Chapter 45

Expulsion Order

Let me tell you about a certain being.

Council Chairman Volkanus.

He is a dwarf who has reigned as the pinnacle of the Stone Clan for a full five hundred years.

Ever since the death of ‘The Great Demir,’ the greatest blacksmith of the past, Volkanus has never once lost the position of Chairman.

Of course. He’s the strongest.

Yeah, during wartime, the strongest should lead the council.

The great Volkanus!

If it weren’t for Volkanus, our clan would have been wiped out long ago!

War devoured the Stone Clan’s ‘craftsman spirit.’

The more they bled from elf arrows and had their flesh torn, the more they craved ‘power.’

The one who stood at the summit of that ‘power.’

That was Volkanus.

People of the Stone Clan! Do not forge weapons!

It was the speech he gave immediately after assuming the Chairmanship.

Abandon tools and take up arms! Why sit around striking anvils! If you have nothing to strike, then go catch some elves and beat them instead! If you truly wish to make weapons, bring me elf bones and make them from that!

Originally, elves and dwarves were like sibling races.

A symbiotic relationship of mutual aid.

Elves lack manual dexterity.

At best, they can weave grass and wood, but they cannot handle metals like iron.

Therefore, they needed to receive weapons from the dwarves to possess greater combat power.

Isn’t it unfair? Isn’t it frustrating? Why must we act as slaves to the elves! What use is it if all the things we work hard to make are just taken from us? What matters is power! The martial might to protect oneself! Without it, you have no right to dream! No qualification to sing of hope!

In truth, there was another reason they had joined forces in the past.

The forest.

And the dragon that ruled the rocky region.

The Giant Dragon Drugan.

A being that made all the races of the world tremble in fear.

To counter that ferocious dragon, the two races had combined their strengths.

Elves provided martial power.

Dwarves provided weapons.

The two races produced tremendous synergy.

We already killed the dragon. Through the collaboration of Demir and Eldrin, we sealed it away deep within the bottomless underground abyss!

The legendary blacksmith ‘The Great Demir.’

And the legendary High Elf of Moonlight, Eldrin.

Originally, until about 500 years ago.

Those two were the absolute rulers representing the forest and Stone Clans.

The two heroes gathered the strength of their clans, buried the dragon, and died a glorious death in battle.

But now, what do you think you’re doing making weapons! Look at those vile elves. They are a race of traitors who pierce our hearts with the very bows we made for them! Ultimately, they are a race mad with murder, who draw their blades the moment a common enemy disappears!

Volkanus’s command was simple.

Annihilate the elves!

Until then, do not engage in any production activities!

Admittedly, some might find this command incomprehensible.

Why aren’t we leveraging our strengths?

Right! Elves use bows as their main weapon anyway! Wouldn’t it be fine if we just didn’t make bows?

That’s true? Then we wouldn’t have to worry about them being taken, right?

Some dwarves raised reasonable questions.

But Volkanus’s stubbornness was formidable.

Silence. Do you have any idea how short-handed the front lines are?

Furthermore, what about blacksmiths taken prisoner? Are you so confident you wouldn’t make weapons even with a blade at your family’s throats?

While his logic was slightly flimsy.

It was impossible to break his will.

None of that matters. If you don’t like it, then challenge me. If you win, I will step down from the Chairmanship!

A veritable tyrant.

And so, for a period of 500 years.

Volkanus’s dictatorship continued.

And now.

Here, in the Senate chamber.

The product of that dictatorship had arrived.

Thud, thud.

The short, stout figure’s slow steps carried an indescribable immense power.

Just like when I first met the Old Man, the mere presence of the being made it hard to breathe.

“Greetings, Chairman.”

“Greetings, Chairman.”

The dwarves seated at the table all stood up and saluted.

Dagnar and I also hesitantly rose to our feet.

“Hmm.”

The Old Man, who was watching the scene, clicked his tongue.

“Indeed, the world is vast and fascinating. If only I could have roamed other worlds while alive, it would have been truly enjoyable.”

The way he smacked his lips made it seem like he wanted to give it a try himself.

Of course, there would be no occasion for the living and the dead to directly face each other.

“You are…….”

It was then that the gaze of the Chairman, Volkanus, turned toward me.

His burly muscles twitched.

“The notorious heteromorph who, I’m told, gifted our clan weapons this time?”

Notorious?

The word was a bit grating, but.

Well, it wasn’t exactly wrong.

“That’s correct.”

I nodded.

But.

Something felt off.

Volkanus was smiling, pfft.

But clearly, his eyes were not smiling.

A gaze filled with unmistakable hostility.

‘What’s this?’

My Favorability with the dwarves was clearly at 75.

On top of that, if anything, I had given them silver, not caused them harm.

“By the way, you.”

Volkanus’s voice was cold.

“Whose permission did you get to use the mine?”

“…….”

Silence fell over the chamber.

The air grew as stifling as if we had entered the deep sea.

Even Dagnar, who had been looking at the Chairman with eyes of admiration.

Had frozen stiff.

“Hmm.”

I tilted my head.

Regardless of whether the Chairman was strong or not.

I didn’t understand why he was acting this way.

“Excuse me, may I ask one question?”

“Speak.”

“Have I caused any harm to the Dwarf Clan?”

“Of course you have.”

Volkanus answered immediately.

“Closing the mines and not making weapons. That has been my policy for the past 500 years.”

Ah, was that it?

The words Dagnar had said he couldn’t understand at all.

The epitome of stubborn authority accumulated over a full 500 years.

Volkanus was displeased with the very act of me making weapons.

“That policy is being shaken by your reckless actions. How could I not summon you and let it slide?”

“…….”

“It was an effort spanning 400 years. Only a century ago did I finally manage to erase blacksmithing techniques into the annals of history, and here you are, reawakening the dwarves’ creative desires. I am exceedingly angry.”

“…….”

It was absurd, but he wasn’t exactly wrong.

I am merely a guest in this region.

The master of this place is Volkanus.

From his perspective, I am just a mudfish muddying the waters he had purified.

“My apologies.”

I bowed my head and apologized for the time being.

No matter what, the end goal of this quest is to resolve the conflict between the two clans.

I couldn’t accumulate more conflict before even attempting to resolve the existing one.

“I had no ill intent. There was a mine being wasted, so I wanted to utilize it. As for the weapons, the dwarves asked me to make them, so I merely complied. Had I known the detailed circumstances, I wouldn’t have done it.”

Of course.

All that aside.

The being before me was far too strong.

After all, isn’t the word of the strong the very definition of justice?

“Heh heh.”

The Old Man chuckled heartily beside me.

“I thought my disciple was only reckless, but it seems you also know how to yield when necessary.”

‘I’m not yielding, I’m evading. Well, are you avoiding it because you’re afraid of shit?’

“That level of shit is quite fearsome.”

‘Well, that’s true.’

“By the way, what do you plan to do? That fellow seems thoroughly determined.”

The Old Man shook his head from side to side as he continued.

“Listen, this time is not like the Tae Yang-chang incident within your mind. This is a real, existing world. One wrong move and you could end up dead. If you die, Myriad skills are finished too. Understand?”

He doesn’t seem worried about me.

He only seems worried about Myriad skills, which is a bit hurtful.

‘That won’t happen.’

“Why?”

‘Look at their eyes.’

I gestured with my eyes toward the participants in the meeting.

Although they kept their mouths firmly shut, I could clearly sense it.

“Hoh, they are dissatisfied.”

‘Yes, exactly that.’

Just by looking at their eyes, I could tell.

The council members.

No, all the members of the Stone Clan, like Dagnar.

Clearly did not approve of Volkanus’s dictatorship.

They were merely enduring it because his power was too great.

‘No matter how much of a dictator Volkanus is, he can’t just kill me arbitrarily. There would be no need to light a fuse next to oil. Dictators, no matter how powerful they appear, always live in fear of revolution.’

Volkanus is strong.

Not just strong, but incredibly so.

So strong that even if all the dwarves and elves combined their strength, they couldn’t win.

That means he could eliminate all the dwarves right now if he wanted.

But the reason he didn’t was clear.

‘Because they are the same race.’

No matter how strong he is.

If he executes all those who resist, what meaning is there in reigning over them?

Moreover, dwarves are a race that understands gratitude.

Volkanus is acting this way because he believes he has been wronged.

But the other dwarves don’t see it that way.

For him, there was no need to bother with such troublesome actions.

“Hmm.”

Volkanus stared directly at me.

“I’m sorry, but it seems you cannot become a benefactor of our clan. Personally, I’d like to tear you to shreds right this instant, but since you had no ill intent, I will let it pass. However.”

He was utterly obstinate.

He didn’t even try to ask for or listen to the opinions of the other council members.

“Leave this city, Titan, immediately.”

A clear expulsion order.

That was the reason Volkanus had summoned me.

“T-that’s absurd!”

It was then that Dagnar, who was beside me, shouted.

“Ju Dong-hoon is clearly a benefactor of us dwarves! We haven’t even disobeyed the Chairman’s orders! He’s a member of another race who merely made weapons out of goodwill! To turn him away like this is outrageous!”

“You say it’s absurd?”

Volkanus’s gaze shifted.

Dagnar gasped, Huk!.

An immense power began to press down on him.

“Am I being looked down upon because I’m speaking politely and with proper decorum?”

“Kuh-huk!”

“If you think it’s absurd, it’s simple.”

BAM!

Volkanus slammed the table powerfully.

It was his signature action whenever he made a decision.

“You leave with him.”

Khek.

Suddenly.

Dagnar was also expelled along with me.

The dim night.

Cast out to the border between the rocky region and the forest region, Dagnar and I walked aimlessly along the road.

“Damn it. That ridiculous Chairman bastard. The great Volkanus, my ass. What good is being ridiculously strong? That’s probably why the war still isn’t over! Tch, tch.”

“It is baffling.”

Just for saying one word.

To be rejected by his own race.

In my case, I was originally from another race anyway.

But I felt sorry for Dagnar.

‘Besides.’

Actually, I was also in a state of great regret.

The quest is one thing, but…….

The materials piled up like mountains in the mine kept flashing before my eyes.

‘I need to raise Bone Six’s proficiency.’

“By the way.”

I stopped the grumbling Dagnar.

“Why are you stopping?”

“What do we do now? Do we even have a place to go?”

This world is divided into precisely two zones.

Elf territory, or Dwarf territory.

It seems there are spaces where other races reside here and there, but…….

Dagnar answered my question.

“How should I know? I’ve never left the rocky region except when going to fight.”

“……I see.”

“Sigh, damn that Chairman. I’ll show him just how well I can fight despite his stubbornness…….”

Grumble, grumble.*

Just as the incessant cursing directed at the Chairman was about to start again.

“Wait a moment.”

I raised my hand.

Because my senses had picked up a certain presence.

‘At least expert level or above.’

The direction was the forest region.

If it’s an elf appearing, it’s dangerous.

My Favorability with them is a mere 25.

“Dammit, prepare for battle!”

I quickly summoned my skeletons.