Chapter 168: Let’s Do This Right! (2)
Hearing that the dwarves had arrived, Ghislaine showed excitement but also complained.
“Finally, you’ve come! Just how many did you bring to be this late? Let’s see!”
Lately, the schedule had been subtly delayed due to various little problems.
Although the plan was intentionally made tight from the start to consider such things, it was frustrating that more obstacles kept popping up when time was of the essence.
Ghislaine immediately moved to welcome the slave traders.
“Long time no see, Lord.”
The slave trader greeted Ghislaine with a tired face.
Due to the high prices of the slaves, he hadn’t been able to sleep properly during the travel, keeping his nerves on edge.
Meanwhile, Ghislaine kept hounding him about when they would arrive, making it unbearable for him.
“Agh, how much more will he push me next time?”
This deal wasn’t the end of it. Just thinking about how the lord would be on his case again when moving the remaining slaves made him dizzy.
After hastily acknowledging the slave trader’s greeting, Ghislaine immediately checked on the dwarves.
“Wow…”
There were over a hundred dwarf slaves.
Though small in stature, they proudly boasted robust physiques and were looking around with sullen expressions.
The slave trader asked in a somewhat worried tone, “But can you really control them? Dwarves don’t only use hammers for blacksmithing. It’ll be dangerous with this many together.”
While they all wore handcuffs and shackles for now, they would inevitably have to be released to make them work.
The slave trader was raising a concern about that.
If this many dwarves suddenly picked up weapons and rebelled, the damage would be significant.
However, Ghislaine waved her hand dismissively, showing that she didn’t think it was a big deal.
“It’s fine, it’s fine. We’ll handle everything.”
With her relaxed response, the slave trader looked around.
‘Does that mean they can be controlled by the territory’s troops?’
However, what caught the slave trader’s eye was the sight of the Penris Knights, which looked very bizarre.
“Cough! Cough!”
“Ughhh…”
They looked so emaciated that it was doubtful they could even hold a weapon, resembling skeletons.
Some were coughing continuously, and from the shock, some were even bleeding from their noses.
Everyone looked like they were sick. It would be more accurate to describe them as a group of sick people rather than a force of strength.
‘Is the lord here… a necromancer?’
It seemed like pulling corpses out from graves and resurrecting them would produce this kind of look.
At this point, he was convinced that the merchant group alone could conquer the territory.
‘I’m not sure if I can even get my money from this. Aren’t they going to fall apart soon?’
Growing anxious, the slave trader quickly asked.
“I hope the money is ready, Lord?”
“Ah, it’s all ready. I don’t cheat on my payments.”
Ghislaine casually gestured to Claude.
As Claude opened the massive chest, it was brimming with gold coins.
The Slave Trader quickly grabbed a few to confirm they were real gold coins and loaded the chest onto the wagon.
“Thank goodness. Well, I’ll be on my way now.”
“Sure, don’t go too far. I hope you come back faster next time.”
“Of course, I’ll come as quickly as I can.”
The Slave Trader answered earnestly.
‘Looking at the state of the humans calling themselves knights, this territory will collapse soon. It’s certain. No matter how much of a Marquis Branford he is, he can’t protect a territory like this. I need to get the rest of the payment and wrap this up before getting raided by another territory.’
Still, since he was a big client, he offered a piece of advice before leaving.
“Dwarves have an immense sense of pride. You do know you can’t treat them recklessly, despite being considered slaves, right?”
Ghislaine nodded in response.
“I know. They’re indeed difficult to handle.”
“You’ll need to pay attention to the quality of their meals and keep them plied with alcohol regularly. They’re quite picky, so they won’t move easily without proper treatment.”
Dwarves might have a legal status of slaves, but even nobles couldn’t treat them recklessly.
Though there are those who take family members hostage and treat them cruelly, most prefer to cater to their whims.
It was partly because they were expensive to procure, but also because dwarves wouldn’t produce quality goods if their mood soured.
The military weapons and crafts produced by dwarves fetch extraordinary prices, and workshops run under dwarf supervision have remarkably quick production rates.
So treating them well and receiving goods was more beneficial.
“Well then, I really will take my leave. The next delivery will take about five to six months.”
“What? Why will it take so long?”
“That’s after shortening it as much as possible. There are many hunting for elf slaves. Just moving one from the branch is a delicate matter. You know?”
“Tsk, try to make it faster. I’ll be vacating my seat soon, and I’d like for everything to be brought back by the time I return.”
“……When do you plan to return?”
“Who knows……. I’m not sure how the situation will turn out. But I’ll let you know right when the time comes. You’ll hear some astonishing news by then.”
‘What astonishing news could that be……? News about the territory collapsing?’
The Slave Trader chuckled inwardly and bowed deeply. Hearing Ghislaine’s words strengthened his resolve to return quickly and wrap things up.
The sooner he did that, the sooner he could receive the final payment before the territory fell apart.
Seeing the hurried Slave Trader, Ghislaine admired him.
“Look at him rush! Has he caught on that we’re planning to take over Cabaldy territory? Those who handle big money surely have quick instincts.”
“I don’t think that’s the reason…….”
Claude, just like the Slave Trader, looked around. There were blood-spewing skeletons everywhere.
“Lord, you haven’t forgotten our bet, have you? If the apprentice knights can’t use mana, we won’t go to war?”
“Ah, I got it. Enough chatter, get to work. You agreed to prepare until the results come out, remember?”
Ghislaine said with an irritated tone, gesturing toward the dwarves.
“Quickly release their restraints. I have mountains of work to assign.”
Once the restraints were off, the dwarves stretched out, seemingly confused.
The oldest, scruffy-bearded dwarf sneered as he spoke.
“Is the young lord fearless? The troops look pretty pathetic, yet you’re letting them all go like this?”
“Is it really okay to lay everything out like this?”
Ghislaine tried to hide his excitement when he saw the Dwarf in front of him.
“It’s been a while, legendary Blacksmith. Is it because you have such a long lifespan? Your face looks exactly the same as in my past life.”
In his past life, the Dwarf had helped Ghislaine quite a bit when they fought against the disaster that engulfed the continent.
Considering his exceptional skills, Ghislaine had made sure to insist to the slave traders that they must bring this Dwarf along.
But showing his excitement here would be of no benefit.
It would be better if he were seen as crazy; if he were marked as easy prey, dealing with Dwarves in the future would become incredibly difficult.
Ghislaine snorted derisively and spoke challengingly.
“Why don’t we have a little spar, then?”
“Well… given our status, it would be best to avoid any incidents if we can… But since we’ve come all the way to the very edge of the North, isn’t it fine to just run off into the mountains? Looking at the state of things, I feel like I could take them all down by myself.”
Before Ghislaine could even respond, a Knight who was standing beside him stepped forward.
He was the one tasked with guarding the Lord in place of Gillian and Kaor, who were at the training grounds.
“You! How dare you speak to our Lord like that, you slave! If you don’t kneel down and apologize right now… cough! Gah!”
The mercenary Knight collapsed, coughing up blood, and knelt down. He wanted to put on a show of authority now that he was a Knight, but his body wasn’t cooperating yet.
“……”
The Dwarves were at a loss for words. This place felt like a very strange territory.
Ghislaine sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose.
“…Take him away to rest.”
Once the Knight was carried out, Ghislaine continued as if nothing had happened.
“You know it wouldn’t matter even if you did run away, right? If news spread that an Other Race slave escaped, the Slave Traders would come looking for you with flames in their eyes. Wouldn’t it be better to stay here comfortably?”
“……”
Ghislaine’s words were hard to refute. The continent had long been the domain of Humans.
There were rumors about Other Races gathering in a few places, but at least here in the Ruthania Kingdom, it was purely the realm of Humans.
Hiding from the eyes of Humans in Ruthania was impossible. Even if they tried to escape to another kingdom, they wouldn’t know where their kin were hiding, leading to the same result.
The Dwarf visibly clicked his tongue in displeasure.
“You seem to have a decent head on your shoulders. Well, running away would indeed be a loss for us. But even so, working hard is a different matter. The treatment you receive affects the quality, you know. Looking at the state of this territory, I doubt you’re getting treated very well.”
Typical Dwarf, brimming with pride.
Ghislaine asked in response to his stiff words.
“Galbarik, are you the representative now?”
“Huh? How do you know my name…? Ah, did you receive the list beforehand? Anyway, for now, I’m the representative.”
Becoming the representative of the Dwarves was simple. You just had to be the best.
It was no surprise that Galbarik, known as the “Legendary Blacksmith” in his past life, was chosen as the representative.
Ghislaine raised a finger and said to Galbarik,
“Ten years.”
“What do you mean?”
“If you fully cooperate with me for ten years, I’ll create a self-governing area for Dwarves within the territory and free you from your slave status. You’ll be able to live freely as a Territory Resident. Doesn’t that get you a bit motivated?”
It was a shocking proposal. Letting go of a Dwarf that had been bought for an exorbitant price was no small feat.
And even offering freedom after just ten years? For Dwarves, who had much longer lifespans than Humans, ten years was a very short time.
“After working for just ten years, you’ll be freed. For the dwarves, who have a lifespan far longer than humans, ten years is hardly anything.
It’s surely what the dwarves living as slaves truly desire.
But Galbarik scoffed at Ghislaine’s suggestion.
“Are you planning a slave liberation movement? Do you really think that makes sense right now?”
“I am the lord here, so there’s no reason it can’t make sense.”
“Do you think there have been no humans who fed us such sweet talk? We’re not falling for that empty flattery anymore.”
However, Ghislaine brushed off the dwarf’s sharp reaction as if it meant nothing.
“Even if my words are lies, the worst that happens is we maintain our current situation. There’s no harm in believing; some say blessings come to those who believe.”
“Ha, what nonsense…”
Galbarik, chuckling at Ghislaine’s audacious answer, grit his teeth and said,
“Don’t spout nonsense. We’re slaves. The kingdom’s laws define us as slaves. Just because some rural lord decides not to treat us as such, it doesn’t change the perception of the entire kingdom.”
“Oh, the kingdom’s laws? What’s so special about them? They’re all made by people; if necessary, they can be changed. Don’t worry, I’ll take care of everything. I’ve never broken a promise.”
If someone overheard, they might accuse him of treason. Galbarik looked around, flustered.
Those near the lord seemed accustomed to his reckless behavior, all pretending not to hear and looking only at the sky.
‘Is this guy insane?’
Ghislaine shrugged at Galbarik’s astonished expression.
Since he was going to fight the Duke Faction anyway, he might as well overturn the kingdom.
Tearing down a few trivial laws would be no problem in the meantime.
“Of course, you can’t grasp it now and probably don’t even believe me. So, I’ll make one more tempting offer right away.”
“What, what is it?”
“Don’t you find it boring to make the same thing every day?”
“Well, it is….”
The nobles forced the dwarves to make only luxury items that showcased themselves.
To the dwarves, who valued both artistry and practicality, it was akin to torture.
Among the dwarves, there was even talk about mass-producing equipment for knights and soldiers instead.
With no opportunity to create something new, inspiration had dried up. Eventually, their creative drive dwindled, and most dwarves lived their days without ambition.
But what could they do? That was just how the world worked.
Ghislaine pointed this out.
“Everything you make is completely useless. They’re just luxury items; making only those isn’t fun, is it?”
“So, what are you suggesting? That we make equipment instead of luxury items?”
Galbarik asked as he looked at the sluggish knights.
“Considering the situation, equipment can certainly be of good use.”
It was better to create weapons and armor than pointless crafts.
Seeing knights gaining fame with weapons they had forged was one of a craftsman’s joys.
A bitter smile spread across the lips of dwarves who shared similar thoughts.
Ghislaine nodded several times.
“Of course, military weapons will be made in bulk. But that’s not all.”
“If it’s not just that, then what?”
Ghislaine pointed at his head and laughed.
“I have many interesting ideas in my head. Things that have never been seen in this world before. You’ll be satisfied too once you see them.”
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