A Father’s Death and the Dwarves Who Forsook Their Nation – Part 07

Hikaru walked over to stand beside Dodorono and Dodonno.

Still kneeling, Dodorono looked up at him. “Hikaru.”

Hikaru gave a silent nod in return. “Only idiots look down on these two just because they lived outside the country. Living apart is much harder than staying where everything is familiar, and there are things you can only see when you step away. Is there anyone else here who’s thought more seriously than these two about how a Dwarf nation should be, or how Dwarves should live?” His voice was calm and quiet, yet strangely carried far. “With everything in chaos right now, is there any other Dwarf who can lower their heads instead of raising their fists?”

The crowd fell into silence. Still, many looked at Hikaru with suspicion, unsure what to make of his sudden appearance.

“So, what exactly is your relationship with the Orange Ox, Yellow Tiger, and Black Goat clans?” asked the head of the Golden Boar clan.

“We’ve decided to follow this man,” answered the Black Goat clan’s chief.

“What?”

“You heard me. We didn’t stand a chance against him—”

“That part doesn’t matter.”

Though it clearly did matter, Hikaru cut him off, and the Black Goat clan’s chief instantly shut his mouth. The fact that someone so notoriously talkative went silent only added weight to his claim.

“Dodorono, are you all right?”

“Yeah.”

With Hikaru’s help, Dodorono and Dodonno rose to their feet.

“No matter what the other clans say, the Red Rat clan belongs to me! The Progenitor’s Shield is right here!”

But Dodorono’s uncle still refused to yield.

“He’s still going on,” Hikaru said.

“Yeah. Sorry, Hikaru. I hate to see the Progenitor’s Shield you found for us used like this.”

“It’s fine.” Hikaru shook his head. “Anyway, I don’t think either of you still wants to live in this country, but you’ll have to bear with it a little longer, it seems.”

“Huh? What do you mean?”

“Dark Dogs!” Hikaru called. “Who do you believe is the rightful head of the Red Rat clan? As one of the clans, make your stance clear!”

He glared toward the corner of the front yard, a shadowy spot, seemingly empty.

“Hm?”

“There’s someone there!”

Dodorono’s and Dodonno’s eyes widened. So did everyone else’s. There were indeed about twenty female Dwarves standing there. It had looked like no one was there just moments ago.

They seemed to vanish unless one looked directly at them. They were, unmistakably, the Dark Dog clan.

“Impressive.”

The leader of the Dark Dog clan was a woman,and she was likely the one at the front. Her deep blue hair was tied back, and her almond-shaped eyes didn’t look particularly Dwarven.

“Do I need to ask again?” Hikaru said.

“No. I already know my answer.”

The chief of the Dark Dog clan began walking with her fellow clanswomen in tow and stopped in front of Dodonno and Dodorono.

The Dark Dog clan dropped to one knee in unison.

“We, the Dark Dog clan, place ourselves under the command of Dodonno and Dodorono, sons of Donovan of the Red Rat clan.”

After a moment of stunned silence, a cheer erupted from the Dwarves.

No matter what anyone said, the one who had the Dark Dog clan behind them was the rightful leader of the Red Rat clan.

Dodonno and Dodorono exchanged bewildered looks.

Hikaru placed a hand on each of their shoulders. “Come on, no need to make those faces. It’s decided, so you’ve gotta go through with it.

“B-But still…”

“Once you become the chief, it’s nothing but headaches afterward.”

“Even so, you have to do it,” Hikaru insisted.

The brothers exchanged glances and nodded. Theirs wasn’t a look of resignation; it was one of firm resolve.

“Are you sure about choosing us?” Dodonno asked the Dark Dog clan.

“Yes,” the clan chief replied. “If Donovan were alive, he would have struggled with the decision too, but in the end, he would have chosen the same.”

Hikaru picked up on the words if Donovan were alive.

So he’s… gone.

He knew the man’s time was short. Still, he hadn’t expected it to be this sudden. He was impressed that Dodonno and Dodorono made it this far under such circumstances.

Hikaru offered a quiet prayer for Donovan.

“From the perspective of the Dark Dog clan—and personally as well—I believe you two are more than qualified to lead the Red Rat clan. Just like that human boy over there said, in the middle of all this chaos, very few Dwarves are willing to lower their heads instead of raise their fists.”

The two Dwarf brothers blushed at the compliment. But that moment didn’t last long.

“I-I don’t accept this! I will never accept it. What are you standing around for?! Arrest those two now!” Dodorono’s uncle shouted at the Red Rat clan’s elites.

But none of them moved. Now that the Dark Dog clan had declared their support, the matter was settled. And in truth, many of them did not like him becoming the leader just because he was Donovan’s younger brother. That was how divided the Red Rat clan had become.

“Uncle. I’m sorry, but could you listen to us?”

“Yeah.”

As Dodonno and Dodorono started heading toward the manor, the uncle’s already ruddy face flushed even redder. He grabbed the Progenitor’s Shield he’d been carrying and dashed inside the building, as if he believed it could still help him stage a comeback.

But he couldn’t move forward. Thud. Instead, he fell back on his rear. The shield slipped from his hand and clattered to the ground.

Standing in his way was a small female Dwarf, Cornu.

“A Dark Dog!”

Cornu only shook her head slowly.

“Fuck you!”

“That’s enough.”

The moment he opened his mouth to yell again, a firm grip closed around his throat from behind. Hikaru had closed the distance in an instant.

“Eek!”

“Don’t piss me off any further.”

“Y-Yes, sir.”

Dodorono’s uncle slumped where he stood, completely deflated.

It was finally over. There had been plenty of trouble, but Hikaru felt that Ironforge might start heading in a slightly better direction now.

Finally. He had only come this far because he was worried about the Four Eastern Stars, and somehow ended up burning through both time and energy.

Hikaru noticed Cornu staring at him. “What is it?”

“The air.”

“Huh?”

Cornu raised her index finger straight up. “The air smells weird.”

As soon as she said that, Hikaru started wondering, what is this gas-like smell?

Thud.

His body lifted slightly off the ground. It took a moment for him to realize it was an earthquake. Then the ground beneath him began to shake.

“An earthquake!” Hikaru shouted. “A big one!”

He turned. Dwarves were screaming, some running, others cowering on the ground. Hikaru immediately searched for Lavia and spotted her crouching with Paula. She looked at him and nodded, saying she was okay.

“The mountain.” Cornu, unshaken by the tremor, pointed.

Hikaru followed her finger, and saw it.

The massive anvil at the mountaintop—so huge not even a giant could use it—was now sliding down the slope, kicking up clouds of dust as it tumbled downward. Some of the Dwarves saw it and began screaming.

From afar, it looked like it was moving in slow motion. But eventually, the anvil crashed into the square where the clans had been fighting. Past that, the buildings blocked the view.

“Damn it.”

There shouldn’t have been a lot of people over there. Hopefully, there were no casualties, or at least only a few.

“What the hell’s going on?! The quake’s not stopping!” the Boar clan chief roared.

He was right. The earthquake kept going. The shaking was so bad they could barely run.

Something fell onto Hikaru’s head. He realized it was dirt from the mansion owned by Dodorono’s uncle. It was a stone building. The ongoing quake must have dislodged the dust wedged between the stones. Of course, there had been no seismic reinforcements.

“Get everyone out of the building!” Hikaru told the uncle’s servants nearby. “It might collapse!”

“Y-Yes, sir!”

“Move!” they shouted as they ran inside.

“Cornu!” Hikaru turned to the Dark Dog girl. “It’s the Dark Dog clan’s turn. Spread out across the country and urge everyone to evacuate. As long as these tremors don’t stop, it’s too danger—” He couldn’t finish the sentence.

There was a thunderous boom, followed by a crack that tore through the heavens.