Chapter 168
Chapter 168: Let’s Do Our Best! (2)
Upon hearing that the dwarves had arrived, Ghislaine felt joyful yet grumbled.
“Finally here! I wonder how many of them you brought to be this late.”
Lately, various minor issues had been subtly delaying the schedule.
Although I had planned things tightly from the start considering such possibilities, it was frustrating that obstacles kept piling up when time was of the essence.
Ghislaine immediately moved to greet the slave traders.
“Long time no see, my Lord.”
The slave trader greeted Ghislaine with a weary face.
The prices of the slaves were such that he couldn’t even sleep properly while traveling.
In the meantime, Ghislaine constantly pressed for an arrival time, driving the poor soul almost mad.
“Ugh, how harshly will I be pushed next time?”
This transaction wasn’t going to be the last. The thought of Ghislaine incessantly badgering them when transporting the remaining slaves made him dizzy.
Ghislaine brushed off the slave trader’s greeting and quickly checked the dwarves.
“Wow……”
There were over a hundred dwarf slaves.
Short in stature but boasting robust physiques, they surveyed the surroundings with sour expressions.
The slave trader spoke in a somewhat worried tone.
“But can you really control them? Dwarves don’t only swing hammers when smelting. It could be dangerous with this many together.”
Currently, they all wore handcuffs and shackles, but to put them to work, those restraints would eventually have to be lifted.
The slave trader was concerned about that part.
If this many dwarves suddenly armed themselves and rebelled, the damage would be significant.
However, Ghislaine waved dismissively, showing little regard for the worry.
“Don’t worry, we can handle it.”
The slave trader looked around with a doubtful expression.
‘Does the territory’s military enable control?’
Yet, the sight of the Knight of Penris appeared quite bizarre in the slave trader’s eyes.
“Whoa! Cough!”
“Ugh……”
They looked so emaciated that it was questionable if they could even wield weapons, appearing more like skeletons.
Some were even coughing so hard they started to bleed from their noses.
They all looked sick. It was better to refer to them as a group of sick instead of a military force.
‘Is the Lord here a necromancer?’
It seemed like this was the sort of sight you would see if you pulled corpses from a grave and reanimated them.
With conditions like this, I was certain that the merchant force alone could conquer the territory.
‘Will we even get paid properly? Am I going to go bankrupt soon?’
Feeling uneasy, the slave trader asked urgently.
“My Lord, is the payment ready?”
“Oh, it’s all prepared. I won’t shortchange you.”
Ghislaine said casually while gesturing to Claude.
As Claude opened a gigantic chest, it was filled to the brim with gold coins.
The slave trader quickly grabbed a few coins to check if they were real gold before loading the chest onto the wagon.
“Glad to hear it. Well then, I shall take my leave.”
“Yeah, you’re not going far. I hope you’ll come faster next time.”
“Ah yes, I will come as quickly as possible.”
The slave trader responded earnestly.
‘Seeing the condition of the humans branded as knights, this territory will be finished soon. Guaranteed. No matter how great Marquis Branford is, he won’t be able to protect a territory like this. I need to collect the remaining payment and wrap things up before I get raided by another territory.’
But since he was a major client, he offered a piece of advice before leaving.
“The dwarves have a lot of pride. You know you shouldn’t treat them recklessly, right?”
Ghislaine nodded, replying.
“I know. They are exceptionally hard to deal with.”
“You’ll have to pay attention to the quality of their meals and consistently provide alcohol as well. They’re quite fastidious, so they won’t move easily unless coaxed.”
Dwarves were technically slaves only by legal status. Nobles couldn’t treat them carelessly.
While there were some who would take them hostage and treat them cruelly, most preferred to appease them.
Due to their high value, but also because dwarves wouldn’t create quality items if they were upset.
Weapons or crafts made by dwarves commanded astronomical prices, and workshops led by dwarves had an incredibly fast workflow.
Thus, treating them well to receive quality goods was more beneficial.
“Well then, I will take my leave. The next delivery will likely take about five to six months.”
“What? Why will it take so long?”
“That’s already me trying to cut back the time as much as possible. There are a lot of people trying to capture elf slaves right now. Even moving one from a branch is quite cautious. You know what I mean?”
“Ugh, make it as quick as you can. I’m planning to be absent soon, and when I return, I hope you’ll have brought them all.”
“……When do you plan to return?”
“Well… it depends on how things unfold. But at the appointed time, you’ll know right away. There will be astonishing news by then.”
‘Astonishing news, what could that be…? News about the territory collapsing?’
The slave trader chuckled inwardly and deeply bowed his head. After hearing Ghislaine’s words, he felt an even stronger urge to hurry back and finish up.
That way, he could receive the final payment before the territory fell apart.
As he hurried back, Ghislaine was impressed.
“Look at him hurry. Does he realize we’re planning to take over the Cabaldy territory? Truly, those dealing with big money are quick-witted.”
“I don’t think that’s the reason…,” Claude replied as he looked around like the slave trader had, surrounded by bloodied skeletons.
“My Lord, don’t forget about our bet. If the apprentice knights can’t use mana, then we won’t go to war, right?”
“Oh, I get it. Stop whining and get to work. You promised to prepare diligently until the results come out.”
Ghislaine said with irritation, gesturing to the dwarves.
“Get their shackles off quickly. There’s a mountain of work waiting for them.”
As the dwarves had their shackles removed, they looked puzzled but began to stretch leisurely.
The dwarf with a bushy beard at the front spoke with a scoff.
“Is the Lord young and thus fearless? The military looks pitiful, but you’re letting us go like this?”
Ghislaine tried hard to hide the delight on her face at the dwarf in front of her.
‘Long time no see, legendary blacksmith. Maybe it’s due to your long lifespan? You look just like I remember from my past life.’
During the fight against the calamity that swept the continent in her previous life, this dwarf had helped Ghislaine quite a bit.
Being quite skilled, she had specifically urged the slave traders to bring this dwarf along.
However, showing her delight here wouldn’t be beneficial.
If he considered her crazy, that would be one thing. But if he saw her as an easy mark, dealing with the dwarves would become all the more difficult in the future.
Ghislaine snorted derisively and challenged him.
“Why don’t you try fighting me?”
“What… Given our status, it’s probably better not to cause trouble, but… since we’re at the edge of the North, wouldn’t it be okay just to flee to the mountains? Looking at you, I feel like I could take you all down myself.”
Before Ghislaine could reply, a knight next to her stepped forward.
He was in charge of escorting the lord in place of Gillian and Kaor, who were at the training grounds.
“You! How dare a slave like you speak to my lord like that! Kneel and apologize immediately, or… cough! Hack!”
The mercenary knight started to cough up blood and fell to his knees, trying to act tough but clearly not in prime condition to do so.
“……”
The dwarves couldn’t even say a word. This territory felt quite peculiar.
Ghislaine rubbed her temples and sighed.
“……Take him away and let him rest.”
As the knight was carried out, Ghislaine continued as if nothing happened.
“After all, it wouldn’t make sense to flee here, would it? If the rumor spreads about an Other Races slave running away, the slave traders will light a fire under their asses to catch you. Isn’t it better to stay here in comfort?”
“……”
Ghislaine was right. The continent had long since belonged to humans.
There were rumors of Other Races gathering in certain areas, but at least in the Ruthania Kingdom, it was entirely human territory.
Hiding from human eyes in Ruthania was impossible. And even if they fled to another kingdom, they wouldn’t know where their kin were hiding, so the outcome would be no different.
The dwarf clicked his tongue, showing signs of displeasure.
“Seems like you have a good head on you. Well, it would be our loss to run away. But even so, whether we work hard or not is another matter. How we’re treated affects the quality. Yet looking at your territory, it seems the treatment will be lacking.”
A very proud attitude, typical of a dwarf.
Ghislaine, noting the stubbornness in his words, asked, “Galbarik, are you the representative now?”
“Hmm? How do you know my name…? Ah, did you receive the list beforehand? Anyway, for now, I am the representative.”
Becoming the representative of the dwarves is an easy task. You just have to be the most skilled.
In her previous life, Galbarik was even nicknamed the ‘Legendary Blacksmith,’ so it was expected that he would be chosen as the representative.
Ghislaine pointed a finger at Galbarik and said, “Ten years.”
“What do you mean?”
“If you cooperate fully with me for ten years, I will create an autonomous district for the dwarves within the territory and free you from slavery. You’ll be allowed to live freely as a territory resident. Doesn’t that ignite some motivation?”
That was a shocking proposal. To release the dwarves, who had been bought for an immense price, was no ordinary matter.
Furthermore, being freed after just ten years was extremely short for dwarves, who had significantly longer lifespans than humans.
Certainly, this was what the dwarves truly wanted.
But Galbarik scoffed at Ghislaine’s proposal.
“Are you trying to launch a slave liberation movement? Do you really think that’s a viable idea right now?”
“Well, I’m the lord here, so it’s not impossible.”
“Let me tell you, there has never been a human who made such sweet promises to us. We won’t fall for such empty words anymore.”
But Ghislaine passed over Galbarik’s sharp retort with nonchalance.
“Even if you think my words are false, the worst that can happen is that things remain unchanged. There’s no harm in believing; after all, there’s a saying that those who believe will be blessed.”
“Hah, what nonsense…”
Galbarik snorted at Ghislaine’s bold response, gritting his teeth as he said, “Stop the nonsense. We are slaves. The laws of the kingdom define us as slaves. Just because a mere rural lord doesn’t treat us as slaves doesn’t change the perception of the entire kingdom.”
“Oh, the kingdom law, huh? What’s so great about that? It’s all made by humans and can be changed if need be. I’ll handle everything, so don’t worry. I’m a person who has never broken a promise.”
If someone were to hear it, it could be construed as treason. Galbarik looked around in panic.
The people next to the lord seemed accustomed to his reckless behavior, each pretending not to hear and gazing at the sky.
‘Is this guy a madman?’
Ghislaine shrugged her shoulders at Galbarik’s astonishment.
Since she was fighting the Duke Faction anyway, she had no choice but to turn the kingdom upside down.
Taking advantage of that situation to tweak a few minor laws would not be a problem.
“Of course, right now, you probably can’t believe it. So, I’ll give you one more enticing proposal right away.”
“What, what is it?”
“Don’t you find it boring making the same thing over and over again?”
“While that may be true…”
Nobles forced dwarves to create only luxury items that highlighted themselves.
For dwarves, who valued both artistry and practicality, it was tantamount to torture.
Among the dwarves, there were even discussions that it would be better to mass-produce equipment for knights and soldiers in the workshop.
Without opportunities to create something new, inspiration had dried up. Consequently, most dwarves were living their days without motivation.
But what could they do? That’s how the world turned.
Ghislaine pointed that part out.
“Moreover, all of it is useless junk. It’s merely luxury; making such things isn’t fun, is it?”
“What do you want then? Are you asking us to make equipment instead of luxury items?”
Galbarik looked at the staggering knights around him and asked.
“Considering the condition, they need good equipment, I suppose.”
It was better to make weapons and armor than useless crafts.
For a craftsman, seeing knights become notable with the weapons they created was one of the joys of being a blacksmith.
A bitter smile formed on the lips of the dwarves who shared similar thoughts.
Ghislaine nodded several times.
“Of course, there will be a lot of military weapons made. But that’s not all.”
“If that’s not all, then what?”
Ghislaine pointed to her head and laughed.
“I have plenty of interesting ideas in here. Things that have never existed in this world. You’ll be satisfied when you see them.”
