Steel Mountain Range (6)

The violence in the central plaza grew uncontrollably. The shouts of the traditionalist and innovationist dwarves pierced the sky.

“You old-fashioned geezers! Magical engineering is the future of the dwarves!”

“You think machines can contain the soul of a dwarf? Don’t make me laugh!”

Sledgehammers flew, and magic engines exploded. Bearded dwarves charged at each other.

It was then.

“Dwarves! Proud citizens of Iron Forge!”

A booming voice echoed through the plaza. A dwarf in silver armor appeared from the lord’s mansion.

“Stop! Isn’t our dwarven pride better than this? Please, stop fighting for my sake, I am Mayor Gardris!”

The fighting paused for a moment. Everyone’s gaze turned to the lord.

Gardris’s silver beard fluttered in the wind. A kind smile spread across his lips.

“Dwarves. We are all of the same blood. Whether traditional or innovative, aren’t our roots one?”

The dwarves nodded at his eloquence. But something was off.

“Traditionalists.”

Gardris turned to face the traditionalists.

“I understand your concerns. The recklessness of magical engineering is frightening. Didn’t we just have an accident recently? The explosion at Steam Forge, I mean.”

A stir arose among the traditionalist dwarves.

“But!”

This time, he turned towards the innovationists.

“The inefficiency of tradition is also a fact. Last month, the production of the traditional smithy was only one-tenth of that of Steam Forge. At this rate, we won’t be able to handle the weapon contract with the Empire.”

The faces of the innovationists turned red. Their expressions were a mix of anger and pride.

‘What is this.’

A chill ran down my spine. He seemed to be advocating reconciliation on the surface, but he was actually fueling the conflict.

“We must become one! But to do that…”

Gardris’s speech continued. Words that subtly stimulated the anxieties of both sides.

‘This bastard…’

A bitter smile hung on my lips.

A person who incites division. A person who fuels conflict.

And a person who profits from that chaos.

“There is a way to solve all of this: the dangers of tradition and the fears of innovation!”

Gardris’s eyes flashed. A faint smile flickered beneath his silver beard.

“That is… harmony!”

In that instant, his lips twisted. It was so fleeting that no one would have noticed.

‘Indeed.’

It still stinks. It stinks real bad.

The real mastermind was openly giving a speech from behind the emblem.

The future development was clear. Who would profit from the conflict between tradition and innovation.

‘This is gonna be fun.’

A small smile hung on my lips. The Demon King is good and all, but I need to take care of these small-time villains sometimes too.

The plaza was still noisy. The dwarves’ emotions surged at Gardris’s speech.

*

That night, I searched deep within Gardris’s mansion. In the original story, these villains’ mansions always had secrets hidden within.

“I need to find the secret vault. Now, where would he have hidden it.”

From here on out, it’s according to Nia’s teachings.

I thoroughly searched the study. A button hidden behind the bookshelf, a trap door in the floor, even a secret passage in the fireplace.

“Here it is.”

I fumbled for a lever in the stone of the fireplace. The wall opened with a soft sound.

A vault was visible at the end of the dark passage. It was fitted with a lock that was uniquely dwarven and elaborate.

Thanks, Nia. It’s all thanks to you. Thanks to you, I, the hero, have become quite the expert at robbing other people’s houses.

As soon as the lock was disengaged, documents poured out.

“Accident records from 10 years ago…”

I flipped through the dusty documents one by one. There was a record that caught my eye.

[The unfortunate accident of the previous Lord Ironheart… presumed to be a magic engine explosion…]

Garuda’s father. A lord who valued tradition but did not reject innovation. A man who dreamed of harmony between tradition and innovation.

But he lost his life in a mysterious accident.

[Guardian Gardris, managing the estate in accordance with the wishes of the deceased…]

It tasted bitter. The dirty truths hidden behind the powerful.

“Garuda’s assets are…”

I rummaged through the documents further. Numbers caught my eye.

[List of inherited property of the Ironheart family]

I opened my eyes wide and read the document.

“All of this is Garuda’s…”

An enormous list of assets followed.

– 3 legendary dwarven smithies

– 30% stake in the Mithril Mine

– Ownership of the Rune Library

– 12 cases of ancient dwarven smelting method documents

– Golden Vault…

“He hid all of this away?”

When I turned the last page, an old parchment appeared.

[To my daughter, Garuda]

It was the last letter from the previous lord.

‘Garuda, passing on the traditional smithy to you may be a great burden. But I believe in your talent. Because the soul of a dwarf resides in your hammering.’

The seal stamped at the end of the document. This was the real inheritance certificate.

“Gardris did this…”

Anger surged.

‘He took everything in his capacity as guardian. Something like, I’ll give it to you when you grow up.’

He was like Xrutobi from the X Leaf Village.

And I found the most important document.

[Magic Engine Modification Instructions]

– Force output increase by 200%

– Disable safety devices

– Induce explosion…

“Indeed.”

The truth of the accident 10 years ago was revealed.

The previous lord who dreamed of harmony between tradition and innovation.

Murder planned to stop his dream.

And Gardris, who took everything.

Gardris’s next plan could also be found.

[200% increase in traditional smithy taxes]

[300% increase in magic engineering facility permit fees]

[Special imposition of safety inspection fees]

A person who incites hatred and fuels division. A person who profits from that gap. The lord of Iron Forge, Gardris.

Then I heard footsteps.

“Who is it?”

It’s a guard. I hurriedly put the documents back in their place.

“Ah, that’s right. I’m the hero. Isn’t the city dangerous these days.”

When I showed him the Holy Sword, the guard bowed his head.

“Yes, Hero-nim. But at night…”

“I just got permission from the lord-nim.”

Lies flowed smoothly from my mouth.

In fact, Gardris is currently at a banquet. He’s calling representatives from both sides to promote ‘harmony’.

“Ah… yes, I understand.”

The guard nodded. But his eyes were suspicious.

That bastard will report to Gardris right away. Should I follow him once?

The faces of the traditionalist and innovationist representatives leaving Gardris’s banquet hall were flushed red. It wasn’t just because of the alcohol.

“What did he say…”

I quietly followed behind them. The ‘harmony’ banquet taking place at the lord’s mansion. There must be something behind it.

The traditionalist representative spoke in a voice trembling with anger.

“How dare they ignore us? The magic engineering bastards violated safety regulations? That’s why those without roots can’t do it!”

The innovationists were even more agitated.

“The Empire’s delivery was delayed because of the traditionalists, but they’re blaming us! How much loss have we suffered because of those bastards!”

It seems that both sides heard something from Gardris. Unfortunately, it was content that fueled their dissatisfaction with each other.

The next day, the market was even noisier.

“I heard the contract with the Empire is in danger of being canceled because of the traditionalists?”

“The city is in danger because of magic engineering experiments!”

The rumors spread uncontrollably.

It was then.

Kwang-!

An explosion was heard from the magic engineering workshop. Smoke covered the sky.

“Look! That’s the truth of magic engineering!”

“Who didn’t do the safety inspection properly?”

The street became a scene of chaos. In the midst of it, Gardris’s managers were moving busily.

“Additional safety inspection fees.”

“You will also have to pay an emergency permit tax.”

The sight of collecting money while holding them responsible for the accident.

A different scene unfolded at the traditional smithy on the other side.

“You need to pay more taxes to meet the Empire’s contract.”

“This is to prevent the risk of defective products.”

Money and technology leaked out from both sides. And all the assets flowed into one place.

I looked up at Gardris’s mansion. The reality of this chaos was visible.

The explosion and the Empire contract issue must all be planned.

The next day, I looked around the market. The sighs of the merchants were everywhere.

“I heard the taxes went up again?”

“At this rate, I’ll have to close shop.”

The sighs of the traditional smithy.

“Why are the permit fees so high…”

“What’s this safety inspection fee?”

The complaints of the innovationist workshop.

Both sides are in dire straits. But someone’s vault will grow more and more.

The deeper the conflict becomes, the fewer people will be able to question Gardris.

“Garuda’s father too…”

Could it be that accident too.

My fists clenched on their own. In the game, I enjoyed judging these guys.

Is it my turn to feel that fun in reality now?

A small smile hung on my lips. I thought I could hear the Holy Sword wailing.

*

From the traditional smithy street to the magic engineering smithy Steam Forge, torches blazed all at once in the darkness.

The faces of the angry traditionalist blacksmiths were distorted in the light.

“I can’t take it anymore!”

“Let’s punish those who trample on our pride!”

Dozens of dwarves rushed in, wielding hammers. The windows of the magic engineering workshop were shattered, and the machines were smashed to pieces.

Kwang, kung, kwang!

“S, stop!”

A frail voice rang out. It was Garuda.

“Please… stop it-ssi!”

But the dwarves, drunk with anger, did not listen to her words. Rather, they smashed the magic engineering facilities even more fiercely.

Kwaang─!

“I told you to stop!”

Then, Garuda slammed the rune hammer into the ground.

In an instant, a sound that overwhelmed all noise rang out. It was a resonance that was hard to believe coming from Garuda’s small frame.