“Hah... Hhh...”
Lundis Elovandi opened his eyes, breathing raggedly. The chains that had bound him lay powerless on the floor.
The hallucination and sleep spells poured into his head had shattered. Those spells should have been too powerful for even a dwarf's formidable magic resistance to overcome.
That meant one simple thing. Either the necromancers had won, or they had died on the battlefield. If the former, they had cut off the mana because they no longer needed a prisoner. If the latter...
Was that even possible?
Of course, Andgrund's great heroes could defeat the minions of that vile Seven Dragon General. Of course they could.
But now that half their people had fallen for the necromancers' temptations, could Father really have overcome this crisis?
'No. I have to believe.'
Despite his fear, Lundis struggled to collect himself. His father was a man who never lost. He would defeat the necromancers and come to his rescue without fail.
He tried to cling to that thought, choking back the sobs welling up inside him.
TAP, TAP, TAP.
Footsteps sounded far beyond Lundis's cell. His pointed dwarven ears twitched. Beneath his beard, his lips turned white with terror.
Soon, a figure emerged from the shadows of the corridor.
Tall, with fiercely blazing eyes and an axe of unmistakably dwarven make... An ashen beard characteristic of dwarves, and solid muscles that could only belong to a dwarf...
And a terrible reek of blood, the sour stench peculiar to a necromancer's corrupted mana, and even the thick air of death exuding toxins and curses.
A necromancer's minion. And...
“Have you come to kill me...!”
Lundis clenched his teeth and stood.
He was the child of Durantline Elovandi, Secretary of Andgrund. He would never show fear, no matter what!
Even if this was his end, he would die without disgracing his father's honor. With that resolve, he hid his trembling hands and shouted.
“How dare you!! Betraying your own people!!”
“...?”
“What did you sacrifice for that height? How many comrades did you offer to the necromancers? No, do you even have a soul left?!”
“...??”
The tall dwarf gazed down at Lundis. He stood motionless before the bars for a moment, mulling over those words.
“... What?”
“You betrayed your comrades and disgraced your ancestors just to become as tall as a human?! Even if I die here today, I will curse you forever alongside our ancestors. Andgrund will never forgive you!!”
“Lucia.”
“Heeheehee... Yees?”
“Translate for me.”
A short woman stepped briskly out from behind the tall dwarf and grinned, tapping him on the chest.
“What is there to translate? Your ancestors are cursing you, Senior!”
“My ancestors aren't in this land.”
CLANK.
The man gripped the bars tightly, seeming to assess something for a moment. Then he nodded, stepped back, and raised his axe.
“Are you Durantline Elovandi's son?”
“Yes! You coward! I am Durantline Elovandi's d—son! Lundis Elovandi! Go on, kill me! Unlike you, I won't deny my roots to cling to life!”
“Ahahahaha!!!”
The woman collapsed in peals of laughter. The man pressed his fingers between his brows and muttered something before answering.
“Stand back. It's dangerous.”
“What?”
“I'm going to break the bars. I said stand back. It's dangerous.”
As Lundis backed away hesitantly, the man readied his stance, axe in hand. Lundis hurried to stop him.
“W-wait! D-did you say you came to rescue me...?”
“How about we discuss it outside? Or was it cozy behind those bars?”
“No, no, that's not it. Our own craftsmen made these, and the necromancers cast all sorts of spells on...”
SHING.
Before Lundis could finish, the man's axe swept through the bars in a long cut.
It was so clean that not a single spark flew despite the clash of metal. Bewildered, Lundis continued.
“...them. But I suppose that doesn't matter anymore...”
“Ahahah...”
Behind the man, the woman pounded the floor, making choking noises.
The man walked over ponderously and stopped before Lundis.
“Any injuries?”
“... None.”
“Why did you lie?”
“... What?”
“You weren't Elovandi's son.”
Tucking the axe into his belt, the man reached for Lundis's face. Just as Lundis tried to retreat, his hand flashed out, seized the beard, and pulled.
It came away with a snap, leaving him holding it. Beneath it was a clean, pale jawline without so much as stubble, let alone any sign of shaving.
He had thought something was odd. A woman, then. She seemed to have bound her chest beneath her clothes. He looked Lundis over and gave a short nod.
“His daughter.”
“Ah... Aaah!!”
“A false beard. Quite an intricate piece of work.”
“Such... Such an insult... Such humiliation...!! M-my father... You will answer for this...!”
“Do as you please. For now, let's move.”
“Tell me your name!! I-I-I will make you pay for this insult!!”
The man stopped and turned to look at Lundis. His terrifying presence made her recoil involuntarily, but she straightened up with a resolute expression.
“Ivan Petrovich Yeremov. Heard of me?”
“What a bizarre name!! How rootless must your family be to have two surnames... Two... Huh?”
Ivan...? Ivan Petrovich...? That name was far too familiar... And it had a very unsettling ring to it, that...
She had definitely heard it somewhere... Hadn't she? Specifically, in a children's song...?
She thought the rhythm had gone, Hmm, hmm-hmm, hmm, hmm-hmm.
“Venomous... Spider?”
“That's what they call me.”
“... Really, sir?”
Lundis quickly folded her hands respectfully and stole glances at the man before her. The woman with him was leaning against the wall, panting and trying to hold her breath. Judging by that, he didn't seem to be lying...
Yes, if he was the Venomous Spider... Well, he could have defeated the necromancers and rescued her, but...
Why on earth would the Venomous Spider do that?
Why show up in the dwarven civil war? No, before that, hadn't they said he was dead? Had she misheard? Had they meant he would kill you, rather than that he'd been killed? No, what in the world...?
Lundis's eyes began to spin. Lost in confusion, she finally reached a fitting conclusion.
“Sir, were your parents dwarves, by any chance?”
“Heek...! Hic! I-I-I think I'm dying, Senior. I can't breathe, breathe... Some healing potion...!!”
“Quiet.”
If he had dwarven ancestry, and had only discovered it later... Then it made sense that the Venomous Spider would join the dwarven civil war on the right side and raise his axe for justice.
The man who had terrorized more dwarves than anyone else was actually a dwarf himself. After discovering his family's secret, he had returned to Andgrund to atone for his sins through service.
It was romantic redemption literature incarnate. The return of the prodigal son and a heroic epic, all ready-made.
Slaying an evil dragon and necromancers, executing traitors, and rescuing an abducted princess. (All of which was true.)
Wow. Suddenly, tall dwarves seemed rather appealing, didn't they?
With her eyes spinning, Lundis grasped the whole truth and marveled.
RRRUMBLE!!
“Eek?!”
Just then, the corridor shook with a deafening roar, scattering stone dust. Lundis clutched her head and dropped to the floor.
Ivan took out his pocket watch, checked the time, and frowned.
“The northern corps has engaged. We're out of time. Hurry.”
“W-w-wait, sir! I-I'm sorry, but could you give my beard back? Well, um. You already have a splendid beard of your own... Ah, i-if you need the beard ties or rings on it, you can keep those... B-but I'll give you better ones anyway... So if you could just return the beard for now...”
Ivan finally lost patience and thumped Lucia on the back of the head. Gasping with laughter, she bit her tongue and writhed in pain.
Ignoring her pained whimpering and strangled squeak, he gazed down at the beard in his hand.
“Why?”
“Ah... Ah. I understand wanting to keep it. With beards, well, the more the merrier. Right? But still... I have to be a son. You know? I need to be a son... And if people mistakenly hear that you sh-shaved my beard, your life would be in terrible danger, sir. I'm saying all this for your sake too...”
“Quiet. Take it.”
Ivan tossed Lundis the beard and turned away. She scrambled to catch it, then carefully fastened it beneath her chin.
The loosened straps worried her, but it would do. Only then did she heave a sigh of relief.
“Ahem, hmm. Thank you. Where do we go now, sir?”
“Northern Corps headquarters.”
“... Pardon? We had a corps like that?”
“Yes. You're ‘our’ prisoner now.”
Ivan gave a brief nod and cuffed Lundis's wrists. Letting out a bewildered “Whaaat?” she was dragged away by his hand.
* * *
[... Secured a military logistics support agreement and a broad framework for technological cooperation in civil engineering, construction, metallurgy, and related fields. The Northern Second Corps will remain stationed near Andgrund and lead ongoing ‘defense industry cooperation.’
Losses sustained by the Northern Second Corps in the unrest accompanying the end of the ‘civil war’ currently stand at 323 personnel killed and 21 armored vehicles destroyed...
... Follow-up report from Lieutenant General Balakliya Svatosky Valika, commander of the Second Corps, attached separately.
... Full text of the ‘Treaty Prohibiting the Spread of Egalitarianism,’ signed by Andgrund's ‘General Secretary’ Durantline Elovandi, attached separately.
... Proposed agreement on ‘Plans to Establish a College of Engineering at St. Jansk University and Dispatch Engineering Faculty’ attached separately.
... Request for the entrusted education of Durantline Elovandi's daughter, ‘Lundis Elovandi,’ attached separately.
Reported by: Enrique Seregeyevica.
Reviewed by: Ivan Petrovich Yeremov.]
“Enrique!!”
Elizaveta snatched up the report and glared straight ahead. Enrique had already fled the moment a vein began to bulge on her forehead.
Searching for another target, her gaze landed on Dmitry. She clutched her forehead and groaned before managing to speak.
“What did they say about Vanka?”
“He needs at least two weeks of complete bed rest, Your Highness.”
“I would like to amend the constitution. Can that be arranged?”
“I shall summon the minister of justice. Your command?”
“From this day forward, all official business in Krasilof must follow the principle of ‘report first, act afterward.’ What do you think?”
“It shall be done.”
“He went there alone, ended the civil war, killed every necromancer claiming to be Aviditas's successor, rescued the Secretary's abducted child, then used the northern corps to pressure the dwarves into ‘military cooperation’? Does... Does that make sense? Well?”
Dmitry nodded silently at Elizaveta's words. Well, if it was his senior, certainly.
At his expression, Elizaveta clawed at her chest. That wretch was getting a pay cut. The charge: insolence.
“Lundis Elovandi...? Where is that girl now?”
“She is confirmed to be in the cathedral's inpatient ward. I shall summon her.”
“Do so.”
* * *
“So then, sir just plopped three heads onto the table. Wow, all our elders froze on the spot!”
“Three heads...?”
“Yes! You all should have seen it. Necromancers' heads! Pale, shiny bald heads with black tattoos all over them. Ugh, honestly. Gives you the creeps, doesn't it?”
Lundis spread her arms wide and chattered on.
“Then, in this booming voice, he said, ‘Everything you asked has been accomplished.’ Wow... I'd never seen that look on Father's face before! He froze like he'd seen a devil crawl out of hell.”
“Not far off...”
“And then he and those strange humans handed over some papers and told him to stamp them. I honestly thought he was a loan shark. A moneylender! Acting like he'd come to collect a debt. Just like that.”
“Hmm... Mmm... Sounds like he had fun. On vacation...?”
Isabelle smiled warmly at Lundis.
She had been stuck in the cathedral's inpatient ward the moment vacation began. Now she was up at the end of it, and what? He'd gone on a vacation trip?
Hmm. Reaaally?
With a gentle smile, Isabelle asked the strange little dwarf girl a question.
“But, um... What mister did doesn't sound like it was particularly good for your father in the end. So why are you here?”
“Oh! Father doesn't let things like this sway him! Did you know? Sir is actually... half-dwarf!”
“... What?”
“Everyone in Andgrund knows now! Obviously, anyone who can terrify dwarves has to be a dwarf! As if we'd ever be afraid of any people except our own!”
“... No, that's not... What? What did you say?”
Paying no attention to Isabelle's confusion, Lundis kept chattering.
“So Father came up with a brilliant idea! ‘Authority comes from fear.’ Wow... Isn't he wonderful? He told me, just like that, ‘Make an ally of the one every dwarf fears most right now!’”
What on earth was that supposed to...?
Isabelle stared blankly at the exuberantly declaiming Lundis.
Lundis thrust out her chest proudly and said,
“If the Venomous Spider joins the Elovandi family, Father's authority will last forever! And I won't have to live as a son anymore! My son will become Secretary!”
“Wow.”
“And this is a secret...”
Lundis lowered her voice and glanced quickly around before whispering to Isabelle.
“Humans are, well... a little underendowed, aren't they? For a half-dwarf like sir, they'd be a bit... You know? Dwarves should be with dwarves.”
“That does it. You.”
After briefly eyeing the masses of fat as enormous as the Saint's, Isabelle nodded with a bright smile.
That did it. That bastard needed a shave. Now he was even seducing women with his beard?
Seriously. This time, seriously, really.
What? Half-dwarf? Haha...
She really wanted to kill him...
