“It seems like the magic power is dwindling everywhere after all.”
“No surprise there. Because of the battle with the Demon Lord, we ended up using magic power recklessly on items and equipment.”
“It would’ve been nice if the Demon Lord had been killed, but neither humans nor beastfolk could manage it. Pathetic, isn’t it?”
Exactly. If the Demon Lord were dead, there’d be no need to search for ores rich in magic power like this. Sure, fighting monsters wouldn’t end entirely, but we wouldn’t need such extravagant equipment just for mopping up the remaining demon forces.
Heck, even if only the ones who defeated the Demon Lord survived, they should’ve been able to wipe out most of the demon tribe.
“Ha… They casually ask us to make new equipment just because they lost theirs.”
The excuse of “losing” it doesn’t sit well with me. I mean, I get it. They lost it because they died fighting the Demon Lord. Then say that! Don’t just casually claim you lost it. What do they think our weapons and armor are?
“Beastfolk should just fight barehanded.”
“But even those guys were necessary to defeat the Demon Lord, right? We’ve got no choice but to make the weapons as we’re told.”
“Ha… Just because there aren’t any Dwarven heroes, they think they can act all high and mighty.”
But in the end, we can only do what we’re capable of. We make weapons and armor to defeat the Demon Lord. If it helps those people even a little, then there’s meaning to our efforts.
Still… we haven’t found a thing. Not ores with magic power, not magic stones, and not even the ordinary ores we’d need to make basic equipment.
Well, I guess if it were ordinary ores, we wouldn’t need to search—they’d be in the mines. Maybe I’m starting to lose my mind.
“Should we procure magic stones from the Elves?”
“That won’t turn them into magic ores. Even if we provide the ores, the Elves will gouge us for processing fees or whatever.”
“Not just for free; I don’t want to go into the red making equipment for those so-called heroes.”
And that’s why we’re out here looking for magic ores, but it’s starting to feel like a futile effort. If we waste all this time, we’ll have no choice but to make the equipment at a loss in the end.
That looming future feels more and more real, filling me with dread.
Maybe that’s why it happened. On this unremarkable rocky terrain, I misplaced my footing.
“Whoa, watch out!”
“Hey, what are you doing?”
“Shall we take a break? We’ve been walking nonstop.”
My foot got caught in a crevice between rocks, but thankfully, I’m unharmed. The rocky surface crumbled slightly under my feet, revealing a hollow beneath.
That was close… If the ground had given way entirely, I might’ve suffered serious injuries.
“Here, grab my hand.”
“Ah… Thanks.”
“What’s this? Looks like there’s a huge hollow space down there.”
I grabbed my companion’s hand and stepped away from the spot. One of the others peered into the space where I’d been moments ago and confirmed a large hollow below.
“Got any light? It looks pretty big from what I can see.”
I handed over a lantern, and its light illuminated the hole. Cool air flowed up from below, carrying the earthy smell of damp soil and moss. The place felt ancient, untouched for ages.
“…Is that a magic stone?”
“What!? Let me see!”
The mention of a magic stone had everyone leaning over to look into the hole. It was hard to tell in the dim light, but there was definitely a stone imbued with magic power down there. The very thing we’d been searching for these past few days… right here.
“Let’s break through and get inside!”
Even for a small race like us, this hole was too tight to fit through. Luckily, it didn’t take much effort to break the rock wall, allowing us to descend into the hollow one by one.
“This is…”
“You’ve got to be kidding me.”
As we ventured further, the jagged walls of the cavern came into view. Normally, we wouldn’t pay much attention to mere rocks. But here, magic stones were embedded in the walls.
Magic stones, and ores for crafting, were in abundance. With this much, we could drastically reduce costs, even if the Elves charged us for their processing techniques.
No, with so many magic stones here, we could gather more than enough for the heroes’ equipment—and even sell some to the Elves, making a massive profit instead of a loss.
“Nobody else knows about this place, right?”
“Of course not. I’m the one who found it after the ground crumbled.”
The same idea seemed to dawn on everyone, judging by the excitement in their voices. It wasn’t just about profits. If we had this much magic stone and ore, we could craft stronger equipment for the heroes.
This cave could be the key to finally defeating the Demon Lord.
“Still… this place is enormous. Could it be an old mine?”
I’d expected a single large chamber, but the paths stretched endlessly, branching out into multiple tunnels. This clearly wasn’t a naturally-formed space.
It reminded me of the mines we often worked in, but there were no signs of previous inhabitants.
“Maybe the entrance collapsed, and the place was abandoned?”
“Still, I’ve never heard of a vein like this around here.”
“Could another race have used it?”
“Another race? This whole area belongs to us Dwarves. No other race could’ve built something like this.”
“Maybe it was a mine abandoned by the demon tribe.”
If that were true, the only concerns would be monsters or leftover demons. But there were no signs of any living creatures.
Whatever the case, this was a blessing. If some fools didn’t understand the value of this place, it was better off in the hands of those who did.
“Hey! There’s magic ore over here!”
“What!? Oh… It’s true. So much of it, untouched…”
We’d discovered a treasure trove. We couldn’t tell anyone about this place—not even other Dwarves.
We’d all silently agreed to keep this a secret. But maybe that greed brought about our punishment.
“Get away from there!!”
I saw it just in time because I’d stopped to examine the pile of magic ore. I shouted a warning, but no one reacted quickly enough.
Before I knew it, massive rocks came crashing down, separating me from my companions.
“Hey! Are you okay!?”
No response.
I already knew. Amid the thunderous noise of the falling rocks, I’d heard their screams. Now, an eerie silence filled the air, as if the cave had swallowed them whole.
Panic gripped me as I scrambled to move the rocks. As a Dwarf, I prided myself on my strength. If anyone could save them, it had to be me.
No time to call for help. Every moment wasted could mean losing them.
“…Please, let them be alive.”
Sweating profusely, I finally cleared the rubble. What I found were my unconscious companions. They were injured, but alive. None had suffered fatal or even severe injuries.
Relief washed over me, and I slumped to the ground beside them.
“…No more talk of keeping this place to ourselves. If it’s this dangerous, we need to tell others and organize a proper investigation.”
“I thought you’d killed them all.”
“No, no, no! If I did that, the other Dwarves wouldn’t report back to their people. I made sure the trap wouldn’t kill them.”
Pilkaya’s rude comment made me hastily deny the accusation.
If I wanted to deal with intruders, I could’ve set the traps to activate automatically. This time, I only triggered six rocks, just enough to scare them off.
“Looks more like they survived by luck.”
“Hey, I made sure it wasn’t fatal. They’re Dwarves, after all.”
“I’m not sure what you think Dwarves are, but since they’re alive, let’s not dwell on it.”
Dwarves—are they less durable than I thought?
It’s unclear, but Pilkaya has a point. The dungeon, disguised as an old mine, had been quite appealing to the Dwarves. They’d left to report their findings, planning a deeper investigation later.
It seems this dungeon will soon welcome more intruders.
