Absolutely Do Not Touch Eldmia Egga

Chapter 660

Unlike the conversation with Niath Ezelf, I expected the deal with General Miwood to not take too long, but when he woke up, he surprised me by raising the stakes on conditions that were completely different from what I had expected.

“If you are satisfied with the results instead of the money, would you be willing to help the kingdom just once when it needs help?”

Even Niath Ezelf, who was standing calmly behind him, was looking down at the back of General Miwood’s head with a puzzled look. However, General Miwood just kept his confident face with a friendly smile, and thanks to that, I seriously thought about whether I should applaud his shamelessness or assume that he had other intentions, and finally made a decision.

To throw a fastball

“I’m not cheap, but…”

I don’t want to overestimate myself, but this is clearly a disadvantage for me.

Even if it weren’t for the dragon raid, there’s nothing I can do other than put on some dragon armor. It’s true that their technology is great, but in the end, I’m the one who brought the materials and I’m the one who pays for the processing, so there’s absolutely no reason to bow my head and support such unfair trade.

And General Miwood was also well aware of that fact.

“That is correct. That is why we would like to make an additional suggestion. The simplest is to start with the maintenance of the armor, and if there is anything in your future life that requires the knowledge of the dwarves, we will step forward and help you.”

Was the first proposal just a flier? The proposals that followed are worth considering, depending on the time frame. It means that you can get their help not only for immediate A/S but also when you need to remodel the house you just moved into.

“That’s an interesting enough proposal. I think it needs to be weighed based on the timing. Do you have any specific conditions in mind?”

“Until the day the warrior ascends to heaven”

The answer that came back before I could finish asking all the questions was firm. I felt suspicious of the perfect answer sheet that made me want to immediately stamp the contract, so I kept silent for a moment, but General Miwood did not change his words or try to add an explanation.

“You are so sincere.”

“I can’t afford to joke around when dealing with a warrior, right?”

What’s there to lose?

Even if you look at it carefully dozens of times, there is nothing at all.

If there is something that threatens the dwarven kingdom, it is obvious that my life will be threatened sooner or later, so I will eventually take action. If it were normal, I would be able to work without pay, but it is no different than having an additional boss added on.

In a way, it’s fortunate. If you had figured out how I operate, it would have been a suggestion you would never have made.

“···Let’s do that. The contract will be drawn up on the day the goods are completed.”

If I wanted to, I could just get up and shout that the deal was done, but that would be too obvious, so I paused for a moment and then answered.

Considering the benefits you get, that level of courtesy is cheap, so it wasn’t difficult.

◈

As Eldmia finished her transaction and left the room, and her wise and faithful servant, who was now no different from her right hand, took her place, Miwood put down the teacup he was holding and said,

“What did I do wrong again?”

“I didn’t say anything”

“Of course, you said you would just watch without telling me anything.”

Since Miwood had only seen dragons like Bingryong and Hwaryong in his entire life, he had no idea about the average personality of dragons. He had even met people with personalities that were polar opposites, so it was difficult to define what a dragon was like.

But even so, I was certain that Bingryong Niath-Ezelf had too much affection for mortals.

“You must think that I set wrong conditions in my deal with the warrior. I don’t think the conditions were that excessive, but the fact that you’re reacting like this suggests that even if there was no such offer, there must have been some reason why the warrior had no choice but to help the kingdom.”

Niathezelf doesn’t answer. Because that was the oath.

But for a subject that has lived for thousands of years, the overly rich expressions speak volumes. At this point, the oath is almost a facade.

“I really don’t get what the problem is. If it was a situation where I could have called the warrior at the right time in the first place, I would have known, so I think it would have been closer to intervening depending on the situation. No… Judging from your expression, you’re right. Doesn’t that mean the warrior could come after we’ve suffered huge damage? Through this deal, you’ve gained the opportunity to call him right away if there are any signs, so what on earth do you think is so damaging that you’re so sullen?”

In the first place, he had brought all the materials himself, and he had already set fire to the craftsmanship of the other dragon generals by providing the unprecedented condition of being a human race that could use magic. Even with that alone, the situation where he could have made a fuss and refused to make it if they refused the conditions he had proposed was already beyond the water, and he did not want to damage the reputation of dwarves with such a petty act.

This is a deal where there is no loss in the first place. Rather, charging for payment here would have been the worst and most short-sighted choice. Thinking that, I tilted my teacup again, and Niat Ezelf, who had been looking at me as if the world was pitiful, finally opened his mouth.

“Mortals live longer than we think, and those who have reached the state of transcendence even longer.”

The expressions that were spinning, the mutterings that sounded like talking to oneself, the actions that were not much different from covering one’s eyes and pretending not to know were ultimately advice, but since it had always been like that, Miwood did not bother to find fault with it.

Instead, he burst into laughter without hiding his realization. It was because he had spent time with Niath Ezelp that he realized very clearly what kind of delusions the old dragon was making based on his own standards.

Then, a natural look of ‘Are you crazy?’ poured out from Niat Ezelf, but Miwood was confident because she was already confident.

“Why is that a mistake? It’s a win-win situation for both parties.”

“Why?”

“Because you can’t collect a price from a dead person.”

Today’s contract is not made in Miwood’s name alone. It will be a contract that all current and future warriors will bear, with the dwarven royal family as witnesses.

Of course, the kingdom will only use the warrior’s one-time pass when absolutely necessary. However, the warrior has no choice but to help them to some extent if something serious happens to them in order to receive the benefits provided by the warrior generals.

“···You said you would only ask for help once, right?”

“Well, we’ll only ask for help once, but that doesn’t mean the warrior won’t move even after hearing of the danger we face.”

Should I say that it is typical of a dragon to be entangled in an oath? Or should I say that even the person who is entangled in the oath is unknowingly helping to avoid the oath and getting stuck in a strange place? It seems that the person in question does not know that the dragon, who is making an expression as if there is no such law in the world, is the one who came up with this idea, so Miwood burst out laughing.

It was a moment when the advice of the former CEO, who said that it would not be boring, came to mind again.

◈

Even after the deal, which was hectic but went smoothly, I had to stay in a nearby accommodation provided by the kingdom and visit the warriors’ workshop once a day.

Since these are devices that only pursue performance, the appearance didn’t really matter, but when it came to actual work, the materials consumed were so expensive that the process of supplementing and correcting through samples was more frequent than expected.

But it wasn’t particularly bothersome. In the process, I was able to naturally hear about all sorts of amazing production methods, and it wasn’t bad to see my own equipment being completed little by little.

The accommodations there were also well-equipped to a very modern standard.

Thanks to the standardized technology, the dwarven kingdom, which had a water supply system that was different from others, was able to use water without any regrets anytime and anywhere, and I, who was so absorbed in the taste, spent the end of the day in the bathhouse attached to the accommodation.

It was exactly the vacation I had been dreaming of, but as always, fun times don’t last long.

Today, exactly one week later, I headed to the workshop with my escorts as soon as I received the telegram that the equipment was completed.

“You are truly a brave warrior. You can complete your equipment so quickly.”

“That’s true…”

The words of the captain of the guards who was by my side were by no means empty words. One of the things I had asked of the warriors was the leather chain mail armor that I had heard about at the banquet in the empire.

It can take months to make even a single piece of ordinary chainmail, so completing the entire process in just a week is an insanely fast pace, even if it’s done through magical means.

Just walking along with the captain of the guard and admiring the skill of the warriors, we arrived at the workshop in no time and were welcomed inside by twenty warriors who were smoking their pipes contentedly while looking at their work.

“You came so quickly, even though it wasn’t that long ago that I sent someone. Were you secretly looking forward to it, Warrior?”

“Inwardly? I was openly looking forward to it. I never thought I would get this opportunity in my life.”

“Hahaha, we are the same. I never thought the day would come when we would be able to create equipment for the human race with magical powers. I guess we will live long enough to see it all.”

The twenty dwarves showed an indelible sense of confidence, satisfaction, and pride. And in proportion, my expectations for the warriors’ abilities grew.

“First, look at the armor. It is a very meaningful item because it was the first piece made using this technique and was made from a byproduct of a dragon.”

As he spoke, the path opened up naturally, splitting left and right, and at the end of the path was a plate armor worn by a wooden mannequin.

At first I thought it was real sheet metal, even though I knew it wasn’t ‘sheet metal’.

Underneath the chest plate, which is infused with the dark blue scales of Iranoreph, is a chainmail armor made of dragon leather straps that extends down to the pelvis, and beneath that are knee pads and boots made of scales processed like the chest plate.

The same was true of the gauntlets, but I couldn’t help but tilt my head for a moment. The aesthetics were certainly good, but it seemed to lack a lot of the necessary parts for the full-body plate armor I had commissioned.

There is no possibility that they ignored the request and made it on their own or that they couldn’t make it all because they didn’t have time. It’s insulting to even think about it. I racked my brain to meet the expectations of the dragon generals who were smiling broadly as they looked at me wondering what was going on. I was able to find a hint in what they said.

‘So you had a connection with Lumings too?’

‘If Lord Lumings gave it to us, does that mean there’s no problem with us using it?’

‘This is an even more meaningful item because the first piece made using this technique was made from a byproduct of a dragon.’

The remaining parts of the armor are compressed like Luming’s helmet.

As I made that guess, the dragon generals naturally nodded their heads as I reached for Luming’s earrings. The unexpected convenience brought a smile to my face.

“What are you waiting for if you noticed? Let’s see how it works and feel proud by wearing it quickly.”

I had to work hard to nod politely and hide my excitement as I watched the warriors strip the armor off the mannequin before I could even agree to it because they were getting more impatient.