Chapter 227 - Tough Choice (Thank you for your support, TYRELL GRAY!)

The entrance of the cave was pretty dark, but soon I found some lights ahead. After crossing a few dozen meters, I saw a pair of giant golems defending the entrance of the hideout. They weren’t like the golems that I found in the dungeons until now… they were metallic golems created by the dwarves.

They were metallic constructs, their bodies forged from gleaming steel and reinforced with thick plates of bronze. Every seam and joint of their construction showed the masterful dwarven craftsmanship, the metal polished to a dull shine that caught and reflected the sparse light in eerie, angular patterns.

Their proportions were imposing, massive arms like battering rams, legs thick as tree trunks, and broad torsos etched with runes that pulsed faintly with an internal energy source. Their heads were featureless save for a pair of glowing, crimson eyes that tracked even the slightest movement, casting a menacing red hue across the cavern floor.

Steam hissed softly from vents in their shoulders, a constant reminder of the raw power that fueled them. They stood in perfect silence, unmoving yet brimming with energy, like coiled springs ready to unleash devastating force at the slightest provocation. These golems were no mindless constructs; they were designed with precision, built to guard the secrets of the dwarves and to crush anyone who dared trespass.

‘I don’t think that they can sense my movement, unless I get too close to them… in any case, can I get experience by destroying this?’

I knew that the dwarves liked to make a lot of things, but I didn’t hear anything about golems… they seemed like automatic defenses as well, so they didn’t need to be controlled. I wanted that kind of knowledge. Perhaps I could use something similar to clear labyrinths.

In any case, I passed above them and the golems didn’t notice me or move even a bit… Thanks to that, I was able to climb the ceiling when it expanded upward and then I had the chance to see the dwarven base.

It was massive… it looked like they had carved out the interior of the entire mountain. To make sure that their digging wouldn’t make the whole place fall apart, the dwarves created giant pillars to support the ceiling and also reinforced it with earth magic and runes.

The base itself was pretty simple. Aside from that, the buildings were all the same, aside the ones where things were being done outside like processing ores, or melting metals to reforge them into something else. I couldn’t hear much of the sound of hammers, but there was a lot of steam and smoke coming from some places.

The dwarves that I could see moving around weren’t ready for fighting. Some of them had thick hammers or axes, some of them had large crossbows as well, but neither of them had any defensive gear. It looked like the idea of the elves reaching this far never crossed their minds.

‘I guess the elves must be there…’

The center of the base had a large building that seemed like the perfect place for meetings to take place… a lot of tents were around as well. Even if they had free houses, they wouldn’t work for the elves, since the dwarven houses were quite short, plenty large, but very short.

I decided to approach one of the pillars and slowly climb down to the closest part of that area… I had to get done with this and then resume my goal of exploring labyrinths. They should be pretty defenseless now, since the dwarves were getting ready for war.

Getting a lot of magic ores should also be possible and I would need them to test a bunch of ideas. In any case, I approached the pillar and then began to climb down to the area… I was still camouflaged, but I had to be cautious and not let even a bit of dust fall from it. Thanks to that, I stopped using the claws of my gloves and then slid down the pillar. My hands were getting hot thanks to the friction, but I endured it.

While I was doing that, I noticed a bit of noise coming from below, and soon I saw the elves leaving their tents and heading to the largest building that I assumed was where the dwarves talked about their plans.

‘Things can never be easy for me, huh?’

This was the closest dwarven base to the town where that elf was supposed to be working until recently. That was already me being lucky enough. In any case, I focused my eyes to find him, but it was hard to see their faces from above… approaching right now had been a bad move in that regard.

“It is time to put the next part of the plan in motion. The empire sent reinforcements to help those who aligned themselves with the silver bows and those on the uppercase of the Elven society are following the lead of the new leader of the Silver Bows.”

‘That voice…’

I didn’t forget that voice… that guy was truly here. I couldn’t help but grin since I finally would be able to put an end to my journey of revenge. Still, he sure was well-informed, given that he stayed here for the last few days.

Then again, Renna was able to send a message to that dark elf and ask him to help me in the labyrinth, so perhaps this guy here also has some magic implement that helps him receive information from large distances. It also raised a question: who was sending those messages?

‘Maybe they have some people infiltrated among Arslan’s inner circle… Clarice said that the guy is a good archer, but being a good archer doesn’t help when it comes to avoiding being stabbed from behind.’

Of course something like that was possible… The older and society becomes, the more its people tend to rely on subtlety, deception, and backstabbing tactics rather than direct conflict to achieve their goals. 

In an older society, layers of traditions, hierarchies, and norms accumulate over generations. These social structures make outright warfare less practical or acceptable, especially among the elite. Open conflicts risk destabilizing the intricate balance that keeps the society functioning.

Instead, individuals and factions often resort to manipulation, sabotage, or covert alliances to outmaneuver their rivals within these systems. This made me worry a bit about Clarice. She was skilled too, but naïve to a fault… to the point that she never noticed that her allies worked for Cellica all along.

“We won’t be able to negotiate with them, given that the empire already sent so many troops to help the upper classes. They are planning to weaken our resolve by showing their might. Our only option is to fight and show them what we are made of.”

It looked like this guy was enticing them for the war in order to make them think that they didn’t have any other option. That would be a good way to make them fight better… if they think that they don’t have any other options, then their only path would be more clear to their goal.

“While our dwarf allies will lead the charge, we will focus on securing key points and making others join our cause. They will soon realize that the upper cast can’t be trusted when the empire starts to show their true colors. They fooled the Aquarians, but we can’t allow them to fool us!”

After that well practiced speech, the elves in the area began to shout in agreement. I was able to notice that it took a while for the others to feel the same way… elves were naturally more calm and not that hot-blooded, but that could be changed by putting some actors in the middle of their ranks to control the mood of the group.

“We won’t allow the empire to take over the world or over our lives! It is time to take back what is rightfully ours!”

The elves began to shout excitement again and soon they began to march to the exit of the base… that was bad. I had to make my move, but if I do it now, I will be targeted by hundreds of skilled elves. Avoiding so many arrows at the same time would be virtually impossible.

I wanted to take my chances and get this over with… just killing the guy should be easy, while escaping would be a bit difficult. It would be a better idea to capture him and then force him to spill all the beans. I was certain that he gave the empire the sleeping potion that caused the incident for three years, but to who? And who gave him that order on both sides? I also needed to know who was working for them pretending to be working for Arslan as well… I couldn’t give two shits if he lives or dies, but I didn’t think that Clarice would be safe with someone that could backstab her brother so close.

‘I still can make their plans come to a halt just by killing him here, but…’

The elves began to head to the exit, and when I approached a bit more, I saw that guy leading a small group of elves in the same direction… Those were the guys who controlled the mood of the larger group with their fake excitement. They were even willing to fool their own people to achieve their goal.

I stopped moving in the pillar and then considered using my bow… I could snipe him and then use the Magic Smoke Bomb amulet to make myself disappear and avoid the arrows. The smoke would take some time to dissipate here, after all.

‘Damn it…’

I couldn’t kill him yet… I had to get some answers first. Fortunately, following him now that I found him wouldn’t be hard. I just had to be patient, but I was terrible at that.

I climbed the pillar and then returned to the ceiling… while following that guy, I also retraced my steps. I had enough time to see some of the dwarves in the base getting ready to move as well. They would follow the elves from the back in order to avoid double-crossing. Now I had to remain close to both forces to achieve my goals and avoid being found out… 

You received 05 experience points.

You received 05 experience points.

You received 05 experience points.

‘At least Silent Observation will grant me a shit ton of experience since both sides are being wary of me and they want to kill me on sight as well.’