âThis is the best dwarf craftsman. I was able to recruit him because he is interested in the ran tribe.â Hyeonu introduced Kapa, who was standing next to him with a nervous expression.
âIf he is the best dwarf craftsman... A great tribe chief? You have met a very precious existence.â Edward approached Kapa with wide eyes at Hyeonuâs introduction.
âAre you the leader of the ran tribe? It looks different from what is recorded in the books...?â Kapa observed the approaching Edward and shook his head. By all accounts, Edward looked like a human. It was different from the records that the dwarves and other species left behind.
âHe was born as a human being, but he inherited the memory of the great tribe chief that you knew, Kapa. He regained some abilities to a certain extent,â Hyeonu explained the reason for the sense of strangeness Kapa felt. Hyeonu knew all too well why Kapa felt strange because he had seen Ragandâs body firsthand.
âIs that so? He inherited the memory... He must not have been normal before,â Kapa said.
âThatâs right, my blood isnât normal. Isnât that why the previous chief targeted me?â
âHe is the only brother of the current emperor. They share the same blood, so their talent will be different from ordinary people. Probably.â
Edward bragged while Hyeonu explained it. Edward couldnât stop smiling, but Hyeonu wasnât smiling at all.
âSo why did I have to come here? What request do you have?â Kapa asked Edward right away. The reason he was looking for a dwarf craftsman.
âI want you to make one thing,â Edward answered.
âA thing? No weapons or armor are allowed.â Kapa shook his head and refused the moment he heard Edwardâs words. âI donât know which way the ran tribeâs hands will turn.â
He had no intention of making anything that was related to battle.
âI didnât intend to ask for that in the first place. I already have a weapon to use,â Edward responded with a smile despite Kapaâs resolute words. The reason for calling Kapa wasnât to ask him to make weapons or armor, so he didnât have such expectations from the beginning.
Edward stated, âThe thing I am asking you to create is a throne.â
Kapa made a strange expression at Edwardâs words.
âA throne? He is asking me to make a kingâs seat... He wants me to make him a chair?â
âA throne? Does a throne mean the chair the king will sit on?â Kapa asked a question to answer his doubts.
âThatâs right. I am asking you to make a seat of power for myself.â Edward nodded.
Kapaâs thoughts were correct.
âA seat of power? This guy?â Hyeonu remarked inwardly. He immediately thought of the emperor when he heard Edwardâs words that he wanted a seat of powerâa man who buried himself in his throne with a lazy appearance.
âThere is one in my territory.â
The throne was also in Phinis, Hyeonuâs territory. Edchan and Suped joined forces to create it.
âWhat... I think the same thing will come out...â
Kapa would play the role of Edchan. If Edward took Supedâs role, he could create something similar.
Hyeonuâs speculation came true due to the subsequent conversation between Edward and Kapa.
âIf that is enough, you donât need the help of me or any others.â Kapaâs interest cooled down in an instant. It was a chair on which the king sat, but in the end, it was just a chair. This wasnât Kapaâs concern.
âNo, Iâm not asking for just a chair. If it was like that, I wouldnât have asked for a dwarf in the first place.â Edward snapped his fingers. Then the guardians emerged with something. They brought out a very large rock that seemed to span at least 10 meters, horizontally and vertically.
âI will make a throne out of this. I will sit on it...â Edward knocked on the rock a few times.
âThis...!â Kapa muttered with a surprised expression. He seemed to know the identity of the rock that Edward was showing.
âYou know it? Did you see it in the records still being passed down through the different species?â Edward stroked the black rock with his hands.
âDark iron...â Kapa called out the name of the black rock.
âThatâs right, it is dark iron. It is a metal made from quality steel. It has been purified using the secret arts of the ran tribe.â
Dark iron had been developed by the ran tribe to take the lead in the war against other species, including the giants.
âWhat is this dark iron, Kapa?â Hyeonu carefully asked Kapa, who couldnât take his eyes off the dark iron for a second.
âThere is no metal like this for those who use the dark attribute magic power. It is literally a metal specialized for the ran tribe,â Kapa explained while his eyes were fixed on the dark iron.
âIs there such a thing?â Hyeonu also looked surprised when he found out about the dark iron. Being able to create a metal with an artificial attribute wasnât an ordinary thing.
âIt is a good thing to gather people.â
There was no need to give them good items. The players would come on their own as long as a little bit of dark iron was squeezed out.
âIt can be used for production or to increase the proficiency of blacksmiths.â
The dark iron was very useful. Of course, there was no guarantee that this useful thing would produce great results.
Still, it was worth it no matter what.
âDo you have any blueprints?â Kapa turned his head slightly toward Edward.
Edward responded by flicking his finger. He snapped his fingers, and a colorful chair appeared over the dark iron. âI hope you can make it this way.â
âIt will cost you a lot, and it will take around a month.â
âIt only takes that long? As expected of a dwarf great tribe chief.â Edward clapped. One month was a short enough wait time. At first, Edward thought the time he would have to wait would be as long as half a year.
Hyeonu left Kapa to focus on the dark iron and glanced at Edward. Edward immediately understood what Hyeonuâs gaze meant. âLetâs have a conversation while the great tribe chief is looking at the dark iron.â
âIt wonât take long. Iâll be back soon.â Hyeonu bowed slightly to Kapa.
âIt doesnât matter how long it takes. I just need to look at this.â Kapa nodded. He already wasnât interested in Hyeonu and Edward. His only concern right now was the dark iron.
Hyeonu and Edward left Kapa behind and walked away.
âHave you heard about the ra tribe?â Hyeonu asked.
âIs that something for me to care about? I just heard that they started a war,â Edward replied.
âReally? You arenât lying, are you? I believe you know how to distinguish it based on your own self-interest,â Hyeonu said with a stiff expression. Now wasnât the time to joke around.
âReally. This is the information that those adventurers obtained.â
âYou donât know what is next?â
âWhat is next? Why did the war happen anyway?â Edward asked with a wronged expression. He really didnât know. Edward couldnât afford to turn his attention elsewhere right now. This was something that had to be done with all his heart.
âThe ra tribe was completely broken. The tribeâs number two person had one arm cut off, while Luke didnât achieve much and had to withdraw.â
âHe didnât achieve much? Who stopped Luke? Was there such a powerhouse in the East Continent?â Edwardâs eyes widened. It seemed like nonsense that Luke couldnât accomplish anything. After all, Edward knew how strong Luke was from the memories Ragand left behind and the experiences they had in person.
âThe cause isnât the East Continent but the different species. The present day orcs have a species god who stopped Luke.â
âAn orc stopped Luke? Do you think that makes sense? It is absurd. If there had been such an orc, the empire wouldâve started a war straight away,â Edward exploded in anger. He thought that Hyeonuâs words were a lie. The orcs had engaged in a close battle against the chief of the ra tribe, which lasted for a long time. Based on what Edward knew, he couldnât understand this situation.
âI canât help it if you donât believe it. It is true. Iâm just telling you to inform you.â Hyeonu didnât care about Edwardâs reaction. It was just something that Edward had to know.
âIt is just in case Luke comes and asks.â
Luke would unconditionally come to Edward. The existence of Raccoon was that shocking.
âMoreover, Lebron cut off the arm of the number two member of the god tribe. He didnât cut it himself. Instead, he made the number two member cut off his own arm. Therefore, it isnât wrong to say that Lebron did it.â Hyeonu plunged Edward, who hadnât recovered from the aftermath of the shock, into a deeper crucible of shock.
âLebron? You mean that Lebron is that strong?â Edward asked again with a surprised expression on his face.
âTeacher is strong. His Majesty the Emperor is probably even stronger. So be firm and quickly absorb Ragandâs memories. You donât have time to relax.â
âDamn! Damn empire!! What does it mean by being so strong?!â Edward screamed at the true face of the empire he hadnât known when he was a prince.
âYou asked me for that favor even though you know all of this?â Edward turned the arrow of resentment toward Hyeonu.
âOf course. How strong Teacher is and the fact that there was a strong chief among the orcs⦠I knew it all. But isnât it in Ragandâs memory? Even the guardians with an enormous amount of magic power behind them were unable to deal with Teacher and Duke Blake.â Hyeonu smiled so brightly that his white teeth could be seen. âSo... work hard. Isnât yours a life I saved? You have to work hard to survive and fulfill my remaining requests.â
The laugh that emerged from Hyeonuâs mouth grew louder.
âI barely survived...â Edwardâs expression distorted. He had just seen the path of life a little bit. However, it wasnât a smooth path but a thorny one. There was no one he could trust, and he couldnât be careless for even a moment. It was overflowing with people who wanted to target his head, his knowledge, or even restrict his actions.
âThen the reason you found the dwarf...â
Right when Edward continued to talk to Hyeonu, a sudden white light appeared between them.
âWhat?â Hyeonu questioned it inwardly as he closed his eyes at the sudden light.
Meanwhile, Edward wasnât bewildered at all. It was because he knew the identity of the light.
âWhat is going on today? Has the promised day already come?â Edward spoke with a shameless expression to the man who appeared in the light. It was different from when he was talking to Hyeonu.
At first glance, there was a look of impatience on Lukeâs stiff expression. âThe war has begun as promised. I naturally came here to get the reward.â
âThe reward? What reward?â Edward asked with an expression like he didnât know anything. It was the face of someone hearing it for the first time.