The Amber Sword

Count Randner’s right-hand man was slightly startled. The exemption of tax and providing free provisions would certainly spur a significant amount of desperate Highland natives to participate in the battle, due to the damage caused by Madara’s invasions on their farmlands.

They would not refuse and simply could not refuse.

Furthermore, these barbarians were no strangers to battles.

With such strong incentives, the Highland natives participating in this battle would surely be more than ten thousand, and this figure did not include Madara’s undead or Lord Palas army.

The scale of the army made him a little excited. His lord who always played down his strength had decided to show his might to Princess Gryphine and Duke Arreck in this battle.

Aouine had not seen such a battle for a decade, maybe even two. A new generation of talented youths might have appeared, but this did not mean the old Count had lost his vigor.

He glanced at both Count Randner and his son. Even the former’s eyebrows had turned white, but his eyes were still sharp.

Everyone knew that once the two letters were sent out, no one would be able to stop the battle from happening. While everyone was paying attention to the North’s impending battles, no one could have expected that the beginning of the kingdom’s civil war to begin in its most southern borders.

Indeed, who could have expected a battle to take place over a destitute and remote place like Trentheim?

=============== Brendel’s POV =============

Brendel understood that he had made a move that caused ‘history’ to change. Once Lord Macsen’s defeat was announced, it meant that he had placed himself on the upcoming civil war that would decide Aouine’s fate.

As for the results, it would depend on the performance of each faction.

However, Brendel was currently not thinking about this problem.

He was in a large horse carriage that departed from Schafflund and was heading back to Firburh, and was instead staring vacantly out the window at the blue sky.

It was a bumpy ride due to the uneven roads on the hills.

He left behind all administrative works in the silver mines and left during a certain night. It was not because he received news of Count Randner’s preparation to send out a huge army to crush the borders, neither was it the delivered letter from the Regent Princess to Firburh.

It was for an entirely different reason.

He soon turned his gaze at the changing scenery outside the window and landed on the dwarf opposite of him. The latter was staring at the youth with open eyes.

“Mister Odum,” the youth finally opened his lips first, “I want to know what you’re doing.”

“Huh......?” The dwarf showed a puzzled expression and blanked out for a few seconds, before he stuffed his mouth with desserts: “Fhat Im woing?”

The dwarf welcomed himself to the specially made desserts by Felaern that filled a hidden compartment in the carriage. He had eaten approximately half of it and was finishing the other half off.

Brendel looked at the massive amount of chewing with slight annoyance and felt that he had lost his appetite. Perhaps this was the dwarf’s strategy to prevent him from eating the desserts.

At the very least, it was working.

“I don’t believe I invited you to travel along with me?” Brendel asked with some exasperation in his tone. “Don’t you have a good job in the silver mines? I didn’t cause you to get dismissed so why are you hovering around me every day—”

The youth paused for a while and thought. He sighed deeply and added: “For the past two or three weeks—”

“Gough?” The dwarf choked and smacked his chest loudly and swallowed the tart he was having: “Erm, well, you see! Lad, this is a good question......”

Brendel felt the sides of his lips spasm. If there was a chance, he would definitely kick the old dwarf down the horse carriage. He replied coldly:

“Mister Odum, may I ask you to leave the carriage if you don’t have an answer?”

“No, no, no!” The dwarf shook his small, fat hands, “Of course not, I’m definitely not leaving!”

“And the reason why you can’t leave?”

“Well..... Hmm, let me think,” Odum was troubled.

[I can’t say that I want to observe you for a while to see if you have the potential to become the King of the Underground, and that all the Rune Dwarves would then need to follow you, right?]

He felt like he would be treated as insane if he said that. After pondering for a few more seconds, he finally found a lousy excuse: “Lad, don’t you need people to work for you?”

Brendel felt he was to laugh out loud with sarcasm, but he spoke in an annoyed tone through his grinding teeth: “Very well, old dwarf, what can you do?”

“I...... I can mine, yes, I’m skilled at mining. I-I have been taught by the Gold Dwarves, even though Rune Dwarves are not famous for mining, but the Gold Dwarves are proficient—”

“Please, stop talking now,” Brendel shook his head, “since you’re so good at mining, why aren’t you staying in the mines?”

The old dwarf stared back with big round eyes, opened and closed his mouth a few times before he stuttered: “Well...... I mean, even though I’m good at mining, I actually want to switch professions......”

He said with a smile.

A very forced smile.

“Oh?” Brendel suddenly felt a little better. At least the dwarf seemed to know how strange his actions were. “Then what do you want to do?”

The youth’s tone was both sarcastic and malicious.

Odum grabbed his hair. It was a difficult question.

[Urgh, this damned question has hit me in the guts. What else do I know other than mining? Are you pulling my leg, lad? You’re making things hard for me on purpose. If this was anyone else but you, I’ll punch them so hard that they see stars!]

After hesitating for a while, he finally said with much strain: “You know...... I know a little...... about construction.......”

He did not lie. At the very least, he knew a little about constructing structural supports in the mines. It was his hobby too, and he could at least consider himself as someone who knew a little about building something.

But his knowledge did not come from the Rune Dwarves and he did not inherit their famous skills. In the end, he was still a miner.

But Brendel pricked his ears upon hearing that.

He obviously knew that the Rune Dwarves built grand structures in the underground, but he was not certain whether Odum inherited their skills. Since the old dwarf said he had them, his mood started to change, even throwing the gloom in his heart back to his mind.

“Did you say construction?” His voice was thirty percent higher.

Odum jolted and this eyes twitched a little at the youth’s sudden enthusiasm, and the lack of confidence in his reply was even less: “J-just a little, I think......”

But the stubborn character of a dwarf suddenly boiled in him. He realized he could not make himself look weak. He was a dwarf, and a Rune Dwarf, and in him flowed the blood of a Silver Lineage!

“Lad!” He coughed out loudly and cleared his voice: “There has to be a beginning somewhere for everyone. Even though I said I know only a little about construction, I meant that my experience isn’t enough. As you well know, I’ve worked in mines my whole life.”

His reply was full of holes and even Romaine would probably not believe him. Unfortunately, Brendel had visited a ruined city made by Rune Dwarves in the game and was awed by the scale and design. It did not help that Odum had performed that miracle with Halran Gaia as well.

He nodded as he felt that Odum was talking about not having a budget to construct grand cities:

“I understand. You mean that you’re lacking in funds. Don’t worry, I’ll give you enough money, so you can build a city for me.”

“You want to build a city?” Odum yelled.

The old dwarf was so shocked that he started perspiring. A city was not like a simple building. He started to imagine himself trying to build one with his current knowledge.

In the future, at some random place, an unsightly city that became a famous place, oops, it was actually an infamous place.

It was teaching material for all dwarves. Odum could even hear a grumpy old voice speaking to a group of young dwarves.

“Alright, you lads, take a look at the braggart Odum’s infamous work! This foolish dwarf even forgot to make the damned city gate—”

Odum shook his head and threw away the nasty thoughts out of his mind. Brendel’s eager eyes were staring at him—

“How about it?” Brendel continued to speak to Odum with a tone that sounded like a devil trying to tempt him: “A city that’s also an impregnable fortress, and once it’s built, your name shall be remembered forever by everyone—”

Brendel seemed to believe his own words, and his eyes stared into the far-off distance:

“Hark, the Grandmaster Dwarven Builder Odum’s masterpiece, a city that withstood a thousand invasions and the test of time. He brought back the glory of the Rune Dwarves that were known for their skill in construction.”

Odum blinked a few times when he heard Brendel speaking about glory. Brendel’s confidence and descriptions of the city’s image had made him forget that he was actually an amateur.

[Yes! Of course! I carry the blood of a Rune Dwarf, even if I’m worst builder amongst my race, I still wouldn’t be that bad!]

He immediately strengthened his resolve and nodded forcefully.

“I look forward to your skill, mister Odum.” Brendel was also relieved.

[How silly of me. I should have asked him earlier whether he’s an architect. It’s lucky that he insisted on joining me. It wouldn’t be a problem if I want to build a fortress now.]

Brendel felt like he had profited immensely, and so did Odum.