Young Goro (2)
“It is said that the ship that left Nassau has now reached the foggy area.”
“okay?”
Inside the dark office. The man holding the red fruit smiled at the report he heard.
“It looks like the northerners are finally going to meet the dwarves.”
The man began to cut the cut fruit into pieces one by one and feed it to the parrot on his shoulder.
The colorful parrot’s eyes narrowed as if it liked the sour taste that its owner gave it.
“Did you bribe the sailor properly?”
“That’s right. “The crystal ball has already been placed in the stomach.”
“good.”
The man must have liked the report, removed his feet from the table, placed the parrot on his finger, and walked over to the window.
“I guess I’ll take a look now. “A place called Dwarf Island.”
Sunlight began to pour in through the wide open window.
The blue sea seen along with it.
The man began to laugh as he felt the salty breeze of the sea coming through the window.
“I need to get ready soon too.”
However, although the sea was blue, the adjacent port was completely black with ships lined up.
And on the sails of all the ships, flags with the same pattern were fluttering.
These were the Barbossa family emblems decorated entirely in gold.
※※※※
The Gemina was moving along the calm waves.
Because it was in the fog, it was the same no matter where you looked, and the surrounding area was full of broken ship wreckage, perhaps because of the reefs, but Haven’s movements as he held the rudder showed no hesitation.
This is because I have finally found something that can be used as a standard in the vast ocean of nothing.
“That thing looks just like a sunfish.”
“What is a sunfish?”
“A fish that looks like that.”
“…If you say that, it’s not me.”
Vlad ignored Haven’s meaningless words and looked ahead.
Currently, the Zemina was following a ship with a strange body that was difficult to describe.
It was short in length and high in height, so even to Vlad, an outsider, the ship looked very unbalanced.
“Anyway, it’s a ship swimming in the sea. “If I tell you, no one will believe me, right?”
“I know.”
Vlad answered Haven’s words and looked down at the bow of the Zemina.
Not only Nibelun, who is looking for mystical things, but also Joseph, Xayar, and the elves of Ausrin.
They all put their heads together, saying that this was their first time seeing such a strange thing, despite the awkward atmosphere they had been feeling so far.
“There are ships that travel even without wind, and there are ships that swim in the sea.”
Vlad put his hand to his eyebrow and looked away.
This is because the wind passing through my hair felt fresher than before.
“What else could there be?”
The clear sunlight began to shine on the back of Vlad’s hand, which was placed over his eyes.
With that, the white fog, like a lie, began to clear.
As the thick fog blocking the view began to disappear, exclamations of exclamation began to naturally come out of the mouths of the group members.
“I guess that’s the dwarves’ island.”
“huh.”
Vlad looked at the direction Haven was pointing with his fingertip and nodded.
An island floating alone under a flock of seagulls floating over the blue sea.
Beyond the sunlight reflecting as if it were breaking on the water, the island the group had been looking for finally appeared.
The island of dwarves. Lemnos.
Just like Aushurin for the elves, the last stronghold for the dwarves was welcoming the party.
※※※※
“Then we should part ways here.”
A dwarf man came up from the half-sunken ship and waved to Vlad.
“The grace that saved me at that time. “Thank you very much.”
The captain of the strange ship that had guided the party so far was Vulcanu, a warrior from Nidavellir.
He, who had been imprisoned with young dwarves in a bar in Nassau, had also volunteered specifically for this mission.
“I didn’t specifically go in to save you…”
“But you did it.”
Do what you need to do where you need to be.
Vulcanu remembered the knight who was purely angry at the sight of the imprisoned children.
“Go forward toward where you can see. Nidavellir welcomes you.”
As the Vulcanoe entered the chimney with a final greeting, the strange ship that resembled a sunfish began to sink into the sea again.
Some of the crew members were so surprised that they let out suppressed groans as they saw the ship disappear, leaving only foam behind, just like when they first met.
“I really want to ride that one too.”
Haven, who looked regretfully at the sinking ship, opened the sails that had been half-open until now.
Then, receiving the wind blowing from behind, the Jemina began to move forward with all its might.
The sight of the ship moving toward a clear goal, unlike before when it was stuck in the fog, was refreshing to the viewer.
※※※※
The port of Lemnos Island was full of dwarves who flocked in after hearing the news.
Just as dwarves were a novelty to northerners, humans and elves seemed like strange guests to the residents of Lemnos Island.
“But didn’t you say earlier that you would definitely be welcome?”
“…When you go to a foreign country, you have to follow the customs of that place.”
Josef and Vlad were raising both hands and making eye contact as if they were surrendering.
Not only these two, but the entire party that got off the ship was now being meticulously inspected by dwarven warriors.
Vlad’s expression grimaced every time the man’s thick hand touched his body, but this was a place where security was life, so it could not be helped.
“Please be patient. “I will make sure to treat you as a guest later.”
Sigurdson, who seemed to have sensed the increasingly harsh atmosphere, was trying hard to calm the group.
Even if he was one of the 12 tribal chiefs that made up Nidavellir, he could not avoid such strict procedures.
“Can I have a look at your sword?”
“what?”
However, despite his urgings, a blue beacon appeared in Vlad’s eyes.
“I need to check if there’s anything strange on it, so I need the sword…”
“Ask the knight to give me the sword. “Did you just say that to me?”
What was heard were human words, but what sounded was the growling of an animal.
As Vlad’s eyes gradually turned blue, the dwarf warrior took a step back without realizing it.
“…Then, at least give me the dagger you’re wearing.”
“Isn’t a dagger a sword?”
For a knight, a sword is his identity.
At the dwarf’s words telling him to lay down his identity, the ferocity that was dormant within Vlad began to emerge little by little.
“Try to touch me with something. “I’m going to rip out your short neck right away.”
“…….”
He was speaking quietly, almost like a whisper, but his voice was also a mixture of the roughness of a back alley and the ferocity of a dragon.
The dwarf warrior in charge of the inspection was also an experienced man, but he hesitated for a moment in the face of the blue threat uttered by Vlad.
“Hey. “Don’t bother someone for no reason, but just pull out your dagger like I said before.”
“…….”
“Don’t just roll your eyes, try pulling them out.”
At that moment, an old dwarf broke through the crowd and called out to Vlad in a loud voice.
He was an old man, struggling to straighten his back, which had been bent over time, with a cane.
“Who is the Young Master?”
“You know what to use it for.”
Despite Vlad’s threatening questions, the old dwarf just came closer, paying no heed to him.
To the old man who had devoted his life to boiling iron, the threat of the young dragon was nothing.
“Anyway, why did you break all the intact armor? Despite his pretty face, his actions are rough.”
“…….”
He looked fine on the outside, but as the old dwarf said, Vlad’s armor was broken here and there.
Vlad, who had been gawking just a moment ago, was a little surprised to see the old man recognizing the condition of his armor with just a glance.
“Even if you do that, I won’t give you the sword.”
“I don’t need it either. “Such a shabby sword.”
A vein rose on Varadis’ forehead at the mention of a shabby sword, but the old man’s attitude was unhesitating.
To be exact, no one here was able to stop the old man.
“Sigursson! “Is this the guy?”
At the old man’s shout, he shook his head and said that it was Sigursson in front of him.
Vlad was shocked by the old man’s attitude of openly ignoring him, but he could only endure the urgent look in Josef’s eyes right next to him.
“…Then let’s see.”
Sereung –
the dizzying sensation of something being pulled out of me by someone else’s hand.
Vlad’s spirit began to boil again due to that unbearable discomfort.
“Put that down. Inspiration. “When you say something nice.”
Due to the sudden change in the atmosphere, everyone in the port began to focus their attention on Vlad.
“I told you to put it down.”
“…….”
Vlad asked for the dagger with his eyes bright blue, but the commander just smiled happily.
This was because he found old traces that he had carved on the pulled out dagger.
“That’s right. that’s right.”
My hands were shaking, but I was polite.
The old dwarf, who once again put his sword in its sheath, raised his head and looked at Vlad.
“But where did the rest of this go? “I think I made at least ten bags.”
“what?”
“Anyway, how is Sir Jorge? “It’s been well over ten years since I haven’t seen you.”
Vlad, who was growling, was at a loss for words as he watched the old dwarf talking about his old boss.
“……Jorge?”
However, more than the embarrassment of hearing a familiar name in an unfamiliar place, Vlad was more embarrassed by the old man’s eyes looking at him.
Because the old man’s eyes right now were the kind of eyes that were wandering around looking for some old memory.
※※※※
There was an empty white sand beach filled with only moonlight on the calm sea.
Contrary to its seemingly peaceful appearance, it was a place filled with the suppressed moans of someone and the cries of children.
“Inspiration. Have you ever heard of senility? “That’s a pot for boiling porridge.”
“I know too.”
The old dwarf was heating the cauldron with cautious eyes, listening to the sad sounds that reached his ears even though he did not want to hear them.
This was because this was the only thing he could do for the knight who would soon have to part ways.
“…….”
Lots of rusty iron chunks in a cauldron heated on a bonfire.
The old man sprinkled the vision-filled powder there and melted it into a lump, then transferred the red-hot molten iron into a mold made of wooden pieces.
“Thank you. “For protecting us.”
“……Don’t look at me like that. “I didn’t do it because I wanted to.”
The old man, who had carefully moved the molten iron, raised his head and looked up at the knight standing alone under the moonlight.
Now that I looked closely, I saw that the man’s broken armor was full of red wounds here and there.
“I just did it because the babies kept crying.”
A man who was where he was supposed to be.
Therefore, Jorge, who followed the rules instead of orders, relaxed his stern expression only when he saw the ships approaching from the horizon.
“You’re here. “Let’s break up now.”
“wait for a sec.”
Seeing Jorge trying to stand up without any consequences, the old dwarf hurriedly grabbed his pants.
“Take this and this.”
“What is this?”
“dagger.”
Jorge looked at the daggers that the old man was holding out.
Since I saw the process of making them right in front of me, I wasn’t really looking forward to them, but they were daggers that somehow had a distinct sparkle under the moonlight.
“I’ll give it to you like this for now, but if we meet again later…”
“What do you think?”
Jorge, who understood the old man’s desire to give something in return, grabbed them with his bandaged hands.
Perhaps because they were made with warmth rather than heat, the daggers were just warm even though they had just been made.
“It’s better for both you and me to never see each other again.”
With his last indifferent words, Gaidar’s knight simply waves his hand and leaves the white sandy beach alone.
The old dwarf just stood on the white sand beach for a long time, looking at his back, greeted only by moonlight.
