A Father’s Death and the Dwarves Who Forsook Their Nation – Part 03

In one of the rooms of the Red Rat clan’s manor, the brothers Dodonno and Dodorono sat in silence. Hikaru’s belongings rested on the table between them.

Earlier, their uncle had come and caused a commotion, but Hikaru took care of him. The two of them had done nothing. They felt powerless.

It was true that they weren’t welcome in this country.

Maybe their father was right. Leaving this place was probably the best choice. Luckily, they both had homes and jobs abroad. But… it wasn’t so easy to just walk away. Even if they weren’t welcomed here, even if this place didn’t suit them, it was still their homeland. It was where their father and mother lived.

“Someone’s coming.”

Startled, Dodorono looked up just as one of the few remaining servants in the house opened the door.

“Master Dodonno, Master Dodorono, the clan head’s condition has suddenly worsened.”

The two of them shot to their feet. They ran down the corridor toward their father’s room, where everyone in the house had already gathered—though even with their mother included, it was only four people.

“Pops!”

Their father’s chest was stained red. The towel in his hand was soaked with blood. His face had gone ashen, glistening with cold sweat.

Donovan turned toward them. “Dodonno, Dodorono. You’re… still here.”

“What happened?!”

“Keep your voice down.”

Their mother sat by his bedside, putting on a brave face, holding his right hand.

“Did you call the doctor? How long will it take? Hurry them up!”

“Keep your voice down,” she repeated. “Dodonno, Dodorono, come here. Your father has something to say.”

Dodorono was shocked—and even frightened—by his mother’s calmness. How could she stay so steady when her husband had just coughed up blood? She had already accepted what was coming.

He realized he hadn’t come to terms with it yet. His heart pounded in his chest. His brother must have felt the same, judging by his unsteady steps as he approached the bed.

“Dodonno.”

“Yes,” his brother answered solemnly.

Donovan turned to face him. “I’m sorry… I made you feel so stifled.

“That’s not true! That’s not… true at all.”

“But your smithing… is top-class. Be proud… of yourself. Because of that, I got… greedy. I wanted you… to keep forging, right up to the end.”

“Is that what’s been on your mind this whole time?”

Dodorono never knew either.

Dodonno had never fit into Ironforge’s Dwarven society and opened a smithy in the Theocracy of Bios. Dodorono had never once doubted his brother’s skill, but the shop wasn’t exactly thriving either.

Donovan, as the Red Rat clan’s chieftain, had seen countless pieces of smithing in his lifetime. If he said his brother’s skills were the real deal, there was no questioning it.

Neither of them had realized how highly their father regarded him.

“I wanted to see… something you forged… with everything you had.”

Dodonno bit back a sob. His eyes were already red, and tears were about to fall.

“I’ll show you. I’ll show you my real smithing.”

“I can’t… wait.” Donovan gave a faint smile, set down the towel, and reached out his left hand.

Whether it was stained with blood didn’t matter. Dodonno knelt down and gripped it firmly.

“Dodorono.”

“Yes.”

Just watching their exchange had already brought Dodorono to his limit. He wasn’t sure he could respond properly at all. His father was dying. The head of the Red Rat clan, the foremost of the twelve Dwarven clans. A father respected by so many Dwarves.

“Let me see… your face.”

Dodorono came to kneel beside his brother. He could tell their father’s eyes had lost focus. But he could still see, if only faintly.

His blood-caked lips moved slowly. “You… are a genius.”

He had never expected to hear such words.

“You see things differently… from the Dwarves.”

Dodorono couldn’t hold back the tears spilling from his eyes.

He had never received such high praise so directly in his life. He couldn’t remember a time when their father had ever spoken like this to anyone.

“A Dwarf like you… is what Lord Brigid has been waiting for. I didn’t… realize that. I let you leave. I… was a fool.”

“Th-That’s not true.”

His voice trembled, and his tongue barely worked, but Dodorono still managed to speak. He had to say it. Say something to his father, one last time.

“I could do what I wanted because of you. I’m proud to have you as my father.”

“Dodorono’s right. There ain’t another father out there this great and honorable.”

Dodonno’s face was already drenched in tears. Their father gave a small smile and reached his left hand toward Dodorono. Rough, limp fingers touched his cheek. It felt cold, as if the last flames of his life were flickering out.

“Dodonno, Dodorono. P-Please take care… of your mother… and our home.”

“Of course we will!”

“You can count on us!”

Their father smiled and turned his gaze toward his wife.

“I’ve said… all I needed to say.”

“You’ve done so well.” Even their strong-willed mother’s voice shook in the end.

“I’m very lucky… to have a wife like you… and sons like them.” He closed his eyes.

The hand touching Dodorono’s cheek lost its strength and slipped away, falling to the side.

“Dad… Dad!” Dodonno cried out.

Dodorono clenched back a sob, but he couldn’t stop the tears from falling.

For the first time, their mother shed a single tear.

The quiet sobbing in the room likely came from the remaining servants. Their father had been bedridden for a long time, and the Red Rat clan had lost much of its influence. Most of the clan’s key figures had already sided with their uncle, and those who had stayed were the Dwarves who genuinely loved Donovan.

Dodorono’s heart churned with emotions—regret for not visiting more, anger for not being told sooner, relief for making it in time. He couldn’t think straight.

But this country did not allow time to grieve. The ground trembled once.

Everyone froze and looked up. Was it an earthquake, or did the anvil move? It felt like the land itself was urging them forward, telling them there was no time to mourn.

“Dodonno, Dodorono. You two should go now.”

“What are you saying, Ma?”

“He said it himself, didn’t he? You two aren’t Dwarves meant to stay in Ironforge. I’m the only one who should remain.”

“Don’t be ridiculous. Dad said to look after you too.” He turned to the servants. “Please, take care of him. Give him a proper send-off.”

The servants wiped their tears and nodded.

“Dodonno… you…”

“It’s fine, Ma. I’ll stay here until we’ve buried him.”

Suddenly, the door to the room opened. A servant went to check, but found no one there. On the floor, however, lay a note.

“Master Dodonno, it’s from the Dark Dog clan.”

When Dodonno read what the servant brought, his eyes went wide. “Wh-What?! This can’t be!”

“What is it, brother?”

Dodorono looked at the note and was just as stunned. “Uncle did what?!”

The message was concise: their uncle had just declared a change of headship in the Red Rat clan and informed all the other clans. And that wasn’t all.

“He’s claimed ownership of the Progenitor’s Shield. He also stated that he is the most suitable heir to the Flame, urging all eleven clans to follow the Red Rat clan under his leadership.”

Their uncle had stormed into the house earlier, making a scene, but after being beaten back by Hikaru, he must have panicked.

“This is unbelievable,” Dodonno said. “Why now?”

Dodorono stood up.

“Where are you going, Dodorono?”

“I’m going to see Uncle.”

“What?!”

“I’m going to tell him to stop this nonsense. Don’t you agree? It’s already ridiculous that Dwarves are fighting each other. What good will it do if the Red Rat clan turns on itself now?” Dodorono started away.

“Wait, I’m coming too,” Dodonno said.

“You should stay here.”

“Don’t be stupid. I’m the older brother. I’ve got to show off a little every now and then.”

He gave a charming wink, and Dodorono couldn’t help but smile.

“There you have it, Mom. I’m sorry, but…”

They naturally felt guilty leaving the house just after their father had passed.

“Go on,” their mother said. She smiled with a mix of resignation and amusement. “If he were still alive, he’d have done the same. You two really take after him in the worst ways.”

“That’s right.”

“We’re Dad’s sons, after all.”

And with that, Dodorono and Dodonno left the house.