Chapter 107 The Blacksmith’s Oath
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
I had come to the Zaitz Merchant Guild to purchase a skilled dwarf slave-someone who could craft a weapon made specifically for me.
The reception room I was shown into was furnished entirely in heavy mahogany, its walls decorated with a handful of paintings that leaned just a little too far into questionable taste.
I sank deep into the central sofa reserved for guests and waited for the merchandise to arrive.
Across from me sat Balthazar, the guild master’s son. Behind him stood Gregor, his watchdog, and-by some twist of circumstance-Lady Merinda, who had been seated with us as part of the day’s proceedings. She stood quietly, arms folded, observing.
”Still, I must say, Lord Xenos,” Balthazar began, his tone half-admiring, half-baffled, “to think you’d take an interest even in dwarves. Heh heh heh. Your-ah-let’s call it a broad range of tastes never ceases to amaze.”
”-Hmph. Something like that,” I replied.
He wasn’t wrong. Commissioning an entire weapon, and buying an entire dwarf craftsman just for that purpose-it went beyond luxury into the realm of eccentric obsession.
In this world, humans and demi-humans were fundamentally at odds. Borders ran red with the blood of elves and beast-kin. Dwarves, meanwhile, were subjugated by noble houses like the Duke Crowley Family.
A handful of dwarves managed to live in human society, but most ended their lives as slaves-or, if they were lucky, as employees in a smithy. They were technically permitted to own property, but no dwarf, no matter how skilled, could ever open their own shop.
”Ah, right. Balthazar,” I said, shifting the subject. “While I’m at it, I’m thinking of picking up a vacant storefront. Something reasonably priced. Can you arrange that?”
Slave merchants didn’t just sell slaves. They handled all manner of needs for their high-paying clients. A major establishment like the Zaitz Merchant Guild could even manage negotiations with real estate agents on your behalf. The commissions stung, but it was faster-and cheaper-than doing everything from scratch yourself.
”A storefront, you say…?” Balthazar’s eyebrows shot up. “Hoh. Planning to open a restaurant with your newly purchased dwarf? Dressing up the dwarf employees in-ah-alluring outfits, perhaps? Ha ha ha… that is… well, that is a rather avant-garde hobby, isn’t it? I can hardly imagine customers coming through the door…”
…Huh?
What the hell is this guy on about?
As I frowned in confusion, the door knocked. A guild employee entered, leading five dwarves.
The sight made me raise an eyebrow even further.
”We’ve hurriedly gathered young, good-looking ones, as requested,” the employee announced, his tone uncertain. “But I must say, using these as a centerpiece to draw a crowd might be a stretch… Their total price is three hundred gold coins. As an addition to Lord Xenos’s ‘eclectic collection,’ I’d say it’s quite the bargain, but…”
The five who’d been brought in were all young, attractive female dwarves.
It seemed the employees of the Zaitz Merchant Guild had gotten the wrong idea. They’d assumed I was once again looking for young women as a novelty for my ever-expanding collection.
Lady Merinda, standing beside the dwarves, directed a look at me that had moved beyond contempt.
It was a look that seemed to condense all the filth in the world into a single glare.
This is a misunderstanding.
”…I appreciate you going to the trouble,” I said, my voice flat, “but that’s not what I came for today. What I need is skilled talent I can trust with my forging. I want a new sword made.”
”Oh! Is-is that so!” Balthazar’s chubby frame began to glisten with nervous sweat. “My deepest apologies! We’ll prepare our finest craftsman at once! Please wait just a moment! -Hey! What are you standing around for! Get these ones out of here!”
The elegantly dressed dwarf girls were unceremoniously ushered out by the employees.
That was when it happened.
One of the girls cried out in a desperate voice.
”Wait-please wait!”
”Quiet down!” an employee barked.
An employee rushed to cover her small mouth. But she paid him no mind. She turned to me-and with those clear, unflinching eyes, spoke with fierce conviction.
”If you want a sword, I’ll forge it for you!” she declared. “Better than any human craftsman-better than any dwarf man! I swear I’ll make you a blade of the highest quality! So please-please buy me!”
That voice was a desperate plea from her very soul.
The employee tried to drag her out by force.
But I stopped him-with nothing more than a raised hand.
Now I was interested.
”Wait,” I said. “Don’t take her out. Let me hear her out.”
* * *
At my words, the five dwarf girls were allowed to remain in the room. I’d only asked to hear from one of them, but well-the whole group had ended up staying by default.
”I’m looking for a Magic Sword,” I explained, “-a weapon that draws out special effects by channeling my own Mana. Can you make that?”
”…! Of course!” the girl replied, her eyes blazing with pride. “In fact, only my clan can craft true magical armaments!”
Clan?
”Haah? You sure about that?” Balthazar asked, his tone dripping with skepticism.
At that, the other four dwarves immediately came to her defense.
”It’s true!” one of them insisted.
”Among dwarves, only those with a special ‘Magic Eye’ can truly craft magical items!” another added.
”The princess has that Magic Eye!” a third chimed in. “And her skills as a blacksmith are unmatched among dwarves-no, among all the world!”
Wait… princess?
If their story held any truth-
Then this small girl, standing before me, desperately selling herself to a slave merchant, was none other than a genuine princess of the Dwarf Tribe.
”…So why is a princess being sold here of all places?” I asked, voicing my plain curiosity.
”Um… I left home, ran out of money…” she stammered. “I accepted food and shelter from someone, and next thing I knew, I’d been sold here… um…”
”Yeah, I can fill in the blanks on that part,” I said dryly.
What I wanted to know was why she’d left home in the first place.
Her motive.
”…It was to free my people from the Crowley Family’s slow stranglehold,” she said, her voice steadying with conviction. “I left my homeland to seek aid.”
It seemed she had planned to negotiate directly with a powerful human noble-to secure a system where dwarves wouldn’t be exploited, in other words, independence from the Crowley Family. She had quarreled with her parents, left home alone, hoping to find a human who would lend their strength in exchange for her armaments and technical knowledge.
But the human world had been far colder than she’d imagined.
She couldn’t even secure a meeting with a powerful noble. Turned away at every gate. Her money and food ran out in no time. A kind-seeming person offered her meals and shelter-only to later bill her for everything, and when she couldn’t pay, she’d been sold to this slave trader.
The other four girls, she explained, had been sold by their own parents due to poverty.
On the brink of resignation and despair, they’d ended up at this very slave trader’s shop-never expecting that their own princess would be sold alongside them as a slave. They’d been utterly shocked.
I listened quietly to their story, and when they finished, I spoke. My voice was calm. Brief.
”Balthazar,” I said. “I’ll take all five. I’ll look after them.”
To think I’d encounter a dwarf princess here of all places-
Her goals aligned with my own interests, too.
An unexpected windfall.
—
Summary:
Xenos visits the Zaitz Merchant Guild seeking a skilled dwarf blacksmith to forge a custom weapon, but the guild misinterprets his intentions and brings attractive young female dwarves instead. After clarifying his true need, one dwarf girl desperately offers her services, revealing herself as a princess of the Dwarf Tribe who fled her homeland seeking aid against the Crowley Family. Xenos decides to purchase all five dwarves, seeing unexpected opportunity in the princess’s aligned goals.
—
Trivia:
1. Xenos’s reputation for collecting young women has preceded him, causing guild employees to assume his interests are perverse rather than practical.
2. The Dwarf Tribe is subjugated by the Duke Crowley Family, making dwarf princesses rare and valuable political assets.
3. Only dwarves with a special ‘Magic Eye’ can craft true magical armaments, making the princess exceptionally valuable.
4. The princess was betrayed by a seemingly kind human who offered help, then sold her into slavery when she couldn’t pay.
5. The other four dwarf girls were sold by their own parents due to poverty, highlighting the desperate state of dwarves in human society.
6. Xenos’s decision to buy all five dwarves is both practical (acquiring skilled craftspeople) and strategic (gaining influence with the Dwarf Tribe).
7. Lady Merinda’s disgust at Xenos’s perceived perversions intensifies when the dwarf girls are brought in, seeing him as a collector of exotic women.
Notes:
• Balthazar – Son of the Crowley family. A pervert with no boundaries who considers himself improved after being advised to stop saying “stinky” to women. Obsessed with female scent. Currently engaged in an arranged marriage meeting.
• Merinda – Third daughter of the impoverished Lancaster baron family. Engaged in an arranged marriage meeting with Balthazar. Has dull blue eyes. Expresses cold contempt toward both Balthazar and Xenos after they are grouped together as perverts.
• Gregor – Balthazar’s guardian and minder at the Zaitz Merchant Guild. Calm and professional demeanor that breaks only when Balthazar misbehaves. Defers to Xenos with formal respect.
• Xenos – Job: Heir to a high-ranking noble house; Relationship: Owner of Lilia; Has romantic connections with Elenor, Cecilia, and Lizel; Item/Magic: Summoning magic, [Substitution Collars]; Note: Was caught up in a Royal Palace explosion and missed three days of school. Pragmatic and calculating personality. Job: Noble of Grimlock family, protagonist; Relationship: Manipulator of Princess Liliana, pursuing Serena; Item/Magic: [Ring of Transformation]; Note: Reincarnated villain with game knowledge, calculating and arrogant. Job: Theater Owner and noble of Grimlock family; Relationship: Fiancé to Cecilia; Item/Magic: Game knowledge/metaknowledge; Note: Reincarnated villain protagonist who knows the original game script.
• Crowley – Bartholomeus’ family name.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
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