[To my dear Teonar. With a heavy heart, I express my condolences for this tragedy…]
“I suppose this will satisfy him.”
Tap, tap―
Leopoldus twirled his fountain pen.
Over the letter written not in the common language of the continent, Runic, but…
In Millenian, in Hangul.
His expression was strangely bright.
“What do you think, Frida? Not bad, is it?”
“It would have been perfect if you hadn’t made excuses about technical training or whatever…”
“Please overlook that. They are my people too, after all. I can’t use such blatant expressions in official documents.”
“That’s true.”
His sister, Frida, was similar.
Sitting on his lap, grinning.
She seemed pleased with the results of her editing.
It was a peaceful scene.
“And… there, Drain, was it?”
“Y-yes! Hiccup.”
“Don’t be nervous. I personally executed that demon in human skin.”
His eyes turned to the opposite side.
Towards the dwarf who, despite wearing quite fine clothes, looked awkward and as if he couldn’t stand the discomfort.
“How is my Dwarvish? I learned it in a hurry, so I’m sure it’s lacking…”
“If you just add a barrel of beer, I’d believe you were a dwarf.”
“…What does that have to do with anything?”
“The language of dwarves begins with ‘beer’ and ends with ‘let’s drink…”
“So that’s your culture, is it? I’ll have to try it sometime.”
A conversation in Dwarvish, learned directly, not through a translation artifact.
A scene he couldn’t have dreamed of a few years ago.
It was a sign of how much his heart had changed, but…..
The dwarf before him wasn’t moved; he was just sweating and trembling.
“….”
‘It can’t be helped. After experiencing that horrific massacre, it’s absurd to expect them not to be afraid of humans.’
He didn’t blame the rudeness.
It was inevitable, and it shouldn’t be otherwise.
More than anything, he didn’t want to.
Instead, Leo decided to reassure him.
“Three thousand dwarves will be leaving for Millenia tomorrow. Including the three hundred and forty of you who worked in that mine.”
“…The land of dragons.”
“I see you’ve heard of it? Yes, a place where huge iron contraptions roam the continent, and machines move on their own and create things. A nation that boasts technology hundreds of years ahead.”
“…”
A story that dwarves would like.
Perhaps intrigued, a bit of life returned to his dead black eyes.
Truly, they were a race born with the soul of artisans.
“In that place, all races get along well. There are no persecuted races, at least as far as I can see.”
“Because the Dragon Lord is above them!”
“…Frida, when did you learn Dwarvish?”
“I picked it up little by little, hehe.”
“How admirable. Anyway, Drain? If you go there, you won’t have to be wary of humans anymore.”
“If I go to Millenia…”
The dwarf, Drain’s, voice trailed off a little.
…He must be imagining it.
A land full of unimaginable technologies.
A paradise without humans who abuse them.
A heaven for dwarves.
Leo didn’t bother to break the silence.
His mouth opened again almost three minutes later.
After the dwarf realized his rudeness and flinched in surprise.
“Have
you
sorted out your thoughts?”
“Ah, ah!! I’m sorry! How dare a dwarf…”
“Don’t be so self-deprecating.”
“But.”
“Hate me instead. To you, Marx, or I, will look like the same monster.”
“…”
“Well, we’ll talk about this later. Over a mug of beer with your kin in Millenia, slowly.”
I just hope you remember that there was a human like me back then.
That was what Leo couldn’t bring himself to say.
He knew very well that this was too selfish a thought.
-Swish.
“This is a letter to Teonar. I’d like you to deliver it yourself.”
“How can I be entrusted with something so important…”
“The contents have already been agreed upon, so don’t worry.”
“…Yes, yes.”
“Well then, I’m sorry to have kept you in this uncomfortable place for so long. You may leave now.”
“Understood!”
The dwarf grabbed the letter and stood up.
As if wanting to get away from the human as quickly as possible, hastily.
And as he turned to leave…
“Brother, you forgot the most important thing.”
“…Oh, I almost forgot. Drain? Could you turn around for a moment?”
“……Yes, sir!!”
At Leo’s words, he spun around.
What he faced was.
The noblest people in Arkenia, Leopoldus and Frida.
Both of them bowing.
“I, Leopoldus de la Arkenia, the Third King. On behalf of Arkenia, I sincerely apologize for the atrocities we have committed against you.”
“I, Princess Frida de la Arkenia, vow to take care to ensure that such tragedies are not repeated in the future.”
“Please understand that we cannot apologize so politely to all of you.”
“I will just try to make it so that we can do this in front of the people someday.”
“I’m sorry.”
“We are sorry.”
The reason Leo brought the dwarf into his office and even showed him with Frida.
To offer an apology that could not yet be revealed.
Not to seek forgiveness, but a pure apology filled only with remorse.
“…”
‘To think I’d live to see a human bowing to a dwarf.’
Unfortunately, it wasn’t immediately conveyed to Drain, but…
[Wiz? Isn’t this the most realistic thing we can do?]
[…I guess we don’t have to drive them to extinction, whatever.]
‘Disgusting, but not beyond redemption.’
That sincerity had surely reached someone.
It was by no means a meaningless act.
“Then farewell, Drain. Heir to the Blacksmiths.”
“…Yes.”
Thus, three thousand dwarf artisans, including Arkenia’s greatest master craftsman.
Repatriation to Millenia confirmed.
* * *
The dwarves’ entry took place a week later.
They could have been brought over immediately, but the time was deliberately delayed.
Because of Wiz’s suggestion.
“There’s no need for Master to go to all the trouble. They can just come by steam train.”
“I’m fine with it? I heard there are some who haven’t been treated yet. I should heal them quickly.”
“We should let them feel the excitement of riding the first steam train. Give them plenty of beer, and show them a steam engine model…”
“That’s probably the best thing for them. Alright.”
There’s nothing like a steam train to blow the artisans’ minds.
It seemed like a good idea, so I adopted it right away.
The effect was beyond imagination.
“Ooh!! This is Millenia!!”
“Goodness, I never thought there would be such an artistic city…”
“…Ugh, there are pointy-eared bitches too.”
The dwarves’ eyes sparkled as soon as they arrived.
It was a bright atmosphere, unlike other races who had just entered Millenia.
Even more so when you consider what they had gone through.
‘I was going to spend some time soothing their PTSD… but I don’t think I need to go that far.’
“Send them here.”
I called them to the Dragon Palace right away.
-Whisper, whisper.
“I heard we’re going to see the Dragon Lord, where…”
“Welcome to the land of Millenia. Familiar one.”
“……!!!?”
After that, we simply introduced ourselves, and
“Grand Healing.”
-Whoosh!!!
“M-my wrist has grown back!”
“The burn scars I got when I was young!!”
“My back, which was ruined from working in the mine!!!”
I also healed them.
Defects that even the high priest couldn’t heal were no match for 10,000 times the magic power.
“Milanoi, Shar. Please register these guys.”
“Understood!”
“I’ll take care of it right away.”
Besides administrative processing,
“Aurelia, control the elves. They’ve been through a lot, so it wouldn’t be good if they started picking fights on the first day.”
“Everything will be as Master wishes.”
Controlling Millenia’s representative problematic race, chronic vitamin B12 deficiency patients,
“Wiz, you hang out with them for about a week. Lucia is on a business trip anyway, and it’s just an adjustment period.”
“Yes!”
I attached Wiz to help the dwarves adjust.
“What about me? Anything for Teo~.”
“Mel, you focus on construction for a while. Don’t stay in Arkenia, stay in Millenia.”
“…Okay.”
Of course, Mel, who was now reluctant to be in Arkenia for a while, or…..
“Um, me.”
“Silvi, let’s keep researching. We have a long way to go.”
“…I feel like I’m not contributing.”
“It can’t be helped. I can’t spread an epidemic across the continent just to make you contribute.”
..If that is the will of the Great One.”
Silvi, who was somehow the hardest of the five retainers to see.
There was no way to use these two right away, but…
I deliberately didn’t put them forward.
Even though they wanted to step forward, deliberately.
Of course, there was a reason.
-We need reserve personnel to prepare for war.’
…It wouldn’t be strange if an invasion happened at any time.
The current state of the continent is ominous itself.
All the countries are glaring at us.
As if to say, just wait until we get a chance.
The only reason peace is maintained in this situation is because we flaunted that we are coexisting with Arkenia.
Starting with solving the food problem, allowing them to collect tariffs from trade, and helping to eradicate the counterfeit gold coin incident.
‘The last one might be a bit unpleasant, but it can’t be helped. There’s no answer if even they turn their backs on us.’
Anyway, for these reasons, Mel and Silvi were put on hold.
We decided to prepare for an invasion that could happen at any time.
You can’t emphasize the saying “preparedness prevents misfortune” enough.
“Okay, everyone, dismiss—”
-Fwoosh.
“—Teo-nim!!!!!!”
“……Krr?”
Even the great nation didn’t expect this.
Our eyes were drawn to one place.
A bird that flew into the Dragon Palace, leaving behind lightning.
Transforming into a human and approaching me…
To Millenia’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Lucia.
“Lucia? What disrespect in front of the Lord.”
-Prostrate.
“The humans are about to invade! Four countries at once!!”
“What!!?”
The atmosphere became serious.
Everyone’s faces hardened.
Even the dwarves, who didn’t yet know Millenian, noticed that something was wrong.
“Everyone be quiet. Mel, didn’t you track the military rations?”
“There haven’t been any major changes in food prices…”
“So the army isn’t moving. Lucia, has a subjugation force been organized?”
“Yes! A mobilization order has been issued to the Magic Tower and the Knights… they are preparing to be dispatched at any time!”
“We’ve been had. I didn’t think they’d come at us with a small elite force.”
My head ached involuntarily.
I thought I had shown off enough national power…
Instead of bringing all their forces, they’re only sending a small number?
‘How could I have predicted this.’
The only advantage of humanity is its numbers.
There was no way to predict that they would abandon their numerical superiority on their own.
It was natural that I only found out right before.
“Also, I confirmed that Valentia’s diplomat secretly left for Arkenia!”
“…Valentia?”
“Yes! Because they moved so secretly, I didn’t notice right away… it might be an ultimatum or an attempt to drive a wedge between us.”
“Wait a minute.”
Whirr-
I quickly cast a surveillance spell.
Leo’s office was projected into the air.
[…Choose. Whether to become a traitor to humanity and perish, or to make the ‘right’ choice even now.]
[I will give you four days. No, four days.]
[I sincerely hope that Arkenia will not turn against us. As a human being.]
“…..”
‘They don’t give us a break, do they.’
It just so happened that Leo was being threatened.
* * *
Four days later.
“I will prove our innocence.”
“What do you mean?”
“Arkenia will be at the forefront of the Teonar subjugation war.”
“I believed in you, Your Majesty!”
Arkenia joins the Human Alliance.