[Two years and three dragon months ago]

[Seryanna’s point of view]

 There were no other ships in this port except for ours. The piers were flooded with curious onlookers and the Princess was currently talking with one of the dwarf representatives. Wary of the rule mentioned centuries ago, none of us stepped on the wooden platform so as to not upset them.

While the negotiations for our permission to come ashore were being discussed, I waited by the rail and watched the far-off lands of the Dwarf Continent. The snow made it hard for me to see too far inland, but from what I could tell, the nearby area was a plain mostly used for animal husbandry and probably the cultivation of special vegetables that could grow in these harsh conditions.

The outside wall of this city was guarded by two towers and a sturdy metal gate. There were no aerial defenses, so us dragons would only have to worry about archers and long-range mages. Thus, I concluded that its defenses were at best a simple means of delaying an enemy force or for the most part used against outside monsters.

The dwarfs of this city, rather than showing the confidence of turning us back, they looked unsure of whether or not they could stop us here if we wanted to disembark by force. Their children, however, showed a great deal of curiosity. They made big eyes at the ship and pointed towards us while asking their parents questions they probably had a hard time answering.

What I found interesting about them was how different they talked and acted when compared to George, the dwarf near Toros. He was energetic, happy, always showing his guests a smile and wearing clothes similar to us dragons. These dwarfs here, however, were quite gloomy and frightened of us. Among them, there were even gazes of hate, from those whom the Princess called xenophobes.

While I was looking over this city and the people living here, Kataryna was up on the mast, taking a nap, and my three knights were standing next to Princess Elleyzabelle, trying to look imposing and overwhelming in front of the dwarf representative’s own guards. Tanarotte was gagged and bound with chains inside the ship. Actually, forget that last part, she was currently moving up on the mast like a lizard trying to reach Kataryna.

Ah... she spotted her. I thought when I saw the dragoness cast an ice ball at Tanarotte’s face.

“BUGAH!” with a strange sound she fell on the deck.

One of the sailors who was scrubbing the decks pushed her away with his broom.

Why does she keep going after Kataryna like that? I wondered as after all this time, I still couldn’t understand what went through the mind of that dragoness when she pulled predictable stunts like this.

Half an hour later, I saw the representative of the dwarfs making a bow to Princess Elleyzabelle and then getting off the ship.

I walked up to her Highness and asked “What was his impression of us?”

“It seems there are a lot of things we don’t know about the Dwarf Continent, which is also known as Trindania.” she replied and then let out a sigh.

“Were the logs incorrect?” I asked.

“No, they were correct, it’s just that they weren’t updated. Two months ago, the rebels succeeded with the help of Human Heroes to overthrow the former King and now a new Emperor was placed on the throne. That dwarf is the previous Rebellion Leader, Nomv’Azer, now Mush’Nomv’Azer.”

I furrowed my brow as I didn’t understand their naming sense.

Catching onto my confusion, the Princess said “Mush is the unique tribe name given to the Royal Family, Nomv is his given name, and Azer is his family name.”

Are the dwarfs on the continent named differently from those outside? I wondered.

“You don’t seem to be surprised of hearing that there are Human Heroes on this continent?” Princess Elleyzabelle asked raising an eyebrow.

“There’s no need to be, your Highness. Alkelios told me that 10 million of his kind were sent to our world. That’s more than enough to fill an entire nation. Having a bunch scattered on the Dwarf Continent seems highly likely considering their resemblance. I found it a bit odd that there weren’t that many Human Heroes in that part of the Relliar Continent, but I have the feeling that we simply haven’t heard of them yet.”

“True, not all of them have powerful abilities like Alkelios does. Some of them might be more suited for simple jobs rather than the harsh conditions of the battlefield. Besides, your husband is a bit of a cheat if you ask me. He can do a lot of things.” Princess Elleyzabelle showed me a soft smile.

“Except withstand my charm!” I declared proudly.

“True.” she giggled.

The following day, we were greeted early in the morning by the representative of the dwarfs in Port Nefer.

“Your Highness, Princess Elleyzabelle, I came bringing good news!” he said with a bright smile.

The dwarf, who went by the name of Kita’Milla’Nei, wasn’t a fat dwarf as one would expect from someone with the rank akin to a noble. He was actually slim and well-built with rough calluses on his hands, showing that he was a dwarf who didn’t fear hard work. He was wearing a necklace with a small canine tooth attached to it, and a robe made out of furs from several different monsters or animals. His head was covered by a big fur hat and on his wrists, he wore several wood and metal rings. The guards who were following him, on the other hand, wore plate armors and wielded big spears.

“Is this about our discussion the other day?” Princess Elleyzabelle asked.

“Yes, indeed!” he nodded. “I managed to calm down the unease of the dwarfs who were against you setting a foot on the docks. They saw you and your company as enemies who came here to take their land. Foolish simple dwarfs in their beliefs, but they are seen with great respect by their fellows, especially the unnamed ones.”

“I take it that it had something to do with the new laws given out by the new Emperor?” she asked in a calm tone of voice.

“Indeed. Although it hasn’t been that long since his Majesty took the throne, he already began to put into motion the many changes he had promised his fellow dwarfs during his rebellion. Among them was the promise to open our borders to curious new visitors. But, as you may have guessed, not everyone is at ease with these new changes. It’s only been two months; some dwarfs are bound to feel a bit confused by all of this.” he let out a sigh and shook his head.

“These are indeed good news. We can proceed with requesting an audience from his Majesty. Will you be kind enough to help us send it to him?”

“I will do even better, your Highness! I will take you to him or my name isn’t Kita’Milla’Nei!” he laughed.

“That’s quite unexpected and wonderful.” she nodded.

“Whenever you are ready, your Highness, my carriage awaits. I brought one for your servants and another for any luggage you may possess.” he made a small bow.

“A luggage carriage will be unnecessary thanks to our [Purse] rings. My two trusted Knights will travel together with me in the same carriage, and the other one can be used for my four other guards.”

“[Purse] rings? Ah, of course! Then I shall go and tell the coachman that we won’t be needing his services for now.” the dwarf nodded.

We followed Kita’Milla’Nei to the carriage and boarded it together with her Highness. Meanwhile the other carriage was going to be used by Tanarotte, Amarondi Shellar, Quran Van, and Attrakus. The dwarf was quite surprised that we did not take any butlers or maids with us, especially given the presence of someone with royal blood among us, but Princess Elleyzabelle simply brushed it off by saying she didn’t feel the need for them.

Our first destination from Port Nefer was going to be a small village to the West, where only unnamed villagers lived. Then, we would continue to pass through many other small villages until we reached Osza Town. There, we would spend the night and prepare to travel to Tesva City. From Tesva City until Exaver, the Capital City, were only two days of travel by carriage.

The weather wasn’t really on our side, but the beasts used to pull our carriages were more than used to it. Unlike the Khosinni of the dragons or the horses of the humans, the dwarfs used big goat monsters they called Hanba.

“I hope you will enjoy your trip with me! Ohoho!” Kita’Milla’Nei let out a loud laugh as our carriage passed through Port Nefer’s gates.

“So do we.” the Princess replied with a smile.

For the most part there was silence within the carriage, only the strong cold winds beating on the windows could be heard. We were not feeling cold despite the clothes we wore, and we had more than enough patience as members of the high society in Albeyater.

After we passed the first village, we stopped to have something to eat. The dwarf’s escorts also included two butlers and two maids who were indistinguishable from the other guards. The idea was that a good servant should be able to do more than just bring tea and cookies from the kitchen.

Inspired by this idea, I decided to have a small training session with the Knights. They looked so happy when I told them about it, Amarondi even burst into tears. Thinking that they must want to stretch their bodies a bit more, I ordered them to run after our carriage rather than travel in the one prepared for them. Tanarotte was ordered to join them as well. It was so good to see their happy smiles when I proposed this sort of training regime.

While traveling in the carriage with Kita’Milla’Nei, I noticed that he himself was not wearing a [Purse] ring. Out of curiosity, I asked him if they lacked enchanters who were able to make them.

“No, Madame Seryanna, it’s not that we don’t have the skill, but rather that this sort of enchantment was banned to the masses by the ruler from several generations ago. He thought that such a luxury was too much for those of common blood.” he explained.

“Too much?” I asked furrowing my brow.

“Yes. When I was young, I was thought by my teacher, a wretched woman who got eaten by a shark and then caused the poor thing indigestion, that those belonging to the Big Twenty-Five Tribes were different from those with one name, or as we call them unnamed ones, from the blood in their veins to the hairs on their scalp.” he explained.

“It’s the same belief that humans have. They think that nobles are of blue blood and commoners have dirt coursing through their veins.” explained Kataryna as she crossed her arms at her chest and leaned back.

“A foolish belief.” Princess Elleyzabelle remarked.

“Foolish or not, up until two months ago, it was the law under which we all lived.” Kita’Milla’Nei said as he showed us a wry smile.

“You mentioned before these Big Twenty-Five Tribes. Are they like the nobles in our lands?” I asked.

“Yes.” he nodded.

“Those are Umer, Ulma, Nele, Sara, Oher, Uvan, Namk, Shen, Yang, Ying, Musk, Kell, Koll, Besh, Knat, Vazu, Kita, Klen, Mazg, Mang, Nimv, Nime, Naiy, Nagc, and Pert. While Much, Klor, Andu, and Ulke are the biggest and most important tribes on the whole continent. Is that correct?” Princess Elleyzabelle asked.

“Yes, for the most part. The Ulma tribe was exterminated during the rebellion and replaced by the Kark tribe. The Kill tribe exterminated the Musk tribe, the Karr tribe hunted down every single member of the Besh tribe, who at that time were among the worst dwarfs possible. The Kess tribe forced the Vazu tribe to step down, and Mazg fought to the death as the former ruler’s bodyguards. Their place was taken by the Mada tribe.”

“How big is a tribe?” I asked.

“To be considered a tribe, you must own one house and employ under you at least ten unnamed ones. If the big tribe under which you are found accepts you as a tribe, then you are allowed to give yourself a tribe name. At the moment of your acceptance, you and all the ten other unnamed ones take up the tribe’s name. So the smallest possible can have up to eleven members with the patriarch included. The big tribes, however, have anywhere between 10000 and 100000 members with many small tribes underneath them that swore loyalty to them.”

“This means that during the rebellion...” the Princess said, and the dwarf continued.

“More than one million dwarfs lost their lives while fighting to take down or defend a foolish dwarf we once called our ruler.” he replied.

So many lives... I thought.

“Were the humans who instigated the rebellion?” the Princess asked.

“The rebellion was something on our mind for generations now, but the humans were the power we never had. Their skills and strength were crucial for us to gain our freedom from the old tyrant. Unfortunately, there were a lot of humans on his side as well.”

“Why would they fight for him? Wasn’t he someone who detested them?” I asked.

“Gold is the universal language for most humans. A few of them were enslaved, and several of them were promised great power after the rebellion ended. Sigh... It was a close battle for us.” he shook his head.

It appeared as though wherever these Human Heroes landed, those countries would end up going through a great deal of change. Albeyater was no different. Alkelios and even that monster, Kronius, were instrumental to the shift of political power and overall rise of awareness in Albeyater. Even our Queen was on the recovery path. Yet, when thinking about the losses the dwarfs suffered, I couldn’t help but wonder if maybe we were in fact extremely lucky on this part.

If Draejan’s army was 500000 strong, then the amount of dragon blood spilled would have been dreadful... I thought.

As our journey took us across the area the dwarfs called the Rigid Plains, we ended up passing through many villagers. They were far more than I had expected, while Osza Town was far bigger than Andromeda City in Albeyater. The dwarfs were many in number and spread out throughout the entire plains.

The inn we stayed at in Osza Town was big and welcoming, but we could not avoid the gazes of the many curious dwarfs. After all, centuries had passed since a dragon stepped foot so deep within their lands. On the other hand, I happened to notice one or two humans here and there. Kita’Milla’Nei told me that they were all Human Heroes, but their skills and abilities were far too weak to be considered a military asset. For the most part, they partook in various jobs related to crafting or other random things.

Another thing I noticed were the marks of war left from the time when the rebellion and the former ruler’s armies had clashed together. When I asked what that dwarf’s name was, Kita’Milla’Nei told me that both his name and his entire tribe had been erased from history and turned into a taboo word.

In other words, the dwarfs were determined to bury their tragic history of living under the oppressive rule of that dwarf’s entire family.

Then, while staying in Osza, I noticed something strange, which quite honestly had been bothering me for a while now. At first, I thought it might have been because of Kita’Milla’Nei’s upbringing, but now I was certain that wasn’t the case.

Thus, after we departed from Osza, right as we passed through a small village, I looked up at him and said “Kita’Milla’Nei, I have a question for you.”

“Yes, Madame?” he showed me a smile.

“Why can I speak with you, and you can understand me?”

It was a fairly odd question, but I was quite certain I was talking in Eastern Draconian and not Trindania’s official language. Not only that, but wherever we stopped or talked with, I only heard Easter Draconian.

“Oh that? It’s the blessing of our beloved goddess Amber. It is told that a long time ago, she cast a spell on our continent to help us puny dwarfs understand each other better. Of course, this applied to foreigners as well, and history books mention of a time when our continent was used as a neutral ground for many treaties between enemy countries.” he replied with a joyful smile.

“Amber?” I blinked surprised.

“Yes. Our gods and goddesses take on the form of metals and jewels in their purest form.” he nodded.

“But Amber isn’t a stone per say. It’s the byproduct of a tree, isn’t it?” Kataryna asked raising an eyebrow.

“Yes, but in its hardened form it’s indistinguishable from a stone! That’s why Goddess Amber is also our deity who rules over nature, animals, and plants. It was through this connection of hers that she was able to cast this spell on our continent.” he nodded.

“Can such a thing be possible?” I asked as I looked back at Kataryna, who was the oldest among us.

“If we’re talking about a deity, maybe... but otherwise, it would have taken some serious effort and knowledge to cast a spell or an enchant that would last for such a long time.” she replied as she looked at the smiling dwarf.

“I assure you that it’s no product of mortal hands, it’s the work of the gods!” he said.

For me, it was rather strange to think of a rock as a deity, but these dwarfs were strange fellows. They were organized in tribes, yet they had an Emperor as a ruler. They carried around the marks of their prey in the form of teeth necklaces and fur coats. Our carriage was not pulled by Khosinni but by strange goat monsters who were slower than them. Even their houses and settlements had weird wooden sculptures they called totems. But above all, they were a species known for their abilities to work with metals and craft the best swords on all known continents.

Every time we made a stop, Kataryna and Tanarotte moved away from our group and went to interact with the dwarfs in the nearby area. They asked them simple questions from which we could better understand the state of affairs within the Trindania Empire.

One of the many things they learned was how the dwarfs came to be united under one ruler. It was a story from their history and drenched in the blood of generations.

Several centuries ago, a lone dwarf was blessed by the gods they worshiped, the spirits of metals and jewels. He was mightier and wiser than all those around him, but he had the uncanny ability to pull everyone to him be them friend or foe. As time passed, he grew tired of the warring nations around him and set forth to unite them all. Many refused his offer to join under his flag, others tried to take what he had amassed, but in the end all those who opposed him were met with his blade, while others were slowly persuaded to join his side. When the tribes scattered across the entire Dwarf Continent swore allegiance to him, the new formed country took his name, and he became the first King of the dwarfs under the name of Mush’Trindania.

The dwarfs they asked didn’t know what exactly made the first King so powerful, but many believed that he was given some sort of special skill, while others believed that he carried the very power of the spirits within his body. Whatever the case, since then, the dwarfs of Trindania focused solely on worshiping the spirits of metals and jewels. Their entire religion focused around them, but by no means did they forsake the other gods.

In this world, we all knew that the gods were real. They sometimes walked among us or spoke to us in our dreams or moments of power awakening. They blessed our marriage and granted us miracles with their divine power. Yet, these beings still allowed us mortals to choose whom we wished to pray to.

Unlike me, Alkelios had yet to swear allegiance to any god out there. Thus, it made me wonder at times what would happen if he decided to follow one. As a human, he was quite powerful and would have attracted their favors. All the gods would have wanted him under their care, but it mattered less what they wanted and more what he would come to choose.

Another thing they learned when they heard about the legend of the first King was that the reason why Trindania had now an Emperor instead of a King was because Mush’Nomv’Azer decreed so as a sign of change from the old ways. Thus, changing the Trindania Kingdom into the Trindania Empire.

Upon entering Tesva City, we encountered a dwarf wedding. It was quite interesting to see how different it was from my own. The groom and the bride were stripped down to only their undergarments made out of furs and bones. They then danced around a fire while looking into each other’s eyes. The music was tribal, where two dwarfs played big loud drums, and another was blowing a long pipe. I was stunned by the fact that they did not seemed to mind the cold, and it turned out this was part of their ritual. If they began to shiver at any point during their dance, it meant that their relationship would be met with all sorts of troubles. If the bride caught a cold, her firstborn would go through a difficult birth. If the groom caught a cold, he would become a weak husband unable to care for his wife.

There were a lot more of these silly superstitions that filled the entire ritual of their wedding ceremony. Instead of having a priest ask the groom and the bride if they wished to marry each other, the simple fact that they stepped forward to dance was proof of this. Stopping at any time for anything would mean that the marriage was ill-fated and should be stopped or put on hold for at least another year.

I had the pleasure of witnessing this event from the window of my inn’s room as the whole thing took place in the main street. Despite the cold snow and the biting wind, the couple continued to perform their ritual dance without a problem until the very end. The dwarfs cheered for their success and then they all ate together, sharing their food with all those who were nearby. The visitors at the inn also got a plate of cooked meat.

Apparently, it was a tradition to organize ceremonies in front of places where wary travelers came to rest.

After we left Tesva City, we headed straight for Exaver, passing by only a couple of villages along the way. We stopped once to let the goats rest and a second time to make camp for the night. By the time we reached the capital, the small snowstorm had come to pass, and we were greeted by a smiling sun.

“I’ll take this as a good omen.” said Princess Elleyzabelle as she looked up at the sky.

“Indeed.” I nodded.

“Once we pass through the front gates, we’ll most likely be led by a Royal Soldier all the way to the Mush Palace. If his Majesty, the Emperor wishes to accept your audience, you will be informed right there, if not, we’ll have to wait for a while and appeal again.” Kita’Milla’Nei said.

“Let us hope he doesn’t make us wait.” Kataryna said after she let out a big yawn.

“Either way, I’m surprised this road tired those four like this.” I said as I looked out the window at Tanarotte and the other three, who were sprawled on the ground gasping for air.

“I’m surprised their alive.” Princess Elleyzabelle remarked with a wry smile.

“You shouldn’t be surprised, your Highness! This little bit of effort should be normal for them!” I declared with a nod.

“A dead-tired Tanarotte means I can get some peace and quiet, so it’s all good for me.” Kataryna said as she smiled.

“Then I will count on your protection, Kataryna.” said Elleyzabelle with a smile.

“My pleasure.”

“Seryanna.”

“Yes, your Highness?” I replied.

“If your knights ever seem like they don’t wouldn’t want to obey to a more difficult order, just tell them that it’s alright if they don’t it, you’ll just help them with some extra training when you return.”

“I don’t understand how this could get them motivated, but if they are unwilling to listen to me, then I am the one who should learn more about what it means to be a leader.” I said as I tilted my head to the left.

“I seriously pity those three fools.” Kataryna said with a wry smile.

Although I didn’t understand why she said this, I couldn’t help but wonder about something.

Could it be possible that they don’t enjoy the training? Should I change it to something more diverse? We could always go the Seculiar Forest and hunt down some monsters there, or we could explore a dungeon. Maybe simple and easy training like this is too little for brave strong knights like them? Should I ask Alkelios to be their opponent in spar matches when he returns? I thought while looking back at the four as they moved towards their own carriage.

Just as Kita’Milla’Nei said, a Royal Soldier was here to welcome us to the capital. He was wearing a red and black scale armor with a big spear in his right hand. A red cloth tail was tied with a red string from the tip of the spear, letting it fly in the wind.

The arrival of a foreign royal in one’s country was usually something that was thought to be an urgent matter his Majesty had to be informed of right away. The fact that we were welcomed to his capital without having swords and spells aimed at our necks was a good sign.

Our carriage obediently followed the Royal Soldiers until we reached the gates of the Mush Palace. On our way, I was able to spot numerous humans who walked on the streets without any fear. The dwarfs appeared to have become used to them and they already integrated themselves quite nicely to the living conditions around these parts. What was surprising to see was the fact that they adopted the dwarf fashion rather than impose their own styles.

Unlike Osza Town and Tesva City, Exaver was far bigger and was filled with countless two-story and three-story buildings, which were made out of hard stone enchanted to survive the elements. The streets were paved, and there was even a form of a simple sewer system where all the dirt was washed away. Countless soldiers patrolled the streets, but the dwarfs living here did not seem to mind them.

Between the houses were stone and wooden totems that rose towards the sky at almost half the height of the building next to them. They were everywhere.

The only building that stood out among all of these houses were the Emperor’s Palace. It was built in the form of a pyramid with sides in the shape of stairs. From the distance, I could see several guards patrolling each step of the pyramid, while the towers that acted as primary defense for the palace were used by spotters, archers, and long-range magic casters.

Despite the dangerous and intimidating feel it tried to give off, we did not really feel like it was that impressive. Without any sort of anti-air defenses, this place was an easy target for us dragons, but for humans not so much.

Upon arriving at the Mush Palace, the Royal Soldier returned to his post and another dwarf wearing a similar armor presented himself in front of us. He had a thick beard and a golden belt instead of a red one like the previous soldier did.

“The name’s Klor’Mangu’Var. I’m one of his Majesty’s Royal Guards. I’m here to escort you to the audience room. You may leave your carriages here as a servant will take care of them, and fear not, none shall look into your belongings!” he nodded once and then waited for us to get out of the carriage.

The first one to step out was Kataryna. As if the cold weather listened to her every command, the gusts of winds stopped blowing and the snow stopped falling. Her imposing gaze made the small dwarf flinch.

“I sense no danger, your Majesty.” she told him.

Klor’Mangu’Var gulped and then looked past her at the door.

Princess Elleyzabelle stepped out and gazed upon the dwarf with her powerful authoritative gaze. With every movement she made, she revealed an elegance befitting someone of royal blood, while the pressure around her told those who felt it that she was a powerful dragoness.

The last ones to step out were me and Kita’Milla’Nei. Although I didn’t intend for my entrance to be as flashy as Kataryna’s, I did let out a strong enough pressure to let them know that I too was a powerful dragoness with whom they should not try to mess around.

While Kataryna stood on the Princess’ left side, I stood on her right side, and behind us were our knights. In front of us were the two dwarfs tasked with introducing us to his Majesty Mush’Nomv’Azer.

“Shall we?” Princess Elleyzabelle asked as she showed them a gentle smile.

“Of course. This way. I hope you will find it in your heart to excuse the workers present here. During our last battle, the Mush Palace was heavily damaged, near the brink of collapse actually.” the dwarf guard told us.

“Is that so? It is good that the current Emperor was successful in bringing justice to this land then.” she said.

“Indeed! The previous ruler was a monster who now was written off our history books and remained only as an anonymous evil ruler.” he replied, showing in the tone of his voice the disgust he had towards that dwarf.

“We will try to be mindful around the subject then.”

“Please do.” he nodded and then proceeded to guide us through the courtyard.

Now that we went past the Mush Palace’ gates, we could see countless workers chained up and working on moving debris out of the way or piecing back the crumbled parts of the wall. All of these were signs of a recent battle where individuals with high Power Numbers fought against each other, the rebels and the loyalists.

“Don’t mind the workers around these parts, they are all stinking rats who bowed their heads to the previous ruler. None of them had any problems raising their swords against the innocents...” said Klor’Mangu’Var.

“Are they the previous rulers’ loyal soldiers?” Princess Elleyzabelle asked.

“Not only soldiers, but servants, unnamed ones, former officials and even entire tribes who sided with him.” he told us.

The front entrance to the Mush Palace was still in the middle of reconstruction. Only the hinges remained of the former one, and they were struggling to fill a bunch of holes left in the ground of the courtyard by powerful explosions. Wherever I looked, there were dwarfs and humans who wore rags and worked tirelessly on the reconstructions. Vigilant guards were looking over them, making sure they didn’t slack off or flee from the site.

Be them guards or slaves, there was not one of them who could compare to me or Kataryna in terms of strength, but even so, I never lowered my guard.

When we were just about to reach the palace’s door, I felt a surge of killing intent aimed at me. I moved my hand to the hilt of my sword and then slashed at the enemy. The event took place in a split second, but the next thing I knew was that a body fell on the ground, cut in half at the waist.

“Kuh... How? I... I can’t die... like this...” the human said as he tried to reach up to me, but I stepped back.

He was one of the slaves. Desperation could be written in his eyes as he still tried to reach out to me, but a moment later his head was split in half by Klor’Mangu’Var’s sword.

“Bloody parasite! It’s a good thing he didn’t touch your armor, Madame.” he said as he placed a foot on the man’s shoulder and then pulled his sword out of his skull.

The dead body fell on the ground as the pool of blood grew bigger.

“What do you mean?” I asked as I sheathed my sword.

“This bastard had a skill that allowed him to steal the enchants of any armor he touched making them no different than a useless piece of metal. The absorbed power allowed him to increase in strength for a short period of time, but then it would return to the said armors. We lost some good dwarfs because of him. Ptew!” he spat on his body.

I looked at the human’s remains and thought If he had touched my armor, which has Alkelios’ enchants on it, he could have grown strong enough to escape this place.

Although such a predicament would have been unpleasant, I was certain that Kataryna could have handled him in my stead.

“What about the woman over there?” Princess Elleyzabelle asked.

“That one? She had the ability to charm all those who gazed into her eyes. She used her power to amass a great fortune and cause countless conflicts among the dwarfs. When she caught the attention of the former ruler, she was sent to charm various tribe leaders into siding with him. One day she crossed paths with the Emperor’s wife, and she cut her eyes with a dagger. Ever since then, she’s been serving as one of our captives.” he replied.

“Will she ever be released?” I asked.

“Her? Who knows? It all depends on the Emperor’s will now.” he shrugged and then turned around “Let us proceed, his Majesty’s waiting for us.”

We followed him inside the palace, where renovations and repairs were still taking place. They were repainting and rebuilding almost every part of the palace as though they wanted to simply erase any trace of the old ruler. The only paintings left on the walls were those of landscapes or abstract representations of the gods, everything else had been taken down.

“Two months have passed, and they are still working on the Palace?” Kataryna asked.

“The Palace, Madame, was among the last things the Emperor ordered to be rebuilt. All efforts were first focused on repairing the city’s outer walls, the destroyed houses, and the various public places needed by the dwarfs living here.”  Klor’Mangu’Var replied.

“Hm~ Is that so?”

“We’re here. Behind these doors is the audience room where you will find his Majesty, Emperor Mush’Nomv’Azer!” he declared as he moved to the side.

The hallway we were led through ended at two big doors decorated with gold and silver showcasing what I could only guess to be the ancient dwarf Trindania. Kataryna stepped forward and pushed the doors open.

“Now enter the guests of his Majesty, Emperor Mush’Nomv’Azer! Princess Elleyzabelle Sojourn Seyendraugher! Duchess Seryanna Draketerus! Royal Knight Kataryna Greorg! Knight Amarondi Shellar! Knight Quran Van! Knight Attrakus! And Knight Tanarotte Narnyesall!” the dwarf on our right shouted as loud as he could making all of us cringe.

“Was there any need to shout like that?” Kataryna said with a grumble as she rubbed her right ear.

Princess Elleyzabelle took a step forward and led our group in front of the one dwarf who stood on the throne.

This chamber had no windows through which light could pass through, but there were countless crystals which emitted a pale white light glued to the ceiling. A red carpet was spread at our feet all the way to the throne, ending just short of three meters from it. To the left and right side of it, six columns formed two rows, and among them I could see a lot of dwarfs of different builds and appearances, from skinny and weak to big and intimidating.

There were not that many dwarf women among them, and the one standing behind the throne appeared to be a half-dwarf if height was the judge. Among the Royal Guards here was also a blonde human woman with blue eyes, and all the way in the back, next to the back exit was a black-skinned human woman.

The reason I could see all the way over there was because the dwarfs here were quite small when compared to the average-height dragon. In our half-beast forms were comparable to giants. This palace was certainly built with the intent of welcoming tall foreigners as well because we had no problems fitting through the large frames of the doors. The majority of the houses we saw so far, just like the inns, forced us to bend down a little in order to fit inside.

Once Princess Elleyzabelle reached the end of the red carpet, she made a polite bow and all of us followed suit.

“It’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Emperor Mush’Nomv’Azer.”

“The pleasure is mine, guests from the faraway Dragon Continent! I hope your visit on this humble Dwarf Continent is one of good will?” the Emperor replied as he got off the throne.

He wore an armor of thick metal plates colored black and gold. The Magic Energy emitted by his enchants was impressive but far weaker than those on my own armor. Next to the throne, his battle axe rested, waiting to be wielded in his grip. The light in the room was reflected by the sharp edge, and the handle was covered with thick leather straps. The dwarf had a mighty grip judging from the thickness of his gauntlet and gave off an imposing presence fit for one in his position. The dark-brown beard and thick hair were marks of his youth, yet the gaze in his green eyes held the wisdom of a veteran warrior.

So, he is the Emperor of the Dwarfs? I thought, yet when I imagined Alkelios standing in front of him, opening his wings and letting out the pressure of his Authority, I could only see this little dwarf cowering in fear before him.