In the early hours of the morning, when everyone was asleep.
Squelch—! Squelch—!
A small, plump black shadow moved cautiously between the tents, stepping on the snow.
The black shadow, clearly experienced, entered and exited the tents, gathering something.
Munch munch!
In the shadow’s hands were pieces of bread and vegetables, which it stuffed into its mouth and chewed vigorously.
But it seemed that wasn’t enough to fill its stomach, as the shadow began looking around again.
Unfortunately, near the tent it had just raided, soldiers on patrol were standing guard, keeping watch.
The shadow realized this area was also dangerous due to the proximity and the soldiers holding torches.
It moved as far away from the light as possible, stopping at a certain point.
A tempting aroma tickled the shadow’s nose.
Drawn by the scent, the shadow approached and soon discovered a wooden cellar door.
Lifting the wooden planks, it found a cellar filled with numerous oak barrels of alcohol.
The shadow’s eyes began to gleam brightly, even in the darkness.
Slurp—!
Drool dripped from the shadow’s mouth. It wiped it away, but the drool kept flowing, as if its salivary glands had exploded.
Just as the shadow was about to approach the oak barrels…
Whoosh!
Something wrapped around the shadow’s leg, and its body was suddenly lifted into the air.
Clang! Clang!
A bell rang out near the cellar.
The trap had been set to ring a bell when triggered.
The shadow frantically tried to free its leg from the snare, but…
“A ghost has snuck into the alcohol cellar! Catch it!”
“Waaaaah!”
In an instant, villagers armed with clubs rushed into the cellar, shouting.
Realizing escape was impossible, the shadow tightly shut its eyes.
Thud! Thwack! Thud!
The beating began.
“Ah! Ah! Stop! Please stop hitting me! Oh, I’m dying!”
The shadow screamed and begged, but the beating didn’t stop.
Perhaps the villagers intended to erase the fear of the ghost’s existence once and for all.
After a while of relentless beating, the villagers began to calm down and grew curious.
“The ghost is screaming?”
“Wait, the ghost is actually getting beaten…?”
Realizing something was off, the villagers stopped and lighted the “ghost” with their torches.
A being no taller than a child, with a beard covering half its face, and hands and feet twice the size of an adult’s, disproportionate to its body.
This being was no ghost.
“…A dwarf?”
It was a dwarf.
[Uncover the identity of the ghost.1/1]
[The quest ‘A Ghost Has Appeared!’ has been completed.]
The dwarves, tightly bound with ropes, knelt before Ian.
There were ten of them in total.
Dwayne’s traps had caught dwarves in every location they were set.
The soldiers brought the dwarves before Ian for investigation.
Since there were no proper houses, the investigation was conducted outdoors.
The villagers watched with curiosity.
The Fried Empire was a multi-ethnic, multi-racial nation that did not discriminate based on race or species.
Humans made up 80% of the population, while other races made up the remaining 20%.
However, these other races tended to live in separate regions, so it was rare to see them outside their homelands unless one traveled.
Especially in a remote frontier territory like this, non-human races were a novelty.
“Wow, they’re really short.”
“But their hands and feet are huge.”
While they had heard stories of such races existing in the empire, no one had actually seen one before.
At first, most had come because they heard a ghost had been caught.
But now, knowing it was a dwarf, they flocked to see the spectacle.
“State your names and age.”
While Oswell conducted the interrogation, Ian watched the dwarves with a sly smile.
To Ian, this investigation was merely a formality.
With so many eyes and ears around, it was just for show.
‘Hah! I knew they’d show up eventually, but I didn’t expect them to get caught so quickly.’
He hadn’t anticipated receiving the quest this soon.
Dwarves were NPCs that appeared when a settlement was established in uncharted territory.
Dwarves were known for their strength, excelling as warriors, but they were also skilled craftsmen and artists.
“Where did you all come from?”
“Come from? It’s you humans who invaded our land!”
“What are you talking about?”
“This is our land, the land of the dwarves!”
“You humans built a village right on top of where we live!”
Oswell, listening to their explanation, noticed something odd.
“Are you saying there are more dwarves living here besides you?”
Everyone looked surprised.
They hadn’t imagined that dwarves could have settled in this uncharted territory.
“We’ve never heard of dwarves living near our territory. But you’re clearly speaking the Empire’s language. Are you not natives here?”
“Of course we’re imperial citizens! Decades ago, we fled and settled in this uninhabited land!”
Oswell was stunned.
No matter how you looked at it, settling in such a dangerous place was unthinkable.
At the same time, he felt pity for them.
‘I’ve heard that in places with severe tyranny, people starve to death.’
Because of that, some abandon their territories, wander, or even turn to banditry.
Discrimination existed even among humans, so it was inevitable that other races would face it too.
It seemed they had wandered from place to place, unable to endure the discrimination and tyranny, before settling here.
“Sir Oswell, I’ll take it from here.”
“Yes, young master.”
Oswell stepped back, and Ian stepped forward.
“This land is no longer unclaimed. It is now officially part of the Schrantz County.”
“Unclaimed? Nonsense! This is clearly land we’ve cultivated!”
“Are you telling us to leave? Not a chance!”
“Go ahead and try! Do you think our 500 brothers will just stand by and watch?”
It was a clear threat, as if they were ready to draw their swords at any moment.
But Ian just chuckled.
‘500? That’s an exaggeration.’
If there were that many, the Schrantz family would have noticed them long ago, even in uncharted territory.
If their numbers were that large, adventurers heading into uncharted lands would have discovered them much earlier.
“So, what do you want?”
“…What?”
“Do you want us to leave? Of course, I already know what your answer will be.”
This land had already been claimed by Schrantz, and it was revealed to be rich in resources.
Moreover, the amount of money already invested here was substantial.
Naturally, they had no intention of leaving quietly.
“We also have no intention of leaving quietly. If our desires conflict, the only thing left is war.”
At the mention of the word “war,” the dwarves gulped nervously.
The expressions of the knights standing beside Ian changed instantly.
It was the kind of look only those who had experienced war could have.
By this point, the dwarves, realizing the gravity of the situation, began to tremble.
Seeing them shake in fear, Ian knew the effect was clear.
‘They won’t speak recklessly anymore.’
Ian slightly eased the tension.
“However, I don’t believe what you truly want is for us to leave. If that were the case, you wouldn’t have resorted to stealing food.”
All of them were dwarves who had been caught stealing alcohol or food. They must have felt guilty.
“…Then what do you want?”
“Become citizens of the Schrantz territory. I promise you a life free from the tyranny you’ve endured, fully protected. Of course, you’ll be compensated according to your contributions, and with that compensation, you’ll be able to purchase food.”
The dwarves murmured among themselves.
“I don’t know what kind of place you came from, but I can assure you that Schrantz does not discriminate based on status or race.”
They looked conflicted, unsure whether to believe him or not.
While they discussed among themselves, Oswell whispered to Ian.
“Young master, are you sure you can make such a decision on your own?”
“The lord told me to handle the people’s sentiments appropriately. If they live on this land, they should be treated as equal citizens.”
Even if it were Hugo or Hubert in this position, they would have made the same decision.
Given the chronic population shortage, there was no room to discriminate based on race.
Since they lived on this land, they couldn’t just be left alone.
“This isn’t something we can decide. We’ll convey this to our leader.”
The dwarves, now more polite than before, concluded that they couldn’t make the decision themselves.
“Alright? Release them all.”
Ian ordered the soldiers, who looked at him with uncertainty, wondering if it was really okay to let them go.
When Ian gestured impatiently for them to hurry, the soldiers finally untied the dwarves.
The dwarves also looked confused, unsure why they were being released so suddenly.
“You said it’s up to your leader, right? Go and deliver my message to him.”
He was sending all of them back, not just a few.
The soldiers still looked uneasy, but since Ian had given the order, they decided to let them go.
Oswell was worried that they had been released too easily.
“Young master, are you sure it’s okay to let them go like this?”
“Of course.”
“Wouldn’t it be better to keep a few as hostages?”
Ian chuckled and waved his hand dismissively.
“It’s fine. We need to show trust first if we want their leader to be moved.”
“I understand, but these are people who hold hostility toward humans. What if they attack us with their comrades?”
“Even if they do, with you here, Sir Oswell, what’s there to worry about?”
“Your trust in me is more than I deserve, but I’m concerned for your safety.”
Unlike the worried Oswell, Ian remained calm.
