Leaving behind the dwarf corpses scattered at the entrance, we entered the village.
We couldn't extract Magic Stones from the corpses like we could from monsters, nor did we have the time or obligation to bury them.
"Whoa..."
As I surveyed the village, an involuntary gasp escaped my lips.
Truly, these were the dwarves the race renowned for their craftsmanship. The buildings were far from ordinary, exuding both artistic flair and remarkable sturdiness.
But living here myself would be quite inconvenient.
The structures were designed for the short stature of the dwarves. To enter one of these houses, I'd have to stoop low. Even inside, the cramped spaces would undoubtedly be uncomfortable.
"It's only natural that a house built by dwarves for their own use would be uncomfortable for others. The point here isn't the practicality of their homes, but their artistic merit."
I plan to bring the Frost Hammer Clan dwarves to Tevra Port City and place them under my patronage.
There, in my future domain, I'll have these dwarf artisans build my residence.
"Heh heh heh. Dwarves, the artisan race! They're the kind of retainers any self-respecting noble in a fantasy world should have at his court."
And it won't stop with dwarves. Next, I'll seek out Kkanp... no, Elves. A willing adult Elf lover is a staple of fantasy literature, after all.
"The taste of a willing adult Elf's pussy... I can hardly wait."
As I indulged in fantasies about Elves, the door of one of the dwarf houses suddenly swung open.
"Ah...?"
It was a female Dwarf.
If you were imagining a petite and adorable girl, you'd be sorely mistaken. In this world, female Dwarves looked exactly like male Dwarves, except without beards.
In other words, she was about a million light-years away from my type. Her breasts were relatively large, but her stocky build and bulging muscles made her appear overweight.
The only exception might be Half-blood Dwarves. Half-blood female Dwarves were said to be quite cute. However, they were exceedingly rare. In this human-hating land, Half-blood Dwarves likely didn't exist at all.
"A, human?!"
The female Dwarf's voice was thick and guttural.
"Hmph! Human? I am the one who will become your master! Come here at once and kneel before me!"
I had no intention of killing the female Dwarf.
She was still a Dwarf, after all, and possessed exceptional craftsmanship. I couldn't simply kill her. More importantly, we needed to keep her alive so her craft could be passed on to future generations.
"A, a mad human! A mad human has invaded the village!"
The female Dwarf screamed at the top of her lungs and began to flee.
"...Should I kill that Dwarf?" Yuria asked, gripping her dagger. She seemed ready to hurl the blade and kill the Dwarf the moment I gave the order.
"Leave her be. She's valuable labor."
"Won't it be a problem if that Dwarf causes a commotion?"
"That's exactly what I want."
Perhaps due to their small numbers, Dwarves and Elves have a stronger sense of kinship than humans. They rarely abandon their comrades when faced with external threats, though individual variations exist.
Ding-dong-ding-dong-ding!
The village bell rang out from the center of town. Dwarves who had been hiding in their homes rushed out and sprinted toward the village square with all their might.
The bell is ringing far too late. Do they still not know the Dwarf Warrior Corps has been annihilated?
It wasn't hard to understand. The Frost Hammer Clan Dwarves had placed excessive faith in the village's defensive walls. Moreover, living in such a remote location, they likely had never faced a proper external threat before.
Considering how clumsy the Dwarf warriors who faced us earlier were, they probably weren't full-time soldiers. These Dwarves had grown soft in their peaceful existence.
"They'll likely gather in the village center and try to kill us."
"Even so, wouldn't charging straight in be too risky?"
"Don't worry. We already know how they'll react."
I came to the Huge Snow Mountain because I was confident I could completely subdue the Dwarves.
Yuria and I strolled leisurely toward the village center.
As expected, all the Dwarves had gathered there. Men and women alike were armed with swords, spears, axes, and other weapons.
There are too many. Around sixty would be easier to manage. If I have to kill some, should I start with the old ones?
No, the older dwarves are more likely to be master craftsmen. Selective killing would be quite a task. Maybe I should just take them all.
Managing them would be difficult, but not impossible. Once I become the Lord of Tevra, I'll be able to hire plenty of overseers. Considering the future, taking them all would be the best course of action.
"Young human, what brings you to our village to cause such chaos?"
A dwarf stepped forward.
He had a red beard, and his armor and weapons were more ornate than those of the other dwarves.
"Are you the chieftain of this village?"
"That's right. I am Ehans Notley, Chieftain of the Frost Hammer Clan."
Ehans Notley.
I nodded, studying his crimson beard. Dwarves all look so similar that distinguishing them by their beards is the easiest method.
Each dwarf's beard has slight variations, and their beard ornaments differ wildly.
Ahem. Ahem.
After clearing my throat a few times, I addressed Ehans.
"Frost Hammer Clan, I hereby declare to you dwarves: cease your resistance and submit quietly. Become my loyal slaves, and I will spare your lives."
"So you came here with that purpose after all! How did you even find out we were here?!"
Ehans, his face flushed crimson, erupted in fury, pointing his hammer at me.
"Advisor! What should we do?!"
An elderly dwarf stepped forward beside Ehans, draped in a robe and wielding a magic staff a Dwarf Mage.
"Chief Ehans," the mage said, "never forget why our ancestors settled here, why they built these formidable walls. They created this paradise for us alone, to escape enslavement by those treacherous humans."
Advisor Maleph. I recognized him from the original story. He was the village's sole Dwarf Mage and, in truth, the true power behind the Frost Hammer Clan.
"You're right, Advisor. Your words are wise. But my question is, what should we do? As the wisest among our clan, surely you have a plan?"
"...Chief Ehans, there are only two of them. Surround them and kill them."
"That's it! Frost Hammer Clan! Listen well! Surround these humans and kill them! The Warrior Corps has already fallen to them! We must avenge their deaths!"
"Yes, Chief!"
"Grrr! My brother was in the Warrior Corps... Damn it! Humans! You won't be forgiven!"
"Let's defend our village with our own hands!"
The dwarves surged forward, beginning to encircle us.
I remained composed, my arms crossed.
"Master?"
"Ah, yes. These fellows should be enslaved, so kill them sparingly."
"Understood. As you command."
Yuria and I drew our daggers and gripped them firmly. Yuria often used daggers, and since my body hadn't fully matured yet, a dagger was easier to wield than the Hwaryeonbido.
"Die, humans!"
The Dwarves charged toward us.
I raised my hand sharply.
Crackling, sizzling.
Lightning writhed in my palm. The Dwarves hesitated, unable to advance.
"Your bodies are far more durable than human flesh, so I doubt this meager current will kill you. Still, if you die, so be it."
Discharge.
The lightning in my hand surged outward in all directions. The electrocuted Dwarves shuddered violently before collapsing to the ground.
Heh. Lightning is always most convenient when dealing with weaklings.
That's just how lightning works. Unless you block it with Mana, it's nearly impossible to completely defend against.
The current flows through shields, swords, and armor. Unless you're wearing non-conductive armor, of course.
"L-Lightning magic! Advisor! What should we do?!"
"That's not magic. It's simply manipulating Mana to manifest as lightning. In some ways, it's even more impressive than magic."
"No! Advisor! Praising the enemy won't improve our situation! How do we deal with this human?!"
"There are materials like glass and electricity-resistant substances, aren't there? Use those!"
"There's no time for that now! Look! That woman is using lightning to knock out our tribesmen! At this rate, we'll all be defeated! Do something, Advisor!"
The Dwarf Mage Maleph sighed and muttered under his breath, "...Perhaps the Chieftain should try thinking for himself?"
"What did you just say?" Ehans demanded, his expression hardening. Maleph shook his head and replied, "We have no choice but to use the weapons our ancestors left for us."
"...Do we really have to use them? My father, the previous Chieftain, warned us never to use them unless the village was on the brink of destruction... Aren't they dangerous?"
"It's not dangerous, but it can only be used once."
"Why can't the Advisor just use magic to kill those humans?"
"I'm too old. My magic is nearly gone. I can't fight them, Chieftain. This is a crisis for our village. Use the weapon. Or would you rather become slaves to those humans just to save it?"
"We will never become slaves!"
Ehans pulled something from his robe a blue orb. He gripped it tightly in his small hand, hesitated for a moment, then steeled his expression and hurled it to the ground.
Crack!
The bead shattered.
Immediately afterward, space split open, and something heavy stepped through.
It was a colossal golem, over five meters tall, with a body made of stone and metal. This was the ultimate weapon their ancestors had forged long ago, combining magic and engineering.
The Frost Hammer Clan had fallen behind in both magic and engineering compared to their ancestors. As a result, they could only use this golem once. To reactivate it, maintenance was required, but their current technological level was far inferior to the past, making such repairs impossible.
Thus, this golem was essentially an ancient relic.
"Great Golem King! Crush those invaders who dare trespass upon our paradise!"
"Heh heh heh."
I watched the golem lumber toward me, a satisfied grin spreading across my face.
Of course, I knew about the existence of this ridiculously named golem. And I also knew that despite its absurd name, it possessed considerable power.
Hacking successful.
You can hack the Great Golem King for 5 minutes.
"Stop, Golem."
The golem froze.
"Impossible! Why is the Great Golem King obeying that human?! Advisor! Explain yourself!"
"Uh... it seems that human has pulled some kind of trick."
They panicked. I issued another command to the golem.
"Stomp the ground with all your might."
The golem raised its right leg high and slammed it down onto the ground. Thanks to the hack, it was moving exactly as I had envisioned.
BAM! A minor earthquake shook the surroundings.
I was startled. The power was far greater than I had anticipated.
"W-what?! Was the Great Golem King always this powerful?!"
"This can't be... The Great Golem King was severely damaged. That's why we said it could only be used once... But it seems this Great Golem King can unleash its full original power."
"No! That's not what matters right now!"
"...Didn't the Chief ask?"
"What should we do, Advisor?! Tell me a countermeasure quickly!"
"...There's no way out. We're finished."
"Advisor! We have magic! Use magic to do something!"
"Magic isn't a panacea."
"I-I...!"
I surveyed the Dwarves. They were panicked and terrified as the Golem turned hostile.
It was a colossal construct, over five meters tall. One punch from it could easily crush them into pulp.
"I'll offer you this again: kneel before me and pledge your allegiance."
"Silence! Vile human! We'd rather die than become your slaves!" Ehans roared defiantly. That one needs to be eliminated.
Just as I was about to command the Golem with my will alone, a black-bearded Dwarf lunged forward and plunged a dagger into Ehans' abdomen.
"Gah! Pesus! My brother! What... what have you done?!"
"I'm succeeding you as Chieftain, brother."