The Dwarf Kingdom.
Located deep within the Azerlisia Mountains.
It was once a prosperous nation made up of four cities, thriving on its abundant mineral resources and exceptional craftsmanship.
However, since the turmoil caused by the Demon Gods two hundred years ago, the dwarves had been forced to abandon their cities one after another. Some became ruins, and the nation's strength rapidly declined.
Now, only the city of Feo Jera remained.
Inside a room barely about 1.8 meters tall, extremely cramped by most standards, eight dwarves had gathered.
They were members of the Regency Council, the highest governing body of the Dwarf Kingdom, responsible for handling affairs across all sectors of the state.
All eight dwarves focused their gaze in the same direction, their eyes filled with caution.
Two figures sat on a sofa nearby.
"Hey, don't look at me like that."
Pe Riyuro, the King of the Quagoa, grinned widely, revealing a malicious smile.
As fellow inhabitants of the Azerlisia Mountains, the dwarves had suffered greatly under the oppression of the Quagoa in the past.
The relationship between the two races could easily be described as hostile to the core.
After all, one of the four dwarf cities, Feo Raidho, had been abandoned precisely because of threats from the Quagoa.
Pe Riyuro fully understood the resentment the dwarves felt toward him, the King of the Quagoa.
But he did not care.
Leaving aside the fact that his strength had grown tremendously, his current status alone was enough to stop the dwarves from acting rashly.
Captain of the Sorcerer Kingdom's Guard!
This title alone carried immense authority.
As long as the dwarves possessed even a little common sense, they would never dare raise a hand against him.
And just as Pe Riyuro expected, that was exactly what happened.
Although anger burned inside them, the dwarves could only endure.
Weakness itself was a sin.
Adopting the mindset of avoiding trouble by not looking at what annoyed them, the dwarves shifted their attention to the other figure.
"Um... may I ask who you are?"
Looking at the figure before them, whose muscular body reached the ceiling even while sitting on the sofa, an older dwarf swallowed nervously and asked respectfully.
Although they did not know his exact identity, from what they had observed earlier, his status was clearly far above that of the Quagoa King.
That alone forced the dwarves to tread carefully.
After all, a single mistake could spark a conflict between nations.
"My name is Cocytus. I have come on this visit in a personal capacity, hoping your nation can offer assistance."
Cocytus lowered his head slightly. As he spoke, a wave of cold air spread through the room.
The eight dwarves shivered involuntarily.
Pe Riyuro, however, did not react.
During his time in the Sorcerer Kingdom, his strength had increased dramatically.
His level had risen from 38 to 45.
Unless the cold was released intentionally, the chill leaking from Cocytus would only feel like a slight cool breeze to him.
"A... assistance?"
"Yes."
Cocytus nodded.
At the same time, considering the dwarves' condition, he deliberately restrained the release of his icy aura.
As long as it did not involve Nazarick or the Supreme Beings, Cocytus was actually one of the most reasonable Guardians.
Possessing the spirit of a warrior and disliking the strong bullying the weak, he was known to be relatively easy to talk to.
"My forging skills have reached a bottleneck. I hope to observe your nation's Runecraft. I would be deeply grateful."
Cocytus explained the purpose of his visit.
Runecraft, also known as Runic Crafting, was the dwarves' unique forging technique.
It involved carving ancient symbols known as Runes onto weapons.
There were a total of ninety Rune Characters.
Among them were fifty low-tier runes, twenty-five mid-tier runes, ten high-tier runes, and five highest-tier runes.
There were even rumors of Reverse Runes or Divine-tier Rune Characters.
Cocytus found this extremely intriguing.
This forging technique using Rune Characters might be able to solve the problem that had troubled him for so long.
The possibility of enchanting equipment with Wild Magic.
Not simply storing Wild Magic, but truly embedding it into equipment.
Stored Wild Magic would eventually run out.
According to Cocytus's idea, if Wild Magic could truly be enchanted onto equipment, then even beings who were not members of the Dragon Race could use it.
By infusing the equipment with one's own soul or with stored souls, the limitations placed on Wild Magic could be bypassed indirectly.
That was Cocytus's theory.
Unfortunately, the process proved far more difficult than he had imagined. It might even be impossible.
Unlike Tier Magic, Wild Magic was a force comparable to World-Class Items. The success rate of enchanting it onto equipment was practically zero.
Even when using a True Dragon Lord as the material, the compatibility between Wild Magic and equipment remained poor.
It felt as though something essential was missing, preventing the two from reaching true balance.
Because of this, Cocytus had searched through countless records.
In the end, Runecraft was the one thing that gave him a glimmer of hope.
"Runecraft, you say...?"
Faced with Cocytus' request, the dwarves exchanged glances, their expressions troubled.
They had considered many possibilities, but this was the one thing they had never expected.
The Dwarf Kingdom once had craftsmen who specialized in runic characters. But that was a thing of the past.
Two hundred years ago, a magic-infusion technique based on tier magic was introduced among the dwarves, and it gradually replaced the old methods.
Although the newer technique required materials, its efficiency was two to three times higher than runecraft.
On top of that, people suited to becoming rune craftsmen were extremely rare, even rarer than magic casters. Because of this, runecraft came to be seen as outdated and gradually fell into decline.
Nowadays, almost no one in the Dwarf Kingdom still practiced runecraft.
"If that's not possible, then bringing out any materials related to runecraft would also be acceptable."
Seeing the dwarves hesitate without answering, Pe Riyuro leaned back on the sofa and spoke in a seemingly casual tone.
He was not helping the dwarves. He was helping himself.
Returning empty-handed as a guide and returning with something useful were two completely different outcomes.
Besides, since he was the one proposing this now, he could indirectly claim part of the credit that would otherwise belong to the dwarves, leaving a stronger impression of his usefulness.
With an opportunity like that, why would he not take it?
(PS: Do not be fooled by how he appears in the anime. This guy is actually very clever, no less so than the Bloody Emperor.)
"Yes, yes! Please wait a moment, Cocytus-sama. We will send someone to bring over all the materials related to runecraft right away."
The dwarves quickly snapped out of their hesitation and responded hurriedly, even casting Pe Riyuro a faintly grateful glance.
Maybe this Quagoa Beastman King is not so unpleasant after all.
Every dwarf present could not help but think that.
It had to be said that the dwarves being beaten down by the Quagoa in the past was not without reason.
...
"Um... Cocytus-sama."
While waiting for the materials to arrive, the eight dwarf leaders whispered among themselves, occasionally glancing toward the sofa.
Finally, the leader stepped forward. After hesitating for a moment, he spoke.
"What is it?"
Cocytus raised his head from his thoughts about forging and looked at the dwarf in confusion.
"We have a rather presumptuous request..."
"We hope the Sorcerer Kingdom will accept the Dwarf Kingdom's loyalty and allow us to become a vassal state."
Although the Frost Dragon Lord and the Quagoa had both withdrawn from the Azerlisia Mountains, giving the dwarves the appearance of safety, the eight leaders knew the truth.
It was only temporary.
Before long, a new ruler would inevitably arrive.
The dwarves were simply too weak. Their entire population was only about one hundred thousand. Their nation could disappear at any moment.
And faced with that reality, they had no way to protect themselves.
The dwarves maintained diplomatic relations with the Empire, but those ties amounted to little more than small-scale trade of minor importance.
Even though they all belonged to the same broad category of humanoid races, neither the Empire nor the Slane Theocracy would truly come to the dwarves' aid.
(PS: In the setting, both dwarves and elves are classified as humanoid races.)
But today, the dwarves had seen hope.
The Sorcerer Kingdom might be newly established, but there was no doubt it was a colossal power.
If they could become its vassal state, the Dwarf Kingdom would finally be free from constant fear.
"Become a vassal state?"
Cocytus fell into thought.
He understood what the dwarves wanted, but he could not think of a reason why the Supreme Beings would accept their loyalty.
To put it bluntly.
Did a race like this truly have any value?
Granted, dwarves were exceptionally skilled at mining.
But no matter how skilled they were, could they really compare to the Quagoa?
"I cannot give you an answer on this matter. I will report it to the three sovereigns and let them decide."
In the end, Cocytus shook his head.
He would report the matter to the Supreme Beings and try to speak on the dwarves' behalf, but whether it would succeed was another matter.
"Then we will leave it in your hands, Cocytus-sama."
Although they felt somewhat disappointed, the dwarves did not dwell on it. As long as they had not been rejected on the spot, there was still hope.
Recalling how humans conducted themselves, the leading dwarf hesitated for a moment before finally making up his mind.
He turned and whispered a few words to the dwarf beside him. That dwarf immediately rushed off.
Not long afterward, several dwarves returned carrying a large stack of thick books containing materials related to runecraft.
But along with them came something else.
A massive hammer.
"This is..."
Cocytus' eyes flickered. He accepted the giant hammer handed to him and immediately began examining it carefully.
"A weapon forged through runecraft."
As a master smith, Cocytus recognized the weapon's extraordinary nature at a glance.
According to the equipment classification of [Yggdrasil], this weapon was at least [Relic-class].
"That is correct. It was forged during the golden age of rune craftsmen. It once belonged to our last king and is considered a national treasure of the Dwarf Kingdom."
Two hundred years ago, Demon Gods invaded the Dwarf Kingdom and slaughtered almost the entire royal family.
Only one survived.
That last royal descendant, the Rune King, left his homeland and joined the [Thirteen Heroes], setting out on a journey of vengeance and the salvation of the world.
But sadly, he never returned to the Dwarf Kingdom.
All that remained was this giant hammer, which according to the records was later returned by a member of the [Thirteen Heroes] clad in platinum armor.
With that, the royal bloodline of the dwarves was completely severed, and the monarchy collapsed.
The nation transitioned from a [Kingdom] to a [Republic].
"Hoo... I will do everything I can to report this for you."
Cocytus exhaled a breath of frost and gave his solemn promise.
He could not refuse.
This weapon would allow him to understand the secrets of runecraft much faster.
***
...
If you'd like to support my work and unlock advanced chapters, you can follow me on p-@-treon.
[email protected]/PinkSnake (50 Chapters Ahead).
You can also follow as a free member to read a few advanced chapters.
***