Side Story: The Blacksmith (1)

I'm Gozoh. A dwarf C-Rank adventurer.

Lately, I've been diving into the [Ordinary Cave]… well, it's called the [Cave of Desires] now.

Before, it was a shabby dungeon even F-Rankers could enter… no, calling it a dungeon was a stretch. It was just a plain old cave. I mean, it only had one passage and one room. Now it's a proper dungeon.

From what I've heard, they've confirmed it goes down to the fourth floor, but I've only made it to the third so far.

Apparently you can't advance to the fourth floor without going back up the stairs once, but I don't really get the complicated stuff. Thing is, I've got a knack for remembering paths I've walked before, but somehow it just doesn't work right in this labyrinth.

Places I definitely passed through before have turned into walls, so lately I've been doubting my own knack.

Well, unlike Skills that are guaranteed by the gods, it's just a regular knack. These things happen.

I leave the detailed stuff to my partner Roppu while I just swing my battle hammer today too.

"Take thiiiis!"

A heavy clang of iron masses colliding echoed through the labyrinth.

My opponent was an Iron Golem, recently discovered to appear in the [Cave of Desires]. They'd been spotted before, but they're too much for D-Rankers or E-Rankers to handle. Hauling one out is tough without a cart, and you might run into enemies while transporting it.

That said, taking one down nets you a good chunk of coin, so for me, it's a juicy target. Just gotta smash it with my battle hammer. A truly simple and easy-to-understand enemy. Yep, a juicy target.

After whacking its head several times with my battle hammer, the Iron Golem went down… Ooh, my hands are tingling. This feeling is something else. Kind of like the numbness you get in your hands from drinking.

"Alright, knocked it down! Man, it's a pain that the magic stone's buried where you can't see it."

"Good work, Gozoh. Let's load it onto the cart. Doesn't look like there are any enemies nearby right now."

That was Roppu, pulling the rattling cart. She's my partner, a human woman. Looks skinny, but she's a C-Rank adventurer like me. Also makes for a great drinking buddy. We met when she came to a dwarf village to drink.

Anyway, that's not important right now. I set down my hammer for a moment and loaded the Iron Golem onto Roppu's cart instead. A human-sized lump of iron really is heavy.

"Well then, let's head back."

"Aye."

I'd love to hunt two or three at once, but unfortunately Roppu and her cart can't handle that.

To begin with, we have to go up and down the stairs several times, and we're defenseless each time. Considering safety, hunting them one at a time is best. I'd like to get Roppu to learn [Storage]. That way we could carry a lot more at once.

On the way back while watching out for traps, we got attacked by goblins a few times but easily turned the tables on them, and we managed to bring back a lump of iron today too. That'll cover several days of lodging.

"You know, maybe we should just live as miners in this dungeon."

"I don't wanna, Gozoh. There's no tavern here. The food's incredibly delicious, but the lack of alcohol is a dealbreaker."

Ahh, yeah. That's the thing.

The inn attached to this [Cave of Desires], the [Dancing Doll's Pavilion]. Rather, this place only has the guild branch office and this inn… Well, just having an inn is impressive enough. And it comes with an onsen. That feels amazing, like you've become a noble or something. I didn't think much of it before, but now I can't do without it.

So, about the [Dancing Doll's Pavilion]—they don't serve alcohol. Seems like they use it in the cooking though… The food really is amazing, the beds are top-notch. And there's even an onsen. So, that's exactly why I have to say this:

—-If only they had alcohol, it'd be perfect!

Well, they don't forbid bringing your own, so I've been getting some from merchants passing through nearby… Speaking of which, the [Tsuia Mountain Tunnel], was it?

That's also a dungeon… a new one with unknown difficulty. Though, that means there's no apparent danger.

It's not unusual for a new dungeon to pop up near another dungeon, but I'd never seen one with absolutely no danger. Even the [Ordinary Cave] had goblins.

I don't know how it works, but apparently you pay money at a small booth right after entering and you can pass through to the other side. It's like a checkpoint or something. The inside is wide enough for two carriages to pass each other, and there's even a rest area partway through—-almost too convenient. Sounds suspicious when you put it that way, but I haven't heard of any problems so far.

Lately, I often see merchants going in and out with their guards. Thanks to that, Pavera's alcohol and salt can apparently be bought cheap even in Tsuia. For me, that alone is plenty to be grateful for.

From what the merchants say, the toll for the cave is practically nothing to them.

"Ahh, if only they had alcohol here, it'd be perfect."

"Soaking in the onsen while drinking—-now that would be supreme."

"Maybe I should ask Kehma to stock some alcohol."

"Oh, if that gets us drinks here, I'd gladly seduce him."

"Please don't, partner… Besides, you know Kehma's tastes, right?"

"Ahh… right, he's got that sex slave… liking such a small kid, huh…"

That guy would be a fine adventurer if you could just overlook his thing for little girls…

No, let's stop there. I'm not one to go on about someone else's tastes. Besides, he's taking good care of that little miss, and she looks happy. It'd be rude to stick my nose in.

While we were resting and griping like that, the receptionist Silia-chan came over.

"Gozoh-san. Do you have a moment? A letter just arrived from Kantra-san."

"Oh! Kantra, huh? Hope it's good news."

"About the blacksmith matter, right? I'd like to hear the answer too."

"Aye, I'll check it now. Hold on."

I took the letter from Silia-chan and opened it right away.

"He says he'll come right away! Great news, Silia-chan!"

"That's wonderful… Oh, we'll need to call in a carpenter again. As for the smithy, I'll need to consult with Rokuko-san at the [Dancing Doll's Pavilion]…"

Yeah, Silia-chan looks busy. I think she could stand to relax a bit more though.

"Is Kantra-san doing well?"

"Hm? Yeah, he's fine. His old man too."

"If Untara-san weren't in good health, Kantra-san wouldn't have time to come here."

That's true, I nodded at Roppu's words.

Still, it's been a while since I've seen him. I'd better stock up on alcohol now.

(Continues for one more chapter)