Pelmas, the NPC Who Can Make Even Patient Dwarves Flee!

"Ahem. My dear Dwarves. Would you care to solve a fun little quiz? List your family's mines (5 points), how much treasure is in your vaults (5 points), the number of vaults your family owns (5 points)..."

"Aren't there many other Dwarf kingdoms in the Zaion Mountains? By any chance, which of them is the wealthiest?"

"Do those Dwarves have any weaknesses? Something easy to exploit?"

The Galakpad Dwarves were utterly appalled by Pelmas's attitude as he questioned them under the guise of hospitality. What kind of money-crazed lunatic was this!

Is that man really a priest of the Holy Order?

Was Akisus a god of gold?

Dwarves were a race that loved treasure and gold in their own right, but Pelmas's obsession was on an entirely different level.

"Hehehe... One day, I shall go to the Zaion Mountains and mine massive quantities of gold...!"

"Elder. That fellow isn't even trying to hide his true thoughts anymore."

"Do we have to stay here long? He is terrifying."

Sick and tired of Pelmas, the Galakpad Dwarves immediately prepared to leave. After all, they only needed to deliver the item to Tae-hyun.

"I was thinking of leaving it here and going, but that is out of the question now."

"A wise decision, Elder. That human is the type who might just take it and sell it off."

"Yes. You are absolutely right."

Pelmas wasn't quite that bad, but... the Dwarves already distrusted him completely.

What they had brought was an artifact of Archisus discovered in the Zaion Mountains. Since Tae-hyun had helped them against the ancient giants, they had sought out this treasure to repay him!

"Upon inquiry, I was told the King has departed for Nodranche, an island far to the north."

"An island, of all places? Getting there isn't much of a problem, but securing a ship will be difficult."

The Dwarves had enough connections among themselves that traveling there wasn't a major issue. However, a Dwarf tribe with a naval fleet was a rarity.

"What about asking the Elves of Dungland for help?"

"It has been a long time since we lost contact... Hmm. Well, there is no harm in asking."

Surprisingly, Gellendel readily agreed to help.

"If you pass through the Oston Kingdom and head to the northernmost tip, you will find the port city of Bectel."

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Bectel, the city at the northern edge of Oston!

Ever since Tae-hyun had coaxed Gellendel into capturing it, the city had become a lawless haven where all the plunderers of the kingdom gathered.

Naturally, both the Guild Alliance and the Midas Guild considered it an eyesore and had attacked it multiple times, but...

Because of Duke Gellendel's support, reclaiming it completely was impossible.

Thanks to that, Bectel City remained a sanctuary for plunderer players to this day.

Whoosh—!

"It's a fleet! It's Duke Gellendel's fleet!"

"Is something happening again?"

Bectel was a lawless city, but Duke Gellendel was a different story. Even the plunderer players knew exactly how powerful the Duke was.

Most of all, the Duke was the one who came to their aid whenever the Guild Alliance or the Midas Guild invaded!

However, Gellendel's fleet did not dock. It paused briefly at the harbor before setting sail once more.

"What is it? Is it some kind of quest?"

"The weather's hot anyway, should we follow them?"

Seeing Gellendel's fleet depart so abruptly, the plunderer players grew intensely curious. Just where were they heading?

"Get the boats! Let's follow them!"

A dozen or so small vessels hoisted their sails and began chasing after Gellendel's fleet.

The plunderer players' intuition! Where there is a quest, there are massive profits!

Thus, the Galakpad Dwarf delegation and Duke Gellendel arrived at Nodranche in a warm, amicable atmosphere.

Duke Gellendel suddenly asked as if a thought had just occurred to him, "By any chance, are there no Orcs here?"

"None that we know of."

"Ah... What a pity..."

Gellendel stroked his sword with a disappointed look. The murderous glint in his eyes was deeply unsettling.

"Still, I shall escort you inland. One never knows what might happen."

"Haha... We would be fine, but... we shall accept your kindness."

The Dwarves were perfectly capable of defending themselves. Of course, they only said this because they had no idea what kind of battle was currently raging on Nodranche!

"...But is there an earthquake occurring on the opposite shore?" one of the Dwarves asked in bewilderment.

From the opposite coast, a thunderous roar that sounded like the world collapsing was echoing. Were they fighting?

"Ah! His Majesty, the King of Atali, is coming this way."

The Dwarves spotted Tae-hyun's party and waved happily. Duke Gellendel also stopped licking his weapon and raised his head.

"Oh...?"

"What is the matter?"

"No, it is just... he looks incredibly familiar."

My Infamy is extremely high, so why am I getting a bonus... Ah, right. It's Duke Gellendel.

Gellendel was exactly that kind of guy! Tae-hyun accepted it.

I don't need that kind of bonus!

True to his Elven nature, Gellendel instinctively felt a strong liking for Tae-hyun, even if he didn't know his true identity. That human... looks like he would be excellent at slicing Orcs!

"..."

At this point, it was practically love at first sight! Duke Gellendel strode forward, grabbed Tae-hyun's hand, and spoke.

"They said the King of Atali was a hero, and indeed, those words were not wrong, Your Majesty! I am Duke Gellendel."

"Ah. Yes."

Tae-hyun almost took a step back without realizing it. Gellendel's madness easily surpassed even the madness of Archisus! That was how wildly the Duke's eyes were rolling.

"Your Majesty's name is Kim Tae-hyun... It is a name I have heard somewhere before... A truly wonderful name. Yes, indeed."

As Gellendel nodded, Tae-hyun grew even more terrified. Does this bastard already know?

"...So, what brings Duke Gellendel here?"

"Ah. Due to our long-standing ties with the Galakpad Kingdom, I came here to assist them."

"Haha. Well, then you can head back now."

- Don't we need more forces? Cain asked in bewilderment. Wouldn't an Elven fleet be a sufficiently powerful force?

- Cain. Shut up before I disguise you as an Orc and present you as a gift to that Duke.

- ...

There were people you could use as military assets, and people you absolutely could not!

"However, seeing Your Majesty has made me wish to take up arms and fight in person for the first time in a long while."

"..."

Lee Da-bi clearly saw it—the brief, agonizing contortion of Tae-hyun's face!

"N-No, this place is dangerous, and to involve a noble from an unrelated nation..."

"What does that matter in a battle for honor, Your Majesty? The King of Dungland is old and no longer takes to the battlefield himself, yet Your Majesty stands ready to fight alone like this... You must surely be magnificent at slaughtering Orcs as well."

That was a compliment, right?

"...Right. Well, then I shall gratefully accept your aid."

"Yes, Your Majesty! I shall show you the combat prowess of the Elves. But..."

Duke Gellendel paused. To be precise, he was staring at Cain.

After the fall of the Ancient Empire on the Central Continent, the Elven race scattered in all directions. Whether friendly or not, Elven tribes were fundamentally connected, meaning a tribe that had lost contact was the first they needed to find.

Amazingly, you succeeded in discovering a Shadow Elf tribe in the Demon Realm. If you share this astonishing news, the Elven tribes will step forward to aid you!

Indeed. Hearing that the Dwarves and Elves were coming up, Cain had hurriedly transformed into a Shadow Elf! Seeing this, Gellendel was struck with deep, emotional shock.

"Your Majesty! Could it be... Could it be that you discovered a Shadow Elf tribe?! For our sake?? In that dreadful Demon Realm!"

"No. It wasn't for your sake, I just happened to find them by chance..."

"And you are so humble as well!"

"You're not listening to a word I'm saying, are you?"

Listen to me properly, you Cain-like bastard! But regardless of what Tae-hyun said, Gellendel was entirely swept up in his own emotions, deeply moved all by himself.

But the rewards were undeniably excellent. Kingdom-related Contribution Points were always highly useful, and being able to borrow their elite troops was an immense privilege. Master Marksman was a title that granted a shooting-related bonus! Since not only Tae-hyun but ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠everyone in the party received it, the effect would be even greater.

Meanwhile, Gellendel approached Cain and began questioning him about various things.

"Who is your ancestor? Which tribe of Elves do you hail from?"

"Uh, well, you see, that is..."

Cain looked at Tae-hyun with a pitiful, pleading gaze.

- So why on earth are you disguised as a Shadow Elf?

- Hey, the Dwarves and Elves are coming up! I couldn't just stay in my Chimera form! They'd treat me like a monster!

Cain protested, sounding utterly victimized. To be fair, he had a point. He couldn't risk getting shot with a dozen arrows before they even had a chance to speak!

"Ahem. Your Majesty."

"Ah. My apologies."

Tae-hyun turned his attention back to the Galakpad Dwarf delegation. Because Gellendel had been putting on a one-man show in his excitement, the Dwarves hadn't even been able to open their mouths.

"We have come to present something to Your Majesty."

"To me?"

Tae-hyun eyed them suspiciously. He was the type of person who instinctively doubted any gift given to him!

Ah. That.

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Repaying favors and grudges without fail! To think the Dwarves had come all this way just to repay the favor they owed him.

"What did you bring? If it is Adamantium or Orihalcon ingots, you really didn't have to..."

"Ah, n-no... It is not that. It is something even better."

"What? Even better? In that case..."

Tae-hyun's eyes flashed. "Is it two Orihalcon ingots?"

"...We discovered an item suspected to be a holy relic of Archisus and brought it to you."

"...Aww..."

Tae-hyun was openly disappointed. That's just trash!

...

"Well, I shall accept it gratefully nonetheless. Thank you."

"Yes! We have come all this way to repay our debt to Your Majesty."

"But you could have just stayed in your territory. Why did you come all this way in person?"

"...Ahem. We heard Your Majesty was fighting in the northern lands, and we wished to assist you in any way we could..."

The Dwarves beat around the bush, unable to bring themselves to admit that they had fled because Pelmas was so incredibly annoying!

Tae-hyun was slightly touched by their gesture.

To think they came all this way to repay me just for helping them that one time...

If they had been Goblins, they would have pulled an eat-and-run, and if they had been Orcs, they would have forgotten all about it!

Indeed, Dwarves were a race that understood loyalty!

Tae-hyun received the box and tried to open it.

Click, clack—