Chapter 143 - Somehow

Louise Berft.

The Second Princess of the Kingdom of Berft had been spending a considerable stretch of time in confinement, reflecting on her conduct after the incident in Ormus.

Several months had already passed. Her daily routine was simple: stay shut away in the detached palace studying etiquette and scholarship, or go out to the garden and swing her axe.

Today, however, was different. One small addition had been made to her usual schedule: a visit to the royal workshop.

FWEEET!

She whistled happily, stroking the blue battle-axe that fit so snugly in her hand. The weapon she had ordered from the royal workshop had just been completed, and she had brought it back with her.

Its sharp edge, its coolness, its beauty, its sturdiness—she liked everything about it.

'It's a shame that bastard Logger didn't make it, but...'

She did not consider Logger the finest craftsman. He was certainly among the very best, but Berft was a kingdom of dwarves, and excellent craftsmen abounded.

The reason she had insisted on getting a weapon from Logger was his unique position as both a hero and a craftsman. Unlike other heroes, he could not wield the power granted by the dimension as an ability of his own. Instead, he could imbue equipment with it.

His weapons allowed even those who were not heroes to possess a hero's power, albeit indirectly.

That was what made Logger special. That was why she had wanted one of his weapons. With Logger gone, though, none of it mattered anymore.

She arrived at the detached palace's garden, where she always practiced with her axe. A light swing sent it whistling through the air. Its comfortable weight and balance pleased her even more.

"There's no skull I couldn't split with this..."

That was when it happened.

THWACK!

The rock wall on one side of the garden shook. Part of the solid rock burst outward. What had looked like rock was actually earth—and that earth showered Louise.

"..."

"..."

Then her eyes met those of the face poking through the hole in the wall.

'... A secret passage?'

No, that wasn't the issue.

'An intruder?'

This was the garden of her detached palace within the royal grounds. No one could enter without Louise's permission. Yet here was a secret passage she knew nothing about.

She did not dwell on it. There was a secret passage she hadn't known existed in her own palace, and someone had entered through it. He could not be an official guest. Nor could his intentions be innocent.

And so she acted as she always did.

Which meant she swung her axe first, without warning.

CRUNCH!

The axe struck the rock wall. Unfortunately, the intruder was already out of the tunnel.

'He's fast.'

She immediately twisted around, kicking off the ground and tightening her grip on the axe.

SWISH!

A few strands of the intruder's hair fluttered through the air.

They were a beautiful red.

CRUNCH!

Her axe was caught. Aura and flames tangled together.

The tendons in Louise's hand stood out as she gripped her axe. Their eyes met. His were an even deeper red than his hair.

"Who are you?" she growled.

Berge could not readily answer. Magnificent palaces rose in the distance. Apart from Louise, he sensed no one nearby.

'That fucking dwarf bastard! He could at least have told me where it led!'

Considering Louise Berft's current circumstances, this had to be her detached palace. The garden of the palace where she was confined.

Of all places, the one open secret passage had to end at the home of an axe-wielding lunatic princess. It was such an outrageous coincidence that it hardly seemed possible unless Logger had deliberately set him up.

'What do I do?'

Had he known, he would have come in his demon form. Then, even if he was discovered, it could simply be chalked up to the Demon King's doing.

But Louise Berft had seen his face as Pale. That meant he was losing one of the identities that allowed him to travel the continent without concern.

Unless he killed her, he could no longer use the identity of Pale. The dwarf kingdom would hardly show mercy and tolerance to an intruder of another race who had broken into a royal residence.

He had two options.

Flee now and abandon his identity as Pale.

Or make sure there were no witnesses...

"I asked who you are."

The thick killing intent interrupted Berge's thoughts.

"Do you think I'll simply answer you?"

"Don't be ridiculous. I'm just showing you mercy. I've learned quite a bit about controlling my temper during my time of reflection."

"Mercy?"

"The mercy of a clean death, without being chopped into pieces."

"That's a strange way to control your temper."

"It's a huge improvement for me. Normally, my axe would already be buried in your head."

"I have no idea where all that confidence comes from."

"My confidence? Isn't it obvious?"

A powerful recoil drove them apart. Louise raised her axe, the muscles all over her body swelling into ridges.

"My axe is the only thing I trust!"

─────!

Fist and axe collided.

Her fierce aura and his flickering flames annihilated each other. The keen axe slipped between them, carrying its wielder's strength as it bit into his skin.

Berge's brow furrowed at the stinging pain.

Louise snorted at the blood on her blade.

"That's your hand you're blocking with, isn't it?"

"... That's no ordinary weapon."

"The highest praise for a weapon made by the finest dwarven craftsman."

"The finest craftsman? As far as I know, the finest craftsman fled the Kingdom of Berft. Because of a certain someone."

Her brow creased.

"What do you mean?"

"What do you think I mean?"

"You'd better choose your words carefully."

"And if I don't?"

"You won't get to beg me for mercy. I'll split your skull before you can."

Louise growled. Berge poured more oil onto the raging flames.

"I met a dwarf. He claimed to be Berft's finest craftsman. What was his name—Logger Fridri?"

"Logger! Where is that bastard now?!"

Louise kicked off the ground.

BOOM!

A moment later came the explosive crack of the ground breaking, unable to withstand her force.

Her axe carved a long arc through the air.

BOOM!

Berge retreated a step, giving a disbelieving laugh at the shock transmitted through his hand.

'She's grown stronger in just a few months.'

Why were all the princesses in this dimension like this?

His wandering thoughts were quickly cut short. Unlike before, Louise's axe did not stop at a single strike. Aura and flame contended with each other, producing an endless series of explosive reports.

'Dragging this out puts me at a disadvantage.'

Fortunately, the detached palace stood some distance from the other buildings, but it was still within the royal palace. It was only a matter of time before dwarves heard the commotion and came.

Yet subduing her would not be easy. He was weaker this far from his tower, but Louise had also improved tremendously in those few short months.

'I'll avoid a head-on fight.'

Berge decided to shake Louise's composure.

"Of course I know where he is. But I can't tell you. Instead, I'll pass along the message he asked me to deliver."

"That bastard asked you to give me a message?"

"Yes. He said he'd never want to make a weapon for a crazy bitch like you, so stop looking for him. He said he couldn't stand the sight of you."

"... A crazy bitch?"

Louise's face flushed red. Had Logger been standing before her, she would have split him apart a hundred times over.

Perhaps because she was so furious, however, her mind instead grew a little calmer. No—to be precise, she realized something as she looked at the intruder's face.

"I feel like I've seen you somewhere..."

If she changed that flame-red hair and those ruby-like eyes to black...

"You said Logger was in Tarta... No, that can't be. Hair is one thing, but you couldn't change your eyes..."

"No, you're right."

Berge sealed his flames back inside his heart and let a faint trace of demonic energy emerge.

The instant his red hair and eyes turned black, Louise's pupils widened.

"You...!"

"You know what? Logger was never in Tarta. He never went there in the first place."

"You son of a bitch...!"

"But it's true that I know Logger. I know where he is, too. Well? Shall I take you to him?"

Berge's hand slipped into Louise's blind spot as her emotions unsettled her. She tried to resist, but she was a moment too late.

Violent flames stripped away every last bit of her aura. Through the opening that left exposed, a magic orb radiating cold spewed a beam of light.

CRACKLE!

There was no longer a princess standing there.

Only an ice statue named Louise Berft.

"... That was unexpected, but I'd better move quickly anyway."

Berge stuffed Louise into his storage dimension, unleashed flames to erase every trace of cold, and vanished.

"Her Highness the Princess has vanished!"

The dwarf knights who came to investigate the commotion found only the traces of a fierce battle that had already ended.

* * *

Dwarves possessed exceptional dexterity. They found joy in making things, and many were particularly drawn to smithing and magical engineering.

The kingdom itself pursued policies that encouraged technological development, and the countless workshops were the result. When a craftsman with even a little talent established a workshop, dwarves flocked to learn their skills, and the workshop rose to become a group leading the kingdom's technology forward.

But even workshops had their rankings.

Every dwarf hoped to enter a better workshop, and the most sought-after was the royal workshop. Operated directly by the royal family, it admitted only talent carefully selected from across the kingdom.

Merely gaining entry was an honor to take pride in. That was why everyone wanted to join.

'At last.'

The craftsman Kogen entered the royal capital, his heart swelling with emotion. Fifty-eight years had passed since he had begun smithing in a frontier city and made his way to the capital. Perhaps it was thanks to the reputation he had steadily built: the royal family had finally summoned him.

It was an honor his family would remember.

"Welcome, Master Kogen. Here is your identification token, certifying your membership in the royal workshop."

"Oh, so this is..."

The gold token embossed with the royal family's crest was incomparably beautiful.

"I'll escort you to the workshop. The workshop master is waiting."

"Yes."

The workshop was not far away.

"Hmm? Where have the gatekeepers gone?"

The knight frowned at the deserted entrance.

"Ah, were even the workshop's knights called away? My apologies. This is hardly a good impression."

"Oh, not at all. But has something happened?"

"It's nothing serious. It'll be resolved soon, so if you'll just step inside..."

The knight opened the door.

"Why is it so cold...?"

Kogen tilted his head at the spine-chilling cold leaking through the gap in the door.

Cold, in a workshop where fires were always burning?

THUD!

"Huh?"

At that moment, the knight escorting him collapsed without warning. A powerful pull dragged both him and the knight inside, and the door closed on its own.

"Wha...?"

The workshop's hammers had fallen silent. Most of the forge fires were out, their heat devoured by a cold that made the place resemble a freezer.

And above all—

"... Good heavens."

The dozens of royal craftsmen who should have been sweating over their work were all frozen solid, decorating the workshop.

"You're the last one."

Above those statues, a red-haired man looked down at him.

"I was going to leave if you'd taken much longer. Fortunately, your timing isn't bad."

"Who are you...?"

Kogen never finished speaking. An orb flew in an arc and struck him over the heart. The world turned white, and he lost consciousness.

* * *

PAT, PAT!

Having stuffed exactly forty-nine ice statues into his storage dimension, Berge dusted off his hands.

Very fortunately, the kingdom had yet to show any unusual response. He suspected everyone had gone to investigate Louise's disappearance.

'Then I'll have to use a different secret passage, not that one. I suppose all I can do is pray it isn't blocked.'

To leave no trace of cold, Berge added a little mana to the few embers remaining in the workshop and tossed them onto the floor. The flames, slowly consuming their surroundings, would soon engulf the entire workshop.

"Ah."

Berge let out an exclamation as he searched for another secret passage.

"... Is it really all right to let Louise meet Logger?"

For some reason, he could not picture Logger coming out of it alive and in one piece.

'Well, it'll work out somehow.'

When it came down to it, this was Logger's fault for telling him about a secret passage leading into the detached palace where Louise was confined.

He picked up the pace again.