chapter 31
The lotus flower bloomed in regret (1)
The 4th Prince of the Commonwealth Empire. Leiden del Carrot has always been a man of perfection.
Moving under the water as a shield for my brothers chasing a formless dream.
The work of pampering the seedlings planted in other countries.
It was safe to say that everything was already going according to the will of the would-be emperor.
But since I was little, I liked to deal with others. For such a 4th prince, he was not accustomed to situations where he could not control himself.
And that situation, obviously meant the current situation.
“City, the food storage is occupied.”
The voice of the terrified nobleman was sweet music.
The 4th prince closed his eyes as usual and savored the ecstatic melody.
Soon, even that trembling voice will move toward a dazzling finale.
“It’s unfortunate.”
The moment of the finale to decorate the grand finale will be only a fleeting moment.
It would be a lie if I said it wasn’t regretful, but the 4th prince thought that that brief moment was the element that made the splendor stand out.
“Kill.”
“Me, Your Highness? Please give me one chance… … Oh, no… … !”
aaa-!
The feast of red waves dyeing the marble floor was more beautiful than the standing ovation of the audience.
With this, the curtain on a performance has come to an end, and those seated will tremble in the afterglow.
The 4th prince’s eyes curved like half moons.
“It is a curious thing. To think that you are struggling to this extent even though you prepared in advance.”
With the overwhelming numbers of the Empire’s troops, there was no reason why they couldn’t be stopped.
Rather, some saw this war as an opportunity to show the status of the Federation Empire.
But that wasn’t it.
As the war went on, the situation only got worse, and to make matters worse, the offensive of the guys who encroached on the northern plains only got stronger day by day.
“A counterattack against these guys… … .”
You said you brought a dwarf who disappeared from history.
Even with a large number of Noble Phantasms.
Considering that the Federation Empire was sweating cold from their offensive, it was an interesting situation.
“Is it because the level of the knights leading the troops is different?”
Startle!
The knights who were removing the body shuddered.
But it was never outwardly revealed. That was the way they learned to survive.
The 4th prince, who had been entrusted with the afterglow for a long time, slowly rose from his seat.
“Allen Esteban.”
Why is that name often heard these days?
What the hell does this guy know?
What do you know, did you enter the barbarian land as if you had waited and reaped the benefits?
does not exist. There was no way that this kind of movement would be possible for him with only the facts he knew.
If so, is it a separate force? Are you giving him information or hiding it? For what reason?
No matter how much I thought about it, I couldn’t get out of that family.
… … under.
“… … Well, it won’t matter.”
The shadows of doubt that climbed like swarms of insects subside.
After all, everything will belong to our Federation Empire.
It was only a fleeting moment to show cheeky behavior.
okay. Like an orchestra playing the finale.
The smiling face of the 4th prince was reflected on the red marble.
* * *
“… … Whoa.”
After confirming that he had no eyes to see, the attendant frowned and let go of his disguise.
Then, the clear impression and black hair disappeared, and a man with common auburn hair appeared.
said George, who took his glasses out of his pocket and put them on.
“Now you don’t even have to move to check public opinion. My ears prickled with praise for Your Highness.”
“hmm.”
“It seems that the forces of the 2nd Prince, who are newly gathering, are also going through confusion.”
“Right.”
It was as if he had not been able to find even the money he had made by harassing the dwarves.
I walked the corridors of the palace listening to George’s report. However, the direction was not the usual way to the first prince’s office.
said George, putting the disguise artifact into his pocket.
“Are you going to the dwarves?”
“okay. By this time, people’s curiosity should have been sufficiently answered.”
“what… … It’s been called for a long time.”
The destination was the western annex of the royal palace where guests visiting Esteban were staying.
“omg!”
“One Prince… … .”
As soon as the dwarves gathered in the garden saw me, they were startled and stood up.
In particular, the dark circles around the shadowy eyes of the hurried captain Surt were full.
“what?”
“I’ve been called around for over a week already in the name of exchanging information. When are you going to get me out of here?”
“Isn’t the treatment comparable to that of a state guest something you wanted?”
I joked around and smiled.
The Fairy’s contract with the guy. What Surtur took out as the minimum condition was that he wanted the clan to be treated appropriately.
Of course, I agreed, and I just moved as I wanted.
But, unfortunately, he didn’t seem to like it.
“You know better than anyone that I didn’t mean that.”
I shrugged my shoulders at the absurdity Surt expressed.
know.
But what can I do?
The existence of a dwarf could not be made to feel unfamiliar to humans forever.
“Think of this as an act of fulfilling the obligations of the contract. It would be good for you guys to get used to each other.”
“… … Got it. Helping you first and foremost was what was specified in the contract.”
The fairy contract meant a promise to share souls based on trust.
The sharing of the spirit that reveals emotions and intentions with the target without adding or subtracting.
Because of this, the fairy’s blood flowing through his body created a sincere sense of duty in response to my order, which shared his spirit.
Probably, due to the nature of dwarves, if it hadn’t been for the fairy contract, they wouldn’t have responded to the calls of humans.
They tried hard enough. If so, now was the time to answer.
I said to Surt who looked down at the floor sullenly.
“The purpose of coming here today is to let you know that the four of them have officially been recognized as settling in the Galderd Plains.”
“If it’s the plains of Galderd… … Could it be that the mine was discovered?”
“okay. There hasn’t even been a discussion about mine development yet.”
Information about the Mithril Mine in the Galderd Plain was still kept secret.
As a result, there was no mention of development at all.
It’s obvious, but it was me who induced it to happen.
Surtur’s expression brightened.
“The land where our clan will live in the future… … !”
He grabbed my leg and started yelling at me.
“When will we be able to go to that land?”
“If you want, I will send it right away. There is no point in staying in the palace any longer.”
“then… … .”
“but.”
I cut him off.
Then he smiled as he watched Surt gulping down his saliva.
“There is a problem.”
“… … What if it’s a problem?”
“The reason why the development did not progress despite the existence of the mine.”
The guy tilted his head at my floating cloud-catching words, then opened his mouth.
“You mean it was a situation where you couldn’t develop it?”
“okay. As you may have guessed, the land has elements of contention.”
In any case, the land belonged to the Commonwealth Empire, and even if it was returned to our Esteban, there was no way they would give up easily.
In particular, if you were asked if you already knew the existence of the mine, this could also be a dispute.
Surt nodded.
“I’m just saying that I want my family to solve that.”
“Oh, it’s nice that the conversation is fast.”
A way to take a step out of this conflict while giving the fact that the mithril mine was discovered is probable.
I approached him and whispered quietly.
“You guys have work to do.”
* * *
a few days later
In the middle of the quiet plain, dozens of wagons appeared.
The road was unpaved because there was no traffic, but George stuck his head out of the wagon.
“Yeah. Following the land of the barbarians, I have been to the Imperial Territory as well.”
A small plain that extends from the kingdom’s border area.
It was no longer an imperial territory after the agreement with the delegation, but it was certain that it was nominally included in that category until recently.
But that feeling didn’t last long.
“Kak! what’s this!”
I sighed as I watched George bite his tongue from the wagon’s rattling.
“Don’t be stupid, sit down.”
“Ugh… … Do you have any potions?”
“There’s nothing more pathetic than wasting potions on your stupidity.”
Even as I said that, I took out the potion from inside the wagon and handed it to him.
… … Does this kind of guy become the chief of staff of the Federation Empire?
Somehow, it felt strange that the value of the judgments I had made seemed to be devalued together.
Either way, the guy put the potion in his mouth and put on a satisfied expression.
“Big. I guess I’ll live now Actually, I had a lot of trouble with motion sickness.”
“I guess so.”
Perhaps even people who usually rode in a carriage couldn’t stand the tilt of their toes on such a rough road.
George’s unanswered respect returned.
“Your Highness seems to be unconcerned.”
For hours on the rough roads, all I could do was read a book with my legs crossed.
Even so, he never moved his body or even said that he was sick, so his respect had its own reasons.
The problem was, it was just ridiculous to have respect for something like that.
I closed the book I was reading and said.
“Stop talking nonsense and get down.”
“yes? Have you arrived yet?”
“okay. From here, we move on foot.”
George’s expression brightened instantly.
Soon after, George stepped on the ground as if jumping off a wagon with the doors open.
“Huh! There must be a reason the baron went on vacation.”
I laughed at those words.
The baron’s vacation was the first he had applied for in months.
Considering that he went on vacation to the baron’s house where he originally lived, it was a pitiful situation.
If the baron knew that such devotion would be dismissed as mere escapism, he would surely go mad and leap.
“Not everyone will weigh the pros and cons like you do.”
I turned my head and looked closely at the Sun Knights dismounting.
“Has everyone arrived?”
“yes. That’s right.”
The team members, who were full of spirit, responded with loud voices.
After confirming the dwarves’ wagon approaching from afar, I continued.
“You guys should stay here for a while, and take care of safety while the dwarves make nests.”
“I will follow your orders!”
“You should know the details. I will not allow you to be careless in the slightest.”
“insect!”
Here, Galderd Plain was designated as a place for dwarves to live according to the king’s order.
Because the heavenly mountain range ‘Siltaff Grande’ was in the way, it was possible to prepare for an unexpected situation, and as a result, it was to guarantee their freedom in a cooperative relationship.
And that was only a superficial reason.
“Roder, vice-captain of the Knights of the Sun.”
“Did you call?”
Roder, who had answered my call, approached me with his head bowed as if he had waited.
It was a completely different attitude from the first time he met the Sun Knights just a while ago.
“Did you and the Sun Knights take on this mission voluntarily?”
“Yes that’s right.”
“Right.”
The burdensome emotion felt from him was not only awe.
… … Well, it seems like things will go smoothly thanks to you, so it shouldn’t matter.
I roughly nodded.
“While the Knights of the Sun search for dangers around you, you move with me.”
“I will follow your orders.”
The Sun Knights began to scatter in twos and threes.
After confirming this, I led Roder and George toward the carriage that the dwarves had begun to unload.
A free land for their clan to live anew in the future. The guys were looking around the plain with thrilled faces.
To be precise, his gaze was directed toward the ground.
“Do you feel anything?”
“Oh oh! Of course there is. I’ve never felt such a huge feeling in my life! It is truly a blessing of nature!”
“is it?”
“Exactly from this place, it feels like it gradually spreads downward. I don’t know how I knew this spot, but if you dig a little, you’ll see gemstones right away.”
Surt was so surprised that he forgot even being neglected in the palace.
The energy of the mighty ore that I felt from afar.
It was a gift from nature that could only be felt by the fairies.
as proof. The guys raised their pickaxes and said, as if they were going to dig the ground right away.
“If it’s a vein with this level of energy, even 3% of it can be said to be sensitive.”
“cancer! Wouldn’t it be better than at least that rotten land or stuffy royal palace?”
“If you think about it, what you do doesn’t really change… … .”
Even though they hadn’t confirmed the vein’s identity yet, their expectations were only amplified.
Just like that. Now is the time when safety and freedom are definitely guaranteed. Rather, it was only to help the clan.
Now those thoughts are popping into the dwarves’ heads. I spoke so quietly that only Surt, the leader of the dwarves, could hear.
“The things on this land were discovered by chance while you guys were making nests. And according to the agreement, we decided to hand over most of them to our Esteban.”
Behind Surt, the sound of the pickaxes of the dwarves digging the ground could be heard.
I couldn’t stand it.
It was because the huge energy they were feeling was spreading right under their feet.
“Arms freely made here are also donated to help Esteban, who guaranteed freedom.”
“Of course.”
“good.”
Then it’s time to show them.
I stretched out my hand and pointed at the dwarves digging up the ground.
“then. Check out what ore you guys found.”