Chapter 246: What Is This? This Human… (2)
Chapter 246: What Is This? This Human… (2)
Three dwarves sat before Patrick.
Hardy, Klaus, and Grot.
Patrick, standing before the three highest-ranking leaders of the dwarf race, explained the situation with a beaming smile.
After listening to the entire explanation, Hardy spoke up.
“So, to summarize… the Prince of the Harbor Kingdom came to your territory and tried to kidnap your mother?”
“That’s right.”
“But instead, he got thrashed by your mother and knocked unconscious. Then, he got thrashed by you once more and is currently locked in your dungeon.”
“Exactly.”
“As a result, the Harbor Kingdom is throwing a fit, demanding their prince back, but you don’t want to give him up. Instead, you’ve decided to give the Harbor Kingdom a… what was it? A big, beautiful middle finger?”
“Wow. You dwarf elders are quite sharp. That’s right. That’s exactly it.”
The three dwarves exchanged glances.
‘Not bad.’
‘Our interests align. This is good for us.’
‘They say the enemy of my enemy is my friend. We have nothing to lose.’
It was an outcome they had been hoping for.
There was only one problem.
“But you…”
“What about me?”
“Are you alone?”
“Yes. I’m still single.”
A moment of silence followed. Hardy spoke again.
“No, not that. I’m asking if you came here to help us all by yourself.”
“Ah. That? I wondered what you were getting at.”
Indeed, if there was a problem, it was the military strength of the party proposing the alliance.
Of course, they knew the Double Dragon was strong.
His personal achievements and the fact that he had breached the dwarves' fortifications single-handedly left no room for doubt regarding his individual power.
However, war was a different story.
No matter how strong the Double Dragon was, there were limits to what a single person could achieve in a full-scale war.
Patrick gave a thin smile.
“How could that be? Shall we step outside for a moment?”
*
Patrick led the dwarf leadership outside. Waiting for them was a group of about ten magic swordsmen.
“Magic swordsmen. Right. You were associated with the Tower of Truth.”
“Does that mean we can get support from the mages as well?”
At the dwarves’ hasty questions, Patrick chuckled.
“This isn’t all. For now, just come with me.”
The magic swordsmen picked up the dwarves and took flight. After flying for quite some time, they arrived at a certain location.
“This is our force.”
It was the elite troop Patrick had brought directly from the Schneider fief.
200 Double Dragon Knights.
500 Orc warriors.
80 Magic swordsmen.
20 Mages.
200 Elf warriors.
A total force of one thousand.
When facing the military might of an entire nation, a thousand was not a particularly large number. However…
“How did you sneak a force like this in?”
Moving a thousand troops and infiltrating a foreign country was no easy feat.
Yet, Patrick had appeared right in the heart of the Harbor Kingdom with a thousand soldiers. How on earth?
At Hardy’s question, Patrick shrugged.
“Well, food is quite scarce these days, isn’t it?”
“And?”
“By disguising ourselves as a merchant group carrying a massive supply of food, we were able to pass through almost every checkpoint without an inspection.”
The elves had hidden their faces under deep robes, while the knights and orc warriors posed as the merchant group’s guards.
The magic swordsmen and mages simply moved separately at a distance.
To be safe, they had divided the disguised merchant group into five units and moved with extreme caution.
“Ha… Hahaha…”
“How could…”
“This is absurd.”
The dwarves felt hollow as they listened to Patrick’s explanation.
To the rigid and straightforward dwarves, this was a method they never would have dreamed of.
But the important thing now was the result, not the means.
A thousand troops.
The crucial factor wasn't the quantity, but the quality.
Most of the Double Dragon Knights were experts who had reached the 4-Star level or higher.
The orc warriors were the strongest of the strong, handpicked from among thousands.
The power of the magic swordsmen and mages went without saying. And above all…
“To think those pale-faced donkeys would take our side.”
200 Elf warriors.
This was a massive addition to their strength.
At Hardy’s remark, one of the elf warriors stepped forward.
The man, who had a rugged and powerful impression, approached with a furrowed brow.
“Watch your mouth, shorty.”
“What? You long-eared donkeys!”
Hardy scowled fiercely.
“I am the head of the dwarf race! How dare a mere elf warrior with no title speak so recklessly? Do you want to put your head on my anvil? Huh?”
The opponent replied.
“If you are the head of the dwarves, then I am the King of the Elves.”
“What?”
“The King of the Elves. Kilios Evergreen.”
“……”
This was news to them.
Hardy, who had tried to pull rank, stammered.
“…Since when did you lot start electing kings?”
“Since recently.”
“……”
“Why? Is there some reason we shouldn’t have a king?”
There wasn't. And even if there were, there was no reason for an outsider like a dwarf to complain about it.
“Ahem, cough…”
Hardy let out a fake cough and spoke.
“Our relationship hasn't exactly been great… Why did you come out to help us?”
“Do you think I came because I wanted to?”
Kilios also looked deeply annoyed.
His expression made it clear to anyone watching that he had been forced to come against his will.
Elves and dwarves.
These two races simply did not get along.
If you asked why, it was difficult to answer.
Because there was no real reason.
If there were a reason, they could try to resolve the issue or reach a compromise, but there wasn't even that.
To put it simply, it was just their nature.
Just facing each other and talking triggered a physiological revulsion.
The fact that the elves’ home, Evergreen, was in the north of the continent while the dwarves’ home, the Iron Mountains, was in the south was partly due to this.
They were races that felt unpleasant just being in the same space, but…
“Enough. Kilios, step back.”
At Patrick’s word, Kilios wiped the look of disgust from his face and retreated.
Patrick turned to Hardy.
“And you, old man, stop picking fights. Is that any way to treat people who came to help?”
“Well… ahem, I was just surprised, that’s all.”
“Anyway, watch your tongue.”
“…Understood.”
Hardy’s tone became more cautious.
The force Patrick had brought was sufficient.
With this much power, they would be a great help in the war. With this…
“When you strike from the rear, we will launch a simultaneous counterattack. That should be enough to break this tedious blockade.”
At Hardy’s words, Klaus and Grot, who were standing beside him, nodded with smiles. However…
“Tsk, tsk, tsk. You old men really don’t know how to wage war.”
Patrick shook his head.
“Look here, elders.”
“What is it?”
“What are you going to do after you break the blockade?”
“……”
“Didn’t you think about it? Did you think everything would be over just by breaking the siege?”
“……”
It seemed they really had thought that.
As Patrick looked at them with an exasperated face, Kilios remarked dryly.
“Don’t expect the dwarves to think. Their heads are only for headbutting.”
“Grrr…”
Patrick knew they were a simple-minded race, but he hadn't realized it was to this extent.
Patrick let out a sigh.
“Listen up, elders. I’m only going to explain this once, so listen well.”
Patrick then began to explain the situation the dwarves were currently in.
“First of all, breaking the current blockade won't make things any better.”
“What? Why?”
“The Harbor Kingdom has already declared that any merchant group selling food to you will be treated as a traitor to the state. Even if you break the blockade, where are you going to get food?”
“Uh… well… that’s…”
“Unless you’re planning to raid and pillage civilian homes… are you?”
“What do you take us for? We are craftsmen and artists, not bandits.”
Hardy denied it firmly.
Patrick nodded and continued.
“Right? Then, to get food, you’d have to migrate out of the Harbor Kingdom.”
“Exactly. Once we leave the Harbor Kingdom, won't all our problems be solved?”
“True.”
“Then…”
“But do you think the Harbor Kingdom will just sit back and watch?”
“……”
“In the first place, this war started because they blocked you from leaving, didn't it?”
“……”
“If you try to migrate, they will obviously pursue you. You’ll have to fight while protecting non-combatants. Wow… do you think that’s possible?”
Hardy’s expression turned grave.
If that actually happened, the dwarf race would suffer immense casualties.
They might even face near-extinction.
“Mmm…”
Hardy looked troubled. He turned to Patrick.
“Then what should we do? We just want to move to a land with new ore veins.”
At Hardy’s naive words, Patrick let out a deep sigh.
“Look, old man. The essence of war is this: when words don't work, you use force. If you want things to go your way, you have to win the war first. You can only do what you want after you’ve won.”
“……”
“The blockade? The poor food situation? Moving to new land? All of that is solved if you just win the war. Why are you trying to make it so complicated?”
“Win the war… but how?”
At Hardy’s question, Patrick spoke with a serious expression.
“The best way to win a war, no matter what anyone says, is to smash the head.”
“Me?”
“Well, in the case of the dwarves, yes. But for a human kingdom, what is the ‘head’?”
“…The King.”
“Exactly. Now we’re speaking the same language.”
Patrick’s lips curled into a smirk as he continued.
“I told you before. Let’s give this Harbor Kingdom a big, beautiful middle finger.”
The dwarves nodded in unison.
Hearing it now, it certainly made sense.
“What would you have us do?”
The words Patrick had been waiting for finally came out of Hardy’s mouth. The corners of Patrick’s mouth curved into a wicked arc.
*
Darius Michael Harbor.
The current King of the Harbor Kingdom sat in his office and let out a deep sigh.
After re-checking the documents before him, he pressed his throbbing forehead with his hand.
“What on earth did I do so wrong?”
The documents contained a detailed record of the trouble his son had caused in the Atronia Kingdom.
“This is driving me crazy. Why is this happening during my reign?”
King Darius knew.
He was neither wiser nor more excellent than others. Though he had received a high-level education as a royal and gained experience governing the country for decades, his essence was that of an utterly ordinary man. But still.
“We never needed a competent king in the Harbor Kingdom anyway, did we?”
It was true. Except for the first king, who had risen from a mercenary to a monarch, most kings of the Harbor Kingdom had been average, unremarkable figures.
And that had been enough.
With 70 percent of its territory being rugged mountainous terrain, the Harbor Kingdom had little reason to be invaded, and even if it were, it was easy to defend.
Furthermore, the kingdom was financially wealthy due to the massive profits gained from trade with the dwarves.
National administration was something that could be solved 70 percent of the time as long as there was plenty of money.
Therefore, the past kings of the Harbor Kingdom didn't need to be particularly talented.
As long as they managed state affairs within the bounds of common sense, they were generally evaluated as doing a good job. But…
“Why during my time? Why?”
The mass migration of the dwarves.
There was truly no answer for this.
He had tried to coax them as much as possible and proposed various alternatives, but the dwarves' stubbornness was absolute.
Well, they did say even a dragon couldn't break a dwarf’s stubbornness, so what could he do?
In the end, centuries of friendship were shattered, and war with the dwarves broke out.
Of all times, it had to be during his reign.
And that wasn't the end of it.
The poor harvest that had struck the entire continent.
On top of that, the war between the Empire and the Holy Kingdom.
The movements of King Sierion, who was beginning to be called the Overlord of the East, and so on.
As the entire continent was engulfed in the flames of war, food prices skyrocketed.
Originally, the Harbor Kingdom was a country where food self-sufficiency was less than 20 percent.
They had been importing food using the massive profits from trade with the dwarves, but when the food situation became difficult and trade with the dwarves ceased, the treasury took a massive hit.
For now, they were fine because of the wealth accumulated over centuries, but seeing the national treasury deplete so rapidly, he knew he had to do something.
That was why he had pushed for a royal marriage with the Atronia Kingdom.
The Atronia Kingdom was currently the most food-rich nation on the continent.
By forming a marriage alliance with them, he hoped to lower food prices and reduce financial losses. But…
“That damn brat.”
He knew his son wasn't a good person.
They say raising children is hard, but how could it be easy to fix the attitude of an only prince?
King Darius knew his son was a scoundrel. But…
“Even so, how could he cause trouble there? That absolute idiot.”
If he had just one more son, he would have left that one to die without a second thought.
The reason the Atronia Kingdom’s food situation was so good was because of the grain pouring out of the newly reclaimed plains along the Moana River.
And of all people, he had to kidnap the wife of the Lord of Schneider?
“Why did he even go there? I didn't ask him to do anything difficult. All he had to do was go and marry the princess, so why?”
He could only think that misfortune had piled upon misfortune.
The sudden departure of the dwarves.
The war and famine spreading across the continent.
And the trouble caused by his delinquent son.
“Whew… where and how am I supposed to start untangling this mess?”
No matter how much he thought about it, this was a disaster beyond his capabilities.
If it was going to be like this, he’d rather just throw everything away and—
“Your Majesty, urgent news!”
A royal attendant entered the office with a pale face.
“What is it?”
“The dwarves are leading an army and marching toward the capital!”
“What?!”