Lord: Starting from a Goblin Nest

Turns out, some things are the same no matter what world you’re in. But in a world with Magic, even those same things can become far more... magical.

’What kind of father alters his own child’s memory for an amber necklace?! Are Gold Dragons that desperate for cash?’

”No dragon would ever complain about having too much treasure in their hoard,” the gold dragon sighed. ”It’s the same for Metal Dragons, Colorful Dragons, and Gem Dragons alike. But even so, I still think what my dad did went too far.”

”Of course, there’s another possibility. He might have actually planned to give it back, but one night he got up, feeling hungry, and ate the necklace as a midnight snack. After that, it became... inconvenient to return it.”

”So, don’t even try to understand the logic of the Dragon Race,” Mazarino said with a laugh. ”Even they can’t understand each other.”

”By the way, Lord, what brings you here this time? To inspect my progress? Or have you run into some trouble with your Arcane Magic studies?”

”If the gold dragon hadn’t suggested I come have a look, I wouldn’t have even known you were undertaking such a massive project,” Ron said with a smile. ”I have run into a few issues with Arcane Magic, but I want to try and solve them on my own first.”

”But since we’re already here... Aiksuuri, is your hoard still in your old nest? We only unlocked two of the gemstones last time. There’s still the Flame Gemstone lock we haven’t opened.”

”Oh, you mean... Of course!” Aiksuuri flicked its tail. ”You all left in such a hurry last time, I thought you’d forgotten all about it!”

”Come on. I haven’t had a chance to move my hoard yet. Once the old man finishes building my tower, you’ll probably have to climb all the way up yourselves if you want to visit!”

”That’s a heartbreaking thing to say,” Delaford said, pouting in mock sorrow. ”I thought you were going to carry us up.”

”Are you trying to work me to death?” The Young Black Dragon snorted a puff of white steam from its nostrils. ”That Half-Elf alone would be more than I can handle!”

Aive looked down at herself, then glared at the young dragon. ”What’s that supposed to mean?!”

’She had to admit, she was probably the heaviest of the group. But her armor and shield made up most of the weight! The way Aiksuuri said it, it sounded like she was overweight herself!’

When the Flame Gemstone was placed on the stone slab, a pair of Hand Armor materialized before them. Forged from cold iron, the back of the right gauntlet was emblazoned with a ferocious red Ghost Face that glowed with a faint crimson light in the dimness of the Black Dragon’s Nest.

Before Ron could cast his Identification Magic, Aive took the Hand Armor and slipped it on. As a red light flared on her right hand, a completely scarlet Longsword materialized in her grasp.

”It summons a sword?” Sera put her hands on her hips. ”That doesn’t seem like a big deal.”

”Oh, really?” Aive chuckled. With a swing of her arm, the scarlet Longsword unleashed a wave of scorching heat, leaving a red afterimage in the air. ”This is a weapon with a flame Enchantment!”

After a few more swings, the Half-Elf took off the Hand Armor. ”Ron, can you take a look for me? How exactly do you use this thing? I feel like there must be more to it than just summoning a weapon.”

”You should learn to be happy with what you get,” Ron said, glancing at Aive with a smile. He knew she was a little disappointed, feeling this item wasn’t as good as the others. ”Let me see... It once belonged to a Tiffling who was taken as a slave by the Hailan Empire. It accompanied its master as he forged a legendary reputation in the gladiator arenas. Unfortunately, he was killed by the Hailan Empire’s Elves during a slave uprising, and this piece of Hand Armor was put into a collection.”

”It’s called the Flaming Hand Armor. When the wielder’s hands are empty, it can conjure a Longsword with a flame Enchantment. This means as long as you’re wearing it, you can never be disarmed.”

”And when the wielder is holding a weapon in their right hand, the Ghost Face on the Hand Armor helps its master perceive changes in the surroundings. No enemy lurking in the shadows or under the effects of invisibility can escape its sight.”

”That sounds pretty good,” Silvia said with a laugh. ”With this, we can save money on the materials for casting Reveal Invisibility.”

”And if we run into another powerful enemy like that Death Knight, you won’t have to worry about your sword getting knocked out of your hand.”

”The Death Knight...” Aive snorted. ”Is it not possible that it won’t just be my weapon flying through the air, but me as well?”

Since no one else was comfortable using a Longsword, the Hand Armor ended up with Aive. However, compared to the Reveal Invisibility effect, the Half-Elf clearly preferred the scarlet Longsword. She sheathed her own blade and used the one granted by the Hand Armor all the way back to the trading post.

A group returning from the direction of Green Swamp Town was news that couldn’t possibly escape Klade, who was in charge of the trading post. Ron and the others had barely reached the outskirts of the new village when Klade’s chariot came rolling up.

”Where have you been?” the earth goblin asked, jumping down from his chariot with a deep frown. ”The Scouts said you entered that camp and then vanished without a trace.”

”I asked those two little runts, and they said you didn’t show up in the granary either. What in the world is going on?”

”It’s a long story,” Ron said, shaking his head with a smile. ”You would never believe it, but the entrance to a Teleportation Array for some ancient ruins was right on our doorstep!”

”We need to seal it off as soon as we get back. The Teleportation Array on the other side is out of power. If someone accidentally teleported over there, the consequences would be unthinkable.”

”As for those two kids... I’m inclined to believe the Farama Kingdom survivors who built the Teleportation Array were pressed for time. That would explain why the teleportation is unstable, possibly sending people to nearby locations based on their intent.”

”The Farama Kingdom...” Klade wrinkled his nose. He’d heard a few things about it lately, but he never expected the ruins of an ancient kingdom to be so close.

”Oh, right,” the earth goblin suddenly remembered something. ”While you were ’missing,’ Rurik was looking all over for you. It seems he hired a miner to work the mines, but now he can’t afford the wages, and the guy is hounding him for the debt.”

”Whether you agree to whatever he was planning or not, you should probably at least pay the wages he owes. The miner he hired is... a little hard to deal with.”

”He hired ’a’ miner?” Ron was baffled. ”I agreed to let him mine that Abyssal Silver, but can that kind of work really be done by just one person?”