The one called the Forge Master was smaller than the others and had a much worse temperament. Some of the metal shavings stuck in his beard had clumped together into small beads due to how long they had been there.
Watching such an unpleasant sight was painful enough, but when he started shouting loudly and throwing a tantrum, it took great effort to resist running away.
“So… you’re asking us to take on the job of detective to find the thief who keeps stealing your ore?”
“Ah, that’s right! Since we settled here, someone’s been picking out and stealing our best ores! No one admits to it, and searches of homes and personal belongings turn up nothing! It’s maddening, I tell you! That thing… adventurer sir, you were going to repair your companion’s arm and bow, weren’t you? If you find this thief, I’ll fix them for free!”
“…I’m not an adventurer, but… alright. Let’s do that.”
Myungho explained our task to us. The unpleasant dwarf said that someone keeps stealing the ore, but they have no idea who. So, they want us to find out.
“In return, I’ll repair Yuna’s arm and bow for free. What do you think?”
“Well, why do we always have to do these annoying things? You’ve got plenty of money; just pay for the repairs after we get them fixed.”
“I’d like to help. They remind me of my hometown people… and of my stepfather. Myungho, let’s help. We’re not exactly flush with funds, are we?”
“One-on-one… Alterra. I want to help too. Not only is the offer of free repairs tempting, but it’s hard to ignore people in trouble. What about you?”
Myungho asked me what I thought while consulting with Alterra. Although I didn’t like helping these unpleasant dwarves, I also didn’t want to spend my own money fixing their stuff.
There’s no way I’m giving them my money. It’s mine. No matter how much I care about the party, sharing my resources still feels uncomfortable. Myungho?
He’s the only one who understands me, so he must be different somehow.
“…Fine, let’s help. Let’s get this over with quickly. No matter how deeply they hide, they can’t escape me.”
Helping them wasn’t pleasant, but it was better than spending my own money. Watching Myungho decide that we would help made Akashi’s expression sour.
This time, I could empathize with him. It would be nice if he could just help appropriately.
The Forge Master waddled over on his short legs and pointed toward a narrow hole barely big enough for him to squeeze through.
“There! Everything else is fine, but the ore keeps disappearing from this tunnel! It’s not just once or twice—it’s constant! This is where the best quality ore comes from, yet it keeps vanishing, driving me mad!”
So, it disappears here, huh. While this might feel spacious to these dwarves, it felt cramped to me. My horns kept scraping against the walls, irritating me further.
“Alright, then. Let’s go check it out, Alterra!”
Even though she wouldn’t be much help, she came along anyway. Someone who wouldn’t notice a grain of sand hidden in someone’s hair—what could they possibly find in this dark, narrow place?
I pressed my ear against the wall. There were no miners working inside, and the only vibrations came from our party members walking behind us.
The deeper we went into the tunnel, the more certain I became that there was nothing here. I thought maybe a beast was digging nearby and taking the ore, but that wasn’t the case either.
“Alterra, your goal was to cut off your father’s head, right?”
“Yeah. I’ll leave only his head. The rest will be crushed beyond recognition, just like what he did to my mother. That’s how it has to be.”
Breathing in the hot, dusty air characteristic of the mine, I replied to Myungho. No matter how I looked at it, stealing ore from here would be impossible without getting caught.
Tapping on the walls or letting magic flow to sense the location of the ore revealed no secret hiding spots.
Yuna didn’t come. She claimed she knew some Dwarvish and wanted to gather information from the miners and other dwarves.
“So, do you know where your father is? His name or anything? We need information if we’re going to find him.”
“I don’t know where he is now, but Mother used to call him ‘Kalpi.’”
When Mother called Father, she always wore an ambiguous expression—like love, like hate. It was something I couldn’t understand as a child.
“Kalpi… Kalpi. Hmm. I haven’t heard of that name either, but… Akashi?”
“How would a child know something another person wouldn’t? No one knows the names of dragons. Chances are even the alias ‘Altera’ is fake. Without a real name, there’s not much we can do. But based on her appearance and abilities, we might deduce her father’s race.”
Why is he calling my name?
“Sorry. Akashi doesn’t know either.”
After walking for quite a while, the end of the tunnel appeared within my detection range. Even stomping hard to create vibrations yielded nothing unusual.
It was futile, completely.
“I didn’t expect anyone to know in the first place. That’s why I followed you guys. I’m trying to find clues while traveling the world.”
“I see… Alterra, is your name an alias?”
An alias… no, but it’s not my real name either.
“Think about it carefully. Let’s head back. There’s nothing here—no secret chambers, no metal-eating beasts. It’s probably the dwarves themselves.”
Metal-eating. That word made me flinch momentarily because the mountain above here was where I used to live. Furthermore, the village we saved earlier was located above this tunnel.
…No, it can’t be. I dismissed the thought that popped into my mind and turned toward the exit, careful not to brush my tail against anything.
“That’s right… let’s go back. If your ability can’t detect it, then it must be the work of humans.”
When we emerged, it was the same underground area, but the air felt slightly fresher and more pleasant.
Though I’m unaffected by such dust, Myungho, being human, seemed quite relieved as he took a deep breath.
Farther away, Yuna was busily questioning the dwarves, occasionally showing off her mechanical arm and laughing happily.
How can she like these dwarves? It’s amazing. I tried sensing again, but there was nothing within my detection range.
Whenever I pinpointed clusters of ore, Myungho identified them as warehouses or forges.
It’s strange. If no one stole the ore here, where did it go?
“There’s good news and bad news. The good news is that someone saw the ore disappear. The bad news is… well, honestly, it’s a hard-to-believe testimony.”
“Tell us anyway. We just returned empty-handed, so any information is welcome.”
“Well, a miner was working as usual when suddenly they heard a crunching sound, and the vein of ore they were mining shot upward with a roar. Fearing a cave-in, they fled immediately.”
“…Rocks flying upward? Is that even possible…?”
“That’s what I said. I questioned if the person was serious, but they insisted earnestly, looking genuinely offended. It’s hard to believe, but their attitude didn’t seem like they were lying…”
At that moment, I felt like I had found the culprit. The only creature I know capable of such a feat is one specific type. The truth that criminals always return to the scene held true once again.
I sighed deeply, filling the farthest corners of my lungs with air.
“…We’ve found the culprit.”
“What? Really?! Where, who is it?”
His excitement makes me feel even worse. Instead of explaining it a hundred times, I pointed toward the mine we had just left and extended my horn, channeling magic through it.
A sound like something collapsing came from the hole, and soon a piece of ore emerged.
Floating in mid-air, the ore slowed down as it approached my hand, gently settling into it as if it belonged there.
Could it be that the source of the metal I’ve been eating all this time was here?
“…Me.”
—
As the mystery that would have become the village’s eternal enigma was solved, naturally, the dwarves went berserk. Some ran around frantically, others questioned if such a thing was even possible, and a few stubborn dwarves shouted that they were right all along.
The market square couldn’t compare to the noise level here.
However, no one dared to approach her directly. Even the angriest Forge Master could only stomp his feet in frustration.
“Hey, this is unmistakably a Great Worm. Others could do similar things, which is why I suspected, but… hey, girl, I don’t know who your father is, but I figured out his race. He’s a Great Worm, or ‘Earth Dragon.’ I wondered why you lacked wings until now—it’s because of this.”
But while everyone else reacted, Akashi stared stoically at the scene, reasoning about the father Alterra sought.
“Earth Dragon… earthworm?”
“No. The pronunciation is similar, but it’s an Earth Dragon. Though, crawling through the ground and eating earth does make them not so different from worms. This actually simplifies things. There aren’t many Great Worms.”
Then he added that even at most, their population wouldn’t exceed ten. An Earth Dragon… how unfamiliar.
“Earth Dragon, earthworm… hahaha… hahahaha! Earthworm… hahahahahah…”
Suddenly, Akashi burst into uncontrollable laughter. It seems he found another terrible pun amusing.
How is she a worm? Such a strong and sharp worm doesn’t exist.
She was tearing into the ore in front of the angry dwarves. Though it seems inhuman, I recalled catching a spider with a shell harder than a fortress just moments ago.
Still, eating rocks?
“…Tell those bastards straight: if they have complaints, come out and fight me.”
Altera bared her teeth, sharp like a saw, and glared at the dwarves.
“So… everyone. We’ve found the culprit, and she plans to leave far away, so there won’t be any more stolen ore. We can consider the case closed, right? Ah, anyone who has something specific to say to her, please come this way. She says she’ll clear up misunderstandings using the most primitive language.”
Altera stretched audibly. No one was brave enough to object.
Maybe I should teach her a bit of etiquette while teaching her to speak.
“Master Forge Master. Now that we’ve found the culprit, can you fix my arm and bow?”
Yuna smiled perfectly timed and approached the Forge Master.
The Forge Master emitted strange sounds under his mask and entered the forge with Yuna.
“Alterra, Akashi figured out what your father’s species is. He’s a Great Worm, or Earth Dragon… Luckily, their numbers aren’t large. If we search one by one, we might find your dad.”
Alterra closed her eyes silently and clenched her fists tightly.
Just how much does she hate her father? Every time she talks about him, her aura becomes overwhelming.
Because he killed the mother she loved, I suppose it’s understandable… but…
What a pitiful fate. Maybe even more so than mine.
“…Yeah. Thanks. But why is that unlucky bastard laughing like crazy since earlier?”
“Oh, because your father’s species is also called an Earth Dragon. And… in our language, Earth Dragon and earthworm aren’t very different in pronunciation. So, Akashi thinks of Earth Dragons as giant earthworms…”
Alterra marched forward and grabbed the hysterically laughing Akashi by the collar, lifting him high.
Oh dear, this is trouble. Her anger didn’t subside even after Yuna’s repairs were done.
—
