Gaining Brimdal’s agreement was not a particularly difficult task.
After all, he was an honorable knight, and he was prepared to sacrifice his own body if it meant saving the world.
...At least, that was how I had decided to explain it to the Empire.
"I didn't realize I was harboring a tiger cub."
Inside a carriage racing across a desolate desert.
Having been caught for the twenty-first time after over twenty escape attempts, he glared at me, grumbling.
"In the midst of all the chaos lately, I’ve seen countless Fallen Ones. They all claimed to be the true masters of another world."
"I suppose so. Why is that?"
"Looking at you now, they were all fakes. If those Fallen Ones had been anything like you, the Empire would have been destroyed within three days."
His gaze drifted to the thin stream of water binding his legs.
It was a simple stream of water, yet Brimdal’s sword could not cut through it. After several failed attempts, he had finally accepted his fate.
He sighed, as if he still found it hard to believe.
"Just how much are you capable of?"
"I’m not entirely sure myself yet. I’m still in the process of learning."
"..."
Brimdal shot a displeased look at me as I sat in the driver’s seat, as if wondering what kind of nonsense I was spouting, but it was the truth.
"Hmm..."
The reason I was sitting in the driver’s seat when I could have just manipulated the currents was an extension of that.
My vision. Ever since I summoned the Deep Sea into reality while saving Elicia, my physical eyes—which I hadn't used much due to the overwhelming nature of my Sense—had developed a new utility.
*It’s overlapping.*
I blinked my right and left eyes alternately, checking it several times.
Through my left eye, I saw the normal world. A vast, empty desert and the horses running hard, dripping with sweat.
And through my right eye, I saw the Deep Sea.
The desert existed, but it was located in the deepest part of the ocean. This was the sight I would see if I were to summon the Deep Sea as it was.
Since the Deep Sea visible through my right eye was naturally mine, I could move it as I pleased. It was a domain where I could create currents by waving my hand or conjure as many deep-sea fish as I wanted.
"I’m surely not seeing things..."
After pondering, I reached a conclusion.
Both were likely real. It was probably just the difference between seeing the world as an Outer God of the Deep Sea and seeing it as a mortal.
Could I use it? I clenched my fist and moved the Deep Sea I was seeing.
*Rumble...*
A massive waterspout formed within the Deep Sea, forcibly dragging the debris from the bottom and erupting it into the sky.
At that, Brimdal, who had been sitting in the carriage with a sour expression, suddenly widened his eyes and stood up.
"Good grief, a sandstorm."
"Pardon?"
"It’s not the season for this, tsk. Let’s turn back for now. We won’t be able to see a thing or find our way in that."
"Oh, it’s fine. I’m the one who made it."
I unclenched my fist, dissipating the waterspout, and the sand that had risen into the desert air fell back to the ground as if nothing had happened.
Changes that occurred within the Deep Sea also manifested in reality.
Of course, that little display had no real meaning. I could have achieved the same thing with just the currents.
As I nodded, thinking about how I could put this to use in other ways, Brimdal let out a dry, incredulous laugh.
"...Didn't you say you fell into a world called the Deep Sea?"
"That’s right."
"Then how on earth are you able to create a sandstorm...?"
"It’s a long story, would you like to hear it? You said we had plenty of time left, didn't you?"
"...Forget it."
Exhausted, he slumped back against the wall of the carriage and waved his hand dismissively.
"And what do you mean 'plenty of time'? We’ve arrived."
*Screech.*
The place we arrived at, following Brimdal’s guidance, was—a desert.
One might think, "Isn't it obviously a desert?" but it was a desert of nothing but sand, with absolutely nothing to distinguish it from the surroundings. As I looked around, Brimdal smirked and cracked a joke.
"You foolish kid. You’ve been tricked."
"What are you talking about?"
"You’ve come all the way to the middle of the desert and still haven't realized it? Where are the mines here? Where is the ale? Dwarves don't live in a place like this. You’ve been fooled by me."
"Ah, yes. You’re very funny."
Ignoring him, I pulled out a rope, bound Brimdal, and headed toward a sand dune nearby.
Brimdal’s complexion turned ghastly.
"You..."
I had never once turned off my Sense.
Naturally, I had already located the dwarves' secret base an hour ago.
"Did you ask even though you knew?"
"I was hoping you’d tell me willingly. I would have untied you if you had, but it’s a shame it came to this."
"Hah, you really haven't changed a bit. It’s rare for a human to show so little mental growth..."
*BOOM!* As Brimdal exclaimed, the sand dune, which was the size of a small hill, instantly exploded and scattered.
Beneath that sand dune was a small copper pipe, just large enough for one person to squeeze through.
I easily opened the door and lifted Brimdal with a current.
"Let me tell you in advance."
Brimdal sighed, seemingly resigned, and offered some sincere advice.
"This is a truly stupid thing to do. They aren't stupid enough to go through such a massive operation just for one enemy. And honestly, they won't even be that happy about it."
"Yep. I’ll handle that part well on my own!"
After tossing Brimdal inside, I jumped in lightly as well.
The copper pipe had no ladders or ropes. It was a literal freefall, and I even had to fall for nearly five minutes.
I was frowning, wondering if this went all the way to the Earth's core, when I saw light.
*Thud!*
"...?"
"What the, *hiccup*."
Beneath the desert—
There was a new world.
Literally, a new world. In the sky, which should have been underground, a sun was hanging brightly, and there was a low-ceilinged village that seemed to be made entirely of steel and brass.
In that village, there were no fake dwarves like Brimdal, but the real ones.
Short, muscular dwarves with bushy beards. They were looking at us, having fallen from the copper pipe in the center of the village, reeking of hammers, swords, anvils, chisels, and the scent of molten metal.
My gaze met those of dozens of dwarves who were holding all sorts of tools, as if they had just started their work.
"This human..."
Before hostility could mix into their gazes.
I hurriedly pulled out the bound Brimdal.
"Hello, nice to meet you, dwarves."
"W-what?"
"I have arrested a malicious dwarf child abuser in the Empire. During the interrogation, he confessed to committing similar crimes in his own country, so I have braved the rudeness to come here to hand over the criminal."
"...That’s Brimdal. Isn't it?"
"They caught him?"
As murmurs began to spread, the dwarves did not make a decision immediately.
Now was the chance. I hurriedly grabbed the key to the workshop and opened a nearby house.
"And, as our Imperial Princess instructed that there be not a single discourtesy in this meeting with you dwarves, I have brought a small gift."
The workshop was packed with a single type of mineral.
Not gold, not silver—but steel.
And it was still in its raw ore form.
"Hmph."
Brimdal saw this and let out a scoff.
"You idiot, gifting steel to dwarves? Are you out of your mind? Do you have any idea how many hours a day these guys spend mining?"
"I hope the gift is to your liking."
I lightly ignored Brimdal’s words and pulled out a piece of steel with a current, tossing it to the murmuring dwarves.
The dwarf who caught the raw steel ore examined it with a listless expression, but soon, his eyes widened.
"...Wait a second, huh."
"What is it? It’s just ordinary steel."
"No, it is, but... it’s a bit different, isn't it?"
"What?"
The dwarves picked up the steel ore one by one, and their expressions gradually brightened.
"Hah, I’ve never seen such a fascinating piece of steel ore in my life."
"I want to melt this down right away."
I already knew that jewelry or ordinary ore wouldn't impress the dwarves.
Since I had never seen Brimdal drink, I figured they wouldn't care much for the Empire's ale either, so the advantage I pushed was its uniqueness.
Recalling the memory of gifting pearls from the Deep Sea to Elicia, I had mined everything that looked like ore from the mountain-like structures that occasionally floated in the Deep Sea—fortunately, its properties seemed a bit different from what was mined from the ground.
Well, it wasn't a normal Deep Sea, after all. The minerals that came out wouldn't be normal either.
The dwarves' enemy and a mineral they had never seen before.
The two gifts seemed to have worked quite well. Before long, a dwarf approached with a wide smile on his face, arms spread wide.
"Human kid, we gratefully accept your Imperial Princess’s gift! You are welcome here!"
"I am glad to see you like it."
First impression of the dwarves: mission accomplished.
"...Damn it."
It seemed Brimdal was the only one who wasn't satisfied.
***
"Hahaha, this is really great!"
"Indeed, to think we could finally lock up that monster!"
"Come, friend, have a drink!"
It seemed that of the steel and Brimdal, the one that had been better received was Brimdal.
Brimdal, locked in a cage that looked absurdly sturdy even at a glance, was being mocked with a sullen expression, while I sat in the seat of honor, being treated to all sorts of beer and bread.
"I thought humans had no interest in us, but I suppose you're coveting our weapons now!"
"Haha! Haven't there been rumors lately about war and such? That must be why!"
"Isn't that a story from a hundred years ago?"
The dwarves were much more easygoing than I had expected.
They were less like cranky master craftsmen and more like naive village elders. I became even more curious about what on earth Brimdal had done to anger such people, but right now, something else was more important.
"Um, by the way..."
Once the alcohol had kicked in to some extent, I scanned my surroundings with my Sense and asked.
"If you don't mind me asking, who is the King of the dwarves? His Majesty insisted that I meet with him and pay my respects before returning."
"The King?"
"Ah, the King? Why not just make Kronax do it?"
"Right, I'm the King! Pour me a drink, hahahaha!"
The dwarves teased each other half-jokingly before shaking their heads at my flustered self.
"We don't have anything like that."
"We pay our respects to the supreme artisan who creates the most excellent arms, but even that person cannot command us."
"We just gather to make weapons, evaluate them, and fight—that’s all! Why would we need a king?"
"Ah, I see..."
To think their system was even less organized than a tribe.
My plan had gone slightly awry. If there were a ruler, I could just persuade that one person, but if there wasn't, it meant I would have to persuade every single one of these dwarves.
'What method should I use?'
After pondering for a moment, I shifted my Sense to scour the city and spotted a massive mine located in the center.
Countless rails and carts were laid out, and the area was filled with pickaxes and stones. It felt so vivid, as if it had been in use just a moment ago.
"Shall we get back to work now?"
"Right, tell Her Highness that we were very satisfied with the gift. Oh, if you want, shall we make you a weapon, too?"
It took only a moment to come up with a plan.
"...Would that be possible?"
"Hm?"
"If you'll pardon my forwardness, Her Highness might suspect that I didn't actually meet you dwarves and just stole some minerals instead."
"Hmph, is that so?"
"Yes. So..."
I put on the kindest smile I could muster and bowed my head in front of all the dwarves to make my request.
"If you could forge just one small shortsword that only dwarves can create, I would present it to Her Highness. Would that be alright?"
"Hahaha! Would it be alright, you ask?"
The dwarves laughed heartily, nodded their heads, and—
"Right, it wouldn't be right to take such fine steel and then just wash our hands of it. Fine. We'll forge you the best sword we can make! We'll make it so he can't possibly doubt that you met the dwarves!"
—they took the bait.
The End
ⓒ Rotten Gimbap#1i525
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