Grimgal of Ashes and Illusion - Volume 18 - Chapter 13

13. A Legend

There was a room next to the audience chamber, and that was where they held council. In attendance were the iron king, Minister of the Left Axbeld, Captain of the Royal Guard Rowen, Gottheld, Elder Harumerial Fearnotu of the elves, Eltalihi of the House of Mercurian, and Itsukushima. The delegation was represented by Deputy Neal, together with Haruhiro and Setora.

The conference room was iron from ceiling to floor, with a large oblong table that was also made of iron, and the chairs were iron too. Okay, the table made sense, but the chairs? Really? Or so you would think, but they were surprisingly not that uncomfortable. The seat and backrest were both made of thin interwoven iron bars, allowing them to fit to the body of whoever sat in the chair. It was a testament to dwarven technical prowess.

As one might guess from the fact Haruhiro felt the need to admire an iron chair to take his mind off things, the atmosphere in the conference room was oppressive. It was, perhaps, to be expected that the hethrang problem would weigh heavily on the dwarves of the Ironblood Kingdom. The iron king in particular seemed deeply pained by it.

“If the hethrangs are lending aid to our enemies, I have much to regret. However, repent as I might...” The queen trailed off into silence.

What could he say to her? Well, it would have probably been rude for Haruhiro to say anything, and she was too beautiful for him to muster up the courage to speak anyway. Ranta had wanted to attend this council. He should’ve left it to him. Still, Haruhiro was their leader, even if he wasn’t much of one. As leader, there were things he could do and things he couldn’t. In fact, even setting aside all this leader stuff, there was a whole lot of stuff that Haruhiro couldn’t do.

Haruhiro looked at Setora, who was sitting next to him. He was about to ask what she thought their next move should be, but she opened her mouth first.

“This is a waste of time,” she said, unconcerned with the way her comments made the room freeze over. Haruhiro broke out in a cold sweat.

“You wretch...!” Captain of the Royal Guard Rowen shouted as he slammed his hands down on the table, incandescent with rage.

“She’s right,” the iron king agreed. If not for her intercession, Rowen might have flown at Setora. “There are things we must do before I can wallow in regret.”

“I suppose the first thing we must do is confirm the facts,” Minister of the Left Axbeld said, stroking his red beard. “We know that the enemy is digging holes, but is that enough to say for certain that they mean to invade us through the gnoll tunnels? The gnolls have been relatively quiet recently, but we’ve also discovered multiple new gnoll holes. Also, they operate on the principle of ‘what’s mine is mine, and what’s yours is mine too.’ Would they let outsiders use their tunnels uncontested? And is it beyond doubt that the ones you saw with the enemy were really hethrangs?”

“We can’t say it’s beyond a doubt,” Itsukushima answered. “I’ve never seen them before, after all. If they’re out there in the mine shafts somewhere, could you let us meet them? We’ll be able to tell then.”

“Their dens are no place to take guests. However...” The minister of the left furrowed his brow. “It would seem wise to have you make the trip, yes. I will arrange for it. Now, I would like to ask Honored Elder Harumerial, do you have any intel that can back up what Sir Itsukushima’s group has told us about the enemy’s movements?”

“No,” the elven elder said with a voice like a wind instrument made of glass. There was something transcendent about the elf’s tone and facial expression, which carried a hint of sorrow but were also aloof from the world. “The elves we have sent outside your country have not as yet reported any large-scale digging of tunnels. Regarding the hethrangs, I was aware of them, but very few elves should have much knowledge of them. Obviously, our scouts have not made one report of hethrangs, or those who appear to be hethrangs.”

“Hmm,” the minister of the left hummed, nodding. “For now, I’ve ordered my men to search for and check gnoll holes. If we are to seal all of them off, our defenders have their hands full at the moment, so we would have to mobilize other people.”

“The problem is the hethrangs,” the captain of the royal guard interjected, full of anger. “If those ingrates have escaped after all we’ve done for them, and even provided aid to our enemies, this is a rebellion, ma’am. It’s dangerous to let them keep living inside the kingdom. Shouldn’t we execute them all, without exception?”

“I’m not so sure about that, Captain,” the red-bearded minister of the left said with an exaggerated frown and a shrug of his shoulders. “You might not be aware of this, but the hethrang population has grown to be as large as half of our own. Even if you were to volunteer to go around executing them personally with that greatsword you’re ever so proud of, it would be more than a day’s work. And that aside, if we do kill the hethrangs, what will happen to the expansion of the mine shafts and mining operations that are the lifeblood of our kingdom?”

“Do you mean to say we should suffer these traitors to live, Minister?!”

“Calm yourself, Captain. It’s not as though all of the hethrangs have escaped. Many of them are still working hard down in the mines for the Ironblood Kingdom and all dwarvenkind.”

“When the time comes, they may all bare their fangs at us.”

“No, no. The hethrangs inside the kingdom are no threat to us, at least. We don’t let them carry anything more dangerous than a pickax.”

“Pickaxes are for digging through hard bedrock! I could easily put a hole in your skull with one, Minister! Would you like a demonstration, perhaps?!”

“The hethrangs aren’t as strong as you, Captain.”

The minister of the left and the captain of the royal guard opposed each other. Haruhiro had heard that. He hadn’t suspected it was so bad that they would openly squabble in front of their king like this, however. The minister of the left appeared to be trying to calm the captain of the royal guard down and let the issue rest, but that only served to irritate his counterpart more. Honestly, it was a wonder that the captain was holding back from punching him. Maybe he was showing some self-restraint after all.

“I do not wish to execute the hethrangs.”

It was probably thanks to the iron king. One word from her made the hot-headed captain of the guard and the slippery minister of the left shut their mouths tight.

“Rowen. Red Beard. I understand both of you serve me and the kingdom with all your hearts.”

“Yes, ma’am!”

“You are too kind.”

The captain of the royal guard and the minister of the left bowed their heads. The iron king nodded, then, after a moment, continued.

“Let us consider what to do with the hethrangs later. For now, we must prepare for the enemy. My concern is whether we would be able to defend against the enemy invasion, assuming we were to block all of the gnoll tunnels we’ve currently located.”

“If I may?” Setora raised her hand. The iron king quietly pointed to her, granting Setora permission to speak. “Am I correct in my understanding that ‘gnoll holes’ refers to places in which the gnolls’ tunnels have penetrated the Ironblood Kingdom?”

The red-bearded minister of the left nodded. “You are.”

“In that case, simply sealing the gnoll holes won’t be sufficient. Unless you make the tunnels themselves impassable, they’ll just open new gnoll holes. I assume that’s what has your king concerned.”

“You are to address her as ‘Her Majesty’!” the black-bearded captain of the royal guard shouted in anger, but Setora was unflappable. Haruhiro felt both impressed and exasperated with her. How could she be so indifferent?

“You say that, but she is not my king.”

“The iron king is the sovereign of the Ironblood Kingdom, the ruler of the dwarves! Have you no manners, you human swine!”

“I might ask you the same. I cannot imagine a man who shouts at others to intimidate them whenever he pleases has any right to speak about manners.”

“What was that?!” The captain of the royal guard made as if to rise from his seat.

Setora laughed coldly at him. “See, you did it again. If you wish to cut me down, do it, but I would like to see some acknowledgment that you have not been minding your own manners.”

Haruhiro was caught between thinking, Yeah, you tell him, and, This is bad for my heart, please, just stop.

“Stand down, Rowen,” the iron king interceded, appearing unamused. Seeing even the slightest discomfort on her face made something stir in Haruhiro’s heart, like he had to do something about it.

“Setora, was it? My concerns are exactly as you laid out.”

“Well, how about it?” Setora asked, looking at the other attendees.

Rowen crossed his arms and looked away. “We’ve gone in to kill gnolls on several occasions, but that was a long time ago.”

“I went in a few years ago, when the gnolls were getting out of hand.” The minister of the left smiled slightly. It didn’t seem like he was mocking the captain of the royal guard. Maybe it was a fun memory for him? “I was with the humans renowned in our kingdom as the great heroes, along with Gottheld.”

“Kisaragi, huh?” The iron king had a far-off look in her eyes. The corners of her lips turned up.

“Wait, isn’t Kisaragi...” Haruhiro mumbled without meaning to. The far-too-beautiful iron king shot a piercing glance in his direction, leaving him too tense to be grateful for the honor of her gaze.

“You know Kisaragi?”

“Yeah... You, uh, could say that. We were taken in under his umbrella, sort of. He runs the K&K Pirate Company, right? In the Emerald Archipelago. Come to think of it, I think I ended up becoming a K&K employee...”

“I’ve heard that he saved Vele, and then effectively became the leader of an organization that manages pirates.”

It was pretty crazy when the iron king’s eyes sparkled. Wait, I never knew eyes could shine, Haruhiro thought to himself. They must have been reflecting light, but it was uncanny the way they glittered. Her fair skin flushed a little red.

“I see. Your name was Haruhiro, yes? Are you a friend of Kisaragi’s?”

“A friend of his...? I dunno about that. One of my comrades was with K&K for a while, so maybe she is.”

“Is that person familiar with Kisaragi?”

“To be completely honest, I don’t know much about what went on there, so I can’t speak for her, but I’d think so?”

“I see.” The iron king placed a hand over her chest and closed her eyes. Even Haruhiro, who knew he was dense about these things, could be pretty sure of what was going on here.

She’s in love, isn’t she? The iron king. With Kisaragi of K&K. And, wait, the dwarves know him as a great hero? What in the world did he do?

The iron king opened her eyes when Minister of the Left Axbeld cleared his throat. She didn’t act awkward about it, but she was clearly despondent. Haruhiro didn’t really understand the niceties of the heart. In fact, he barely understood them at all. But he knew the iron king was deeply in love with Kisaragi.

“Erm, I don’t know what to tell you. Her name’s Yume, and she’s in our party. Maybe she’ll be able to tell you some stories about Kisaragi? I’ll check with her later. Anyway, what I’m gathering is that it’s not realistic to collapse the gnoll tunnels and make them impassable that way, right?”

“Correct,” the minister of the left said, nodding. “It would be better to come right out and say it’s impossible. If we could, we’d have done it a long time ago. We’ve been fighting the gnolls here in the Kurogane Mountain Range for over two centuries now, you see.”

“Hey...” Deputy Neal whispered. When Haruhiro looked at him, he started mouthing words. “This country’s in some deep shit. Maybe we should just give them the letter and then get out of here.”

While Haruhiro thought his reasoning was a little questionable, this was coming from Neal, so he wasn’t particularly surprised by it at this point. The deputy did have a good nose for these things. If Neal were the only one here, the situation was probably bad enough that he’d be right to scram in a hurry.

The head of the House of Mercurian was whispering something in the elven elder’s ear. The elder nodded before addressing the council.

“For now, I will order our elves to redouble their surveillance of the enemy. Our swordsmen, archers, and shamans have been defending the Great Iron Fist Gate, but if you request it, they can be moved at once.”

Minister of the Left Axbeld shook his head and snorted. “Now that it has come to this, the loss of Fort Warhammer and Fort Gun—and consequently the seizure of our firearms—hurts even more...”

“Are you saying that out of spite for the men under my command?” Captain of the Royal Guard Rowen ground his teeth. It was likely his men who had been defending the two forts that were taken. The minister of the left arched his eyebrows and spread his arms.

“Captain, I’ve said nothing of the sort. It could just as easily have been Fort Ax or Fort Halberd, held by my own Red Beards, that were attacked instead. It was also a failure on the part of the other three forts that reinforcements didn’t arrive at Fort Warhammer and Fort Gun in time. While it is important that we make clear where responsibility lies for such failures, wouldn’t you agree that it’s a little pointless for you and I to quarrel about every little thing at this point?”

“To begin with, Minister, you are a political advisor, and your decision to involve yourself in military matters, including the positioning of troops, is causing confusion. Weren’t the Red Beards supposed to be no more than your personal forces?”

“Oh, very well. Then I’ll entrust command of the Red Beards to you. I’ll not involve myself in the war beyond defending Her Majesty with my own body. Does that satisfy you?”

“You’re only saying that because you know the Red Beards won’t go to their deaths at my command. I’m sick of your conniving ways, you old fox!”

“And I am sick and tired of putting up with all of your tantrums, Captain.”

“This wouldn’t be happening if you weren’t so needlessly ambitious, Minister.”

“I support Her Iron Majesty, and have no ambition other than to serve the Ironblood Kingdom. They say a scoundrel sees bad actors everywhere when he thinks all men are as unscrupulous as himself. Oh, but it’s too much to call you a scoundrel. Well, I was just sharing a bit of common wisdom. Allow me to apologize.”

“I see you’re better with your words than your hands, as always!”

“I do believe you’re every bit as talkative as I am.”

“As I can’t afford to rust my greatsword lopping off that bearded face of yours, I’m left with no other choice.”

“We both have beards, you realize. Our guests can scarcely tell us dwarven men apart other than by the color and length of our facial hair.”

“Oh, is that right? I see one dwarf here whose face looks noticeably more conniving than the rest of ours, wouldn’t you say?”

“Hmm. And you’re so much larger than the rest of us, they can tell you apart at a glance. Honestly, it’s hard to believe you’re a dwarf at all.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?!”

“I’m not insinuating anything. No one doubts you’re a pure-blooded dwarf, I’m sure.”

“Of course not! No matter how far back you trace my lineage, it’s nothing but proud dwarves all the way!”

It felt like this fight was getting pretty serious, but maybe this was just business as usual for the two of them? Only Haruhiro and Neal were worried. Setora pinched her chin, as if she was thinking about something. As for the rest of the people here, perhaps they were used to it?

“What if we were to travel through the gnoll tunnels ourselves to attack the enemy?” Setora suddenly suggested. The minister of the left groaned, a consternated expression on his face.

“The gnoll’s tunnels are interconnected in complex and incomprehensible ways. They’re not just labyrinthine, they’re an actual maze. We’ve made attempts to grasp their full extent in the past, but new connections are constantly being added, while others collapse and are lost. They change so frequently that our efforts have never panned out.”

“Why don’t we try entering them ourselves?” Setora asked, looking at Haruhiro.

Deputy Neal was flapping his gums. “Why would we need to go so far?”

It wasn’t like Haruhiro didn’t get where he was coming from, but the Ironblood Kingdom might be their lifeline. If the stronghold of the dwarves and the elven survivors was wiped out, the Frontier Army would lose a promising ally. It was questionable how far they could trust the goblins of Damuro, so they needed to remember that they might be betrayed at any time in favor of the Southern Expedition. He wanted to avoid a situation where the Frontier Army and Volunteer Soldier Corps found themselves isolated.

“It’s a thought...”

They would work with the Ironblood Kingdom to the best of their ability and drive off the Southern Expedition, or at least hold them back. That had to be the best move available to them. Setora was thinking the same thing. That was why she was being so proactive here.

“We’re used to exploring unfamiliar places. But could you give us a guide? Someone as familiar with the gnoll tunnels as possible. I think that would increase our chances of success somewhat.”

“Red Beard.” The iron king looked at the minister of the left. He nodded.

“We have those who joined Kisaragi’s gnoll hunt. I am sure they will be of assistance.”

“Kisaragi...”

The iron king’s blue eyes sparkled again. And not just her eyes. Her silver hair and fair skin seemed to shine too. Haruhiro couldn’t help but stare. She was incredible.

“Here is an idea,” the king said. “Why not issue an official notice that the great hero Kisaragi’s friend will be exploring the gnoll tunnels and is looking for volunteers to join him?”

“Ohhh. That would be excellent. I am sure many of the smiths would set their work aside to join him. And Kisaragi is popular with the ladies too, so I expect it will be highly effective.”

“My own little girl’s head over heels for him, after all,” Gottheld said, his smile a little strained.

“Your little girl? She’s a dwarf, right?” Haruhiro asked, and Gottheld nodded, as if to say, Of course she is.

“She went off pirating with Kisaragi. I hope she can be his head wife, but he’s got a lot of good women around him. Who can say what will happen?”

Haruhiro glanced at the iron king, curious how she’d react. Like he expected, her eyes were downcast, filled with sadness and loneliness. Just seeing her like that made Haruhiro miserable too.

“To tell you the truth, I’ve already sent a messenger to the K&K Pirate Company,” the red-bearded minister of the left revealed. “The Emerald Archipelago is a long way away, so there’s been no response yet, but Kisaragi is a man who lives by the motto that knowing what is right and not doing it is a mark of cowardice. He may even be able to get the Free City of Vele—which stayed neutral in the battle against the No-Life King and his Alliance of Kings—to move on our behalf.”

“That’s enough indulging in ridiculous dreams, Minister!” The black-bearded captain of the royal guard slammed his hands on the table. “You think a human has that kind of power?! Rather than rely on outsiders, we dwarves should smash the enemy with our own strength! We’re critically lacking in that kind of mettle! Dwarves have lost their manhood! We must take our pride as men back now!”

“Red Beard, Rowen.” The iron king looked at the minister of the left and the captain of the royal guard, then around to the rest of them. Her eyes were no longer sparkling, and she sat with a commanding posture. “Elder Harumerial, Honored Eltalihi, Gottheld, Itsukushima, Sir Neal, Haruhiro, Setora. I will do what little I can to help too. Please, lend us your strength. If the worst should come to pass and the Ironblood Kingdom falls, Grimgar will be trod underfoot by the orcs and undead. They say the orc leading the Southern Expedition, the high king Dif Gogun, took control of all the orcish clans, or enslaved them, and put pressure on the undead, earning him the awe of the other races. He is a dangerous man who hopes to eradicate us, the hated enemies of the orcs, in order to solidify his hegemony. We cannot submit to him. There is no path to peace. We absolutely must win.”

The minister of the left, the captain of the royal guard, and Gottheld all responded with a firm “By your will.” The elves elegantly touched a hand to their shoulders and bowed to her, while the members of the delegation each responded in their own way.

The iron king rose from her seat. The council was adjourned.

High King Dif Gogun. It was a name Haruhiro hadn’t heard before. There were probably a lot of things he and his party still didn’t know. They needed to learn as much as they could, and not just about the gnoll tunnels. About everything else too. He was going to quickly gather information while preparing for the exploration mission. With that decided, it felt like his options had opened up a little.

“Ahhh!” Neal shot up out of his seat in a hurry. He was fishing around in his pockets. “I still haven’t given her the commander’s letter.”

The minister of the left, the captain of the royal guard, and the iron king, who had been about to leave the room, stopped and turned to look at him. That was when the door opened.

A black-bearded dwarf from the royal guard rushed into the room, out of breath. He must have been shocked to see the iron king, because he leaped backward and threw himself on the floor, groveling before her.

“Y-Your Majesty...! I-It is an honor above my station to behold your royal countenance...”

“What is happening?!” the captain of the royal guard bellowed at him, and the black-bearded dwarf raised his head.

“Sir! The enemy suddenly appeared inside the kingdom, and the battle has been joined! The people took up arms to repel them, but have already suffered heavy casualties!”

“What...” The captain of the royal guard’s voice failed him, and Minister of the Left Axbeld slapped his own forehead with his right hand.

For a moment, the iron king gazed up at the ceiling. But only for a moment. She recovered immediately, faster than any of the others.

“Rowen, you take command of defenses inside the kingdom. I will come up with a plan. Red Beard, you help me.”

“By your will!” The captain of the royal guard, large enough to seem like he wasn’t a dwarf at all, raced out of the room so fast he threatened to smash through the door. Though Axbeld’s red-bearded face was twisted with anguish, he allowed himself what was likely a deliberate smile.

“Well, it seems they’ve beaten us to the punch. Now we’ll just have to fight like men. They’ve called me a stain on the proud beards of the House of Bratsod, but even I’ve got the dwarven blood in me. This may be the last thing I ever do for you, but my old bones are eager for the task, ma’am.”

“I would be in serious trouble without your continued service. I haven’t your skill with words.”

The iron king turned to look at the others. Her expression was stern, not grim. She wasn’t shaken at all by this. Or perhaps she was trying to keep up that appearance. If so, her acting was flawless.

“This is the Ironblood Kingdom, the country of the dwarves. If I were to let elves and humans die under my care, it would be a black mark on our name. I swear we will carve a swath of blood to evacuate you all to safety.”

The elven elder, Harumerial, disagreed.

“Your kindness touches us all, ma’am. But whatever fate awaits the dwarves, we elves will share it with you. That is what we, the elves of the Shadow Forest, have collectively decided.”

Neal grabbed Haruhiro by the arm. He was mouthing words at him.

“What do we do?”

Haruhiro looked at Setora. You decide, her eyes demanded. It wasn’t that Setora was trying to pass the responsibility off onto him. If he made the decision, she would follow it, and she believed in him enough to trust he wouldn’t screw up too badly.

Haruhiro took a deep breath. This wasn’t the time for him to get wildly overeager, or to look for a way to flee, or to run around in confusion. Now that he had his memories back, Haruhiro more or less knew what kind of guy he was. So long as he stayed true to himself, his comrades would probably stake their lives on his decisions. Some of his comrades would even set him straight if he started acting too crazy. That meant he shouldn’t waver.

“We’ll do what we can too. For now, let’s hang tough.”