Chapter 51
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 51
Chapter Title: Oops! My Hand Slipped and I Cracked His Skull?(4)
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Whoops! My hand slipped and I accidentally smashed his head in?(4)
This commission turned into an all-out Royal Knights operation.
Normally, we'd leave a guard unit behind to defend the outpost. But in cases like the Compriachicos subjugation where we needed the full strength of the Royal Knights, exceptions had to be made.
The Dwarf Kingdom's rampage. In my view, if we couldn't stop it, the kingdom's fall would likely usher in a dark age. After all, the Dwarf Kingdom was the pinnacle of technological prowess.
In the original story, the demon race wielded absurd technologies like magic cannons and mobile fortresses. Those were settings where they'd absorbed the Dwarf Kingdom's tech.
In other words, for the sake of my happy future, we had to protect the Dwarf Kingdom no matter what. And even if we failed to save the kingdom, we absolutely had to secure the holy sword somehow.
"Teacher, I want to help you too."
"It's too dangerous, Helia."
The other members were fine. But Helia's safety was the biggest issue. Up until now, I'd kept her in the rear with Cluna on standby. Because she was still just a kid.
She was barely turning fourteen from thirteen. In modern terms, that was only first-year middle school. How could I put a little kid on the front lines? Naturally, she'd stay in the back.
But this time, Helia's determination to stand at the front with me was rock-solid—too solid. Not only did I oppose it, Cluna did too. Yet the rest of the unit sided with Helia.
"Wouldn't it be best to let her do what she wants?"
"She should choose her own path."
"I-I think it'll be fine if we protect her well...!!"
Sure, you guys have been talking and hunting bears since you were three. But humans are different. Compared to other races, humans have a long childhood. And that means more vulnerabilities.
Helia was no exception. No matter how incredible her talent, she was still just a child. What if something went wrong and she died or got seriously hurt?
It could affect the original story's progression. That's the one thing I wanted to avoid. A positive change might be okay. But a negative one? Who knows what the future would hold.
Yuren stayed neutral. And perhaps because she'd lost her family before, Cluna—who treated Helia like a daughter—was the only one agreeing with me.
"Miss Helia lacks experience and is too young. There's no reason to rush things."
"I'm sorry. But I don't want to just watch from the back anymore."
"Why are you going so far?"
"I can't stand watching you get hurt from the sidelines, Teacher."
"That's..."
Cluna's gentle voice faltered. Her eyes met Helia's, which were heavy and downcast like storm clouds.
"I don't want to be a burden to you anymore, Teacher. I'll do my utmost to help you."
"...How are you two so eerily alike...?"
"Mom!!!"
"No helping it now, I suppose."
Cluna chuckled softly and touched her cheek. At her words, Clara flushed red and let out a shrill yell. Ignoring it all, Cluna ultimately stepped back.
...Excuse me?
What am I supposed to do now? As I stared at Cluna with that sentiment, she flashed a smile. Just as I was about to say something, she beat me to it.
"Didn't the Captain say the same to me?"
"..."
"He told me to protect my daughter myself. So can't the Captain do the same?"
I shut my mouth. Who would've thought my own words would boomerang back at me? I'd said it so confidently that I had no comeback. Headache incoming—major one.
"Fine. But in emergencies, you follow my orders absolutely. Break that, and you're straight to the rear."
"Thank you! Teacher!"
"Great! Now we can fight together!"
"Yeah! Helia'll be more help than Kanf!"
"Why's this rock-headed punk picking a fight again?"
Meanwhile, Clara and Ruby had started bickering again, as usual. At first, I'd break it up every day. But with them at it constantly, now I just let it slide.
Besides, for all their harsh words, it had never escalated to blades since I became captain. Anyway, Helia was now officially part of the Royal Knights' forces.
But was this really right? Sending a kid not even fourteen to the battlefield... Well, this was a multi-species alliance. And the era was medieval-like, not modern.
As my head grew heavy with such thoughts, something soft like mochi slapped against my arm. Startled, I turned to meet red eyes.
"Now we can be together all the time! Teacher!"
"Y-Yeah."
Her crimson eyes gleamed ominously. A chill ran down my spine. Sure, Helia was smiling. And I knew it was pure goodwill... but still.
Not that there was any real problem. Maybe from training with Cluna, her personality had improved a lot compared to when she'd immediately draw a blade before.
She got along well with squadmates like Bayard, Clara, and Ruby. Still, a thought crossed my mind. Had Helia maneuvered from the back on purpose?
I dismissed it quickly.
No way Helia would go that far.
Ambassador Viral's commission was simple.
Save the rampaging Dwarf Kingdom. He'd offer everything he had as payment, he'd said. Sounded like nonsense at first, but when he prepaid 10,000 gold, my mind changed.
People in desperation talk like that sometimes. Hell yeah. But beyond the money, protecting the Dwarf Kingdom benefited us too.
If it fell, we'd lose one of our two key buffers holding back the demon race's assaults. So we'd do our utmost to prevent the Dwarf Kingdom's destruction.
With that in mind, I handed the fortress to the human kingdom and mobilized our full forces. Fortunately, the ambassador's advance payment helped the kingdom substantially.
As a result, we were now riding carriages straight to the Dwarf Kingdom. Thanks to the ambassador providing them all, it felt like a leisurely trip.
"What's the current state of the Dwarf Kingdom?"
"Not good, even as a white lie. They're sacrificing others as a matter of course to advance their tech. That's the vibe."
"Wasn't it always like that?"
"'Fine tools dwell in fine craftsmen.' An old dwarven proverb. But now..."
"Looks like they've got neither."
Ambassador Viral fell silent at my words. I didn't know the details. The original game and setting materials barely covered the Dwarf Kingdom—just scraps here and there.
Even the dwarf heroine, Bell Sapphire, didn't think highly of her homeland. As the last royal and for her kin, she'd chosen to rebuild it.
Later, freed from that burden, she'd live happily ever after with the protagonist in her normal ending. The good ending... yeah, let's not go there, fuck.
"By the way, is it okay for non-dwarves to enter the Dwarf Kingdom?"
"I guarantee the Royal Knights' safety."
"Fair enough. A word from an ambassador carries weight."
According to Ambassador Viral, dwarves inherently love honing their craft. Racial trait or whatever. But if every dwarf were a smith, the nation wouldn't function.
So they create essential roles to keep things running and appoint dwarves to them. Those dwarves can't refine their skills much, but they're respected by others.
Because if those folks quit, anyone could end up in their spot. That's why I trusted the ambassador's word. For as long as it lasted, anyway.
"Come to think of it, hasn't Cluna been to the Dwarf Kingdom before?"
"Of course. Let's see, about 500 years ago?"
"...Not helpful at all."
Dwarves lived longer than humans, but not eternally like elves. And 500 years? Entire eras had passed. No wonder it wouldn't help.
Maybe from all the heavy talk, Helia had dozed off, nodding away. I lent her my shoulder. Only then did she settle into peaceful sleep.
"You two look awfully close."
"Not bad."
Strictly teacher and student, though. That's all.