
Deliman raised a thick hand and tapped the young elf’s shoulder.
– This work must be done. Can you take responsibility for this task?
The young elf nodded with a determined face.
-Since both races are in crisis because of the Demon King, neither the Elder nor Deliman will reject your request.
– Well then, that’s good.
Deliman was relieved by the serious attitude of the young elf.
It was true that elves and dwarves did not have a good relationship.
But it wasn’t just a relationship of hatred.
The two races sometimes helped when a crisis came to the other race.
Deliman decided to put his last hope on it.
– I will only trust you. Don’t worry, we’ll prepare the elves in advance.
-yes. Then let’s just go.
The young elf disappeared into the darkness along the underground passage.
Deliman stared at the back of the elf for a long time before returning to the underground workshop.
In order to welcome his allies, he engraved marks all over Ferratem for the elves to see.
But the mark never happened.
– Mr. Deliman! Elves… … ! It is said that these elves refused to join forces and fled!
-what?
It was a bitter memory that faith returned to betrayal.
After the end of the Anti-Magic War, Deliman left the castle and was confined to an underground workshop to lead the work.
Allies with the elves.
Because of his absurd choices, many of his people died in the war.
‘Before I die, I will make atonement for my people who have died!’
Deliman has been making weapons and equipment with a heart to atone for that.
It was the moment when the old things, which had been clouded by guilt, came to life with the divine power revealed by Ethan.