We left.
Leo showed more efficient handling of affairs than I had expected.
[Hang him in the marketplace and have an official read out his crimes.]
First, he punished the chief administrator.
Without any hesitation, despite the man holding the title of Baron and being revered as a war hero.
He even seemed to regret that there was no one else to implicate.
[To heal mere dwarves? Is the grace of the Main God something to be bestowed upon such insignificant beings….]
[Will you obey my command, or will you receive the glorious second execution by firing squad? Choose.]
[…The Main God cherishes Your Majesty’s compassion and has commanded us to care for them!]
He even carried out the treatment of the surviving dwarves.
Even to the point of threatening the temple with guns.
Thanks to that, about half of them had their wrists regenerated.
It was like managing to scoop up a few drops of spilled water.
[…Oppa? What are you agonizing over so much?]
[I’m thinking about what to offer Teonar.]
[Ah, because of the Marc incident? That’s unexpected; I thought you’d say it’s enough that you healed them.]
[I would have, normally, but not this time. This is just the entrance fee to sit at the negotiating table.]
Of course, he didn’t stop there.
He seemed to know very well that he couldn’t be lenient about this.
Because of that, he worried quite a bit…
In contrast, Millenia was peaceful.
It was thanks to my intensive care of Wiz.
“Master, how is it? Does it feel good?”
“Yeah. Wiz is really skilled, as expected. Your touch is amazing.”
“Keehee♡ Because I’m Millenia’s best technician!”
Wiz was put in charge of my bath for a while.
It was done to prevent PTSD.
Of course, the effect was perfect.
At first, she showed hostility even to Leo, who could be seen beyond the magic, but now she’s calmed down a bit.
It was worth giving up Mel’s customized slime spa.
“By the way, what do you think? What else would you like Leo to offer?”
“…He should at least send those children to Millenia. We have to take them back from the humans.”
“I think the same. I think that’s essential.”
While she busily moved her hands.
We talked about the price he would pay.
More precisely, about how much he would ‘preemptively offer.’
‘We have to bring at least some of them. It’s a must as a multi-racial nation.’
The most important condition was the repatriation of the dwarves.
Actually, it was an obvious clause.
Millenia is a nation that values the protection of other races.
The moment this was reported, we would have no choice but to demand repatriation anyway.
I couldn’t let it slide, even if I wanted to.
Knowing that, Leo also acted boldly.
[Frida, I’m going to send the dwarves to Millenia.]
[Those poor kids who were abused? They’re Arkenian citizens for now, but is that okay?]
[The pretense is that they’re being sent to Millenia for technical training. Of course, repatriation won’t be forced.]
[Hmph- So you’re practically giving them away to Lady Dragon.]
[Yes. I’m planning to send a total of three thousand, including the three hundred and forty victims….]
‘Wow, three thousand? He’s being generous.’
The dispatch of three thousand dwarves to Millenia.
It was a very unconventional preemptive offer.
Even if you add up all the dwarves in Arkenia, there are only about 30,000, so he was cutting off 10% of them.
Even his sister was speechless.
[Three thousand people? Are you sure, Oppa? If you do that….]
[It’s okay. The dynamite should have reduced the required manpower. I can handle about three thousand.]
[Even so, your political standing will….]
[It’s okay if I’m recorded as an incompetent ruler in later generations. Right now, it’s important not to antagonize Millenia.]
But Leo himself didn’t regret it at all.
Rather, he glanced at the pistol on the table.
He seemed worried that even this wouldn’t be enough.
‘Since this is enough, just slip me some gold. If you give it to me, I won’t feel so bad….’
[In addition, we must ensure that no one abuses the dwarves. To prevent recurrence.]
[Wouldn’t that be difficult? Even if you and I don’t, the other citizens are idiots. They hate other races on sight.]
[We still have to do it. For coexistence.]
‘…Hey, if you put it that way, I look like a gold-digger.’
Thanks to that, I felt like I’d been hit.
I didn’t think he’d do this much.
Is that really the incompetent guy who used to ignore other races and had railroads built a few years ago?
My dragon heart is truly swelling, wow.
I was even thinking such nonsense.
[More than anything… I’ve been reflecting a bit this time.]
[Reflection? You?]
[Yes. Actually, this was a tragedy that wouldn’t have happened if I had paid more attention.]
[Isn’t that too much to think? How could anyone think a hero would do that?]
[No, there was a chance. I might have noticed if I had looked more closely.]
I stood still.
A pistol was in his hand.
A bitter smile was also on his face.
[What if they had been humans instead of dwarves? Would I have been satisfied with just a few reports?]
[Of course not. I would have sent inspectors like when we were distributing food. Especially since I received a warning from Mel.]
[The reason I didn’t was ultimately because they were other races. I didn’t care because they weren’t human.]
[I deliberately turned a blind eye. I told myself it was okay since I’d been working late recently, that it couldn’t be helped because I was busy with the counterfeit gold.]
[Looking back, it was just an excuse. I understand why Teonar was angry.]
[So I’m going to try to be a little different from now on. I’ve decided to think of dwarves as workers who work for the kingdom, not slaves.]
[That’s why I’m sending three thousand… no, three thousand people. I’ve decided to treat it as paying tuition.]
A quiet regret echoed.
He probably didn’t know he was being watched, so it was probably genuine.
He was excellent even compared to modern people.
Thanks to that, the corners of my mouth also went up.
‘Sorry for tormenting you all this time. I’ll really treat you well from now on, I will.’
[Our idiot Oppa has become smart for the first time in years! Here, Frida will pat you!]
[Puh, how dare you! To dare mess with my head!]
[Kyahaha!! It tickles-.]
[It’s your fault for exposing your armpits!]
The atmosphere in the office became warm.
…Yeah, I don’t need to see any more.
I should release the surveillance magic now.
-Click.
“That’s what he said, what do you think? Do you still hate all humans?”
“…………..”
I asked Wiz, whose hands had been slowing down for a while.
Even after seeing this, is your hatred still the same?
After a long silence, the answer that came back was affirmative.
“…It’s still hard to forgive. As he said, it happened because of his mistake.”
“That’s true too~ I guess the dwarves will never forgive Leo, right?”
“I’m sure they won’t. I’m angry too, so how much more angry must the victims be?”
“It can’t be helped.”
I didn’t blame her.
Not everyone can be as rational and reasonable as I am.
Life is an imperfect existence swayed by emotions.
It was thanks to the truth I realized when I was human.
As a substitute, I stretched out my tail and stroked her.
-Pat pat.
“Instead, will you promise me just one thing? Even if you hate someone, try to understand them.”
“…Effort?”
“Yeah. Even if someone gives you unreasonable hatred, the other person might have their own circumstances.”
As I said that, I thought of…
Baron Marc, the first victim of the firearms.
A war hero who lived with PTSD.
A person who turned dark after being nearly assassinated.
Leo denounced it as crazy, and there’s really no room to justify it.
But at least in his world, he had no choice.
‘If I had tried to understand, the future might have been different.’
It’s a hypothetical story, but…
At the time of the assassination attempt.
What if I had talked instead of wielding a sword?
What if I had taken refuge in a safe place and shouted, what are you doing?
Maybe the dwarves would have expressed their intentions with gestures.
We had no intention of being hostile, it was a misunderstanding. This is a gift made for you—
Then, instead of a massacre, they might have become closer.
Of course, this is just one possibility.
There’s no way to confirm the truth now, but…
Still, isn’t it a plausible assumption?
If they really wanted to kill him, a makeshift sling made of cloth would have been enough.
“In summary, conversation is important.”
The long conversation came down to one thing.
Try to understand the other person.
No matter how difficult it is to understand, try hard.
It was ‘how to coexist with others’ that I wanted to teach Wiz, something I learned later in life.
“Of course, I don’t mean forgive them. After all, you have your own world, right? You’re a victim there, so how could you?”
“That’s….”
“Just try. For coexistence.”
I patted Wiz’s butt with my tail.
Hoping that my disciple, who carried the worries I had, would find an answer without wandering like I did.
The answer that came back was affirmative this time as well.
“Heuht!?”
“Wiz? Why suddenly?”
“No, that’s… Y-yes! I’ll try!!”
“Good. You’re doing well.”
-Pat pat.
“……♡”
The eventful dwarf abuse incident was safely concluded in this way.
* * *
——Teo thought so, but the reality was different.
“This is….”
“Wiz, a high-ranking monster from the Millias Great Forest.”
“What is this amount of magical power! Even Valentia’s relic looks distorted!!”
Valentia, a neighboring country of Arkenia.
The diplomats gathered there were all surprised.
Valentia’s relic, the ‘Mirror of the Goddess’ that can glimpse distant places.
It was because the sight reflected in the mirror was so foreign.
Wiz’s appearance distorted due to the explosion of magical power.
Spraying blackish-red magical power and aiming a gun, she was…
To them, she was no different from a demon.
“We detected a strong magical reaction in southeastern Arkenia and observed this appearance.”
“Damn it! I knew it!”
“To say that monsters want peace, there’s no such thing as a more absurd sophistry!!”
Everyone spoke out in unison.
Valentia, which dominates eastern part of the continent.
Normare, a powerful nation in the western part of the continent.
Belarus, located in the southwest.
Cellisia, which was in a cold war with Belarus.
Except for the Kaiser Empire and Arkenia, all the diplomats of the continent.
“Yes, it’s clear now. The true meaning of the prophecy given to us.”
“You mean….”
“There’s only one thing to do, isn’t there?”
The eyes of the Valentian diplomat shone sharply.
“—Let’s punish Arkenia, the betrayer of humanity, and burn down the Great Forest! Let our Human Alliance join forces!!”