It was a long-standing tradition for the Dwarven Kings to perform their kingly duties in public for all to watch.
Thanks to this dwarven tradition, even the number 1 enemy of all dwarven kind was able to infiltrate deep into the heart of the Dwarven Kingdom.
There were already several hundred on-lookers watching the King at work in the enormous audience hall of the Dwarven King.
This was a sight unique to the Dwarven Kingdom. Other races sometimes derisively compare the Dwarven King’s audience chamber to a bazaar.
However, not many were aware that such an open palace was home to the Dwarven Kingdom’s hidden power.
The Dwarf King’s throne was located right under the empty container that once housed Fal Garaz, made of the same fragments of the skies as Fal Garaz itself.
Sitting atop his jade throne was the powerful dwarf King, sitting with his legs spread and hands resting on his chin. His beard growing like a lion’s mane.
Standing before the King were two groups of people in a standoff. Aquiroa and her cronies, and the Order of Extinction. They were standing some distance apart from each other before the king.
The atmosphere was heavy.
The murmur of the Dwarves from all directions revealed their interest in these two groups.
“Order, order.”
The guards scattered throughout the audience chamber were thumping the bottom of their spear on the ground as they ordered the onlookers to cease their small talk.
Meanwhile, because the audience chamber was predominantly occupied by dwarfs, Sungchul stood out conspicuously.
“You there, human. Take off your hood.”
A dwarf guard ordered Sungchul.
Sungchul did as he was told, revealing a broad and vigorous face that was nothing like his original appearance. A few dwarfs glanced at Sungchul, then went back to what they were doing.
Several guards were seen murmuring about Sungchul. They seemed to be especially cautious of him, perhaps due to him being human. Soon a human mage appeared, asked for Sungchul’s cooperation, and investigated his abilities.
“Mr. KangSoe Byeon? You have extraordinary strength.”
“Without my strength, I am nothing.”
Sungchul carefully examined the center of the audience chamber even while exchanging idle chatter.
The Aquiroa’s group and the representatives from Order of Extinction were standing in view of the king, on his left- and right-hand side respectively, discussing something amongst themselves.
Soon, Aquiroa stepped up to the King, as if their discussion had reached some conclusion.
“Your Majesty, as mentioned earlier, the Floating Archipelago is ready and willing to provide unwavering support to protect your majesty’s kingdom.”
Aquiroa spoke in her elderly voice.
The king merely stroked his beard, looking at Aquiroa with a gloomy gaze.
Aquiroa continued to speak.
“As one of the Thirteen Champions of the Continent, my king, you are a wise and merciful king among kings. How can such a great king accept help from those evil heretics? And in the end, their profane skills require sacrificing the lives of your most loyal subjects. What will you do once you run out of all the warriors and advisors by your side? What then?”
“What other way is there?”
The dwarf king replied coldly, still seated.
The king and his closest advisors seemed almost hostile.
It was a clear example of how Aquiroa and her followers were considered unwelcome guests in the Dwarven Kingdom.
Aquiroa seemed completely unfazed by this and continued with her speech smoothly.
“We have been preparing a secret weapon for times like this.”
Aquiroa extended her hand towards the back.
Then, a group of people appeared from the entrance of the audience chamber.
They were giants.
Three-meter-tall humanoids with their bodies completely concealed under purple and red robes were led by the officers of the Floating Archipelago to stand before the King while all the dwarves watched.
There were three in total.
All the eyes of the audience chamber were focused onto these lanky giants.
“Are they Ogres?”
“They’re too skinny for Ogres.”
Though there were many guesses as to what these were, no one came close to correctly guessing the identity of these mysterious figures.
That is, save Sungchul alone.
‘Are those the Soldiers of Salvation?’
Mysterious monster soldiers that moved by the power of the black fragments.
These monsters boasted the combat potential of a super-human level knight, while boasting a far sturdier body and regenerative power.
The Dwarf King nodded to let his subjects know to allow Aquiroa to continue what she was saying.
“Behold.”
Aquiroa gestured once again.
The soldiers of the Floating Archipelago stripped off the cloth covering the elongated giants.
Then, bizarre giants with skin akin to blue jelly or slime revealed themselves.
Soldiers of Salvation.
Sungchul was right about their identity.
The dwarves couldn’t conceal their shock at witnessing such a bizarre creature for the first time.
The Dwarf King was no exception. However, there was one who reacted more intensely than any other dwarves.
It was an old dwarf standing behind the king, his hands clasped, sporting a beard of white hair.
‘Is he a Dwarf elder?’
The Dwarf elder, a position of honor only appointed to the oldest and wisest among all dwarves, whose words carried such weight that even the king could not easily dismiss.
One of the elders spoke up while trembling.
“Isn’t that a Corpse Golem from the Kingdom of Rutheginea?”
“Corpse Golem? What is that?”
The king asked.
“It was a terrible weapon the Kingdom of Rutheginea had wielded at the height of their power. These horrifying golems were created from the corpses of massacred soldiers and slaughtered people. Though there are differences in appearance, that monster greatly resembles the Corpse Golems of the Kingdom of Rutheginea.”
The Dwarf elder, with a suspicious look in his eyes, pointed directly at Aquiroa and asked.
“Second Champion Aquiroa. What is this monster you’ve brought here?”
“It is a Soldier of Salvation.”
“Soldier of Salvation?”
“To save the world from the impending Calamity, it was secretly developed in partnership with the Human Empire to serve as super soldiers.”
Aquiroa approached the towering Savior Soldier and suddenly drew out a short sword, slashing at the soldier’s body.
“Uoahhh!”
The sudden and unexpected attack prompted a shocked reaction from the dwarves.
However, the Soldier of Salvation that received the attack did not react or make noise.
In fact, not a single drop of blood flowed from the jelly-like skin that was split by the dagger, and it healed itself quickly.
“As you can see, the Savior Soldier is not created using something like a corpse. It’s a high-tech battle machine created using advanced magic and alchemy.”
“Ho?”
The dwarf king showed interest for the first time.
What piqued his interest was the word ‘machine’.
“So, you’re saying that this soldier was not raised, but built?”
The king asked.
Aquiroa nodded, continuing with a voice seeped in satisfaction.
“We have already completed all preparations to mass produce these, and are fully prepared to provide everything we make to the Dwarven Kingdom at no cost.”
“No cost?”
The King looked interested.
“Of course, there is a condition.”
Aquiroa added.
“My lord, the Wandering King, wishes to form an alliance with Your Majesty.”
“Alliance?”
A question mark seem to float before Daincraft’s eyes.
“An alliance? I thought the Wandering King joined the new World Parliament as a member, which is led by that thief?”
At the mention of the word ‘thief’, the dwarves began to boil over with rage.
“Son of a thief!”
“Sungchul, the son of a bitch!”
“I’ll rip him to pieces!”
The dwarves’ fury towards Sungchul was immeasurable.
Bertelgia shivered in his pocket.
“Mr. Kangsoe? Quite popular, aren’t ya?”
“…”
Sungchul said nothing.
Nevertheless, the conversation continued in the foreground.
“Yes. That is correct.”
“Then why?”
Aquiroa answered and the king asked again.
This was the most important point.
Sungchul raised his hands to let Bertelgia know to stay still so that he could pay attention to what Aquiroa was saying.
“Your Majesty, we are well aware of the unfortunate events that transpired between you and the Enemy of the World. But how long will you remain entangled in the grudges of the past? I am here to mediate and coordinate the long-standing conflict between the new chairman of the World Parliament and you.”
Upon hearing this, Sungchul momentarily doubted his own ears.
‘Is this some kind of ruse?’
From what has been said so far, Aquiroa’s motive appeared to be for the benefit of the World Parliament.
However, it was too early to rush to conclusions.
Sungchul continued to observe the situation.
“What?”
The sharp outcry of the Dwarf King echoed throughout the banquet hall.
His beard and hair stood erect as if struck by a lightning.
The hundreds of Dwarf spectators who loved to chatter were suddenly silent, as if cold water had been poured over them.
This was because their king was furious.
In the solemn atmosphere, Daincraft abruptly stood from his seat and pointed towards the empty case behind the throne.
“You dare suggest I go join the worthless theater that piece of garbage thief has taken over?”
His short but strong fingertips were trembling with rage.
“Second Champion Aquiroa. Even if it is you, I cannot overlook such things.”
“Your Majesty. You must remain calm. This is a very dangerous time. We must not be caught up in petty grudges.”
“That thief stole Fal Garaz, the very essence of the Dwarf Kingdom itself.”
The Dwarf King remarked.
At the mention of Fal Garaz, all the dwarfs uniformly raised their heads to stare at the empty case above the throne.
It was a unique divine weapon without an equal, said to be crafted from fragments of the sky.
Fal Garaz.
Radical dwarfs like Arkaard believed that the hammer was no more than a mere decoration. But most dwarfs, who strictly followed tradition, believed that Fal Garaz was a symbol of their race itself.
It was a divine artifact of such value that even the notorious stubbornness of Daincraft was nothing before it.
“I refuse to speak with you until Fal Garaz is returned.”
The king glared at Aquiroa with suspicion.
“But I wonder if that’s even possible for you?”
It was an attitude of ‘bring it if you can’.
“We will have to try. But, Your Majesty, you must understand that the crisis is not only from the Barbarians in the north. A more serious crisis is unfolding in the south.”
“What?”
The rage of the dwarf king subsided for a moment.
He may be stubborn, but he is not so foolish that he would lose sight of everything out of blind rage alone.
The King seemed interested in the mention of the southern crisis, so he called his closest advisors and elders to engage in a discussion among them.
They needed to verify how valid this new revelation was.
Meanwhile, Sungchul was just as surprised by the claim as well.
‘A crisis in the south?’
Nothing in particular came to mind of what that could be.
The only crisis he knew of came from the north and east.
And between them, the more immediate and pressing issue was the Barbarians from the north.
But now she claims there’s a threat even more serious than the Barbarians from the north.
Sungchul watched Aquiroa’s back with cold eyes.
Although she was dressed in extravagant clothes, the woman of unimpressive build who usually always hunched over was now standing upright. She looked arrogant as she stared at her curled fingers.
And for a moment, a face of someone completely unrelated flashed before Sungchul’s eyes.
Aquiroa’s behavior greatly resembled that of someone he once knew. Of the distasteful woman who taught him both love and heart break.
But there was no way that could be. It was simply a mistake.
After blinking, Aquiroa resumed being her usual self, with her back bent and letting out dry coughs. He must have imagined things just now.
After discussing with his advisors, the Dwarf King once again addressed Aquiroa.
“What is this southern crisis you speak of? Is there a more pressing issue than even that of the Barbarians?”
This was the most respectful he had been with her thus far, she better have a good explanation.
In the midst of everyone thinking so, Aquiroa opened her mouth.
“Have you been informed of the Human Empire closing its boarders?”
“Yes. I understand it is the result of the imperial princes turning towards the wandering king.”
“Then do you know what is happening in La Grange?”
“La Grange? Why do you ask?”
Apparently, the Dwarf King did not have too detailed of an information.
“In La Grange, the Emperor is planning something unthinkable. He must think he has nothing left to lose. He is trying to do something that must not be done.”
Aquiroa pulled out ger staff and pointed towards Sarasa Xero, who was standing on the opposite side.
“Something even worse than even the Order of Extinction.”
The group from the Order of Extinction, who had been ignoring Aquiroa, finally turned their heads.
An unpleasant expression appeared on the face of Sarasa Xero, who was called out. The man standing behind her whispered something in her ear.
Sungchul recognized the face of the man in that brief moment when he became visible.
‘Deckard? Sarasa’s father? So even he became one of the Order of Extinction rabble?’
It wasn’t completely unexpected. Rather, it should be considered an obvious outcome.
However, that wasn’t the problem.
In the midst of everyone watching, the masked saint, Sarasa, broke her long silence and finally stepped forward.
“I’ve listened carefully to everything you’ve said so far, o’ envoy of the Wandering King.”
The voice was melodious.
But from the very start, her words greatly undermined Aquiroa.
She had, with just one sentence, reduced the status of Aquiroa who even the Dwarven King respected, to that of a mere envoy of another.
“But it leaves me with one question.”
Sarasa looked towards the towering figure of the Soldier of Salvation standing behind Aquiroa.
“It seems like you are trying to make that doll out to be something great, but I don’t see it as more than just another ordinary toy.”
“Cease your heresy, cultist girl.”
Aquiroa warned her loudly.
Sarasa grinned in response.
She raised her hand.
“Bring it here.”
At her command, a group of people appeared at the entrance of the audience chamber, dragging something with chains.
What was bound by layers of Dwarven-made chains was the feared Barbarian.
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God I hate these dwarves