I Became My Healer Elf Character - Chapter 42

Chapter 42: Arrival in Kamir
Salazar had delivered part of the bargain, bringing Hikari 5 books he had on him. The rest were promised for a later date. Once the awkward atmosphere had cleared, the elf had already delved into one of them.

The book was by a man named Sabrinas Parallaxes—somebody who was a modern scholar in the Wesian Empire and studied the history of the world. The name of this piece was History of the East II: The Secret of the Crystalline Dwarves.

Amazingly, these dwarves were not the ones you would first think of when you hear dwarf. They are little stout people, but their bodies have small purple crystal formations around them.

According to Sabrinas Parallaxes, the locals have their own beliefs about the reason. They say that the ancient dwarven settlers who arrived there collapsed a dungeon, and the reason they have purple crystals on their bodies was the blessing of the Dwarven God: Scharmire.

Parallaxes scoffs at this notion. The man was knowledgeable, but Hikari couldn’t agree with his pompous aura. It practically radiated from the pages.

All of it is a bunch of Fenia dung. The people who believe this are as dimwitted as those Amalinians out East who follow everything in their church. I believe that the Crystalline Dwarves actually suffer from a more hidden force—one that can’t be seen with the naked eye. Dear, reader, do you believe that everything is the work of gods? Quickly squash that notion, and listen when I say that they are radiated.

To the core, those dwarves have passed down a radiation sickness, likely related to the crystals that reside there. I think those crystals possess a mana that radiates the genes over generations. The evidence for this are those Crystal Moles that can be found digging there. Therefore, take caution if you plan to settle.

While Hikari didn’t like the particular way of speaking, she could see that he was a true critical thinker. In a world of magic, there must be few people trying to use the tools of science to study. But, that could also be a falsehood that Hikari was predisposed to. Alternatively, the school that scholar came from could be full of like-minded people. Either way, Hikari thought it would be interesting to meet these scholars.

Hikari felt a wet sensation on her cheek, immediately turning to the culprit Kurayami. “Don’t just lick me in the middle of reading!”

“Master, I need several licks every day, or I will end up wilting.”

“Dragons don’t even wilt, so what are you on about?”

“I am a special kind of dragon, Master. There has been too much liquid intake, so I need to pass it on to you.”

Salazar’s laughter boomed in the carriage. “I was surprised to learn that you two are so close, but I definitely didn’t expect this.”

Hikari didn’t let herself get embarrassed. This time, she asked her own question. “What are same sex relationships like in this world?”

Salazar’s face wrinkled in confusion. “What are they like? Well, some places accept them and others don’t. Miss Hikari, are you two planning a wedding?”

“W-wedding? No, nothing like that.”

Kurayami latched onto her master’s arm. “Of course! I am claiming Master as my bride.”

///

Hikari’s head steamed so much she thought it would explode by the time they finally arrived in Kamir.

The geology of this place was interesting. The city had high stone walls surrounding it, but it was in a forested region. The interesting thing about the forest was the ground was covered mostly in sand. It was like the edge of the forest meeting the desert, and if one looked off to the east, they could see the rolling dunes.

Smooth stone bricks formed a circular wall, and the gate was made out of the wood of local trees. Since the group arrived in midday, travelers were being let in one after another, and the entryway stood open.

From a distance, Hikari could see that most people were normal humans and a few beastmen, but there were a few Crystalline Dwarves walking around.

The men of the tribe had bulging muscles and short wide frames. They had black or brown hair, and scruffy beards. However, there arms and ears had small purple crystals jutting out like parasitic growth, but the dwarves were entirely unphased by this.

Women of the tribe were much like the men—almost even as muscular as them, too. However, their hair colors were more variable. Some had the same browns and blacks, but others had auburn hair with a bit of luster.

The buildings around the town were all well-made and more quaint than the ones in Amalin. Several of the shops were wooden with chimneys expanding from the top.

In the center square, there was a small market with jolly people selling bread or other baked goods. The sweet smells tickling Hikari’s receptors were like a magnet calling her.

The carriage eventually stopped in front of another wooden inn. This one was two stories with a balcony. Several people stood on the balcony and leaned against a wooden railing. The porch of the place had a few wooden swings. In one of them, the legs of a little dwarven girl swung while she held her mother’s hand.

Overall, Hikari liked the atmosphere of this place. The people seemed more approachable just from their demeanor.

By the way, the rest of the merchant group had to stay in preordained town houses. These were longer cabins with several bunk beds per room.

As Hikari climbed onto the porch of the inn, she read the sign: Dwarves Respite.

Salazar joined her on the platform. “It’s quite something, this place. I’m surprised it remained untouched by those kings of the desert.”

From the side, the dwarven lady holding her child’s hand scoffed. “Those kings won’t do nothin’. Long as we got the crystal sage, I say let ’em try it. Won’t be the first time we took care of our business.”

Salazar bowed to the woman. “I’m sorry. I meant no offense.”

“Hahaha, don’t get yer balls all chaffed. Frankly, I don’t think no one will give a damn. Yer one of them proper folk, aren’t ya?”

The wooden door of the inn opened, and out came a much larger dwarf woman. This one was as tall or slightly taller than Hikari, much bigger than any other dwarf the elf had seen. She was also much wider. The woman had a lot of fat to go along with muscle.

She had a greased up white bib on over her overalls and a black shirt beneath. In one hand she held a black frying pan. A frying pan that she used to smack the other dwarf on the head, creating a ringing sound that echoed from the porch.

“What’re you doin’ to my customers, Hilda? I told ye many times to stop speakin’ like that. And what’ll you do when that little girl of yers grows the same potty mouth?”

Hilda laughed at the frying pan duelist. “I reckon that would be a proud day.”

The small dwarven girl pulled on Hilda’s dress. “Mommy what is a chaffed ball?”

The other girl grabbed one of Hilda’s auburn pony tails. “Don’t you even dare. Not in front of my store. Not in front of my customers.”

“Alright! Alright! Stop pullin’ so hard!” Hilda grabbed onto her daughter’s hand. “Come on, we’re goin’. Auntie Jasmelle is bein’ a bully.”

“What’d you say!?” Jasmelle yelled after Hilda as she took off running with her daughter. The dwarven inn owner whispered under her breath. “I swear if that woman comes back, I’ll kill ‘er myself.”

Jasmelle’s attitude seemed to do an entire 180 as she looked over the four in front of her. “Sorry ’bout that, ladies. Please come inside. We have freshly baked sweet bread.”

Hikari’s eyes lit up. She nodded enthusiastically.

“Ah, ye, heard you elves love yer sweets. Too bad we don’t have none of those apples in store today, ere I could bake you the best bread ye ever had.”

“No, that’s alright,” Hikari said as she followed the dwarf inside. She couldn’t resist wanting to pout that even a dwarf was taller than her. In Earth’s standards, the elf imagined she was probably about 142 centimeters. Did that make her a legal dwarf? She rapidly shook her head. She didn’t even want to think about it.

Instead, she gazed around at the lively atmosphere inside. The people all had smiles on their faces while they ate either sweet bread or soup. The walls sported paintings of nature, and on a few shelves there were beautiful green plants. The only oddity were cases of purple crystals, but other than that, it reminded Hikari of those hunting lodges she’d seen in movies. Yet, she had not seen any deer heads poking out.

When they reached the counter in the back, it was Salazar who took over. “Two rooms please. Each for two people, and for one of the rooms, two beds.”

“Aye, ye already booked the two beds before. Just take the keys.”

“What about payment for the other room?”

“This one’ll be on the house fir that damned Hilda.”

Hikari looked over to the dragon finding no objections there. In fact, the dragon was looking at Hikari while licking her lips.

“Wh-what are you doing?”

“Tonight, Master is going to get devoured again.”