Frilian: The Adventure of the Hero

The next morning, Frillie was dragged out of bed by Shane.

As agreed yesterday, they will go to the nearby mountains today to try to find clues related to the dwarf helmet.

"Can't we go in the afternoon?"

Frillie looked reluctant.

Xia En is ignored.

The air after the rain was cool.

The two walked along the path, where there were many puddles because it had just rained.

Xia En would carefully avoid them.

Frillie followed behind him in a daze, not paying attention to where she was going at all. She would step into water every now and then, and she stumbled along the way. The magic to dry her clothes never stopped.

Yeah, having magic means you can be so carefree.

After carefully climbing up a huge rock, the two finally arrived at the place the old man had mentioned where they had found the helmet.

Just as Frilian had predicted, there were many trenches carved out by axes here.

Xia En touched the marks left on the rocks next to him. The deepest mark was half a meter deep, and the shallowest was about the width of a finger. After decades of wind and sun exposure, the sharp cut surfaces were still visible.

He couldn't help but marvel at how the dwarves were all born with superhuman strength.

"These marks vary in depth; the warrior must have been nearly exhausted when he was slashing them."

There was a hint of sadness in Frilian's voice.

She had traveled with Azer for 10 years and knew very well the strength of the dwarf warriors.

These marks, though seemingly unbelievable, are still too "ordinary" compared to the average combat strength of dwarf warriors. They were most likely left by that person in his dying struggle; he must have fought the monster to the very end...

The two continued to search the surrounding area.

Unfortunately, due to the passage of time, nothing else can be found except for the traces on the rocks.

Pat pat—

The rain has started again.

Frillie couldn't help but shrink her neck. "This damp and chilly weather is really not suitable for going out."

Xia En looked around. "There's a protruding rock over there. Let's go down there and take shelter from the rain."

Before she finished speaking, Frilian took off and sped away in the blink of an eye.

Xia En: "..."

They sat around the fire.

The two looked at the mountains through the rain with nothing to do.

Xia En had a vague feeling that there was more to this helmet than met the eye.

Like elves, dwarves are few in number, but have a long and rich history.

In countless fantasy stories, dwarves are always associated with "treasure" and "artifacts," which he finds very interesting. If he could find a maze full of magical tools or broken equipment, he could start working on new entries.

"Frilian, has Azer ever told you about the history or stories of the dwarves?"

"Aize is a man of few words. He might occasionally mention his homeland, but he's never told me about his dwarven race. I have heard Vlame mention them, though..."

Frillie hugged her legs and moved forward slightly, getting closer to the fire.

As she felt the warmth of the flames, she recounted the history that Vlamé had told her:

Before the Demon King ordered the extermination of the elves, their first target was actually the dwarves.

Unlike elves, a race with few desires who prefer to live in seclusion, dwarves are hospitable and enjoy interacting with humans, especially doing business with them.

The dwarves are skilled at finding iron ore, smelting iron, and forging, and they are also adept at invention. The Demon King once tried to win them over, but was rejected.

The reason is very much in line with the dwarves' character: because demons are not as intelligent as humans.

Before the unified empire, the dwarves created a glorious "steel civilization" and even began to try to make large machines, hoping to bring human society into a more convenient era.

But this action immediately alerted the Demon King.

A demon spy infiltrated the largest tribe of dwarves and, using unknown means, instigated an internal war. The dwarves began to divide and fight amongst themselves, greatly weakening their strength.

Meanwhile, the demons seized the opportunity to launch a massacre against the dwarves, and in less than a hundred years, the dwarves were divided and wiped out.

The surviving dwarves hid in human society, began to live in anonymity, and kept a low profile.

It was because they saw the fate of the dwarves that the elves chose the side of humans from the very beginning.

Unfortunately, even so, they could not escape the Demon King's slaughter.

Frillie seemed to be recalling her childhood experiences, and her mood became somewhat depressed. She didn't continue speaking.

Xia En sighed.

Whether elves or dwarves, they were all victims of this millennia-long "war between humans and demons".

…………

The rain stopped shortly afterward.

During this rainy season, the weather, like people's moods, is always unpredictable, sometimes good and sometimes bad.

The two continued to wander aimlessly in the mountains.

Xia En spotted a small mountain village with smoke rising from its chimneys in the distance.

The village is nestled among the mountains and forests, with only a dozen or so households.

Xia En stepped forward and asked an old woman at the village entrance about the situation. He wanted to know if there were any folk tales or legends about dwarves in the vicinity.

I'm trying to find some useful clues from this.

"An outsider?"

The moment the old lady saw Xia En, her attitude immediately turned cold. After giving him a quick once-over, she turned around and closed the door.

This startled Xia En.

Did I say something wrong?

He tried knocking on another door, but when the person opened the door, saw him, and closed the door again without saying a word.

This made him feel very strange. His face had always been very popular, loved by everyone from 80-year-olds to 8-year-olds. Why didn't it have the desired effect today?

"It's probably not your problem."

"Perhaps these secluded mountain villages simply don't like outsiders intruding."

After listening, Xia En nodded, deeply agreeing.

Just then, a crack opened in the door of a house ahead, and a chubby little girl peeked out, looking around.

Then, it squeezed out through the crack in the door and hopped over to Shane.

The little girl coughed a little shyly, then carefully stretched out a chubby little hand and opened it in front of Xia En.

"Big brother, you are so beautiful, the most handsome person I have ever seen."

"I found this in the woods. It's as beautiful as you, and I wanted to give it to you!"

In the little girl's chubby palm lay a peculiarly shaped hazelnut, gleaming with a bluish luster.

Xia En couldn't help but pick it up and examine it closely; it was the first time he had ever seen a hazelnut grow like this.

Just as I was about to say something, a woman rushed out of the house behind the little girl, grabbed her, and dragged her back home.

"..."

Xia En looked at the hazelnuts, then at the tightly closed door, unsure whether she should go over and return them.

Frilian, who was standing nearby, noticed what Shane was holding.

I became interested instantly.

"I've never seen blue hazelnuts here before, it's been so many years!"

"Is it some kind of strange magical material?"

"No, it's just a regular hazelnut."

ordinary?

Xia En complained, "This is anything but ordinary. How can there be blue hazelnuts in the world, and they look so strange?"

You're probably lying to me.

"It's just a regular hazelnut."

"It just happens to grow on the back of a Celestial Dragon. Looks like a Celestial Dragon has been passing through here recently..."