A day after leaving Hufton in our coach, we had finally left the elven forest behind and entered a mountainous region. The majestic Dome Mountains had come into view and I could see the entrance to the Dwarven Great Caves at the center of them.
Boorman had wanted to come with us, but we only had enough sleeping space in this coach for three and didn’t have food to spare, so I had to turn him down. Not like we could teach him much about sumo in the middle of a getaway either. Our top priority was getting back to Aryaka, and hopefully the dwarves would help with that.
“There’s the entrance, milady.”
The prince and I looked out the window and saw that the highway led directly inside a large cave—the fact that we could enter this place in a coach was a testament to the high technological level of the nation that called itself the Dwarven Great Caves. Ever since we had crossed the border at midnight, the quality of the roads had improved. Importing mineral resources and exporting crafted items was no doubt a major factor in the thoroughness of their road maintenance.
Adela stopped the coach. Two stern-looking dwarves approached, spears in hand. They must’ve been guarding the entrance.
Dwarves were a primarily cave-dwelling, bearded race with small but strong builds. They excelled at excavating and processing minerals. Many legendary items, such as swords—both demonic and holy—as well as demonic armor, had been the products of their craftsmanship.
The prince and I got out of the coach.
“I am Crown Prince Richie of the Kingdom of Aryaka, and this is Crown Princess Candidate Floortje.”
“What a surprise! Welcome to the Dwarven Great Caves!”
“A coup has occurred in the Elven Forest Republic and we had to escape as a small group. We wish to speak to your leader.”
No longer on their guard, the dwarves spoke to us with smiles on their faces.
“Unlucky of you to get caught up in that. We’ve heard there was a change of government in the Elven Forest Republic, but not much information reaches us since we don’t have diplomatic relations with them. It would be of much help if you could share the news with us.”
Elves and dwarves didn’t get along well: apparently, their cultures were incompatible. Despite being neighbors, they had no official diplomatic relations, but they did exchange commodities nonetheless. Dwarves traded manufactured goods, while elves traded grain and food.
“Chancellor Mickaël has led the Demon Lord’s army inside the Elven Forest Republic and has the elven soldiers backing him up.”
“Making a pact with demons? How shortsighted.”
“Bloody salad munchers.”
A messenger dwarf ran up to one of the guards and whispered something in his ear.
“The chief is waiting for you. Go on in. Take your coach. I’ll lead the way.”
“Thank you.”
“It’s a pleasure.”
The dwarven guard, who wore a rather luxurious helmet and armor, ran on ahead. Once the prince and I returned to the coach, Adela got it moving again.
“Bark, bark, bark!”
What had caught Barkus’s attention was the ceiling. The caves resembled a beehive, their walls lined with dwellings stretching rather high. Our coach ran between orange magic lanterns.
“What an astounding place,” I mused.
“It sure is. And we never would’ve come here normally.”
“I’d like to visit again once all this is over.”
“Me too. And no other dwarven habitat is as big as these caves.”
Dwarves excavated the Dome Mountains to build large cities, each such project spanning over a thousand years. All of them were both brave warriors and craftspeople. Were the Demon Lord’s army to take this place, the military strength of human nations that were dependent on dwarven craftsmanship would suffer.
The coach arrived in the depths of the caves, stopping in front of a stone porch, which was decorated with large, lavish sculptures.
“Your Highness, milady, this is the palace of the Dwarven Great Caves.”
“Such magnificent sculptures!” I exclaimed.
“Just imagine the amazing technology these were made with,” added the prince.
“Bark, bark!”
Depicting dwarven warriors fighting dragons, the sculptures brimmed with vigor.
“Please do come in, Crown Prince Richie.”
“Very well,” replied the prince. He waved his mantle, gallantly stepping forth.
With splendid architecture as the backdrop, he looked like a legendary hero. How elegant! Dosukoi dosukoi!
Led inside by the guard from earlier, we entered a large hall. On a fancy stone chair in the back of the hall sat an imposing elderly dwarf with white hair. It might also be noted that all dwarves had flowing beards, small builds, and thick arms, so it was hard to tell them apart. My only option was to distinguish them by the color of their hair and beards.
“Oh, Prince Richie! Long time no see!”
“It has been a while, Chief Jörd.”
“I believe the last time we met was at your investiture as crown prince, so about a year ago. Thought I wouldn’t be seeing you until your wedding with Floortje.”
“Of course, I will invite you when the time comes.”
“Looking forward to it!”
The white-bearded dwarf laughed. He was as merry as I remembered him.
“I hear something big took place in salad-muncher lands. Care to share some details?”
“Gladly. Chancellor Mickaël has led the Demon Lord’s army inside the Town of Yggdrasil and started a coup. The Elven Forest Republic is currently in the hands of the elven revolutionaries.”
“And what of the fairy king? He may be a dunce wrapped in cheap flattery, but his magic prowess is no laughing matter. Can’t imagine him ever losing to some run-of-the-mill elves.”
“We don’t know. The chancellor said he’s ‘bedridden with a terrible illness,’ so they might be keeping him in confinement.”
“Tsk. Even that impregnable Town of Yggdrasil has let enemies inside... We’d best be on our guard for any tricks they might pull to get to us too.”
“The elven chancellor said he intends to attack the Dwarven Great Caves together with the Demon Lord’s army, then invade Aryaka afterwards. We have to get back and warn the king as soon as possible.”
“I see... Agh, they’re such a pain in our rear. Fine—since this is an emergency, we’ll do our utmost to assist the crown prince of our friendly nation of Aryaka.”
“Thank you, Chief Jörd.”
Fortunately, the dwarves seemed all too happy to help us.
“You should stay for the night. We’ll have the Magic Train ready for you tomorrow to get you to the border with Aryaka.”
“You mean it’s complete?!”
“Sure is. Aryaka’s forgotten all about it ever since your brother’s downfall. Engineers, though—they make the most of their budget. They’ve got an experimental track finished, though it only goes as far as the border.”
“That’s incredible!”
“I was planning to go to Aryaka on it, surprise King Arvi, and ask him for funding to finish laying the track all the way to Aryagard. It’ll probably work much better if I’m helping to bring the crown prince back at the same time.”
“Huh... If you say so...”
This dwarf was unexpectedly calculating. But it would be great to have the Magic Train run all the way to the eastern part of Aryaka. We could use it to go to the Dwarven Great Caves—or, less importantly, to the Elven Forest Republic—for tourism, trade, or more. The economic benefits seemed pretty major.
I had thought the setting of The Rondo of Light and Darkness was fantasy, but it was, in fact, surprisingly modern.
A dwarven maid escorted us to where we would be staying for the night. It was a marvelous, spacious room within the palace, one reserved for special guests. There were no windows, though, because it was underground. But the sculptures and the furniture were rather incredible indeed.
“This is just the sort of VIP lounge I would expect to find in the Dwarven Great Caves. I don’t want to imagine for a moment having to clean a room with this many valuables in it.”
“You are my ditzy maid, at the end of the day.”
“Bark, bark!”
The pup barked as Adekichi started to pout. I was grateful to him for being so well behaved and not wreaking havoc in this room, which looked as if it could be a showroom for national treasures. Since he was such a good boy, I patted his fluffy back. Mmm. After the visit to the hot spring, he was now so clean that his fur felt like velvet.
“You must be tired after driving the coach every day, Adela. Why don’t you rest in your room until dinnertime?”
“That was my intention, milady. What about you?”
“Well, I wanted to go take a look around while we’re here.”
“I’ll come with you,” the prince piped up.
“That would be wonderful, Your Highness.”
“We’ve been rather occupied these past few days, after all.”
“Bark, bark!”
“You’re staying with me, Barkus. It’s not often milady and His Highness get to be alone together, so you mustn’t disturb them.”
“Whine...”
Nice one, Adela. Holding Barkus against her chest, my maid left the room. Incidentally, there was a waiting room for maids next to this one.
It had been a while since my last date with the prince. The tightly packed schedule of constant diplomatic trips meant we could never quietly spend time together. The two of us left the palace, arm in arm.
“Crown Prince Richie, where are you headed?” asked the door guard.
“I’ve found some free time and was planning to spend it on a short walk with Floortje here around the caves.”
“Very well. I shall assign this dwarf to escort you.”
“Thank you.”
They all looked the same to me, so I could only tell them apart by the color of their beards—and our new escort had a blond one.
“What’s your name?”
“It’s ‘Werner,’ Lady Floortje.”
So, the blond Werner. Perhaps he had experience in martial arts, as his stance was low.
“You do some sort of martial art, don’t you, Werner?”
“Yes, I do some Dwarven Sumo...”
“Dwarven Sumo!!!” the prince and I simultaneously exclaimed.
Had sumo reached the Dwarven Great Caves too?