Surviving As The 5Th Prince Of Hellman Kingdom [EN]: Chapter 45

045

Boom! Boom─ Kwaaaang!

“Ouch!”

A tremendous roar erupted, and the ground shook so violently that it was hard to stand. The Chieftain, who was about to rush outside, lost his balance and tumbled to the floor.

Fran and I barely managed to hold onto a pillar.

“Your Highness!”

“Please come outside quickly!”

The voices of the knights searching for me could be heard from outside.

Boom- Boom boom…

Thankfully, the ground tremors gradually subsided after the roar.

Clang!

Reina burst through the door of the Chieftain’s house.

“Your Highness, come out quickly!”

“That’s what I was about to do.”

I hurried out of the house with the Chieftain and Fran. The dwarves were buzzing with confusion.

“What’s going on?”

“Is it an earthquake? There were no signs at all!”

“My wife is trapped under a shelf! Help me!”

“Huh? There’s smoke over there!”

At someone’s shout, everyone’s gaze turned to one place. Black smoke was billowing up.

“It’s Shaft 9! Shaft 9 has collapsed!”

“Why there all of a sudden?”

“Isn’t that the shaft closest to that nest?”

“Gasp! C, could it be.”

It seemed that Shaft 9 was near the nest of the Faceless Dragon, which had been hibernating.

“Gather around!”

The Chieftain’s booming voice silenced the buzzing all at once. Everyone’s attention focused on him.

“There’s no time to pack! Only take the injured and quickly descend the mountain!”

“Chieftain, what’s going on…?”

“No time to explain! Shut up and take care of the injured first.”

Watching him, I shifted my gaze to [Varisada] [The name of the sword], which I was holding.

‘Could it be because of this?’

The cloth wrapped around [Varisada] was no ordinary cloth. It was specially made by Fran to prevent the energy of [Varisada] from leaking out.

I glanced at her, and our eyes met.

Fran, reading my gaze, shook her head firmly.

“The scabbard was already sealing most of the sword’s power. Even if it’s not my specialty, I wouldn’t make a mistake to that extent. It’s waking up because it’s time for it to wake up. The timing is just amazing.”

The twinge in my heart disappeared.

“Your Highness, we must descend the mountain quickly.”

“That’s right. If another earthquake like that happens, a landslide might occur.”

The escort knights seemed to think that what had just happened was a simple natural disaster. Well, it was only natural for them, who knew nothing about the Faceless Dragon.

My plan to chase away a worm that could grow to nearly 300 meters in size with [Varisada] like a poker… It was right to tell them when it was right around the corner.

Knowing in advance would only lead to unnecessary worries.

“You seem to know a lot about the Faceless Dragon. Is it really awake now? It’s quieted down again…”

The Chieftain, who had a knowing look when ordering the evacuation of the tribe, approached me and asked with a stiff face.

The Faceless Dragon data I had learned was mostly from the dwarves’ records. It felt strange that the dwarves, who used to be experts on them in the past, were now asking me, a human.

“It probably hasn’t fully woken up yet. Have you ever woken up in the morning, had some water, gone to the bathroom, and then gone back to bed for a nap? It’s probably in that state right now.”

According to the records, there were quite a few individuals who started activities right after waking up, so it was fortunate that the one who woke up now didn’t do that.

“Then when will it start moving again?”

“When you wake up in the morning and go back to sleep, when do you usually wake up?”

“Hmm… Sometimes almost immediately, and sometimes I oversleep.”

“It’s the same.”

“I see. We need to hurry the evacuation.”

The dwarves were moving busily. My mind was also busy watching them.

This situation was, in a way, a good opportunity to negotiate with the Black Anvil tribe.

I felt a little bad thinking this way while watching others’ misfortune, but no one seemed seriously injured, so that was good…

“Rotin, Rotin is missing!”

“Hasten! Hasten!”

“My son is also missing!”

The dwarf women were panicking and shouting, jolting me back to my senses. It seemed the children had disappeared. I remembered the sight of them laughing and heading somewhere.

“Chieftain! Several children are missing! We don’t know where they went!”

“How many!”

“Rotin, Hasten… A total of 7!”

“Damn it! Does anyone know where they went!”

Everyone just looked at each other, and no one came forward.

“Rotin said he was going to play somewhere really fun! He said it was too dangerous for me, so he wouldn’t take me.”

Then a child, a head shorter than the others, shouted.

“Where! Where did he say he was going?”

“Rone! Tell me quickly!”

“U, um… I don’t know! He said ghosts sometimes appear, and it’s a really scary place. Waaaaah!”

The adults, pressing her, ended up making the child cry.

“Ghosts? Ghosts… The abandoned mine! They must have gone to play in the abandoned mine! I found them there a while ago and scolded them!”

“No! If it was a tremor like just now, the abandoned mine would have collapsed!”

“Which abandoned mine was it that you chased them out of!”

“It was Shaft 17.”

“That’s not it! I went there briefly on business!”

Shaft 17? How many abandoned mines are there?

I looked for Fran.

“Is there anything you can do?”

“You said yourself that the Faceless Dragon has low intelligence, but other parts are better than ordinary high-level magical beasts. It’s the same with sensing magic power. Searching is also my weak point, so I’m not confident.”

I asked just in case, but as expected.

“Your Highness, you must go down quickly.”

“That’s right. Unfortunately, there’s nothing we can do to help.”

Adol and Vernon urged me.

Reina was looking back and forth between her hand blade and the back of my head, with a serious look of agony. She seemed to be considering whether to knock me out and take me away. I covered the back of my neck with my hand and manipulated the Ghost Hand to enter the [Library] [A system that provides information].

┕ Can I find out which abandoned mine the Black Anvil tribe’s children went to play in today? If not, any information that can be guessed.

「The usage fee for this information is 1 RP [Resource Point].」

┕ Tell me.

「According to yesterday’s diary written by Rotin, a young dwarf of the Black Anvil tribe, they were scheduled to search Shaft 15 today. However, they actually went to…」

The cursor, which had been writing the letters, suddenly stopped and started blinking.

What, is it lagging all of a sudden?

I had never experienced this phenomenon before, and my heart pounded, wondering if the system was about to disappear.

「…A new record has been created. An additional information fee of 5,000 RP [Resource Point] is required.」

Are you kidding me?

Still, I was relieved.

5,000 RP… Is that the price of the children’s lives? The information must be accurate.

┕ Tell me quickly.

「10 seconds ago, a message was written on the collapsed wall 300m from the entrance of the collapsed Shaft 11: ‘Mom, Dad, I love you. I’m sorry for always causing trouble. Rone, I’m sorry for always bullying you. -Rotin’.」

He said he was planning to go to Shaft 15, why is he in a completely different place? As expected, you never know where children’s actions will lead.

“Your Highness? Your Highness!”

“Your Highness, I’m sorry!”

I opened my mouth towards the knights who were approaching with the momentum to carry me away right away.

“It wouldn’t be right to just leave when I can help.”

“Yes?”

The escort knights stepped back from me and looked for the Chieftain. In that short time, he was harassing Fran, asking if there was any way to find the children.

“Chieftain. The children are 300m from the entrance of Shaft 11.”

“Wh, what?”

The Chieftain’s expression looking at me became strange. Did I give him too much detailed information about the children’s location?

“How can you believe that…?”

“Believe it. That guy sometimes performs unbelievable miracles. Go to any other place you suspect. If not, go save the kids quickly!”

Fran cut off his words appropriately and scolded him.

“A, I understand. Information has come in that the children went to Shaft 11! Men, take your tools and run quickly! The security team will lead the elders and women down!”

I turned my head towards Fran, looking at the Chieftain running away, shouting in a voice that seemed to have swallowed a firecracker.

“Thank you. For helping me.”

“Well, it’s nothing. But what are you really? You clearly didn’t know until just now? You were asking me if there was a way.”

She carefully examined me here and there. She subtly brought her hand around my waist. I quickly stepped back.

“What is it?”

“I can’t see it on the outside, so I was wondering if there was a stigmata [A mark or sign of divine favor] on your butt or something. What god are you? What’s the price? The price for saving the lives of 7 people won’t be cheap…”

“It’s a secret.”

“Hmm…”

As the days go by, more and more people will inevitably question my incomprehensible information power. The best excuse is still the stigmata…

‘It’s not urgent right now, so let’s think about it slowly.’

I looked at the escort knights and said.

“Let’s follow them.”

They foamed at the mouth and tried to stop me.

“Aren’t you going down?”

“It’s really dangerous if there’s a landslide!”

“Hmm… Should I just knock him out…?”

“Everyone shut up and follow me. I won’t let you die.”

The escort knights, who learned that Fran was a wizard who handled 7 stars at the Merton family’s banquet, closed their mouths.

It would have taken me a long time to persuade them.

I once again felt the need to raise my own strength as soon as possible.

The entrance to Shaft 11, which is a little up the mountain from the village. It was quite close, with the village visible at a glance.

“Dig as carefully as possible!”

“I, I know, without, you telling me!”

The dwarves were breaking through the collapsed mine with terrifying speed, using tools such as pickaxes and shovels.

“Is that tremendous speed what you call digging carefully?”

“It seems 10 times faster than when we worked with all our might during our trainee days?”

“As expected of dwarves…”

The group was amazed by their working speed.

“Rotin!”

“Hasten!”

“If anyone hears us, answer!”

How long had it been?

“Sa! Save me!”

“We’re here!”

“Hasten’s leg is trapped!”

The children’s voices, hearing the adults’ voices, were heard.

“Anyone! Anyone else hurt!”

“Rotin has a slight head injury. No one is seriously injured!”

“Hahaha. Wait for me, you troublemakers!”

The excited dwarves sped up their work. The Chieftain approached me with a relieved expression.

“Thank you. I will definitely repay this favor.”

「Relationship with Gillud has been dramatically improved.」

The relationship, which was distrustful when we first met, became friendly thanks to the rescue of the children.

I smiled and asked again about the proposal I had made at his house.

“Developing the magic stone mine. Have you changed your mind about doing it together?”

“Hmm… If that guy wakes up soon, the village will be devastated anyway. If you really get rid of the Faceless Dragon, I’ll try to persuade the tribe’s elders.”

I was talking to the Chieftain like that.

“I, I’m alive!”

“You guys! How many times have I told you not to play in the abandoned mine!”

“Sob sob sob, I won’t do it again.”

“I won’t do it again!”

The children were rescued from the abandoned mine one by one.

One, two, …, seven.

They were all successfully rescued safely.

“Chieftain, hurry up and take the children down. Once we confirm that all the Black Anvil tribe has descended the mountain, we will immediately chase away the Faceless Dragon.”

“I understand. I’m curious about what you’re going to do… I’m counting on you. You guys! Carry the children! We’re going down right away. I’ll explain the situation as we go down…”

Boom boom! Boom boom boom─!

Ha, really.

Should I say it’s fortunate that it woke up right after the children came out of the abandoned mine?

“O, the Faceless Dragon!”

A giant worm the size of an apartment building appeared from the collapsed Shaft 9. Is it in the first stage of transformation? It was terrible to think that it would grow to over 300m.

The Faceless Dragon, looking around, turned its head towards the village.

“I, it’s going towards the village!”

The mineral warehouse!

The warehouse where the dwarves collected the mined minerals was like a 5-star restaurant to him.

“Those women, why haven’t they evacuated yet!”

Looking at where the Chieftain was looking, I could see the dwarves with bundles of luggage trembling. It seemed like they were the women who were delaying, trying to pack their important assets.

…I understand that feeling.

I was annoyed by the women who ignored the Chieftain’s words to only take the injured and run.

I gripped [Varisada], which was tied to my waist, and ran towards the village at full speed.

“O, oh! Your Highness!”

“You mustn’t go!”

“Catch him quickly!”

Reina was the first to catch up with me. As expected of a 5-star knight.

“Sir Reina. Don’t stop me.”

She put me on her shoulder without saying a word.

“Sir Reina! Sir Reina!”

“Your Highness’s speed is too slow. Seeing that Fran didn’t stop you either, there must be something we don’t know that can stop that magical beast, like that sword wrapped in cloth. I will gladly accept the punishment for this rudeness later!”

Reina, carrying me on her shoulders, ran towards the village at full speed. I lost some face, but the speed was almost twice as fast as a train.

“Reina! Why are you doing this too!”

“Hey! Are you crazy!”

Adol and Vernon were getting farther and farther away.

And we arrived at the village.

We arrived just barely faster than the Faceless Dragon.

“To the warehouse! To that warehouse!”

Reina put me down in front of the warehouse.

“Kueooooooo.”

Boom boom- Boom boom!

Holding the doubly sealed [Varisada] in my hand, I looked at the giant worm that was approaching right in front of me.

‘Please, please, as I thought.’

I roughly unwrapped the cloth that was sealing [Varisada].

Boom boom boom…

Stuck.

“Kueooo…”

The Faceless Dragon stopped moving.

Thump! Thump! My heart was pounding as if it would jump out. Cold sweat from tension formed on my forehead.

“Kueooooooo…”

It is said that Varisada has slaughtered Faceless Dragons whenever they were seen, and sometimes even searched for them, for over a thousand years. To that extent, the instinct to fear natural enemies was enough to be embedded in the genes.

Now, look here.

Here is a sword made by forging his flesh.

It’s nine out of ten. That probability is enough, right?

Back off, back off.

“Kueooo…”

Is it a success?

What I was worried about was one in ten.

Sometimes there are rats that don’t tremble when they meet a cat, but try to bite it. In human terms, a hero who bravely confronts an irresistible enemy!

“Kueooooooo!”

“Shibaal!” [A curse word]

Why is that guy in front of me?

Why! Why! There’s never an easy way!

“Reina! Take that guy and run over here quickly!”

Fran, who was creating a huge vortex of magic power, seemed to be trying to use space movement magic.

The faces of the dwarves who had not yet left the village, and the children who had just been rescued and were shedding tears of joy, flashed through my mind.

「Hehehe. Draw the sword. If you draw me from the scabbard, that guy will run away. Are you going to let all the dwarf bastards die?」

A sweet woman’s voice seemed to be heard in my ear.

‘Varisada?’

I couldn’t tell if it was the real Varisada or a hallucination I had created.

– Booaah!

The scene of pushing a child away by jumping into a car rushing in the last moment of my previous life flashed through my mind.

At that time, my body reacted before my head.

It’s the same now.

I know that if I draw [Varisada] and fail to pass the ordeal given by the sword, I will become a disabled person, or even die.

“That crazy bastard! Stop him!”

At the same time as Fran’s shout, I remembered that after drawing [Varisada] from the scabbard.

Flash──!