Troy's Golem (1)
[2nd Division Command Tent]
Division Commander Wilhelm Barts came rushing over like a bolt of lightning.
“Oh! So our Snow squad leader is here!”
“Yes, sir! Why did you come all the way to the entrance?”
“Not only did you cross that massive mountain today, but you advanced two hundred meters? And you took down three enemy Magic Knights to boot!”
“Yes, sir. Here's the report...”
“Aigoo! It must have been grueling. Why bother with a report? You should've rested at camp.”
“But reports are supposed to be delivered in person, aren't they, sir?”
“Nah, it's fine! You're the ace of our 2nd Division, after all. I can just pick it up myself.”
Wilhelm grinned. His attitude had done a complete one-eighty from yesterday.
Crossing even a small mountain had taken them a whole week before, so suddenly pushing forward a kilometer was cause for celebration as a frontline commander. No matter how superior his own 2nd-class Gigant was, it couldn't fly, so the dwarf traps had given him endless headaches. On top of that, the pressure from above to advance faster had worn him down.
“Snow, I'll make sure your achievements are properly recorded and sent to division HQ.”
“Thank you, sir.”
“Alright! So tomorrow, we'll finally cross that mountain, right?”
“Pardon? Isn't Charlie Squad taking point tomorrow?”
“No. Your squad will lead again. It's the final mountain! You deserve the credit for breaking through the line.”
Wilhelm said it with a smile, but crossing the last mountain wouldn't be easy. They'd only advanced a kilometer today thanks to Young Master Wayne. They'd merely trailed slowly behind him, finishing off two enemy Magic Knights at the end. Destroying Magic Knights was a big deal, sure, but with dwarves around, tomorrow might not go as smoothly.
“I'll count on 7th Squad again tomorrow.”
“Yes, sir! We'll give it our all.”
Snow returned to the 7th Squad campsite. Watching her go, Division Commander Wilhelm chuckled inwardly.
The Estel Kingdom forces' Magic Knights were probably massing at the base of the final mountain by now. Even if Snow's squad opened a path tomorrow, they'd struggle hard at the end. But with her skills, they'd at least inflict heavy casualties. Then he could throw in the entire 2nd Division, smash the enemy rearguard at the river defense line, claim all the glory, and snag a baronial title at least.
'Baron Wilhelm!'
Wilhelm smiled contentedly.
'Hmph! The 2nd Division's ace? Cheeky little girl getting ahead of her commander. So ambitious for a kid.'
He could hardly wait for tomorrow.
'How the hell did he do it?'
Snow couldn't wrap her head around it. How do you explain—just one swing of a hammer—avoiding the dwarf traps? Or rather, how was she supposed to understand it? Crossing the mountain so easily today made their previous days of barely advancing a hundred meters feel abnormal by comparison.
Since she didn't understand it herself, she'd followed Wayne's instructions and omitted his contributions from the report. She'd simply written that 7th Squad had cautiously advanced with Gigants in the lead, everyone stayed alert to avoid traps, passed through the mountain, and calmly engaged and destroyed the sudden enemy Magic Knights.
'Whew! No clue. Better clear my head.'
Snow drew her sword and practiced Cassnet's swordsmanship in a corner of the campsite. Nothing beat sword drills when her mind was too tangled for sleep.
“Grr!”
Suddenly, glowing red eyes flashed before her. Snow calmly leveled her sword.
'That's Young Master Wayne's wolf?'
Eleven approached and sat obediently in front of her. Snow sheathed her blade.
'Snow, can you hear me?'
“Huh? Young Master Wayne?”
'Your Odd is low, so I can't talk long. Follow the wolf in front of you!'
“Right now?”
'Yes! Now.'
Wayne's voice cut off. With no choice, Snow followed Eleven.
“Gah!”
The moment she entered the massive underground cavern, Snow was speechless. A thousand dwarves were glaring at her.
“Hey! Snow, over here!”
Wayne was calling from a platform at the far end. Snow had to cycle her Odd to calm her pounding heart.
“It's fine! Come on over!”
Swallowing hard, Snow slowly advanced with Eleven, the dwarves' eyes tracking her every step.
“Young Master Wayne, what in the world is going on?”
“Greetings first.”
Wayne introduced the dwarves.
“I am Yulih, the hammer-wielder! Chieftain leading three thousand dwarves.”
“I am the great warrior Brock!”
“Brock's basically your field commander equivalent,” Wayne added.
Once the introductions ended, Snow spoke.
“Now explain. Why are you here with the dwarves, Young Master Wayne?”
The dwarves had been their enemies; it wouldn't be strange if they attacked at any moment.
Wayne gave Snow a quick rundown of how the dwarves had agreed to ally with him. But the more she heard, the less believable it seemed.
“I can't make sense of it. So you're saying what you brought wasn't a Gigant, but an ancient dwarf Steel Golem?”
“That's right.”
“And you taught them how to operate it, so they've decided to cooperate with you?”
“Exactly, Snow! You get it.”
“Get it? My head's about to explode.”
“Think simple. They're not enemies anymore—they're allies.”
“Allies?”
Snow's head actually hurt; she furrowed her brow deeply. Seeing Wayne pilot the Steel Golem made it impossible to deny, but she couldn't fathom how he'd acquired and activated it. And the dwarves who'd tormented them until yesterday were suddenly on their side? How could she accept that easily?
“I, Chieftain Yulih of the dwarves, swear it! Our clan will aid Wayne, inheritor of our ancestors' legacy.”
Snow's head throbbed, but she decided to trust Wayne's words and make sense of it later. Denying it changed nothing anyway.
“Why bring me here, though?”
“One question first. How much damage have these dwarves inflicted on the Empire and our territory forces so far?”
“All of it?”
“Rough estimate?”
Snow pondered Wayne's question.
“Starting with the Empire overall: They destroyed all bridges to Estel Kingdom, delaying the river crossing by two months. They triggered landslides, killing plenty of soldiers and taking days to clear. They've hampered Gigant advances, with dozens needing repairs from traps. And recently, they blocked our territory army's river crossing and stalled 2nd Division for over a month. And...”
“Enough.”
Wayne eyed Yulih and Brock.
“Hear that? The damage your dwarves have done to the Empire and our territory is immense. What now?”
The dwarves looked grave. Back then, as enemies, they'd fought tooth and nail, excelling at earth manipulation and dwarf magic to block paths. The issue was their future home: the ancient dwarf underground kingdom Wayne had found. It was in barren land, technically Barantia Empire territory. They could hide from the imperial family and other territories for now, but once the territory stabilized, they'd need trade and official recognition. Would the Emperor accept dwarves residing there?
Simply put, you don't surrender to enemies empty-handed.
Chieftain Yulih asked, “Inheritor of our ancestors! Must we go there?”
“Obviously. It has all the facilities, equipment, and production lines for Steel Golems. Building new ones would take over a century! And how long will you live in those dreary mountains?”
The dwarves fell silent, mouths shut—a habit when they had nothing to say.
Wayne turned to Snow.
“That's why I called you. The dwarves tied up our frontline and caused massive losses for our territory army.”
“True.”
“So we're making up for it now. Got any good ideas?”
“Making up for it?”
Snow fell into thought. She knew the frontline best as a fighter, and Wayne wanted her input.
“Ah! I've got one good idea.”
“What?”
“The method you used on the dwarves, Young Master. Troy's Golem.”
“Trojan Horse, you mean. Anyway, using my Steel Golem?”
“Yes, similar. And the dwarves play a key role. Estel Kingdom still thinks the dwarves are on their side. Our territory army does too.”
“Naturally.”
Wayne nodded. “First, dwarves dig a secret tunnel for 7th Squad to bypass. Then we hit the enemy rearguard on the Reinhart line.”
Wayne looked at the chieftain. “Yulih, possible?”
“Tunnels are already dug everywhere by warriors. But for Gigants, we need to expand them.”
“Can you do it tonight? Just say yes or no!”
“For our first alliance, we'll mobilize the warriors and make it happen!”
“Snow, you hear that?”
Snow nodded.
“Now the crucial part. Dwarves infiltrate the enemy base first. While we handle their Magic Knights, dwarf warriors eliminate the artillery and magic corps at the Reinhart river defense line.”
Even with two kings' experience, Wayne thought it was a solid plan.
“Once artillery and mages are gone, I'll signal our division across the river. Our territory army crosses, sweeps the rest—total victory.”
“One shot win.”
“If it goes to plan. The Empire might not buy it, but our territory command will be convinced—ally-level convinced.”
As the saying went, pull the iron horns while it's hot. Estel's Magic Knights were massed beyond this mountain—perfect timing.
“Hurry! We strike before dawn tomorrow!”
Success hinged on secrecy and speed.
[2nd Division Command Tent]
Division Commander Wilhelm turned in early for tomorrow.
“Sir, big trouble!”
He was dreaming sweetly of becoming a baron when his adjutant woke him.
“Why the fuss?”
“7th Squad... vanished!”
“What? They already advanced?”
“No, the whole squad's gone. And Estel Magic Knights are swarming their position.”
“You drunk? That makes no sense! Where the hell did 7th Squad go?”
Wilhelm raised his voice. But scouting the enemy lines himself left him dumbfounded. 7th Squad had vanished without a trace, Estel forces holding the spot.
[Reinhart Front Estel Kingdom Army Base]
“Dwarves? What are those guys doing in the dead of night?”
“Halt!”
“Wh-what's this?”
Soldiers gawked at the massive thing behind them.
“This is an Imperial Gigant we captured. A gift for our ally, Marquis Franz.”
“A Gigant?”
“Whoa! Gotta be ten meters tall? You captured this?”
“Yes! Our achievement. Don't even think of stealing it.”
“Heh, damn dwarves!”
The 300-odd dwarves hauling the hulking Gigant seemed earnest enough that the duty officer nearly waved them through.
Weeeeng! Thud! Thud!
A Magic Knight on night watch approached.
Great Warrior Brock, disguised as a dwarf, glanced at Wayne, who was hunched in dwarf garb. Wayne nodded.
“Got it! But it's late—our warriors crash here tonight!”
“No spare tents, sleep on the ground. And stay away from the riverbank—restricted area.”
The dwarves poured into the base. Campfire soldiers whispered watching them.
“Hey, heard dwarves' women have beards too?”
“Crazy! You wanna bang a bearded chick? Fuck that, I'll off myself.”
“Kekeke! Why suicide, you nut?”
Their mockery reached every dwarf ear. But the dwarves didn't snap or charge. They just bottled the rage in their hearts.
Wayne admired how they flushed but endured. Losing their ancestors' legacy had taught them patience, it seemed.
'Five...!'
Wayne counted the Magic Knights with his Odd Eye. More than expected, but 7th Squad could handle it—especially with his Steel Golem.
The dwarves settled near the riverbank and lay down.
Dawn crept over the horizon. But below, darkness reigned thicker than night. Soldiers slumbered soundly.
Snow's 7th Squad lay flat behind a low hill, awaiting Wayne's signal.
Wayne, with a few dwarves, spread red Odd to evade guards and reached the ammo depot. He dispatched the sentries, smashed powder kegs inside, scattering gunpowder everywhere. Grabbing one keg, he trailed a long fuse outside.
Wayne plucked an ember from a dying campfire and tossed it on the powder.
Whoosh! Sizzle-sizzle-sizzle!
Flames raced along the powder. Wayne's eyes glowed with Odd Eye as the Steel Golem awoke from its long slumber.
“Our ancestors' legacy stands with us! Time to unleash the dwarves' wrath!”
“Valhalla!”
The dwarves rose, drawing gleaming axes and massive swords from their backs.