My Love Debts Are Everywhere!

"What? How?"

The other dwarf—muscular and broad—looked shocked, his eyes bulging.

His posture, along with the nervous behavior of the nearby soldiers, made it clear he was their leader.

He strode toward the gate. Sure enough, it had shattered, as if something heavy had slammed into it.

"Damn it... Is there an intruder?" He growled, his eyes turning red. He spun toward the soldiers behind him and barked, "Search the entire hall! I'm sure they're hiding somewhere in the treasure piles!"

At his command, none dared to hesitate. They immediately began searching every corner of the hall.

Even the heaps of gold, silver, bronze, and other valuables were thoroughly inspected.

One of the soldiers passed near the spot where Leon and Elina were hiding—then suddenly stopped.

He turned his head in their direction, making Elina nearly scream in fear.

But before she could make a sound, Leon swiftly covered her mouth and held her still.

After a moment, the soldier seemed to dismiss his suspicion and continued walking, heading to the other side. Elina let out a silent sigh of relief.

She glanced at Leon with an apologetic expression, and he returned a subtle nod, as if to say it was fine.

Fifteen minutes later, the soldiers had found nothing and regrouped at their original positions.

A Dwarf soldier stepped forward and reported, "Division Chief, we've found no sign of intruders in this hall. Could the damage to the gate have been an accident?"

Upon hearing that, the muscular dwarf looked doubtful and hesitant. "Why do you think that?"

The soldier pointed at the shattered gate and explained, "Judging by the damage, I believe it was caused by hot lava erupting from the summit crater."

"Hot lava from the summit crater?" The muscular dwarf furrowed his brows. "Then how do you explain that hole?"

He gestured toward the hole Leon had made earlier with his fist.

The soldier hesitated for a moment, then said, "It's probably the work of vole monsters that live along the slopes and peaks. I've seen them digging around our territory before, and that hole looks just like the ones they leave behind."

The muscular dwarf clearly doubted such a vague explanation, but he had no better reasoning to offer.

After all, this treasure hall was extremely well hidden, nestled near the summit of Mount Durnhak.

Each side of the hall was protected by powerful magic traps—some of them forbidden-level—dating back seven thousand years.

If an intruder had entered, the magic circles would have triggered immediately, alerting them at once.

So, despite his uncertainty, he had no choice but to accept the soldier's explanation.

With a firm nod, he looked at the soldier and the others, then said, "Alright, let's assume that's the case. However, we still can't rule out the possibility of intruders. I'll assign ten of you to guard the main gate of the treasure hall."

"The rest of you will repair the damaged gate and reinforce its defenses. Also, fill in that hole and set strong traps to stop the voles from digging near the hall. Understood?"

Everyone nodded in unison and replied, "Understood!"

"Good." The muscular dwarf gave a satisfied nod, issued one final order, then turned and left.

Once he was gone, the soldiers quickly split up and began carrying out their assigned tasks.

Two of them headed toward Leon and Elina's hiding spot to clear away the debris from the shattered iron gate.

As they worked, they spoke in Dwarven—a language Leon had studied before setting out on this journey.

"Hey, you've been feeling strange lately too, right?" asked the soldier on the left, crouching as he picked up pieces of debris.

His friend gave a slow nod. "Of course. It's because our king has gone mad—obsessed with forging that cursed weapon."

"Tsk! You're right," the first soldier muttered with a troubled look. "I just don't get it. His Majesty used to be so wise. What could've caused such a change?"

His companion shook his head. "I'm not sure either. But from what I've heard, it all started a hundred years ago when His Majesty discovered a strange, pitch-black material near the crater. Ever since then, he's been... different."

"Many believe that material is the root of his transformation. Hah... I really don't know what to do anymore. If this keeps up, our entire race could be wiped out."

The soldier didn't respond, but the sorrow in his eyes showed he felt the same.

The two finished clearing the debris around them before moving on to another area.

Meanwhile, Leon, who had overheard the conversation, narrowed his eyes, his expression cold.

"The Dwarf King went mad? And it's all because of some mysterious material he found and forged into a cursed weapon?"

He hadn't expected such a thing to happen to the dwarves. He suspected the material that drove the Dwarf King insane might be connected to the consciousness of the Evil God.

Of course, it was only a theory without proof—for now. But he planned to investigate it later.

It took the ten soldiers an hour to repair the iron gate and refill the hole Leon had created earlier.

Given the dwarves' exceptional craftsmanship and the abundance of materials in the treasure hall, the speed of the repair wasn't too surprising.

Once the work was done, they didn't leave immediately. Instead, they began patrolling the area to ensure no intruders remained.

After all, while the previous explanation seemed plausible, it still felt a little far-fetched. They had to be certain.

They patrolled for half an hour before finally exiting the treasure hall.

Leon and Elina let out a breath of relief. Leon then released his hero technique, revealing the two of them once more.

"Young Master, what should we do now? The gate has been repaired and sealed tight. If we try to leave, we'll have to go through the main gate—and it's probably guarded by soldiers," Elina said, her expression filled with uncertainty.

"Don't worry," Leon said calmly as he gently patted her head. "I have the Eye of Chaos, and I can see a secret passage over there."

As he spoke, he pointed to the right, at a wall covered in gold.

"Huh? Did Young Master see it clearly? Is there really a passage there?" Elina asked, surprised.

"Yes, I'm sure of it," Leon replied with a small nod and a serious look. "But we'll need to be careful. From the soldiers' conversation earlier, I realized the Dwarven race is in serious trouble."

"Serious trouble?" Elina's eyes widened. "What kind of trouble, Young Master?"

"I'm not certain yet," Leon said, shaking his head. "But I heard it has something to do with their king. Apparently, he found a strange black material and forged it into something called a cursed weapon."

"That's all I know for now. We'll have to learn the rest after we sneak in."

In truth, his original plan had been to appear openly before the Dwarves—just as he had done in the Elven territory.

However, the situation here was different. The Dwarven race's circumstances were far more complicated, and Leon couldn't afford to act recklessly.

Even the slightest misstep could backfire.

"So that's how it is..." Elina nodded slowly, lips pursed. "Then, let's head out."

Leon gave a small nod. The two of them walked toward the wall on the right, its surface entirely covered in gold.

But with the Eye of Chaos in his right eye, Leon could see that the wall wasn't entirely gold.

In one corner, a section was made of iron, and behind it lay a narrow passage leading to a wider space.

"Can you cast some protective magic to dampen the sound?" Leon asked.

"I can!"

"Good."

Elina immediately cast a protective spell that surrounded them both. Then Leon clenched his right fist and slammed it into the iron section of the wall.

*Bang!*

The side of the wall shattered, revealing the narrow passage just as he'd seen—one that led deeper inside.

Without a doubt, this had to be the path to the legendary Golden City.

"Uwekk! What is that smell?!" Elina gagged instinctively as the stench from the passage hit her.

Leon winced and covered his nose.

"Smells like this connects to the dwarves' sewer system," he remarked flatly.

"Sewer?" Elina's eyes widened in horror. A look of disgust flashed across her face as she shook her head vigorously. "I don't want to go through there!"

"But this is the only way out without drawing attention," Leon explained. "Or better yet, I'll go alone. Once I'm done, I'll come back for you."

Elina's eyes widened in panic, and she quickly shook her head.

"No, I don't want that! I'm coming with you!" She said firmly.

How else could she record this legendary journey in her future book if she didn't follow him?

Besides, staying here was far too dangerous. The hall was filled with high-level—some even ancient-level—magic traps, any one of which could kill her instantly.

Moreover, Dwarf soldiers occasionally came to inspect the treasure hall. If she were discovered, her fate would be sealed—and execution wouldn't be out of the question.

Seeing her reaction, Leon simply chuckled and shook his head.

"In that case, I'll go in first."

He crouched down and crawled into the passage.

Elina held her breath, braced herself against the smell, and followed closely behind.

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A/N: I'm a bit busy today and can only update one chapter. Anyway, don't worry. This Dwarven arc won't be as long as the one in the Elven race territory.

Thank you and don't forget your support!