Under two hours’ travel on the golems.
We had come to Kobold Village at the foot of the rocky mountain.
Compared to the base, which was developing at a rapid pace, not much had changed out here.
The only real difference was that a sturdier new fence had been built and Lancelot-types were making their rounds on patrol.
“Why, if it isn’t our lord! To what do we owe the visit?”
As soon as we arrived, Mumul and the others came out to greet us.
I smiled pleasantly and got straight to the point.
“I wanted to ask you about something, Mumul. Is now a good time?”
“But of course. If anything, thanks to our lord we’ve been living quite comfortably lately — I have more time on my hands than I know what to do with.”
“Glad to hear it. Nothing makes me happier than knowing the residents are living well.”
With that brief exchange, we were invited into Mumul’s home.
Sipping at something that seemed to be a juice of some sort, I said:
“Mumul, you mentioned the Elves before. Could you tell me a bit more about them?”
“About the Elves? I don’t mind, but — are you planning something with them?”
“The thing is……”
Makina gave a brief summary of the situation at base.
Mumul listened and nodded along thoughtfully.
“I see. Yes, the Elves do keep livestock called llamas — large animals, something between a goat and a deer in shape. The meat is quite good.”
“Oh, if we could get some of those that’d be a real help.”
“That said, it won’t be easy.”
“Because of the journey to Elven territory?”
I remembered hearing at the victory celebration that you had to cross a hazardous stretch to reach Elven lands.
What was it called — the Bleached Bone Swamp?
They’d said the Kobolds couldn’t make it through, so trade only happened when the Elves came to them.
“That too. But more than that — the Elves look down on us. When they come to trade, I can only describe the atmosphere as them graciously dispensing charity in exchange for our ore. We’re not even given a say in what we receive.”
“That sounds less like trade and more like a completely one-sided arrangement……”
“An organic lifeform that can’t even claim dominion over the forest, acting pretentious.”
……Makina letting slip something pointed, just like that.
Was it my imagination, or was she getting more extreme by the day?
“We can’t help it. They are one of the Six Kings — their forces are considerable.”
“Is that right?”
“Yes. Their Mage Knight Order averages level fifty or above, apparently. And while not as numerous as the Goblins, they have quite a large force as well.”
“I see — yes, our village’s previous strength was nowhere near enough to contest them.”
“On top of that, the Mage King who leads the Elves is said to be powerful enough to wipe out that entire knight order single-handedly.”
A knight order averaging level fifty or above……
Alicia, a top-tier adventurer, was around that level — so this was a formidable force by any measure.
And their king could wipe them out alone? That might put him above even Makina.
Level five hundred might not even cover it.
……So they had the strength to back up all that looking down on people.
“Appealing to force is clearly the wrong move here.”
“Yes — infuriating as it is, restraint is advisable for now.”
For now — was she planning to do something about it eventually?
I filed that thought away, folded my arms, and considered.
Even the Elves, who were supposedly the more friendly demi-human race, were like this.
I’d been intending to import various things the base was short on besides meat, but the negotiations were looking like they’d be an uphill battle.
“We’ll need some way to get into the Elves’ good graces. Is there any angle to work with?”
“Hmm……the Elves are accomplished magic users. A fellow magic user might find more common ground with them.”
“That points to Misha.”
Misha, one of the Sword of Dawn members.
An adventurer, and a genuinely capable mage.
From what I’d heard before, she could use high-level fire magic.
A caliber that would hold up against mages employed by upper nobility, without any disadvantage.
“As a precaution, we should also arrange an escort of golems impressive enough not to be dismissed. Mithril coating, perhaps?”
“Isn’t that a bit flashy?”
“In situations like this, a little too flashy is exactly right. Diplomacy involves a good deal of competing displays of prestige.”
Fair point — Embance Kingdom nobility certainly lived and breathed appearances and face.
That apparently held true even when dealing with demi-human races.
“Alright, we’ll go with that. I should probably put together a more impressive transport carriage too.”
“Yes — something that seats around ten would be ideal.”
“Have a Demeter-type pull it and the look would be solid.”
I talked through ideas with Makina, letting them take shape.
At which point Mumul said:
“……The larger the party, the harder the Bleached Bone Swamp may be to cross.”
“Oh right — I forgot about the hazardous stretch. What’s it actually like?”
“A wetland shrouded in fog year-round. It disorients your sense of direction, and dangerous monsters have taken up residence in it.”
“I see. Monsters we can manage, but the wetland itself is genuinely tricky……”
Trading meant moving large quantities of goods.
A wetland naturally meant poor footing.
Even with golems, hauling cargo through it would be extremely laborious.
Cart wheels in particular would sink into the mud immediately.
But Makina said it with a breezy expression:
“That should be no problem.”
“Hm?”
“There is a very simple solution. Build a road through the wetland.”
“Easy enough to say, but……”
“With mass-produced golems, labor isn’t an issue.”
“Sure, but where are we getting the magic stones?”
At that, Makina smiled — a quietly confident smile.
As if she already had a source in mind.
“My hypothesis is that the mountain contains——”
“This is an emergency!!“
Right on cue, the front door burst open.
Alicia came through it, and Makina’s expression showed a flicker of surprise.
“You’re early. I thought you wouldn’t be back until tomorrow at the earliest.”
“It was urgent. More importantly — we found a dungeon!!”
……You’re kidding me!?
The unexpected news hit me so hard I nearly fell off my seat.