Let’s Create a Dungeon is out! (2/4 chapters)

 

 

The Dwarf Who Hates Blacksmithing

(Thank you for reading at bayabuscotranslation.com)

If you’re riding in a carriage while looking around the city, you’re bound to miss certain things.

The Border Baron, not expecting to be turned down, showed a surprised expression, and behind him, Gil was smiling while hiding his mouth. Furthermore, Gil coordinated by saying that if the Demon King was walking, he couldn’t be riding in a carriage. This way, the butler’s preparations wouldn’t go to waste.

Had it been otherwise, there would have been a large group of guards, and things would have become troublesome. However, thanks to the Border Baron’s arrangements, each of us only had one guard, me with Ran and Rin, and Gil with the Captain of the Imperial Guard and the second-ranking Court Mage.

Well, it’s understandable that they couldn’t assign the knights who had mistakenly pointed their spears at me as my guards. But that aside…

“You’ve been radiating hostility ever since earlier, what’s the matter?” (Nobunaga)

“We’ve just established a friendship, and yet, what were you doing in the waiting room?” (Gilford)

For some reason, Ran and Rin had been glaring at Flune from earlier, and Flune was glaring back at them. It wasn’t quite at the point of a confrontation, but the atmosphere was extremely tense.

The only one watching the situation carefully among the guards was the Captain of the Imperial Guard, who, looking troubled, explained what had happened in the other room. The cause of the matter was a remark Flune had made in the other room.

“To lose to a Demon King of that level, it’s shameful, even though she’s my sister.” (Flune)

Whether it was a mutter to himself or directed at the Captain of the Imperial Guard wasn’t clear, but it was certainly not aimed at Ran or Rin. I hadn’t thought Demons could understand human language. The Demon Kings could speak, but their subordinates couldn’t, or so I assumed. However, unfortunately for Flune, Ran had been taught human language. While her speaking was still clumsy, her understanding was nearly perfect. Since Ran understood Claas’s words and became enraged. Furthermore, Rin, who couldn’t understand human language herself, also got angry after hearing Flune’s words through Ran.

Then, Ran said the following…

“Second place, huh.” (Ran)

She probably meant something like, “You, being in second place,” or something along those lines. That remark seemed to have pierced Flune’s pride. What followed was an attempted confrontation, which was narrowly prevented, and now we found ourselves in this tense staring match. It was really nothing short of ridiculous.

Gil and I both sighed.

“Flune, apologize. If you don’t, you’ll never be made the head court mage.” (Gilford)

“Let it go. It’s not worth worrying about.” (Nobunaga)

Perhaps it was the threat of never being promoted to head court mage that made Flune grit his teeth, and with a face like he had bitten into something bitter, he reluctantly apologized. Even though Ran and Rin could tell that his apology had no sincerity, they accepted it. Once I said it, they probably didn’t want to drag things out.

Afterward, Gil and I continued to look around the area under the Border Baron’s guidance, and the guards managed, with the captain of the imperial guard stepping in, to avoid any further conflicts. However, the disappointing part was…

“People are avoiding us.” (Nobunaga)

There were people around, but as soon as they noticed us, they hurriedly entered shops or turned around and walked away. I had hoped to talk with them a little, but since I couldn’t change my appearance after the meeting, I wasn’t able to gather any information.

“It’s probably because you’re the Demon King.” (Gilford)

“It might be because you’re the Emperor.” (Nobunaga)

It’s true that people are likely afraid of the Demon King, so they might be avoiding us. But with my cute face, there’s no way they should be wary. It must be because they’re afraid of Gil, the Emperor, and are too respectful to approach us. However, since no one is coming near, there’s no risk of trouble, and the border baron clearly seemed relieved by that.

We continued visiting various places, asking about the intentions behind the arrangements at each location. For example, inns were placed slightly away from the gates, with many stalls and shops lining the streets in front of them. It was clearly designed to make people spend money.

Then, there was the artisan district. Multiple areas were set up for blacksmiths, armorers, and toolmakers, and these were arranged to encourage information exchange among the artisans while also fostering a sense of competition between the districts. It was incredibly educational.

The reason being that, from now on, we would be engaging in trade with the Empire. We would go to the Empire from time to time, and they would come here as well. However, the current dungeon was far from able to accommodate many visitors. In fact, it was not built for receiving anyone at all. The best we could offer was to let people use private rooms. From now on, whether inside or outside the dungeon, it was uncertain, but we must make it so that we could accept others. I thought it would be a good idea to visit the city and use it as a reference.

By the way, it seemed that the imperial capital was divided by ranks. Since it was the imperial capital, there were many nobles, and the gap between the rich and poor was larger than in other cities or towns. Because of this, it seemed they divided things by rank to prevent problems from arising, assigning places according to each person’s status. However, this was not useful as a reference. I had no intention of inviting any nobles.

Finally, we were shown a street lined with many restaurants. The smell of sauce burning on the grill and other appetizing scents filled the air, but all the restaurants were full. This was because, due to Gil’s presence, everyone was fleeing into the restaurants as if seeking refuge. When I subtly glared at Gil, he, for some reason, glared back at me. I couldn’t understand it.

I looked around to see if there was an empty shop, but there was none. Instead, something strange caught my eye. Between the shops, in a gap that couldn’t even be called an alley, just wide enough for one person to slip through, was a spot that looked similar to where parasites are expelled. There was probably a person there. In fact, he was collapsed. No, he was sleeping, perhaps.

It didn’t seem like he was in trouble for money or lacking a place to stay. His appearance was decent, and their arms and legs were incredibly thick. That thickness couldn’t have come about without proper nutrition. As for their height, it was no different from any other child, so it was impossible to say much about that.

“What’s wrong, Nobu, did you find something? …Ah, that’s a dwarf. The place next door is a tavern, maybe he got drunk and slept there, or the shop left them there.” (Gilford)

A dwarf. I had never seen a human like that before. I only knew that they had created a country somewhere in the nations.

Was that stocky figure a dwarf?

I felt like I had found some rare beast and was staring at it when…

“Bweeckshun!” (Dwarf)

With a loud sneeze, the dwarf woke up. It was obvious, he must have been on the verge of catching a cold. The dwarf looked around, seemingly understanding the situation, and then stood up with a practiced motion, staggering over toward us.

“‘Sumyan’ ga, yado wa doko ni?” (Where is the inn?) (Dwarf)

The dwarf spoke to me. To me, the Demon King. However, upon closer inspection, his eyes seemed glazed over, and it was unclear if he could even see properly. His tongue wasn’t moving correctly, and he was probably still in a dazed state from sleep. As for the inn, I had just visited the place earlier. It wouldn’t be difficult to tell him where it was. I thought that was the case, but…

“…Hah, ah, you!” (Dwarf)

Once he seemed to wake up, his eyes widened in surprise. It appeared he had realized I wasn’t human.

“Your eyeball is falling out! Where did you drop it? I’ll help you look for it!” (Dwarf)

It seemed he wasn’t just sleepy but also drunk. However, I had no intention of mocking their concern for others. In fact, when he started looking around on all fours for something that wasn’t there, it pained my heart.

“It’s alright. My eyeball hasn’t fallen out. I still have my eyeball… it’s just that it’s transparent, so you can’t see it.” (Nobunaga)

I quickly told a lie to stop him from looking around. Even I thought it was a strange thing to say.

“What? Transparent eyeballs? That’s rare.” (Dwarf)

It was nothing more than a drunken, sleepy rambling. There was nothing special about it. I, then, gave them directions to the inn and was about to leave when…

“Hey! My money is gone!” (Dwarf)

From behind me, I heard the dwarf’s yell, almost like a scream. When I turned around, the dwarf was searching their pockets and even inside their shoes, but there was no sign of it. Well, if he slept in such a place, it was obvious that his money would have been stolen. It was a case of his own making, so I had no intention of helping them, but the dwarf looked at me with eyes that seemed to be asking for something.

“If you’re a dwarf, you could probably crash at a workshop from an acquaintance. If you make a few items, you should have enough money left.” (Nobunaga)

“I refuse! I’ve sworn to never work as a blacksmith again!” (Dwarf)

The dwarf clearly declared that they wouldn’t work, and I was stunned. Gil was also surprised, but it seemed like he was reacting differently from me.

From what I’ve heard, dwarfs are a race that loves alcohol and is loved by stone. If they work in a mine, they can survive even a collapse, and no one among humans can surpass them when it comes to handling ores. They have thick hair, are short in stature, but their skin is tough, and they are strong. Because of this, blacksmithing is considered a calling for dwarfs, to the point that it’s said to be their natural profession. To declare that they would never do it again, it is incredibly rare for a dwarf to do so.

However, that doesn’t matter. What it means is that the dwarf is saying they don’t want to use their strengths.

“Then, what can you do? Of course, I don’t plan on giving you anything.” (Nobunaga)

“Grrr… If I were younger, I could have used these strong arms as a warrior, but no, I don’t want to remember that idiot! I would have become a miner, but I just found out yesterday that the mine has been closed due to the appearance of the Don-Ogre (the Demon King of the Mines). The only thing I can do is stonework or something of a large scale.” (Dwarf)

The dwarf seemed to have a lot of likes and dislikes, but he had said something that caught my attention.

“A carpenter? Can you build houses or anything?” (Nobunaga)

“Ah, I only dabbled in it, so I can’t make anything extravagant, but I could manage something like a house.” (Dwarf)

I glanced at Gil to silently ask if I could hire him. Gil looked over at the Border Lord, who tilted his head with a troubled expression. I was not sure what it meant, but Gil nodded. We had obtained the emperor’s approval.

“Then, how about it, dwarf? I can’t guarantee payment, but I can fully guarantee your food, clothing, and shelter. As for the shelter, I’d like you to build it yourself.” (Nobunaga)

“Really? What, are you a big shot or something? Alright, I’ll get ready right away!” (Dwarf)

“Then, there’s a large building in the center of this town. It’s the Baron Farce’s residence. Wait in front of it.” (Nobunaga)

“Understood!” (Dwarf)

The dwarf shouted enthusiastically, but he was running slowly. It couldn’t be helped, his legs were short, but I could see that every step he took was full of determination.

“Was that alright, Maou-sama? To invite such an unknown person like that?” (Ran)

“He didn’t seem like a human who could lie as skillfully as Lyle. Also, if anything, it’s us who are deceiving them.” (Nobunaga)

Ran and Rin seemed to not understand what I meant, tilting their heads, but Gil seemed to get it and gave a wry smile.

After that, we passed the restaurant, saw the gate that could be considered the entrance, and on the way back, I thought to myself that I’d like a wall like that someday. When we returned to the Baron’s residence, the carriage had already been prepared. That butler was truly well-prepared. Moreover, next to it, the dwarf was sitting cross-legged on the ground, waiting.

“Ah, you were waiting… but you’re not a human!” (Dwarf)

It seemed that the dwarf’s drunkenness and sleepiness had worn off.

Well, it can’t be helped. I’ll properly explain things and have him come with us.

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