Chapter 108 – Dwarves (5)
I was on the verge of losing my mind.
“Dear human prince! Please, have a potato!”
“How can someone so small be so strong?”
“Tell us your secret!”
Being strong is something these muscular men—no, ladies—would know better than me.
“Did you sleep well last night? Would you like me to give you a massage?”
I was startled by how close she got.
“W-Where exactly are you planning to massage?”
“Huh? D-Didn’t you sleep in that bed? Since it’s made for dwarves, it must’ve been pretty uncomfortable for you......”
Ah.
Although I’d say I was a pretty patient person, I was reaching my limits.
“Alright, let’s hold a strategy meeting! Everyone, gather up!”
In the end, I summoned all the key figures to my den. Every single person besides Narakas, who was nowhere to be found.
Everyone else showed up—Marquis Foltaine, Milon, Trevor, Krong, Winley, and even the children.
Listening in on the meeting would be valuable for their growth, after all.
‘But that aside......’
Raising my disciples was important, but first and foremost, I had to survive this ordeal.
“You all know my current situation, right?”
“......”
“Trevor! Tell me, didn’t you say you’d try to do something about this?”
Among the gathered crowd, Trevor was desperately avoiding my gaze.
“......I did talk with Bolt, but their side is quite firm on this.”
“So what you’re saying is......”
“Well...... Arranged marriages aren’t uncommon for royalty, are they?”
Should I just scrap this whole plan? Noticing the increasingly furious expression on my face, Winley quickly raised her hand.
“Can’t you say you already have a fiancé? It’s not exactly a lie.”
“Do you think I didn’t try that? Of course I did.”
“A-And they’re still insisting on the marriage?”
Winley looked baffled, her eyes looking me up and down.
‘Why does that feel oddly insulting?’
I frowned.
“Well, it’s not such a bad deal, right? They promised to help build the city if you seal the agreement. Just think of it as taking a non-human concubine......”
“Do you hear yourself right now?”
“......”
Krong immediately shut his mouth, shrinking back.
“Damn this cursed life of mine. A dwarven concubine, of all things......”
“Pfft.”
“......Who just laughed?”
My eyes narrowed with deadly intent toward the culprit.
“I-I’m sorry!”
Harun jumped, and quickly bowed his head.
“Let’s have a talk later.”
“......!”
Harun’s face twisted in distress. My other disciples looked at him with pity, and I decided that I’d have that same talk with them.
Especially Kirian, who patted him on the back like it was the end of the world.
‘There are too many people testing my patience today.’
Taking a deep breath, I calmed myself and looked around. Trevor caught my eye and quietly began to speak.
“In the end, it all comes down to earning the dwarves’ trust, doesn’t it?”
Phew.
Finally, a sensible discussion.
“The problem is the method. Marriage shouldn’t be used as a token of trust.”
Trevor offered a bitter smile in response to my sharp words.
“Please be understanding. Honestly, I’m surprised things have gone this well.”
“What’s surprising about it?”
“Most of Bolt’s clan was either killed or enslaved by humans. Even Bolt’s parents were among those who were slain.”
“......”
A solemn silence settled over us.
“First, please take this letter!”
“A letter......?”
The envelope bore an impressively ornate seal. Bolt quickly scanned its contents. And then—
“......!”
He shot to his feet.
“Wh-Where are you going all of a sudden?”
“I’m off to meet that boy for a moment!”
***
The letter Bolt received was from the only human friend he had. Someone with whom he had exchanged greetings until fairly recently.
“What’s your relationship with Count Arsene?”
“Sorry?”
“I hear you possess Bullet’s sword.”
“Oh......”
The young man named Ancelot, who had been puzzled by the question, reached for the sword at his hip and pulled it forward.
“This?”
“......Let me see it.”
Shiiing.
The blade slid gracefully from its sheath.
“Ah......”
Bolt’s pupils trembled as though he were about to shed thick tears.
“......I’ll ask again. What is your connection to him?”
“Well......”
Before Ancelot could answer, Jan, who happened to be in the den, interjected.
“He’s more than just a friend to our family—he’s our family’s most cherished benefactor.”
“......And who might you be?”
“I am the eldest son of Count Arsene.”
“......!”
Bolt’s eyes widened in recognition.
“You? Oh...... Now I remember. Back then......”
“Do you know me?”
“......You were very young, so you may not remember. But what happened to your eyes......?”
Bolt couldn’t finish his sentence. In his memory, that child had possessed perfect vision. Jan responded with a bitter smile.
“......A lot has happened.”
“......I see.”
Bolt nodded as though he roughly understood.
“For as long as history remembers, the enemy of humanity has always been other humans—just as it has been for us.”
With that, Bolt turned to one side.
“I will help you build your city.”
“......!”
Ancelot’s face lit up with joy. While he had hoped for this outcome, he hadn’t expected it to happen so soon.
‘A city built by dwarves...... The queen of the Meeke Principality will lose her mind when she hears about this.’
The place meant to be a banishment would now make him the lord of a grand city.
“But, in exchange...... Could you do me a favor?”
Ancelot’s expression instantly twisted.
“As long as it isn’t a marriage proposal.”
“......You must really hate the idea.”
“It’s not just a matter of dislike.”
“Huh?”
“Arrangements born out of need always end badly.”
Bolt flinched, hesitating for a moment before giving a wry smile.
“As expected...... You truly are different. No wonder they call you the disciple of Ancelot Heil Edenberg.”
“So, what’s the favor?”
“I need you to kill two people.”
The request was so unexpected that even Ancelot was taken aback.
“One is a human, like yourself......”
What came next was even more surprising.
“......And the other is an elf.”
***