---

Alright, then shall we talk about the Dwarves?

Firstly, it seems that the Dwarves, who originally settled around Sagarmatha and lived by digging mines, have significantly increased in number over the 300 years that have passed.

Before I fell asleep, some Dwarves had begun leaving caves and mountains to settle in other places, often mingling with humans and living in human villages.

However, the Dwarves that increased in number while I was asleep must have migrated in a different manner.

Small groups of dozens, and sometimes hundreds, gathered together and left the surrounding mountains of Sagarmatha to migrate to other mountains where they found new veins of ore, so they could establish their mines there.

The reason for this choice was likely due to the rapid increase in the Dwarven population.

Unlike humans or other races, Dwarves experienced a significant population boom. This surge stemmed from their safe living environment, free from external threats.

Basically, Dwarves who lived in mines were quite skilled at defending themselves against outside foes.

One could even say that the villages of present-day Dwarves are better referred to as Dwarven fortresses rather than mere villages.

Entrances cleverly hidden and blocked by hard-to-open doors, allowing only a small number of individuals to enter at once, along with narrow and complex passageways create the Dwarven fortress.

For outsiders, without a proper map, it frequently happens that they wander for days before being rescued by patrolling Dwarves in a labyrinthine maze.

This is all the result of the Dwarves digging mines to extract good ore… but still, thanks to the defensive power of the so-called fortresses, Dwarves could remain safe from outside threats.

Occasionally, monsters would surface from the ground, but those errant monsters were no match for the sturdy and well-armed Dwarf warriors! They might take down a few miners but nothing more!

Sure, there were instances of rockfalls or earthquakes causing parts of caves to collapse, but… in other words, aside from those accidents, it meant the Dwarves could consider themselves safe.

Also, with the moss and mushrooms in the caves serving as food sources, there was no strict limitation on food supply, and their technology for locating water veins had advanced considerably, leaving them with no scarcity of water. Trade with the outside was also quite active, making it easy to purchase necessary food supplies.

So, a rapidly growing population was only natural.

However, this massive increase in the Dwarven population began to lead to various issues within Dwarven society, prompting them to choose the option of relocating Dwarves from the mines to other places as a solution.

Initially, they recruited volunteers and, using merchants familiar with outside information, carefully selected suitable places for migration while providing ample support to the Dwarves. But of course, this process took a lot of time and considerable expense.

As internal strife escalated among the Dwarves to the point of even leading to violent incidents, the ruling class of the Dwarves, unable to tolerate this any longer, forcibly relocated those who committed crimes, caused every little fuss, refused to work, or harbored resentment against the ruling class to different locations.

Those forcibly relocated often couldn’t establish proper mines since they didn’t receive adequate support, but occasionally some Dwarves managed to succeed in mining despite the hardships and adversities they faced.

That led to an increase in Dwarven fortresses not just on Sagarmatha but in other mountains.

After that, Dwarves began to maintain a more appropriate balance between mine expansion and population growth… but, well, there’s no need to elaborate on that, so let’s skip it.

With Dwarven villages sprouting up in various places, the items they once considered precious began to become more accessible, reaching a point where things were no longer selling well unless they were made of iron… except for Lizardmen, who weren’t particularly fond of iron due to it rusting.

Anyway, thanks to the Dwarves spreading out, the overall level of their forging techniques improved.

Due to the Dwarves’ expansion, a few mountains and forests disappeared as firewood was used from their forges, bringing them to the brink of war with the Elves. But, the war never broke out. Phew.

Instead, they suffered an unprecedented humiliation by getting swept away in the Elf-Dwarf racial war, being utterly defeated, and even after hardening their resolve and training their skills, they kept losing, like a team that never got to play fall baseball, losing and losing, only to eventually kneel before the Elves and inquire about the reasons for their defeats.

The backdrop of these losses mostly stemmed from the chaotic internal matters of the Dwarves due to the population boom at the time, but the clueless Elves claimed the reason was the vengeful spirits of the trees that Dwarves had burned.

Of course, this made no sense, but some Dwarves, eager for victory, began wondering if there was some truth to it and sought ways to cut down on the use of firewood.

The Dwarves then tried various alternatives to replace firewood.

They hired Mages to use magical flames for forging, searched for substitutes to burn instead of wood, and created devices that emitted flames using Mana Stones. A tiny number of Dwarves even attempted to enlist the help of the Elves to summon fire spirits.

In the case of hiring Mages, they eventually gave up as the Mage couldn’t produce fire continuously due to magical power issues. The devices using Mana Stones were quite effective but either had to be transformed into weapons or modified for household use due to cost issues.

Some Elves who had friendly relationships with particular Dwarves helped to summon fire spirits to assist in forge work, resulting in somewhat meaningful outcomes, but on the whole, there weren’t many Dwarves who got along well with Elves.

During all this, a certain rumor began to circulate among some Dwarves.

It was said that a type of black stone occasionally found in the mines would catch fire and blaze brightly.

Needless to say, it was about coal.

After that, Dwarves began to use coal instead of wood, leading to a reduction in trips outside their fortresses for firewood. However, they did face incidents related to toxic gases from coal, resulting in accidents.

Eventually, the norm became for Dwarves to do their blacksmithing work using coal.

Oh, and they seemed to be properly attentive to ventilation. It was actually a bit amusing to see moss growing densely around the forge, but what can you do? They couldn’t really allow outside air to flow down from deep underground.

In the end, with the need to go out for firewood eliminated, Dwarves stopped burning wood, resulting in at least a slight improvement in their relations with the Elves.

—

“You seem to be doing well.”

“Yeah. Welcome back, Eomma.”

The quiet Sagarmatha smiled faintly as she opened her arms, and I, too, smiled as I gently embraced her.

This kid really hasn’t changed at all.

“Eomma, did you sleep enough?”

“Of course. 300 years of sleep is more than enough.”

Sure, I could have slept longer if I wanted to… but I opened my eyes, so it can’t be helped!

“How have things been? No major problems?”

“Not really. Neither the Dwarves nor I.”

“Is that so?”

Just a while back, Sagarmatha, who had once looked upon the Dwarves—her ancestors who burrowed under her feet—as nothing more than bugs, now observed them with a rather curious gaze.

Her eyes even reflected a hint of affection!

“It’s fascinating to watch.”

“I’m glad to hear that.”

Perhaps Sagarmatha was watching the Dwarves through the innocent eyes of a child observing an ant farm.

Well, she wouldn’t go so far as to turn on a faucet over the anthill or pour molten aluminum over it! She’d just be watching! This much should be considered friendly!!

“By the way, Eomma, is it okay for you to be here?”

“Hmm? Why do you ask?”

“I heard a rumor that your spirit is really angry because you’re not doing your job.”

Hmm? Asherat? Angry? At me?

Seems like she’s fuming because I’ve been slacking off…

“It’s fine.”

Since my spirit, who can be considered my other self, wouldn’t harm me.

At most… umm… they’d just keep nagging and try to force me to work.

“After I take a look at how the world has changed over the past 300 years, I’ll go back on my own. So if Asherat happens to ask you, just let her know that.”

It’s unlikely that Asherat, swamped with work in the temple, would come asking Sagarmatha, but I can at least share this much of a story!

Just a bit of verbal filler, but still!

“Okay. Since I think I’ve glimpsed enough of Sagarmatha and the Dwarves… where should I go next?”

“How about visiting Yggdrasil, Eomma?”

“Yggdrasil? That kid saw you before me.”

At that moment, I felt the air around us freeze momentarily.

Then Sagarmatha turned to me with a stiff movement, resembling a doll, and spoke in a voice devoid of emotion.

“Why? Why did I not meet Yggdrasil first?”

“Just because I was nearby?”

“Nearby?”

“Yeah. There wasn’t any particular intention behind it.”

I said that and gently patted Sagarmatha’s head, and only then did her frozen expression begin to thaw.

“Okay. Since it’s your word, I’ll believe it.”

For some reason, Sagarmatha seemed slightly scared.

 

---