abcnovels
Chapter 311
Chapter 311
Chapter 311
Chapter 311
- This Too Shall Pass (4)
“I’ve brought them all.”
“Good work.”
With the last two dwarves that the metal bat dragged over, I was able to gather all the members of the Black Anvil clan.
“Oh, the devil…”
One of the elders looked at me and called me the devil, but why am I the devil?
Well, let’s say I’m the devil.
“If I’m the devil, elders, didn’t you make that thing?”
What my fingertips were pointing at was none other than the metal bat.
The gazes of the dwarf elder with loose eyes and the metal bat followed my fingertips and collided.“Hello, Dad!”
“Ah…”
Seeing the metal bat waving her hand in greeting, the dwarf elder despaired.
Not telling him the identity of that thing was an evil god was my first and last consideration for him.
If they knew that an evil god had descended to the ground by their own hands, they might commit mass suicide by hanging themselves.
I can’t have something so awful happening when all the dwarves who have to help me could die.
– For the master?
– For the world.
If I die, the world might be in danger too.
In other words, everything I do to survive is also for the sake of the world.
“Your excuses are always the same.”
“Because it’s the truth.”
“What the hell…”
“Ah, aren’t you dead yet?”
“You, you too!”
“Ah, I misspoke. Aren’t you asleep yet?”
“Why, you…!”
Thwack!
The dwarf elder who was enraged and about to charge at me couldn’t withstand the metal bat’s final blow.
Seeing him slump to the ground, I looked around with a satisfied expression.
“A dwarf village must have many escape routes.”
“…Isn’t it a dwarf grave?”
When I turn my head, a dozen dwarves have collapsed.
When I slightly turn my head again, another dozen dwarves have collapsed.
And when I turn my head back, about 20 were lying down, and dozens more dwarves had been thrown into the tribal meeting hall.
“Hmm… They’re not dead so it should be fine, right?”
“I guess so?”
Me and the metal bat’s opinions matched for the first time in a while.
“Then shall we clean up?”
No matter how sleepy I am, sleeping outside isn’t good.
It hasn’t snowed yet, but winter is approaching, isn’t it?
I know dwarves are a tough race that can sleep outdoors together like this, but I’m a nice guy so…
“Did the world end?”
“Shut up.”
So this nice guy has to move the dwarves for them.
“Uk!”
First, to check if they’re slee… Not dead, I lightly tapped them with the metal bat.
After that, grunting from the unmatched weight against their small stature yet muscular bodies, I carried them and threw them into the tribal meeting hall.
“It’s tiring.”
They were dwarves trained as warriors after all.
They only came up to my solar plexus but the weight from their thick arms and legs was no joke.
So,
“Master, isn’t that too much?”
“It’s an unavoidable choice!”
Seeing me enthusiastically kicking and rolling the dwarves, the metal bat signed.
“After forcefully occupying a peaceful dwarf village, shouldn’t you at least move them by hand out of courtesy?”
“It’s easier with my feet.”
“Sometimes I think the title of evil god suits the master better than me.”
“What! There’s no way.”
How could you try to pass on the title of evil god, the symbol of evil, to a pacifist who wants to pursue agriculture and nurture life?
“That was too much of a joke.”
“But I’m serious.”
I wave my hand at the metal bat looking at me with an expression that she really doesn’t understand.
“Stop with the unnecessary talk and hurry up and move them. The sun will set at this rate.”
We need to get all the dwarves inside before they wake up.
That way we can imprison them and convince them peacefully.
“Imprisonment and peace don’t go together at all?”
“Imprisonment? I misspoke, what I meant was gathering them in one place.”
“…”
The metal bat looked at me with cold eyes but soon after quietly started moving the dwarves.
And so time passed, and by the time darkness visited the Black Anvil clan’s village…
“Ugh…”
One of the dwarves let out a groan and raised his head.
“Are you finally waking up?”
“Aah! The evil-handed Hectare! Why, why are you here?!”
“Oh my! Even when I look at you, you seem to be an elder representing the honor of dwarves, yet you call me Hectare! Call me honorable elder!”
It’s just a title of elder, but I still have to make demands fitting of my position.
That’s just how humans are.
If you keep treating them nicely, they’ll really think you’re an easygoing person and be rude.
Except for some antisocial personalities, when people are rude to someone in a relationship, most of the time it’s with someone they know very well, not a stranger.
And often it’s someone they’re very close with.
Usually when first meeting someone, most people don’t even properly talk during the awkward period, but after getting to know each other, there is more conversation and they learn a lot about one another.
Casually calling them by their name, even knowing each other’s secrets.
And because they’ve become so close, they casually do rude things to the other person, brushing it off as a joke.
What’s more serious is that when something like this happens and the other person gets angry, they oddly get angry back with ‘why are you being like this when we’re friends?’.
Similarly, there’s a saying that continued favors become rights.
“That’s a good quote, but what does it have to do with this situation?”
“Treat me like an elder.”
“You make things so complicated.”
“Wha, what are you talking about, Hectare?!”
“Oh my! Can you not call me honorable elder?!”
“After everything you’ve done, you’re saying words like that?!”
The dwarf who barely managed to get to his feet started defiantly confronting me.
“That’s a good point.”
Seeing the dwarf’s vigor, the metal bat also nodded her head in support.
“Whose side are you on?”
“Of course the side of two souls as one – My master’s side.”
The metal bat smiles and holds out her hand.
I grabbed that hand very awkwardly.
“Wha… What?”
The moment her hand was grabbed, the dwarf blankly stared at the metal bat returning to her original form.
“Now ask again.”
“Y, Yes.”
As I casually gripped the metal bat and tapped around with her, the dwarf naturally knelt down and listened to my words.
“Who am I?”
“The honorable elder Hectare!”
“Right, what does being an elder mean to dwarves?”
“An existence who leads the clan and can decide the fate of the race!”
“Yes, that’s right. Then what about the honorary elder?”
“He is an existence that can advise the clan on what they want to do, and although he cannot directly vote on issues related to the fate of the race, he can indirectly interfere!”
“Yes, I am Hectare, the honorary elder of the dwarves! As a dwarf, you have an obligation to treat me like the other elders.”
“I understand!”
The dwarf lying flat on the floor looked like a warlock receiving orders from the head warlock in a martial arts novel.
“Good job.”
As I looked satisfied at the loyal dwarf, I threw the metal bat into the air as I said good job.
“Yeah, good job.”
The metal bat, transformed into a human form, landed lightly and nodded.
She’s the most annoying guy normally, but she’s the best partner when it comes to things like this.
“What’s your name?”
“I’m Sep, the blacksmith of the Black Anvil clan.”
“I see, chef. It sounds like a name someone good at cooking would have.”
“Huh? Th-thank you. But my name isn’t chef, it’s Sep…”
“I see, chef. Let me tell you, I’ve had a lot of hard times lately.”
“It’s Sep, not chef… Argh!”
“If you make noise, this thing can turn into a very scary club.”
“Yes, sir!”
As I threatened the chef a bit for continuing to say unimportant things, he quietly started listening to what I had to say.
Maybe my sincerity got through?
Our chef is very good at understanding what I’m saying, it seems.
-It’s not that he understood your sincerity, he understood the threats well!
The metal bat, once again transformed into the shape of a bat, grumbled, but it was starting to get tired.
I should hurry up and finish this.
“So, chef .”
“Yes?”
“Wake everyone up.”
“Everyone, you mean?”
“Or just let them keep sleeping.”
“I’ll wake them up right away!”
Chef started diligently waking up the other dwarves, like a new recruit who just came in.
Of course, it wasn’t easy to wake them since they were asleep from being hit by the metal bat, but after about 30 minutes of his efforts, all the dwarves were able to wake up from their sleep.
The problem was,
“Why are you all like that?”
The dwarves who woke up from their sleep were running away to the other side like they were scared of me.
“Put down your weapons and let’s negotiate.”
Seeing the elder speak the famous line from movies with bank robbers, I heaved a deep sigh.
“Elder, although I am a human, I hold the position of honorary elder of the dwarves.”
“I know, I know well.”
“But still, this sense of distance…”
“You’re the one being too much with that metal bat… Ah, no. It seems we’re the ones in the wrong. So don’t wave that thing around!”
The elder took staggered steps back in surprise, but behind him were already countless dwarves.
With just a little push, it looked like a crushing accident would happen.
As the honorary elder of the dwarves, I couldn’t just stand by and watch them be in such a dangerous state.
“It’s dangerous if you crowd together like that.”
“No, you’re more dangerous so it’s fine.”
“Oh my! How could you say such hurtful things? If you keep talking like that… I’ll throw this.”
“Squeak!”
“Ah, no!”
“Save me!”
As I shook the metal bat I was holding and spoke, over a hundred dwarves started screaming.
“Wh-what are your demands?!”
It was a question that seemed like I should be demanding cash and a helicopter to escape with like a robber taking hostages, but those are the lines of a peace-loving person like me.
“I just want to talk a little closer with the elder.”
“……”
It was meant as a smile transcending the friendship between humans and dwarves, but…
“Negotiations have broken down.”
To so firmly reject like that.
The difference in race, no, species, is greater than I thought.
It’s really sad. Too sad.
And so,
“I’ll throw it?”
“Go, elder!”
“A sacrifice for the clan!”
“Ah, no, don’t push! Tell them to send someone else instead! The elders aren’t just me!”
Indeed, one shouldn’t judge a group by looking at just one person.
While the elder didn’t want diplomacy between humans and dwarves, the dwarves of the Black Anvil clan were different!
They wanted to talk with me.
And very desperately at that!
“P-Please save me…”
In the end, responding to the dwarves’ request, the elder spoke in a desperate voice before me.
“Wh-what is it you want? I’ll grant anything!”
-It’s over.
-It’s done.
Saying he’ll grant anything I want with unfocused eyes.
He’s offering to grant it even though I haven’t said anything.
While he was saying he didn’t like it with his mouth, he was actually welcoming me!
-Or he’s just lost his sanity?
-He could have lost his sanity from being so happy.
Looking at the elder.
His eyes are unfocused, he’s desperately holding my hand that’s holding the metal bat, and he keeps asking what I want without actually saying anything!
-He lost his sanity because he’s so scared!
To be honest, I’m disappointed with the metal bat.
Because dwarves are what kind of species!
Even if the opponent is said to be the strongest living thing on land like a dragon, the species that protects the pride of artisans is the dwarves.
For such dwarves to be scared of me, a mere human.
There’s no way something like that would happen!
“Elder, what I want is not much.”
-What are you disappointed about? Your tone is clearly threatening!
Well, I guess it could sound like that.
“T-tell me. As long as it’s not impossible, I can do anything.”
It seems the elder understood it to mean the same thing as the metal bat.
It’s regrettable, but there’s probably no need to correct him.
“What I want is not a very difficult task. That is…”
“That is…?”
“…It.”
“That’s fucking hard!”
It seems it was a slightly difficult task.
Thwack!
“Do it.”
“Yes, sir!”
It didn’t seem like something impossible to do with the metal bat between us.
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