LGHTNOVELBOOK Chapter 52: 52 - Night Hunter
The dwarven city stretched before Rygar and his group like a living stone wall, the sound of forges and hammers striking metal echoing through the mountain. As the cart approached the city's entrance, one of the guards at the gate couldn't hold back his laughter and began laughing loudly. The other, wearing a sour expression, side-eyed his colleague and muttered something incomprehensible.
Rygar jumped down from the cart and approached the guards, curious about their reaction. The first guard, still struggling to stop laughing, finally spoke: "Thanks, Rygar! I earned myself a vacation because of you!"
Rygar frowned, completely confused. "Vacation? How?"
The grumpier guard crossed his arms and explained with a sigh: "We bet whether you'd come back alive or dead. Whoever lost had to cover the other's shifts for two months. Guess who lost?"
Rygar was initially shocked but then found it amusing. The grumpy guard glanced at Ghislaine and Eris sitting in the cart and asked, raising an eyebrow: "Hoh, who are the ladies? Friends of yours?"
"You could put it that way," Rygar replied with a crooked smile. "The swordswoman there is a Sword Queen."
The guard's eyes widened, and he practically choked. "WHAT?!"
"Yeah, she's a Sword Queen. But don't worry; she won't do anything suspicious. She ended up here by accident. They're coming with me. Oh, and hope you're not on duty tonight… there's a well-preserved dragon corpse in this cart, and I'm planning a grand feast. Whoever's on duty will miss out," Rygar added with a semi-serious tone, though a mischievous smile danced on his lips.
The laughing guard burst into even louder laughter. "I'm on duty tonight! But lucky for me, a good friend of mine will be covering for me! Hahaha!"
The grumpy guard huffed, clearly unamused by the situation.
Rygar laughed and, paying little attention to the sour guard, led the cart into the dwarven city.
Back on the cart, Eris looked around and exclaimed: "They're short!"
Ghislaine, sitting next to her, seemed somewhat impressed by the city's unique architecture. "I've never been to the dwarven city… Tallhand always said they make the best weapons in the world."
"Except for the 49 swords of Yulian Jalisco, I'd say they do make the best weapons," Rygar replied thoughtfully, observing the dwarves bustling around. He turned to Ghislaine.
"Do you have any money on you?"
Ghislaine gave him a blank look, and Rygar sighed, already knowing the answer.
Along the way, many dwarves curiously watched the group, particularly the two new women in the cart. At one point, a young dwarf with a youthful face pointed at Eris and asked:
"Mom, why is her hair so red?"
Unable to tolerate the teasing, Eris leaped from the cart and shouted, her expression fierce:
"Do you have a problem with that?!"
The boy flinched, frightened by Eris's intensity, and hid behind his mother, who looked at her with disapproval.
Noticing the situation was about to escalate, Rygar intervened with a firm voice:
"Eris, don't cause a scene! This isn't Fitoa. Besides, I think your red hair is very beautiful."
Eris turned to him, ready to retort, but as she heard the last part, her face flushed slightly. She clenched her teeth and turned away quickly, huffing like a true tsundere.
"Hmph!" was all she said before turning her gaze forward, trying to hide the slight blush on her cheeks.
Soon, they arrived at Godbard's home, where a guard stood waiting for Rygar. As he saw them, he approached with a smile.
"Oh, Lord Rygar, the Ore God has finished the short sword you requested. He's preparing to forge now. Would you like to see him?"
Rygar immediately nodded, his expression serious.
He turned to Eris before stepping down from the cart and said firmly: "Eris, stay here with Skoll. Ghislaine and I will talk to Godbard."
Eris crossed her arms, clearly displeased, but didn't argue. She simply nodded with a slight huff while watching Rygar and Ghislaine enter the imposing forge.
The furnace was already lit, and the scorching heat made the air shimmer. The sound of hammers striking and metal screeching filled the environment. Godbard, the "Ore God," was intently sorting through a pile of precious metals. His robust figure, with a beard braided into iron rings, radiated authority.
Rygar stepped forward and called out: "Godbard, they told me you finished my short sword."
The dwarf raised his head at the sound of the voice and broke into a wide grin. "Rygar! So you're alive! HAHAHAHA!" He approached and gave Rygar a few firm pats on the shoulder, nearly making him lose his balance.
Godbard then turned his gaze to Ghislaine, who stood firm, her penetrating eyes watching him. His gaze dropped to the sword at her waist, and his playful smile faded, replaced by a serious expression. Straightening his posture, he asked:
"Who is she?"
Ghislaine remained stoic, but Rygar intervened before she could reply: "She's Ghislaine Dedoldia, the Sword Queen, also known as the 'Black Wolf.'"
Godbard continued, "What is a warrior of such renown doing in dwarven territory? Don't tell me she's looking to trade Hiramune?"
"She and her disciple, Eris Greyrat, were caught in a mana disaster in the Fitoa region and teleported to the territory of the blue dragons."
The dwarf raised his eyebrows, clearly surprised. "That again? Two days ago, someone else showed up claiming to be from the same region, Fitoa."
Rygar and Ghislaine exchanged quick glances, their eyes narrowing with interest. Ghislaine was the first to ask:
"Could you tell me where that person is now?"
Godbard scratched his nose as he thought.
"He gave the money he had in exchange for joining a caravan that left yesterday for Tinaver. They're probably a bit far by now, but he mentioned something about a place called Buena Village. He was a blonde half-elf."
Ghislaine furrowed her brow in concentration before murmuring:
"Then it's confirmed. It wasn't just the two of us. Probably all, or at least most, of the citizens of Fittoa were teleported. That's both good and bad—it increases the chances they're alive, at least."
Rygar nodded and asked:
"What was his name? We'll catch up to that caravan eventually."
Godbard snapped his fingers as if trying to remember and shouted outside:
"Hey, what was the name of that blonde half-elf who passed through here the other day?"
One of the guards replied:
"Laws! That was his name."
Godbard nodded in agreement and turned back to Rygar.
"Laws. That was the name. Now, let's get to the point." He walked over to a table in the forge and picked up a sheathed sword. The sheath was adorned with intricate golden details, exuding elegance and power.
"Here's your shortsword." He drew the sword from its sheath, revealing a blade of black gold, gleaming intensely. Along the blade, two small magic stones were embedded, radiating energy. "I named it Nighthunter. What do you think?"
Godbard handed the sword to Rygar, who held it with both hands, examining every detail. He closed his eyes for a moment and felt the mana flow through the blade. It was incredibly responsive, amplifying his earth magic by up to four times and other types of magic by about two or three times.
"It's exactly what I asked for, every detail." Rygar smiled, impressed. "You really live up to the title of God of Ore."
Godbard burst into laughter.
"HAHAHAHA! Of course I do, boy! If I didn't, the name of the dwarves would be a joke!" Godbard said, "This sword certainly has 1 or 2 magical effects, but you will only discover this by using it and finding out more about it. Normally these skills are like a bet, something very good or so or less could come of it."
"Okay, that's no problem", Rygar carefully sheathed the sword and took the opportunity to inform him of his plans.
"I'm planning to host a feast with the meat from the mutant dragon I killed. However, I'll need the help of the dwarves joining the Iron Legion. They could transport the scales, fangs, and tendons of the mutant dragon and another dragon I killed to our headquarters."
Godbard crossed his arms and nodded.
"That can be arranged. After all, a mutant dragon isn't something you see every day. I'm sure many will want to taste a piece of that feast."
After discussing some details, Rygar and Ghislaine left the forge. They called for Eris, who was sitting next to Skoll, stroking the large wolf with a bored expression. Upon seeing Rygar and Ghislaine, she quickly stood up.
"Let's go to the house where I'm staying," Rygar said, leading the way.
Rygar arrived at his house with Ghislaine and Eris, quickly organizing the space to accommodate them. He requested two extra beds from the dwarves and calmly declared:
"You can sleep here tonight. It's been a while since you two slept in a decent place. Tomorrow morning, we'll head to Brightstone Cavern to pick up my sword and then travel quickly to catch up to Laws. I don't know if you'll want to join the feast, but you're invited."
Eris, upon hearing this, exclaimed excitedly, "Finally!" and threw herself onto the bed.
Rygar glanced at Ghislaine, waiting for a response, but she only started exploring the room. He then left the house to immerse himself in preparations for the feast.
During the organization, Rygar participated actively, speaking with the dwarves who had volunteered or been chosen to join the Iron Legion. He discussed the route they would follow and other logistical details, while also helping with food preparation and table arrangements. Once everything was ready, the feast began.
The party was lively. Dragon meat was the main dish, and the dwarves praised Rygar for the feat of bringing such a rare item to the feast. Despite his initial worries, the meat turned out to be delicious—the previous issue when he ate dragon meat was simply due to his extremely poor cooking skills. He drank quite a lot with Godbard and the hosts, knowing he could use detoxification later. The hall buzzed with laughter, stories, and toasts.
The dwarves were eager to hear more about the battles against the blue dragons, and Rygar recounted the intense fights in detail. His storytelling, combined with his ability to captivate the audience, further increased the dwarves' respect for him. Among the listeners, some were particularly excited about the idea of joining the Iron Legion, impressed by Rygar's strength and skill.
After hours of celebration, Rygar bid farewell to the dwarves and returned to the temporary house. Upon entering, he found Eris sleeping soundly in one of the beds. Ghislaine, on the other hand, was sitting in a chair with her eyes closed. As soon as he opened the door, she opened one eye, demonstrating her alertness. Rygar greeted her in a casual tone:
"You're not going to sleep on the bed?"
He looked at her from head to toe, once again admiring her impressive physique. He began to feel a bit flustered but restrained himself. Ghislaine noticed the look but remained indifferent, likely used to such reactions. She responded in a serious tone:
"I need to be ready to protect Eris if something happens."
Rygar nodded, attempting to reassure her:
"I know you haven't known me for long, but as long as I'm here, nothing will happen. I guarantee it."
With those words, he turned to the room, conjuring magical barriers around the house.
"These barriers will alert me if anything tries to destroy them, but the chances are almost zero," he concluded, turning back to face her directly.
The two locked eyes for a moment. Ghislaine seemed to be assessing Rygar, while he struggled to maintain his composure, admiring her commanding presence. Finally, she stood up and said:
"Alright. Thank you."
Without further words, Ghislaine lay down on one of the beds. In less than ten seconds, her rhythmic breathing indicated she had already fallen deeply asleep. Rygar was impressed.
"Wow, she falls asleep fast," he murmured to himself, smiling.
He observed her for a moment before heading to his own bed, lying down as his mind wandered. He thought about Tinaver and the current state of the Legion. He reflected on his parents and friends in the Great Forest and, finally, his master. The image of the golden-haired, blue-eyed elf appeared in his mind, bringing a small, involuntary smile to his lips.
But it wasn't long before Ghislaine also returned to his thoughts. Their personalities and appearances were completely different, yet both attracted him in intense ways. He found himself pondering how fortunate it was that the beast tribe's mating season had recently ended.
"What would have happened if I had met her during that time?" he thought. "I'll need to control myself next year."
With these reflections, he allowed exhaustion to take over, falling asleep as he mentally prepared for the next day.
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