#106
Rolling Pumpkin (1)
“···So, what do we do now?”
“Hmm···.”
The Northern Mountains party, including Harley, were now hiding in the underground caves, their senses sharpened to the vibrations they felt from above.
“Certainly, the momentum I feel is terrifying. If I had been even a little bit later, it could have been a disaster.”
Knight Robin measured the monster’s momentum and let out a sigh.
If there had not been a barrier blocking out all sounds from within, I would not have been able to enjoy my appreciation so peacefully.
“Oh my—I can’t even use it a few times because of the limit on the number of times I use it. This expedition is going to be a huge loss! Well, it’s better than dying, though.”
Zaonic grumbled constantly, but he diligently worked on refining and expanding the inside of the cave.
There was no way that a magical tool that could create a barrier that could deceive the senses of such a sensitive monster in such an instant could be common.
But thanks to that, he was able to survive until now, and this time, their party was able to escape the crisis safely, so it can be said that the price was already paid.
“···It’s incredibly heavy. And it walks on two legs. It looks similar to an ogre, but I’m not sure because it seems much bigger.”
“Right now… are you eating the corpses above? Well, it wouldn’t be possible to maintain that size with just any food.”
“We prepared a very generous meal for you. I’m glad that Mr. Zaonic buried Bordeaux quickly.”
The guide and the rangers stood side by side, their ears pressed against the dirt wall, analyzing the creature.
Although I avoided fighting for the time being, it was absolutely necessary to accurately identify my opponent.
And Harley—.
‘That pickaxe…’
The monsters loitering above were already out of sight.
Even now, he only stares at the extraordinary pickaxe that is silently expanding the underground space in Zaonic’s hands with sparkling eyes.
The day the party first encountered the dwarf Zaonic, Harley was able to hear the detailed story of how he managed to survive in such a dangerous place.
Just like they did now, they dug into the ground in an instant, hid, and activated the barrier. In that story, the item that was used together with the barrier magic tool was that.
‘At that time, I just thought it was like that and let it go.’
But the moment he saw the pickaxe that Zaonic had pulled out of his subspace, he immediately realized.
That… That extension, which is filled with the soul and sweat of the Dwarf Zaonic Steelstone, is the medium that can become the sacrifice for “customizing”!
‘I thought only symbolic items like branches of the World Tree would be possible, but personal belongings like these are also possible. ··· If this happens, then the plan has changed.’
At first, I planned to hide the group in a safe place and deal with the monster up above alone…
I changed my mind.
‘I have to get my hands on that.’
When will an opportunity like this come again?
You should have gotten this stuff while you could.
But perhaps because his greedy gaze was too obvious, Zaonic, who was swinging his pickaxe to expand the space, turned his head and met his eyes.
“···Do you have anything to say?”
“Ah— It just seems like a great pickaxe, so I can’t help but look at it. I’m pretty good at digging, but it can dig a hole this deep in just a few minutes. It’s amazing!”
Zaonic’s slightly wary face relaxed at Harley’s sincere compliment.
It’s only natural to be happy when your hard work is praised.
“Wow, you have quite the eye for detail! You look like a warrior more than anyone else, but you can see through an extension that isn’t even a weapon!”
I thought so, but… it wasn’t really that bad.
“Many people only admire the cool weapons, but I believe that in order for a craftsman to show off his best skills, he needs the best equipment. That’s why in my forge, even the hammers and anvils are all works of art made with great care. I only brought this ‘Elene’ here, but….”
Harley’s compliments must have flipped a switch in him, as he continued to rave about the pickaxe ‘Elene’ for quite some time.
A pickaxe that was created by combining all kinds of precious rare metals and hammering them for days on end, and finally containing the dwarf’s secret, the ‘craftsman’s soul’, to be reborn as a magical tool.
This extension, filled with the properties of the earth, can penetrate any solid ground like a tofu.
It also comes with plenty of auxiliary functions for users, including increasing work speed, reducing vibration and noise, and assisting stamina.
It could be said to be a divine weapon in the pickaxe world.
“When I make my best work, I even mine and use iron ore myself! Depending on how the ore is mined, its quality changes, and it can better receive the craftsman’s breath···.”
Zaonic, who was bragging about Elinne’s greatness as if he were bragging about her lover, then moved on to telling the story of her birth.
The settlement of the County of Aonia was necessary to properly utilize the abundant rare minerals of the Northern Mountains, and the need for a pickaxe to ensure stable mining in dangerous places.
“I made it during the reign of the previous lord and have been using it ever since, so it’s been over 20 years since we’ve been together! During that time, we’ve explored the mountain ranges with this child and overcome countless difficulties. This is the first time we’ve done something on such a large scale, though···.”
But this time too, he and Elinne will be able to overcome it together, Zaonic said, firmly grabbing his pickaxe.
‘I see… that’s what happened.’
That pickaxe wasn’t just something he made out of passion.
It was an object that had been with him for a long time since it was born, and was no different from Zaonic’s 20-year history.
Harley, who had been quietly listening to his passionate speech, followed his proud gaze and turned her gaze to Elinne.
However, unlike the affectionate Zaonic, his gaze was extremely gloomy···.
Churp—
‘Oh, my lips keep getting dry.’
The sight of a muscular giant with tattoos all over his naked body licking his lips with a sinister look in his eyes would have been enough to warrant arrest for attempted crime, but fortunately, no one noticed as everyone was busy with their own work.
That moment of holding our breath and resting amidst our own tension was short-lived.
“uh?”
“The monster···.”
A change occurred in the monster that had finished eating above.
The guy just lay down, his stomach full.
“What should I do? Just attack him while he’s letting his guard down?”
“How about we just dig a tunnel and escape?”
Either way, it wasn’t a very good method.
The barrier wasn’t mobile, and the bastard would detect them and attack them the moment they left.
“I’m not going to stay here forever. How long are we going to wait until he moves on to somewhere else?”
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“How many monster corpses do you think are strewn up there? Why do you think it’s sitting here?”
Of course, considering the size of the thing, it was clear that even that amount wouldn’t last long.
But time was not on their side···.
“As time goes by, stronger guys than that guy will appear.”
It was not possible to say that the situation would improve just by waiting.
In fact, it is more likely that the situation will worsen.
But while everyone was in agony, Harley was thinking differently.
‘This is an opportunity!’
He was the only one with the ability to overcome this situation.
Maybe if we put our heads together we could come up with a good solution, but not right away, at least.
That means···.
“Ahem! I have a good idea.”
Doesn’t that mean you can control the situation the way you want?
“After all, the problem is that the guy up there is stuck here, so wouldn’t it be solved if we could just lure him somewhere far away?”
“That’s true. The question is how to do it.”
“I will step forward myself.”
Harley stepped forward with her shoulders back and a confident smile on her face.
“Its movement speed isn’t that fast. It’ll be easy if I taunt it, then drag it in the opposite direction of where we need to go and hide!”
“···Harley, you yourself? That monster’s detection range seems unusual. Do you think you can shake it off?”
“Hahaha! Don’t worry. I can fool that bastard by myself!”
The group that had been with him and witnessed his extraordinary talent nodded their heads to those words without much disagreement.
“If you are sure about it···.”
“Is that okay? It would be better to fight together…”
When the party’s opinions were divided over the idea of passing the risk to just one person and whether it was even possible.
Taking advantage of that gap, Harley continued speaking.
“Ahem, but no matter how much I do, it’s true that I feel uneasy about completely running away from him. That’s why I’d like to get a little help…”
And his secret gaze was directed at Zaonic.
To be exact, it was for the pickaxe he was holding in his hand, ‘Elene’.
Gulp—
He swallowed the saliva that was gathering in his mouth carefully and spoke politely to Zaonic without showing it.
“Zaonic, if that extraordinary pickaxe you made has the digging ability, it will be of great help in completing the job safely!”
“Huh… Huh?! Elinne…?”
As all eyes around him turned to him, Zaonic, sensing something unsettling, flinched and hugged the pickaxe to his bosom.
Harley’s appeal grew stronger as she looked like she didn’t want to give in to anyone.
If only I could get his help, I could complete my mission safely, and then everyone could get out of this mountain range safely.
‘So give it to me!’
Zaonic averted his gaze, sweating profusely as he looked at his eyes filled with strong determination.
“S… the size won’t fit?”
Sure enough, he was a dwarf, and his height was not even close to Harley’s waist, so a pickaxe made for him would be just a hoe to Harley.
But Harley shook her head firmly.
“No! If it’s Elin, the strongest pickaxe on that continent, then such a problem won’t be a problem. Don’t you think so?”
“Oh, of course! Ha, but···.”
However, Zaonic also knew that there was nothing he could do.
How could I refuse when it was necessary for Harley’s safety, when she was willing to step up and take risks for everyone’s sake?
Although it was an extension that I had cherished and cared for, it was just equipment.
Even if you’ve been packing in all kinds of valuable materials and managing them consistently, equipment is still a consumable.
And it’s not even the most precious treasure, the blacksmith’s hammer…
‘No, that’s not it! I’m sorry, Elin… I didn’t mean to discriminate. Everyone is precious to me.’
Zaonic, who was momentarily confused, eventually had no choice but to close his eyes tightly and hand the pickaxe to Harley with trembling hands.
“That… it’s okay if it’s a little broken, just give it back to me and I’ll go back and reward you with a better weapon.”
“Well! I’ll try my best. But I can’t give you a definite answer because I don’t know what will happen in the future!”
In general, he was heading towards a place that was no different from a limb···.
Of course, it was something that could be damaged or lost during battle.
“···No. I spoke nonsense. No matter how precious the equipment is, your life is more important. When in doubt, don’t push yourself too hard and give up. It’s okay… It’s okay… Hehe!”
Harley took the pickaxe, but Zaonic did not let go of her hand, looking at it with a longing expression.
He also intuitively senses a strange sense of unease.
This will be their last meeting, and all that awaits them is an eternal separation.
Harley waited patiently at first, but as the time gradually grew longer, he put strength into the arm holding the pickaxe and slowly lifted it.
Zaonic, floating and dangling.
If you shake it from side to side, it swings back and forth like a pendulum.
dump-
But he couldn’t keep doing that forever, so he soon gave up, let go of the strength in his hands, and fell to the floor.
The look on Harley’s face as he blankly stared at the pickaxe that had fallen into his hands was like an expression of someone who had lost their lover, and it made me feel uneasy.
I guess I feel like a bad guy.
‘No, he is a bad guy. I have no intention of giving this back.’
Seeing her heartbroken face made me feel guilty again, but I tried to pretend not to notice and hung the pickaxe on the belt at my side.
‘Sorry, but you saved my life instead. Since we would all have died anyway if I hadn’t been here, let’s just settle this.’
At the sight of the pitiful Zaonic, the madness that had been dormant suddenly flared up like wildfire, but this time, I desperately suppressed it.
‘No matter what, it’s not right for me to look down on you while licking the pickaxe in front of you and laughing at you!’
Perhaps it was due to the influence of ‘madness’, but it was a crazy impulse different from before, but if he did something that crossed the line, the heroic image he had shown until now would be completely swept away.
Yeah, you’d have to do that somewhere where no one’s watching.
Anyway, that wasn’t what was important right now.
The important thing was that with all the various incidents going on, the karma points had already piled up enough to create a new avatar.
‘Very good. Then what should I name it?’
It was finally in his hands.
Elinne… no.
The dwarf.
