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"Skill elements" Chapter 41: Ancient City
🕑 Added 2023-06-16 10:55:13 +0000 UTCI found myself in an unknown room.
The buildings I had seen in this world were either wooden or stone houses, but this room was different.
The walls look like bare concrete.
There was only one door in this room, which seemed to be made of iron, and there was no furniture like chairs or desks.
The room was about 10 meters long and wide.
And in front of the only door, there were armed dwarf soldiers lined up.
As I turned around, I saw Mia, Karla, and Gale behind me.
From behind the dwarf soldiers, a dwarf man wearing glasses and wearing a rough outfit made of cloth came forward.
“Welcome to Gonhirrim. I am Tatara, the officer in charge of entry and exit control in this city. Anyway, tell me more about what happened earlier."
I looked at Karla.
Karla nodded and stepped forward.
I am Princess Karla of the Demon Tribe. Before going into details, I would like you to call one of the demons stationed here. It is urgent."
"Understood. Hey, someone, go get Aaron-san."
One of the guards left the room.
――After that, I told the dwarves present about Kukuto-san and Marle-san.
"Kukuto-sama and Marle-sama passed away. How... how horrible...."
Not only Officer Tatara, but also the surrounding soldiers shed tears mourning the deceased.
It's probably because of the kind personalities of Kukuto-san and Marle-san, but it seems that dwarves as a race are also emotionally attached.
At that moment, a knock on the door resounded.
A male demon hurriedly entered the room and ran towards Karla.
"Ka-Karla-sama! I'm glad you're safe!"
“Aaron, it’s been a while. I apologize for the suddenness, but I need to send a message to my father as soon as possible.”
Let's leave that to Karla and Gale.
I have things to do too.
“Tatara-san, is it possible to meet the Dwarf King? I want to report about Kukuto-san and the others. Also, Princess Karla is being pursued by the Elf and Human tribes. We can't make her arrival here public, so it would be helpful if we could meet unofficially without revealing the presence of Princess Karla."
"You are someone who possesses Kukuto-sama's pass. I'm sure he will see you. Wait a moment, let me confirm."
Soon after, we were granted an unofficial meeting with the Dwarf King. Instructions were given not to disclose the visit of the demon princess to anyone.
◇
Guided by Tatara-san, we stepped outside the door.
The sky was turning red as the sun was about to set.
...Hmm? This is inside the dungeon, right?
I narrowed my eyes and looked up at the sky cautiously. To my surprise, the sky was artificial.
There was a considerably high ceiling, and the sky seemed to be projected.
The movement of the clouds and the sunset were incredibly realistic.
Within the enormous underground space, there was the city of Gonhirrim.
There were no tall buildings, just two-story buildings of the same design lined up in rows.
It looks like a huge residential area.
It's like a completely different world here.
The level of civilization here is vastly different from the outside.
"Surprised, aren't you? This is an ancient city. Our ancestors apparently discovered this abandoned city over 200 years ago."
"Are the buildings and the ceiling as they were when you found them?"
"Yes, indeed. We can't recreate them ourselves. There are still many things we don't understand. Wahahaha."
So, this is what they call an ancient civilization.
While I was thinking about that, Mia pulled my left sleeve lightly.
"What’s up?"
"The technology here seems more advanced than our world..."
"I think so too. There might be games and smartphones. Huh? That's right... Let's search for them. We have to get our hands on them!"
"But it'd probably be difficult. We wouldn't be able to tell which ones are games or smartphones, and most of them seem to be broken."
"No, no, don't you think we can figure it out somehow? In fact, not knowing how to use them properly will let our imagination run wild."
"...I see, that sounds promising. Let's definitely find them!"
This just adds one more thing to look forward to.
◇
—Dwarf King's Mansion
Dwarf kings lived in mansions, not castles.
Since they lived directly in the ancient city, a large mansion served as their royal palace.
We were led to the reception room.
After a while, the Dwarf King entered the room.
The Dwarf King was also dressed roughly like Tatara-san.
The fabric of his clothes had a very refined feel, but they didn't really give off the impression of a king.
"Karla-san and friends of the Dwarves, welcome to Gonhirrim. I am Gonhirrim, the King of the Dwarves. I haven't heard much about it, so first, tell me what happened."
...We were taken aback.
What an informal king. Are all Dwarves like this, even the kings?
Karla regained her composure and began to speak.
“Your Majesty Gonhirrim, it is an honor to meet you. First of all..."
"Karla-san, there is no king or princess here. This is the 'Elf Victims Support Group.' By the way, you can just call me Gon. The king's name is Gonhirrim, that's how it is. It's too long. Wahahaha!"
"Okay. Go-Gon-san. In that case..."
-We shared the information from the events in the city of Barcery up until now.
"Friends of the Dwarves, do you think there is a way to revive Kukuto and Marle?"
"Is there something called the 'Leaf of the World Tree' in this world?"
"...How do you know about the 'World Tree'?"
The Dwarf King's eyes, which had been loose until now, became sharp.
Did we step on a landmine or something?
"In the stories of the world we came from, it often appears."
“I see. Karla, have you heard anything about the 'World Tree'?"
No, I haven't heard anything from my father."
...Hmm. This is going to be a long story. Stay here and rest while you're in this city. How long can you stay here?"
I looked at Karla.
"We have to return to 'Zoph' to stop the war between the Demon and Human tribes. According to Aaron, it will take three days, including today, to prepare the Dragon, so we will leave here on the morning of the fourth day."
"Then let's continue the conversation from tomorrow morning. Tonight, we feast!"
As the Dwarf King said that, the doors of the reception room opened as the servants entered.
We were guided to the rooms where we would stay tonight.
"Takumi-sama, the banquet will begin in one hour from now. Please relax until then. You may also use the bath freely."
"Huh! Is there a bath?"
"Yes, each room has one. This way, please."
The bath was designed like a unit bath.
They showed us how to use the shower-like device and how to adjust the hot water.
"This is inside the dungeon, right? Is it okay to use a lot of water here?"
"Yes. The water supply and drainage in this city are managed by ancient artifacts, so please don't worry. The door next to it is the restroom."
When I opened the door, there was something like a constantly flowing toilet bowl.
"Gonhillrim." It’s heaven here.
