Absolutely Do Not Touch Eldmia Egga

Chapter 670

King Dena of the Dwarven Kingdom looked at the unexpected visitors and struggled to resist the urge to scratch his head under his helmet.

“Is the world going crazy these days? Why is it that not a single day is a good day?”

However, this was only to avoid showing off his lax appearance in front of someone who had to show off his dignity as a king, so he had no hesitation in using harsh words.

It was only a few days ago that the warrior of the machine was sent away. Even though it was the first visit in the history of the kingdom, King Dena was so busy that he could not respond properly and had to ask General Miwood for everything. It was the same even now.

The trash from beyond the mountains is already a headache, but who would have thought that a neighbor who is so annoying would suddenly visit after a dozen years?

Naturally, I felt uncomfortable with the warriors who were disguised as the delegation in front of me, so I strained my eyes. At times like this, I really liked the helmet that allowed me to freely express my emotions. On the other hand, there was also the disadvantage that no one knew that I was feeling uncomfortable.

It was no different for them to be uninvited guests in front of their eyes. However, the nine warriors of Lovell, wearing the skin of a giant wolf monster as a cloak, stood silently in their place, not caring about the glares of the vassals who were wearing the arrogant clothes on behalf of King Dena.

As expected of the Lovellians, regardless of gender, they all had large skeletons, and their appearances looked like stone statues. As a result, the only one who responded to King Dena’s mutterings was the Lovell diplomat standing in front of them.

“Our request is simple. Provide a railway line to the Dena King and the Empire. Then the Kingdom of Lovell will help you with your problems.”

He was making a fuss and saying things that even a street dog wouldn’t bark at.

“If we can’t stop it anyway, you guys will be next. Are you bringing that up and calling it negotiation?”

One of the dwarves finally managed to hold back his swearing at his arrogant attitude and snapped at him. The other dwarves agreed with his opinion, but the problem was that even though it was obvious nonsense, they were in a position to use it as negotiating material.

The diplomats of Lovell also understood this point very well.

“Even if that were true, wouldn’t there be a big difference between not moving until the Dwarven Kingdom suffered critical damage and moving and seeking cooperation before that?”

It was a really shameless attitude, but aside from the shamelessness, it was not a bad offer. If we accept the negotiations as they say, we will have no choice but to move the troops from Lovell, so it is a very profitable deal to say it is the price of moving the trains.

Rather, that was why King Dena hesitated. In diplomacy, if there was a deal left over without using any tricks or gaining an advantage, it meant that he had missed something or that there was something behind it.

After a moment of hesitation, holding the crooked helmet in his hand, King Dena nodded slightly and spoke for the first time.

“Why do you want to take the train?”

“It’s an internal matter of Lovell. I can’t tell you.”

“Stop talking nonsense and tell the truth. If you’re not going to talk, then stop talking nonsense in a busy place and just go back.”

At the one word he uttered, the archivist doubted his own ears, and a cold silence flowed in the audience room for various reasons.

The dwarves were silent, holding back laughter as they gave a standing ovation in their hearts to the king who could say whatever he wanted to say, and the delegation of Lovell was silent in bewilderment, but the silence was still silence. Only King Dena continued to speak slowly, filling the audience room, where not even the sound of swallowing could be heard, with the sound of his helmet tapping.

“What you asked for was not a means of transportation on the roadside, but permission to use the only passageway that connects the kingdom and the Eshunua Empire. The place where you will board and disembark your train is the land of Eshunua, the heart of Eshunua. What you said is tantamount to asking for permission to deploy armed forces into the center of the Eshunua capital. But you can’t tell us because of your circumstances? Is it possible that the air up there is too thin for your brain to work?”

The only one who reacts to the sight of the King, who is leaning on the throne and waving his palm over his head, is the archivist who is working hard with his quill pen. The one who reacts belatedly amidst the enthusiastic chatter he creates is the diplomat of Lovell.

“There will be no unpleasant incidents in the Dwarf Kingdom···”

“That’s what you guys think. It already smells bad that you can’t reveal it, so do I have to listen to you any longer?”

Even though it seemed like there was no backlash, diplomat Lovell didn’t seem particularly offended by the king’s remark. They were neighboring countries after all, and since he had seen such things often during his time as a diplomat, it felt more like something that was bound to happen. Instead, he glanced at the warriors standing behind him.

It was a process of obtaining the consent of the power holders mixed among them. The response was quick, and the diplomat who had finished preparing before anyone noticed the abnormality let out a deep sigh and said quietly.

“···Excuse me. I was reluctant to reveal the details as it was a secret of the Royal House of Luville, but since King Dena has said so, I will explain.·”

King Dena didn’t say anything. But he didn’t kick him out either, so he meant to say something. Up until this point, everything was as expected, so the diplomat tried his best to suppress his tension and explain.

“I wanted to move quickly because the opportunity had come to follow in the footsteps of the prodigal son who had run away from his royal duties. The key was held by the warrior of the demon who had recently visited the kingdom.”

“Please explain in more detail so that I can understand it.”

“We heard that the warrior of the machine killed the dragon after a fierce battle. According to our guess, the warrior must have received the blessing of the dragon’s blood during the process. However, as you know, the dragon’s blood does not only come with blessings.”

King Dena waved his hand slightly to interrupt the diplomat, as he could understand the context without hearing any more.

Although the Dragon Blood Clan is not free from the negative influence of the Dragon Blood, they do have a secret method to suppress it. The Royal Family of Luville planned to use this as negotiation material with the warrior.

But the reason was strange. What does finding a runaway child have to do with being a warrior?

“It would have been more believable if you said you were going to rescue a stallion to maintain the dragon blood. It’s been years since that kid left home, and now you ask the warrior of Itisel for help?”

“As you said, it would be a lie to say that we have no intention of establishing friendly relations with you, sir. However, it is also true that there is considerable information that a person believed to be the princess has been sighted near Itisel. Regardless, it is only beneficial to us and not detrimental to us, so we are only willing to take action.”

After the diplomat’s words, a different kind of silence fell than before.

There may be more to the story, but there is no way to know right now. It is not easy to send them back, as even King Dena is in a situation where he needs a helping hand. In the end, King Dena agonized over and over again, and all he could do was glare at the envoys of Lovell.

There was a time when the two countries were on good terms. Strictly speaking, the period of friendly relations was longer than the period of not being friendly. It was a memory that remained clearly even though it happened when King Dena was still a runny-nosed child.

At that time, there was no need to worry about the other person’s intentions over such trivial matters, and there was no need to make a fuss about lending the train for a short while, and there was no need to make a condition that you would help them when they were having a hard time just to get on that train once.

It seems like it hasn’t been that long, but how did things go so wrong?

“It seems like it would be beneficial to us as well, and there would be no harm done, so how about accepting it?”

After much thought, King Dena’s thoughts, which had led to a lament similar to escapism, were corrected by General Miwood.

“Instead, I think we need to draw a clear line. Allowing another country to establish a bridgehead with the Empire is a serious matter… How about publicly announcing the purpose of the Lovell Delegation and dealing sternly with any actions that do not conform to that?”

“Are you saying this publicly…?”

For a moment, the diplomat’s face became embarrassed and he looked at the group again.

It was a very subtle reaction that most people wouldn’t notice, but this time, it caught the eye of General Miwood.

“···It is true that our conditions were somewhat rude at first, but if you allow us to use the train under those conditions··· we will accept it.”

King Dena, who was silently looking at the diplomat who was answering while hiding his nervous feelings by lowering his head, slightly moved his helmet towards General Miwood.

“I think General Miwood’s opinion is valid. Any objections?”

“As you wish, please.”

“Okay, prepare the train.”

Without waiting, King Dena immediately rose from his throne and the other dwarves began to move. Even though the deal was done, he was not happy with Ruby’s attitude, so he expressed that he did not want to see her any longer.

“Hmm, they used to be good kids.”

Niath Ezelf’s quiet mutterings as he watched the delegation of Lovell leave without a single guide were buried in the noise the dwarves were making, and died down without anyone hearing them.

A Word from the Author (Author’s Note)

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