Near a mountain range far from the coast, there was a rare sand dune. It glittered beautifully, like glass. I wonder if I could ride a camel here.
The Shidenzach Autonomous Territory, Shidenzach Castle, King Gilbert Shidenzach. He must really like Shidenzach. It’s short and easy to remember for this region, which is good.
I’m experiencing hell on earth inside the carriage the White Lily Corps is riding in, having gone ahead of the refugees. I’m busy, but Sophia is just as preoccupied.
After one person was finished, I used recovery magic, and the amount of recovery magic used increased with each repetition. The magic power consumption must have been immense, but Sophia was the only one who maintained her energy until the end, as if she were on doping. It’s terrifying.
“Sand dunes in a place like this?”
“That’s Sophia. Don’t ask any more about it.”
From the open deck of the carriage’s cargo bed, the desert that appeared was encroaching near the city. Is this world also suffering from desertification due to global warming, or is it being vitrified by Sophia’s explosive heat… After all those Meteor Strikes…
There’s nothing resembling a castle in Shidenzach. To be precise, a building that serves as a castle is located inside a giant cave. There’s a town outside the cave, but it was a normal town with Dwarf residents and commercial transactions.
The Harm Kingdom’s army attacked Shidenzach, yet there was no damage to the buildings, and the residents, perhaps shy, were nowhere to be seen, not even the Dwarves.
“There are no Dwarves here. I wanted to see some Dwarves.”
Sophia, who should have been incapacitated for three months, is back on her feet as if nothing happened. I’m staying in a house I’m borrowing in town. Apparently, it belongs to an acquaintance of Orietta.
“Orietta can tell you about that. And about the dangerous situation here. I’m going for a drink. —Christine, let’s go.”
Can we go out for a drink with this combination after so long? Does that mean it’s safe here? Is it okay for Harm to be consuming it? I wish I could go with them instead of dealing with these troublesome matters.
“How much does the Captain know~?”
Priscilla, you chose the wrong person to ask. This might take until morning to explain. I quickly relayed everything I heard from Iris.
“The Harm Kingdom’s army and the Shidenzach territory army aren’t fighting~. We’ve been occupied~.”
I heard there was a battle, but what does this mean? I wanted to hear the details, but from the moment I sat down, Sophia sat facing me and wouldn’t move.
“Sophia, it’s hard to talk like this…”
When talking to someone, look them in the eye. All I can see are not Orietta’s eyes, but two bulges. How I wish I could bury my face in them.
“It’s alright. You can hear as long as you have ears.”
That’s not the point. Conversation can happen with ears and a mouth, but your arm around my waist is in the way.
“It would be better if you moved away…”
“Shall I lop off your ears?!”
The hand that had been around my neck quickly grabbed both my ears. Her low, resonant voice, which I hadn’t heard in a while, shook my heart. I’m used to Sophia’s voice changing, but not to the fear it instills.
The conversation with Orietta, with Sophia in between, took longer than expected, with breaks in between, and by the time it ended, it was past midnight.
Simply put, all the men of the Shidenzach territory went inside the cave, and no battle took place.
The reason they went into the cave is the problem. The succession of the fire god, which is essential for the Dwarf blacksmiths, is approaching, and while they were choosing a candidate god, the god’s activity stopped.
The Dwarves who went to the god’s location, thinking this was a problem, were attacked by an ice manipulator and retreated. They sent several expeditionary forces, but all failed.
Then, they mobilized everyone who could move to defeat the ice manipulator. When they went inside, the Harm army occupied the town and castle from the outside. Unable to leave, the men are holed up inside the cave.
What’s worse, the King of Shidenzach has abandoned the Royal Capital and decided to relocate to another Dwarf city in the north. To that end, they are digging a horizontal tunnel to bring out the Dwarves of the town.
This is a problem… It’s past midnight for just this story. Did we take too many breaks? However, it’s amazing how they managed to find out about the situation inside the cave.
“Who told you this information? Is the Dwarf King really abandoning Shidenzach?”
“The fire created by the god is gone~. If Shidenzach’s fire is gone, the Dwarves will have nowhere to go~.”
I want the Dwarves to stay in Shidenzach. I haven’t seen them even once, and if they cooperate with Harm, we’ll gain martial prowess and weapons.
The King of Harm is probably thinking the same thing and came fleeing here, but the method and timing are terrible. Isn’t there anyone to stop him?
“Is the horizontal tunnel from the cave already completed?”
“It’s not yet enough for everyone to escape all at once~. We’re just spreading the word to the Dwarves in town right now~.”
Once contact is made between the inside and outside, they’ll probably dig furiously and escape. But this is troublesome. It would be a waste for them to escape without me seeing them even once.
Huh? Why do Orietta and the White Lily Corps know this important information, which would cause a great commotion if known by anyone other than Dwarves? Surely, they didn’t capture and torture them. They are people we want to cooperate with.
“H-how did you get this information? You haven’t tortured anyone, have you…?”
“They told me~. They invited me to come along~.”
I’m not giving Orietta away. Which foreign country is it? The Netherlands… How absurd!
“Who invited you?”
“My grandpa~.”
“Grandpa?”
“Gilbert Shidenzach~.”
I heard that recently. I heard it. I heard the place name, the castle name, the king’s name, and… the King!? Orietta’s grandpa is the King of Shidenzach!
“O, Princess Orietta is His Majesty the King of Shidenzach’s…”
“Granddaughter~.”
She said something incredible so casually. I was surprised when it was Rufina, but now she’s the King’s granddaughter! But… I’ve never seen a Dwarf, but Orietta looks quite different from the Dwarf women I imagine.
“Tell me more about your family structure…”
As a mercenary, one has had many experiences and doesn’t ask about them. Even about me, they only asked if I was from Harm and nothing more, but given the flow of conversation, I should be able to ask this.
“My grandma is human~. My dad is a half-Dwarf and my mom is human~. Ori is a quarter-Dwarf~.”
I see! So, she has Dwarf blood, but it’s diluted. That’s why she’s the strongest in the White Lily Corps despite being so small. All my previous doubts are now resolved.
“So, you were also invited to go with Orietta…”
“Ori doesn’t want to leave the Captain’s side~. Ori won’t go~.”
What an affectionate royal granddaughter. It’s good she’s a quarter-Dwarf. The Dwarves I imagine are much hairier and more stout.
But it’s good that she’s the King’s granddaughter. I’m sorry, Orietta, but I’ll have to use that connection. The most pressing issue right now is losing the Dwarves.
The Dwarves are about to abandon their kingdom. This is probably more due to no longer being able to live as Dwarves than the Harm army’s invasion.
First, we need to get the Dwarf fire god to revive and complete the succession, and then establish a peaceful cooperative relationship with Harm. For cooperation, we might need Lady Annelyse’s illicit techniques…
I’m not good at politics, but brute force is the White Lily Corps’ forte. I’ll grill the ice guy and melt him. No, maybe shaved ice with syrup. Either way, I need to meet the Dwarf King, Orietta’s grandpa, and talk to him.
“Orietta, I’d like to speak with the King of Shidenzach. Can you arrange it?”
“Yes~. Grandpa will always listen to me~. …Captain~ Why are you using ‘san’~?”
Why? She’s the King’s granddaughter. I should use ‘sama’ instead of ‘san’. I just used ‘san’ with the flow of conversation, but did she dislike it?
“Perhaps I should have used ‘sama’ since she’s the King’s granddaughter?”
The hierarchy in this world is surprisingly large. It’s unimaginable compared to Japan, where there are no ruling classes. I was a corporate slave before, so I was at the bottom of the ruling class…
“If you’re going to call me, ‘Cute Ori’ is best~.”
That’s a bit embarrassing. Like “My Honey,” Japanese people aren’t used to that. No one has called me that since I came here.
But I’m not immune to the idea. I do have the urge to call her that once. I just lacked the trigger. Since Orietta mentioned it…
“M-my cute Ori… GAH!”
I choked because I’m not used to saying it. My throat dammed up with blood, as if shot by a Laser. Sophia, who I thought was asleep, unconsciously pointed her left five fingers at me, emitting smoke.
“Oh dear, this is bad~.”
Sophia, what’s happening with your magic power consumption? Is it a separate stomach just for me? They say cake has a separate stomach, but I think there’s only one stomach.
Rufina, lured by the smell of blood, stirred from her sleep like a Vampire. Alana is sleeping soundly; I’ll make sure to cover her with a sheet.
Will the morning sun rise soon? I think I’ll get some rest too. Anyway, a fraud like me won’t die even if I bleed profusely enough to form a pool.
I’m getting sleepy. My blood is warm. Orietta, I’m counting on you tomorrow. …Good night.
