The Labor Contract
The dwarves possessed the divine gift of craftsmanship. Despite their muscular builds, they were blessed with an innate delicacy and sense of aesthetics that seemed at odds with their rugged frames. Their blacksmithing skills had truly reached the realm of the gods. The same materials that would produce an ordinary sword in human hands became a legendary blade the moment a dwarf touched them. The same held true for armor. Under a dwarf’s hands, it became the ultimate protection, capable of withstanding even an ogre’s assault. And that wasn’t all—their meticulous craftsmanship shone brilliantly in gem cutting as well. With a bit of exaggeration, one could pick up any random stone from the roadside, have a dwarf work on it, and sell it for more than the price of a real gem. This innate, supreme talent for craftsmanship was nothing short of a divine blessing… and a curse.
“Humans are the problem again, aren’t they?”
……
“Human greed.”
“A dwarf’s natural dexterity is perfect for creating masterworks.”
“In war, if you had their equipment, you could just brute-force everything with superior gear, right?”
“Exactly.”
“From what I know, humans coveted that talent and tried to enslave them. It’s the same old story. Wherever you go, humans are……”
“I’m human too, you know?”
“That is the problem. Though there are exceptions.”
The System hastily added the last part. Albert wanted to argue, but he couldn’t deny the truth. Human greed had ruined everything. Humans had coveted the dwarves’ skill and tried to capture them by force to make them work, but dwarves were a hardy race. Their pride in their abilities reached the heavens, and their stubbornness was tougher than dragon sinew. Even with a blade at their throats, they would never do what they didn’t want to do. So humans had taken dwarf families hostage to threaten them into forging swords and armor. The dwarves had no choice but to comply, only to seize an opportunity later to rescue their families and flee deep underground, far from human reach.
“This is why greed is a problem.”
Albert had found the dwarves through Gaster. Even as a hatchling, a dragon was still a dragon. Gaster knew where the dwarves were and had gone with Albert to meet them. Dwarves made excellent workers. With their skills, they could repair the city walls, fix the mansion, and even rebuild the homes of the territory’s residents—better than before. “Father’s armor would be possible if a dwarf made it.”
But the answer they received was refusal. Even at a dragon’s request, the dwarves would never trust humans. Albert had threatened them, smashed armor and swords right in front of them—tried everything—but the dwarf elder hadn’t so much as blinked.
“So…… you kidnapped him?”
“Yeah.”
“Haah……”
Elena let out a deep sigh at the absurd explanation. How on earth had he come up with the idea of kidnapping someone just because persuasion failed?
“Untie me this instant!!! Do you really think I’ll cooperate just because of this?! I don’t trust humans!!!”
The dwarf elder roared. His voice was so loud that the entire mansion seemed to shake. An incredible volume.
He’d make a great opera singer.
“So what exactly were you planning to do by kidnapping him?”
“Persuade him.”
“How?”
“Like this.”
Albert quietly clenched his fist. Gaster, watching from the side, flinched and quickly turned his head away. It was persuasion—of the physical variety. Elena felt as though her sense of reason had packed its bags and run away from home. How could anyone be this simple-minded? Only now did she understand why Albert had said he shouldn’t become the lord.
“Even the king might get beaten up if he annoyed him……”
“Untie me right now!! I won’t yield to threats or violence!”
“Really? I’ve never met anyone who talked like that and actually held out. Even that dragon over there submitted right in front of this.”
Albert grinned, baring his teeth. It was a threat: How are you going to resist when even a dragon couldn’t?
“Brother!”
At that moment, Elena struck Albert’s back from behind.
“Ow!”
But it was Elena’s palm that hurt, not Albert’s back.
……Counterforce skill activated.
This isn’t my fault!
You know Counterforce is a passive skill!!
“I know.”
“Elena.”
“It hurts! My hand……”
Her palm was torn open. It was only one back-smack, but the skill’s effect had caused it. Since it was passive, it couldn’t be turned off.
“This is……”
Albert took out a potion and treated Elena’s hand.
“Be careful when you hit me. I told you I gained countless skills in that other world. One of them is Counterforce—it reflects the impact back at double the force.”
“There’s a skill like that?”
“Yeah. Next time you want to hit me, use a club or something instead of your bare hand.”
……
“You have to be careful. If you’d hit me even a little harder……”
Albert trailed off. Did she know? If she had struck just a bit harder, her own hand might have been destroyed.
“This is getting dangerous. I really need to get a healer at some point.”
A healer was necessary. He had plenty of potions, but overusing them could lead to addiction. It was better to keep a healer around than rely solely on potions.
“Be careful.”
“Understood……”
“By the way, why did you hit my back?”
“Because of what you’re doing, obviously!”
“What am I doing?”
Watching him tilt his head in genuine confusion, Elena felt her patience crumble.
“His common sense is seriously warped……”
What exactly had he been doing in that other world that made him resort to fists before words? Come to think of it, their first meeting hadn’t been particularly warm either.
“Haah…… Never mind.”
Elena approached the dwarf elder. He was thrashing and demanding to be untied, but the ropes even a dragon couldn’t break were far beyond a dwarf’s strength.
“Um…… I’m sorry. My brother was terribly rude.”
Elena bowed her head to him.
“I sincerely apologize.”
……I see. You’re at least a human I can talk to.”
Moved by her genuine apology, the dwarf elder narrowed his eyes and stopped struggling. Elena lifted her head and introduced herself with dignity.
“My name is Elena Legrian. I am the head of the Legrian family and the lord of this territory.”
“Very well! Since you’ve introduced yourself, it is only proper that I give my name as well.”
The dwarf elder cleared his throat.
“I am Averoast Hot, elder of the Brown Tribe!”
“Ah, Averoast……”
“Enough!”
“Pardon?”
“Call me Hot. Averoast is like a surname attached to our tribe.”
“Ah, I see. Hot-nim.”
Elena spoke his name gently. His anger visibly softened at her demeanor.
“Hoh, you’re someone I can reason with. Are you really siblings with that guy?”
“Yes, he’s my brother.”
……You don’t look alike at all. How can your personalities be so different? Siblings are supposed to share some similarities.”
Hot shuddered as he recalled Albert appearing in the village. When he first saw him, he’d thought he was another dragon. He still remembered how shocked he’d been to learn Albert was human.
“Ah, I’ll untie you first.”
Elena loosened the ropes. Hot, whose circulation had been poor from being bound so long, stretched lightly while his mind raced.
“Escaping from here won’t be easy.”
Hot glanced around. Taking Elena hostage and fleeing was one option. But……
“That won’t work.”
That monster was staring at him with wide eyes, his gaze sharp enough to promise he’d snap Hot’s neck if he tried anything. If Hot took Elena hostage, it wouldn’t just be his own death—he couldn’t rule out bringing disaster upon his entire clan.
“In that case……”
“I have conditions.”
“Conditions?”
“Yes, conditions for my cooperation! If you bring me what I ask for, I’ll help you. If you can’t, send me back!”
“Hmm……”
Hot was using his head. As long as that monster was here, escape was impossible. So he’d created conditions to force them to let him go instead.
“Understood. If that’s what you’re saying, I’ll accept.”
The damage was already done. Elena knew the value of a dwarf’s skills and how much benefit they would bring to the territory. If possible, she wanted to keep him here. She nodded with a tense expression.
“What is it?”
“Very well! Then bring me a basilisk’s eye within a week!!”
“A basilisk?!”
Elena thought she’d misheard. A basilisk was a massive crocodile-like monster. Its enormous body was covered in scales that resisted most attacks, and its vicious jaws and grip strength could casually chew through orcs. A basilisk’s eyes possessed a special ability called “Petrifying Gaze”—anything its gaze fell upon would turn to stone.
“How are we supposed to obtain a basilisk’s eye?!”
She spoke as if she’d heard something ridiculous. Basilisk eyes were valuable magical materials that fetched high prices. Many had died trying to obtain them for a quick fortune. She’d heard that one viscount had led two full knight orders—sixty men—to hunt a basilisk, not for money but for the fame it would bring.
“But they failed.”
It had taken only twenty minutes for all sixty knights to be wiped out. That was how fearsome a basilisk was. And now he wanted its eye?
“How could you possibly—!”
“I am a dwarf. If you want my skills, you must at least do this much.”
Hot spoke proudly, displaying confidence in his craft. Truthfully, though……
“This is a bit nerve-wracking. That guy might actually be able to kill a basilisk.”
He was a monster. A hatchling, yet he’d subdued a dragon—an absurd monster! If it was him, he could surely slay a basilisk. That was why Hot had set a time limit.
“He doesn’t even know where the basilisk is. He might be able to kill it, but if he can’t find it in the first place, it’s meaningless.”
“A basilisk’s eye! Bring me that, and I’ll do anything!”
“Anything?”
“Yes! If you bring me a basilisk’s eye, I swear on my honor and my hands—I’ll do anything! Hahahahaha!”
He laughed heartily. After all, there was no way he could lose. He was certain that even that monstrous human couldn’t possibly bring back a basilisk’s eye.
“You think you can find a basilisk when you don’t even know where it is? I must be a genius. I really thought this through, Hot, you clever dwarf! Mwahahaha!!”
He chuckled inwardly. But there were three things he didn’t know. First, that Albert was an EX-rank Hunter. Second, that Albert had already hunted basilisks multiple times in the other world. And finally……
“Here. Got it.”
Thud!
Albert had several basilisk eyes stashed away as emergency funds.
……What is this?”
“A basilisk’s eye.”
……
“And this.”
……What’s that?”
“What do you think?”
Albert held out a document and smiled.
“A labor contract. Well, slave contract, technically.”