Chapter 119

“Father!”

At Thorvar’s sudden marriage proposal, Perka exclaimed angrily.

Of course, Thorca had no thoughts of marriage at all. As the daughter of a Meister, Thorca aimed to become a great blacksmith like Thorvar.

But marriage? With a Death God who’s a slave?

That was absurd.

“No, I refuse.”

And Carami felt the same way.

“Think carefully. If you become my son-in-law, you’ll also be a member of the Dwarves. Though you’re not a Dwarf, you will at least get the minimum legitimacy to approach Magmara.”

This morally bankrupt human?

‘Does he think I don’t understand his ulterior motives?’

Moreover, suggesting that the master marry a slave.

That contradicted Carami’s views on slavery.

“I’ll graciously decline, as this isn’t a tempting offer. I have rather high standards, you know.”

“Tsk. I thought it was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.”

“Haha. Miss Perka, I have clearly refused.”

“……”

What was this?

This indescribably unpleasant feeling. Both she and Carami disliked it, so their interests aligned, yet Perka felt inexplicably irritated, as if she had been rejected by a passing citizen.

These two men.

She didn’t like them.

“If you refuse, there will be no further negotiations. Take my daughter and get lost.”

Thorvar crossed his arms and closed his eyes, as if indicating he didn’t care. In the end, wasn’t it up to Carami to take responsibility for Perka?

“Hmm….”

Carami muttered softly.

Even if he was a slave trader, he was desperate to somehow send his daughter away to a man.

Thorvar knew that if it wasn’t now, Perka would live alone for the rest of her life and become a virgin ghost.

This was the sentiment of a father with a daughter who couldn’t be realized merely through a game.

Knock knock.

At that moment, another knock sounded.

When Thorvar opened the door, a Dwarf stood there. It was Thorvar’s aide, Guldan.

“Guldan?”

“I have come to escort you, sir.”

“Ah, today was the day of the meeting. I completely forgot about it.”

Today was the meeting addressing the main issues of Doomheim. As one of the Meisters, Thorvar had to attend. He had completely forgotten due to Perka’s visit.

“So, did you find out? What do they think about laying down the railway? Are they positive about it?”

“It seems it won’t be easy; the opinions are quite firm.”

“They’ve been out of the field for a long time, so their thoughts are likely rigid. …You may go first. I will take care of this and come right away.”

“Understood.”

Guldan bowed respectfully and left.

“Alright, everyone must have heard. I have to go, so you all should head out quickly.”

Thorvar, with the door wide open, gestured toward the outside.

‘The meeting… was it called the Iron-blood Meeting?’

The Iron-blood Meeting.

It referred to the highest council of Doomheim, where all the Meisters gathered in one place.

Since convincing Thorvar had failed, he had to throw out a line there. If he could win the favor of the other Meisters, it might be possible to kindle a flame.

“I too would like to attend the meeting, sir. As far as I know, it is open to the public, not just Meisters.”

“Only Dwarves are allowed. You, being a Human, do not meet the qualifications.”

“If I pitch myself as the savior of your daughter, couldn’t I attend as an external guest?”

“Why should I allow that?”

Here’s the crux of it.

Carami put on a sly smile characteristic of a merchant.

“From what I gathered just now, it seems there are some unresolved issues you are facing, and I believe I could offer you valuable assistance.”

“How could you?”

Carami waved his hands with a flippant gesture, reminiscent of a bird pecking.

“I’m a merchant. I make my living by sweet-talking people. I’m confident that I can provide meaningful help to you.”

“……”

“Moreover, doesn’t it feel uncomfortable to send Miss Perka off like this? An emotional decision made in the moment can lead to irreversible results. How about we take a moment and have another discussion?”

Carami’s plausible words flowed into Thorvar’s ears.

Thorvar exchanged glances with Carami. After a long pause, he finally stepped out of the room.

“It would be wise not to flap your gums. Unless you want to become minced meat.”

“Hmm, it’s close to impossible, but I’ll try to pretend to put in the effort.”

***

The Hall of Fire.

Decorated with the statues of ancient Dwarven warriors and massive hammers, it served as the meeting hall located on the upper floor of Magmara’s heart.

Molten metal ran across the floor, and flames blazed in the center of the hall.

Seated at the round table were seven Meisters, with Dwarven citizens occupying the circular seats surrounding them.

Doomheim was governed predominantly by the seven Meisters, but the Iron-blood Meeting allowed citizen attendance for important matters.

In a hall teeming with Dwarves, one man stood out. The presence of the Human Carami was stark against the backdrop.

One of the seven Meisters sitting at the round table, the battlefield’s ruler, Ulbram, stared at Carami intently.

“Who are you?”

“He’s my guest. I invited him to see because he brought back my missing daughter.”

“Thorvar, finally seeing your grandson, I presume?”

“Not quite. Let’s just get on with the meeting.”

The agenda for the meeting was diverse.

Issues about mineral trade with foreign countries.

Deciding which forge to assign a large order for military weapons.

Deploying troops to eliminate monsters in the mines, and so forth.

The Dwarves, with their boisterous personalities, made the meeting quite noisy, but they were open-hearted and wore their true feelings openly.

The meeting proceeded smoothly, almost contrary to its noisy nature. The absence of deception meant there was no need to estimate the other’s intentions.

As a result, the meeting quickly approached its finale. The facilitator, the Iron Law Urgdar, presented the final agenda.

“Now for the last agenda. The proposal to lay down a railway in the mines was suggested by the Coordinator of the Ember, Lord Thorvar Drak.”

Thorvar rose from his seat.

All Dwarven eyes turned to him.

“The reason for proposing the railway is simple. It allows for quicker and easier movement to the destination, bringing back more minerals.”

It was a perfectly logical statement.

Laying down a railway would significantly improve labor quality.

Investing once would yield steady returns. There was no reason for opposing opinions on such a matter, at least from Carami’s perspective as a Human and merchant.

But from a Dwarven mindset, it was different.

One of the seven Meisters.

Rocksar, the Shield of the Earth, instantly rebuffed him.

“Don’t spout nonsense, Thorvar. Seeking excessive convenience will lead to laziness.”

“It’s not laziness. If you conserve your strength in transit, you’ll be able to accomplish more work.”

“Only the weak would say that. A true Dwarf should be able to perform tasks beyond their own capacity without such aid.”

“If we install a railway, tasks beyond capacity will be possible.”

The opinions of the two Meisters clashed sharply.

Urgdar sided with Rocksar, advancing his position as well.

“I share the same opinion as Lord Rocksar. While I understand Lord Thorvar’s viewpoint about increasing work efficiency, a Dwarf should feel the earth beneath their feet while walking. Only then can young Dwarves learn how to find ore veins.”

“In that case, simply using it for carrying loads…”

Bang!

At that moment, the warrior Hargan, who had been guzzling alcohol throughout the meeting, slammed the alcohol barrel down on the table.

His face, red and flushed, indicated he was already quite drunk.

“Hey, Thorvar. Wandering underground and transporting harvested minerals is a process akin to a ritual for Dwarves. And you want to set up a railway? Are you trying to ruin the traditions passed down since our ancestors?”

“Don’t stretch your fallacies, Hargan. I’m simply trying to minimize accidents during underground trips. As you know, fatigue increases the occurrence of accidents when returning from work.”

“That too is part of the ritual process, a trial that Dwarves must overcome. What’s everyone else thinking?”

Hargan shouted.

The seated Dwarves attending the meeting rallied behind Hargan.

“Hargan is right! A Dwarf and a railway? What nonsense!”

“In my day, when we went to work, we never returned the same way. We made a full circle before going back home! But these young folks… tsk.”

A majority of Dwarves vehemently supported Hargan. The tide of the meeting naturally leaned towards the rejection of the proposal.

Knock knock.

“Silence, please.”

Urgdar slammed his hammer on the desk.

“Looking at the atmosphere of the hall, it seems the majority are negative about this. Therefore, Lord Thorvar’s proposal to lay down the railway will be dismissed by majority vote—”

“Excuse me~”

Compared to the husky voices of the sturdy Dwarves, a surprisingly light and youthful voice stood out.

As Carami smiled and raised his hand, all Dwarven gazes turned toward him. In particular, Thorvar sighed deeply and pressed his hand to his forehead.

“What is it?”

“I couldn’t help but speak since I couldn’t stand the itch in my mouth after listening. It seems everyone is a bit shortsighted.”

At this moment of heavy focus.

Carami seized the opportunity that had come his way.

“An Elf would laugh at this. ‘Indeed, the Dwarves can only see the trees and fail to grasp the forest.’”