Chapter 29

Chapter 29 - Dwarves (1)

 

The King displayed the arms and armor gifted by the Dwarves in the Royal Palace.

Once the news spread, the Royal Palace was crowded with nobles who had come to see the legendary Dwarf-made arms and armor.

Even those who had initially scoffed that it was nothing more than an exaggeration were captivated by their beautiful forms.

The rumors about the arms and armor spread from one mouth to another, to the point that there was now almost no one who did not know of them.

The same was true of the 2nd Prince’s Faction, which had not been pleased by the achievements the 1st Prince had made.

“……They are impressive after all.”

A middle-aged noble who was examining the displayed armor let out a low groan.

Even those who usually prided themselves on having discerning eyes would drool over such things, so how much more so would he, a man from a merchant background?

However, his appreciation did not last long. Soon, the middle-aged noble moved somewhere else.

“They are more remarkable than expected. Not only their appearance, but even their performance leaves nothing to be desired.”

“Their value?”

“I cannot say for certain, but if they appeared at auction, each one would fetch an amount comparable to a mansion.”

“……I see.”

The face of the man listening carefully to the middle-aged noble’s voice, Count Valmons, twisted.

For the count, who was called the true brain of the 2nd Prince’s Faction, that was only natural.

‘Of all people, heavenly fortune had to favor him…….’

Even if he had brought back only the Dwarf-made equipment, it would have been treated as an achievement equivalent to victory in war.

No, even finding traces of them would have been enough to be recognized as an accomplishment.

But he had brought back the most important thing: the Dwarves themselves. And at such an exceedingly convenient moment that he had even personally established a relationship as their savior.

That was an achievement nothing could replace.

Across all of Esteban…… no, across the entire continent, it was a great achievement that would remain in history.

Count Valmons muttered irritably.

“Tsk. If only those assassin bastards had done their jobs properly from the beginning…….”

The best method was to kill him without anyone knowing.

However, he must have developed a sense of caution by now. Trying the same method again would be foolish.

Of course, it was not that he had not thought of dealing with the Dwarves either.

However, the ones protecting them were the Sun Knights. There was no way mere hired assassins could break through them.

‘This is not good.’

Even so, he could not simply sit back and do nothing.

The current 2nd Prince’s Faction was losing ground day by day because of his attack on the north.

“……There is no helping it, then.”

Count Valmons, who muttered that, flashed his eyes.

“What about the thing I mentioned?”

“Here. I prepared it in advance.”

“Well done.”

The count accepted the documents the middle-aged noble handed him.

Then he checked the contents of the documents and smiled coldly.

“If we cannot kill them, making them our allies would be best.”

This much would be enough to use as bait to lure them in.

***

The western annex of the Royal Palace.

Originally, if there were no important events, it was so empty that one could not even sense the presence of people. After the Expeditionary Force returned, however, not a single moment there had been quiet.

It was because of the guests who would be staying there for the time being.

“Please tell me anytime if there is anything you lack.”

“A-ahem……! Thank you.”

Surt expressed his gratitude with an awkward expression.

After the maid assigned exclusively to him left, he exhaled the breath he had been holding and wiped away his cold sweat.

“S-so this is how humans live…….”

When, in his entire life, would he ever have had the chance to be served by others?

To survive in a barren remote region, he had no choice but to constantly strive on his own.

However, although the situation felt awkward, it was not unpleasant.

“If anything, perhaps it is not so bad…….”

A bitterly cold climate. Barren land. Meager food.

Everything about Esteban’s Royal Palace was different from the days when they had lived quietly inside the Barrier.

That was why the Dwarves, including Surt, were falling into the comfortable life of the Royal Palace at a surprisingly rapid pace.

What pleased them was also the way they were treated.

The revealed existence of the Dwarves was no different from a treasure to the continent.

Their renowned and magnificent Metallurgical skill was one thing, but especially from an academic perspective, there was nothing that could replace them.

Because of that, the Dwarves were being treated even more respectfully and preciously than elders of the academic world.

Needless to say, the clan was delighted.

“……Ahem! It seems there is no need to go anywhere else. Staying here alone should be enough.”

He had been told that a home where freedom was guaranteed would be prepared for them.

In any case, as long as they could use a forge, could it not be said that freedom was guaranteed here as well?

It was then.

“Chief!”

A Dwarf came running to Surt. It was the Dwarf who had gone to receive permission to use the forge.

Surt asked with a brightened expression.

“Oh, you! Did you ask about using the forge?”

“Th-that is, I did ask, but…….”

“Mm?”

At the hesitant voice of his clan member, unease flashed through Surt’s mind.

But it lasted only an instant.

“……Ah, I see. Did they tell us to pay a usage fee if we want to use the forge?”

“That is not it…….”

“Hm? Then did they say we have to improve the forge facilities in exchange for using them?”

“Th-the truth is, the humans refused to allow us to use the forge.”

“What did you say?!”

THUD!

Surt sprang to his feet in shock.

At that, the glass of water he had received from the maid toppled helplessly onto the floor.

Of course, he had no time to care about such things.

“Wh-why in the world?! There must be a reason!”

“I do not know either. All they said was that the 1st Prince had not permitted it…….”

“He did not permit it……?”

That could not be.

Flustered, Surt hurriedly picked up his hammer and went to the place called the 1st Prince’s office.

But the one there was not the 1st Prince.

Clack!

“……What is it?”

It was the man he had seen in the clan’s village. He clearly remembered hearing him called George.

However, a name was not what mattered right now, so Surt opened his mouth urgently.

“You there……! I just heard something strange!”

“Did you perhaps come because of the forge?”

“Y-yes! That!”

Surt nodded fiercely and continued.

“This is different from the promise! He clearly promised that until the clan’s home was completed, we would be treated without any lack!”

“Well, that is……”

What Surt had brought up as a condition of the contract was only that his clan be treated at least as honored guests.

The 1st Prince had readily agreed to that.

And yet, after making such a promise, he had forbidden the Dwarf clan from using the forge?

The current situation was clearly different from what had been promised.

“If you do not know well, then hurry and bring the 1st Prince. I will speak with him.”

“I do roughly remember it, at least.”

“Ooh! Then hurry and grant my clan the authority to use the forge…….”

“That is impossible.”

“N-no! You there, what reason could there be for this? There must be some reason!”

Surt pounded his chest in frustration. It truly felt as though he might die from the feeling of suffocation.

However, regardless of that, the human called George spoke with complete indifference.

“You said you wanted to be treated ‘equivalent to state guests,’ did you not? What insane kingdom would make state guests work at a forge? Even holding parties for you all day would not be enough.”

“Wh-what?!”

It certainly was not wrong. It was not wrong, but……

Work at the forge was daily life and vitality itself for the Dwarves.

If they did not work at a forge for even a single day, it felt as if thorns grew from their bodies.

From a human perspective, it might be an abnormal thing, but Surt did not think the 1st Prince, who even knew the customs of his clan, would be unaware of this.

In other words, the 1st Prince had created this situation deliberately.

“That is sophistry!”

“Well, some people might think so.”

“P-please, if you are going to treat us as honored guests, then open the forge at once…… We have not been able to do forge work since we left the village…….”

“I am not sure. I will ask him once, at least.”

“Grr…….”

Threatening him did not work, and begging him did not work either.

It seemed this small human could not be reasoned with.

“Th-then……! Where is the 1st Prince? I will speak with him directly!”

“His Highness went to the training grounds.”

“Good. The training grounds, you say? I understand. Thank you for telling me…….”

“Well, if I were you, instead of bothering him during training and volunteering to become a substitute for a scarecrow, I would come another time.”

“…….”

Surt remained silent for a long time before speaking.

“……I will come another time.”

“As you please.”

It was frustrating, but nothing was more important than his life.

***

When I returned to the office after finishing my training, George, who had been handling the documents delayed by the northern attack, greeted me.

Of course, whether that face filled with dissatisfaction could be called a greeting was another matter.

In any case, he began explaining what had happened while I had been at the training grounds.

“The Dwarf clan came by.”

“Surt, was it?”

“Yes.”

Well, that was bound to happen.

I smiled faintly and looked at the documents placed on the desk.

They were documents containing matters regarding the Galderd Plains and the Dwarves.

“It seems the discussion will be concluded in about four days.”

“Probably. There will be no unexpected changes.”

A place where the Dwarves, who had formed an alliance with Esteban, would live.

In the State Council, heated discussions were taking place over lending that land to the Dwarves.

I had no worries.

Not only was that land already known to be useless, but most of the nobles were positive about the discussion because they believed it was necessary to maintain relations with the Dwarves.

Of course, it was obvious which nobles were opposing it.

“Even so, there is no chance the Dwarves will place themselves under the protection of the Federal Empire.”

It seemed they wanted to leave open the possibility of discord between the Dwarves and Esteban, even if they had to force their opposition that way.

I set the documents down with a sneer.

“Well, aside from that, you said Surt came by?”

“He asked for permission to use the forge.”

“What an amusing fellow.”

I curled my lips as though it was not even worth listening to.

“That cannot be allowed.”

Desire was an emotion that arose from deprivation.

There was no way I could let such fellows settle into this situation and lie down complacently.

Even while they were in the Royal Castle, they had to move while filled with longing for freedom.

Of course, the same would be true even after their safety and freedom were secured.

“Persuade them properly so they move according to our intentions. I will leave that part to you.”

“……This is more overtime.”

Haa……

George sighed like that and scratched his head.

But in that instant, his expression turned surprisingly serious.

“The 2nd Prince’s Faction has moved.”

“……I see.”

It was about time.

For them, now, while the Dwarves remained in the Royal Castle, was the best possible moment to overturn the situation.

If the Dwarves migrated to the Galderd Plains according to the terms of the discussion, they would be in a situation where they could no longer pull any tricks.

I looked at George and said,

“For the time being, focus only on moving the Dwarves.”

“Pardon? What about monitoring the 2nd Prince’s Faction?”

“There is no need to concern yourself with it. Let them do as they wish.”

“…….”

At that, doubt appeared on George’s face.

However, I did not explain further and merely looked out the window.

My eyes were filled with mockery.

‘It seems they intend to win over the Dwarves.’

Pathetically, they seemed to have dismissed the fact that I had been able to bring them here as something based purely on coincidence.

In truth, from their perspective, it might indeed have seemed as though heavenly fortune had favored me.

……So try it, if you can.

If you want, try to steal my achievement for yourselves.

After all, there is nothing you can do.