A Father’s Death and the Dwarves Who Forsook Their Nation – Part 04

When the tremor hit, the conflict between the Golden Boar clan and the Blue Dragon clan was already drawing to a close.

Gilma had never underestimated the abilities of the Four Eastern Stars, a Rank B adventurer party. That’s why she had paid them even though they didn’t bring back proof of slaying the saber-toothed tiger. Still, she thought they wouldn’t stand a chance against seasoned Dwarven warriors, especially when the opponent was the Blue Dragon clan, known for their martial prowess within Ironforge. In Dwarven society, it was tacitly acknowledged that the Blue Dragon clan was stronger than the national army, since only those who couldn’t become elites of the clan ended up in the forces.

And now, they were facing the clan’s chieftain.

Selyse won easily, slicing through the chieftain’s weapon in a single blow.

“Yeaaah! That’s Lady Selyse for you! So cool! The best!”

Waffa tossed her double-headed axe in the air—one of the three idiots tried to catch it, only to be knocked flat from the sheer weight—and bounced around in joy, leaping with impressive agility.

“She’s like a monkey!” Serika said, but Waffa was too happy to pay attention.

Earlier, Waffa had nearly been swallowed up by the muddy ground softened by Serika’s magic, but was saved by her grandfather. That same grandfather ended up half-buried in the mud soon after, though Serika had already stopped her magic by then, so he was only waist-deep. Waffa then ran off to Selyse, leaving her grandfather behind in tears.

The Blue Dragon clan’s chieftain collapsed to his knees, completely losing the will to fight.

“Let’s stop this. We didn’t come here to sow hatred among the Dwarves. We don’t want conflict. Let the chieftains talk it out.”

Selyse’s words carried weight. The Blue Dragon warriors hung their heads. The Golden Boar warriors, on the other hand, sheathed their weapons proudly.

“Phew. What a mess.” The Golden Boar chieftain, soaked from the waist down in mud, returned.

“Did you see that, Grandpa?!” Waffa said. “Lady Selyse was amazing!”

Normally, his beloved granddaughter would melt his heart, but seeing Selyse standing next to Serika—who had turned the entire area into a swamp—and remembering how he nearly sank into that swamp himself, he wasn’t sure how to feel. Also, being left behind by the very girl he had just saved stung a little.

“Y-Yeah. Waffa, dear, can you go over there for a bit? Grandpa needs to talk to that old fart and old hag over there.”

“Okay! Lady Selyse!”

Waffa ran off to Selyse. Her party members looked on with exasperation but didn’t bother stopping her. Waffa was always like that.

The old fart was the Blue Dragon chieftain, and the old hag was the chieftain of the Bright Rooster clan, who had just come out of her mansion after the fighting stopped.

“I don’t even know what to say. All that yelling and screaming in my yard.”

“Shut it, you old hag.”

The Bright Rooster chieftain ignored the Golden Boar chief and walked straight toward the Blue Dragon leader. “So, Blue Dragon. How are you going to take responsibility for this? And by the way, you’re still behind on your repayments to us.”

“Ugh.”

The Blue Dragons had long done whatever they pleased under the protection of their overwhelming military strength. They often avoided repaying their debts with all sorts of excuses. To the Bright Rooster chieftain, who had suffered at their hands for years, seeing him on his knees was simply delightful.

To top it off, it wasn’t the Golden Boars who had taken him down. It was a human adventurer. And that adventurer was with Gilma. Things were looking really good.

“Well then, I’ll leave the old coot to deal with the old coot. I think I’ll go say hello to my darling clan girl.”

As the Bright Rooster chieftain started toward Gilma, the Golden Boar chief quickly slid his massive frame between them.

“Whoa there. Not so fast, you old hag. I already told you. Gilma’s currently under the Golden Boar clan’s custody.”

“I don’t care about that. What’s wrong with a clan leader worrying about her own clan member? Get out of my way.”

“You? The woman who loves making money more than anything in the world? Claiming to care about a woman from your clan? Don’t make me laugh. We made an agreement to protect her ourselves.”

“Save the jokes. Your filthy outfit is funny enough. Gilma is ours. And what agreement? Got a contract signed and sealed? No? Thought so.”

She made a valid point. There was no formal contract. If he really wanted to secure the one chosen by the Flame, he should’ve made one.

“Ch-Chief!” A servant ran over from the mansion.

“What is it? We’re in the middle of something here.”

“Sorry, but we received an urgent message from the Dark Dog clan.”

All three clan leaders tensed at the mention of the Dark Dogs and the word urgent.

“I know this is a bad time, but I must beg your pardon.”

A short female Dwarf appeared next to the servant. So plain-looking you’d forget her face if you didn’t pay attention. Her eyes seemed to be looking nowhere in particular, and her voice was flat. Typical of the Dark Dog clan.

“Where have you been all this time? We have a crisis at hand.”

Arms crossed, the chieftain of the Bright Rooster clan stared with reproachful eyes, but the female Dwarf of the Dark Dog clan didn’t flinch in the slightest.

Still, the Bright Rooster chieftain had every right to question her.

When Brigid sent out his message to the twelve clan leaders, the Dark Dog chieftain had been present. But after that, not only the chieftain—no one from the Dark Dog clan showed themselves again.

Given that the Dark Dogs typically handled intelligence work and often operated outside the country, and that their numbers were the smallest among the twelve clans—barely a hundred—it wasn’t a huge blow to the Dwarven economy that they had vanished. However, their disappearance had sparked a wave of rumors. Some claimed they had gone into hiding because they possessed information about the Flame. Others suspected Donovan, the leader of the Red Rat clan who commanded the Dark Dogs, of plotting something unsavory using them.

There had to be a reason why she came at this moment. The chieftains of the Golden Boar and Bright Rooster clans subtly shifted their positions to shield Gilma.

The female Dwarf, seemingly unaware of their intentions, said matter-of-factly, “I’ve come to deliver information to the heads of each clan. That is my only purpose.”

“Hmm. Information, huh. Let’s hear it.”

She turned to face the Bright Rooster chieftain. “The Red Rat clan has announced a change in leadership.”

It was the exact same message that Dodorono and Dodonno had received. Donovan’s younger brother had declared it without prior consultation.

No one was particularly surprised. But that wasn’t the only information she brought.

“The Red Rat clan claims to have discovered and secured the Progenitor’s Shield abroad. Based on this, they are asserting their right to be chosen by the Flame. The other clan leaders are to present themselves to the Red Rat clan.”

“What?” The Bright Rooster chieftain’s eyes widened. “They found the Progenitor’s Shield?”

“The right to be chosen by the Flame? Don’t be absurd. The Flame has already chosen Gilma, and Gilma stands with the Golden Boar clan.”

The Golden Boar chieftain let slip the connection between Gilma and the Flame.

“What?!” The Blue Dragon chieftain sprang to his feet, leaning forward. “So the Flame really did choose the Bright Rooster clan!”

“Go to hell, you crusty old bastard.”

“Gahahaha! Who cares, you wrinkled hag? This kind of news spreads fast anyway. And besides, we crushed the Blue Dragons. We have nothing to fear!”

“What if the rest of the clans band together? You gonna face ten clans on your own?”

“Come now, there’s no way all ten clans would actually unite.”

“Don’t be an idiot. If there’s nothing to gain by sitting out, even a one-tenth share of the Progenitor’s Forge rights is better than nothing. You think that cowardly Orange Ox clan wouldn’t team up with the Yellow Tigers or Black Goats? At this point, they wouldn’t hesitate to side with anyone.”

It was a calculating take, typical of merchants, but not at all far-fetched.

“Hm… Blue Dragon! What about you lot?” the Golden Boar chief asked.

“Huh? Us?”

“Are you coming with us or not?”

“Hmm. Well, there are some interesting humans around, so I suppose I might just tag along.”

Though their clan had lost, the Blue Dragon leader’s disposition seemed to change a little. As the Golden Boar and Bright Rooster clans started to lose their composure, the Blue Dragon gained some.

“What’s with that attitude? Bow your damn head already.”

“Fool. With the Blue Dragon clan at your side, the others won’t dare move recklessly. Besides, most of the national army is made up of warriors from our clan.”

“Hrgh.”

The Bright Rooster chieftain placed a hand to her forehead and let out a long sigh. “I never should’ve let this single-minded idiot pretend to know anything about negotiation.”