**#191. Rael Row (4)**
—
*Bbam bbam bbam bbam bbam─*
With the sound of trumpets blaring from the ceiling speakers, Ray’s eyes shot open.
He slowly lifted his upper body and paused for a moment, frowning slightly.
“……”
He had definitely been dreaming, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t remember it.
Not the content, not the colors, not the mood.
It was as if everything had been bleached white—nothing remained in his memory.
But that didn’t mean he hadn’t dreamed.
If that were the case, this dull ache and faint longing in his chest wouldn’t still be lingering.
Unfamiliar emotions that would soon evaporate in the heat of daily life.
Still, they were enough to make the boy’s movements and thoughts falter for a moment.
…Recently, similar mornings had been repeating over and over again.
Before long, the boy collected himself and looked around.
“……”
Controlled by the system, the ceiling lights—which had been off all night—were slowly returning to life.
‘Is it morning?’
He instinctively turned his head, but all he saw was a gray wall.
For some unknown reason, Rael Row appeared to have no windows.
Maybe that’s why it felt like he had spent the night deep underground.
────.
Within a few seconds, the lights brightened to a sharp intensity.
When Ray came out of the bathroom after washing up, someone knocked on the door.
*Knock knock.*
When he opened it, it was Isra.
Dressed in the same thick coat as yesterday, wearing that typically cynical expression.
“You got here really fast.”
“Guiding you is my job.”
“That coat—those scratch marks on the sleeve are gone.”
“I have several of the same outfit.”
“How many?”
“Seven. That way, I don’t have to waste time deciding what to wear every day.”
Ray nodded.
Efficient, indeed.
If not for Veronica constantly making him try different outfits, he might have gone with Isra’s method as well.
*Knock knock.*
Isra knocked on the room next door, and a half-asleep Veronica groggily appeared.
“Wait ten minutes… Lady Grine is in the shower. I need to wash up too.”
*Thud!*
The door shut and didn’t open again for a while.
After checking the time, Isra spoke in an anxious voice.
“Human, didn’t she say to wait ten minutes? It’s already been thirteen. If we’re late to the cafeteria, we won’t be allowed to eat and will have to go hungry.”
“Veronica said women have more to prepare than men. Also, my name isn’t ‘human,’ it’s Ray.”
“What do they have to prepare?”
“I’m wondering that too. Are dwarf women not like that?”
“No, they’re not.”
Unable to bear it any longer, Isra knocked again.
Veronica, hair wet, peeked through the slightly opened door and said,
“Just five more minutes! Please wait a little longer!”
*Thud!*
The door shut again.
An eternity passed.
“She said five minutes, but how long has it been now?”
“Six minutes, thirty-four seconds.”
“Do humans measure time differently than we do?”
“I don’t think so.”
*Knock knock knock knock!*
The door opened again, and this time Veronica appeared with fully dried hair.
“Just five more minutes! I’m almost ready!”
*Thud!*
The door closed again.
Another eternity passed.
“…How long has it been this time?”
“Seven minutes, three seconds.”
“What the hell is she doing in there?”
“If you’re that curious, why don’t you go in and check?”
“That’s a bit much.”
Isra repeatedly checked the time, tapping his foot and biting his nails.
Just as the young dwarf’s anxiety and impatience were about to boil over—
*Creeeak─!*
Finally, the door opened, and the now-ready Grine and Veronica appeared.
Isra practically dashed as he guided the group to the cafeteria.
The large hall was filled with nearly a hundred dwarves chatting noisily while eating at tables.
“Good, we’re not late. This is Cafeteria Three.”
Letting out a sigh of relief, Isra led them to the serving line.
The staff shot Isra a glance before wordlessly ladling food onto their trays.
When they saw the rest of the group, they flinched and whispered among themselves.
“Humans…?”
“Didn’t you hear? We had visitors last night.”
“Oh… those were humans?”
Though their eyes revealed a hint of wariness, there was no trouble receiving their food.
As they made their way to an empty table, stares rained down on them like arrows.
Most of the gazes were full of curiosity and caution aimed at Ray’s group.
But—
“Isn’t that lazy Isra?”
“Finally has something to do thanks to the visitors? Tsk tsk.”
There were quite a few disapproving looks directed at Isra as well.
Ray quietly studied him.
Isra didn’t seem affected—perhaps used to such situations.
*Creak─ Thud.*
The group and Isra sat down to eat.
The menu consisted of salad and simple meat dishes, not too different from human food.
Noticing Ray’s curious gaze, Isra explained.
“You’re right. Almost everything here is made using human-manufactured goods.”
“I thought you’d have a unique diet—like how elves go crazy for meat.”
Grine put down her spoon and spoke firmly.
“Sir Ray, I’ve told you many times—that’s a serious misconception.”
“I didn’t know. So elves don’t like meat?”
“That’s not it either.”
“He’s right. Elves go wild when they see meat.”
Ray and Grine exchanged a light argument.
Then Isra talked about dwarven food.
“I don’t know the details. I’ve been eating this kind of food since I was born. But I heard that long ago, dwarves used to live off plants and animals from deep underground.”
“Why not anymore?”
Isra paused for a moment before replying.
“Because the Black Rain contaminated everything down there.”
Veronica’s fork, which had been poking a not-so-fresh carrot, stopped midair.
Isra continued.
“All underground flora and fauna died. The few that survived became highly toxic and inedible. The only things unaffected by the Black Rain were minerals, so we trade those with human sectors to get food and daily necessities.”
Veronica looked shocked.
She hadn’t expected the Black Rain to affect not just the surface but also below ground.
Though Grine’s expression didn’t change, her plate held a somber air.
The dining hall was still noisy.
“How about a round of Stickball after today’s work?”
“No thanks. You’re terrible at it. Didn’t you lose to me last time?”
And the stares toward the group remained.
But somewhere along the line, the caution in those gazes had shifted to curiosity.
“That’s strange.”
“What is?”
Isra asked at Ray’s murmuring.
“They’re clearly curious about us humans, but no one tries to talk to us or sit with us.”
Staring blankly at Ray, Isra gave a simple answer.
“Dwarves don’t like change.”
“That tied to efficiency too?”
“In a way. The moment unexpected variables occur, their routines get disrupted, and that leads to decreased productivity.”
As if proving Isra’s point, the dwarves who finished eating returned their trays and left without hesitation.
Time for their daily routines.
“The Elders have started their workday too. So we can’t meet them right now.”
“When can we?”
“5 PM. That’s when the official workday in Rael Row ends. Until then, the Elders asked me to show you around.”
The Elders had shown a strong sense of pride in their craftsmanship yesterday.
Most likely, they wanted to show off the fortress built using their own technology.
“Follow me. I’ll guide you.”
After the meal, the group followed Isra.
As they turned corners and rode elevators up and down, new areas appeared—each filled with dwarves working.
Some were tempering metal in forges.
Others were repairing towering heaps of clothing in tailoring shops.
Still others were sparring in training halls, crashing into one another wearing metal gloves.
“This is Rael Row’s control room.”
A small chamber.
Dozens of monitors lined the wall, displaying the interior and exterior of Rael Row.
Beneath them, a panel full of switches and levers was installed.
“Everything from the external recharge turrets and mana traps to the internal security systems is operated from here.”
The dwarves inside gave Isra a brief glance, then returned to their work.
…Not a friendly look.
‘It’s not just here.’
Isra had received cold stares in every place they visited.
Even without reading the emotions in the air, the meaning was clear.
‘Because…’
Ray knew that gaze all too well.
He had seen it many times in the past.
It was how people looked at outsiders.
Gazes filled with contempt, fear, and anxiety toward those who were different.
“……”
The impression Ray got from the dwarves was that they were all cogs in a machine—each one fitting precisely into place.
But Isra was different.
He felt like a cog that had been ejected because it didn’t mesh properly.
‘He’s also the only one wearing a thick coat indoors.’
Had something happened between Isra and the others?
Ray continued to follow the tour, questions brewing in his mind.
They visited several locations by noon, but he still hadn’t seen a single window.
“Isra.”
“What?”
“Are there really no windows in Rael Row?”
“I’ve wondered that too. Sunlight is supposed to energize your body!”
Veronica chimed in with Ray’s question.
After silently staring at them for a moment, Isra turned and operated a control panel with his gloved hand.
*Whirrr─*
The gray wall split open, revealing a newly formed transparent glass wall.
They were clearly at a high elevation, with nothing visible beyond the sky outside.
“Watch.”
Isra rolled up his sleeve and extended his arm toward the glass.
Dim sunlight filtered in through the glass and fell on the cracked skin of the dwarf boy’s arm.
Then—
“Ah…!”
“What… is this?”
Veronica and Grine gasped.
Chunks of stone began falling from Isra’s arm, and the cracks in his skin rapidly deepened.
After confirming their reactions, Isra withdrew his arm and lowered his sleeve.
“As you can see, dwarves can’t live under sunlight. Their bodies fall apart and shatter.”
Veronica, stunned, asked in a trembling voice.
“Then… you’re stuck living in Rael Row forever?”
“Going outside isn’t impossible. With a thick coat and a specially designed helmet, it’s manageable.”
“……”
Veronica fell silent.
She couldn’t even imagine how stifling and suffocating such a limited life must be.
“Is that just a natural physical trait of dwarves?”
To Grine’s question, Isra shrugged.
“Who knows. All dwarves are just born this way─”
“I don’t think they were always like that.”
Everyone turned to Ray, who looked at Grine.
“Remember the murals we saw beneath the ruins?”
“Of course I do.”
“There was a mural showing the ancient races living together peacefully. Among them were dwarves, shorter than the others.”
“We’re not short. You’re all just unnecessarily tall.”
“They were definitely there—drawn with shorter stature. Ah…!”
“Do you have a death wish? I said we’re not short.”
Grine’s face lit up with realization.
Ray nodded.
“Right. All the scenes in the mural were aboveground. There wasn’t a single depiction of the underground. In other words—”
“I don’t know about elves, but the average height difference between humans and dwarves is less than 15 centimeters.”
Ray took a breath and continued.
“It means that dwarves originally could live and function under the sun.”
Looking around briefly, Isra brought over a small box and stood on it.
From his now higher vantage point, he looked down at the group.
—
