Is this what dwarves are like in another world, just as I imagined?
Barely the height of an elementary school student, with a sturdy build and a trademark bushy beard.
It felt like I was looking at a character straight out of a film like “The Lord of the Rings.”
It was my first time seeing such a different race since arriving in this world, so the novelty wore off quickly.
I still couldn’t wrap my head around why this little guy was standing in front of me.
“So, the reason you came to find me is because of the new golem arm from the comic book?”
“Exactly! You did say it was a golem arm that had been modified with a dwarven vision in the book, right?”
The sudden mention of the golem arm caught me off guard.
I never thought anyone would actually believe a flimsy excuse I threw together just to make it look cool.
And to top it all off, the fact that it was a dwarf believing it made the situation even more absurd.
“What about that glass coffin from Snow White! How does that work?”
“Um… well, you see…”
I had no clue. I was more of an artsy type than a science-y type.
“I just drew whatever came to my mind. As you know, things like that don’t actually exist.”
It was clear that trying to come up with a modern scientific explanation for this would just backfire.
Others say that when they come to another world, they make soap, guns, and all sorts of things.
All I really knew was that such things existed at some point; trying to act knowledgeable would get me found out in a heartbeat.
“Don’t lie! Everything in your comic book was incredibly detailed!”
Thud!
Kroon dumped out a bunch of odds and ends from the bag he was carrying onto the reception table.
“What’s this?”
“That’s right, I made that new golem arm you drew in your comic!”
Wow. The craftsmanship was so impressive I couldn’t help but be amazed.
Having seen so many works and machines in my scientifically advanced world, I knew how to draw plausibly; I never imagined someone could actually make it.
The new golem arm he pulled out looked quite convincing at a glance.
“Surely the skills of a dwarf far surpass those of a human artisan.”
I now understood why noble families would rush for dwarven-made weapons and armor whenever they were released in the Empire.
Our local artisans weren’t bad either, but if I had asked them to make a prototype of the golem arm, I wouldn’t have expected this level of quality.
“Did you really just make this based on simple comic book drawings?”
“Hmph! A piece of cake for a dwarf like me!”
Looking at my admiration, Kroon’s expression brightened up.
However…
“Liar. You were holed up in the smithy for several days to make this, weren’t you?”
“Shut it, Sena! Don’t say that here…”
As Kroon flustered at Sena’s unexpected revelation, I felt all the more astonished.
He might have made it alone, but just in a few days?
“Kroon, may I ask you one thing? Why did a dwarf come all the way to the human empire?”
At my question, Kroon cleared his throat a few times and then explained the overview of events.
While mining ore, he had been injured and lost consciousness while trying to escape from a monster called a tunnel snake.
It was Sena who saved him, and he ended up staying in human territory while he recovered.
“Wait, so you made this at a local smithy?”
“Well, yes.”
Unbelievable. It’s like someone playing ping-pong in slippers being selected as an Olympic representative!
A local village smithy is barely equipped to make farming tools, let alone something like this.
I understood how Liu Bei felt when he found Zhuge Liang.
If this dwarf Kroon were to work in our territory, that would be true over technology.
There had been many places where I encountered technical limits in book or goods production that I had to give up.
If those issues could be resolved, we could create even higher-quality products.
“Kroon, are you aware that this golem arm isn’t exactly the same as what I drew in my book?”
“That’s… if only I had more materials and tools!”
“That’s exactly it! I will provide you with all the materials and tools you need.”
“What? Really?”
Without hesitation, I nodded.
I was already making a decent profit from the fairy tale and comic book business, so I could easily afford to support a dwarf artisan in exchange for his skills.
“Just keep making the items you want, and help with the work of our local artisans as needed.”
“But…”
Just as Kroon was about to respond with a happy expression, it darkened again.
His gaze shifted to Sena, who was sitting next to him.
“I’m fine, Kroon! This is such a great opportunity!”
Even Sena’s encouragement didn’t seem to lighten his serious demeanor.
“Is something holding you back?”
“No! My Lord. Please let Kroon go and do whatever he wants.”
Before Kroon could answer, Sena jumped in, pleading on his behalf.
“No, I can’t leave.”
“Kroon!”
“Sena, what will happen to you if I just leave?”
“That’s…”
From their conversation, it seemed like there was some situation I wasn’t aware of.
“Sena, could you play with my little sister for a bit?”
“Eh? With the young lady?”
“Yes, I’d appreciate that.”
At my words, Sena immediately begged to retract the part about “asking” and hurried off with Alain to Aida’s room.
“What’s going on here?”
Finally, with only Kroon and me left in the reception room, he finally opened up.
“I was trying to make enough money for travel expenses to get here, so I made items at the smithy, and that turned out to be a problem.”
Kroon’s story went on.
Since it was too far to walk from the west to the south, he needed money to use a teleportation circle at the Magic Tower.
There was nothing for him to do except work as a blacksmith, so he started making and selling items, which became an issue.
Even though he used lousy materials and tools, the quality was so outstanding compared to human-made items that word spread quickly throughout the territory.
Even the local lord took an interest.
Fortunately, it hadn’t been revealed that he was a dwarf, but news spread that the lord would come looking for the craftsman who made those items.
He was worried that if he didn’t go back, the local blacksmith who lent him the smithy and Sena’s family would be in trouble with the lord.
“This might actually be simpler than I thought.”
“What? Do you have a solution?”
“Is Sena’s family perhaps free people?”
“Free people, you say….”
“This is something I need to ask Sena directly.”
I had a maid outside send for Sena to come back.
And after a short wait, I could hear a commotion approaching.
“No! Young lady!!!”
“Not ‘young lady!’ Call me Aida Patrasche!”
I recognized the voice outside and felt an inexplicable worry.
I hurriedly opened the door to the reception room and looked toward the sound.
And there was Patrasche, running with Sena in a little cart made by the artisans for Aida.
*
“I’m so sorry, my Lord. Please just spare my life.”
In contrast to the tearful Sena, who had stopped the cart, Aida’s expression was filled with complaints.
I wiped the tears off Sena’s cheeks with a handkerchief.
“It’s not your fault. How could you stop Aida from being stubborn?”
It was clear that Aida, who had recently gotten completely into Patrasche, took Sena for a ride without a care.
Sure, many noble families would punish a noble young lady for pulling a cart, but at least in our family, neither my father nor the household staff would hold that against her.
“Are you really… okay?”
“Of course.”
My words seemed to calm Sena down, and I gently slapped Aida, who stood there as if she were the one who calmed Sena down.
“Ouch! Don’t pick on Aida!”
Aida cried out, clutching her head and pretending to be in pain.
I hadn’t hit her hard, but her acting skills just keep improving.
“Aida, if you keep being so rebellious like this, it will only give Sena a tough time. Are you going to keep this up?”
“No, Aida won’t cause Sena any more trouble!”
Aida was startled at my words and rushed over to Sena, extending her arms in an attempt to pat Sena’s back, but unfortunately, she was too small to be effective.
Seeing that made me chuckle without meaning to.
However, I needed to focus and clear my thoughts because I had an important question for Sena.
“Sena, I have to ask you something. Is your family free people?”
“Yes, my family works in the lord’s land, but my father does day labor.”
Thank goodness.
Territory inhabitants can be broadly classified into two categories:
Free people and tenants under the lord’s direct hire.
Tenants are not just those who farm the lord’s land; they include hunters, woodcutters, gatherers, etc.
These territory inhabitants lack the freedom to move and must remain born and die in the territory.
In contrast, free people either own their land or, like Sena’s father, work as day laborers.
They only pay taxes to the lord’s territory and have the freedom to move anywhere as they please.
“Sena, listen carefully. I want to bring you and your family over to our territory. What do you think?”
“To here?”
“Yes, your father will likely work in our book factory, and Kroon will do the same in our territory.”
“That’s great! I absolutely love it!”
Glancing back at Kroon, who followed me, he smiled brightly in response.
“Thank you! Dwarves like us never forget a favor!”
Thus, I unexpectedly ended up recruiting a dwarf artisan.
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