Chapter 125

#125 Little Lion and the Land of Dwarfs (2)

Adelheid was flustered.

When the King of the Dwarven Kingdom suddenly drew his sword and challenged her to a duel, how could she not be flustered?

I mean, seriously, where does a high-ranking person ask a prisoner for a duel…?

‘…Hmm, maybe there are more than I thought?’

Images flashed in Adel’s mind of the Lord of TikTok, who was enjoying the witch’s soup; the Guild Branch Chief, who seemed addicted to adventure; and the princess obsessed with preserving the portrait of the Lenart Mask.

It seemed that there were quite a few crazies among the high-ranking folks, so wasn’t a duel challenge actually kind of common?

The other dwarfs around her helped clear Adel’s confusion.

“Y-Your Majesty! Please, consider your dignity as a ruler!”

“That’s right, Your Majesty! If anything happens to you, how shall we deal with the aftermath?”

“Though you’re restrained now, giants are naturally very violent! If they’re released carelessly, capturing them again would take considerable effort!”

‘Ah, so I’m not the weird one,’ Adel reassured herself at that moment, but the King responded coolly.

“It’s fine. I won’t die.”

The expressions of the ministers soured in an instant.

It was as if they were collectively protesting that this was not the point.

Sensing the atmosphere, the King shrugged and sheathed his sword.

“Just kidding, just kidding. Well, not really a joke, but since if I don’t say it’s a joke, my friends here might just faint from stress, for now, it’s a joke. But then, what should we do about this giant lady?”

At the King’s question, neatly dressed nobles stepped forward to speak.

“Let the law take its course. She should either be sentenced to a year of hard labor or transformed into a giant disease and sent to the borders.”

“Indeed, what the lord says is correct. Following that, we need to ensure strict punishment for the damage in the garden.”

“Furthermore, since that giant did not comply with the search and initiated combat, she should also be punished according to the law.”

“Hmm.”

The King looked thoughtful, and Adel realized the atmosphere was taking a turn for the worse.

It seemed the nobles were under the impression that Adel was completely powerless.

At that moment, the Branch Chief, who had brought Adel, raised his hand.

“Your Majesty! I, Redrezal, request the right to speak!”

“Hmm, speak.”

“This giant girl did not invade our land with malicious intent, and she claimed she doesn’t even know how she came here! Also, the initial fight was simply a misunderstanding, and at no point did she actively show intent to attack us. I ask for leniency!”

The murmurs among the dwarfs grew louder after Redrezal’s statement.

However, most reactions were negative.

“Your Majesty, General Redrezal’s assertion is highly questionable and overly emotional.”

“Yes, indeed. How can one claim ignorance of the situation after stepping foot on our island?”

The King, who had been listening silently, turned his gaze to Adel.

He spoke.

“O giant. Even if it was not your intention, you have broken the laws of this kingdom, and as King, I must issue you a lawful punishment. However, if I believe the general’s words, it also seems wrong to impose overly harsh punishment. Therefore, I will ask you.”

The King paused for a moment, as if gauging the scene, before continuing.

“Our kingdom is currently in a prolonged conflict with the neighboring country, Blepurskew. Their growing fleets and armies, along with their giants, are a great source of trouble for us. Reports say you possess remarkable agility; will you not help our country using that ability? If you can plunder the Blepurskew fleet or locate where their main forces are, I shall offer you a great reward.”

In response to the King’s question, Adel replied clearly.

“I’m sorry, Your Majesty. I cannot accept that.”

“…Hmm, not even a hint of hesitation. What’s your reason?”

“I cannot interfere in a war that I know nothing about, being an outsider.”

Once again, the murmurs grew louder.

Most regarded it as rude, but the King seemed oddly intrigued.

“What I am asking is hardly difficult if you possess such abilities. The risk is minimal, and the result is certain. In the first place, if the enemy suffers or not has nothing to do with you. Considering that, why still refuse?”

“I’m still inexperienced, so I don’t really know what’s right or wrong. But if I do what you just mentioned, I’m sure I would feel bad about it later. So, I cannot accept it.”

With a slightly stiffer and more formal tone, but with unwavering eyes, Adelheid replied.

“I am good at physical tasks, though. Whether it’s chopping down trees or moving rocks, just let me know as long as it doesn’t harm others.”

“You cannot compare a specialty to simple manual labor. Just doing an average job won’t satisfy me.”

“I’ll do my best!”

Clenching her fists earnestly, Adel declared confidently, and the King laughed heartily.

***

The first mission.

Chop down trees in the western forest of the capital city.

Adel positioned the blade of her sword at ground level at an angle.

The trees were small, reaching only from Adel’s shins to her knees at most, so this was a technique to prevent the base from becoming too thick.

With that stance, as she powered her sword forward, the trees fell as easily as hair in front of a razor.

The scene of the forest, wider than the entire kingdom’s capital, being cleared in just five minutes left the dwarf supervisors slack-jawed.

The second mission.

Connect the two rivers flowing northwest and northeast in the capital city.

Adel first drew a line connecting the two rivers on the ground, a few inches away from each bank.

She plunged her sword into the end point of the line. However, the blade was vertical rather than horizontal to the line.

Judging the blade had penetrated sufficiently, she pulled it along the pre-drawn line.

Originally, the sword shouldn’t have moved like that, but her great strength allowed her to manipulate the solid ground like mud.

The furrow left in the sword’s passage formed a ditch, and after repeating similar actions, the ditch widened in depth and size.

Adel aimed to break the one-inch wall blocking the ditch and river but was met with desperate shouts from the supervisors trying to stop her.

They insisted that some finishing work on the ground or edges needed to be done before releasing the water.

Thinking it would be enough to just dig through the land to connect the waterways, Adel flushed with embarrassment as she faced the sudden panic of some dwarfs.

The third mission.

Clearing a mountain.

When the news broke that a task that ordinary dwarfs would have taken years, even with the aid of a giant, took just an hour, the King, partly in jest, commanded Adel, “Clear out that mountain; it’s obstructing the view.”

And that’s when the King learned.

You shouldn’t joke about such things.

*Crash! Crumble! Smash!*

With every swing of Adel’s sword, the mountain, standing as tall as she was, screamed.

Adel’s double-handed sword, which had been used more as a tool than a weapon for most of the day, creaked in agony but didn’t easily break, being a high-grade item she had paid for.

The mountain steadily crumbled to pieces after an hour of efforts, and Adel, drenched in sweat, reported her task completion.

Seeing this, the King of the Dwarven Kingdom quietly said to his ministers.

“Hmm, thanks for stopping me earlier. You saved my life.”

“…I apologize, Your Majesty.”

“General Redrezal, your advice proved invaluable.”

“I merely did my duty, Your Majesty.”

“Ah, so. Now, shall I proceed to grant the ship and route requested by the giant lady? Is anyone against it?”

They fell silent.

The King nodded, muttering, “Well, if everyone wants to live, it’d better be this way.”

The ministers remained silent.

Indeed, it was as he said.

***

As she watched the busy dwarfs crafting the ship she would board as promised, Adel thought.

‘Truly, not everything needs to be handled violently; sometimes calmly discussing things works too!’

However, she had not considered how her handling of matters might appear from the dwarfs’ perspective.

Ignorance can sometimes be the best intimidation.

“Hey! Hold on tight there!”

“Bring more wooden pegs!”

The shipbuilding was going smoothly.

Though Adel had worried whether the dwarfs could actually make a ship large enough for her, after witnessing them skillfully working together to shape the massive vessel, she realized her fears were unfounded.

Before long, Redrezal, who had assumed a role akin to her personal guide, answered Adel’s queries.

“Our kingdom’s mathematics, surveying, and engineering are very advanced. It is not the first time we are creating items for giants. You must have seen the cart you came here in.”

“You have developed crafting technologies because giants roam around like me?”

“Giants show up naturally about once every ten years. However, as mentioned earlier, our kingdom has close ties with Elphaba. Whenever we gather materials she desires, like the giant jewels, fine gold, or special plants, she provides us with various rewards. How we learned to utilize magical powers was through such gifts, and among those gifts are giants like you, who are very useful in labor.”

‘To be fair, I’ve never seen a giant who works as well as you,’ he added.

Adel felt puzzled and asked again.

“But I haven’t seen any others here.”

“That’s because of food. Giants consume so much that if we keep them gathered in one place, the storages would be emptied quickly. The number of giants allowed to settle in the kingdom is less than three, and those are scattered, so it makes sense that you haven’t seen any.”

The General’s face, while saying this, appeared oddly stiff.

It seemed he didn’t wish to linger on this topic.

Realizing this, Adel decided not to pry further.

Trying to force out information that someone else wanted to keep hidden was not her character, and besides, there were many important tasks to attend to now.

It was more important to quickly reunite with her companions and conclude the battle than to satisfy her curiosity.

-Heave! Heave!

Whether it was due to the bulk of workers or their great skills, the ship’s construction progressed rapidly.

As Adel thought she would only need to wait a little longer while recuperating her spent strength and mana from earlier labor, something strange caught her eye.

At first glance, it seemed like a bizarre object.

It had arms, legs, a torso, and a head, but instead of clothing, it was draped in countless metal plates and restraining devices.

It resembled a suit of armor, violently transformed from a cage or something similar.

And that grotesque object was charging toward Adel with a terrifying momentum for some reason.

The General yelled in surprise.

“Giant disease! Those Blepurskew bastards are invading now of all times!”

With thudding impacts shaking the ground, the workers crafting the ship were thrown into panic, their faces filled with fear.

For a moment, Adel blinked, but she quickly grasped her sword and stood up.

Though it was alarming, she wasn’t confused.

Her master, the Tin Knight, said.

“It’s when you think it’s all over that you’re most likely to be taken by surprise.”

Determined to counter the blades aiming for her back, she charged forward.