"What stole from you?" asked Tess, curious.

"That's none of your business!" said the dwarf in a huff, "anyway, if you want to prove that he will have a good and weak human soul after becoming a dragon, as before, you are very wrong!"

"We didn't try to prove anything," said Nalya calmly, "you asked us first, remember? It sounds like you wanted to prove something." ”

Tess almost wanted to applaud Naria, but the old dwarf's iron-blue face discouraged her from the idea.

Are people under stones...... She said to herself.

"Good dwarf, though I have no doubts about your wisdom and justice...... But do you really believe that those thieves will be honest with you?" asked Tess.

It seems that the old dwarf knows far less about humans than Mork.

"I just asked each of them individually!" the old dwarf roared at Tess's questioning, he was indeed old, but his mind was still clear.

"Did you keep them together until then?"

The old dwarf hesitated.

Tess nodded and said affirmatively, "You locked them up." I bet they've heard a lot of good stories like we did. A dragon crashed into a hole in the pit, and then a human turned into a dragon and chased after it and killed it—and Tess could be heard cowering in bed as the guards outside the door scrambled to add all sorts of unbelievable details to an already incredible story, and people thought the dwarves had no imagination.

In short, she was sure that the guys who were locked up were neither deaf nor fools.

"No one dares to hide the truth from me!" Kogan blushed.

"Did you ask Akan?" asked Narya suddenly.

“...... Who?" Kogan had never heard of that name.

Tess gestured, "The big man." ”

"That fool? he can't even speak!"

"Akan may not be that smart, but he doesn't lie. "Can't you find a single one among the dwarves who can read sign language?"

The dwarves feared Akan beyond his power and imprisoned him alone in a separate room. They were too tired and preoccupied on the way back to the mines, and halfway through they met the dwarves sent by Mock to look for them, and before they could ask how Akan had entered the mines and how he had met Is. But Naria believed that it was probably not the same as what the old dwarf had heard.

"Of course we can find it!" roared the old dwarf angrily, and walked out with heavy steps.

"Maybe he's right. Tess spoke suddenly, "Maybe it was Isis who brought the group in." If he wanted to steal some treasure from the dwarves as revenge, it wouldn't be surprising. ”

"Iss may want to take revenge on the dwarves, but he will never steal. Naria said firmly.

"Oh, but I will. Tess lay on the bed, dangling her legs nonchalantly.

Naria woke up the next morning and suddenly realized that she had said something wrong, and she immediately shook Tess awake who was still tightly wrapped up in the quilt.

"What's wrong? Is the hole going to collapse?" Tess, who was still a little confused, was startled by the serious expression on Naria's face,

"Tess, I don't care if you're a thief. Naria exclaimed.

"What?...... Oh my gosh, you dragged me out of the warm quilt just to say this?" Tess lamented and retracted, "I don't care!"

"But I care!" Naria looked a little excited, "No, I mean, if I say something stupid......"

"You're just telling the truth, sweetheart, and I really, really don't mind at all. Tess curled herself up into a sturdy one, showing only half of her head, and said vaguely, "I'm a great thief, I've stolen a lot of super hard things, and I don't regret it at all, but I don't take anyone who thinks it's not honorable to steal for a fool - Norway hates me for stealing, but he can't do anything about me." ”

She was clearly smug about it.

“...... But how the hell did you become a thief?" asked Naria, curious. She had never asked that question before, and she always felt that it seemed ...... Not quite right.

"Oh, that story will make you fall asleep, and I'll tell you one day when you can't sleep. "Now, you're going to have to let me sleep a little longer!" I've had nightmares all night buried in the mines! I'm going to have to get my little Mo back tonight!"

But she hadn't been able to sleep long before she was woken up again.

"We'll have to go to the council chamber together to 'sit on the king's judgment,' that's what Mork said. Naria patted the red-haired girl apologetically on the head. Tess was older than her, but after the little bit of maturity and reliability that she had tried to pretend to be when they first met was replaced by more and more coquettish tricks after getting acquainted, Naria sometimes had the illusion that Tess was a little sister.

Tess rolled around on the bed again, whining a heap of grumbling before reluctantly getting up.

"It's better that this trial isn't too boring!" she said, "or I might not be able to help falling asleep—or accidentally making it a little more interesting." ”

Nalya sincerely hoped that the second scenario would not arise, that she had learned the old king's temper, and that she did not want to cause Mork any more trouble—she found it sympathetic that in the few days the bearded dwarves had lost their luster and thinned out.

When they entered the council chamber, the dwarven grandeur of the building, which had once amazed the elves, also made Tess and Naria look in awe.

"I like it here, more than the elven palace. Tess looked at the weapons, armor, and shields hanging on the wall, her eyes sparkling, but they were all so big that even if she could touch something, it was a question of where to hide......

"Have you ever been to the elven palace?" asked Naria enviously, "everyone says that the elven kingdom is like a fairyland, and I have lived in the south for a few years, but I have never had a chance to see it. ”

"Oh, that place is indeed ......," Tess tilted her head, "like a fairyland." ”

It sounded insincere, but Naria didn't have time to ask any more.

Mork walked over to them.

"I'm sorry, but I advised us to wait for the elves and Ed to come back before making a decision, but he said he couldn't wait a day. The dwarf touched his long beard helplessly, and the old king's willfulness was almost twice as strong as before, which made him a little overwhelmed.

He led the girls through a crowd of dwarves, walked to the front row, and stood aside. Kogan Brass sat cross-legged on his throne with several kneeling men in front of it, the tallest of whom turned his head and smiled happily at them.

That's Akhan. He was actually sitting on the ground, but still much taller than the dwarves. His innocent expression and the cute little creature above his head with his legs erect and curiously looking around him made him look unthreatening, but there were still two guards standing discreetly behind him, clutching their weapons tightly.

"Heartless little traitor!" Tess whispered plaintively, and it saddened that Mochi hadn't rushed over at the sight of her.

Nalya lowered her head to hide her smile, it wasn't a good place to laugh out loud.

Kogan glanced at the girls triumphantly and nodded to the side, and a dwarf on the throne stood up and said something in a loud voice.

The dwarves responded with a bang. As their voices subsided, Mork stood in front of his throne at Kogan's signal.

"Guess who Mork is here?" Tess asked in Naria's ear, her eyes fixed on the knife at Mock's waist. She had been thinking about that beautiful little thing, but she never had the right opportunity to do it, and it made her itch.

Naria held up a finger at her, and Mock's voice was already ringing.