Bear School Astartes

Sorlin and Balin were Dwarves who had already been living here before the Lonely Mountain fell to Smaug’s sudden attack.

And they used to be part of the upper ranks among the Dwarves.

The other Dwarves also roughly knew the way, but definitely not in as much detail as these two.

So once the two of them passed through the secret door, they moved about with great familiarity, as their memories of the Lonely Mountain were being stirred back to life.

According to the plan Sorlin had made together with Gandalf and the others, the Dwarves whose scent had already been remembered by the dragon could not go any deeper into the Lonely Mountain.

The dragon’s senses were beyond extraordinary; they had best stay in this small, secluded area not far from the secret door, so as not to accidentally wake Smaug.

So only Balin, with the nosy Rong Buqiu and Bilbo in tow, continued deeper into the Lonely Mountain.

Originally, Sorlin had also wanted to come lead the way.

But Balin and Rong Buqiu almost simultaneously tugged at the hem of his coat; the Dwarf Prince looked at the Elu Cat and at his own Old Dwarf friend, and in the end, after pressing his lips together, he agreed.

Who knows whether he himself was also aware of the ”dragon sickness” that ran in his family? Or whether he had forced himself to overcome that urgent homesickness, choosing instead to wait rationally until they got the Gemstone and assembled an army, before coming back in to see the home he once had.

After Balin had led Rong Buqiu and Bilbo for quite a distance along the winding, twisting path deeper into the Lonely Mountain, they came to another rock corridor with passageways in all directions.

And Balin was looking at the junction straight ahead, carefully bending at the waist and lowering his voice.

As if even here he was already worried about Smaug noticing them.

”So...” Balin’s actions made Bilbo tense up as well; he habitually glanced around, and spoke in a low voice.

”We’re going down there just to look for... a Gemstone? Just one Gemstone, right?”

”Yes. One large, white, brilliantly shining Gemstone.”

Balin’s gaze moved back and forth between Bilbo and Rong Buqiu, making sure both of them had clearly heard what he said.

”Just that, meow?” Rong Buqiu scratched his triangular ears with a paw. ”But you guys said before that the treasure in the Lonely Mountain is su~per huge! There must be tons of Gemstones!”

Rong Buqiu drew out his words to emphasize his doubts.

But Balin remained unmoved, even looking full of confidence.

”Just the one. The Aken Gemstone is absolutely unique; once you see it, you can never mistake it for any other Gemstone. There’s not the slightest chance.”

”In other words, anything that makes you hesitate a bit when you see it, anything you’re not quite sure about—that definitely isn’t it.”

Balin’s tone was firm and resolute, as if he believed that these few sentences were more than enough to describe the Aken Gemstone.

The Elu Cat and the Hobbits exchanged a glance, each mulling over his words.

Balin took advantage of this brief silence to look anxiously down toward the end of the corridor again.

Then, as if he had come to some decision, he drew in a deep breath and spoke earnestly to Rong Buqiu and Bilbo.

”I have to be honest with you, lads...”

The Old Dwarf’s lips moved hesitantly, and his big bushy White Beard trembled along with them.

”I have absolutely no idea what you’re going to... run into once you go further down, truly.”

”If you don’t want to go, don’t force yourselves. No one has any right to talk behind your backs if you retreat in the face of a dragon.”

Rong Buqiu and Bilbo exchanged a glance, but unexpectedly, the Hobbits—who normally loved peace and comfort and didn’t have much courage—was the first to speak.

”N-no, Balin.”

Bilbo’s face was stiff, his eyes drifting about uneasily, giving off the sort of muddled impression that made you wonder whether he even knew what he was saying right now.

But the words coming out of his mouth weren’t from a cool, rational brain... they were from his warm, earnest heart.

”Uh, I promised to help you, my friends, take back your home. Since I promised, then... uh... I have to see it through! Mm!”

”Even though my role in the team is a Master of Flying Thieves, I consider myself an honest person. Mm!”

Bilbo stammered as he spoke.

Rong Buqiu also jumped up beside him: ”You lost your home, and the people of Long Lake Town also left their homes because of fear and the fires, and it’s all that dragon’s fault, meow! Just watch me steal that dragon’s Gemstone!”

Balin looked at Bilbo and Rong Buqiu; after a long moment, it was as if the Old Dwarf suddenly snapped back to himself. He covered his face with a sleeve and sniffled.

”Snnn~ right. I’d forgotten how brave you two are.”

”In that case, my two most respectable gentlemen, please take with you all the luck and courage you have!”

In Balin’s deep, muffled voice, the two small figures first nodded to him, then walked toward the shadowy depths of the Lonely Mountain.

The Hobbits and the Elu Cat both had soft pads under their feet, so their steps on the rocky ground of the Lonely Mountain were completely silent.

They went further in, and further down, aiming for the place Sorlin and Balin had told them about—the Treasure Hall of the Lonely Mountain Kingdom.

It was said that the place was unimaginably vast, with a ceiling over a hundred meters high just in the main hall alone!

If you wanted to go from the rocky caverns in the ceiling down to the ground level, you had to walk down a long, huge staircase; the Dwarves moving on that staircase would look as tiny as little ants.

The Treasure Hall was even more enormous in width, with many massive stone pillars, each as large as a house in footprint, holding it up so that this excavated hall would not collapse under the weight of the Lonely Mountain above.

Back before the Lonely Mountain Kingdom was destroyed, this immense hall had shimmered with golden light everywhere, piled high with treasure like mountains!

The closer they got to the Treasure Hall, the more the once crude rock walls began to display solemn patterns.

The secret door, for the sake of concealment, was located in a relatively outer, hidden corridor inside the Lonely Mountain.

But the Treasure Hall was the very essence of the Lonely Mountain, so of course it had been lavishly adorned.

In sharp, angular Dwarf style, straight lines of gold were inlaid along the rock walls as decoration, stretching all the way forward.

”Hey, Rong Buqiu, do you smell anything?”

Bilbo’s eyes darted nervously about as he spoke, his voice as soft as a breath.

”I do, meow... it stinks! And not just any regular stink!”

Rong Buqiu meowed softly as he spoke, but even though he said it ”really stank,” as an Elu Cat who had grown up in the Valley of Miasma on the New Continent, he still professionally suppressed his physical revulsion.

This is a strange kind of stench, as if it can cling to the rock walls, the floor... every place.

Its adhesiveness is very strong, its penetration is very strong, and it also lingers for a very long time.

By rights, given Rong Buqiu’s growth environment, it should have long since become indifferent to the rotten smells of nature.

But this stench... makes one feel disgusted from the bottom of their heart.

”It’s dragon stink!”

Bilbo whispered, having traveled with Sorlin and the others for a year, of course he had heard the Dwarves’ descriptions of Smaug.

The stench of an evil dragon was always an unavoidable topic.

It’s said that in any place an evil dragon has occupied for long, there will be this kind of stench.

Even if the dragon doesn’t leave food scraps and excrement where it lives, it’s the same.

”Rong Buqiu, let’s be honest with each other... have you ever stolen anything?”

The two of them didn’t even make a sound with their footsteps; the deathly stillness inside the mountain made Bilbo feel uneasy, so he unconsciously started talking to Rong Buqiu.

”Of course, meow. Before I went on adventures with the Investigation Team, I was a little thief cat of the Plunder Race, you know! We’re really good at getting good stuff off monsters’ bodies, from their nests, from the traces of their territory!”

”I haven’t stolen from an Ancient Dragon yet, but normal dragons are no problem, meow!”

Bilbo nodded repeatedly, even looking vaguely relieved.

He didn’t really understand what ”Investigation Team,” ”Plunder Race,” ”Ancient Dragon” and all that meant, but he understood ”little thief cat.”

He just hadn’t expected that after saying that, the little cat suddenly seemed to realize something; its big watery eyes went even wider, then it turned its head to stare at Bilbo.

”Meow?!”

The Hobbits, having been seen through, immediately felt embarrassed.

”Bilbo, y-you’ve never stolen anything, meow?! Aren’t you a Master of Flying Thieves, meow!”

”Of course I’m a Master of Flying Thieves! Of course!”

Bilbo puffed out his chest in a not‑very‑confident way, even stiffening his neck.

Some people, when they feel guilty, will slump, but Bilbo was the sort who instinctively tries to put on a strong front.

But in the end, the honest Hobbits still stammered and let the truth slip.

”I—I’ve always been a proper sort, Rong Buqiu. Never done any sneaking and stealing.”

”Then what are we gonna do, meow!”

Rong Buqiu gave a little jump in anxiety.

Up till now, it hadn’t known that Bilbo was a complete novice at thievery.

”Don’t worry, don’t worry.” This time it was Bilbo who raised a finger to his lips, his other hand pressing down in the air, signaling Rong Buqiu to calm down.

”You don’t have to worry about me, I’ve got a few tricks up my sleeve too! As long as I’m prepared, no one can see me!”

Rong Buqiu’s little triangular ears had drooped in dejection, but on hearing this it lifted its head, a bit skeptical.

”Really, meow?”

Bilbo puffed out his chest again, only this time much more at ease than before.

”Trust me! I’ve been out traveling for a whole year too! I definitely have some skills!”

The Hobbits and the Elu Cat kept their voices low as they spoke, and thus finished descending the staircase Balin had pointed out to them.

And the moment they walked out of the stairwell and stepped into what had once been the Treasure Hall of the Lonely Mountain Kingdom, their conversation cut off abruptly.

Because without realizing it, the Hobbits and the Elu Cat had both been stunned by the sight before their eyes.

Their minds were left with nothing but shock.

Because the Treasure Hall really was as vast and magnificent as the Dwarves had described to them.

It was even a bit more exquisite, because some of the pillars holding up the ceiling were carved into towering Dwarf Warriors, while others had sharp, angular lines yet a solid beauty.

But what was even more awe‑inspiring... was the gold.

Gold beyond counting, piled up and spread out across the hall like an ocean!

Because the light was not very strong, this Golden Silver Sea did not shine too dazzlingly.

Instead it presented a kind of dim golden hue.

But this dimness only made one all the more inclined to imagine: if the flames were blazing bright... what a spectacular sight this would be.

Even Rong Buqiu, an Elu Cat who didn’t really care about money and hardly ever came into contact with it, was shaken by the scene before its eyes.

Even the Hobbits, who loved a quiet life and pastoral scenery, were left staring, speechless.

Yet in less than a dozen seconds, the Elu Cat and the Hobbits simultaneously pulled their gazes away from the Golden Silver Sea and looked at each other.

”Why do I feel like it’s not as crazy as they made it sound? From the way Balin talked, it was like we’d go mad the moment we came down here.”

After the initial shock, Bilbo scratched his head and whispered.

Because of the Dwarves’ grave warnings earlier, he was starting to wonder if there was something odd about himself.

Fortunately, Rong Buqiu’s answer made Bilbo feel a bit more at ease.

”I feel the same... all this gold color is really stabbing my eyes, meow.”

Shaking its head, Rong Buqiu tugged at Bilbo with its little paw.

”Forget the gold, let’s get to work first, meow!”

”You’re right, we still have a job to do.”