Chapter 26

Chapter 26 - The Fugitives (4)

 

“……What?”

The Dwarf Chief, who had been staring blankly, showed his bewilderment as if to ask what nonsense I was spouting.

However, he was not foolish enough to fail to understand that I had just said I would kill him. His face soon flushed red, and he erupted in rage.

“How dare you!”

CRASH!

The chair of the Dwarf Chief, who had shot to his feet, was hurled to the floor.

What he held in his hand was that round Artifact from before.

“I-I was pleased to have guests after hundreds of years and humored you, yet your insolence knows no bounds!”

WHIRRR!

Light gathered like a swarm of fireflies dancing in formation and began seeping into the orb.

Before long, the Artifact started glowing gold, as if it had finished preparing to activate.

The Dwarf Chief stroked the orb with a triumphant expression, then continued with an air of arrogance.

“I did not want to use this, of all things…… How about it? Leave this land now, and I will at least spare your life!”

“Hm. Is that the source of your confidence?”

“Th-that is right! If you do not want to taste its power…….”

……So that was how it was.

Before he could even finish speaking, my hand moved like a flash of lightning.

THUD!

“Guh!”

The Dwarf Chief, unable even to grasp what had happened, was shoved backward as if something had struck him.

The Artifact he had been holding was now rolling across my palm, and his hand, groping through the air, found nothing to grasp.

The Dwarf Chief’s expression turned to one of horror.

“Wh-when in the world……!”

He lunged at me to take back what had been stolen before he had even realized it.

Regardless, I could not help but laugh as I looked at the Artifact in my hand.

“Did you say that with this, you had nothing to fear from the likes of the Barbarians?”

The Artifact looked as though it might unleash overwhelming power upon an intruder at any moment.

CRACKLE—

I had not even used Aura.

It shattered lightly with nothing more than a slight tightening of my grip.

As the remains of the Artifact crumbled into powder, as if its inside had rotted away, I let out a sneer.

“Did you think I would be fooled by something that only looked impressive on the outside?”

“N-no!”

The remains scattered into the air, soon reduced to a state where their original shape could no longer be recognized.

I approached the Dwarf Chief, whose legs had given out beneath him, and muttered.

“There is no way the inside of an object that endured a thousand years would still be intact. Moreover, since that Artifact was made by an Elf, repairing it would not have been easy either.”

“Kh!”

“Come to think of it, the Barrier outside broke more easily than expected. Was it on the verge of reaching the end of its lifespan?”

At the very least, no Barrier had existed in the information I knew.

In other words, the time when these fellows had been discovered was also when the Barrier’s lifespan had run out.

I stepped on the remains of the Artifact and ground them beneath my foot.

“Still, I will commend the reckless courage you showed in trying to threaten me even in such circumstances.”

……However.

WHOOSH—

“Argh!”

The form that had been trampling on his hope melted into the air and vanished.

In the next instant, before anyone could even blink, my body appeared again, and my hands were roughly gripping the foreheads of the armed Dwarves who had been hiding nearby.

The movement was as natural as flowing water, yet too fast for the eyes to follow.

I brought my face close to the ears of the struggling Dwarves and whispered quietly.

“I do not recall allowing you to eavesdrop like rats.”

“Y-you insolent human wretch!”

“Let go of me!”

SWISH SWISH!

They were bewildered.

Even when they swung their arms and tried to pull themselves free, the hands gripping their faces did not budge.

Left with no choice, the remaining Dwarves, excluding the two I held in either hand, raised their weapons with murderous expressions.

“Protect the clan at once!”

“Insolent human! Do not even dream of returning alive!”

Now that the negotiations had fallen apart, the existence known as a human was, as always, something that would bring them harm.

That must have been why they changed their attitude so easily, as though flipping over a hand.

Of course, as I watched this, all I did was let out a hollow laugh.

“At this rate, it looks as if I am the villain.”

“What did you say?!”

“At the crossroads between life and death, the ones who chose death with their own hands were you, were they not?”

“Y-you……! That is sophistry!”

“Is that what you think?”

My eyes, as I asked the question, no longer held even the faintest trace of mockery.

I lightly shoved away the Dwarves I had been holding.

Then I drew my sword as I approached the Dwarves who had fallen onto their backsides.

“With your outdated obstinacy, you brushed aside even the hand that offered you help.”

Step—

“Unable to restrain your greed for even a single moment.”

“S-stop him!”

Step—

“You brought great disaster upon yourselves.”

“Damn it! Kill him!”

HAAAH!

My eyes flashed as I watched the Dwarves charge at me with battle cries.

“The end of such fools as you has already been foretold.”

────!

As soon as my words ended, the world that had been filled with color turned crimson and distorted into a hellish shape.

“Haah!”

“Hup!”

It was an illusion.

When they came to their senses, nothing about the world had changed, including the chief crawling on the floor.

However, if there was one thing that had changed……

“Th-that…….”

It was the fact that an ominous aura was rising from the sword in the man’s hand.

“……Aura Blade?”

The blazing sword glittered like crystal, and what they had thought was a distortion was merely a phenomenon caused by the light spreading out like illumination and striking the stone walls.

Without question, something was wrong.

Otherwise, there was no way the direction that sword pointed would be aimed at them.

The instant someone realized that fact, a strained voice escaped from his mouth, as though wrung from a twisted throat.

“Run…….”

Yet no one present could move a single step.

The moment they moved carelessly, it was obvious that the sword would fall.

The killing intent surging from the human before their eyes was aimed at them so clearly that it seemed reflected in his pupils.

Roder, who had arrived late after hearing the commotion, was no exception.

‘This is impossible!’

It was the unprecedented power he had seen that day.

The power that, in just a few short seconds, had made him feel the unfamiliar emotion called awe.

However, he could now understand it clearly.

The true nature of the power he had revered was not something that could be expressed with a shallow word like presence.

Unconcerned with that, I approached the chief of the frozen Dwarves.

“You said it yourself. Unless I gave you a 20% share of the Ore to be mined, you would never cooperate.”

“Spare me…….”

“Why should I? I have no reason to do so at all.”

Trying to provide these fellows with a place to live had been an action that accepted chaos from the very beginning.

Taking Dwarves with me in a situation already made complicated by the mere existence of Mithril?

I did not know how great the benefit I would gain from it might be, but it was true that the risk I would have to bear was greater than with any other option.

“The reason I proposed migration, even offering a share of the mine, was out of consideration for you, who fled from humans. Whether you were used after having your legs severed or not had nothing to do with me. All that mattered to me was that Esteban suffered no harm.”

It was not enough that I was taking on the risk and preventing a horrific future. I was even giving them freedom, along with Ore they could use however they wanted.

The “price” beyond the fairness I had mentioned was no different from saying I would take responsibility for their future.

“Even so, if you are blinded by petty greed and try to exploit my consideration, I have no choice but to push forward with the best course of action.”

I smiled faintly.

“And unlike what you did, this is not a threat. No matter how things turn out, it truly has nothing to do with me.”

Not the second-best course, but the best course.

It was only a difference in efficiency. If given enough time, craftsmen capable of handling Mithril could be trained as much as needed.

Therefore, killing them and reducing the risk might actually be better than persuading them.

“Aah, aaaah……!”

Despair filled his eyes.

He could not resist. He should never have forced the matter from the beginning.

The human standing here truly had no interest in the safety of his clan and simply moved in the direction he believed was right.

And what he himself had done was nothing more than the worst possible choice, driving his clan toward death because of his own desire.

“P-please…… I will take full responsibility for all of this…….”

If things were left as they were, the end of his clan would rush toward ruin.

Even though his entire body was being consumed by fear and trembling violently, he still struggled to make up for his mistake somehow.

All he could do was prostrate himself and bring this matter to an end with his own hands.

“A-at least spare the rest of my clan…….”

“You want me to spare them?”

“I will take all responsibility, so please……!”

“Very well.”

There was no particular reason to go so far as to kill them.

To be precise, there was no need to kill them right now.

I took a step back and suppressed the surging Aura.

“I will spare you as you wish. I do not need even your worthless life.”

“Th-thank you!”

I called out to George, who had appeared at some point and was watching the situation with interest from behind.

“What is it?”

“Contact the Sun Knights and tell them to clear out the temporary barracks.”

“Hm. Are we returning now?”

“Yes. Before the Barbarians notice anything strange, we will move quickly to Esteban.”

“Please wait!”

At that moment, the Dwarf Chief sprang to his feet and interrupted the conversation.

I swallowed the irritation rising within me with difficulty and answered briefly.

“What is it?”

“Are you saying you will leave just like this? Then what are we supposed to do……?”

“You asked me to spare you, did you not? That is why I said I would spare you.”

“B-but…… As you said, if you leave like this, our clan will be in danger!”

Haa.

I sheathed my sword and bent my knees.

Then I met his eyes and kindly explained it to him in a way he could understand.

“What does the safety of your people have to do with me?”

“What do you mean……?”

“You have no means of defense? That is a problem you must solve. It has nothing to do with me whatsoever.”

I raised the corner of my mouth and gave him a mocking smile before adding,

“Keep in mind that sparing you is my final act of consideration.”

“……I will make a contract. No, I will do anything, so please save our clan.”

“You mean you will follow us?”

“That is right.”

“C-chief!”

“Oh?”

The Dwarf Chief requested a contract with a grave expression.

Now that the Barrier was broken and he had no means left, he seemed to have realized that if we left, only tragedy awaited him.

And since he knew even that remaining chance would disappear if time dragged on, pride and all such things were of no use now.

Of course, gathering up water once it had already been spilled was impossible.

“Now that your threat failed, you intend to beg for help? What a convenient way to conduct yourself.”

“……If it means the clan can survive.”

“So you were not completely rotten after all.”

I shrugged.

In other words, he had tried to force a revision of the contract terms for the sake of his clan’s uncertain future.

“Very well. If that is what you say, I will do as you wish. However, first you must understand your position.”

My hand stopped in front of his face and slowly opened.

Three fingers.

“I have no intention of treating you as slaves. Sufficient compensation and fair trade are virtues I believe a ruler should possess. But now that things have come to this, I cannot make the contract under the previous conditions.”

“Th-that is…….”

“3% of the Ore you mine. That is the final condition I can offer.”

The Dwarf Chief forced himself to draw in a breath.

It was far lower than the 5% I had offered at first.

Moreover, it was not 3% of the entire mine, but 3% of the Ore mined by his clan.

Even so, the words that would come from his mouth had already been decided.

“……Thank you for granting us this final mercy.”

He nodded hastily, as if he were being chased.

Yes. Just as he had guessed, this was the final chance given to them.

A rotten lifeline, but one he had to at least try to grasp if he had any sense.

I silently looked down at the Dwarf Chief, then turned and walked outside.

“Bring the Sun Knights into the gorge. The negotiations have been concluded successfully.”

“Oh? With a harvest like this, His Majesty the King will be beside himself.”

George adjusted his glasses and took out a Magic Sphere.

“What should I tell them? That they should take whatever they can for now?”

“……It seems you need additional education. For someone who must serve as a prince’s aide, you still use such vulgar words.”

It was not wrong, though.

The arms and armor that had decorated the castle in splendor, and all the Dwarves frozen over there as well.

Everything was our share for fulfilling the contract.

That was the price of their arrogance in daring to defy me.

***

“S-so many……!”

There were so many items made by the Dwarves that even after arranging them in front of the empty wagons the Sun Knights had brought, plenty still remained.

That was despite the fact that items of poor quality had not been included in the list from the start.

One knight clicked his tongue in amazement as he looked at a sword that had not even drawn attention.

“……Even though it is better than my sword, it is simply being discarded…….”

“That just means the things loaded onto the wagons are that extraordinary.”

If he could, he wanted to swap his sword for it on the spot. Otherwise, he wanted to pack it into his personal luggage.

Like scooping a handful of sand from a sandy beach, it was clear that such a thing would not leave even the slightest trace.

However, the 1st Prince had left a chilling warning for the knights who would collect the goods.

-If even one person tries to line his own pockets, he will not like what happens.

The knights had heard again and again, almost as if the Advance Unit were imploring them, that they must not defy the 1st Prince, so there was no bold knight who would step forward and invite danger.

To begin with, as men who had volunteered to take charge of battles at the very front, they did not have much greed either.

The gazes of the knights carefully arranging the items turned toward another wagon.

“……They really are Dwarves.”

“They were creatures that only appeared in fairy-tale books.”

“Those little fellows can make top-quality equipment like this?”

Fifty Dwarves with haggard faces had loaded themselves into the wagons.

According to the 1st Prince, they were all the Dwarves who had been hiding in the Lands of the Barbarians.

“When he said clan, I thought there would be about a thousand of them.”

“Still, they are Dwarves…….”

“True. But why do they all look half-dead? The Vice Commander did not tell us anything.”

“……Who knows? Maybe they are saddened to leave the land they were attached to. Or perhaps this is their sleeping time.”

“Now that you mention it, that could be true. They are different from humans.”

In any case.

Through this expedition, the 1st Prince had acquired the Dwarves, who were thought to have disappeared, and the highest-quality arms and armor as spoils. It was no different from having obtained a profit that could not even be compared to an ordinary victory in war.

And that would give wings to the shoulders of the 1st Prince, who had already been making unprecedented moves.

The knights’ expressions began to brighten.

“Should we not align ourselves with His Highness the 1st Prince even now?”

“Do not. What business do front-line knights like us have getting involved in politics?”

“That is not what I mean. I am saying we should make a good impression and at least get our treatment improved. Speaking frankly, you know how many unreasonable things we have had to endure.”

“……Is that so?”

It was only an assumption, but it was a happy enough thought.

Unlike the Royal Guard, it was true that despite fighting at the very front, they had not been treated well.

“Who knows? His Highness might even personally correct our swordsmanship.”

The knight hummed as he resumed organizing the weapons.

“In any case, all we need to do is return safely from this expedition. Our merit is already as good as secured.”

The countless battles that had taken place on the way here.

It had been a difficult time for both the Advance Unit and the Follow-up Unit, but in the end, they had seized a military achievement that could be compared to nothing else.

So great that they were no longer afraid of the Barbarian warriors they might encounter on the way back.

Their chatter continued until all the preparations were complete.

Meanwhile.

“It seems they are getting excited over there.”

At George’s words, I shrugged and strode forward.

“What do you intend to do with the items we are leaving behind?”

“We will bury every last one as planned. Not even a single dagger will remain.”

“A Dwarf treasure vault with several hundred years of history.”

“They would be destined for nothing more than being shoved into a corner of the Royal Palace storage, anyway.”

The splendid and fine items we were taking this time were meant to display the achievements of this expedition.

As for what I was leaving behind, it was an investment in the future.

‘One never knows how the affairs of the world will unfold.’

If the Barbarians had been a device to divert the Federal Empire’s gaze, this too could one day function in the same way.

A place where the arms and armor the Dwarves had forged for hundreds of years slept.

It would be more than enough to serve as bait if its location were leaked at the right time.

George smacked his lips and said,

“You already knew, did you not?”

“…….”

“That the Dwarves needed a new home. And that they would ruin the negotiations out of greed. Otherwise, you would not have hidden the information about Mithril either.”

“You are free to think what you want.”

“Of course.”

I opened the wooden door and stepped inside.

Waiting there was the Dwarf Chief, clutching his head in regret and despair.

When he saw me enter, he trembled briefly, then bowed his nearly lifeless face and showed respect.

At the now unmistakable hierarchy between us, I smiled faintly and approached him.

“Rise.”

“……Understood.”

Perhaps manners had been firmly carved into his head, because he obeyed immediately.

While I watched him stagger to his feet, I turned over my conversation with George in my mind.

‘Did I know?’

Of course I knew.

From the very beginning…… To be precise, from the moment I entered the Lands of the Barbarians.

After all, these fellows had behaved this way toward the Barbarians who came to this land, and toward the Federal Empire that seized them as well.

“Take it out.”

“Yes.”

At my command, George sighed and took a sheet of paper from inside his clothes.

……It was a contract densely filled with tiny writing.

The Dwarf Chief’s face darkened as if he had resigned himself to the fate that was about to come.

“You must think you can break a contract that is nothing more than a facade. Just as you did in the past.”

I continued speaking before I even heard his answer.

“Well, I know it has no real effect.”

RIP—

The fragments of the contract, which had been just about to be completed, scattered through the air and disturbed the Dwarf Chief’s eyes.

He asked with even more anxious eyes.

“Do you intend to revise the terms of the c-contract again? Do you mean to make slaves of us?”

“No.”

I would not treat them as slaves.

Mere empty words could be broken, but the “ritual” I was about to perform would transparently reveal that thought of mine.

“……!”

I rose from my seat and drew my sword.

Then I placed the blade against my palm and moved it lightly, as if drawing a violin bow.

For a moment, a chilling sensation spread across my palm, and soon drops of blood fell to the floor.

“I do not trust that contract either. It has no binding force at all.”

“…….”

“That is nothing more than a custom to be shown outwardly.”

Yes. What I wanted was a companion who would walk with me toward a single purpose, not a schemer who would try to stab me in the back.

Saying that, I extended my blood-dripping hand and grasped his forehead.

“You said you would take all responsibility, did you not? If I say Fairy Contract, you understand what I mean, do you not?”

“What in the world are you…….”

The Dwarf Chief, belatedly turning over the meaning of our conversation, spoke in a trembling voice.

“H-how does a human know that?!”