Though Nameita felt certain he had just heard something deeply strange, he barely had time to dwell on it.

“So where did you put them?” Ian asked.

“In case something happened, I gathered them in the center square where everyone could keep an eye on them.”

“Ah. Good.”

Ian immediately started walking with a grim expression.

For a human, it was an ordinary pace.

For a dwarf, it was practically a sprint.

“Huff... huff...!”

Isn’t he supposed to be considerate?

The “hero” Nameita had imagined possessed a heart as broad as the sea, overflowing with warmth and compassion.

The real Ian, however, was nothing like that image.

By the time Nameita was nearly gasping for air, they finally emerged from the long corridor into an enormous open square.

‘...!’

The first thing that seized his attention was the tree.

It was colossal.

Even eight dwarves joining hands might not have been able to encircle the trunk. Like the pillar of some ancient temple, the massive tree stretched upward into countless sprawling branches that covered the entire cavern overhead like a living ceiling.

Sunlight filtered through cracks in the cave roof above, scattering through the golden leaves in fractured beams.

The tree caught that faint light and dispersed it across the square like a giant prism.

The fact that the inside of a cave could be this bright already bordered on absurdity.

But an even more unbelievable sight unfolded beneath the tree itself.

“Kahahaha!”

“Catch me if you can!”

“You human kids are too slow!”

“Your arms are too short!”

“That’s not true—augh!”

Why there was farmland beneath the tree didn’t even register in Nameita’s mind.

His attention was fixed entirely on the countless little lights darting through the fields.

Children laughed as they chased the glowing motes around the crops. A young human boy in the lead flung himself forward with reckless enthusiasm, tripped face-first into a furrow, then bounced right back up as if nothing had happened and resumed the chase.

Fairies...!

The lights weren’t simple orbs at all.

As a dwarf blessed with a naturally sturdy constitution, Nameita’s eyesight remained sharp despite his age. Reading ✧ NоvеIight ✧ (Original source) up close had become difficult, but distant objects were still perfectly clear to him.

Tiny winged creatures no larger than a child’s palm fluttered through the air, scattering fairy dust that reflected the sunlight and made them appear like drifting sparks from afar.

“What are those kids doing here?”

Ian’s voice snapped Nameita out of his daze.

Turning quickly, he followed Ian’s gaze.

A group of tall, slender figures stood nearby.

Their long green hair alone would have drawn attention, but their pointed ears made their identity unmistakable.

Elves!?

Nameita wasn’t shocked by the existence of elves themselves. Ian already had elves among his followers.

What stunned him was the sight of elves casually speaking with ordinary humans.

Farmers wearing straw hats and carrying rakes were engaged in serious conversation with them. The moment they noticed Ian, they immediately brightened and waved enthusiastically.

“Lord Ian has returned!”

“Lord Ian!”

“Glory to Ian the Wise, hero of the continent!”

“Do you people have to do this every time I show up?”

Ian sounded genuinely tired.

“Is it not permitted?”

“...Fine. No more welcoming ceremonies.”

Ian waved his hand dismissively.

“Which clause should that fall under in the legal code?”

Contacca calmly pulled out a notebook and moistened the tip of his pen.

“Just figure it out yourself.”

“Yes. Then I shall place it under ‘Protocols for Receiving Lord Ian,’ clause ten—”

“Why would something like that even exist in the law?”

“Would it not be strange for the legal code to lack proper etiquette toward the leader?”

Contacca answered gracefully.

Ian looked too exhausted to continue arguing.

“Do whatever you want.”

The elves, upon meeting Ian’s eyes, placed their hands over their chests and bowed respectfully.

Nameita could barely believe it.

The elves he knew were proud to the point of arrogance—a race infamous for bowing to no one except their own leaders.

Yet here they were, showing genuine respect toward a human.

One particularly enthusiastic farmer said something to an elf, who quietly shook his head before loosely cupping his hands together.

A translucent figure appeared between his palms.

‘A fairy? ...No.’

Nameita’s jaw slowly dropped.

An elemental.

The other elves followed suit, summoning spirits into the air one after another.

At the elves’ request, the elementals drifted through the fields.

Everywhere they passed, sprouts burst from the earth, fruit ripened instantly, and crops flourished before Nameita’s eyes.

The farmers hurriedly grabbed baskets and began gathering the harvest with delighted expressions.

One farmer rushed toward Ian carrying a basket filled with apples.

“Lord Ian, this is the first harvest— Ah, careful, Momisia! We should share it with everyone!”

“Okay!”

Before he could finish speaking, Momisia snatched the basket away, polished an apple against her sleeve, and bit into it happily.

‘...Is that allowed?’

Nameita knew humans had strict social hierarchies unlike dwarves, who respected age and skill above status.

Wouldn’t a child acting like that get punished immediately?

Unconsciously, he held his breath.

Momisia extended the basket toward Ian with complete seriousness.

“Lord Ian, please eat first. There’s no poison.”

“There better not be. You eat plenty too.”

Momisia grinned brightly and hugged the basket tighter.

What... they’re using a little girl as a poison tester?

Nameita was horrified in an entirely different way now.

Was human society truly this ruthless?

Then Ian asked quietly:

“Who taught her to say that?”

“...Nobody did...”

“Then who taught her that behavior?”

At the edge of the square, a man in robes suddenly jumped upright.

“Lord Ian! Lord Iaaaan! You came to rescue us, right?!”

Ian stared at him silently before walking over.

“Contacca locked me up! I only brought the people you told me to save— Ah!? Wh-why?!”

“Stop teaching Momisia weird things.”

“Ugh—Lord Ian!”

Around the hopping man, ragged-looking humans clung to their aching shins and groaned dramatically.

‘That’s... the Master of Water, Sema?’

Nameita was dumbfounded.

The reputation surrounding him had been far too majestic.

This man felt... absurdly ordinary.

The dungeon truly made no sense at all.

Still, Nameita quickly shook himself back to focus.

He had something important to accomplish.

Sema blinked in surprise as Nameita approached.

“A dwarf?”

“I am the scholar Nameita. Are you not Sema, the great mage whom Lord Ian trusts above all others?”

“Trusts...? Uh, well, I guess?”

Sema slowly lowered the leg he’d been hopping on and discreetly set his other foot down as well.

Nameita politely pretended not to notice, giving the man a chance to recover at least a shred of dignity.

“I have a request.”

“For me?”

“I ask that you appraise the magic cast upon this letter. If I am to serve Lord Ian, I must prove that my words are true.”

“...Appraise it?”

“Yes.”

“...Me?”

“Indeed.”

Nameita couldn’t understand why this supposedly great wizard kept responding with questions.

Then Ian called out from nearby.

“No. Not him.”

“...?”

“The one who needs to appraise it is this guy. Wake up already. Why are you sleeping all day?”

Ian shook what looked suspiciously like a sack of potatoes.

The brown bundle wriggled.

Then slender white fingers emerged from beneath the robe.

As the hood slipped back, silver hair spilled free.

Nameita froze.

Before he realized it, his gaze had been completely stolen away.

Could a dwarf even call himself a dwarf if he regained his senses after witnessing marble come alive?

An elf of breathtaking beauty yawned lazily.

“Uuugh... How many months has it been?”

“Sounds like it’s been months. You still sleepy?”

“Mmm... familiar scolding. So you really are my first regular customer.”

“Yeah. Now get up and start paying back the life you owe me.”

“Amazing. So it wasn’t a dream.”

The elf slowly smiled.

It was the happiest expression Nameita had ever seen on an elf.

“I haven’t had many good things happen in my life. When good things kept happening one after another... I thought I must be dreaming.”

A strange sense of familiarity stirred inside Nameita.

He had definitely seen this elf’s face somewhere before.

That overwhelming beauty...

But something about the smile felt strangely mismatched.

A sculpture?

No. If he had ever seen such a masterpiece, he could never have forgotten it.

No matter how much of his life had been devoted to scholarship, a dwarf’s instinctive appreciation for beauty could never disappear.

Hadn’t Nameita spent his entire life trying to make the world more beautiful?

“The debt for saving my life... ah, right. I should repay it. What do you need?”

“Just appraise this.”

Ian snatched the letter from Nameita’s hands and shoved it toward the elf.

The elf’s eyes sparkled with curiosity.

Unable to stop himself, Nameita blurted out:

“Have we... met somewhere before?”

“...?”

“...??”

The elf tilted his head.

“Don’t you think that line’s a little outdated? I may be old, but my tastes are still quite modern...”

“W-What are you talking about?!”

Nameita genuinely could not make sense of this dungeon at all.