Ch.299300. Dwarf

In the central mountain range of the Dawn Empire, the Dwarf Kingdom located at the heart of these mountains was an extremely isolated nation.

Each mountain in the range contained an underground city, and these cities, in principle, had only three passages apart from those connecting to other dwarf cities.

Thus, in theory, if enemies invaded, they would lock the doors, and if the doors were breached, they would use fortified passages to conduct a tenacious delaying action to exhaust the enemy’s strength first. This strategy, though seemingly foolish, proved effective for the dwarves.

For starters, the defensive capabilities of the fortified passages were sufficient to completely block entry to all but higher-tier beings.

They had placed heavy weapons everywhere—Gatling guns, flamethrowers, heavy shotguns, and every other heavy armament imaginable. They had also enthusiastically adopted the barbed wire technology developed by the Dawn Empire, kindly laying it out for their enemies.

In other words, these crazed short folk had recreated World War I-style trench warfare in this partially medieval era, and in dark, narrow underground passages no less.

One might think it would be possible to dig alternative routes, but that would be a truly ignorant assumption.

Dwarf cities are located so deep underground that creating bypass routes is not feasible, and any attempt risks cave-ins that would result in being buried alive.

Moreover, any external tampering is immediately blocked by solid adamantium barriers covered in runes. The difficulty of attempting any mischief against dwarf cities is extraordinarily high.

Their short but sturdy bodies possess powerful resistance to disease and magic, and their stubborn minds leave no room for demonic corruption, making it nearly impossible to form demon worship cults among them.

Hence the saying that dwarf cities, though isolated, never fall… or so it was.

Ironically, because of this, dwarf society now faces a crisis.

The demonic army invading the Dwarf Kingdom serves under an Archdemon commander who follows Mammon, the Demon Lord of “Greed.” This formidable force consists of 10,000 soldiers, 100 mid-tier demons, and remarkably, two high-tier demons separate from the commander…

They exploited the dwarves’ mental weakness: their craving for money.

The dwarf race is actually capable of complete self-sufficiency underground without external contact.

With their advanced technology, they can produce enough food in underground farms to feed their small population, and they can supply meat by raising mountain goats or capturing certain underground monsters.

If resources are needed, dwarves can dig deep, complex mines with just a pickaxe. In truth, they could completely lock their doors, cut off external contact, and still live without any inconvenience.

In fact, considering that dwarves naturally suffer from mild agoraphobia, living underground is undoubtedly better suited to them.

However, these dwarves trade with their allies, the Dawn Empire, and various human factions, selling their industrial products for money. The fundamental reason for this is the dwarves’ obsession with money.

In this world, the notion that dwarves are greedy is deeply rooted, because dwarves inherently possess an attachment to money—or more precisely, to precious metals.

For them, collecting precious metals or gold is less about accumulating wealth and more about proving their life’s worth through material possessions. Over time, this tradition solidified into an attachment to the materials themselves.

This is why modern dwarves are regarded as eccentric craftsmen obsessed with contracts and money. This situation was perfect for the power of “Greed” to intervene.

Unfortunately for the demons of “Greed,” the dwarves’ mental barriers were so strong that they simply blocked any directly harmful interference. Instead, the demons amplified their greed in a very simple way.

“Gold… gold… gold… gold… gold… gold… gold…”

“Mine! It’s mine!! Get away!! My gold!! My gold!!”

“Gold… it’s all mine!! Why do you have my gold?”

Since creating new greed was impossible due to mental barriers, “Greed” instead transformed the dwarves’ desire for alcohol and other metals entirely into a craving for gold…

And so, the dwarf cities were thrown into chaos by gold-crazed, golden undead.

It was a catastrophe born from the dwarves’ strong confidence in their steadfast and stubborn minds, which led them to neglect preparations against mental attacks.

“Suppress them───!!!”

Fortunately, some dwarves could resist this mental attack, and the helmets issued to the dwarf army were imbued with runes of calmness and wisdom.

Thus, they somehow managed to suppress the chaos and calm the dwarves with the power of runes… but the problem was that many defensive lines had been breached in the process.

Some dwarf cities even self-destructed in their greed, and as the situation gradually worsened—

“…I truly thank you for coming like this.”

“Not at all. Our Dawn Empire and the Dwarf Kingdom are allies bound by blood. How could we ignore an ally in crisis?”

From the Dawn Empire, reinforcements of about 30,000 troops—the Black Sun Legion—arrived to bolster the Dwarf Kingdom’s defenses.

※ ※ ※

In truth, the Black Sun Legion, composed of ordinary people, tends to be undervalued compared to the Avenger Legion.

Compared to the Avenger Legion—superhuman beings who have transcended humanity by receiving blessings and dedicating their lives to serving the Empire—the Black Sun Legion, recruited through conscription and serving only until discharge, appears to be merely a collection of ordinary individuals.

However, most of those who make such judgments overlook a crucial fact: the foundation of the Dawn Empire’s military strength lies in the Black Sun Legion.

Naturally, soldiers of the Avenger Legion are several times stronger than those of the Black Sun Legion.

Their bodies and minds are greatly enhanced beyond average through precisely calibrated blessings, they undergo decades of simultaneous combat and training, and they receive priority access to sophisticated equipment and expensive new weapons secretly produced in hidden forges.

But because Avenger Legion soldiers are few in number despite all this intensive cultivation, the gap is filled by the Black Sun Legion—an auxiliary force that overwhelms most regular armies.

Each soldier is issued a sturdy full plate armor consisting of gambeson, chain mail, and plate armor as casually as a uniform, and the equipment provided to most troops, though varying by branch, is quite expensive.

For example, they are issued a dagger as part of their standard equipment—a pistol-like weapon modified from the blade portion of obsolete magical muskets.

They also receive various gunpowder weapons and heavy equipment, with about 60% armed with recently developed breech-loading rifles, and they can employ diverse tactics using militarily trained beasts.

Particularly regarding their firepower, despite being called a medieval army, their system is closer to that of a modern military.

They have rocket launchers firing alchemical-gunpowder rockets similar to anti-tank missiles, and mounted flamethrowers capable of reducing hundreds of enemies to ashes in an instant.

Additionally, recently developed Gatling guns have been modified into mounted versions for their use, and magical cannons using mana batteries have also been incorporated as heavy weapons after several adjustments.

In other words, while they would naturally be overwhelmed in close combat, their firepower with magical rifles equals or exceeds that of the Avenger Legion, and with proper supplies, they can demonstrate why artillery is considered the god of the battlefield.

“Fire───!!!”

DUDUDUDUDUDUDUDU────!!!!!

BANG! RATATANG! RATANG!!

Thus, they were dispersed among the dwarf cities, becoming pillars that filled the manpower shortage, and before long, the Dwarf Kingdom was able to regain a relatively safe peace.