Measuring The Distance, Then A Straight Punch

The flow up to this point had been perfect.

I targeted the one among the dwarves who was openly combative and showed him dead stock from the warehouse.

Unlike the Treasure Hall, the items in the warehouse were not valuables, and aside from material items, most of them were things the development department could produce, so saying they were made by us was not a lie.

The tools I had brought to show the dwarves had been appraised by Oscar and Viktor, and I had brought the items the two of them had guaranteed were outrageous.

Just as we had expected, the Heat Knife received an extremely good reaction, and putting the ingot in with it had been worth it.

Oscar had said that if it was this dagger, the dwarves would absolutely be surprised, but I had been a little anxious. That was why box number two contained a Purgatory Sword, which was a higher-ranked item than the Heat Knife.

This was a sword even higher in rank than the Flame Sword stored in the Treasury, which could not be produced, and among producible weapons, it was a fairly high-ranking weapon.

However, since it required materials that did not seem obtainable in this world, showing it while saying we could make it was not really… The materials were technically in the warehouse, but… there was no point using materials we could not replenish to make a weapon with no use.

For that reason, I was extremely glad they had bitten harder than expected at the Heat Knife… and then the potion I showed next. With that, I drew in the interest of the dwarves who had reacted relatively little to the Heat Knife all at once.

Mm, even thinking back on it, it had been perfect.

With this, I had perfectly drawn the dwarves’ interest… and after this, I was going to bring up the outrageous subject of teleportation… At this point, I had completely seized the dwarves’ hearts.

After that, if the dwarves could learn the installation technology for mana collection devices, it would be a grand happy ending… or so I had thought.

This situation… what should I do?

Right now, in this meeting hall… twelve dwarf dignitaries were seriously punching each other with their eyes glittering.

No, I was the one who had created the cause.

But… could anyone have predicted this?

We, who had been invited to the guest house, were undoubtedly state guests.

And in front of us… the highest authorities who governed the country of Gigil-Po were seriously punching each other while fighting over the hair-restoration medicine we had brought.

No, really, what was I supposed to do?

It was impossible to bring this under control… should I try saying that if we returned to Einheria, I could immediately prepare enough for everyone?

However… if I said something like, “There is still more medicine,” to these people who were clearly punching each other with all their strength, they would absolutely press in on me.

Frankly, after seeing how serious they were about punching each other… I really wanted to be spared from having them press in on me with the same intensity.

Actually, we were still only lightly touching on the beginning of the discussion and had not reached the main topic at all… Even the chairman, Galgad, who had endured while wearing a longing expression the whole time, had become a wild beast before the hair-restoration medicine…

Who was going to bring this under control…?

Even in this situation, I looked toward the sharp-looking dwarf standing near the door with a cool expression, but after lightly closing his eyes as if giving a bow with his gaze, it seemed he would not admonish the rampaging dwarves.

At this point, could the bottle of hair-restoration medicine just break?

If that happened, at least their movements would stop… though there was a possibility the one who broke it would be slaughtered afterward…

As I was thinking such things, Renge, who had been sitting down, slowly stood up… and the next moment, the entire meeting hall shook with a thunderous roar.

…A stomping technique?

When Renge stood up and powerfully stomped on the floor, sound, vibration, and impact were produced.

Despite stomping on the floor with such fierce power, the floor did not seem to be dented at all… Was dwarf building technology amazing, or was Renge’s restraint exquisite…? Well, whatever the case, even the raging dwarves naturally stopped moving at the sudden explosive sound and vibration, and after seeing that, Renge sat back down as if nothing had happened.

Mm, you saved me, Renge… She must have noticed that I was inwardly troubled and stopped the dwarves… it wasn’t because it was too noisy for her to sleep, right?

While sending Renge both gratitude and suspicion, I opened my mouth.

“I would like to move the discussion along now, if that is all right. Incidentally, if we return to my country, there is sufficient stock of that hair-restoration medicine. At the very least, enough to donate to everyone here.”

“…My apologies, King Fels of Einheria. It seems we were slightly shaken by unknown technology.”

…Was it because it was unknown technology that they were shaken? That intensity looked to me as if it had a completely different reason…

Well, I would not bring it back up… since they had finally regained their calm.

For now, while some had blood dripping from their mouths and noses, and others already had swollen eyes, I resumed speaking toward Galgad, the chairman.

I would give them potions after this meeting ended.

“Now then, the goods I just showed you are still only a small part of our Einherian technology… What do you think?”

“…Your country’s technology is extremely interesting. However, rather than being an extension of our technology, it feels as if you possess an entirely different technology. Does this mean these are things found at the end of humanfolk refinement?”

I had thought they had been punching each other purely by instinct, but apparently they had properly seen what needed to be seen… Unlike when I said I wanted dwarf technology, the other dwarves were now looking at us with intense interest.

“Einheria’s technology is not something that can be spoken of under the general category of humanfolk. The technology used to make these is unique to Einheria. I will not say humanfolk could never reach it through refinement, but it may be more proper to think of it as something of an entirely different kind.”

“Indeed, that was a rather rude way to speak of the technology your country has cultivated. I apologize. Unlike us dwarves, I had forgotten that humanfolk can possess completely different technologies on a country-by-country basis.”

“No, do not worry about it. Now, we have taken a slight detour, but regarding my request for you dwarves to lend your strength to Einheria… the truth is that we are troubled by a shortage of personnel.”

“A shortage of personnel…? Humanfolk should be far more numerous than we are…”

Not only Galgad, but the other dwarves also had suspicious expressions, as if tilting their heads slightly.

“What we desire are personnel with high technical skill and excellent magic-power detection ability. With humanfolk technicians, their magic-power detection ability is insufficient, and with the goblins, their technical ability is insufficient, so construction of a device important to us has stalled.”

It should be fine to show a little of our weakness here. It was only to emphasize equality.

“A necessary device, you say… What kind of device would that be?”

At the word “device,” the eyes of several dwarves gleamed.

The effects of the Heat Knife and potions were tremendous… They seemed quite interested in us.

“That device is called a mana collection device. By installing this device in settlements, we can gather the magic power necessary to operate the country.”

“A device that collects magic power…”

“When I say it collects magic power, it absorbs the surplus portion produced by people as they live. Installing it does not reduce people’s magic power or harm their physical condition. In fact, the goblins, who are fairy-folk, live near mana collection devices.”

At my words, Bangagonga gave a light nod.

“Hmm… You wish to request us dwarves to install that device?”

“That is correct. Although we must install them across the entire country, the personnel capable of installing them number only enough to count on both hands. As for the detailed technology… if you accept this proposal, this Otonoha will explain it to you. She is the top technician in our country. The Heat Knife, potions, and hair-restoration medicine I showed you earlier were all made by her hands.”

“What!”

The eyes of the older dwarf men, sparkling brightly, turned toward Otonoha, but Otonoha merely smiled elegantly and gave a small bow.

As a smile shown by Otonoha, who normally acted rather masculine, it was extremely rare… I really wished I could have preserved an image of it… Had the dwarves made something like a camera?

“You may want to discuss technical matters, but could you wait a little longer? I would like to finish the discussion first.”

“M-my apologies… please continue.”

Sensing that the dwarves might rush toward Otonoha at any moment, I warned them to let me speak first, and not only Galgad, but most of the dwarves showed awkward expressions.

“This mana collection device has several functions other than gathering magic power, and among them is… the effect of preventing and treating Frenzy.”

““What!?””

Every dwarf in the meeting hall shouted at once… including the sharp-looking one.

I immediately raised my hand and restrained the dwarves, who seemed about to grow noisy.

“First, allow me to explain. I will answer questions afterward, to the extent I can.”

When I said that, the town chiefs who had stood up while kicking over their chairs reluctantly sat down.

Now then, from here on, it was a serious discussion.

The reason I had not spoken about the teleportation function first was because if I had spoken about that, I expected the dwarves would not stop just because I raised my hand. If they grew excited, the conversation would not move forward.

“What we have currently confirmed is as follows: by installing mana collection devices and living near them, goblins stopped falling into Frenzy. When a goblin living in a place without a mana collection device was on the verge of Frenzy, he regained his sanity after being brought near a mana collection device, and he still lives normally now. After mana collection devices were installed in every town and village in the former Lumoria Kingdom, monster Frenzy stopped occurring. These are the three points.”

““…””

“When we asked the goblins, it seems that before they lived near a mana collection device, over the last ten or so years, one person had fallen into Frenzy roughly once every half-year. However, over the last nearly half-year, that frequency had rapidly increased to about one person per month. But after they began living near the mana collection device, it stopped completely.”

This was not about Bangagonga’s village, but information from the goblins who had lived in the hidden villages that joined us later.

The reason the frequency had likely increased over the last half-year was… the Demon King’s magic power had been consumed by Fio’s ritual, but once the ritual was completed and we were created, that magic power was no longer consumed, and the Demon King’s magic power must have rapidly thickened.

It was not as if the Demon King was at fault, nor were we at fault, but there was no doubt that the frequency of Frenzy had increased because the Demon King had regained his original magic power.

“Most likely, for you gentlemen, who are fairy-folk, Frenzy is also a problem, is it not?”

“…”

With serious expressions, or extremely bitter ones, the dwarves fell silent.

There was no mistake about this, as Cougar had investigated it in advance. In each town of Gigil-Po, Frenzy was occurring with considerable frequency.

“I wish to install these mana collection devices not only within my own territory, but throughout the world. Of course, in this Gigil-Po as well.”

“It can truly prevent Frenzy…?”

Galgad asked with a strong tone of doubt, as expected, but I nodded confidently.

“Yes. At the very least, not a single goblin living near a mana collection device has fallen into Frenzy for more than half a year, and they are spending very healthy days. I would like you to hear various details about that from this Bangagonga.”

“…Understood.”

“Incidentally, the person I mentioned earlier who was on the verge of Frenzy but returned to sanity was also Bangagonga. It would be best to ask him various things regarding that as well.”

“How surprising… he appears perfectly healthy…”

“Yes. As His Majesty said, several months ago, I was on the verge of Frenzy when His Majesty personally saved me. He also saved my brethren, who were in danger of extinction… and we came to offer our loyalty to His Majesty.”

Receiving Bangagonga’s sincere manner, the dwarves exchanged glances with difficult expressions and conversed in low voices.

I waited silently until that settled down.

Then, without taking much time, Galgad turned back toward me and opened his mouth.

“…King Fels of Einheria. As you have said, Gigil-Po is currently being eroded by the Demon King’s magic power, and Frenzy has become a problem in each town. If we use that mana collection device, can that problem be solved?”

“Yes. There is no mistake about that. As long as the installation is completed, dwarves living in the towns will no longer fall into Frenzy.”

“Will those who have already fallen into Frenzy also be cured?”

“…Regarding that, I cannot make an absolute promise. It may have been possible to treat Bangagonga because he had not completely fallen into Frenzy, and we have never brought anyone besides him who had fallen into Frenzy near a mana collection device.”

“…Currently, there are more than one hundred afflicted patients in Gigil-Po. All of them are asleep through medicine, but there is no prospect of treatment. If possible, could you try it on them?”

The dwarves had been researching a method to treat Frenzy, had they…?

However, it should be quite difficult through proper means. If it were something easily treatable, Fio would have done something about it thousands of years ago.

“I cannot promise that I will definitely cure them.”

Bangagonga had not completely fallen into Frenzy, after all… If asked whether those who had completely fallen into Frenzy could be treated… since we did not know the mechanism behind Frenzy in the first place, I could not say. The Demon King’s magic power that caused it could likely be absorbed, but whether their minds would return to normal was…

If they did not return to sanity with only the mana collection device… was there a one-chance possibility with a panacea?

“We are prepared for that. Even if treatment is not possible, we will not resent you, and we will simply continue our own research.”

“Understood. Then we shall install a mana collection device in this town. There are several conditions for the installation location, so please discuss that area with Otonoha.”

“Understood. Otonoha-dono, we look forward to working with you.”

“Please leave it to me.”

…All right! I got them to tacitly approve the installation of a mana collection device!

But I still had to properly explain its functions.

“By the way, Galgad-dono. The mana collection device still has other functions.”

“Oh! What kind of functions are they?”

The gloomy and sunken mood from an instant before had vanished, and Galgad was not the only one whose eyes suddenly began shining with interest…

Dwarves were quite sinful.

“There are three main functions. One is a barrier. This protects the device itself so that it is not destroyed. The second is a communication function between devices. Using this, though it is limited to those who use the device, one can converse with someone in a distant town.”

Well, the most important function was collecting magic power. There was no need to deliberately say that.

“How astonishing!? What kind of mechanism does that use…”

“This is one of Einheria’s deepest secrets. I cannot teach it to you.”

“Mngh…”

Galgad groaned with extreme frustration… but the other function was even greater than this, you know?

“And the final one is the teleportation function.”

“Tele…? What exactly is tele…?”

“It is a function that allows instant movement between bases where mana collection devices have been installed. No matter how far apart they are, it allows movement faster than the blink of an eye.”

“…”

The dwarves froze with exactly the kind of blank expressions one would expect, but perhaps my words gradually soaked into their brains, because they slowly began rebooting.

“Tele… teleportation!? What kind of technology is that…!?”

“Naturally, this is also top secret. The mana collection devices we want the dwarves to install are simplified versions with those functions removed. Of course, the function that prevents Frenzy remains intact.”

At my words, the dwarves exploded.