CHAPTER 163

The news of a ship that they had never seen before had appeared brought Shoara's people swarming like clouds.

The ship, rumored to be ridden by dwarves, was enough to pique the curiosity of the people and, unintentionally, added a warm enthusiasm to those who had been cowering in the uneasy atmosphere.

"....Wow, it's impressive."

People gathered along the dock as if a festival had begun.

Among the throngs of people were Harven and Otar.

Harven, swept along by the surging crowd, swayed back and forth, but his gaze remained fixed on the ship without wavering.

"It moved even though the sails were furled?"

"Yeah."

"How is that possible? Is it because of the paddlewheel attached to the side?"

"Hmm."

Harven seemed excited, constantly bustling about, but Otar, who should have been the one to respond, was too preoccupied to do so.

He had to maintain Harven's balance, who had now been distracted.

"A ship that moves on its own without relying on the wind..."

Amidst the bustling noise ringing in his ears and the swaying crowd that made him feel nauseous even though he was standing on solid ground.

However, to Harven at this moment, only the dwarven ship displaying its magnificence in front of him was visible.

Even though he was amidst the sway, his steadfast gaze resembled that of a boy standing in the mud.

"I really... want to ride it at least once."

A cripple who could only sway back and forth due to being unable to stand on two feet.

However, his gaze upon the admired object was as steady as can be.

Harven desired a ship that could move on its own without relying on anything.

As Harven's desire slowly rose, a faint smoke was emanating from the dwarven ship.

According to the people who had been there since the beginning, it was smoke that had been visible since the ship first arrived.

※※※※

The mayor's office in Shoara is filled with a pleasant aroma.

Even Vlad, who was a novice when it came to tea, could sense that it was an expensive blend, yet the expression on the dwarf staring at the teacup seemed strangely serious.

"Hmm... It's just a little bit of water mixed with grass clippings."

It seemed to be more than just a matter of taste.

The dwarf, who had introduced himself as Sigurdsson of Nidavellir, wore a subtle expression as he looked at Josef.

And from the looks of the few other dwarves present, it seemed there was some kind of issue they were not comfortable with.

"If you don't like tea... Shall I offer you some alcohol instead?"

"If there was alcohol, you should have offered it earlier."

As if waiting for those words, Sigurdsson's tone suddenly became noticeably colder.

"In our customs, offering tea is like telling someone to leave. Of course, you wouldn't have known that."

"Ah... I see. My apologies."

Prompted by Josef's hurried gesture, Vlad quickly opened the cabinet door and began to retrieve the bottles of alcohol that Josef cherished.

Unlike the west, there was no interaction between the dwarves and the north, so this situation was unavoidable.

"I was really taken aback. In fact, it's my first time experiencing something like this."

Sigurdsson finally burst into laughter as he looked at the now changed glasses.

It was because they didn't want to make a fuss over mistakes caused by mutual ignorance.

"I read the letter you sent. Our chieftain seemed quite willing, too."

"Is that so..."

Upon hearing Sigurdsson's words, Josef raised his teacup and concealed a faint smile.

He said he was willing.

It was merely a gesture of friendship, and the letter made no promises, but it seemed that the dwarves, too, had things they wanted to try through the Northern Alliance.

"And the gift sent along with the letter was also quite impressive."

"······?"

Sigurdsson raised his glass towards Vlad, who was standing beside him.

Although everyone was puzzled by his sudden action, Sigurdsson of Nidavellir had a reason compelling enough to do so.

"Thank you, Vlad of Shoara, for sending our children back."

"Ah."

As he met Sigurdsson's twinkling eyes, memories from Nassau began to surface in Vlad's mind.

"It was the first time dwarves sold into slavery had been returned. Perhaps if it weren't for that, I wouldn't have come all the way here."

What the human knight had sent to the dwarves was not just a simple letter.

Beneath the guise of a bar, the basement of the slave market was filled not only with warriors like Balkanu but also with young dwarf children.

Those children, trapped behind bars, would have likely roamed the west without ever returning to their homeland if it weren't for Vlad.

"I used to think all humans were the same, but it seems there are those who act differently depending on where they live. We've decided to think that way."

"I see."

Though not intentional, Vlad's actions were sufficient to earn goodwill from the dwarves.

Unlike the west, where dwarves had long been treated like cattle, the people of the north, who had newly conquered Nassau, were sending a different message.

"I am the chief of one of the twelve tribes that make up Nidavellir. I have enough authority to convey our opinions."

Are all dwarves like this? Or is Sigurdsson a special case among them?

Raising his glass briskly, Sigurdsson cut to the chase without further ado.

"We want to deal with the west ourselves, but we need some help."

"Um, yes. I thought you might say that."

Josef, accustomed to noble conversations, struggled to keep up with the conversation's pace.

Josef quickly began pouring whiskey into a teacup as the dwarves spoke freely between politeness and rudeness.

"Especially those Gaidar bastards. They were particularly unruly. Heard you are fighting with them."

"Yes, that's right. It's relatively calm now, but we'll have to bring it to an end someday."

Josef's expression of determination to end it seemed to resonate, as not only Sigurdsson but also the dwarves with him began to applaud.

Vlad was rolling his eyes as if he was anxious as the atmosphere was becoming more and more like a market, and Zayar slowly started fiddling with his eye patch.

The people of the north were not yet immune to dwarves.

"An enemy of my enemy is practically an ally, so there must be something we can do together!"

Seeing Sigurdsson extend his hand as if it were settled, Josef began to feel genuinely bewildered for the first time in a while.

A resolution for an alliance that would be sealed with a handshake.

Watching Sigurdsson, who managed to wrap up what might have taken days of negotiation over just a cup of tea, Josef simply shook his hand, ready to join forces.

"Let's do it together. Bayezid and the Northern alliance welcome Nidavellir."

"Excellent!"

Despite feeling like things were moving too quickly, it was something that had to be done.

Even the dwarves, who had not even clapped in agreement before, now began to eye the bottles in Josef's cabinet, as if signaling that it was finally over, even though it had only been time for a single cup of tea.

※※※※

"What's this? What's going on?"

Finally, the Rose's Smiles just lit up.

But Gott, who had hurriedly rushed in, was instructed to clear out the store today.

From the lobby to the guest rooms, all of them.

"The city hall got robbed."

"What?"

"Is there a lot of alcohol today? It should be double the usual amount."

Zemina, who was anxiously waiting for Vlad to see if something had happened, soon saw small guys yelling loudly in chaos from behind him.

They were tall enough to barely reach Vlad's chest, but their shoulders were as broad as ever.

Moreover, they all had long beards, a color and demeanor that had clearly never been seen in the North.

"Are those people..."

"Yeah. Dwarves."

Vlad made an exasperated expression, shaking his head tremblingly and grabbing Zemina's shoulders.

"They like meat. Prefer it to fish. The stronger the alcohol, the better."

"Yeah, got it."

The look in Vlad's eyes was unusual.

It looked like the look in his eyes when he was a freshman and told that the truth had come to light today.

"And don't serve vegetables or anything like that. "They say potatoes are okay."

"Okay."

Josef, who had a good drinking capacity but weak stamina, had long since stumbled out, and the only places that could satisfy the thirsty dwarves were the bars in the alleyways.

Among them, the only place with both formality and scale was none other than the Rose's Smiles, so it was only natural for Vlad to bring the dwarves here.

"Vlad, the human knight!"

"Yes, that's right. I'm Vlad."

"The honorable rescuer of children! You should have seen the scene when the kids arrived!"

"Yes, it would have been nice to see."

As Vlad smoothly ushered the dwarves in like an employee, the food that had been waiting was placed on the table.

Simple sausages were the first to go up, but even that was enough to widen the dwarves' eyes.

"Northmen sure know how to treat guests! Excellent!"

"Just the smell of sausage is intoxicating!"

Satisfied with just the basic appetizers, the dwarves began to liven up the atmosphere with their lively chatter.

Even Vordan, who had come to serve Sigursun, found it difficult to join in on the excitement.

"Please understand. They've all been exhausted from the long voyage."

"No, I understand."

It was said that Nidavellir, the Dwarven Liberation Front, was based on an island.

Having come all the way from there to Shoara, they couldn't help but be pleased with a proper meal after so long.

"Thank you for coming all this way. It was just a single letter."

"It's just a matter of mutual timing and need. It's nothing special."

While Sigursun was applauding Vlad's words, his radical actions would undoubtedly be seen as a significant move.

Even if Vlad rescued the children, the fact that he brought them all the way here with that big ship would surely be seen as a significant gesture.

Perhaps the connection with Nidavellir would be a great help to Josef, who was competing for the position of family head.

"There's a forge nearby, right? It might be tough today, but let me take a look at your armor tomorrow."

"No, it's okay..."

Sigursun's direct reason for coming to Shoara was to respond to Josef's letter, but it was also to repay Vlad.

Returning kindness with kindness was a dwarf tradition, and through Vlad, it was an opportunity to strengthen the relationship with the Northern alliance.

"Don't refuse. After all, the reason those Westerners wanted to treat us as slaves was all about our craftsmanship."

Even if there wasn't much interaction, it was known that dwarves were skilled craftsmen.

Originally, the fame of the Western Cavalry was due to the light yet sturdy dwarven armor and spears.

"While I may not be a master blacksmith, I'm better than most humans. So don't think too hard about it..."

However, upon facing Vlad, Sigursun couldn't help but want to see Vlad's armor removed and inspected.

There were dents here and there, but the finely crafted finish caught his eye

Moreover, he could see devices meant to offset impacts, even with just a glance.

It was clearly the work of a skilled craftsman.

"Let's take a look at the sword too. For knights, the condition of their swords is directly related to their lives."

"..."

Sigursun gesture as if to say, "Let's see it here."

Seeing his eyes start to gleam with curiosity, Vlad felt uneasy, but there was no avoiding it.

"To ask a knight to draw his sword is as impolite as offering tea to dwarves."

"Still, I really want to see it."

Sigursun couldn't hide his true feelings, but the dwarves around him felt the same way.

Born with the eyes of artisans, they had long noticed that Vlad's armor and sword were extraordinary.

".... All right."

Though it felt like showing off a skill, Vlad reluctantly drew the sword from its scabbard.

"..."

A blue light emanated faintly from Vlad's sword.

From the brief glimpse of Vlad's sword, some dwarves were so shocked that they dropped their sausages.

Vlad, who sensed something suspicious in the dwarves' gradually changing eyes, quickly sheathed his sword, but the cheerful atmosphere from earlier did not return at all.

"Is there a problem with my sword?"

"..."

Sigurdsson, who had almost fallen down on the table, attracted by the shining light, was still staring at Vlad's scabbard with blank eyes.

Among the rapidly fading blue light, Sigurdsson had glimpsed a young lizard spewing flames towards himself as if greeting him.

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