Strange Tide (1)
The movement of the uvula gulping over the swaying candlelight was exciting.
However, it is inevitable that boiling anger can be seen even in the blurred eyes hidden by alcohol.
“We don’t trust humans.”
It was a banquet held to welcome guests, but a heavy atmosphere was flowing from the table where Josef was sitting.
Even now, if you get up from your seat and walk a few steps, it is full of people who are merrily drunk.
Josef quietly put down the glass he was holding, feeling a strange atmosphere as if the space had been separated.
“Still, the reason we found you was because we saw a glimmer of hope.”
Nidavellir, a fugitive, survivor, and now a tribal confederation rising up to liberate their people.
Warchief Olmukar, who could be said to be the head of Nidavellir, looked at Josef, who was sitting across from him, as if searching.
“If we help you, can you become the next Bayezid family head?”
“…….”
Olmukar was not making this offer to Josef simply because he saved the young dwarves.
This is because no one is as good at predicting what you want as it is clear.
Josef’s situation, where he had no choice but to ask for help because he was eliminated from the head of the family competition, was an attractive enough alternative from Nidavellir’s point of view.
“Originally, the reason we ended up like this is because we trusted the lords of the West. Nidavellir will not repeat the mistakes of his ancestors.”
I ended up like this because I relied on others instead of myself.
The dwarves, who had learned their lessons through painful years, now wanted to take the lead themselves no matter what.
“If you promise to become the head of Bayezid and listen to our demands, we can provide you with our best support even now.”
We can give away ships, technology, and soldiers.
Instead, if you follow our words in the future.
Although it would be difficult to directly oppose Bayezid, it was worth trying for Nidavellir to shift the balance of power by raising the banner of Josef.
“These words were given out of kindness. I heard you well. Warchief.”
Olmukar was convinced that Josef would have no choice but to accept his offer.
For Josef, who has lost all opportunities, the only last hope will be Nidavellir.
If he didn’t want to stop being just a loser, Josef had to hold his hand.
“But… I think you have a bit of a misunderstanding. “That is not what I want from Nidavellir.”
However, Josef only expressed his gratitude to Olmukar for the offer and did not show much interest.
Josef, who put down his drink, could only see the calmness like a gentle wave, rather than the urgency of the crowd.
“Then what brought you to this far away place?”
Josef, who said he did not need a ship or an army, quietly took out a small letter in response to Olmukar’s question.
A letter completely covered in pitch black.
Even from the outside, it was a letter that seemed to contain all sorts of ominous things.
“It is…”
“It is a letter sent by someone in a city full of fog.”
Josef sent the ominous letter by placing it under a glass of wine.
Now, black eyes without any dark shadows were looking at the warchief of Nidavellir.
“For this inevitable great cause, I would like you to lend me the dwarves’ divine tools.”
“…Exciting?”
It was Olmukar who thought he was in control of the conversation, but that was only his illusion.
A partner who is clear about what they want can be predictable.
However, Olmukar had no way of guessing what the young man sitting in front of him wanted.
※※※※
In Shoara, in Varna, and in Sturmah.
The tallest and largest building in the city was, of course, the church.
“…It’s incredibly big. “Just like church.”
And here on the island of Lemnos, there was a building comparable to the human church.
The only difference is that, unlike the cool atmosphere of the church, here you can feel the heat.
[Because this is a blacksmith shop. For dwarves, it is a place of faith and trust.]
The sound of hammering is heard without stopping.
Vlad’s mouth fell open as he looked at the dwarves sweating and hitting hammers all over the place.
The current scene, which was quite different from the blacksmith shop in the back alley, was truly like a new world for Vlad to encounter for the first time.
“Welcome. Hey! “Don’t do anything else in a dangerous place!”
The old dwarf let out a loud scream as he looked at Vlad, who was unable to come to his senses looking at his surroundings.
It was a warning to be careful, but to the listener, the sharp voice struck first.
“It seems like everyone gets weird when they’re in front of a fire.”
[Let’s call it craftsmanship.]
The old man’s name was Rukhta.
A person who has lived for a long time, knows many of the dwarves’ visions, and has been severely exploited by Gaidar in the West.
He was also the person who received a miraculous lifesaving service from Jorge a long time ago.
“Take off your armor.”
“why.”
“Why, why? “What does it mean for a blacksmith to ask for armor at the smithy?”
Rukhta brought Vlad to the highest workshop, where only craftsmen could climb.
Several dwarves sighed as they saw Vlad dare to climb to a place they could not reach.
“Could you please fix it?”
“okay.”
Rukhta nodded slightly in response to Vlad’s cautious question.
——————
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Although he was neither a son by blood nor a successor by will, the only trace left behind by Jorge was Vlad in front of him.
That’s why Rukhta was willing to lend his hammer to Vlad.
Because the dagger that Vlad was wearing now was nothing more than a token of his promise to repay a favor he had not received.
“I don’t have any money.”
“…I won’t accept any money, so please give it to me.”
When Rukhta said she would do it for free, Vlad quickly took off his armor along with his cloak.
I was already wondering if I should buy other armor instead of the elf armor that no one could repair.
“Goro is here.”
“He’s my favorite.”
Vlad whetted his appetite as he looked at the familiar Goro hanging in the workshop.
It was a strange feeling to keep finding traces of Shoara on an unfamiliar island so far away.
If he had even closed his left eye, he would have been able to see a young lizard wagging its tail towards him.
“Put down your dagger and go. “I’ll take care of it.”
“Then maybe the sword…”
The aged Rukhta’s eyes narrowed at the sight of Vlad trying to subtly ask for the sword.
Apparently, this stupid guy thought it was just a sword.
“No sword.”
“……why?”
“Because there is no suitable material to handle that.”
It was just a request to sharpen the blade, but Vlad felt embarrassed when he saw Rukhta talking about materials in such a grandiose way.
“Do you even need materials to build a blade?”
“That’s that kind of sword. “Because it’s still unfinished.”
It had the appearance of a sword, but was actually a possibility.
Rukhta just looked away as she looked at the traces of the World Tree, which she did not know what to do with.
In order to sharpen that sword and make it stronger, a metal of that quality would have been needed.
“Just leave now. “It will take a few days.”
“……all right.”
I expected him to complain at least a little, but Vlad just turned away, scratching the back of his head in embarrassment.
In fact, if you see Rukhta starting to concentrate on her work, you will get the feeling that no one should disturb her.
“What on earth do I have to do to wear a sword like that? Tsk tsk.”
After seeing Vlad coming down, Rukhta began to look at the armor he had left behind with half-closed eyes.
He was the guy who got in touch with Jorge, but he was an unusual guy in everything he wore and how he swung.
“huh?”
Rukhta, who had been frowning as she looked at the damaged area for a while, looked at the somehow awkward part and her eyes lit up.
Unlike the elaborately made armor, there was a piece of metal with a different texture attached to the breastplate, as if it had been placed on purpose.
-A knight who protected the lives of children.
A part of the breastplate made of a completely different material from the armor worn.
There was a small phrase engraved there that reminded me of the old scene.
-just. The babies keep crying.
“…I don’t know what they look like, but their personalities are exactly the same.”
And even the actions.
Rukhta stroked the words “The Knight Who Protected Children’s Breath” with her fingertips and shook her head.
It seems that the dagger he made has found its rightful owner.
※※※※
The port of Lemnos Island, where the sun is slowly setting.
Looking at the scene in front of him, Haven opened his mouth wide as if he could not believe it.
Although it was not as bad as Haven, Otar and Nibelun, who followed along, were also looking at the location of the Zemina with surprised expressions.
“……Otar. “What am I seeing right now?”
“…….”
“Is this a dream?”
The Gemina was on fire.
Because of the flames spewing out from everywhere.
Looking at the Gemina, which was as bright red as the hair color of its namesake Lady, Haven’s captain’s hat fell helplessly to the ground.
“What are you doing?”
The speed is unbelievable for someone using a cane.
Before Otar could stop him, Haven finally grabbed the dwarf man by the collar and began to let out a scream-like roar with his red eyes.
“You crazy people! “Stop right now!”
“No, this is.”
“Stop, you b*stards!”
How many captains can maintain their senses in the face of a burning ship?
The dwarf who was directing the work realized that Haven had completely misunderstood and hurriedly opened his mouth.
“This is not burning!”
“Save Jemina!”
While the wizard who arrived late was amazed and the captain went crazy, only the dwarf noticed that their intentions were mixed.
“You have to sterilize it with fire occasionally like this so that the things that eat your stomach disappear! “Don’t humans manage this?”
“You guys manage by burning things down!”
It was common knowledge to dwarves, but it was still unknown to humans.
As Haven, who knew how to remove barnacles and seaweed from the bottom of a boat but had no concept of roasting a boat to disinfect germs, he had no choice but to completely misunderstand what was happening.
“hmm?”
In the midst of such conflicting common sense, while Haven and the foreman were shouting, one of the dwarves who was silently roasting the bottom of the ship with a pack of flames on his back discovered a pearl-like thing that gave off a strange light
. It looked as if they had decided to glue it together.
“…Isn’t this a pearl?”
Nibelun, who had been looking at the dwarves’ amazing work for a while, suddenly wrinkled his nose.
This is because I felt a familiar ray of wind blowing along the sea.
A sense of mystery that only a wizard can feel.
Only then did Nibelun’s eyes begin to narrow strangely as he recognized the sparkling pearl.
The strange pearl that glowed on its own was still blinking as if it was sending some signal.
