Chapter 321 – The Forbidden Zone (8)
Aglio Festa’s carriage sped on its wheels and sped along the paved road without hesitation. While crossing the magic tower and going to the dwarven kingdom, there was nothing blocking our path. The names of the former priest, Peta Lucius, and the warrior, Aie, were great passes to guide you to comfortable lodgings and clean paths everywhere except the Dwarven Kingdom.
A.A looked out the window at the mountains of the Dwarf Kingdom. Mountains with holes like Swiss cheese still resonated with me. Every time I saw it, the hole in the mountain range increased, revealing an ugly appearance that the Dwarven Kingdom itself could not handle.
“Long time no see.”
A.A said that while being blown by the wind. I told her
“Is there a place in the Dwarven Kingdom that you would like to visit again?”
“No. Work is important. We have to find that demon called Shiotere.”
“Dating is also a double company. I want to know more about what you like.”
“Don’t be shy.”
We stopped for a while in front of the magic tower. It was to get a direct answer to the Maseok tour question that hadn’t been answered yet. At the entrance of the Mage Tower, I was able to meet the wizard who guided us during the previous wizard murder case. He was a very welcome face when I came back.
“Long time no see. Chief Priest. Haven’t you had a good relationship?”
Wizards said they didn’t know anything about things that had nothing to do with their work, but that seemed to be true. He spoke to me in a friendly way, as if he had no idea that I had quit the priesthood. I answered with a smile.
“I recently retired from the priesthood. Wizard. Haven’t you had a good time, mage-nim?”
“Oops, I made an excuse. Sorry.”
The last time we met, he was a very kind wizard. He was behaving kindly this time too. At my reply, he bowed his head and apologized with a smile. Wouldn’t it be great if all wizards were kind like this gentleman? But things didn’t go my way.
“So, why did you come to the Mage Tower today?”
“Is the Magic Tower Master there now? Or it would be nice if I could meet the acting authority. I sent a letter about magic stone mining before, but I thought it would be better for me to speak directly rather than receiving a reply.”
Since wizards never left the Mage Tower, it was better to go to the Mage Tower and hear the story directly for urgent matters. The wizard put on a slightly troubled expression, then went to the corner of the building and opened a blue magic circle. A few whispers were heard for a moment. The wizard nodded his head with a puzzled face, then looked in my direction again and said.
“Can I tell you what happened?”
“Please tell me again that I am Peta Lucius, who contacted me about the magic stone mining tour.”
I talked about magic stone mining a while ago, but he didn’t seem to understand. Ai smiled awkwardly. The wizard nodded his head, muttered a few words again, and looked at me.
“Aigoo, that… We have already sent a response to Yeongji regarding this document. So, it is not possible to meet face-to-face, and I am going to summarize the answers now and give it to you on your behalf, would you mind?”
“Please do so.”
Seeing that only ‘content’ was delivered, I was told that it would not work anyway. I didn’t have high expectations, but I couldn’t help but be disappointed. Aye also slightly frowned at her eyes as if regretting it, and I clicked my tongue.
“This matter is governed by the Dwarf Kingdom, so we inform you that the Mage Tower does not have a separate authority.”
“Yes. Thank you for that.”
This answer was enough. It would have been convenient if I had been able to get a mining tour ticket at the magic tower, but it was just a pity that I couldn’t. Now he had no choice but to go to the Dwarven Kingdom and obtain permission himself. A.A asked me as I climbed back into the carriage.
“Priest. By the way, what if the Dwarf Kingdom doesn’t give permission? There is a high possibility that they will not do it for safety or security reasons.”
“Warrior. If the two of us are together, there is no wall in the world that cannot be crossed.”
“That’s not what you use when you’re like that.”
A.A. Criticized my answer. And she added
“Priest. I’m worried that the priest will go the wrong way. There is still no certainty that the demon is trapped there, right? I think there should be at least some evidence.”
“Will you save the demons if they are trapped there?”
“I believe that anyone who is treated unfairly deserves help.”
AI said so. I laughed at Ai’s answer and nodded his head.
“I know. So, even if you don’t get permission, don’t rush right in and start collecting evidence. Instead, if there is some circumstantial evidence, will you go with me?”
When I reached out my hand, A.A held it tight and said,
“Absolutely. We are allies.”
“I am also a lover.”
A-A grunted as I added one more word, slipping her hand away.
“…Is it that important? That is?”
“It is important.”
Aa she still reacted when I called her madam or tried to flaunt her romantic relationship with her. Rather than genuine dislike, she expressed a combination of shyness and awkwardness. I thought her behavior her was cute. A.A looked outside her and said.
“The Dwarf Kingdom is all here. Did you bring your pass?”
“Coachman. Get our passes ready.”
“Yes. All right.”
The pass had been left with the coachman. It was because it was much more convenient for the coachman to hand it over than for me to give it. Looking ahead, there were thick, muscular masses with thick beards, staring at us. In her beaky eyes her, I could feel her wariness her toward strangers.
The citadel they were guarding had a rough and solid shape, as if it had been carved out of a huge rock. Crossbows made of steel were placed in the windows that had been hollowed out as if a huge mason had pierced them with an awl.
I said.
“It is unique.”
“Didn’t the priest say that he had never been to the Dwarven Kingdom?”
“Yes.”
The gatekeepers stepped aside. The coachman interrupted, handing us the pass again.
“Here it is. I am also new to Dwarf Kingdom. The northern country boy meets the lord well and tries all sorts of interesting things.”
We just giggled and looked around the dwarven kingdom. The dwarf kingdom was the most alien place on this continent. The streets were paved with solid rocks, and the size of the buildings were small and modest, fitting the standards of dwarves rather than humans. You had to bend slightly to enter the building, and the signboards on the street were low, so it was easy to bump into passers-by.
“Gosh!”
A passer-by was trying to get out of an alley and collided with a sign, knocking him down. The back alley thug Dwarf dragged the fallen passerby and disappeared. A-A looked at the figure and said to Coach Ni, who frowned her face.
“Coachman. Could you please stop for a second?”
I giggled and got off the carriage together. Seeing the two of us abruptly disembark, the dwarves flinched and backed away. I didn’t know this, but dwarves had a tendency to stiffen their beards when they were nervous. A.A ran quickly without looking around and disappeared into the alley. I walked slowly behind her.
“Gosh!”
A mass of muscle popped out of the alley and tumbled. Then A. A woke up a passerby and dragged him out. I said.
“Warrior. This is a foreign country. If you act like that…”
“Maybe it’s because of the dwarves’ personality, they didn’t care about things like this. I’ve been caught up a few times before, but I’ve never seen a guard come.”
A passer-by grabbed her head, looked at us, then bowed her head in gratitude. A.A. She said to a passer-by.
“Be careful going forward. It is a dangerous place.”
“Yes. I’ll keep that in mind! Thank you!”
We got back into the carriage. A.A. Helped one and she seemed to be in a good mood. The wagon we rode on was heading towards the center of the Dwarven Kingdom. The dwarf kingdom was in the form of a huge basin surrounded by a mountain range, and the castle at the center gave the impression of a mutant that had been created heterogeneously.
The castle gate made of stone peaked at the sense of heterogeneity. The guards standing in front of the castle were sporting smooth, thick steel armor. The armor they wore was of much better quality than the armor of the Knights of the Kingdom, and the durability was stronger when checked through the status window.
We were guided by relatively friendly guards and entered the deepest part of the Dwarven Palace. The stairs to the audience room were heading downstairs, not upstairs. As they went underground, the soft magic stone light filled the hallway more intensely.
Except for the coachman, who was guided to a separate lodging, we went down to the audience room under the guidance of the Dwarf soldier. A.A had already been on the road once, so she was walking leisurely.
The main entrance to the throne room was a steel door with intricate and luxurious patterns. At the same time, it was stylish and practical, artistic and strong. However, somehow the dwarf soldier struggled and opened the door. He looked pitiful as he clung to the door with both hands and fluttered like a crucian carp on a fishing line.
“Did you open it like this the last time you came?”
“Yes. It was for security reasons. This is how you can protect the king and queen in times of war…”
Contrary to the straightforward and tough appearance of the castle, it was quite a cowardly reason. But I decided not to dwell too deeply on this matter. Because there was only one thing we could ask the king. A tour ticket to the magic stone excavation site. If we didn’t get this, we had to start our investigation from the bottom up. I just wanted to avoid that.
The soldier’s hands were turning white. The door moved slowly as he sweated profusely. Through the door, I could see the king and queen. The king was sitting with a dignified figure, as if he had brought the Dwarf warriors that appeared in the movie.
The door opened a little further, and the figure of what he assumed to be his queen appeared.
There was a dwarf full of dignity sitting there, as if he brought the dwarf warrior that appeared in the movie as it was.
Who the fuck is the queen?
