episode_0067

Returning to the lodging after finishing preparations to head to the Empire, time had quietly slipped into late evening.

Thinking it was about time to meet the eccentric inspiration, I headed straight to the dining hall after tidying up.

“By now, he must be gulping down beer like water.”

Inspiration always ended the day with snacks and drinks, so it would be odd if he wasn’t at the restaurant.

As I suspected, upon arriving at the restaurant, I could spot the heavily intoxicated Stroheim right away.

“No challengers today? Just a bunch of cowards! I heard Northerners are fearless, but seems like it was all just talk!”

Despite provocatively raising his glass and taunting in all directions, within that short time, no one dared to confront him.

Seeing this, Inspiration’s enthusiasm waned, and he slumped back into his seat.

“With this much fear… tsk tsk, winning would have been a great opportunity to receive weapons from the Dwarves.”

Though muttered like any adventurer would, it seemed to be a frequently used repertoire.

Not a single adventurer approached Inspiration even then.

This should not be too much of a bother even if I borrowed some time.

I ordered two beers from the waiter and approached Stroheim’s table.

“Inspiration, can you spare a moment?”

“A new challenger… No, a witch! Well, if you appreciate the beauty of explosions, you can take all the time you need!”

Initially delighted, thinking there was a new challenger, Inspiration soon grew despondent.

However, as soon as the ordered beers arrived, he greeted me jovially with a grin.

“Heh… You seem to know something! So, what do you want to discuss? A commission? Or gemstone crafting? Just say it!”

“Can you promise me one thing before listening?”

“Hmm, what promise? Suddenly feeling uneasy when you say it like that.”

“It’s nothing major. Just listen till the end and withhold your anger while listening. Just these two things?”

“…Seems quite provocative. I’ll give it a listen for now.”

Gulp gulp.

He quickly downed a glass of beer and fixed his gaze on me, ready to listen. I began calmly laying out the plans I had prepared.

Starting with the imminent disaster approaching the Empire, and how to resolve it would require the power of Inspiration and his tribe.

Utilizing the witch’s sharp mind to explain as logically as possible, Inspiration pondered silently for a while.

“Sorry, but I can’t help you with that.”

He expressed his refusal with a somewhat serious expression.

As expected?

Well, I didn’t think it would be possible anyway.

The Inspiration before me was once called a ‘heretic’ even among the Dwarves.

Exiled for being consumed by firepower and violence, developing weapons recklessly instead of embodying the artisan spirit, expecting cooperation with his tribe seemed almost impossible.

Moreover, what kind of Dwarf was this Inspiration?

Wouldn’t a Dwarf who held their pride high, second only in the cosmology, find it demeaning to work alongside the tribe that banished them?

It didn’t seem likely to me, and my thoughts were naturally confirmed.

“I don’t want to work with those prideful old farts. What’s the point if they’re skilled? They won’t even pretend to listen to others.”

“Working together will only lead to accumulating irritation. I can guarantee that much. Those stubborn old farts are more insufferable than dragons.”

“Unless it’s an impossible task, I’ll leave everything to me. At least I’ll fulfill your requests without hesitation.”

Although appreciative of Inspiration’s considerate words, it was still a thankless situation.

Regrettably, the workload was too much for Younggam to handle alone, so I shook my head in dismay.

I’m sorry, Younggam.

It’s not that I doubt your abilities, but it’s impossible to finish within the deadline alone.

The time left until Gwangryong invades the empire is at least half a year.

But as I’ve mentioned before, the events of the original story have never been properly preserved even once.

That means…

“As soon as possible, we need to finish preparations and meet Gwangryong at the edge of the empire.”

Taking a deep breath, I questioned Younggam as if drinking beer in one gulp.

“Younggam, what if…”

“Don’t hesitate, just say it.”

“…Yes, if we can truly control those stubborn old-timers, could we collaborate?”

“It’s impossible, isn’t it? How could we manipulate those stubborn folks? They won’t listen to anyone, even if they have beer in their eyes.”

True, that’s how it usually goes.

But there is one exception, right?

“If it’s something intriguing and romantic, like those dwarves who are dazzled by ‘Twisted Flames’ as much as I recall from your clan.”

“…Hmm.”

“If we can soften the rigid thoughts of those old-timers enough with something romantic, couldn’t we move their hearts?”

As I mentioned the “exception,” Younggam, who had been pondering for a moment, asked me:

“Are you confident? With most ‘romantic’ things, wouldn’t it be impossible to satisfy the old-timers of our clan?”

“I am confident. It’s an item that would drive any man crazy.”

“What in the world is it?”

“It’s a giant robot.”

It’s quite easy to stimulate a man’s fantasy.

Whether it’s a dinosaur, a monster, well… there are various types.

No matter what anyone says, if it’s big and looks cool, men will go crazy over it.

Giant dinosaurs, giant monsters, giant robots.

Just hearing about them gets you excited, doesn’t it?

So, are these things different from dwarves? No, not at all.

If anything, they are more, not less. After all, they are designed to be inherently masculine.

Not only are they skilled with their hands, but they also happen to deal with metal?

One cannot help but go crazy over a “giant robot.”

Moreover, if that “giant robot” were to face a “giant monster”?

“Romance has its limits.”

I affirmed.

No dwarf looking at this design would fail to feel “romance.”

Sure enough.

“…Approved.”

Stroheim was already shedding tears of joy.

—–

The table where the witch had departed.

Sitting alone, sipping beer, I quietly got up and headed to my room.

“…I’m not sure if this is right.”

Upon reaching the room, I sat on the bed and carefully read the blueprint handed to me by the witch.

Illustrated on the blueprint was something akin to a sophisticated golem.

Did she call it a “giant robot”? Despite its crudeness, I couldn’t help but marvel at the surprisingly detailed design.

“Indeed, with this, we should be able to easily manipulate those old-timers as we please.”

Even though I had no interest in such a crude item resembling a golem, my blood boiled upon seeing it.

Perhaps it was due to the weapons attached, but it seemed like I could feel the “romance” to a lethal degree.

Furthermore.

“To engage in combat with Gwangryong using this golem…”

Gwangryong, the dragon frequently mentioned in historical texts, Ferodori.

Imagining the sight of a colossal golem battling the enormous dragon, I felt as though the lifeless object had come alive.

…Of course, it didn’t actually come to life.

Nevertheless, after looking at the blueprint, the desire to create it arose within me.

However, the thought of returning to the clan with this plan left me feeling uneasy.

Why is that?

Distorted Flame Tribe, are you afraid they’ll play along with the witch’s intentions?

No way, that was absolutely not the case.

Having been banished by those old fogies who couldn’t appreciate the beauty of explosions, I no longer had any affection for them.

“Then… are you afraid the old fogies will ruin this big and beautiful golem?”

…Surprisingly, that was the right answer.

Just imagining the old fogies discussing the golem production made my eyebrows furrow involuntarily.

So, I set the blueprint down beside my pillow and began to contemplate.

Was there even a reason to seek out the tribe that banished me?

Perhaps it would be better to approach another tribe, collaborate with them, and create the golem?

Honestly, the latter option did seem more appealing.

Thinking about collaborating with those old foggy inspirations from the same tribe once again already gave me a headache.

But doubts crept in.

Did the witch really suggest collaborating with the hometown old fogies without any ulterior motive?

I slowly shook my head.

“There must be some hidden agenda.”

Although I didn’t particularly like it, I decided to go along with the witch’s tune for now.

After all, haven’t I mostly benefited from following the witch’s guidance so far?

“If I’ve had enjoyable experiences, then I have, no bad ones at all.”

While the experiences were uniformly intense, deeming them bad would be nonsensical.

Of course, considering they were all beings from legends and myths.

“It’s an honor just to test the weapons I’ve created on such beings.”

There was nothing unpleasant in the tasks the witch had prepared.

So, undoubtedly, this time would also be an enjoyable experience.

I was already looking forward to tomorrow.