Chapter 56

Chapter 56: The Truth Revealed

“...So what do you plan to do now?” Demir put his hammer down in the mine and looked up at me. “I’ve made everything you asked for...”

He didn’t just make them. He produced them like a weapon-manufacturing machine.

“Thank you for your hard work, Demir.”

I sincerely admired his efforts, and I wasn’t the only one. Dagnar stood there, looking awestruck by his ancestor’s skill, his face glowing with familial pride.

“Well then.” I clapped my hands together. “Now that we’re prepared, we need to join forces with the elves, right?”

So far, I’d given those dwarves weapons as gifts and run some experiments, and I’d concluded that they would believe everything I told them.

At this point, the preparations were complete. It was like having all the ingredients ready before starting the main dish.

“Sunny.” I called out to them standing behind me.

“Yes, my lord.”

“Was it tomorrow?”

“Yes,” Sunny answered, bowing their head slightly, spear upright.

“Eldrin will gather the entire elven army at the front lines tomorrow.”

Sunny acted as a messenger bird. They were the only way to communicate with Eldrin in this place with no phones or email.

“Oh, are they finally gathering?” Demir’s eyes shone with anticipation.

It seems he had been feeling quite restless. It made sense, given that we were just hammering away without any real plan, while the magic dragon’s restrictions were on the verge of breaking.

“Yes, it’s time to start.”

I intended to gather all the races of this world into one place.

But Demir still seemed to have his doubts. “Hm, no matter how popular you are, you’re still from a different race... Would the Rock Tribe come together at your command?”

“...”

The truth was I didn’t know. Even if the favorability was high, I couldn’t guarantee they’d join forces at my request.

But that didn’t matter. There were other ways to bring them together.

“...Being from beyond this world?” Demir urged for an answer. “Are you sure it’s okay? Time is truly running out.”

“Well, time isn’t the issue. Whether we live or die, everything will be decided tomorrow.” I continued calmly, “There’s nothing more for you to do, Demir. If there is, however, it will be to help reveal the truth.”

“...The truth?”

“Hatred and conflict have built up over 500 years. That’s an enormous amount of time. By now, elves and dwarves are likely filled with deep-seated hostility toward each other.”

“...That’s true. Even I feel indignant about that fact.”

“If there’s a way to unite them... hmm, only one thing comes to mind.”

“Hm, and that’s revealing the truth?”

“Yes.” I nodded. “And it needs to be revealed clearly. Look at Dagnar. He changed once he learned the truth, didn’t he?” I turned to look at him.

Dagnar nodded with a determined expression. “Indeed. The truth is the best explanation against misunderstandings and slander. The problem is...” He stroked his chin. “I understand gathering the elves isn’t an issue anymore. But as our ancestor said, how do you plan to gather all the dwarves?”

“Exactly. That’s what I’ve been curious about.” Demir agreed with Dagnar’s doubt.

“Mm.” I smiled subtly. “Demir.”

“Yes?”

“Shall we make a bet?”

“A bet, you say?” Demir tilted his head, still holding his hammer.

“Yes, how about we bet on whether all the dwarves will gather by tomorrow or not? The winner gets to make a wish.”

After all, Demir would soon become my summoned creature. But whether he would ultimately obey me was a different issue. Even if he did obey me, there could be conflicts with Sunny or other summons. Therefore, it was wise to set conditions like this.

“Hm?” Demir wiggled his fingers. “I have nothing to lose. If I can defeat the dragon, I’m ready to sell my soul to a demon.”

“Alright, it’s a deal.” I plopped down and crossed my legs.

Now, all that was left was to wait leisurely. There was no need to rush. The bait had already been laid by Eldrin.

They won’t sit by idly when they know there’s a war coming.

I took slow, deep breaths and recited the Great Blue Heart Technique passages the old man taught me.

* * *

After some time had passed, the once-quiet dwarven city was thrown into an uproar.

They had finally taken the bait.

“The elves! The elves are gathering at the front lines!”

“How many of them?”

“Tens of thousands! It’s impossible to count them in such a short time!”

“Are you serious? Can this be real?”

“The queen... Has the high elf queen gone mad?”

The sudden news of the large-scale gathering of elves made the dwarves anxious.

“This is big trouble! Their forces are far beyond anything we’ve faced before!”

“We need to gather too! We must unite!”

“The Chief? Where is the Chief?”

Despite his strange behavior, there was no dwarf more reassuring than the Chief—the strongest dwarf in the world.

However, the Chief was nowhere to be found.

“No response from the Chief! The Chief has disappeared!”

—Drip, drop.

And those elves were all in tears. Not tears of sorrow but tears of anger.

What’s this?

Question marks appeared on the faces of tens of thousands of dwarves.

“What’s wrong with them?”

“Hm, are they performing some kind of ritual? The Forest Tribe has been known to use rituals for magic.”

“They seem to be just crying?”

Good, this was enough. The dwarves were not showing blind anger but doubt. That was a good enough indication that they were prepared to hear the truth.

“Impressive... Eldrin. Did you manage to tell all the elves the truth in such a short time?” Demir was impressed.

“Well, Demir,” I said.

“...You called?”

“Everything is ready now.”

“So it came true. You gathered all these people in less than a week.”

“Yes, well. I didn’t do much, but it turned out this way.”

I meant it when I said I didn’t do much. I just raised the favorability to 100 and let Eldrin create a sense of urgency.

“It’s now time.”

“To reveal the truth?”

“Yes, now the Rock Tribe must know the truth that’s been hidden for 500 years.”

In front of the curious dwarves, Demir and I moved forward.

The end was in sight.

* * *

“Greetings, Rock Tribe and Forest Tribe. I am Joo Donghoon, your temporary chief.”

The ‘Amplification’ (A-rank) skill through Demir’s scroll enabled my voice to resonate powerfully.

“J-Joo Donghoon?”

“It’s the chief! The temporary chief!”

“The temporary chief is about to give orders to attack! Get ready!”

The dwarves grew excited, cheering at the sound of my voice.

Geez, these guys. They really liked me that much, huh?

But now they were about to get a surprise.

“Unfortunately, what I am about to say is not an order to attack the elves. This is about 500 years of history filled with lies, instigation, and fabrications—the truth. Your enemy was never the elves to begin with.”

My voice calmly spread throughout the battlefield. Naturally, murmuring began amongst the dwarves.

“What do you mean, temporary chief?!”

“How can the elves not be our enemy?”

“Is he crazy? Joo Donghoon has lost his mind!”

“Why don’t we give it a listen? It’s Joo Donghoon talking, after all!”

This is the power of favorability level 100. I knew they would believe anything I told them.

I continued to hit them with the facts.

“Do you know the history of Eldrin and Demir? Do you know the true identities of Seraphine, the high elf queen, and Chief Vulcanus?”

I laid out all the information for them, from the story of the two heroes they had forgotten to how the Giant Magic Dragon, bound by prohibition, sowed discord between the two tribes for 500 years.

Naturally, the dwarves didn’t believe me.

—Murmur, murmur.

My words were dangerous to those who had lived their whole lives knowing elves were the enemy.

“Wh-What is this...!”

“Even if it’s you, Joo Donghoon, you can’t slander our Chief who fought along with us for the past 500 years!”

“Is he a puppet of the elves?”

“It’s too sudden to believe!”

I nodded.

I figured as much.

I never thought it would be easy to convince them.

“Demir,” I called out. “And Eldrin.”

Eldrin approached from the elves’ side.

There was only one way to reveal the truth to them. Seeing was believing. It was better to show them once rather than tell them a hundred times.

“Can you summon the Giant Magic Dragon here?”

If they didn’t believe me, then let them see it for themselves. Show them the Chief’s true form.

“Indeed, with such a method, it could work...!” Demir was amazed. “We can show them the dragon and take it down simultaneously!”

Eldrin nodded as well. “It’s not hard. It’s a physical seal. If I move the arrows, it will have no choice but to follow.”

Good. Now all that was left was to kill the dragon.

I wonder if they will give me a Dragon Slayer achievement for this.

I felt a thrilling sense of excitement rise from within me. Even if it was an illusion, I was probably the only one who had ever faced a dragon in my world..