"Kyaaaaaah!"
Pelerian has been foaming at the mouth frequently.
Just a moment ago, I was the one telling him not to overreact.
"Saaaaaak!"
But this time, I couldn't help but foam at the mouth as well.
The room of treasures.
The secret room where Pelerian had gathered weapons for his guardian.
It was clear that humans hadn't discovered this place.
There were no torches hanging on the walls like in other areas.
The weapon racks weren't covered with glass display cases.
There was no rearrangement of the layout for easier viewing.
Above all, it seemed no one had entered the room for a very long time.
Dust had accumulated thickly in various places.
So much so that long tracks were left in my wake as I entered.
"The preservation magic has been dispelled. It must have collapsed when the security magic was broken."
There are cases where people become calmer when they reach a certain level of anger.
Just like Pelerian right now.
'Then the weapons here have already been taken?'
That was the reason Pelerian and I both foamed at the mouth simultaneously.
There was nothing in the treasure room.
It was completely empty. Only dust-covered racks greeted us.
"Yes, it doesn't seem humans stole them. To forcibly open this place, you'd need at least the blueprints. Otherwise, I made it so it would collapse."
Pelerian was certain of this.
Half of the weapons left outside were already gone. Those were probably taken by humans.
But they surely couldn't have discovered the treasure room, so where did its contents go?
'You said dwarves built this dungeon, right?'
"Yes."
Pelerian gritted his teeth.
"Bluebeard, Lord of the Anvil. Flame Hammer. That dwarf who was hired by me for an enormous amount of wealth."
Anger that seemed about to spew fire from his mouth erupted.
"He betrayed me and stole my possessions-!"
Right now, Pelerian's body is tiny with a big head, looking like an SD character.
I'm not sure if it's okay for him to use the derogatory term "dwarf" for dwarves, but...
"Snake!"
'Yes.'
"It's time to collect the blood price. It's time to punish those traitorous dwarves by plucking their beards and beheading them. Rightfully! And we must recover the lost items."
Pelerian called for bloody revenge.
"It seems their mine where they lived is still nearby. Let's raid it. We'll go and bring justice to Bluebeard! I, Pelerian, along with you, Ouroboros!"
'Uh... Is this Bluebeard the Dwarf King?'
"You fool. Dwarves don't have kings!"
'Well, you called him the Lord of the Anvil.'
"That's just his title! He's just like the leader of the dwarves living in the mine. Like a chieftain!"
'A king-like figure...'
"We're raiding right now! We'll stage a massacre. We'll dye the mine red with dwarf blood!"
It was loud enough to hurt my ears.
I cleared my throat.
"Ahem, ahem."
"What!"
'Let's calm down for a moment.'
It's not a situation where one can calm down just by being told to, but...
Pelerian wasn't an old man who had only aged physically.
He forcibly suppressed his anger.
'Won't it be difficult for me to raid the mine alone and meet that blue-bearded dwarf?'
"... Are you not confident? I didn't think that of you."
A basic attempt to provoke me.
'Honestly, we're not even sure if those dwarves really took the weapons, and if they did take them, we don't know if they still have them.'
"Urgh."
Dwarves are excellent at crafting weapons, not necessarily at wielding them.
Of course, the bravery of dwarf warriors is famous, but why on earth did they take Pelerian's weapons?
"You're not motivated, are you?"
Pelerian glared at me.
No, it's not a matter of motivation, but rather let's be more calm...
As I was about to make that excuse, Pelerian spoke very calmly.
"It's certain that the dwarves took them. Very certain."
'Really?'
"The weapons I commissioned Bluebeard to make were a pair of sword and shield, and one spear. And all those weapons were forged with Celestium mixed in."
What's Celestium?
Seeing my indifference, Pelerian explained its nature.
"It's a metal you couldn't obtain even if you mined for a lifetime. The metal those short blacksmiths covet the most. Because they're weapons made of star iron."
'Star iron, star iron... Oh?'
Suddenly, all the scales on my body stood on end.
'You mean meteorite iron?'
"Yes, Celestium is a metal extracted and refined from meteorites."
'Then the sword you made is... a meteorite iron sword?'
How could one who walks the path of the sword refuse a meteorite iron sword?
It's the same even if I'm not just a swordsman, but a magic swordsman.
"That's right. It would have been a legendary sword with a magnificent name if it had come out into the world."
A sword of legend comparable to Ganjiang and Moye was here.
And now, we've learned that dwarf blacksmiths have stolen it.
As my body trembled, Pelerian smiled triumphantly.
"You said it yourself, what's mine is yours, and what's yours is mine."
Pelerian, who found a gap in my heart.
It was as if a devil was whispering.
'That's... right.'
"Didn't you say you wanted a proper longsword? Right? Well, you need a legendary sword to wield a sword. You've heard the saying that a master doesn't choose his tools, haven't you?"
'I have heard it.'
"That's a complete lie. It's nonsense from have-nots who are envious of those who possess good tools because they can't afford even one good tool themselves. The best knight I know had the strongest legendary sword, and I, Heaven Defier the Magician, also had a staff made from phoenix feathers and mermaid pearls."
That's true.
Each of his words was piercing my heart.
Just as I've come to know Pelerian well.
It seems Pelerian has come to know me well too.
He continues with sweet words, as if a snake were tempting me.
Even though I'm the actual snake...
"It's a sword you deserve to have. Of course, I wanted to give it to you, that's why I came here looking for it."
'Really?'
"Yes! You don't think I was looking for a sword to wield myself, do you? As the 'Hero Slayer,' you're qualified to wield a Celestium sword."
A meteorite iron sword.
I wonder what it looks like.
I'd like to see it once.
So, should we go and confront that blue-bearded dwarf?
I'm not sure how many dwarves there are, but I'm not an easy monster to deal with anymore.
If I use gigantification and intimidate them from the front, wouldn't they return the stolen meteorite iron sword?
Even if we don't stage a massacre, it's a situation that needs to be sternly addressed.
As I was spreading my imaginative wings,
Pelerian dropped a bombshell.
"That insolent dwarf has probably already melted down the meteorite iron sword and other weapons."
"Saak!"
"It's clear from the fact that they specifically stole my items. Whether they melted them into ingots or made other things."
My world just crumbled.
'Then what do we do!'
"We go, we go and confront them! Tell them to hand over the Celestium and have them forge a proper new sword with it!"
It was tempting.
Pelerian played his final card.
"There's no need to be afraid. I don't know what courage they had to steal my things, but... they probably thought I was dead. A contract with a magician isn't something that can be easily broken."
Well, Pelerian isn't the type to sit back and take it.
"We just need to confront them. If you bring me in front of that Bluebeard's face, I'll pluck all his beard and make him pay double the penalty fee. He won't dare harm you."
I'm not sure what exactly Pelerian can do, but
His confidence was incredibly reassuring.
'... Alright.'
Shall we go?
To the underground city of the dwarves, to reclaim my meteorite iron sword.