The Human Kingdom obtained a National Treasure.
That news quickly spread to the other races. Just like the Human Kingdom’s National Treasure, other races also had ancient weapons left by their ancestors to fight against Demons. Although now, they had all been lost.
Surprisingly, until now, the other races had not sought to recover those artifacts. Because the cost of doing so was too high. Surprisingly, the balance of power among the races was not that different.
But this was the story when excluding Dragons and Vampires. If they were to waste their strength searching for artifacts whose existence was uncertain, they would naturally face backlash.
Fortunately, due to the mediation of the Royal Knights, inter-race disputes had significantly decreased. However, wasn’t there a territorial dispute between the Dwarves and Beastmen right after the Royal Knights collapsed?
Thus, they were passive in searching for artifacts. They didn’t want to waste their energy for no reason. Yet, the Human Kingdom, which was assessed to be the weakest, suddenly found a National Treasure.
[The Human Kingdom has claimed new territory.]
[And they say they have also obtained a National Treasure?]
[This is dangerous. The balance of power is starting to break.]
This became a threat to the other races. Based on the time right after the collapse of the Royal Knights, the Human Kingdom was actually the one that had developed the most among the Racial Alliance.
Putting everything else aside, they had recommended a remarkable talent named Hans to the now-collapsed Royal Knights. And just by supporting the Royal Knights afterward, the Human Kingdom’s achievements were beyond imagination.
Moreover, they had used those connections to establish links with the Dwarf Republic and the Twelve Tribes, carrying out several projects. Recently, they had even reached out to the Orcs and Elves, who had almost no previous connections.
Now, it had become impossible to casually dismiss the Human Kingdom’s influence. The Human Kingdom’s power was gradually increasing. Yet, under such circumstances, they had expanded their territory and obtained a National Treasure?
[This cannot continue.]
[We need some kind of countermeasure.]
[For that……]
The sense of crisis from falling behind, along with the desire to gain power, ironically stemmed from Hope. The hope that they could win against the Demons as well.
And their gazes naturally turned toward the symbol of that hope.
*
“They requested support from the Dwarf Republic?”
“Yes.”
Hans clicked his tongue. The Human Kingdom had expanded its territory by winning a siege, and on that basis, they were continuing to advance. As a result, he thought they could afford a little relaxation now.
But what was this? Requests were continually coming in from other nations? Especially since the Dwarf Republic was an ally of the Human Kingdom and one of its biggest supporters of the Royal Knights.
He couldn’t simply ignore this. Besides, it certainly looked like ignoring it would lead to a bad ending, considering Ruby was from the Dwarf Republic. Hans sighed.
“So, where are we planning to attack this time?”
“Actually, the Dwarf Republic is not going on an expedition.”
“Not going on an expedition?”
“Correct.”
“This means I will explain from here.”
Ruby interrupted between Hans and Cluna. For a moment, Cluna’s expression crumpled, but Ruby lightly dismissed it. What was going on with Cluna’s expression?
“Is there a problem?”
“It’s nothing, Commander.”
“Focus on my story rather than that nonsense!”
“Do you know the detailed circumstances?”
“The Dwarf Republic is trying to conquer the Purgatory Workshop!”
“The Purgatory Workshop? What’s that?”
This was the first Hans had heard of it. Originally, the Dwarf Republic was in ruins in the storyline. Although the heroine from the Dwarf Republic would eventually rebuild it, that was just a nice way to put it.
In reality, it was hardly different from a Refugee Camp. Of course, some lore had been shared, but he had never heard of such a place as the Purgatory Workshop. Ruby smiled and continued her explanation.
“The Purgatory Workshop was one of the legends of the Dwarf Republic!”
“A legend, you say?”
“That’s right! In the era of great evil, the place where the giants who hold the wisdom of the ancestors sleep! Soon, they will undergo a fiery rebirth and rise again!”
“But isn’t that just a legend?”
“That’s what people say! At least the citizens believe so!”
“The citizens believe so, which means…?”
“It means the Purgatory Workshop actually exists!!!”
With Ruby’s shout, Hans felt his head starting to hurt. It clearly looked like a dangerous place. Not to mention a Steel Giant. That sounded like something akin to a mobile fortress.
‘It was horrifying. The mobile fortress.’
The mobile fortress was a doomsday weapon created by Demons that absorbed the technology of the Dwarf Republic. A massive fortress that fires cannonballs while moving. It could only be a nightmare.
In reality, the mobile fortress was one of the most frustrating enemies to face when encountered for the first time. Other bosses could be defeated with some strategy, but the mobile fortress was not so accommodating.
Unless you adequately prepare, the battle against the mobile fortress is exceptionally tough. So usually, players progress only up to the middle of the story and then grind to get ready for the mobile fortress encounter.
However, since they had saved the Dwarf Republic from the Demons’ grasp, it was likely that the horrific mobile fortress would not appear again. Of course, for seasoned players like Hans, it was only a mere toy.
But this wasn’t a game; it was reality. Reducing strong enemies was a wise choice for their future considerations. Anyway, Hans thought: What if a weapon on par with the mobile fortress is our ally?
“Fine, let’s take this request.”
“Thank you!”
“It’s only natural when thinking about the future.”
“A Steel Giant, huh…”
“Have you heard of it before?”
“No, I have not.”
As Cluna crossed her arms, looking contemplative, Hans asked just in case, but Cluna shook her head in denial. So even Cluna didn’t know about the Steel Giant.
After some deliberation, Hans accepted the request. There was no choice to ignore it anyway, and above all, it would likely be less burdensome than an expedition. So, he decided not to choose all members of the Royal Knights.
Last time, they had embarked on an expedition to reclaim territory governed by the Demons, but now they were entering the Dwarf Republic itself. It should be a less dangerous request.
“For now, since it’s an issue concerning the Dwarf Republic, Ruby will definitely participate, and we just need to take one more.”
“Nice, that’s great!”
“Is there anyone who won’t have problems physically?”
Hans wanted to give his team members a bit of a rest. Especially for the young Helia, and for the mostly exhausted Yuren or Cluna. However, the team members were not on the same page.
‘This is an opportunity.’
‘A chance to stand out from others!’
‘I can’t miss this!’
Until now, they had only cooperated together. Because they had no choice but to. When the Blood Demons invaded, they had to focus entirely on the enemies in front of them to win.
Then, there was the second expedition that practically held the fate of the Royal Knights. But now, things were different. This time, it was a request that allowed them to control their numbers.
And that meant they could push forward faster than the others. If by chance, he ended up sleeping with the Commander on this expedition, that would cement his position.
“It seems they don’t plan on backing down.”
“It looks like that’s the case.”
“Shall we settle this with force then?”
“Settle it with force? What kind of conclusion is that?”
As everyone naturally began to draw their weapons, Hans panicked and immediately intervened. After much ado, the member who would accompany them to the Dwarf Republic was Bayard. The reason was simple.
“Bayard is the one who matches best with Ruby.”
“That’s right!”
“Thank you so much, Commander! I won’t forget this kindness!”
“There’s no need to call it kindness.”
Bayard was the one member Hans could still control. Clara and Yuren were too unpredictable, while Helia and Cluna had a slightly frightening vibe. So Bayard was the safest bet.
Having settled on the members, Hans quickly picked up a minimum of supplies and took off on a wyvern. He didn’t want any unnecessary disturbances to arise.
…No, honestly, that was just an excuse.
Since that day, when some unknown memory had surfaced, Hans had been avoiding Helia for no clear reason. He just felt a strange discomfort when he saw her.
“Ruby.”
“Huh? What is it?”
“Uh, it’s nothing.”
He had thought about discussing this matter, but Hans soon shook his head. He didn’t want to burden his team. He would just sort things out gradually during this request.
He couldn’t keep avoiding Helia forever.
That was Hans’s conclusion.
My site has received a lot of DMCA notices, lol. From now on, I will update the MTL on https://darkmtl.com/.
The site is fast and lightweight because there are no ads yet. However, the theme is different from Cybor-TL, so take some time to familiarize yourself.
Support me by donating at least $10, and you'll have the right to request any novel from Novelpia (excluding 19+ content) using a newly developed tool.