Royal Road
Chapter 256
[Translator – Kie]
[Proofreader – Kawaii]
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Chapter 256: Hammerfell (1)
***
A cart pulled by a donkey was traveling along a dirt road.
“That’s the Hukmak Mountain Range over there.”
The old man leading the cart pointed straight ahead as he spoke. A young man lying in the cart lifted his head.
Massive mountains loomed ahead and blocked the view like fortress walls. The sight was so grand it was almost intimidating.
“Isn’t it magnificent? It even has a pretty fancy nickname. The Wall of the World, they say.”
“Indeed, it deserves such a nickname.”
The old man laughed loudly at the young man’s words.
“But you’ve been wearing that mask all this time? It must be uncomfortable.”
The young man wore a wooden mask on his face. He hadn’t taken it off once since the old man first met him.
“I find it quite comfortable.”
“These young folks today are hard to understand.”
The old man muttered, shaking his head.
“But what’s your business over there? It’s such a dangerous place that no one dares to go.”
“You agreed not to ask about that.”
The young man reminded him.
The old man chuckled and said.
“Oh, I’m getting old and forgetful all the time.”
The young man got off the cart and handed a few silver coins to the old man. The old man accepted them with a gleeful smile.
“You’re a generous young man. Well then, I’ll be on my way.”
The old man turned the cart around. Suddenly, as if remembering something he had forgotten, he asked.
“What was your name again?”
“Victor.” The young man replied succinctly.
“Just call me Victor the Woodcutter.”
***
The old man turned the cart around and left.
Damien stood still, watching the old man depart.
Originally, Damien had no need to use the cart. Traveling alone would have been faster.
However, he used the cart to leave a clear trace of Victor the Woodcutter.
This way, when the Weapon Master was killed, Pandemonium would quickly identify ‘Victor the Woodcutter.’
“It looks like a really dangerous place.”
Damien muttered as he looked around at the mountains.
He had been through many mountains before, but this place seemed the most dangerous.
Damien opened a subspace and took out a leather travel bag.
When he opened it, an abyss of darkness appeared.
At that moment, something sprang out from the darkness.
A wolf made of black shadows pounced on Damien. Damien pushed backward with the impact.
– Master! Master!
The wolf eagerly licked Damien’s cheeks. Damien frowned and pushed away.
“Get off.”
– Master… so cold…
The wolf retreated resentfully. Damien stood up and brushed off his clothes.
Then, something else emerged from the darkness. This time, it was a girl with an androgynous appearance.
“Kyaa! Kyaaaaaaaaa!”
As soon as Miya came out, she let out a sharp cry at Damien, as if scolding him for not letting her out earlier.
“Why are you being so grumpy?”
But when Damien glared at her, she immediately averted her gaze and hid behind the wolf.
– Master! It’s scary when you’re angry!
“Kyaa! Kyaa!”
With the wolf joining in, Miya’s cries grew louder.
Unable to stand it, Damien raised his fist, and the two quickly ran off.
“When did those two get so close?”
Damian was muttering to himself like that when the darkness stirred again.
This time, a knight clad in black armor emerged.
As soon as he stepped out, the knight knelt before Damien.
“Master, it’s been a long time.”
“Indeed, it’s been a while. Has anything happened during this time?”
“There have been no issues. As per your orders, I have focused solely on training.”
The leather travel bag Damien had taken out was a item designed to store undead beings.
So, the interior consisted of a vast subspace.
Inside it were not only these three but also several skeletons.
These were originally soldiers under Dominico, who were affiliated with the Almond Country.
“But you’re wearing a mask. I’ve never seen you like this before.”
“I had my reasons. By the way, from now on, call me Victor, not Damien Haksen.”
“Pardon?”
Dominico’s face showed confusion at the sudden order.
“Well, you see…”
Damien briefly explained to Dominico what had happened so far.
After hearing the explanation, Dominico looked around in surprise.
“So you’re saying the Weapon Master is here?”
“Yes, though I don’t know the exact location.”
Dominico’s expression grew serious.
“Finding the Dwarf city… that’s a tough one. I’ve heard that very few humans have ever found the Dwarf City on their own.”
Due to their habit of living in caves, Dwarves had built their city in an extremely secretive location.
Combined with their advanced technology, it was nearly impossible to find the city.
“And to search such a vast area…”
Dominico looked troubled as he surveyed the mountain range.
“It’ll be difficult, but it has to be done.”
“I understand. Sometimes, you have to put in some effort to clean up the trash.”
Dominico glittered with killing intent.
The reason Dominico and the soldiers had sworn allegiance to Damien was simple: to repay their debt to Damien and to kill the dark mages.
“First, we need to find a clue. It would be nice if a Dwarf just fell out of the sky.”
“Well, that would be nice, but life isn’t that easy.”
“Indeed.”
As the two exchanged words, Miya suddenly approached and tugged on Damien’s clothes.
“Kya! Kyaaaaa!”
“I’m busy right now.”
“Kyaaa! Kyaaa!”
Miya protested vehemently. Damien frowned and turned his head.
“Why are you being so annoying all of a sudden…”
At that moment, Damien’s eyes widened.
Munchi was holding something in his mouth.
Thick cloth, short stature, and limbs packed with muscles.
Damien muttered in a daze with astonished face.
“A… Dwarf?”
***
“Let go of me! Can’t you let me go?”
The dwarf flailed his limbs wildly in resistance, but being so small, he couldn’t break free from Munchi’s grip.
“Damn it! What kind of weird beast is this? How did you even find me?”
“Munchi, let him go.”
With a loud yelp, Munchi opened his mouth. The dwarf flailed and fell to the ground.
“Ouch, my jaw! You stupid beast! If you’re going to let go, do it gently!”
The dwarf jumped up and shouted, while Munchi just tilted his head in confusion.
“Are you from the city of Hammerfell?”
Damien asked the dwarf. The dwarf replied with a sullen face.
“Hmph! Why ask when you already know?”
“Good. Tell me how to get into your city.”
“You puny human… are you trying to mock me? You should know that method better than anyone!”
The dwarf shouted. Damien felt a sense of unease at his words.
“What do you mean, ‘you should know’?”
“Seeing you here with undead, you must be one of the Weapon Master’s lackeys! If you don’t know how to get into the city, who would?”
Damien frowned.
“Explain yourself more clearly. What do you mean by that…”
Just then.
Damien stopped interrogating the dwarf and raised his head.
From deep within the mountain range, waves of mana and dark mana were erupting one after another.
It was faint because of the distance, but it was unmistakable. Someone was fighting inside there.
“Dominico, grab him.”
Dominico immediately grabbed the dwarf’s limbs.
Damian kept his gaze fixed on the direction where the energy surges were coming from and said.
“Everyone, follow me.”
***
Inside the Hukmak Mountain Range.
A fierce battle was raging.
“Kill all the humans!”
“Don’t back down! We can win if we stick together!”
Dwarves clad in armor swung their weapons and shouted.
Surprisingly, they were fighting humans.
“Hey! I didn’t know you worm-like creatures would confront us here!”
A man on the human side shouted with a laugh.
The sword in the man’s hand was enveloped in a pitch-black aura blade.
A dark knight.
And the fact that he was a Master Class was evident in his skill.
“These fools dare to defy master’s orders. Kill them all!”
At his order, his subordinates charged at the dwarves.
At first glance, it seemed the dwarves had the upper hand. There were dozens of them, and they were better armed.
In contrast, there were only about ten humans, armed with nothing more than single weapons.
However, the outcome was completely different. The humans began a one-sided slaughter.
“My arm! My arm!”
“Ugh! Ughhh!”
The man’s subordinates were all knights skilled in handling aura.
Weapons imbued with aura easily sliced through the dwarves’ armor.
“You… demons…”
“Our ancestors will never forgive you!”
The dwarves cursed and fought back desperately, but it was futile. They were helpless against the humans.
“Aah… Aaaah…”
Far from the battlefield,
Dwarf Kilo watched the scene with a face full of despair.
“In the short time I was gone… This can’t be happening… Aah… Aaaah…”
Kilo should have been among the group.
But while he was away for a brief scouting mission, this had happened.
He wanted to rush in and help his kin right away, but he was currently being held captive and couldn’t move.
Killo looked at the people who had captured him.
A human man with a creepy wooden mask, a Death Knight, a human girl, and a wolf made of shadows.
It was a bizarre combination, but Kilo couldn’t laugh at them. The overwhelming dark mana emanating from them was terrifying.
Even without them, the situation was hopeless, and if these people joined in, it would truly be the end.
‘I have to do something… At the very least, I need to keep these guys away…’
Just as Kilo steeled his resolve,
“Dominico.”
The masked human man said. The Death Knight responded.
“Yes, my lord.”
“You said you dedicated yourself to training. It’s time to show the results.”
A smile crept onto the Death Knight’s lips.
Or perhaps it was more accurate to call it a snarl, like a beast baring its fangs before sinking them into its prey’s throat.
“As you command, my lord. Anytime.”
The masked man retrieved a bag from the subspace.
“Everyone, come out. It’s time to clean up the trash.”
The travel bag opened wide. From within, more than a dozen skeletons poured out.
***
[Translator – Kie]
[Proofreader – Kawaii]