Chapter 155: Chapter 155: Dwarf

We started heading south towards the southeastern desert as originally planned.

Although we had come to the east, we didn’t bother stopping anywhere else. Dealing with Arachne was enough.

When I first started playing the game, I had operated in the east a few times, but never after that.

Nothing memorable enough to recall. There might be things I don’t know, but there’s not much to gain here.

Moreover, when I saw Arniel’s letter, the devil worshippers were already spreading their branches to the east.

Considering our group’s level, it wasn’t time to encounter devil worshippers yet. Quickly leaving the east was the best course of action.

‘No need to get tangled up in trouble again.’

I told Rina and Jofor a limited version of my past.

Rina seemed deep in thought, while Jofor showed more curiosity about the Haisen intelligence agency.

When they heard that I was Carl Schurtafen, both were speechless for a few seconds.

Anyway, there weren’t any problems I had worried about.

‘Doesn’t seem like there will be any in the future either.’

Rina appeared to have completely come over to my side after dealing with Arachne.

I was slightly worried about Jofor, but judging from his reaction, it seemed fine to just leave him be.

After hearing I was from the Haisen intelligence agency, he got more excited, asking if he could learn that too.

He was consistently strange in odd ways.

Also, he was feeling quite fulfilled by his improving skills since taking up the spear.

He was treating me and Denif almost like masters.

Rather, it seemed they were touched, thinking we trusted them by sharing such information.

“Huh?”

The unexpected event during our journey south was due to a truly chance encounter.

An escort carriage in front of us.

As we were all on horseback, we exchanged brief glances as we passed by.

There were 4 mercenaries around the carriage, but although they were acting as mercenaries, their bearing was different.

I could tell at a glance that they were knights of some noble.

Why would knights pretend to be mercenaries? As I looked closer out of sudden curiosity, Denif also noticed something was off.

“Strange, aren’t they knights?”

“Seems so.”

“Why are they acting like that?”

“Who knows.”

“Well, it’s none of our business.”

That’s not wrong. There’s no need to get involved. Whatever they’re doing, it doesn’t concern us.

I habitually moved the Winds to examine the inside of the carriage.

And at that moment, a reason for us to get involved in this matter arose.

Inside the carriage was a small-bodied person lying down with their hands and feet bound. Not a child.

A plump figure with a bushy beard. I was certain this being was a dwarf.

A brief deliberation followed.

‘What should I do.’

There are two options.

Either pretend we didn’t see anything and pass by, or intervene and rescue the dwarf. Either is fine.

This is a matter involving a dwarf, no less. Just seeing the knights pretending to be mercenaries shows it’s a shady business.

There is a possibility of things getting a bit troublesome.

Of course, it doesn’t really matter since we’re leaving the east. We’ll be gone before any problems arise.

‘It might be better to save him.’

Dwarf.

Considering their craftsmanship and rarity, I wondered if such an opportunity would come again. A person also came to mind.

Hamal. A member of the Haisen intelligence agency who made equipment for me.

Thinking of that talent, it seemed a dwarf could create even greater synergy if we paired them with Osten.

The dwarf might be able to make what Osten could only imagine but not create.

The problem is whether the dwarf would be docile even if we save him.

‘They hate humans.’

That hatred goes beyond the normal range. Like elves, they try to kill humans even if they die themselves.

The Hamal I saw was unusual.

In all my time playing the game, other races siding with humans were rare enough to count on one hand.

Most pretended to help while leaking information and backstabbing.

Rationally, I understand.

They fought against the devil with the fate of their race at stake during the founding emperor’s time, but have been persecuted ever since. It’s hatred built up over a long time.

‘Still, it’s better than not doing anything.’

I’m leaning towards saving them.

We can talk after rescuing them. Whether they join us or we just let them him go. I have nothing to lose.

It’s not over even if we just let them go. A small connection might return as unexpected help later.

Of course, there’s a possibility of problems even if we succeed in recruiting them.

Since they’re a dwarf, we can’t tell them details about our organization and will have to watch them carefully for a while.

Well, that much effort is acceptable if we think about gaining a dwarf. Though it seems I’m already counting my chickens before they hatch.

“Denif.”

“What?”

Denif noticed something was up from my expression.

“What do you sense? Want to check it out?”

“There’s a dwarf inside.”

“A dwarf?”

Denif was surprised. That’s how rare they are to see. There was nothing to worry about.

We’re all in disguise anyway.

“The knights? Should we kill them all?”

“Subdue them for now. Let’s hear what they have to say.”

I thought they might have captured them from the mountains since they were heading south with a dwarf.

However, we can’t say they’re entirely bad.

Dwarves aren’t normal either, scattering Flynn Powder all over the northeastern mountains.

We should capture them and assess the situation.

While thinking, we had advanced nearly 300m. I gathered our group.

After relaying the news, we stopped our horses and carriage near a huge tree visible ahead.

I sensed the other side eyeing us as we slowed down.

‘They’re not particularly on guard.’

They didn’t seem tense either.

Although we have a carriage, Rina and Mary were also riding horses outside to get used to horseback riding.

It would look like we’re taking a short break in the tree’s shade. But that was only for a moment.

As the distance closed and we moved to the roadside, their wariness increased. 10m. The knights placed their hands on their swords.

“What are you doing? Get out of the way.”

“We just thought we’d say hello. Aren’t we fellow mercenaries?”

“These bastards…”

The knight who seemed to be the leader frowned. Despite pretending to be mercenaries, they seem to have quite a bit of pride.

“I’ll say it one last time. Move aside if you don’t want to die.”

“What will you do if we don’t?”

Denif grinned. The atmosphere became tense.

“You scum!”

The knight raised his sword angrily. We also drew our swords, led by Denif.

“That’s a dwarf inside, right?”

At Denif’s words, the knights’ eyes filled with shock. Unnecessary words. Denif and I simultaneously stomped the ground.

Aron and Jofor followed right behind.

We had agreed to take on one each. The knights’ level wasn’t low. But they were facing unfavorable opponents.

Denif and I could handle most knights with our eyes closed. Still, it would be a good fight for the kids.

The knights were on horseback. They had slowed down as we blocked their path.

I leaped up from the ground, deflected the incoming knight’s sword to the side, and then punched him in the jaw.

“Ugh!”

The knight fell to the ground, unconscious from a single blow. Well, this kind of fight doesn’t even count as a warm-up.

It seemed Denif’s side was already finished too.

Jofor and Aron were struggling a bit. They didn’t know how to deal with opponents on horseback.

I’ll have to teach them that later.

I watched quietly. When the kids struggled, I helped a little with Winds.

The battle didn’t last long. I made eye contact with Denif.

“Shall we open it?”

***

“Th-that’s what happened.”

The young dwarf kept their eyes on the ground, watching our reactions. They looked terrified.

I’m not sure if this should be considered fortunate, but they were quite different from the dwarf I had imagined.

“P-please don’t hit me! Please!”

As soon as we opened the carriage door, they shouted that while trembling violently, probably aware of the commotion outside.

It was quite surprising. Dwarves are known for their toughness, after all.

Anyway, I was able to hear a more detailed story through the dwarf Arvid and Rina.

The east, like the empire, systematically manages dwarves.

Since they’re a hard-to-catch different race, instead of catching new ones, they manage the already caught dwarves like livestock.

The empire does this too.

They make the captured dwarves breed with each other to produce more dwarves.

‘It feels a bit wrong to use the word ‘breed’ for intelligent beings, but that’s exactly what it is.’

It’s not marriage. They use them like stud horses, just until they produce children, then return them.

They even manage family trees to prevent deformities due to inbreeding.

-My grandfather was also born in the east.

Hearing Arvid’s words, it was natural that they had a personality more like a human than a dwarf.

If their grandfather was born here, even a dwarf would inevitably be socialized.

The Hamal I saw also didn’t seem like a dwarf. It wasn’t a bad situation.

They’re a dwarf who has lived as a slave their entire life. Even more so than Osten.

It seemed easy to win their heart if we just treated them well.

Moreover, since they were brainwashed to believe that the dwarves living in the northeastern mountains were bad guys, there was less worry about betrayal.

“Well, we rescued you because it looked like someone was captured. It’s your choice. You can just go if you want.”

“Uh, um…”

The dwarf hesitated, looking nervous. It was the reaction of someone who had never made their  own choice in life.

Except when making things, probably.

“If you free me, what should I do?”

“Well, that’s for you to figure out.”

“But I have nowhere to go…”

“Right, I suppose you wouldn’t.”

I nodded in pretend sympathy, knowing full well. Denif beside me played along.

“By the way, can you use a sword?”

“What? A sword? No?”

“Hmm. If you go like this, you’ll probably get caught and beaten badly.”

“What?”

The dwarf gaped, looking scared.

“You were being moved to breed, right? Dwarves must be quite valuable resources. They’ll probably send a pursuit team. Even if not, you’d be caught as soon as you enter a village, right?”

Arvid rolled their eyes. Denif shrugged.

“Or do you want to come with us? We’re just passing through the east and will be leaving soon.”

Of course, there are challenges in traveling with a dwarf. We absolutely can’t get caught.

Especially when we enter imperial territory.

Only the imperial family can manage other races. We need to create a base to hide them as soon as possible.

“Is, is that okay?”

Arvid looked at us nervously. I decided to push a bit further.

“What about your parents? Since we’ve rescued you, we could save your parents too.”

This isn’t just out of kindness. Those who have grown up here since birth are different from the dwarves I know.

If we rescue them, we could create a workshop of dwarves.

There are risk factors, but the benefits are worth it. Arvid shook their head.

“I-I don’t know who my parents are. I was raised separately since I was young…”

I guess that makes sense. They treat dwarves like breeding and selling puppies, so it’s possible.

It’s disappointing, but it can’t be helped.

“Then, let’s travel together. You said you have nowhere to go anyway, right? I’ll give you money and buy you delicious food.”

I feel like a bad uncle trying to lure an innocent child… but it didn’t seem ineffective.

“Money?”

“Of course you’ll get paid. You’re not a slave anymore. It might be hard to live outside as a dwarf, but…”

“That’s okay. I’ve never lived outside before.”

“Really? Anyway, you’ll come with us, right?”

“Ah, yes. If that’s okay…”

“Of course it’s okay! Welcome aboard.”

The others clapped from the side, even though I didn’t tell them to. Arvid sheepishly scratched the back of their head.

Now we just need to travel together and treat them well. Arvid, who was locked up only making things, will see a new world.

Hmm. Thinking about it again, it’s an unexpected windfall.

To think we’d get a dwarf in the east. Many more good things happened than I thought.

‘Now that we have a dwarf…’

I thought we should head to Chenarus after visiting the southeastern desert.

We need a base to safely keep the dwarf.

I’ll have to wait for the Chief of Intelligence’s word, but I didn’t think Duke Brusek would interfere with me.

Come to think of it, I’ve been away for quite a while.

There haven’t been any major incidents in the imperial family so far, but I really need to start making Erendil emperor in earnest.

The sooner the better for this.

I suddenly thought I might be able to deal with Shahri while returning to the capital.

If I can get cooperation from Phiri in Haisen along with me and Denif, we might really be able to catch an Archmage.

Well, first I need to get someone from the southeastern desert.

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