Shepherd Wizard-Chapter 211

Translator: Pai_

At the exceedingly polite request for a dialogue from the dwarf, Turan felt considerable confusion.

A dialogue, now, all of a sudden?

More than that, what is this "Republic"? It’s a word he had never heard before.

He briefly considered ignoring them and launching a direct attack, but Turan slowly descended to the ground.

After all, whatever tricks they might try, he could wipe them out with a single gesture, and in truth, he too was curious to have a dialogue with them.

‘I couldn’t communicate with the giants anyway.’

Despite hunting giants several times in the Enril Desert and attempting to talk after neutralizing them, all efforts had failed.

Their temperament was so violent that no matter how much he beat, stabbed, or cut them, they never surrendered and continued to attack.

The only words he had managed to hear from them were things like “Looks delicious”, “Die”, and “Stay still”.

He didn’t even dare to ask if they had memories of the old era or anything like that.

Seen that way, this request for dialogue was clearly an opportunity.

“To request a dialogue as an intelligent being, what nerve, coming from those who just recently tried to enslave the people of my land.”

“It’s all a misunderstanding. If you just give me a chance, I can explain.”

At this point, Turan felt curious enough to want to hear what kind of nonsense they were about to spout.

It was amusing to watch a mole that looked vaguely human waving its arms and speaking fluently.

Calling himself the guardian of the honorable Republic, Al-Rakuyo began to calmly explain.

“Those who invaded your city recently were the evil royalists. They divide society by class, into kings, nobles, and slaves. In contrast, we republicans pursue equality for all intelligent beings.”

“Hm.”

“Of course, I know that devil lords like you also divide by class, much like the royalists. But from what I’ve heard, those who inherit the blood of devils possess immense power and long lifespans. Even though your kind may have different strengths, dividing by class among our own kind, who are equal in ability, is not the same.”

For now, the Eye of Truth was telling Turan that Al-Rakuyo’s words were not complete lies.

Turan lightly tapped the ground with his foot and created two stone chairs and one large table.

“Whoa.......”

“Is that the power used by future devils?”

“That’s amazing.”

The dwarves murmured among themselves in low voices.

He thought that Al-Rakuyo was the leader and that was why he spoke so fluently, but it turned out they all spoke just like humans.

“Let’s sit down and talk.”

***

Upon hearing that a meeting was being held with the dwarves who were originally scheduled for subjugation, the wizards of House Parsha were puzzled but accepted it.

Since the Family Head himself had decided, what could they say?

As they hadn’t built up enough trust to exchange food yet, Turan brewed a tea made from stonecrops brought as military rations, and Al-Rakuyo brought a tea made from barley roasted until it was nearly burnt.

“Do dwarves also drink tea when talking?”

“Saying this in a situation where I should be making a good impression might come off as arrogant, but it was actually we who introduced tea culture to your kind. To the humans who were more primitive, before the devils arrived.”

Whether it was true or not, Turan couldn’t tell, but since Al-Rakuyo himself seemed to believe it was, Turan nodded and drank the stonecrop tea.

The dwarf army standing behind and the wizards of House Parsha were still wary of each other, but the two leaders at the front were projecting a rather calm atmosphere.

Turan’s confidence came from overwhelming strength, but as for where the dwarf general’s confidence stemmed from, that was still unknown.

“Let’s go back to what you were saying earlier. About the royalists.”

“Hmm, I’m not particularly good at political education, but to put it simply, the royalists are those who believe in the sanctity of bloodlines. They think only the descendants of kings should rule as kings, that nobles’ children become nobles, and that commoners and slaves must forever serve from below.”

“You guys... in other words, ‘republicans’, are not like that?”

“That’s right. We Norun, whom you call dwarves, don’t have a privileged class inheriting devil’s power. So-called kings or nobles are not physically or mentally special beings. Therefore, no one has the right to stand above others, and no one has the duty to stand below. That is republicanism.”

As he listened quietly, Turan thought it sounded like something he had heard somewhere before.

What the fallen gods had said about their world, about democracy that had emerged on Earth, was quite similar, and it also resembled the content of a book about human rights that Solif had once found somewhere.

“So what you're saying is, your dwarves are divided into royalist classists who serve a king, and republicans who believe everyone is equal, and you're currently in a civil war.”

“That has been the case for truly a long time. The sun and moon have risen and set at least a hundred thousand times.”

Since a year has 365 days, that meant at least several hundred years.

To nobles, such a span of time might be nothing, but if these dwarves had lifespans similar to humans, it would not be a short time.

“So it was those bastards who came looking for us and tried to force us into slavery.”

“We, the citizens of the Republic, absolutely do not support slavery. If prisoners are taken, it should be something managed solely by the state.”

As he said that, Al-Rakuyo subtly rolled his eyes.

“In that sense, we did occupy the nearby roads and were forced to capture a few of your people, but if this meeting proceeds successfully, we will return them all. We've already gained everything we wanted from them.”

“What did you gain?”

“Information about how this era is operating.”

As Turan conversed with the dwarf before him, he couldn’t help but be repeatedly impressed.

It was intelligence and dignity that made it hard to believe this was the same race as those bumbling fools who shouted awkwardly and fired guns.

He was newly struck by just how horrifically Monarch had brought this race to ruin.

“You didn’t eat them, did you?”

“If food is lacking, consuming prisoners of war is allowed, but we did not do so this time. Out of respect for you, the devil lord who rules this land. From what I hear, among devil lords, you especially care for the humans you raise.”

Considering the situation, they had chosen only the most proper responses, as if they had thought it all through.

If they had eaten his sheep, Turan would have captured all the dwarves and tortured them to death to extract information.

In contrast, the other side was showing an attitude worthy of respect.

Still, asking a few questions out of curiosity should be acceptable.

After all, they had abducted his sheep without permission to extract needed information; the reverse should be allowed as well.

“Then let me ask something too. Were you summoned directly from the ancient times to this place? Or did you die and then come back to life?”

“We died and then came back.”

Al-Rakuyo’s face darkened as he answered.

Though his appearance was somewhat alien from that of a human, the subtle changes in his facial muscles were clearly visible.

“Our final moments... were truly horrific. We had to hide in the deepest burrows, watching as the mutants came in and destroyed and violated every trace of our most brilliant civilization. If only our army had remained intact, we could’ve shot them all down, but unfortunately, we had no power.”

Turan knew exactly what the mutants Al-Rakuyo referred to were.

They were modern dwarves modified by Monarch, a race that had lost sight and intelligence but gained immense physical capabilities.

Al-Rakuyo seemed to be the last survivor of those who fought back against them to the very end somewhere in the valleys of the Gray Zone.

“My last memory was being caught by two mutants and having my head torn off. I died watching my spine stretch out like a tail and my headless body being chewed up. And then, when I came to, I was here, in this era, in this place, with my body perfectly intact.”

According to Al-Rakuyo, not only him but dwarves from various eras had suddenly appeared, all in a state of confusion.

There were even cases where two of the same individual came back to life.

Fortunately, the royalists had some coordination among the kings and moved quickly, while the republican citizens had to vote and elect representatives, so they were slightly delayed in acting.

“So that’s how it is.”

Thanks to that, Turan was able to roughly infer how the New World Return had occurred.

The return of the non-human races to this land seemed to be done by reviving those who had died in ancient times.

Given that magic power was closely related to the soul, and that the dead giants’ bodies had almost no magic power, it appeared that these beings had been revived with only the “shells” duplicated.

In other words, they were functioning by thinking only with their brains, without souls.

“So, what is it that you want?”

“Cooperation, of course. We’ve already suffered one defeat at your hands. We don’t want to go through a second. We will fully cooperate, so please allow our civilization to continue existing.”

No sooner had he finished speaking than Al-Rakuyo stepped down from the stone chair and knelt on the ground.

A few dwarves cried out urgently, “General!” but he lowered his head as if he hadn’t heard them.

“Are you the representative of those dwarves?”

“I am, at best, a representative of our ‘Honorable Republic’. I do not represent all citizens of the Republic.”

According to his explanation, the republicans were not one unified group either, but consisted of entities like the ‘Elegant Republic’, the ‘Valiant Republic’, and the ‘Wise Republic’.

Likewise, there were multiple kingdoms on the royalist side too.

“Why are you choosing to surrender without even seeing my power? Surely you’ve heard that this is an era in which the gods have already left.”

“I know that the strongest devil lords have all departed this world, but I also know that their descendants are still very much alive. I’ve seen traces of your power as well.”

“Ah.”

“If one can bore a hole into a mountain as if playing around, they may not be quite equal to the devil lords of old, but would still be an enemy beyond our ability to confront.”

There were traces of throwing practice left near Kalamaf, and seeing one of those had apparently convinced them to abandon any thoughts of resistance.

Even back then, Turan had been far weaker than he was now, yet could have easily crushed dwarves like vermin, so it was a wise decision.

“Hmm.”

Turan looked at Al-Rakuyo, still kneeling, and the dwarves standing behind him, falling into thought.

It was because he remembered how extremely wary Monarch had been of them in the past.

‘Monarch said that if dwarves are left alone, they’re too smart and too creative, and could eventually become a danger to humanity itself.’

Judging by the stories of the gods’ ancestors, the humans of Earth, and their immense power, it was hard to dismiss the idea entirely.

He had heard that the weapon they boasted of, the nuclear missile, had enough power to obliterate Kalamaf in a single strike.

Of course, Turan too could incinerate every person in Kalamaf all at once if he wished, but completely erasing the city itself as if it had never existed was not so simple.

From that perspective, if scientific technology were to be allowed to develop unchecked, firepower surpassing that of great noble houses could end up in the hands of the dwarves.

But Turan shook his head as he recalled the current situation.

This was a time when even that kind of power might be necessary.

How much stronger had they become thanks to the guns and cannons created with knowledge brought from the borders of the old world?

If he could cooperate with those dwarves and adopt their knowledge properly, it would surely be better than just a handful of wizards running around trying to do everything.

“Fine. If you promise not to eat humans and swear loyalty to me, I’ll grant you all the rights you can obtain as residents of this land.”

“May I know specifically what those rights are?”

“It means you’ll be treated equally with humans. As long as you abide by the laws of this land, not even nobles, the so-called descendants of devils, will be able to harm you without justification. I’ll protect you.”

“Hm.......”

“We can discuss the details later by bringing in people to handle the practical matters, but for now, if you agree to this condition, I’ll approve of your response.”

At Turan’s words, Al-Rakuyo thought deeply for a long while, then nodded.

Every time he twitched his nose, the beard on his cheeks wriggled.

“Very well. We too will return and present this proposal again and vote on it. Then, we shall return to discuss it further.”

After that, Al-Rakuyo informed Turan of a way to identify the dwarves of the ‘Honorable Republic’.

Dwarves mostly identified one another by the emblem on their armbands, and theirs bore a symbol of two overlapping leaves.

“Then, next time we meet, I hope the negotiations will proceed properly. In the meantime, we’ll be hunting your kin who are blocking transport routes around here, so make sure not to wander about carelessly.”

“I will bear it in mind.”

Once the meeting ended, Al-Rakuyo returned twenty humans they had captured nearby, as promised.

Speaking with them, Turan heard that the dwarves had simply subdued them and inflicted no excessive violence, and nodded in understanding.

“So that’s how it was.”

“Yes, that’s correct, sir.......”

“Understood. Pack up and return.”

“We’re just grateful, truly!”

The survivors appeared deeply moved by the fact that their family head had brought an army and rescued them from the dwarves.

Feeling a quiet embarrassment at the thought that yet another legend about himself would be written, Turan spoke to his army.

“As you all heard, one of the dwarf factions has requested cooperation. That doesn’t mean you should treat them with undue friendliness. The majority of dwarves are still otherworldly beings with a nature that drives them to eat humans.”

“Understood!”

“We haven’t wasted much time yet, so we’ll continue with the subjugation operation. What was today’s objective?”

“To secure all roads near Kalamaf!”

The wizards of House Parsha shouted loudly.

***

Three days later.

Turan found and eliminated four more groups of dwarves wandering around the Kalamaf area.

Three of them were kingdoms, and one was a republic that called itself the 'Wealthy Republic'.

The dwarves from the kingdoms were dressed rather plainly compared to the republicans, with only the noble classes possessing more luxurious attire and better weapons. Among them were even cannons whose projectiles exploded on impact the moment they reached the target.

Turan couldn’t even begin to guess how those explosions that discharged massive amounts of steam actually worked.

Moreover, the dwarves had captured modern dwarves, those who had lost their sight and intelligence but gained strength, and used them as soldiers.

They chained their ears to carts or whipped them directly into attacking.

Of course, all such efforts were meaningless in front of Turan.

With a single gesture, a lightning strike incapacitated dozens of dwarves wielding steam rifles, and steam shells exploded mid-air, roasting the dwarves in their path.

“R-Run!”

“It’s the devil lord! The lord of devils is here!”

It seemed clear that the 'Honorable Republic' faction that had quickly grasped the modern situation and chosen to surrender right after being revived was an especially intelligent group among the dwarves.

Turan initially thought that the fourth group, the 'Wealthy Republic', might be similar, so he held back slightly at first. But when he captured them and searched their supplies, he found bundles of dried human jerky among their combat rations.

Immediately, Turan repeatedly beat and healed the one who appeared to be their leader until he extracted information about their base and how to infiltrate it, then annihilated them all.

Not even those hiding in the deepest burrows of a secret canyon could escape the hydrochloric acid gas.

“Gyaaaah-!”

The screams that echoed from inside the burrows didn’t last long.

That’s because the first thing vaporized hydrochloric acid burns is the lungs that take in air.

Thus, while clearing out the dwarves blocking the roads around Kalamaf and attacking various areas, a messenger from House Carmine arrived for Turan.

“I come before the Head of House Parsha.......”

The young noble, in a tattered state, had a face Turan felt he had seen somewhere before.

After a moment of thought, Turan realized this was someone he had met during the time he had disguised himself as Onil.

“What is it?”

What Turan had asked of House Carmine in this war was to hold off any Great Sea Serpent mermaids that might invade toward Kalamaf.

They had accepted and taken up the ruined old Ophen Port as a base, but had since fallen out of contact after the New World Return.

Turan had been too busy himself to bother visiting them in person.

“This is a letter from our family head to the head of House Parsha.”

Receiving the letter handed to him by the Carmine noble, Turan clicked his tongue lightly in surprise.

Its contents were truly unexpected.

[The Great Sea Serpent mermaids attacked the surface, and although the damage was severe, they were successfully repelled. We’ve identified their base now and recommend pursuing them together to finish them off.]